Residents in Yemen's Aden navigate hope, uncertainty amid southern realignments

ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- In Yemen's southern port city of Aden, the country's temporary capital, a cautious sense of change is slowly seeping into daily life.

After years marked by armed checkpoints, rival forces and broken public services, residents are noticing steps that many hope could signal a new beginning, though few are ready to call it a turning point.

Military camps that once sat in residential areas are being dismantled, and the presence of armed groups in civilian streets is gradually receding. For a city long defined by militarization, these are fragile glimpses of what normalcy might look like.

Yemen has been torn by conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital Sanaa and large parts of the north, pushing the government south to Aden and prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 to fight the Houthis. The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Recently, a major realignment has unfolded in the south. Backed by Saudi Arabia, Yemen's internationally-recognized government has reclaimed control over Aden and several southern and eastern governorates from pro-secession forces led by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks independence for the south.

Central to this phase is an effort to restore state authority by unifying pro-government armed forces under formal institutions, particularly the ministries of defense and interior, and relocating military units away from densely-populated areas.

For residents like government employee Khaled al-Salami, the changes feel personal. "For years, Aden felt choked by the spread of weapons and armed camps," he said. "Now, for the first time in a long while, people feel the city could be returned to its residents -- a place to live without constant fear."

Alongside security moves, there have been economic signals: Delayed public salaries are being paid, and fuel supplies for power stations have increased.

"The return of salaries lifted morale before it improved finances," said Khaldoun Ali, a resident of Aden's historic Crater district. "If payments become consistent, trust in state can begin to heal."

Yet optimism remains guarded. The STC's withdrawal from Aden, following rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the group's role in southern Yemen, has left some worried about a security and administrative vacuum.

Pro-STC demonstrations have surfaced in Aden and other southern cities. Meanwhile, some critics noted that UAE-funded development projects, including solar power initiatives in Aden and other southern governorates, have stalled.

Political activist Wadah Ahmed warned that the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council's removal of its STC members, including STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi and his ally Faraj Salmeen al-Bahsani, could deepen divisions at a "critical moment."

The government "will struggle to function in Aden" without genuine political inclusion, he said.

As political discussions continue in the Saudi capital Riyadh over forming a new Yemeni government, Aden waits in uneasy anticipation -- torn between cautious hope for peace and recovery and fear that unresolved rivalries could once again unravel fragile progress.■