Separatist group in southern Yemen announces dissolution after its leader flees to the UAE

Yemen’s Main Separatist Group Announces Dissolution Amid Regional Tensions

Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), the country’s leading separatist organization, will disband all operations effective immediately, according to a statement from its secretary-general Abdulrahman Jalal al-Sebaihi. The announcement comes amid escalating regional tensions and just one day after the group’s leader fled to the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Sebaihi cited internal discord and mounting pressure from regional powers as key factors behind the decision to shut down all council bodies and offices inside and outside Yemen. However, the announcement was immediately disputed by STC spokesman Anwar al-Tamimi, who claimed on social media platform X that only the full council under its president has authority to make such decisions—highlighting the deep fractures within the separatist movement.

The dissolution follows weeks of turbulence in southern Yemen, where the decade-long civil war has created a complex web of sectarian and tribal conflicts entangled with regional power struggles. The country remains divided, with Iran-backed Houthi forces controlling populous northern regions including the capital Sanaa, while the internationally recognized government maintains a tenuous hold in the south with support from Saudi Arabia and other regional allies.

Tensions escalated last month when STC forces advanced into the oil-rich governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra, seizing critical infrastructure and the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen’s main southern city. These military operations displaced Saudi-aligned National Shield Forces and exposed growing rifts between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, longtime partners in Yemen’s conflict.

Saudi-backed forces have since regained control of Hadramout, the presidential palace in Aden, and military installations in al-Mahra, effectively reversing the STC’s territorial gains.

In his statement explaining the council’s dissolution, al-Sebaihi acknowledged that the STC had not approved the recent military operations, which he said damaged unity in southern Yemen and “damaged relations with the Saudi-led coalition.” He concluded that “the council’s continued existence no longer serves the purpose for which it was established.”

The STC has been a significant political force since its founding in April 2017, serving as an umbrella organization for various groups seeking to restore southern Yemen’s independence, which existed from 1967 until unification with North Yemen in 1990. Al-Sebaihi indicated that former members would now focus on pursuing a “fair” solution for Yemen’s south and prepare for an upcoming conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi officials welcomed the announcement, with Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman stating that the southern issue is now on a “real path nurtured by the kingdom and endorsed by the international community.” Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohamed al-Jaber praised the decision as “courageous” and emphasized that the forthcoming Riyadh conference would include all influential southern figures, though no date has been announced.

The dissolution represents a significant victory for Saudi Arabia, which viewed the STC’s military operations near its borders as a threat to national security. Abdulsalam Mohammed, who heads the Yemeni Abaad Studies and Research Center, noted that “Riyadh has proven that it will not allow any foreign interference to change the Yemeni roadmap by supporting one side over another, especially if force is used and chaos continues to threaten the security of Yemen, the region, and the world.”

The announcement comes just one day after STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled to the United Arab Emirates. According to the Presidential Leadership Council, al-Zubaidi faces treason charges after reportedly refusing to travel to Saudi Arabia for scheduled meetings and deploying STC forces to his home village in al-Dahle governorate.

Prior to the dissolution announcement, the STC’s national assembly had called for demonstrations in Aden and Mukalla on Saturday in support of southern self-determination and al-Zubaidi. It remains unclear whether these protests will proceed following the council’s disbandment.

Authorities have lifted a security curfew previously imposed across Aden, according to Presidential Leadership Council member Abu Zarae Al-Mahremy, who oversees security in the city.

Yemen’s civil war has had devastating consequences, claiming more than 150,000 lives and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. The country’s strategic location on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, has made it a focal point for regional power competition that continues to complicate efforts to achieve lasting peace.