Yemen’s main southern separatist group has claimed broad control of the southern part of the country, marking a major shift in power for the area.

Amr al-Bidh, a senior official of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), told the Reuters news agency on Monday that the group had extended its presence in all southern provinces – including the port of Aden, the base of the internationally-recognised government over the past decade – following a military operation codenamed “Promising Future” launched last week.

The eight southern governorates “are under the protection of the Southern Armed Forces”, al-Bidh said by text message.

“We are concentrating on unifying the operational theatre of our armed forces to enhance coordination and readiness to reinforce stability and security in the sout

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