Sacked Yemeni governor of Aden forms separatist council

By Ahmed Al-Haj | APMay 11 at 6:42 AM

SANAA, Yemen — The former governor of Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, recently sacked by the president, said he formed a new “transitional political council of the south” on Thursday, after thousands of pro-secessionist Yemenis rallied in his support.

The ex-governor, Maj. Gen. Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has fallen out with the president but is close to the United Arab Emirates, a key member of a Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.

However, relations between Yemen’s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the UAE have been tense over allegations that the Emiratis are offering patronage to southern Yemeni politicians campaigning for secession as well as what the president perceives as UAE violations of his country’s sovereignty.