The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has taken control of nearly all of southern Yemen and the east, including Hadramout, Mahra, and Aden, the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government. STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi said, "The next goal must be Sanaa, peacefully or through war, until justice returns to its people and aggression is defeated." The STC claims its advances aim to restore stability and fight Houthis, terror groups, and drug smuggling. However, Thomas Juneau, Middle East analyst, said, "Until 10 days ago, the STC was barely able to govern their parts of the south. It was a weak and contested governance." Since the war started in 2014, the internationally recognized government, represented by the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), backed by Saudi Arabia, struggled to unite Yemen's south. The UAE supports the STC and favors restoring South Yemen as an independent state, aiming to keep ties with key shipping routes. Experts warn that southern Yemen's push for secession has grown due to long-standing marginalization. Hisham Al-Omeisy, conflict analyst, notes the call for independence "is not going to disappear," but doubts full southern independence will solve Yemen's deep divisions. Marieke Brandt from the Austrian Academy of Sciences says a formal split would legitimize Houthi rule in the north but faces rejection from the Houthis who call it foreign-backed fragmentation. "The war would not end, it would merely change shape," Brandt added. Human rights groups report recent chaos, including forced evictions of northerners by STC forces. Niku Jafarnia of Human Rights Watch warned of likely increased human rights violations as the STC expands control. The 2024 Human Rights Watch report details widespread abuses by all conflict parties. Yemen faces one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with UN data showing 60% of 377,000 deaths since 2015 due to food insecurity and poor health access. About 5 million people remain at famine risk in 2025.