Yemen's South Moves to Split: Two-Year Plan for Independence Vote Announced

The leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) has announced a major political plan. Aidrous al-Zubaidi said it begins a two-year "transitional phase" for southern Yemen. The plan includes a dialogue with northern Yemeni parties. This dialogue would be supervised by the United Nations. It also calls for a public vote, or referendum. This vote would be on the "south’s right to self-determination." In simple terms, it is a proposed vote on whether southern Yemen should become an independent country. The STC controls large parts of southern Yemen. It has long sought independence from the north. Yemen has been in a civil war for nearly a decade.