Saudi Arabia has accused the United Arab Emirates of secretly moving Yemen’s separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi out of the country and flying him to Abu Dhabi
Relations between two of the Gulf’s closest partners,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have taken an abrupt turn toward open confrontation after Riyadh accused the UAE of smuggling a Yemeni separatist leader wanted for treason out of the country.
The Saudi military, as reported by the Associated Press, claimed that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, first escaped by boat to Somalia before being flown to Abu Dhabi on a UAE aircraft, according to a statement by Major General Turki al-Maliki.
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For context, al-Zubaidi is a prominent Yemeni separatist leader and head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks an independent South Yemen. A former Aden governor, he now faces treason charges over his separatist push and refusal to join peace talks.
Officials say the aircraft allegedly used by the UAE was an Ilyushin Il-76, a model previously seen in conflict zones, raising even more suspicion in Riyadh about Emirati support for separatist actions.
Allies no more? Gulf rift widens
The UAE, however, has not publicly acknowledged the claim, and there has been no immediate response