The UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) had officially suspended its participation in the so-called Riyadh Agreement consultations. This decision was made following the takeover of a number of military positions in the Shuqrah front by anti-STC forces loyal to Hadi and the Islah Party.
The attacks, carried out mostly by Muslim Brotherhood militias, have killed and wounded 7 STC fighters in the past month, the STC said in a statement.
In the statement , the Southern Transitional Council complained that their pensions and monthly salaries had not been paid for several months.
The STC statement addressed the collapse of public services in the occupied southern provinces and the lack of any real remedies that touch the needs of the citizens as a reason for their decision to stop negotiating with the Hadi administration.