Saudi Arabia accuses UAE of smuggling Yemeni separatist leader out of country

Saudi Arabia on January 8 accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of smuggling a Yemeni separatist leader wanted for treason out of the country and flying him to Abu Dhabi.

In a statement, the Saudi military said Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled Yemen by boat to Somalia before being flown to the UAE capital by Emirati officials. The UAE has been the main backer of the STC, which has recently clashed with forces aligned with Saudi Arabia and appeared to be preparing to push for Yemen’s southern secession, Caliber.Az reports via AP.

On January 7, the council said al-Zubaidi had remained in Aden, where anti-Houthi forces have been based since the rebels seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

The Saudi statement, issued by Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, went unusually far by naming a major general in the UAE as being involved in al-Zubaidi’s alleged escape and even identifying his nom de guerre. It also claimed that an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft used in the operation had previously flown in “conflict zones” such as Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia — routes the Emirati military has been accused of using to funnel weapons in the past. The UAE has denied running guns into those areas.

The confrontation comes after the Presidential Leadership Council, which has governed southern Yemen since 2022 and includes al-Zubaidi, expelled him on January 7 and charged him with treason after he reportedly refused to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks. Saudi Arabia has recently carried out airstrikes against the STC and against an arms shipment the kingdom said came from the UAE.

The Saudi statement appeared to be part of a coordinated media campaign. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television aired what it described as intercepted phone calls pointing to al-Zubaidi’s escape. The Saudi English-language daily Arab News published a front-page image of al-Zubaidi under the headline “WANTED,” styled like a poster from the American Old West.

A front-page editorial in the state-backed newspaper said the separatist leader’s refusal to come to the kingdom was “cementing his image as a traitor to his country.”

“Al-Zubaidi chose narrow self-interest, aligning with foreign powers at the expense of his homeland and attempting to impose southern secession by force,” the editorial said. “His sole aim: to seize power for himself.”

The dispute threatens to further strain relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, both OPEC members and longtime partners that have increasingly competed over economic and regional influence, particularly around the Red Sea. The Yemen conflict has now become their most serious confrontation in decades.

The war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including civilians and fighters, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have also attacked shipping in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, disrupting a key global trade route.

By Sabina Mammadli