Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has urged Yemen’s main separatist group to abide by an agreement to end a standoff with the Saudi-backed government.
The declaration of self-rule on Sunday by the separatist Southern Transitional Council, which included emergency rule in southern regions, threatens to renew the conflict with the government. They are both part of a military alliance formed by Saudi Arabia to battle Yemen’s Houthi movement, which ousted the internationally recognized government from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.
“Any step that is contrary to the Riyadh agreement should be cancelled,” the Saudi cabinet said in a statement issued late on Tuesday, referring to a power-sharing deal agreed in November. The virtual meeting was chaired by King Salman, Reuters reports.
The cabinet also lauded the coalition for extending by one month a ceasefire due to the coronavirus, which Riyadh said would both help alleviate the suffering of Yemenis during the Ramadan and support UN peace efforts.