Yemen: demilitarisation of south will guarantee Riyadh deal's success, officials say

A successful implementation of the Riyadh deal will depend on the security and military arrangements between Yemen’s government and southern separatists, government officials told The National on Wednesday.

The Riyadh agreement is based on a power sharing deal between Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council and the internationally recognised government.

The STC declared its self-rule over the south earlier this year but on late Tuesday said it would abandon the idea and pledged to implement the Saudi-brokered deal.

The agreement will give the STC representation in a new Yemeni government to be formed within 30 days.

“The problem is not with the government formation or political concessions but it will be about the military and security situation on the ground,” Hamza Al Kamali, Yemen’s Deputy Minister for Youth told The National.

Talks between the two sides are ongoing and the Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi was given confirmation that they will reach a security arrangement, Mr Al Kamali said.

“The President has currently put the government formation process on hold until the security and military situation are established,” he said.

These include securing an end to the fighting in the southern city of Aden, the interim seat of the internationally recognised government and the governorate of Abyan.

 The deal, signed in Riyadh last autumn, set the stage for an end to a long-running rivalry between Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the STC.

The deal was thrown into disarray this year as disagreements between the two sides led to STC fighters seizing control of Aden and igniting clashes across southern Yemen.

Mr Hadi’s administration is set to secure the main four cabinets, which are the interior, defence, foreign affairs and finance ministries.

Four cabinets out of the 24 ministries will be given to the STC and other southern factions will be given a role to play in the ministries.

The STC must now start to move its forces outside of Aden as consultations continue between the two sides, Yemen's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Marwan Ali Noman, told The National.

"The main challenge I think would be the real and sincere intentions of STC to rightly and swiftly implement the agreement. People in Aden deserve no less than security, stability and services," Mr Noman said.

"Its time now to turn the page and unite forces to address the Houthi challenge," he said.

An adviser to the president, Abdullah Al Alimi, said it would take great courage from both sides to turn what is on paper into reality.

“We need to be thinking about the public concerns, the people need a functioning state and government, system, law and partnership, and these alone are the ones that will provide security, justice and freedom,” Mr Al Alimi said.

The equation looks fair on paper for all sides but the important part is moving forward and getting back to work from the ground, Baraa Shiban, a Yemeni political consultant told The National.

“The main challenge would be the de-militarisation process if any progress is made this will effectively mean that we would have an inclusive government to redefine itself both locally and internationally,” Mr Shiban said.

The international community has put extensive pressure on authorities in Yemen to end the devastating conflict.

“Having a new government will mean a new opportunity for the Yemeni government and people to have new faces representing them both locally and internationally. It gives hope to the public that things are moving forward,” Mr Shiban said.

What is important for Yemen is the agreement has broken the stalemate between political factions and helped to undo unilateral actions taken in the past, he said.