The Yemeni government has imposed a nighttime curfew in Aden on Wednesday, hours after retaking control of the city’s international airport from the Southern Transitional Council (STC), amid a sharp escalation in the power struggle in the south.
The curfew, in effect from 9 pm to 6 am local time, was announced by the Giants Brigades, which said the measure aims to restore security and stability in the country’s temporary capital.
The move followed advances by forces aligned with Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council toward Aden, after the STC said its leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, remained in the city.
Earlier on Wednesday, the council dismissed Zubaidi for alleged high treason, accusing his forces of seizing control of the eastern provinces of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra — areas government troops recaptured earlier this week.
Regional tensions have also flared. Saudi Arabia last week accused the United Arab Emirates of backing STC military operations near its southern border, an allegation Abu Dhabi has denied.
The crisis deepened after Zubaidi on Friday announced a two-year “transitional phase,” including dialogue with southern factions and a future referendum on secession — a move rejected by Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which insists on preserving national unity.
