Saudi Arabia accuses UAE of aiding escape of Yemeni separatist leader

Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates on Thursday of helping Aidarous al-Zubaidi, a separatist leader wanted on treason charges, to flee Yemen, a claim that deepens a growing rift between the two allies. Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, said Saudi intelligence determined that Mr.

al-Zubaidi fled by boat to Somalia early Wednesday and then flew to the Emirates. A spokesman for the Southern Transitional Council, Anwar al-Tamimi, said by phone the coalition’s statement was false and that Mr. al-Zubaidi remained in southern Yemen. The Emirati government did not immediately respond, and The Times could not immediately confirm his whereabouts.

The allegation intensifies a feud that has escalated since Mr. al-Zubaidi’s group led a lightning offensive last month, seizing strategically located, oil-rich territory. Saudi officials denounced the moves as a threat near the kingdom’s border. Forces allied with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, with Saudi support, recaptured most of the territory this past weekend, turning the fighting into what the report describes as an effective proxy clash between Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.

Officials from the Southern Transitional Council arrived in Riyadh for talks on Wednesday without Mr. al-Zubaidi, and the delegation later became unreachable, their colleagues said.

Key Topics

World, Aidarous Al-zubaidi, Southern Transitional Council, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Somaliland