Politics

Yemen's Southern Leader Calls for Two-State Solution

SEP 25 2025·Updated SEP 26 2025

Story

Above: Yemen's Aidarous al-Zubaidi during an interview with AFP in Davos on Jan. 18, 2024. Image credit: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) President Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who also serves as deputy chairman of the internationally recognized Presidential Council, said on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that a two-state solution is best for the country.
Guardian
The Jerusalem Post
The National News
He stated that there's no prospect of ousting the Iran-aligned Houthis from power in northern Yemen either through a bombing campaign or a political settlement, reaffirming that the peace talks have stalled.
Guardian
The National News
Zubaidi further said that all conditions are in place for statehood, and that an independent South Yemen would join the Abraham Accords and establish relations with Israel. He detailed that the STC was advancing towards joining the Accords before the break out of the war in Gaza.
The National News
The Jerusalem Post
The Southern Transitional Council is a secessionist movement dominant in Aden and large parts of the country's south to which three seats of the eight-member Presidential Council were granted in 2022 in a Saudi-led attempt to integrate all anti-Houthi forces.
Guardian
The National News
Earlier this month, Zubaidi issued several gubernatorial appointments across southern Yemen, prompting frustration from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. He asserted that his actions were legitimate and focused on ensuring proper decision mechanism procedures.
Guardian
The National News
Yemen was split into two countries between 1967 and 1990, the Yemen Arab Republican in the north and the socialist People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in the south.
Guardian
The National News

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Yemen's unity remains the only viable path forward despite separatist threats even from parties within the country's legitimate government. It's unacceptable that the Southern Transitional Council continues to insist on a secession, to treat southern Yemen as a state, and to impose a secessionist fait accompli that would be disastrous for all Yemenis.

Yemen Monitor

Narrative B

A two-state solution offers Yemen's only realistic path to peace as Houthis cement separate statehood in the north through financial secession and reject any compromise. The Southern Transitional Council has viable governance capabilities, and international recognition of southern autonomy could be crucial to stabilizing the country.

Fair Observer