Southern leader attacks Al-Zubaidi, calling him “traitor” over calls to annex Taiz, Marib

DHALEA, Oct. 09 (YPA) – The southern leader Salah Al-Shanfara on Thursday attacked the president of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus al-Zubaidi, calling him a “traitor” over Al-Zubaidi’s recent calls to annex the provinces of Taiz and Marib to the southern provinces.

During a protest event in Dhalea province, Al-Shanfara described Al-Zubaidi’s call as “a betrayal of the southern cause and will not pass,” stressing that the southern cause is a project to restore the “State of the South,” and not a “project for geographical expansion or engulfment.”

Al-Shanfara added that those who call for the annexation of Taiz and Marib “do not represent the will of the southerners, but rather serve suspicious agendas.” He urged southern forces to unite against the STC’s calls.

These criticisms follow controversial statements by Al-Zubaidi about including Taiz and Marib in a proposed “federal system.”

Meanwhile, observers suggest that the “STC’s confusion and inconsistent demands” indicate the end of its current project, likely in line with the UAE directives.

YPA