Yemen separatist leader left Aden secretly for Somaliland with Emirati support, Saudi-led coalition says

The Saudi-led coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen said that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, leader of Yemen’s southern separatist group, and several aides secretly left the port of Aden on the night of 7 January aboard a vessel named BAMEDHAF, heading to the port of Berbera in the Somaliland region.

According to a statement by the coalition’s spokesman, Brigadier General Turki al-Malki, intelligence information showed that after his arrival, al-Zubaidi, the leader of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), contacted a Yemeni officer known as Abu Saeed. He was later identified as Major General Awad Saeed Musleh al-Ahbabi, commander of the UAE joint operations.

The statement said an Ilyushin IL-76 cargo aircraft was waiting for them and flew from Berbera to Mogadishu airport. After a brief stop, the plane continued towards the Arabian Gulf via the Arabian Sea, briefly switching its identification system off and on before landing at Al-Rif military airport in Abu Dhabi. 

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The coalition said this type of aircraft is usually used in conflict zones such as Libya, Ethiopia and Somalia. It added that a review of the vessel’s registration data showed it was flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the same flag previously used by the ship Green Land, which was accused of transporting weapons and military vehicles from the UAE’s Fujairah port to Mukalla.

Al-Malki also said the coalition is continuing to track the whereabouts of several figures who were among the last to meet al-Zubaidi before his departure from Aden. These include Ahmed Hamed Lamlas and Mohsen al-Wali, who have been out of contact since then.

On 7 January 2026, the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, announced the removal of Aidarous al-Zubaidi from the council and his referral to the public prosecution on charges of “high treason”. The decision followed rising security tensions in southern Yemen and the takeover by STC forces of Hadramout and al-Mahra governorates, and their refusal to withdraw despite local and regional pressure.

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