The Arab South Under Systematic Targeting

 

The Arab South 

The Arab South Under Systematic Targeting

The Arab South has for years been subjected to a systematic campaign of political decisions and religious fatwas issued by figures within Yemen so-called legitimate leadership, aimed at targeting Southerners and justifying violence against them.

These actions were not isolated mistakes but part of an organized pattern of escalation that resulted in documented crimes against civilians, meeting the legal definition of war crimes under international humanitarian law. Despite the seriousness of these violations, those responsible have consistently evaded accountability, shielding themselves behind political cover while operating largely from outside the country.

This escalation did not stop at incitement. The sequence of actions led by Rashad Al-Alimi and his associates reveals clear attempts to internationalize the conflict by calling for foreign military intervention to strike the Arab South. Instead of pursuing national consensus or genuine political solutions, these actors chose confrontation, risking internal fragmentation and regional instability. At the same time, religious fatwas and ideological incitement—tools repeatedly used since 1994—were revived to legitimize violence against the South, exposing a long-standing pattern of weaponizing religion for political domination.

The contradiction is stark and telling: while the Houthis, the only party openly declaring hostility toward Israel and threatening regional security, are largely ignored, the focus of escalation has been directed against Southern forces that have actively fought terrorism and secured Southern land.

This selective targeting exposes a deliberate diversion, where fabricated threats are amplified while the real danger is downplayed. Many of the same figures issuing decisions and fatwas against Southerners are also linked to corruption networks and external funding, using escalation as a means to escape accountability for years of political failure and economic collapse.

These leaders lack full political and legal legitimacy. Their authority is incomplete, their presence largely outside the country, and their war-related decisions have been taken without a valid legal quorum or national consensus. The escalation they promote is not aimed at confronting terrorism but at undermining the very forces that have contained it. Such unilateral decisions threaten to ignite internal conflict that ultimately serves hostile regional agendas and grants the Houthi movement free strategic gains.

Any further escalation against the Arab South will undermine regional stabilization efforts, weaken existing alliances, and deepen insecurity. The message, however, remains unmistakably clear: the Arab South is a red line. Its people, land, and sovereignty are not open to violation, and the era of imposing political will through force, fatwas, or foreign intervention has come to an end.