RIYADH: The US embassy in Yemen said on Tuesday it rejected unilateral steps taken by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), adding they “only exacerbate instability” in the war-torn country.
“I am concerned with the recent actions of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, including what the STC calls an announcement of ‘self administration’,” Ambassador Christopher Henzel said.
Yemen’s leading separatist group declared self-rule in the south on Monday, complicating UN efforts to end a ruinous conflict and protect the country’s shattered health sector from the spread of COVID-19.
He said these unilateral steps are especially unhelpful at a time when the country is threatened by the coronavirus pandemic.
Henzel called on the STC to abide by the Riyadh agreement, “reengage in the political process” and not threaten to complicate the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.
