Yemen's UAE-Backed Southern Transitional Council Announces Dissolution After Failed Land Grab

Last Updated:January 09, 2026, 20:08 IST

Yemen's UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council announced the dissolution days after it sparked a confrontation with Saudi Arabia by advancing in Hadramout and al-Mahra.

Soldiers gather outside the headquarters of the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, Yemen. (Reuters)

Yemen’s UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) and its institutions will be dismantled effective from Friday, the group’s secretary-general announced in Riyadh after weeks of unrest following a failed land grab, and also a day after its leader fled to the UAE.

This came days after a Saudi Arabia-led coalition attacked UAE-backed separatists who attempted to seize huge swathes of territory in the port city of Mukalla, and the head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council set a 24-hour deadline for Emirati forces to leave, exposing a rift between the Gulf countries.

STC secretary general Abdulrahman Jalal al-Sebaihi, speaking on Yemen TV, said a meeting was held to assess the recent “unfortunate events" in the governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra and after “rejection to all efforts to de-escalate the situation."

“We announce the dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council," said the statement, which was also carried by the Saudi-sponsored Yemeni government’s news agency. It pledged their “commitment to working towards achieving our just southern goal through preparations for a comprehensive southern conference under the auspices of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".

Internal Divide In STC

However, in an apparent indication of an internal divide, STC spokesperson Anwar al-Tamimi posted on X that decisions related to the council can only be made by it in its entirety and under its president.

“This will be done immediately upon the release of the Southern Transitional Council delegation currently in Riyadh," he wrote. “The Council will continue its positive and constructive engagement with all political initiatives in a manner that enables the people of the South to determine their future."

STC vice president Hani bin Breik, who is based in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, slammed the announcement in a statement on X as a “political farce". He said the decision was taken “under pressure and coercion by an STC team shackled by the restrictions of house arrest".

Talks In Riyadh

Earlier this week, a delegation from the separatist group travelled to the Saudi capital of Riyadh for talks on de-escalating tensions among rival forces on the ground. This came after tensions rose after the STC moved into the governorates of Hadramout and al- Mahra and seized an oil-rich region in December.

The UAE has been a major backer of the council, which sparked a confrontation with Saudi Arabia in recent days, after STC fighters advanced in Hadramout and al-Mahra and appeared to be preparing to secede from Yemen. Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against the separatists to push them back from areas they have seized after they refused to withdraw, and regained control of the land.

“Since we did not participate in the decision regarding the military operation against the governorates of Hadramout and al-Mahra, which harmed the unity of the southern ranks and damaged relations with the Saudi-led coalition, the Council’s continued existence no longer serves the purpose for which it was established," al-Sebaihi said on Friday.

He said all of the STC’s main agencies and subsidiaries would be dissolved and its offices inside and outside Yemen closed as members work to achieve a “fair southern goal" by preparing for the conference that Saudi Arabia said it will host to discuss issues in the south.

Meanwhile, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman wrote on X that the southern issue has now been placed on a “real path nurtured by the Kingdom and endorsed by the international community through the Riyadh conference," which he said will be held to find solutions that meet the aspirations of the people of the south.

STC Leader Flees To UAE

Earlier on Friday, the National Assembly of the STC called for residents in the south, activists and members of civil society to rally on Saturday in Aden and Hadramout’s port city of Mukalla to advocate for people of the south’s “right to self-determination".

This came after the council’s leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi fled Yemen by boat to Somalia and was later flown to Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital. The Presidential Leadership Council said the STC leader was charged with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for meetings, and after he deployed STC forces to head to al-Dahle, where his village is located.

Al-Zubaidi was meant to travel with the delegation to Riyadh this week, but pulled out of the trip after learning that Saudi Arabia would ask him to dissolve the STC, an official from the group told AFP. A curfew imposed earlier across Aden due to the security situation was lifted on Friday, according to Presidential Leadership Council member Abu Zarae Al-Mahremy, who is responsible for overseeing security across Aden.

The STC, trained and equipped by the UAE, seeks secession for the southern part of Yemen, which was an independent state until unification with the north in 1990. A previous secession attempt in 1994 was foiled by then-President Ali Abdallah Saleh’s army. Tensions peaked in December 2025 when the group seized large parts of land in Hadramout and Al Mahra provinces and swept to the borders of Saudi Arabia.

(with inputs from agencies)

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