Yemeni government ousts Southern Transitional Council leader over alleged treason

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council – the executive body of the country’s government – announced on January 7 that the head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus Qassem Abdulaziz al-Zoubaidi, has committed treason and has been expelled from the council, Al Arabiya television reported.

According to the council’s statement, al-Zoubaidi’s membership was terminated due to “state treason, with the intent to undermine the independence of the Republic of Yemen.” He was also accused of violating the provisions of the constitution, forming illegal armed groups, and committing crimes against the Yemeni army and civilians.

The broadcaster noted that the decision was made after the Saudi-led Arab coalition reported that al-Zoubaidi, instead of flying with the STC delegation to Riyadh for talks on the situation in Yemen, fled and disappeared.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said that al-Zoubaidi had been scheduled to meet with Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman, Rashad al-Alimi, as well as with coalition leadership, to discuss escalating tensions in the Yemeni provinces of Hadramawt and al-Mahra.

However, according to the coalition, the flight to Riyadh was delayed, and during that time, it became known that al-Zoubaidi had ordered his armed loyalists to move toward the province of al-Dhale. Dozens of his fighters were reportedly given weapons and ammunition in Aden to instigate unrest there. The coalition tracked the movement of hostile forces in al-Dhale and, together with Yemeni troops, carried out pre-emptive strikes against them overnight on January 7.

In December 2025, the STC, which is backed by the UAE, seized control of the provinces of Hadramawt and al-Mahra, previously administered by the Yemeni government. Saudi Arabia subsequently demanded that the STC withdraw its forces from the captured provinces and carried out strikes on vessels in the port city of Mukalla. According to the SPA news agency, the targets were two ships that had arrived from Fujairah (UAE), delivering “a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles” to STC forces.

On December 31, UAE forces began withdrawing from the international airport in Hadramawt province. Meanwhile, Yemeni government troops have been re-entering provinces in the south of the country.

At the same time, Riyadh has proposed hosting a peace conference involving forces from southern Yemen in an effort to stabilise the situation.

By Tamilla Hasanova