South Yemen’s separatist group STC has called for independence amid clashes between the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen said the leader of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, blocked a Saudi delegation from landing at Aden international airport on Thursday.

The incident followed Zubaidi’s reported decision to halt air traffic at the airport.

The STC, which advocates for southern Yemen’s independence, is backed by the United Arab Emirates and has recently seized large areas of southern Yemen from the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government.

after the STC moved last month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.

Hadramaut Governor Salem Al-Khanbashi said Thursday that the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has no option but to fully withdraw forces from the eastern Yemeni province or face a military confrontation.
“The problem still exists as the STC has not withdrawn yet. It has no choice but to fully and unconditionally withdraw or face a military confrontation,” he said in an interview with Saudi state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV.
He accused the STC forces of seeking to seize control of oil resources in the province.

These forces “will not withdraw peacefully as expected,” Khanbashi said.

Tension escalated in southern Yemen last month after the STC forces captured Hadramaut and Al-Mahra provinces in eastern Yemen after clashes with government forces. The two governorates together make up nearly half of Yemen’s land area.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of pushing the STC forces to carry out military operations along the kingdom’s southern border. The UAE rejected what it called “allegations” and stressed its commitment to Saudi Arabia’s security.
On the same day, Yemen’s presidential council cancelled a joint defense agreement with the UAE and ordered all Emirati forces to leave Yemen within 24 hours.
The STC repeatedly claims that successive governments have politically and economically marginalized southern regions and calls for their separation from the north — claims rejected by the Yemeni authorities, as they insist on preserving the country’s territorial unity.

Why It Matters

The standoff highlights rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, whose rivalry is increasingly shaping Yemen’s fractured conflict despite their past cooperation against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Aden airport is the primary gateway for parts of Yemen outside Houthi control. Disruptions there risk worsening humanitarian conditions and further undermining political coordination among Yemen’s nominal allies.

Saudi Arabia: Supporting Yemen’s recognised government and seeking to curb STC escalation

Southern Transitional Council (STC): UAE-backed separatist group controlling parts of southern Yemen

United Arab Emirates: Regional power backing the STC

Yemen’s recognised government: Losing authority in the south

Yemeni civilians: Dependent on Aden airport for travel and aid access

What’s Next

Saudi Arabia says it attempted dialogue with the STC but faced continued resistance. The STC has accused Riyadh of imposing an air blockade, suggesting the dispute could escalate further.

Whether Gulf powers can de-escalate tensions and restore flights to Aden will be critical for Yemen’s fragile political and security landscape.

The tension between the UAE and Saudi Arabia in Yemen has escalated, as the policies of Dubai and Riyadh towards Yemen seem to be acting and challenging each other to assert control and intervention in Yemen, especially in the South of Yemen where there are powerslocal tribal leaders. but the actions seem to make the situation more chaotic to intensify the wars that led to the invasion of the two countries of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2015 in Yemen, when the Houthis took over the country’s capital of Yemen in Sanaa.

The Houthis, who waged a series of civil wars against the Yemeni government from 2003 to 2009, withstood years of bombardment by the Saudi-led coalition from 2015 with little change to the main front lines in the conflict.while Saudi Arabia had to raise its hand. After attacks by the Houthis on Riyadh, which made the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sign an agreement with the Houthis in Yemen.