ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) began withdrawing from government institutions in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Saturday, paving the way for upcoming Saudi-brokered reconciliation talks, a military official told Xinhua.
The STC forces withdrew from a number of seized government institutions including the country's central bank, the supreme judicial building and the cabinet headquarters following mediation efforts led by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, the official said on condition of anonymity.
In a brief statement posted on Twitter, Yemen's Information Minister Muammar Iryani confirmed that forces of the presidential troops received a number of government offices and institutions after the STC's withdrawal.
The Yemeni minister also highly lauded the role of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in containing the violent incidents in Aden.
The STC seized all the government's military bases and the presidential palace after four days of intense street fighting but finally capitulated to the demands of the Saudi-led coalition that called for immediate withdrawal.
On Wednesday, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government set the withdrawal of the forces belonging to the STC as a precondition for starting dialogue under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande, scores of civilians have been killed and wounded since Aug. 8 when fighting broke out in Aden.
"Preliminary reports indicate that as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 injured," the statement said.
Considered as Yemen's temporary capital, Aden is where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has based itself since 2015.
The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces including the capital Sanaa.
