Spotlight: People in southern Yemen pin hopes on Riyadh deal

Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-04 22:38:27|Editor: Xiaoxia
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YEMEN-ADEN-GOVERNMENT-STC-POWER-SHARING DEAL

Photo taken on Nov. 5, 2019 shows a view of Aden, Yemen. Yemen's government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) are scheduled to sign power-sharing deal on Tuesday under the auspices of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-brokered deal aimed at ending a conflict over power and paving the way for more stability in the southern Yemeni regions. Several southern provinces, particularly the strategic city of Aden, witnessed a ferocious street-to-street fighting between the Yemeni government forces and the STC military units in August. (Photo by Murad Abdo/Xinhua)

ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) are scheduled to sign power-sharing deal on Tuesday under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-brokered deal aimed at ending a conflict over power and paving the way for more stability in the southern Yemeni regions.

Several southern provinces, particularly the strategic city of Aden, witnessed a ferocious street-to-street fighting between the Yemeni government forces and the STC military units in August.

The STC military units seized control over the country's presidential palace and all the key government institutions in Aden and other neighboring southern provinces.

In September, Saudi Arabia that's leading the anti-Houthi military coalition officially invited both warring sides in Aden to attend reconciliation talks in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The indirect talks achieved progress and reached an agreement about forming a new technocrat government equally to rule Aden and the other southern provinces that had been previously liberated from the Houthis' control.

But the deal excluded the Houthis who are still controlling much of the country's northern part, including capital Sanaa and other northern provinces.

Many people in Aden said that the Riyadh power-sharing deal renewed their hopes of getting a peaceful settlement to end the suffering of armed confrontations in their city.

"Our first hope after signing the deal between the government and the STC is getting our basic services easily, such as electricity and water," a resident named Akram Sadeq told Xinhua on the eve of sealing the Saudi-brokered deal.

"We would be able to have good government institutions and medical care in Aden only if qualified officials are included in the new government," he said.

He added that "many families in Aden are looking forward for living a peaceful life in their houses away from the the threats of invading the city militarily."

Forces loyal to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government advanced from the northern province of Marib and vowed to enter the southern provinces including Aden militarily, but Riyadh deal aborted the plan.

"With signing the deal between the government and the STC, we will have no fears of attacking Aden again by pro-government tribesmen and other forces," another resident named as Mohammed Bakr told Xinhua.

Political activists based in Aden believe that the Riyadh deal enabled the southern politicians to grab more attention and concern of the regional countries toward their issues in the country's southern part.

Nabil Qassem, a youth activist based in Aden, said that "the issue of the southern Yemeni provinces faced marginalization and deliberate oppression during the past years despite the peaceful demands raised by the people there."

He added that "powerful countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, started to deal with the STC as a key political entity to secure significant parts of Yemen."

Nizar Haitham, the official spokesman of the Aden-based STC, said that the Saudi-brokered deal will establish for a new era of stability and development of the southern regions.

"After signing the deal, all the efforts of the new government will be shifted towards the common enemy, which is the Iranian-backed Houthi militias," he added.

Yemen's Information Minister Muammar Iryani praised the role of the neighboring oil-rich Saudi Arabia that hosted the Yemeni political parties and encouraged them to reach this deal.

The deal stipulated that the power-sharing government will operate from the southern port city of Aden, the country's interim capital, and exercise all its tasks in serving the people from there.

Several high-ranking Arab leaders will be present on Tuesday's ceremony in Riyadh.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern areas including the capital Sanaa.

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