Saudi Arabia says UAE smuggled out Yemen separatist leader

The Saudi military on Thursday said Yemeni separatist leader Aidaros al-Zubidi fled to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Al-Zubidi, the leader of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), was accused of high treason and removed from the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council on Wednesday.

His departure comes as the Saudi-led military steps us attacks in Yemen, after a fragile truce among the country's anti-Houthi factions was shaken in December when the STC began seizing swathes of territory.

Saudi Arabia alleges a dramatic boat-and-plane journey from Aden to Abu Dhabi via Somaliland and Somalia.

"Reliable intelligence indicates that Aidaros Alzubidi and others have escaped in the dead of night," a statement from the Saudi-led coalition said.

According to the statement, al-Zubidi sailed from Aden to Berbera in Somaliland, a breakaway region in the Horn of Africa.

He then allegedly flew in a Russian-made Ilyushin plane to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, "under the supervision of UAE officers." From there, he is believed to have flown to a military airport in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier on Wednesday, al-Zubaidi had been scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia with other council officials for crisis talks, but he never showed.

The Presidential Council accused him of inciting armed rebellion, attacking constitutional authorities and committing abuses against civilians in southern Yemen.

For years, Saudi Arabia and the UAE fought side by side in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis. A 2022 ceasfire largely ended the war, with the Houthis controlling the north, and the Presidential Council and the STC controlling the south.

But a rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia has been growing, with Abu Dhabi backing the STC, which wants Yemen's south to secede.

When the STC gained control over swaths of government-controlled territory in December, Yemen's government asked Saudi Arabia for support to take back lost military positions.

The STC's sudden advance in resource-rich areas also shifted the balance of power and raised Saudi fears of instability along its borders.

Analysts say the infighting among anti-Houthi forces is likely to benefit the Houthis the most. The latest tensions could also deepen Saudi-UAE rivalries over economics and regional politics.

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