Yemen separatist group dissolves itself as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates rift deepens

The Southern Transitional Council, a Yemeni separatist group allied with the United Arab Emirates, announced it was dissolving all its bodies and ending operations. The group's leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, fled to the UAE via Somaliland, with the Saudi-led coalition accusing the UAE of smuggling him out.

Saudi Arabia is reportedly aiming to push the UAE out of influence in the wider region after the rift over Yemen. The Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen also sacked the last STC loyalist from its body and accused the UAE of running secret prisons, which Abu Dhabi denies.