"Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Al-Mukalla, the capital of Yemen's Hadramawt governorate, on Monday under the slogan 'The Decision Is Ours', calling for the declaration of an independent south and voicing support for decisions taken by the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Footage shows protesters waving the flag of the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, alongside portraits of STC President Aidarus al-Zubaidi and leaders of the Arab coalition. Khalid Mohammed, one of the demonstrators, urged the STC leadership to act swiftly. “We came to Al-Mukalla to declare our state. And I say to Aidarus Al-Zubaidi: Hurry, hurry, Aidarus. Declare the state,” he said. In a statement published on its website, the STC said the rally issued several demands, including a call on its leadership to expedite the declaration of an Arab South state. The statement also stressed the need for the continued deployment of Southern forces across the Hadramawt Valley and desert, and reaffirmed what it described as strong strategic relations between the Arab South and the countries of the Arab coalition. Meanwhile, the city of Seiyun in the Hadramawt Valley also witnessed a large gathering on Sunday in support of Southern forces. The demonstrations come around a month after STC-aligned forces launched a military operation dubbed 'Promising Future'. According to the STC, the operation aims to “liberate cities and areas of the Hadramawt Valley and desert from terrorist organisations and militias affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood,” and to advance eastwards towards Al-Mahra governorate."