The leader of Yemen’s southern separatists, known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC), failed to board a flight to Riyadh for peace talks, leading to air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition in southern Yemen and heightened tensions.
The Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said on Wednesday that it had carried out air strikes in the country’s southern Al-Dhale Governorate.
The coalition accused Southern Transitional Council (STC) leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi of failing to board a flight scheduled to take him to Saudi Arabia for crisis talks, adding that this has fuelled ongoing uncertainty over the STC’s efforts to de-escalate military tensions, which have caused a significant rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The invitation was extended to Yemen’s southern factions and described as a “dialogue”. Abu Dhabi has completely withdrawn its troops from Yemen following Saudi demands and a coalition air strike on UAE shipments to the STC on December 30.
Due to al-Zubaidi’s absence, the Saudi coalition spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, issued a statement: “Following coordination with the legitimate government and National Shield Forces, the Coalition Forces conducted a limited pre-emptive strike at (0400) to disable those forces and thwart what Aidarous al-Zubaidi was aiming to accomplish, namely conflict escalation and its spread into Al-Dhale Governorate.”
After his absence from the Riyadh talks, the STC said al-Zubaidi was overseeing military and security operations in the southern port city of Aden.
STC officials ‘disappear’ in Riyadh
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Following a renewed rise in tensions, a senior STC official confirmed that al-Zubaidi and other members of the delegation had arrived in the Saudi capital to begin talks.
“I have arrived in Riyadh accompanied by colleagues from Aden, and in a positive atmosphere we will begin a series of meetings to prepare for a South–South dialogue under the sponsorship of our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Mohammad al-Ghaithi said in a post on X.
However, the latest update from Yemen’s STC said the delegation had since disappeared in Riyadh, with all contact lost, despite a “positive atmosphere” having been described in posts on X by various officials.
Amr al-Bidh, a senior foreign affairs official for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), told Middle East Eye on Wednesday afternoon that the group had not heard from its delegation, which includes more than 50 people, since they arrived in the Saudi capital at 3am local time.
STC officials believe the phones of their colleagues may have been confiscated, as Bidh said family members of the delegation had heard nothing from their relatives. Saudi authorities have also failed to respond to enquiries from STC officials and family members.
Zubaidi accused of high treason
Earlier on Wednesday, the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Yemen’s internationally recognised government of which the STC is a part, announced that it had stripped STC leader al-Zubaidi of his membership and accused him of “high treason”.
Rashad al-Alimi, the chair of Yemen’s government, said a formal investigation had been launched into al-Zubaidi and that he had been referred to prosecutors.
The government accused al-Zubaidi of damaging Yemen’s political and military standing, forming an armed group, committing serious violations against civilians, killing officers and soldiers, and sabotaging military facilities.
The PLC also began moving towards the southern city of Aden on Wednesday, as Saudi media reported on rising political tensions in the south.
The developments came shortly after the STC said its leader, al-Zubaidi, was still in Aden carrying out his duties.
