A Saudi-led coalition conducted deadly air strikes on the home province of a UAE-backed separatist leader in Yemen on Jan. 7, after his divided government kicked him out and accused him of treason.
Aidaros Alzubidi's Southern Transitional Council (STC) grabbed swathes of territory last month before being rolled back by the Saudi-led coalition and allied Yemeni forces.
He was due in Riyadh for talks aimed at de-escalating the violence, but his plane ended up being delayed and he was not on board when it departed.
According to the coalition, Alzubidi fled and mobilized "large forces" in Dhale, his home governorate in southwest Yemen, after failing to attend the talks in Riyadh.
Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, which holds executive power and groups rival factions, then announced Alzubidi's removal, accusing him of high treason.
Yesterday, more than 15 air strikes hit Dhale, killing four people, two hospital sources told AFP.
Violence between the UAE-supported STC and pro-Saudi forces has spiked in recent weeks around Aden, home to Yemen's internationally recognized government since it was ousted from Sanaa by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in 2014.
The STC's advance and the Saudi response has sent relations with the United Arab Emirates, fellow oil power and rival powerbroker in Yemen, plummeting.
Alzubidi "fled to an unknown location after he had distributed weapons and ammunition to dozens of elements inside Aden," coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement.
An STC official told AFP that Alzubidi decided not to join the delegation flying to Saudi Arabia for talks after hearing he would be asked to dissolve his group, which forms part of the Presidential Leadership Council.
Later, the STC said it had lost contact with the delegation following its arrival in Riyadh, expressing "grave concern."
