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The leader of Yemen's internationally recognized government criticized separatists who have made large territorial gains in a near bloodless takeover in recent days, calling them a threat to the country's stability.

Last week, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, which wants to revive an independent South Yemen, swept through large parts of Hadramawt province, seizing control of the key city of Seiyun as well as oil fields in the mostly desert area.

The STC is part of the internationally recognized government, which is a patchwork of groups held together by their opposition to Yemen's Houthis.

The Houthis hold most of the country's populated areas, including the capital Sanaa, in the north and west of the country.

The government is largely fractured and weak, with the STC's advances prompting concerns about a renewed power struggle and divisions within the government that could fuel instability in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.

The STC faced little resistance as they made their advances. In recent days, some local leaders in neighboring Mahra province, a vast area bordering Oman, also joined their alliance, the STC told AFP.

"The unilateral actions taken by the Southern Transitional Council constitute a blatant violation of the transitional phase's framework," said Rashad al-Alimi, who heads the government's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC).

Alimi described the STC's actions as "a direct threat to the unity of security and military decision-making, which undermines the legitimate government's authority, and a serious threat to stability and the future of the entire political process."

He was meeting with foreign diplomats in Riyadh to brief them on the situation, the statement said.

The STC has effectively brought under its control almost all the territory of the former independent state of South Yemen, which they now want to revive.

Amr Al Bidh, special representative of STC president Aidarus al-Zubaidi, told AFP that the group now "controls the governorates of the South militarily and security wise".

He said their latest actions "were necessary to ensure stability and security in the South; to counter extremist groups like AQAP and to cut the smuggling routes that strengthen the Houthis", referring to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The eight-member PLC is divided between members backed by the UAE and others, including Alimi, backed by Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh, joined by Abu Dhabi, launched a coalition in 2015 to back the government but failed to dislodge the Houthis.

Since a ceasefire in 2022, the war has largely been frozen.

AFP