The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has alleged the United Arab Emirates helped smuggle a separatist leader out of the country after he was expelled from Yemen's presidential council and accused of treason.
A coalition spokesman said Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), fled Aden on Tuesday night in a boat to Somaliland. He was then flown by a cargo aircraft to Abu Dhabi via Mogadishu under the supervision of UAE officers, he added.
There was no immediate comment from the UAE or STC.
The STC insisted Zubaidi was still working from Aden on Wednesday, after the coalition said he had failed to fly to Riyadh for talks and had fled to an unknown location.
The coalition also accused Zubaidi of moving STC forces from bases in Aden to his home province of al-Dahle and said it had carried out air strikes on them in response. The STC said the strikes, which reportedly killed four people, were unjustified and inconsistent with calls for dialogue with Yemen's internationally recognised government.
On Thursday, coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Malki said it had reliable intelligence showing Zubaidi and his associates fled from Aden's port in the early hours of Wednesday on board a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged passenger ship. The vessel sailed across the Gulf of Aden to Berbera in Somaliland, where a cargo aircraft was waiting.
Malki said Zubaidi and his associates boarded the aircraft under the supervision of UAE officers and flew first to Mogadishu before heading towards the Arabian Sea without a declared destination.
The situation in Yemen has been on a precarious edge in recent weeks, with the southern region becoming a new battleground among factions in the ongoing civil conflict, further straining relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Forces aligned with the STC have gained significant ground in the south, seeking to re-establish their independent state, leading to renewed concerns from Saudi Arabia about security risks to their borders.
In response to recent escalations, Saudi Arabia has led air strikes purportedly aimed at STC-controlled targets, while the UAE, under pressure, agreed to withdraw its forces from Yemen.
As the situation unfolds, tensions continue to mount as southern Yemen edges closer to a new conflict amid calls for dialogue and attempts to stabilize the region.
