Saudi Arabia has accused the United Arab Emirates of orchestrating the secret exit of UAE-backed Yemeni separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi after he failed to attend critical crisis talks in Riyadh on Wednesday, deepening a diplomatic rift between the two Gulf powers.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen claimed that al-Zubaidi, head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled the southern port city of Aden under Emirati supervision. According to Saudi authorities, the separatist leader first traveled by boat to the Emirati-controlled port of Berbera in Somaliland, before boarding a flight to Mogadishu, Somalia, which was subsequently tracked to a military airport in Abu Dhabi.
Sources close to al-Zubaidi’s STC did not dispute his departure, though they did not comment on the details of his route. The sudden escape underscores internal divisions within the STC and signals a major setback for the group’s drive to declare southern Yemen independent.
The crisis between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi erupted last month when UAE-backed separatists swept through southern Yemen, advancing to the border with Saudi Arabia—a move that Riyadh deemed a threat to its national security. The STC’s ambitions to establish a separate state in southern Yemen have long been supported by the UAE, creating friction with Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally favored Yemeni unity under the internationally recognized government.
For years, Saudi Arabia and the UAE fought alongside each other in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthi movement, before a 2022 ceasefire left the Houthis in control of large portions of northwestern Yemen. Saudi Arabia has consistently backed Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, which oversees the internationally recognized government. On Wednesday, the council expelled al-Zubaidi and charged him with treason after he refused to fly to Riyadh for crisis talks.
Al-Zubaidi’s flight effectively ended the STC’s internal campaign to assert control over the south, particularly in Aden, long considered an STC stronghold. While aides had suggested that al-Zubaidi would either defend Aden or conduct a guerilla campaign, it appears his exit had been secretly planned, facilitated by internal splits within the STC that made his position untenable. He reportedly fled with several close supporters in the council.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Information called for international sanctions against al-Zubaidi, accusing him of acting under directives from Abu Dhabi and putting his personal interests above those of Yemen. “Al-Zubaidi would not have acted with such recklessness without direction from Abu Dhabi,” the ministry said, highlighting Riyadh’s continued frustration with Emirati involvement in southern Yemen’s separatist movement.
Tensions escalated on Tuesday night when al-Zubaidi refused a last-minute Saudi ultimatum to fly to Riyadh for talks. Angered by his defiance, Saudi forces bombed an STC military camp. Reports suggest that al-Zubaidi reached the airport but declined to board the plane, returning instead to his Aden residence before fleeing under the cover of darkness.
Meanwhile, a separate STC delegation of more than 50 members did travel from Aden to Riyadh. Officials said talks were “constructive,” though the level of autonomy the delegates had during discussions remains unclear.
The STC’s grip on Aden had already weakened due to internal splits. Abdulrahman Al-Muharami, a commander of the UAE-supported Giants Brigades, reportedly ordered the withdrawal of heavy weapons from STC camps and assumed security control over commanders aligned with al-Zubaidi’s faction, further undermining his authority. This internal discord allowed Saudi-backed forces to regain entry into Aden, from which government officials had previously fled during the STC’s last-month offensive.
The fallout illustrates the scale of miscalculation by the STC, which had sought to extend its influence across southern Yemen. Three weeks ago, confident of UAE support, al-Zubaidi’s forces moved into Hadramaut and Al-Mahra governorates, both previously resistant to central control. In a televised address on January 2, al-Zubaidi announced a two-year transitional period leading to a self-determination referendum for a “State of South Arabia,” harking back to the pre-1990 division between North and South Yemen.
Saudi Arabia responded with limited airstrikes and local loyalist militias, forcing the STC to withdraw and triggering a collapse in support across the south. Abu Dhabi’s diplomatic isolation and the withdrawal of military support—including removal of equipment and assets from key southern bases—was a decisive factor in the STC retreat.
The events raise questions about Riyadh’s intentions in the south. While Saudi officials have pledged to initiate a southern dialogue to address separatist demands, it is unclear whether this is genuine or a pretext to suppress the STC and curb aspirations for southern independence. Saudi Arabia’s overarching goal remains the reunification of Yemen under the internationally recognized government and the containment of Houthi influence along its southern border.
The dramatic developments highlight a widening rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, former allies in Yemen’s conflict, and signal a potentially destabilizing shift in the geopolitics of the Arabian Peninsula. With al-Zubaidi now in Abu Dhabi, the future of the STC’s separatist ambitions and southern Yemen’s stability hangs in the balance.
