UAE Allegedly Aided in Smuggling Yemen Separatist Leader to Safety

Fri Jan 09 2026 20:43:36 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the Southern Transitional Council, reportedly fled Yemen with the help of the UAE after being expelled from the presidential council.

The Saudi-led coalition has accused the UAE of facilitating the escape of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, a key separatist leader, out of Yemen. Zubaidi allegedly fled to Somaliland and was subsequently flown to Abu Dhabi, intensifying tensions between the involved nations amid escalating conflict in the region. The Southern Transitional Council has denied the accusations, claiming their leader remains active in Aden, highlighting the ongoing rift within Yemen's complex civil war dynamics.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has alleged the United Arab Emirates helped smuggle a separatist leader out of the country after he was expelled from Yemen's presidential council and accused of treason.

A coalition spokesman stated that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled Aden on Tuesday night by boat to Somaliland. He was then reportedly flown to Abu Dhabi via Mogadishu under the supervision of UAE officers.

There was no immediate comment from the UAE or the STC. The STC claimed that Zubaidi was still operating from Aden after the coalition alleged he had fled to an unknown location instead of flying to Riyadh for talks.

The coalition also accused Zubaidi of repositioning STC forces from bases in Aden to his home province of al-Dahle and stated it had conducted air strikes in response, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of four individuals.

Coalition spokesperson Maj Gen Turki al-Malki indicated that they had reliable information regarding Zubaidi’s flight from Aden's port on a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged vessel, which traveled to Berbera in Somaliland, where a cargo aircraft awaited. Zubaidi and his associates then boarded the aircraft under the oversight of UAE officers and first flew to Mogadishu before heading towards the Arabian Sea without a declared destination.

The Saudi coalition's actions and the tensions surrounding Zubaidi's movements underscore the precarious state of affairs in southern Yemen, where the STC has sought to reclaim independence from the Yemeni government, intensifying conflicts further intensified by the interests of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The past weeks have seen escalating and violent confrontations between factions that were once united against the Iran-backed Houthi movement but are now clashing, suggesting a deepening rift in strategies and allegiances.

In light of the recent violence and accusations, Saudi Arabia has expressed concerns regarding threats to its national security, while the UAE denies any wrongdoing and has agreed to withdraw its forces, further complicating Yemen's conflict landscape.