Death of UAE-backed southern commander sparks allegations of Saudi assassination

ADEN, Jan. 27 (YPA) – The death of Abdullah Saleh Al-Jaid, commander of the 31st Al-Amaliqa Brigade, backed by the UAE, has stirred widespread controversy in political and military circles, with direct accusations leveled at the Saudi authorities for orchestrating what has been described as a “soft assassination” to eliminate one of the most prominent southern leaders in Riyadh.

Political activists from Aden and other southern provinces affirmed that the announcement of Al-Jaid’s death in a traffic accident in Saudi Arabia was seen as a conspiracy to remove his opposition to any Saudi military presence in Aden and across southern Yemen.

They pointed out that the incident, which occurred just days after his urgent summons to Riyadh, raised major questions about the official account, especially amid reports that he was lured to the Saudi capital by Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the Al-Amaliqa factions.

Activists held the Saudi authorities fully responsible—both legally and politically—for Al-Jaid’s death, calling on the international community and human rights organizations to intervene immediately to investigate the circumstances, as well as pressure Riyadh to release southern leaders who have been detained since early January under the guise of the “South–South Dialogue.”

Observers described Al-Jaid’s death as part of a systematic pattern, in which “traffic accidents” and arrests were used as a cover to execute what they called “vile conspiracies” targeting political and military opponents who pose obstacles to Saudi agendas in Yemen.

Al-Jaid was one of the key leaders in the UAE-backed Al-Amaliqa Brigade, and his growing military influence had become a source of concern for decision-makers in Riyadh, reinforcing the hypothesis that his death may have been a targeted assassination.

AA