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SAUDI Arabia has publicly accused the United Arab Emirates of smuggling Yemeni separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, wanted for treason, out of Yemen and flying him to Abu Dhabi, escalating tensions between the neighbouring Gulf states as their cooperation in the Yemen conflict unravels.
AP cited a Saudi military statement alleging that al-Zubaidi, leader of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), first fled Yemen by boat to Somalia before Emirati officials transported him to the UAE capital. The STC’s recent military advances in southern Yemen prompted Riyadh to criticise the council and the UAE for undermining efforts to preserve the country’s unity.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki named a UAE major general and detailed the aircraft reportedly used in the operation, an Ilyushin Il-76, previously implicated in alleged arms transfers to conflict zones in Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia.
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jaber said he met with an STC delegation in Riyadh to discuss al-Zubaidi’s actions, which he described as “harmful to the southern cause and didn’t serve it.” The talks also addressed arrangements for a forthcoming Southern Cause Conference in Riyadh, aimed at stabilising southern Yemen.
STC member Mohamed al-Ghaithi, head of the negotiation and reconciliation committee supporting Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, called the meeting “fruitful” and affirmed that the delegation “rejected everything that harms unity.”
He added, “We have heard clear commitments from our brothers in Riyadh towards our people’s cause and ensuring a secure and stable future.”
Al-Zubaidi had remained in Aden, according to the STC, until his apparent removal, while the leadership council expelled him and charged him with treason for refusing to attend talks in Saudi Arabia.
This incident follows Saudi airstrikes against the STC and a weapons shipment allegedly originating from the UAE.
The conflict in Yemen, ongoing for years along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, has claimed more than 150,000 lives and created a severe humanitarian crisis. Houthi rebels, meanwhile, have attacked shipping routes in response to regional conflicts, further threatening global trade.
The dispute signals a growing rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, once close allies in Yemen and OPEC partners, as competition over regional influence and economic interests intensifies.
Saudi media has amplified the allegations, with Al Arabiya airing purportedly intercepted communications and Arab News branding al-Zubaidi as a traitor, warning he “chose narrow self-interest, aligning with foreign powers at the expense of his homeland and attempting to impose southern secession by force.”
The accusations and ensuing diplomatic fallout mark one of the most serious confrontations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in decades, underscoring the fragility of Gulf alliances amid the protracted Yemeni conflict. - January 8, 2025