Saudi Coalition Reports Departure of Yemeni Southern Transitional Council Leader Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi from Aden
The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson announced that Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, head of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, supported by the United Arab Emirates, has left Aden. After passing through Somaliland and Mogadishu, he arrived at Al-Reef airbase in Abu Dhabi.
According to Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, intelligence received indicates that Al-Zubaidi and some of his companions departed from the port of Aden shortly after midnight on January 7 aboard a ship. The vessel turned off its identification system en route and arrived around noon at the port of Berbera in Somaliland.
Al-Maliki added that upon arrival in Berbera, Al-Zubaidi contacted an individual named Abu Saeed, who was later identified as Major General Awad Saeed Musleh Al-Ahbabi, commander of the UAE joint operations. Al-Maliki stated that Al-Zubaidi and his companions were then transferred by an Ilyushin aircraft under the supervision of Emirati officers to Mogadishu, from where they proceeded to Abu Dhabi.
The Saudi coalition spokesperson further said investigations are ongoing regarding the fate of several individuals who met with Al-Zubaidi prior to his departure. Among these individuals are the former governor of Aden and the commander of the city’s Security Belt Forces, with whom communication has been lost.
Meanwhile, an Al Jazeera correspondent reported that forces known as the Saudi-backed ‘National Shield’ are advancing from Abyan province toward Aden. Concurrently, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen stated that actions taken by the Southern Transitional Council led by Al-Zubaidi have not contributed positively to the southern Yemen issue. Discussions have taken place with the council’s delegation in Riyadh to address the developing situation.
Previously, Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi had announced the start of a two-year transitional period aimed at the separation and independence of southern Yemen, a matter that has become a central point of political and military tension in the country in recent years.
