Aden, Yemen — The head of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus al-Zubaidi, held talks on Thursday in Aden with Somalia's ambassador to Yemen, Abdulkheir Mohamed Ahmed, as the two officials pledged to deepen bilateral ties amid mounting regional security threats.

The meeting, held at the Maashiq Presidential Palace, focused on enhancing diplomatic cooperation between the two Horn of Africa nations, with a particular emphasis on maritime security, irregular migration, and the fight against extremist groups operating across the region.

Al-Zubaidi, who also serves as Vice President of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, stressed the importance of joint efforts to secure vital international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.

"We must unite our strategies to combat piracy, human trafficking, and extremist threats that destabilize the region," al-Zubaidi said during the meeting, warning of what he described as "growing coordination" between groups such as Somalia's Al-Shabaab, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, and Al-Qaeda affiliates.

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The two sides also discussed the worsening humanitarian fallout from irregular migration, following a recent tragedy off the coast of Abyan, where a boat carrying African migrants capsized. Al-Zubaidi extended his condolences and called for "urgent regional responses" to address migration and displacement crises.

For his part, Ambassador Ahmed expressed appreciation for Yemen's support to Somalia, stating that Mogadishu is committed to enhancing cooperation with Aden, particularly in the fields of security and regional stability.

The meeting concluded with a mutual agreement to strengthen diplomatic coordination and expand joint action on shared challenges in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea basin.