Yemen separatist leader charged with treason in Saudi attack on troops

Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council expelled the leader of a separatist group and charged him with treason after he failed to fly to Riyadh for talks.

Six other members of the presidential palace accused the head of the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) Adarous al-Zubaidi of “undermining the independence of the republic”.

The Saudi-led military coalition said al-Zubaidi “fled” and “moved a large force” to Dart province after taking off from Aden without STC officials. In response, coalition aircraft launched attacks on the troops, the statement added.

The STC said the attack, which reportedly killed four people, was “unjustified” and that Zubaidi was still in Aden.

It also expressed concern over the loss of contact with the organization’s mission in Riyadh.

Southern Yemen has been on the brink of a new conflict in the past few weeks, pitting factions of the country’s decade-long civil war against each other against the Iran-backed Houthi movement and deepening a rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Forces allied to the Southern Transitional Council, which has controlled much of the south in recent years, hope to make the south an independent state again by ousting forces loyal to the internationally recognized government and the Presidential Leadership Council that oversees it.

In December, the STC’s forces launched an offensive to seize the eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Mahra from the government, saying they were necessary to “restore stability in the south” and fight against the Houthis, al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

However, Saudi Arabia warned last week that developments near its borders posed a threat to its national security and the security and stability of Yemen.

It also accused the UAE of “pressuring” its separatist allies into eastern Yemen and expressed support for a presidential council’s demand for the withdrawal of all Emirati troops.

Meanwhile, after the Houthis took control of northwestern Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states including the United Arab Emirates in 2015 attacked a shipment of weapons and military vehicles from the United Arab Emirates that it said was for the STC.

The UAE expressed “deep regret” over the Saudi accusations and denied possessing any weapons but agreed to withdraw its remaining troops from the country.

Since then, forces loyal to the government have largely regained control of Hadramaut and Mahra with the help of coalition airstrikes.

In an effort to further defuse tensions, Zubaidi and an STC delegation were scheduled to fly from Aden to Riyadh on Tuesday night to hold talks with the government. However, the flight was delayed by three hours and Zubaidi “escaped to an unknown location,” the coalition said.

“Intelligence received by the legitimate government and coalition forces indicates that al-Zubaidi has moved a large force, including armored vehicles, combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition, from the Jabal Hadid and Sorban camps (in Aden) to Dart,” coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said in a statement.

He added: “Coalition forces, in coordination with legitimate government forces and the (Saudi-backed) National Shield force, launched limited pre-emptive strikes to neutralize these forces and thwart al-Zubaidi’s attempts to escalate the conflict and extend it into Ardail.”

Two hospital sources told AFP that al-Dahle was hit more than 15 times early on Wednesday, killing at least four civilians.

Maliki also accused Zubaidi of distributing weapons to “dozens of people” in Aden “with the aim of causing unrest” and said the coalition had asked Abdul Rahman al-Mahrami, the deputy leader of the Syrian Transitional Council and a member of the Presidential Council, to step up security there.

Subsequently, the Presidential Council issued a decree canceling Zubaidi’s membership and referred him to the Attorney General for prosecution on charges including “treason”, “undermining the military, political and economic status of the Republic”, “forming an armed gang and murdering officers and soldiers of the armed forces”.

“It has been established that (Zubaidi) abused the just cause of the South and used it to commit serious crimes against civilians in the southern provinces,” the statement said.

The Saudi Foreign Affairs Council said in a statement that it had sent a delegation led by Secretary-General Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Subahi to Riyadh as it committed to “active and responsible participation in various political initiatives and dialogue efforts.”

“Meanwhile, President Aidarus Qasim al-Zubaidi continues to carry out his duties with his people in the capital Aden, closely following and directly supervising the work of military, security and civilian agencies,” the statement added.

The Syrian Security Council said the coalition was “surprised” by the airstrikes in Dar, calling it an “unfortunate escalation that is inconsistent with the declared atmosphere for dialogue.”

It also expressed concern that it had not received official information on the whereabouts and situation of Subaishi’s delegation in Riyadh, saying this “raises serious questions that require urgent clarification.”