Yemen separatist forces seize key oil region, urge US to partner against Iran-backed Houthis

EXCLUSIVE: Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) claims its forces now control all eight southern governorates and are prepared to serve as Washington’s frontline partner against Iran-backed Houthis, al-Qaeda affiliates and Muslim Brotherhood factions.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Ahmed Atef, the STC’s representative to the United States and United Nations, said STC hopes for expanded cooperation with Washington — militarily, diplomatically and economically — with the administration. "All kinds of support are welcome," he said. "President Trump is very courageous and very strong, and we are really looking forward to his support."

The STC has emerged as the dominant power in southern Yemen, and is reportedly backed by significant Emirati funding and military support. Formed in April 2017, it unites factions seeking to reestablish an independent South Yemen — reviving the state that existed from 1967 until unification in 1990. Last week, the head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government called on STC to withdraw from territories they have recently captured in the southeastern parts of the country, the Associated Press reported.

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On Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that Yemen was facing a dangerous new escalation following recent advances by forces affiliated with the STC in the eastern governorates of Hadramawt and al-Mahra. Guterres said such unilateral actions risk deepening divisions, hardening positions and accelerating fragmentation, with potential spillover effects on regional security, including the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa. 

Bridget Toomey, a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital that for the U.S. to support southern secession would be "at odds with the stated policy of the internationally recognized government of Yemen, which currently exists for one Yemen." She said the United States supports that government, but added that backing the STC as a partner in counterterrorism missions and in the fight against the Houthis "would not necessarily be at odds with the government," particularly because the STC and its leadership are part of the current governing framework.

Yemen’s war has long divided the nation. In the north, the Houthis rule Sanaa and much of western Yemen with support from Iran and ties to Hezbollah. In the south, STC-aligned forces dominate Aden, the temporary capital, and a belt of inland and coastal regions that include Lahj, Abyan, Shabwa, Hadramout and al-Mahra.

The internationally recognized Yemeni government, which the United States continues to support, is formally based in Aden but remains fragmented. The Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council serves as the recognized authority and has relied heavily on a coalition of competing factions, including the STC, to govern and confront the Houthis and to maintain control on the ground.

Toommey said, "The government has faced serious economic, oversight and capacity challenges and has struggled to deliver basic services, a situation compounded by the ongoing fight against the Houthis and Yemen’s broader humanitarian crisis."

That reliance has drawn criticism. Yemen’s internationally recognized government has accused STC-affiliated forces of carrying out deadly attacks in Hadramout and warned that the group’s recent expansion risks sparking conflict between rival factions within the anti-Houthi camp. The Associated Press reported that Yemeni officials urged the STC to withdraw from areas seized in the east, cautioning that unilateral moves could undermine the political process and destabilize a fragile balance in the south.

Atef rejected that characterization, describing the Hadramout operation as a major success that demonstrated the STC’s ability to fight what he called hostile forces operating in coordination with the Houthis. He accused those forces of collaborating with "Houthi terrorists" and said the STC’s actions strengthened security rather than undermined it.

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Atef described the Houthis as a destabilizing force well beyond Yemen’s borders.

"They have this slogan of ‘death to America, death to Israel,’ which is really very unacceptable," he said. As long as the Houthis maintain control of Sanaa, he warned, they will "continue threatening maritime traffic in the Red Sea, continue threatening us in the South and Saudi Arabia, and continue threatening the UAE and the Gulf region."

He also accused Houthi factions of cooperation with outside extremist groups, including Somalia’s al-Shabab, and of receiving training and support from Iran and Hezbollah.

STC President Aidarous al-Zubaidi has pledged assistance to northern Yemeni forces seeking to "re-liberate Sanaa," Atef said, dismissing prospects for a negotiated political settlement. "It is impossible," he said. "We will talk the language that the Houthis understand."

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Atef repeatedly framed the STC as a natural U.S. partner on counterterrorism and regional stability. He praised President Donald Trump for designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization and for efforts targeting branches of the Muslim Brotherhood.

"In Yemen, we have Muslim Brotherhood. We believe that they are terrorists. We believe that they sponsor terrorism," Atef said, adding that he supported a recent bill to classify certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters abroad as terrorist entities, but he argued the organization is "extremist everywhere, even in the United States. Not only in these chapters."

Atef also said the STC intends to open southern Yemen’s oil, agriculture, fisheries and tourism industries to American companies as a path toward long-term self-sufficiency. "We invite U.S. companies to come and explore the oil fields and help us in getting revenues to develop our people," he said.

The STC’s ultimate objective, Atef emphasized, is an independent, pro-Western South Yemen that can secure its territory while helping counter Iran’s regional influence.

"Once we have got this front against the Houthis strengthened and emboldened with the support of the international community and the United States," he said, "that is going to help us very much on the ground to continue our fight and bring stability and peace to the region."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.