While it may have taken a back seat to the Saudi-led fight against the Houthi tribe opposing the government of President Abd Rabboh Mansour Hadi, Yemen's long-simmering north-south divide has never quite faded into the background. On Aug. 10, that conflict came to the fore once again following a move by the separatist government under the Southern Transitional Council (STC), ostensibly a partner with Hadi in the Saudi-led anti-Houthi coalition, to forcibly take control of the presidential palace and two military bases in the strategic southern port city of Aden from Hadi's forces. While frequent skirmishes between the southerners and the recognized Yemeni government have erupted during the past few years of the anti-Houthi operations, this latest incident stands out for what it signals for Yemen's future.