Yemen's Southern Transitional Council announced its dissolution on January 9, marking a dramatic end to the UAE-backed separatist movement that has sought southern independence since 2017. Secretary-General Abdulrahman Jalal al-Sebaihi delivered the announcement in a televised address on Yemen TV, declaring that the council would shut down all its bodies and offices both inside and outside the country, citing internal disagreements and mounting regional pressure.
The dissolution came just one day after the council's leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, fled Yemen by boat to Somalia before being transported to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The Presidential Leadership Council subsequently charged al-Zubaidi with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia for meetings and deployed STC forces toward al-Dahle province where his home village is located.
The announcement followed weeks of escalating tensions that began when the STC launched a large-scale military offensive across southern Yemen on December 2, 2025. The separatist forces advanced rapidly through Hadhramaut Governorate, seizing several government-held areas including the cities of Seiyun and Tarim. The offensive sparked a direct confrontation with Saudi Arabia, which launched airstrikes against STC positions after the separatists refused to withdraw from seized territories.
The decision was immediately contested by STC spokesman Anwar al-Tamimi, who declared on the social media platform X that only the full council under its president could authorize such steps. This public disagreement highlighted the deep internal divisions that had plagued the separatist movement in its final days. Multiple factions within the council had reportedly grown frustrated with al-Zubaidi's leadership and the direction of the December offensive.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman welcomed the dissolution, stating that the southern issue was now on a real path nurtured by the kingdom and endorsed by the international community. Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohamed al-Jaber called the decision courageous and announced that an upcoming Riyadh conference would include all influential southern figures to chart a path forward for the region.
By January 10, the Presidential Leadership Council announced it had retaken full control of all areas previously held by the STC. Government forces moved quickly to fill the security vacuum left by the separatist withdrawal, restoring authority to territories that had been contested for years. The swift transition suggested coordination between Yemeni government forces and their Saudi backers.
The Southern Transitional Council was established in April 2017 as an umbrella organization representing groups seeking to restore southern Yemen as an independent state, as it existed between 1967 and 1990. The UAE had been the council's primary financial and military backer, but the failed offensive and subsequent Saudi intervention appear to have prompted Abu Dhabi to withdraw its support, leaving al-Zubaidi with no option but to flee.
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