Yemen separatist leader Aidaros Alzubidi fled to UAE

Published January 8th, 2026 - 05:51 GMT
Yemen's separatist leader Aidaros Alzubidi
Yemenis members of the Sabahiha tribes of Lahj, who live along the strip between the south and north of the country and who support the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), hold an image of the STC leader Aidaros Alzubidi. Photo by SALEH AL-OBEIDI / AFP

ALBAWABA - The Saudi-led coalition announced on Thursday that Yemen's separatist leader Aidaros Alzubidi had left for the United Arab Emirates.

According to sources, Southern Transitional Council (STC) head Alzubidi's decision and move to leave Yemen came following a failed attempt to seize swathes of territory and create a separate, independent government.

"Reliable intelligence indicates that Aidaros Alzubidi and others have escaped in the dead of night," a statement from the coalition read.

The Saudi-led coalition noted that STC leader Aidaros Alzubidi used a boat-and-plane journey from Aden to Somaliland and Somalia, and then he arrived in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.