Some members of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council have announced the group is disbanding, deepening a public rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE after a recent separatist advance. Saudi-backed forces have largely reclaimed territory taken by the UAE-backed STC in December, and an STC delegation travelled to Riyadh for talks. STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi left Yemen and did not attend, and Riyadh says the UAE aided his departure. Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman praised the reported move and proposed a Saudi-hosted conference on southern Yemeni issues.
Yemen's Southern Separatists Fracture as Saudi–UAE Rift Deepens
FILE PHOTO: Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) hold a poster of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the STC's leader, who, according to the Saudi-backed coalition, fled to an unknown destination, in Aden, Yemen, December 21, 2025. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman/File Photo
DUBAI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Yemen's main southern separatist movement appeared to fracture on Friday after a delegation said it had decided to disband, exposing an increasingly public rift between Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a separatist advance last month.
Developments
Forces backed by Saudi Arabia have largely retaken areas in southern and eastern Yemen that were seized in December by the UAE-supported Southern Transitional Council (STC). An STC delegation travelled to Riyadh for talks under Saudi sponsorship, and one member of that delegation told Saudi state media the group had decided to disband.
A police trooper mans a machine gun on the back of a patrol truck after, according to the Saudi-backed coalition, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled to an unknown destination, in Aden, Yemen. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman
STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi did not attend the Riyadh talks; he left Yemen on Wednesday. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said the UAE had helped spirit him out on a flight that was tracked to a military airport in Abu Dhabi.
Internal Split And Responses
The STC in turn said it had had no communication with the delegation that entered talks in Riyadh. A spokesperson close to Zubaidi who did not travel to Riyadh said any decision on the council's future can only be taken by the entire council, including its leader, and added that any such decision would be made only once the delegation in Riyadh 'is released'.
FILE PHOTO: Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) hold a poster of Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the STC's leader, who, according to the Saudi-backed coalition, fled to an unknown destination, in Aden, Yemen, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman/File Photo
Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman welcomed the reported move as 'brave' and said Saudi Arabia would host a conference to discuss southern Yemeni issues with all groups invited.
Context
Relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been strained over a range of issues, from regional geopolitics to oil policy. Those tensions were thrust into the open when the STC advanced close to Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia, a move Riyadh described as a threat to its national security.
The situation highlights competing Saudi and Emirati approaches to Yemen and raises questions about the STC's unity as external patrons exert influence.
Reporting by Jana Choukeir; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Aidan Lewis
Help us improve.
