Yemeni political parties have reacted differently to the Riyadh agreement. Some welcome the agreement, while the Revolutionary Youth Council has rejected it, demanding accountability for the UAE, while the Southern Development Council has claimed the agreement was "a reward for those who have been armed."

Thirteen Yemeni political parties and forces, most notably the General People's Congress (GPC), the Yemeni Reform Party or “Islah,” the Yemeni Socialist Party, the Nasserist People's Unity Organization, the Yemeni Rashad Union and the Justice and Construction Party announced their support for the outcome of the Jeddah-Riyadh dialogue and the Riyadh Agreement.

The above parties and forces have all confirmed they intention to cooperate amongst themselves to implement the Riyadh agreement and allow for the government to  operate in the interim capital Aden. This statement included mention of their objective to allow the government to provide public services, establish security throughout the city and restore civilian livelihoods carry out its duties, establishing security and stability and restoring political life.

The Revolutionary Youth Council, however, has categorically rejected the entirety of the Riyadh agreement. 

The Council considers  the Riyadh agreement a form of guardianship, hegemony and occupation, calling on Yemenis to reject it and resist it in all legitimate forms. "Any settlements outside the constitutional framework and the three terms of reference are illegal and do not represent all Yemenis," the council said in a statement.

The Council warned against any deal with the Houthis or other militias, regardless of their religious, regional or political orientations, at the expense of the best interests of the Yemeni people.

The Council added that the UAE, which financed and established an armed anti-state faction, could not be a neutral party to this agreement, nor could Yemenis or others be assured of non-interference  in the military, security and political decisions of the Republic of Yemen.

According to the Council the failure to hold the UAE accountable and not to hold it fully responsible for participating in the coup and the killing of Yemeni soldiers is a reward for the crime of the coup. Furthermore, it says that a new round of fragile settlements will set in motion  a phase of conflicts that will not end nor create peace and stability, nor the federal state for which many Yemenis made sacrifices.

The Southern National Rescue Council, which is a new southern entity led by well-known Hiraki leaders,  also announced its rejection of the Riyadh agreement.

The council's statement, obtained by Al-Masdar Online, accuses Saudi Arabia and the UAE of dictating the terms of the agreement to the involved parties. The Council argues that inclusion therein is a reward for those whose legitimacy has been drawn by towing the Saudi-led coalition line, and the use of political violence. It further notes that the agreement enshrines the idea of quotas, which was one of the most important causes of the war in its early stages The Council sees the agreement as giving Suaid Arabia a free hand in remaining in Yemen and managing its domestic affairs.  

The Council’s statement stressed the rejection of any agreement that does not explicitly and clearly provide for the unconditional departure of foreign forces from Yemen. 

It called on the national forces to unite themselves, avoid differences and prepare to face the occupation and its collaborators, and to create a genuine national partnership that creates the conditions for restoring power to the people.

In mid-October 2019, southern political figures announced the establishment of the Southern National Rescue Council in Al-Gheida city, the capital of Al-Mahra governorate in south-eastern Yemen.

According to the statement, the Council calls for "an end to the war, the lifting of the blockade, and the rescue of the country from division, fragmentation and degradation in various fields and levels, by calling for dialogue and partnership between all political and social actors."

The Council confirmed that it rejects foreign military presence in Yemen, interference in internal affairs or the deduction of any part of its territory, islands, seas or historical rights. It also rejects any attempt at delivering development aid by any foreign party whether directly or  through their local affiliates.

On Tuesday evening, the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council signed the Riyadh Agreement to end the crisis that followed the capture of the interim capital of Aden on August 10th.