Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi said the southern issue lies at the heart of any just settlement and is one of the main keys to building sustainable peace and a stable state.

 

In a speech marking the 36th National Day of the Republic of Yemen on May 22, Al-Alimi said the state had never viewed the southern issue as a security problem, but rather as a political and national cause requiring a just solution under the framework of the state.

 

Al-Alimi said the anniversary comes amid what he described as a dangerous security and political turning point in Yemen’s southern and eastern governorates, one that nearly threatened the legal standing of the state and undermined the foundations of national security.

 

He said Yemeni authorities, “with firmness and wisdom” and with what he called sincere support from Saudi Arabia, had managed to spare the country from paths of strife and fragmentation, preserve national unity, and maintain cohesion on the internal front against the Iran-backed Houthi group, which he accused of being allied with terrorist organizations.

 

The PLC chairman said state institutions and political forces, backed by the Yemeni people, had shown firm national will that helped contain the repercussions of the crisis in record time, restore stability, reactivate state institutions, and form a new government to pursue recovery programs, economic reforms, and efforts to meet citizens’ needs.

 

Al-Alimi said he was not addressing the anniversary of Yemeni unity in the language of traditional celebration or political triumph, but with a sense of responsibility toward a people exhausted by wars, divisions, and the collapse of institutions.

 

He said Yemen today stands at a decisive moment that requires the courage to speak the truth, uphold fairness, and build the future.

 

Al-Alimi said Yemeni unity was a national project embraced by southerners and northerners alike as a path toward a state of institutions, justice, and equal citizenship. However, he acknowledged that the project later suffered from serious deviations that led to deep grievances, beginning with exclusion and marginalization and ending with damage to the national partnership on which unity was founded.

 

He reaffirmed that resolving the southern issue within the framework of the state is a key pillar of national cohesion and a condition for completing the battle to restore the state and achieve lasting peace.

 

However, he warned against attempts to use the southern issue to justify armed rebellion against legitimate state institutions and the rules of political partnership.

 

Al-Alimi said the presidency had been careful in recent months to ensure that the state’s discourse was free of the language of victory and defeat, and to reject rhetoric of gloating and revenge.

 

“There is no victor in civil conflicts, and no winner in disputes among partners who share the same goal and destiny,” he said.

 

In a move aimed at containing recent tensions, Al-Alimi directed the competent authorities to take the necessary legal measures to review and drop arrest warrants and prosecutions linked to recent events in some southern governorates against political and civil figures, provided they are not proven to be involved in terrorism cases, acts of violence, corruption, or grave human rights violations.

 

He said the move stemmed from the state’s responsibility to strengthen civil peace and consolidate the values of tolerance and partnership, stressing that the Republic of Yemen is a homeland that accommodates all its people.

 

Al-Alimi also called for the swift return of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment seized during the recent events, and for their handover to the relevant state institutions. He said this was a necessary step to consolidate the state’s monopoly over arms and enhance security and stability.

 

The PLC chairman said the state had reassessed its strategic approach and decided to work under a unifying national vision based on several tracks.

 

These include continuing efforts to restore state institutions and end the Houthi coup based on the three agreed references, building state institutions in liberated governorates, completing economic reforms, strengthening governance, and combating corruption.

 

Al-Alimi said the vision also includes a commitment to a just solution to the southern issue through peaceful dialogue, strengthening relations with Saudi Arabia and transforming them from a close alliance into a comprehensive strategic partnership.

 

He said it also involves moving ahead with unifying security and military decision-making, enhancing efforts to combat terrorism, smuggling, and organized crime, and enabling local authorities to exercise their full powers in coordination with the central government.