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by Murad Abdo

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Troops belonging to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) demanding the secession of southern Yemeni regions withdrew on Saturday from a number of government institutions in the port city of Aden after a week of seizure.

According to Aden-based officials, the withdrawal of the STC forces from Yemeni government institutions, including the Central Bank of Yemen and the cabinet headquarters, as well as from the judicial compound in the strategic port city, came after successful mediation efforts conducted by the Saudi-led coalition.

A military source told Xinhua that "troops of the STC have withdrawn from a number of government offices in Aden, and allowed employees to resume their work after one week of seizure."

The source said on condition of anonymity that pro-government security forces received the task of protecting the government institutions following the withdrawal of the STC forces that headed back towards their previous sites.

Earlier this week, the STC forces managed to seize full control over all the neighborhoods and entrances of Aden following four days of fighting, which the internationally-recognized Yemeni government described as "a coup against legitimate authorities."

The STC forces seized the country's presidential palace and all the military bases of Yemen's government forces that failed to repulse the attacks launched by well-trained pro-STC southern forces that were recently established to fight the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Yemeni government based in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh welcomed the withdrawal of the STC forces from the offices and institutions.

In a brief statement posted on Twitter, Yemen's Information Minister Muammar Iryani confirmed that forces of the presidential troops had 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 in containing the violent incidents in Aden.

The Yemeni minister said that the procedures for handing over the building of the country's Ministry of Interior and the Aden's oil refinery to the presidential guard forces are being discussed under the supervision of the Saudi-led coalition.

He concluded by calling for "uniting all national efforts towards the main battle of the Yemenis and not to engage inside battles, so as to ensure the restoration of the state and bring down the coup of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia."

On the other side, the spokesman for the Aden-based STC Nizar Haitham, said what happened in Aden "is not a withdrawal in its true sense, but there were some mutual understandings with the Arab coalition forces for the good of the citizens."

"The understandings led to the neutralization of some facilities, including the Central Bank of Yemen, the Judicial Compound, and other institutions tasked with offering services in order to normalize life and return it to its natural course," he added.

Regarding the country's presidential palace, Haitham said that the palace was "not a target for us from the beginning ... but we were able to secure it from the terrorist elements, and was handed over earlier this week to the leadership of the Saudi-led Arab coalition."

However, the STC's spokesman denied any discussion about withdrawal from the military bases that have been seized from the government forces during the four-day-long street fighting in Aden.

He noted that vacating the military bases seized by the STC forces may be discussed during the upcoming Saudi-brokered reconciliation talks between the two warring rivals in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia that leads the anti-Houthi military campaign in Yemen officially invited the government officials and the STC to attend negotiations in Riyadh to resolve the disputes through dialogue away from violent acts.

Yasser Yafai, an Aden-based political observer, told Xinhua that the STC's recent moves came within the framework of mutual understandings and keenness not to disrupt the interests of citizens and in response to coalition's calls.

He said that the STC immediately rushed to normalize the situation in Aden after the latest violent events forced many institutions to shut down.

"Some vital government facilities were reopened in coordination with the Arab coalition that formed joint security units to protect those facilities so that they could operate and not hinder the interests of citizens," he added.

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.