A New Layer of Disorder Emerges in Southern Yemen

Separatists in southern Yemen are inching ever closer to their goal of restoring an independent state. On April 29, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared emergency self-rule in the country's provisional capital of Aden, officially taking control from Yemen's U.N.-recognized government of President Abd Rabboh Mansour Hadi. As it takes further steps toward succession, the STC will have to increasingly compete with other Yemeni factions in the region, along with Hadi's Saudi-backed forces. The resulting uptick in instability will risk undermining regional efforts to stem the influence of both Houthi rebels and jihadist groups in the country. ...