New leader appointed to head STC, replacing al-Zoubaidi

ADEN, Feb. 13 (YPA) – A day after a fiery statement by Aidarus al-Zoubaid, head of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, following a prolonged absence, activists from several southern Yemeni provinces shared reports of potential changes at the top of the council’s leadership.

According to the activists, al-Zoubaidi has stepped down as president of the STC and assigned Amr Ali Salem al-Beidh, a member of the council’s presidency, to lead the body.

Observers suggest the UAE may be using these leaks to gauge the reaction of al-Zoubaidi’s supporters in Dhalea, Lahj, and Yafa — whose figures hold key and sensitive leadership positions within the STC.

Supporters from these areas reportedly launched a campaign of insults and incitement against al-Beidh.

Some analysts argue the leak is designed to broaden the council’s appeal in Hadramout Governorate amid Abu Dhabi’s rivalry with Saudi Arabia in southern and eastern Yemen.

It may also aim to defuse regional tensions in the east, where critics view Dhalea’s dominance as having narrowed representation of the southern cause to  the three areas known as the “triangle.”

These reports come as tensions between Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates intensify across southern and eastern Yemen, following the UAE’s expulsion from some of these areas on December 30.

In Aden, the UAE is likely in the coming phase to step up anti-Saudi mobilization in parts of southern and eastern Yemen that have since fallen under Saudi control. This follows reported direct confrontations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi after UAE-backed factions advanced into Hadramout and Mahra in January, defied Saudi demands to withdraw, and were later forced out in a Saudi military operation.

@E.Y.M