Al-Zaidi’s arrest sparks divisions among PLC members

TIAZ, July 09 (YPA) – The arrest of tribal sheikh Mohammed al-Zaidi by Saudi-backed factions in eastern Yemen on Wednesday has sparked the crisis within the political components of the coalition-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), led by Rashad al-Alimi.

Media outlets reported that Tariq Saleh, the nephew of the former president Ali Abdullah Selah and the commander of the UAE-backed factions on Yemen’s west coast, rejected al-Zaidi’s arrest, claiming it was unjustified. These factions’ military spokesman, Sadiq Duwaid, reiterated his call for his immediate release.

Douid’s statements coincided with a widespread media campaign by Tariq Saleh’s movement attacking Islah Party over the arrest.

In Saudi Arabia, media reports indicated that the PLC’s member Othman Majali conduced intensive contacts with the Saudi side to secure Al-Zaidi’s release.

Earlier, pro-Saudi factions arrested Sheikh Mohammed Ahmed Al-Zaidi, the senior Sheikhs of Jahm tribes and one of the most prominent sheikhs of Khawlan and Marib, while he was on his way abroad for medical treatment via the Mahra’s Sarfit border crossing with the Sultanate of Oman.

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