UAE Hints at Al-Zubaidi’s Return and Sends Direct Message to Saudi Arabia via “Transitional Council Popularity”
Unofficial Emirati Statements Bring Southern Yemen Influence Back to the Fore Amid Rising Abu Dhabi–Riyadh Tensions
NYN | Reports and Analyses
The United Arab Emirates has continued to assert its support for Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) through new signals suggesting a strong re-emergence of the council’s head, Aidros Al-Zubaidi. This move has been interpreted as an Emirati readiness to respond to any efforts aimed at reducing its influence in southern Yemen.
Notable Emirati Signal via Social Media
The most prominent signal came through a post by Emirati writer Nora Al-Mutairi on her online platforms, praising what she described as “Al-Zubaidi’s popularity multiplying dozens of times,” and claiming that “conspiratorial and traitorous elements” had sought to remove him from the scene.
Al-Mutairi concluded her post with the phrase: “Al-Zubaidi will return very soon,” a message observers interpreted as indirectly directed at Saudi Arabia.
Renewed Influence Struggle in Southern Yemen
Observers note that these statements reflect Abu Dhabi’s continued policy of supporting its political and military allies in southern Yemen, and its insistence on maintaining strategic influence there, despite escalating disagreements with Riyadh, which backs other factions on the ground.
These developments come amid growing indications of widening divergences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the management of the Yemeni file and the balance of power in the southern governorates.
