The Million-Man Rally in Al-Dhale: Crowds Renew Allegiance to the Southern Transitional Council
Thousands of Yemeni demonstrators gathered on Monday in the province of Al-Dhale, a stronghold of the Southern Transitional Council’s leadership, in a rally that conveyed firm southern messages to the international community.
Thousands of protesters from various districts of Al-Dhale and other southern provinces converged on the provincial center in response to the Southern Transitional Council’s call for a “Million-Man March for Steadfastness, Resilience, and Defiance.”
During the demonstration, participants renewed their pledge and loyalty to the people of the South and their political representative, the Southern Transitional Council, led by Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.
Scenes from the gathering
Attendees raised the flags of the State of the South and displayed images of the Council’s leaders, denouncing what they described as the “crimes of the Muslim Brotherhood” and alleged plans by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi aimed at fragmenting southern Yemen’s unity.
Scenes from the gathering
The statement issued during the “Million-Man March for Steadfastness, Resilience, and Defiance” in Al-Dhale emphasized the following points:
The people of the South remain committed to restoring their fully sovereign state and achieving their aspirations through free will, with an absolute rejection of any form of guardianship.
We reaffirm our adherence to the political declaration and constitutional declaration and commit to creating the conditions necessary to enforce them on the ground using all available means and tools.
We categorically reject the “absurd decisions” regarding the dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council and assert that measures taken under abnormal circumstances are not binding on the people of the South.
The alleged dissolution of the Council has collapsed in the face of the will of the southern people, the rightful owners of the land and decision.
The people of the South will not allow anyone to control their internal affairs or deceive them through ambiguous formulas that fail to meet their legitimate ambitions and aspirations.
We firmly reject the imposition of any arrangements under the guise of false partnership and affirm that the southern armed and security forces are not subject to manipulation; any attempt to undermine them constitutes a direct threat to regional security and international navigation.
The people of the South are one unified body, from Al-Mahra to Bab Al-Mandeb, from Mayyun to Al-Dhale. We declare full solidarity with the people of Hadramout and Shabwa and condemn acts of repression, arrests, and the silencing of voices.
Any intra-southern dialogue cannot succeed under the shadow of weapons, the presence of drones overhead, or in an atmosphere of threats, intimidation, and imposed dictates.
A genuine dialogue must be grounded in freedom, justice, and recognition of the southern people’s right to self-determination and the restoration of their state without guardianship.
We affirm that defending our existence and national principles is an imperative matter that admits no compromise.
