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Treason Charges Rock Anti-Houthi Alliance in Yemen, Leader Accused of Defiance
CAIRO – A major rift has erupted within the coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) announcing Wednesday the expulsion and treason charges against its own leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi. The dramatic development, reported by the anti-Houthi SABA news agency, follows al-Zubaidi’s alleged refusal to travel to Saudi Arabia for crucial talks.
This latest escalation between Saudi-backed forces and the United Arab Emirates-supported STC throws the future of war-torn Yemen into further uncertainty. The Arab world’s poorest nation has been mired in a brutal conflict for over a decade, resulting in one of the Middle East’s most dire humanitarian crises.
While the STC maintains that al-Zubaidi remains in Aden, an official, Amr al-Bidh, stated, “While a senior STC delegation is in Saudi Arabia pursuing negotiations, the President remains in Aden to ensure security and stability. He will not abandon his people, and he will engage directly when conditions allow.” The council also accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes in Yemen’s al-Dhale governorate, reportedly causing casualties.
The SABA statement leveled serious accusations against al-Zubaidi, including “damaging the republic’s military, political and economic standing,” and “forming an armed gang and committing the murder of officers and soldiers of the armed forces.”
The anti-Houthi leadership, known as the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), was formed in April 2022 after President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi of Yemen’s internationally recognized government stepped down. However, the PLC has been plagued by internal divisions and competing interests among its members, whose forces have largely failed to confront the Houthis despite significant bombing campaigns by the United States and Israel. An uneasy ceasefire between the various factions on the ground in Yemen has persisted for years.
Tensions flared in late December following the STC’s advances into the Hadramout and Mahra governorates, territories previously controlled by Saudi-backed forces.
Earlier on Wednesday, Maj. Gen.
Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, confirmed that al-Zubaidi had been scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia but failed to join other council officials on the flight. Al-Malki further stated, “The legitimate government and the coalition received intelligence indicating that al-Zubaidi had moved a large force -including armored vehicles, combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition.”
He added that al-Zubaidi “fled to an unknown location.”
In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has reportedly bombed STC positions and targeted what it claimed was a shipment of Emirati weapons. Following Saudi pressure and an ultimatum from anti-Houthi forces to withdraw from Yemen, the UAE announced on Saturday that it had pulled its forces out of the country.
These internal conflicts in Yemen have further strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, neighboring nations on the Arabian Peninsula that have increasingly competed over economic influence and regional political agendas.
Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have ostensibly shared the coalition’s stated objective of combating the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014.
Yemen, strategically located on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, has seen its war claim over 150,000 lives, including both fighters and civilians. The conflict has also triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian disasters.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have escalated their attacks on numerous ships in the Red Sea corridor in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, significantly disrupting regional shipping. The U.S., which had previously praised Saudi-Emirati efforts to resolve the separatist crisis, has launched airstrikes against the rebels under both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.