Southern Transitional Council leader calls for a referendum on independence to resolve the conflict.
Joe Biden could play a pivotal role in ending Yemen’s ongoing civil war by supporting a UN-backed referendum for the independence of the southern region, according to the president of Yemen’s secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus al-Zoubaidi.
In an interview with The Guardian, Zoubaidi emphasized that such a vote could gain overwhelming support, claiming 90% of people in the South would back independence. He also pointed out that a referendum should be restricted to the South, drawing parallels to the Brexit vote, which was not extended to the entire European Union.
The division between North and South Yemen dates back to 1990 when the country was unified, but many in the South, particularly in Aden, have never fully accepted the loss of their independence.
Zoubaidi, a former governor of Aden, urged Biden’s newly appointed special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, to engage with the STC, stating that the ongoing conflict will not be resolved unless the South’s voice is heard. He called for a referendum or a similar mechanism to allow the people of the South to express their desires for their future.
