Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), failed to board a flight to Riyadh on Wednesday and fled to an unknown location, the Saudi-backed coalition in Yemen reported, deepening divisions within the Gulf-backed alliance.
The incident comes amid ongoing efforts to end fighting that erupted last month between the STC, supported by the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognised government. The clashes have exposed a growing rift between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, two allies that had jointly intervened in Yemen against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
Zubaidi had been scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia following a request by the Yemeni government for Riyadh to host a forum addressing the southern issue. According to coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki, a plane carrying senior STC leaders departed after a more than three-hour delay, but Zubaidi was absent, and his current whereabouts remain unknown.
Maliki stated that information had emerged suggesting Zubaidi had mobilised large forces, calling for the movement and arming of factions with light and medium weapons. In response, the coalition conducted limited pre-emptive airstrikes in the southern province of al-Dhalea, Zubaidi’s birthplace, citing the movements of armed groups that had left their camps. Domestic sources reported more than 15 strikes in the region.
Following these developments, the Saudi-backed presidential council stripped Zubaidi of his membership and referred him to the public prosecutor on charges including high treason, according to Yemen’s state news agency SABA. Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi accused Zubaidi of inciting armed rebellion, attacking constitutional authorities, and committing abuses against civilians in southern Yemen.
The Southern Transitional Council has long been part of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, but the recent clashes underscore the fragile and fractured nature of the coalition originally formed to combat the Houthis, who still control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.
