Southern Transitional Council chief Aidaros Alzubidi travels to Saudi Arabia for de-escalation talks following recent fighting between UAE-backed and Saudi-backed factions in Yemen.
DUBAI: The leader of Yemen’s separatists is heading to Riyadh for talks after days of fighting between his UAE-backed forces and pro-Saudi rivals.
A Yemeni official said a large delegation headed by Southern Transitional Council president Aidaros Alzubidi would travel to Riyadh on Tuesday.
The official said the trip was at the official invitation of Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.
The Saudi-organised talks indicate the beginning of de-escalation efforts after recent clashes in Yemen’s government-run areas.
Those clashes exposed a rift between Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Alzubidi will also discuss the southern dialogue sponsored by Riyadh, according to the official who requested anonymity.
Saudi Arabia called for the talks between Yemeni factions at the request of Yemen’s government.
Both camps have agreed to take part in the discussions.
In December, the UAE-backed separatists seized large swathes of territory, including much of Hadramawt province bordering Saudi Arabia.
They expelled Saudi-backed government forces from those areas.
But last week, air strikes from a Saudi-led coalition and a counter-offensive on the ground pushed back the separatists.
The Saudis and Emiratis have long supported rival factions in Yemen’s fractious government, which is based in the country’s south.
Both wealthy oil-producers initially joined forces in the Saudi-led military coalition against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Houthis forced out the government in 2014 and seized much of the country’s north.
