Saudi-Led Coalition Says Southern Separatist Leader Fled as Tensions Rise in Yemen

Southern Transitional Council website

Aidarus al-Zubaidi, head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government has said that Aidarus al-Zubaidi, head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), has fled to an undisclosed location, leaving senior figures within his own movement unaware of his whereabouts.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the coalition said al-Zubaidi disappeared at a time when he was expected to travel to Riyadh to attend a comprehensive conference bringing together all southern political factions, aimed at addressing growing tensions in southern Yemen.

According to the coalition, al-Zubaidi fled after allegedly distributing weapons and ammunition to dozens of armed elements in Aden, led by Mu’min al-Saqqaf and Mukhtar al-Nubi, with the stated aim of stirring unrest in the city in the coming hours.

The coalition said these developments prompted Yemen’s Homeland Shield Forces, alongside coalition forces, to request that the Vice President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Abdul Rahman al-Mahrami, also known as Abu Zara’a, take steps to enforce security in Aden, prevent clashes, protect civilians, and safeguard public and private property.

It added that at around 4:00am, coalition forces, in coordination with Yemeni government forces and the Homeland Shield, carried out limited pre-emptive strikes against armed groups that had left their camps. The coalition said the operations were intended to prevent a further escalation of violence and to stop the conflict spreading to al-Dhali’ province.

Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said that on 4 January, coalition leadership informed al-Zubaidi that he was required to travel to Saudi Arabia within 48 hours to meet with Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi and coalition officials. The proposed meeting was intended to address what the coalition described as escalating attacks by STC-affiliated forces in the eastern governorates of Hadramawt and al-Mahra.

On 5 January, the STC presidency publicly welcomed Saudi-led efforts to organise a comprehensive southern conference and confirmed its intention to participate. Al-Zubaidi later informed Saudi officials that he would attend the meeting on 6 January, and an STC delegation proceeded to Aden airport. However, the Yemenia Airways flight scheduled to depart at 10:10pm was delayed for more than three hours.

During this period, the coalition said it received intelligence indicating that al-Zubaidi had mobilised large forces, including armoured vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition, from the Hadid and al-Sulban camps towards al-Dhali’. The flight was eventually allowed to depart, carrying a number of senior STC figures, but not al-Zubaidi himself, who the coalition said had fled to an unknown location.

The coalition said it continues to work with the Yemeni government and local authorities in Aden to maintain security and counter any armed movements threatening cities and civilians. It urged residents to avoid military camps and gatherings of armed vehicles in Aden and al-Dhali’, and called on civilians to cooperate with security services by reporting suspicious military movements to help ensure public safety.

Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, and The Guardian



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