Yemen Separatist Leader Fails to Attend Crisis Talks as Saudi-UAE Rift Deepens

A member of the Giants Forces mans a machine gun on a patrol truck amid the southern crisis in Aden, Yemen, Jan. 7, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Fawaz Salman

The leader of Yemen‘s southern separatists failed to board a flight to Riyadh for crisis talks on Wednesday and his fate was unclear, clouding efforts to contain a military escalation that has caused a major rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

A fast-moving crisis in Yemen has ignited a feud between the two most...