The head of Yemen’s separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al Zubaidi, is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, a council source said on Tuesday, as Riyadh steps up efforts to launch dialogue among southern Yemeni factions.
“Zubaidi will lead a delegation to Riyadh to meet with Saudi leadership,” the source told Anadolu, without giving further details.
One STC delegation left earlier on Tuesday, with another due to depart later in the day. It remains unclear which group al Zubaidi will join.
The purpose of the visit has not been officially announced. It comes shortly after United Arab Emirates-backed STC forces withdrew from Yemen’s eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Mahra.
An Anadolu correspondent said talks are expected to focus on the southern issue and a proposed dialogue conference that Saudi Arabia is seeking to host.
Tensions rose in late 2025 after STC separatists took control of key eastern areas of Yemen, including Hadramaut.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have for years supported various factions within Yemen's government-run territories. The Houthis, in control of much of the country’s north and the capital Sanaa, are backed by Iran.
On Monday, Hadramaut Governor Salem al Khanbashi said government forces had taken control of all military camps in Hadramaut and Mahra from the STC.
Zubaidi’s expected trip follows the arrival in Riyadh of Presidential Leadership Council members Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh and Abdulrahman al Mahrami, both of whom previously belonged to the STC during its recent takeover of the two provinces.
Also on Monday, al Mahrami — who remains a vice-president of the STC — met Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to discuss developments in Yemen.
Saudi officials did not release a statement on the meeting.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday invited all southern Yemeni groups to attend a conference aimed at developing a comprehensive vision to resolve the south’s future.
The invitation came a day after al Zubaidi announced a two-year “transitional phase” that would include dialogue among southern factions and a “referendum” on the south’s future.
Last week, Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates of pressuring STC forces to conduct military operations along the Saudi-Yemeni border in Hadramaut and Mahra — an allegation Abu Dhabi denied.
The STC says successive Yemeni governments have politically and economically marginalised the south and has long called for secession.
Yemen’s internationally recognised authorities, who are backed by Saudi Arabia, reject the claim and insist on preserving the country’s unity.
