Particle.news
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Coalition Says Yemen Separatist Leader Fled Via Somaliland as Treason Charge Filed

Conflicting accounts over his location highlight a widening Saudi–UAE split.

Image
Image
FILE - The president of the Yemen's Southern Transitional Council Aidarous Al-Zubaidi sits for an interview, Sept. 22, 2023, in New York, while attending the United Nations General Assembly's annual high-level meeting of world leaders. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
A billboard displays an image of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), who, according to the Saudi-backed coalition, fled to an unknown destination, in Aden, Yemen January 7, 2026. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman

Overview

  • Saudi-led coalition claims Aidarous al-Zubaidi left Aden by boat to Somaliland, then flew via Mogadishu toward Abu Dhabi, saying the aircraft later landed at a military airport after switching off its identification system.
  • Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council removed al-Zubaidi from the body and accused him of high treason, with the council chief requesting a formal investigation.
  • The STC says its delegation to Riyadh went silent after arrival and alleges members were detained, while insisting its leader remained in Aden.
  • Coalition airstrikes continued in southern Yemen, including al-Dhale, as officials said the operations aimed to prevent a wider escalation; reporting cites more than 100 people killed in recent strikes and clashes.
  • The crisis follows the STC’s December push into Hadramout and Mahra and the coalition’s rollback of those gains, sharpening tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE as Abu Dhabi announced an end to its counterterrorism mission in Yemen.