Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Official Web Site
Major General /Aidarous Qassem Abdulaziz Al-Zubaidi, president of the Southern Transitional Council, Vice President of the Presidential Leadership Council:
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Born July 23, 1967 in Zubaid Village, Dhala Governorate.
Descended from Mashiakha family, Zubaid Tribe, Himyar, Dhala Governorate.
Received primary and secondary education in Dhala City.
Moved to the capital city (Aden) to pursue university studies at the Faculty of Air Force and Air Defence which he joined in 1986, graduating with the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1988.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Graduated from the War College, Faculty of Air Force and Air Defence with the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1988 during the time of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen).
Served as an Air Force Officer for one year.
After the proclamation of “Yemeni Unity” in 1990, he moved to the Special Security Forces in the Ministry of Interior where he served as officer in charge of protecting foreign establishments and embassies in Sanaa.
Forcibly left the country for Djibouti after the fall of the capital city (Aden) on July 7th 1994.
SOUTHERN RESISTANCE AND BATTLING AGAINST THE HOUTHI TAKEOVER
Between 1996-2014, he founded and led the Southern Resistance calling for the restoration of the Southern State.
On December 4th 2014 he called for a large-scale meeting in his hometown after the Houthi takeover in Sanaa and urged the people to confront the Houthis.
In 2015 he was appointed Commander-General of the Southern Resistance Forces where he led the war against the Houthi militias. The military battles between the Houthis and the Southern Resistance Forces were sparked under his leadership on March 22nd 2015.
On March 26th 2015, in an official statement, his forces welcomed the launch of the “Decisive Storm” military operation, indicating that it was a real rescue for the country.
On May 25th 2015 his forces declared the Southern Governorate of Dhala as the first fully liberated governorate. After the liberation of Dhala his forces moved to liberate Al-Anad Airbase and Lahj Governorate.
On August 4th 2015 all areas adjacent to the capital city (Aden) were declared liberated areas after his forces teamed up with the Arab Coalition Forces coming from the capital city (Aden).
GOVERNOR OF THE CAPITAL CITY (ADEN)
On December 7th 2015, Major-General Aidarous Qassem Abdulaziz Al-Zubaidi was appointed governor of the capital city (Aden) based on a Presidential Decree, succeeding Major-General Jaafar Mohammad Saad who was assassinated in a terrorist attack.
Governor Al-Zubaidi took power in the capital city (Aden) when the militias ISIS and Al Qaida were controlling most of its directorates. He was exposed to more than four assassination attempts, including 3 car bomb attempts, carried out by the so-called ISIS.
In early March 2016 he announced a large-scale military operation to cleanse the capital city (Aden) of Al-Qaida and ISIS after a series of almost daily killings and assassinations.
On March 29th 2016 his security forces completed the operation and announced the complete cleansing of the capital city (Aden).
THE SOUTHERN PEOPLE’S CAUSE
On September 10th 2016, Governor Al-Zubaidi called on all political forces and the Southern Resistance in the South to team up together for promptly forming a national political front that would assume responsibility for the cause of the people of the South. He urged the former President of the Republic and the Arab Coalition States to support the aims of the people of the South in declaring their political entity in the liberated governorates of the South, thereby expressing their aspirations for full representation in the Government and in any future political negotiations.
HISTORIC ADEN DECLARATION
On April 27th 2017 the Governor of Aden was removed from his position based on a Presidential Decree. Following this decree, large-scale protests and mass rallies broke out in the capital city (Aden) and the southern governorates rejecting the decree, since he was seen as a public symbol of the resistance forces in the South.
On May 4th 2017 crowds of people flocked from all the southern governorates to the capital city (Aden) and the gathering mass crowds unanimously decided that day to authorize Major- General Aidarous Qassem Abdulaziz Al-Zubaidi to establish a southern political entity and front that would represent the cause of the people of the South (Historic Aden Declaration).
SOUTHERN TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL
On May 11th 2017 Major-General Aidarous Qassem Abdulaziz Al-Zubaidi announced the formation of the Southern Transitional Council [STC] under his presidency.
COMBATING TERRORIST GROUPS
These forces, backed by the Saudi-led “Arab Coalition”, continued to fight against terrorist groups and actively contributed to the stabilization of security in the liberated southern governorates.
These forces continued to battle militarily against the Houthi militias on all fighting fronts across the central and western coast and areas adjacent to Bab Al-Mandeb.
RIYADH AGREEMENT
In August 2019, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates called for “Political Negotiations” between the STC and the Yemeni government, which eventually led to the “Riyadh Agreement” signed on November 5th 2019 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The President of the STC led the STC delegation in the negotiations which lasted for 2 months.
THE PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
On April 7th 2022 Major-General Aidarous Qassem Abdulaziz Al-Zubaidi was appointed as Vice-President of the Presidential Leadership Council, in accordance with the Presidential Statement announced in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
