Aidarous al-Zubaidi STC Escape: A New Flashpoint in the Saudi-UAE Rift

He was supposed to be at the peace table. Instead, he fled in the dead of night. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition has announced that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), escaped to the United Arab Emirates after skipping critical peace talks in Riyadh. This high-stakes departure signals a dangerous fracture in the alliance managing Yemen's complex civil war.

The Aidarous al-Zubaidi STC Escape: A Stealthy Transit

According to official coalition statements on January 8, 2026, al-Zubaidi departed Aden via a maritime vessel late Wednesday. His journey took him to the port of Berbera in Somaliland, where he boarded a plane alongside UAE officers. The coalition noted that the aircraft deactivated its identification systems over the Gulf of Oman before landing at Al Reef military airport in Abu Dhabi.

The move follows reports that al-Zubaidi feared being imprisoned in Riyadh. While an STC delegation did travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, the leader's absence was a glaring snub to the Saudi peace initiative. Neither the STC nor Abu Dhabi has commented on the escape yet.

Charges of High Treason and Geopolitical Fallout

The repercussions were immediate. Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, announced that al-Zubaidi has been removed from the Presidential Leadership Council on charges of high treason. Al-Alimi has instructed the Attorney General to launch a formal investigation into the former council member's actions.

This escalation marks the peak of a feud that intensified last December when the STC seized the Hadramout and Mahra provinces. Saudi Arabia viewed the expansion as a red line, responding with air strikes on December 30 against what it called weapon shipments linked to the UAE.