Aidrous Al-Zubaidi Flees To Unknown Location As Yemen Escalation Intensifies, Coalition Responds

The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen reports that the Southern Transitional Council head Aidrous Al-Zubaidi has gone to an unknown location, after failing to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks on recent military escalation involving forces linked to the Southern Transitional Council in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra governorates.

Major General Turki Al-Malki, official spokesperson for the Coalition, explains that the Joint Forces Command had notified Aidrous Al-Zubaidi that travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was required within 48 hours, to meet President of the Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi and Coalition Forces Command, and discuss the causes of the escalation and attacks.

On January 5, the Presidency of the Southern Transitional Council renewed thanks for the efforts led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to prepare a comprehensive Southern conference, aimed at discussing approaches to address the Southern issue, and confirmed that the Southern Transitional Council would participate actively to help achieve the conference’s objectives and overall success.

Following this statement, Aidrous Al-Zubaidi informed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of plans to travel on January 6, and a Southern Transitional Council delegation went to the airport. The delegation was booked on Yemenia Airways flight IYE 532, scheduled to depart at 10:10 PM, but that flight was delayed for more than three hours.

During the delay, the legitimate government and the Coalition received intelligence that Aidrous Al-Zubaidi had ordered a substantial force to move from the Jabal Hadid and Al-Solban camps towards Al-Dhale' around midnight, including armoured vehicles, combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition, raising concerns about possible expansion of the tension beyond Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra.

According to the Coalition, this development followed the distribution of weapons and ammunition inside Aden to dozens of elements, under the leadership of Mu'min Al-Saqqaf and Mukhtar Al-Nubi, with the stated aim of causing unrest in Aden during the coming hours, and creating a volatile security environment affecting residents and public and private property.

Southern Transitional Council leadership flight and Coalition response

After these movements were detected, authorities allowed flight IYE 532 to depart, carrying many leaders of the Southern Transitional Council; however, the head of the Council, Aidrous Al-Zubaidi, did not board. The Coalition states that Aidrous Al-Zubaidi fled to an unknown location, leaving Southern Transitional Council members and leaders without any information about his whereabouts.

This situation prompted the National Shield Forces and the Coalition to ask Vice President of the Presidential Leadership Council Abdul Rahman Al-Mahrami (Abu Zara'a) to take steps to stabilise security in Aden, avoid any armed confrontations within the city, protect lives and property, and work in coordination with the National Shield Forces to prevent escalation.

Coalition forces continued to track the military units that had left the camps, observing them as they took positions in a building near Al-Zand camp in Al-Dhale' Governorate. At 4:00 AM, in coordination with the legitimate government forces and the National Shield Forces, the Coalition carried out limited pre-emptive strikes, intended to disrupt these units and block Aidrous Al-Zubaidi’s attempts to widen the conflict into Al-Dhale'.

The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen states that it is working with the Yemeni government and the local authority in Aden to support and strengthen security efforts, and to counter any military forces that may target cities and civilians, urging residents to stay away from camps in Aden and Al-Dhale', avoid gatherings of military vehicles, and share any information about suspicious military movements with security agencies.

With inputs from SPA