Southern Transitional Council Leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi Flees to Somaliland Before Relocating to Abu Dhabi
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the UAE-supported Southern Transitional Council in Yemen, has escaped from Aden to Somaliland before eventually arriving in Abu Dhabi. The Saudi-led coalition confirmed the incident, stating that al-Zubaidi and several associates departed Aden by ship in the early hours of January 7.
Colonel Turki al-Maliki, the coalition’s spokesperson, revealed that the vessel carrying al-Zubaidi disabled its tracking system during the journey before docking at Berbera port around noon. Upon arrival, al-Zubaidi reportedly contacted an officer identified as Abu Saeed, later confirmed to be Major General Awad Saeed Al-Ahbabi, the UAE’s Joint Operations Commander.
Al-Maliki further disclosed that al-Zubaidi and his companions later boarded a flight that landed in Mogadishu before proceeding to Al-Riffa Air Base in Abu Dhabi. The spokesperson added that coalition forces are still investigating the whereabouts of several individuals who allegedly met with al-Zubaidi before his escape, including Aden’s former governor and the commander of the Security Belt Forces in Aden, both of whom have since lost contact.
