• STC welcomes Saudi call for dialogue as factions invited to meet in Riyadh
• Military official says ‘80 separatists killed in fighting
• Saudi-backed govt accuses separatists of cutting off Aden

ISTANBUL/ADEN/DUBAI: Turkiye is ready to help dialogue between Yemen’s factions, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Saudi crown prince in a phone call on Sunday, his office said.

A recent internal conflict in Yemen involves the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government and the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC).

Erdogan told Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman during the phone call that Turkiye “is ready to contribute to efforts aimed at bringing parties together”, according to his office.

Ankara is closely monitoring developments in both Yemen and Somalia, Erdogan said, adding that the preservation of the territorial integrity of the two countries was vital for regional stability.

The phone call comes a day after Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry called for Yemen’s southern factions to attend a “dialogue” in Riyadh.

STC hails talks offer

The STC has welcomed a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to end the recent military escalation. The STC said in a statement on Saturday that the Saudi initiative was a “genuine opportunity for serious dialogue” that could safeguard “the aspirations of the southern people”.

Tarek Saleh, a member of the Saudi-backed Yemen Presidential Council, met with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman and exchanged viewpoints on Yemen.

They discussed means to bolster joint efforts to support the stability of the country and the region’s security, according to a post on X by the Yemeni official early Sunday.

’80 separatists killed’

At least 80 troops from STC have been killed in fighting with Saudi-backed forces and strikes since Friday, a military official from the group told AFP on Sunday.

Around 152 members of the STC forces were wounded and 130 were taken captive, the official said, giving a preliminary toll of casualties following the start of the operation.

Saudi-backed forces began on Friday operations to retake swathes of territory seized by the STC.

Most of the casualties had occurred in strikes by the Saudi-led coalition that targeted military camps held by the separatists, the official said, including Al-Khasha and Barshid military camps in Hadramout province.

‘Cutting off access’

Yemen’s government on Sunday also accused the separatists of cutting off the city of Aden and warned it would “take all necessary measures” after recapturing territory from them in the east on Saturday.

The government, in a statement from the presidential office to official media, said the STC had taken measures to restrict movement of citizens into Aden and that it had also received reports of a campaign of arrests in the city.

However, the separatists denied having restricted movement into Aden, but the government accusations indicate that hostility between the sides persists despite proposals for a dialogue that had raised hopes of a negotiated solution to the crisis.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026