A delegation led by Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen’s main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia soon, two sources told Reuters on Monday, raising hopes of progress toward ending clashes between the separatists and Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
The fighting, which erupted early last month, has exposed deep fractures within the Saudi- and Emirati-backed coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, triggering one of the most serious rifts in decades between Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Yemen has been divided by conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year in support of the internationally recognised government. The war has since split the country into rival zones of control, with shifting alliances complicating efforts to stabilise the country.
The UAE-backed STC has long been part of the internationally recognised government, which controls much of southern and eastern Yemen with Gulf support. However, STC forces last month seized large swathes of territory, sharply escalating tensions and triggering clashes with government forces.
Al-Zubaidi’s visit would come days after the government said it had asked Saudi Arabia to host talks aimed at resolving the southern issue. Riyadh agreed to the request and extended invitations to southern political factions, a move welcomed by the STC and seen as a possible step toward negotiations.
Meanwhile, government forces backed by Saudi air strikes regained control on Friday and Saturday of the strategically important eastern provinces of Hadramout and Mahra, underscoring Riyadh’s support for the internationally recognised government.
The crisis has highlighted years of diverging priorities between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen, raising concerns that the breakdown in relations could undermine the coalition’s war effort and reshape the regional balance of power.
