SANAA, Yemen / ISTANBUL

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi said Sunday that consolidating weapons under state control is essential to restoring the country’s institutions and ensuring their return to normal operation.

Speaking during a meeting with British Ambassador to Yemen Abda Sharif in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Alimi said the successful takeover of military camps in the eastern provinces of Hadhramaut and al-Mahra marked a critical step toward reasserting state authority, according to the state news agency Saba.

He added that the process, alongside ongoing efforts to stabilize conditions in the temporary capital Aden and other government-controlled areas, would help improve humanitarian conditions, facilitate the delivery of aid and rebuild confidence with the international community.

Alimi described the takeover of the camps as a foundational move toward unifying military and security decision-making on institutional grounds, and ending the fragmentation of armed forces.

He also highlighted the formation of the Supreme Military Committee, saying it provides a professional framework to unify and reorganize all military and security formations under the ministries of defense and interior.

On Saturday, Alimi announced the establishment of the committee under the leadership of the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government, tasking it with overseeing various armed units.

During the meeting, Alimi welcomed the Southern Transitional Council (STC)’s decision to dissolve itself, calling it a “brave and responsible” move at a critical moment that demonstrated awareness of the dangers posed by internal conflict.

He stressed the need to address the implications of the decision with a state-oriented mindset rather than retaliation, warning against repeating past mistakes that led to exclusion, marginalization or the militarization of political life.

The STC announced its dissolution on Friday after a failed attempt in December to seize control of eastern provinces and push for separation from northern Yemen.

The dissolution was widely welcomed in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, particularly after weeks of clashes that erupted in early December between council forces and government troops backed by the coalition.

The STC has long pushed for the secession of southern Yemen, arguing that successive governments have marginalized the region politically and economically. Yemeni authorities reject the claim and insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.

North and South Yemen were unified on May 22, 1990, forming the Republic of Yemen.