On 30 December 2020, a Yemeni “unity cabinet” arrived at Aden airport. Shortly after they landed, three explosions rocked Aden airport killing at least 22 people, including regular passengers, journalists and aid workers. In an incredible stroke of luck, no members of the cabinet were killed or injured.
The politicians arrived in the port city hoping to heal the divide between the internationally recognised Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Aboard the plane were politicians from both these groups — a nascent government-to-be and an important outcome of the Riyadh Agreement signed in 2019.
The STC, representing separatist movements in Yemen’s South, was once an ally of the government in its struggle against the Houthi movement. But in 2018, tensions boiled over and the STC seized control of much of South Yemen.