Yemen's presidency on Sunday urged the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to immediately lift restrictions on movement to and from Aden, the country's temporary capital in the south. In a statement received by the state-run Saba news agency, a source at the Presidential Office said the STC measures constitute "a blatant violation of the constitution and a clear breach of the transitional framework, foremost among them the Riyadh Agreement," which guarantees full citizenship rights for all Yemenis and rejects regional discrimination. The statement warned that restrictions on freedom of movement and the detention of travelers violate national laws and relevant international human rights conventions, undermine social peace and worsen humanitarian suffering. Calling on the STC to end the restrictions "immediately and unconditionally," the source urged respect for the mandates of state institutions and cautioned against unilateral actions that harm public interests or challenge the state's exclusive authority. Yemen has witnessed an unprecedented escalation since Tuesday after STC forces took control of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra in early December. The two provinces account for nearly half of Yemen's territory and share borders with Saudi Arabia. — Agencies
