The Saudi Arabia–led coalition in Yemen said on Thursday that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled the country overnight after failing to attend planned peace talks in Riyadh, traveling through Somaliland before reaching the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement, the coalition said al-Zubaidi left Yemen late Wednesday aboard a vessel that departed the southern port city of Aden and arrived in Berbera, Somaliland. From there, he allegedly boarded a plane accompanied by Emirati officers and flew to Mogadishu before continuing on to Abu Dhabi.
The coalition claimed the aircraft temporarily switched off its identification systems while flying over the Gulf of Oman, reactivating them shortly before landing at a military airport in the UAE. There was no immediate comment from the STC or the United Arab Emirates regarding the allegations.
According to coalition officials, al-Zubaidi had been instructed on January 4 to travel to Saudi Arabia within 48 hours to attend talks with Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, and coalition representatives. The discussions were intended to address escalating violence in southern Yemen, particularly recent clashes involving STC-affiliated forces in the governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra.
The coalition said the STC had publicly pledged to support Saudi-led mediation efforts and to participate in talks scheduled for January 6. However, while a Yemenia Airways flight carrying senior STC figures eventually departed for Riyadh, al-Zubaidi was not on board.
Coalition officials further alleged that, during the delay to the flight, al-Zubaidi ordered the movement of fighters and weapons toward the Dhale governorate and distributed arms inside Aden, raising fears of renewed unrest. The coalition said it coordinated with Yemeni government forces to impose security measures and later carried out what it described as limited pre-emptive airstrikes on STC positions in Dhale to prevent wider fighting.
The developments come amid growing tensions within the Saudi-led coalition, particularly between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, over the role of the STC and the future of southern Yemen. The STC, backed by Abu Dhabi, seeks autonomy or independence for the south, a goal that conflicts with Riyadh’s stated support for Yemen’s territorial unity under the internationally recognized government.
Separately, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council announced that al-Zubaidi had been removed from the council and referred to prosecutors on allegations of high treason. The STC rejected claims that its leader had fled, insisting in a statement that al-Zubaidi remained in Aden and continued to carry out his duties.
The episode highlights the deepening divisions among anti-Houthi factions and underscores the challenges facing efforts to stabilize southern Yemen and revive political dialogue.
