Separatist Leader and Escorts Flee to Somaliland by Ship, says Coalition

September Net

Leader of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, and others with him fled Yemen last night via the passenger ship BAMEDHAF.

According to the spokesman of the Legitimacy Backing Coalition spokesman, Turki al-Maliki, Al-Zubaidi escaped via a maritime vessel from Aden port, bound for Somaliland, Somalia, under the cover of darkness on January 7, 2026.

The Saudi-led coalition, which supports the Yemeni government, confirmed Al-Zubaidi’s escape, stating that he was aided by Emirati officials. The vessel, BAMEDHAF, was tracked to Berbera port, where Al-Zubaidi boarded an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft, which took him to Mogadishu and subsequently to Abu Dhabi.