Yemeni government officials and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) have engaged in tough negotiations in Riyadh in a bid to form a new Yemeni government divided equally between Yemen’s south and north. This step is part of the Riyadh Agreement that the two sides signed in November 2019 under the auspices of Saudi Arabia — but they failed to implement it over the last seven months.

Since August 2019, the scene in the south has been tumultuous as the United Nations-recognized government has lost control of Aden, Abyan, Dhale and Lahj. Last month, the separatists seized Socotra island, dealing another blow to the Yemeni government. The separatists’ complete takeover of the island infuriated the Yemeni government, unleashing a wave of criticism against the Saudi-led Arab coalition, and triggered a cycle of violence between the government forces and separatist fighters in Abyan province.

While the presence of the Yemeni government keeps waning, the United Arab Emirates-backed separatists continue building further political and military muscle in the south. The STC’s April declaration of self-rule in the south ushered in a new reality in the political arena and made the diplomatic solution tougher than before.

In view of these escalations, Saudi Arabia declared June 22 that the government and the STC had agreed on a cease-fire and would begin talks on implementing the peace deal. Moreover, the coalition deployed observers to Abyan to monitor the cease-fire and help stem the fighting.