Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the former leader of Yemen’s dissolved Southern Transitional Council, has reaffirmed his commitment to establishing a southern Yemeni state in his first public remarks since fleeing to the United Arab Emirates.
Writing on social media from the UAE, Aidarous al-Zubaidi said residents in southern Yemen had entered a "new phase" defined by determination and unity.
He pledged to continue until what he called the national goals of southern residents are achieved.
Forces aligned with the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council seized Yemen’s Hadramout and Al-Mahrah provinces in early December but were later pushed back by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition.
Following those setbacks and al-Zubaidi’s departure to the UAE, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council revoked his membership and initiated legal proceedings against him on charges of treason, leading to the group’s dissolution on January 9.
The Southern Transitional Council has long called for the secession of southern Yemen, arguing that successive governments have politically and economically marginalised the region.
Yemeni authorities reject those claims and insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.
North and South Yemen were unified on May 22, 1990, forming the Republic of Yemen.
