ADEN, Yemen — The Saudi-led coalition said Wednesday that Aidrous al-Zubaidi, leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, fled to an unknown location after failing to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at defusing escalating violence in the country’s south.
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026
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- Coalition says Zubaidi skipped a planned flight for talks and later “fled” without notifying colleagues
- Limited pre-emptive strikes reported near al-Zand camp in al-Dhalea to disrupt armed units
- Presidential Leadership Council moves to dismiss Zubaidi, refers him to prosecutors; STC denies he disappeared
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said leaders instructed Zubaidi on Jan. 4 to travel to the kingdom within 48 hours to meet Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), alongside coalition officials. The proposed talks were intended to address recent attacks by forces affiliated with the STC in the governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra, areas the coalition describes as strategically sensitive along the kingdom’s eastern frontier.
According to the coalition, the STC presidency declared on Jan. 5 that it supported Saudi efforts to convene a comprehensive southern conference and pledged to participate. Zubaidi later told Saudi authorities he would attend the talks scheduled for Jan. 6, and a delegation headed to the airport in Aden.
A Yemenia Airways flight carrying senior STC figures was delayed for more than three hours, the coalition said. During the delay, officials said they received information that Zubaidi had ordered the movement of large numbers of fighters and weapons from camps toward al-Dhalea around midnight. The plane eventually departed without him. The coalition said Zubaidi had fled without informing colleagues of his whereabouts.
Coalition officials further alleged that Zubaidi distributed weapons and ammunition to fighters inside Aden in an attempt to incite unrest. They said the coalition coordinated with the Homeland Shield Forces and requested that PLC Vice President Abdulrahman al-Muharrami, also known as Abu Zaraa, impose security measures to prevent clashes and protect civilians and property.
Early Wednesday, coalition forces tracked armed units near the al-Zand camp in al-Dhalea and carried out what they described as limited pre-emptive strikes. The operation, conducted in coordination with Yemeni government forces and the Homeland Shield, was intended to disrupt the units and prevent wider fighting, the coalition said.
Separately, the PLC issued a decree dismissing Zubaidi from the council and referring him to prosecutors on accusations of high treason, according to statements carried by regional media. The decree cited alleged violations including forming armed groups and undermining state institutions.
The STC rejected claims its leader had disappeared, saying in a statement that Zubaidi remained in Aden and continued to carry out his duties. The STC and its affiliates did not immediately respond publicly to the specific coalition allegations about weapons distribution or the movement of fighters.
The confrontation underscores deepening strains within the Saudi-led campaign against Yemen’s Houthi movement over the future of the south and the STC’s ambitions. The UAE-backed STC, led by Zubaidi, seeks autonomy or independence for southern Yemen, often in tension with Riyadh’s stated goal of preserving Yemen’s territorial unity under the internationally recognized government. Zubaidi himself serves on the Saudi-backed PLC, placing him inside a governing framework even as the STC maintains separate armed formations and administrative control over parts of the south, including Aden.
Fighting in Hadramout and al-Mahra has sharpened those divisions. Saudi Arabia has long sought to limit the expansion of STC-aligned forces in the east, while the UAE has supported a broader STC role, viewing southern units as effective against Islamist militants and as stabilizing partners along key maritime routes near the Gulf of Aden. That divergence has periodically surfaced in clashes between STC forces and units loyal to Yemen’s central government.
The coalition urged residents to avoid military sites and report suspicious movements, saying it is working with Yemeni authorities to support security and protect civilians as tensions flare in Aden, al-Dhalea, Hadramout and al-Mahra.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
