The Presidium of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) held its periodic meeting today, Thursday, chaired by Mr. Ali Abdullah Al-Kathiri, Acting President of the STC and Chairman of the National Assembly, in the presence of the STC's ministers in the government, heads of the auxiliary bodies, and the Director of Security of the capital, Aden.


In the beginning of its meeting, the Presidium stood before the latest developments in the southern arena, with a focus on the security developments in the capital, Aden. In this regard, the Presidium expressed its full support for any measures adopted by the security committee to maintain security and stability, particularly commending the efforts of the capital, Aden, security services, Abyan Governorate, the Public Prosecution, and various official and community entities in apprehending most of those wanted in connection with the kidnapping of Colonel Ali Ashaal al-Jaadani, and what was accomplished of progress in gathering evidence and have referred the arrested suspects and the crime scene evidence to the public prosecutor's office, which has issued coercive arrest warrants against the remaining suspects for referring them to the judiciary to face their trial.


The Presidium urged all official and community bodies to support the Public Prosecution in completing the legal proceedings against the criminal gang, ensuring they receive a just punishment for their crime, which violates both law and jurisprudence.


In this context, the STC warned against attempts by forces hostile to the South to exploit the situation for political purposes and undermine the security and stability of the capital, Aden, and the South in general. The Presidium called on everyone to stand against these attempts, which primarily aim to undermine the gains of the South over the past two decades and divert the course of the cause to serve the agendas of opposing forces, reiterating its praise for the unwavering commitment and national responsibility shown by the family of the abductee, by cutting off the way for those who tried to exploit the case or politicize and distort from its legal framework.


In another context, the Presidium discussed the general economic and living situation in the South, reaffirming that the matrix of economic and service measures approved by the Council of Ministers in its special meeting chaired by President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi is the only possible means to halt the deterioration of the economic and service situation and improve living conditions, emphasizing the need for the government to expedite the appropriate measures to follow up on their implementation and conduct periodic evaluations to address any obstacles.


At the end of its meeting, the Presidium touched on a range of organizational topics and issues related to the work of the STC’s central, auxiliary, and local bodies and took the appropriate measures.