Russia's Bogdanov Discusses Yemen Crisis With South Separatists - Foreign Ministry

Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Thursday met with with Ali Haider, the representative of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), to discuss the current situation in the southern part of the war-torn country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th December, 2019) Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Thursday met with with Ali Haider, the representative of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), to discuss the current situation in the southern part of the war-torn country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"During the conversation, the parties exchanged opinions on urgent Yemeni issues, focusing on the situation in the southern districts of the country in light of the recent agreement between the Yemeni government and Southern Transitional Council, signed on November 5 in Riyadh," the ministry said.

The armed conflict in Yemen between the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthi rebels has been ongoing since 2015.

The former is backed by a military coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia. Despite the peace accord, signed in Stockholm in 2018, the tensions have significantly escalated in recent months.

The STC was created in 2017 as a secessionist movement, backed by the United Arab Emirates. The separatist forces have been allied with the government during ongoing fighting against the Houthi rebel movement. The alliance looked threatened after the STC seized Aden in August. On November 5, the Yemeni government and the STC signed a peace deal that merged the STC's security forces into the state Ministries of Interior and Defense. The terms of the agreement envision that Aden, a former STC stronghold, returns to the government's control.