Vice Chairman of Yemeni Executive Council Calls for a Two-State Solution to Contain Houthis

Yemen needs a two-state solution, says Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, vice chairman of the country’s Presidential Leadership Council, arguing that international recognition of an independent southern Yemeni state is the best way to contain Houthi rebel forces in the north and achieve broader regional stability.

Speaking at an event presented by the Kent Global Leadership Program on Conflict Resolution and the Institute of Global Politics on September 25, Al-Zubaidi discussed the civil war in Yemen, where ongoing conflict between Houthi rebels who control much of the north and the internationally recognized government, the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), has led to economic collapse and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

“The international community must realize that the north will not be liberated from the Houthis unless there is a democratic, pluralistic state in the south that is strong enough to confront their forces and capable of providing a viable alternative,” said Zubaidi, who spoke in conversation with journalist Peter Salisbury.

In addition to his position within the PLC, Zubaidi also serves as president of Yemen’s Southern Transition Council (STC), a United Arab Emirates-backed separatist organization at the forefront of the southern independence movement. The STC is fighting to restore the borders that existed before the nation’s unification in 1990. Yemen was divided into two separate states from 1967 to 1990, when the Yemen Arab Republic in the north and the People’s Democratic Republic in the south were merged. The unity project failed due to deep-rooted political and cultural divides, with civil war erupting in 1994 and 2014.

Despite a 2022 ceasefire between the Houthis and Yemen’s government, the conflict has raged on. Following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023, Yemen has also been drawn further into the wider Middle East conflict, as the Iran-backed Houthis movement began launching missile strikes against Israel, setting off a tit-for-tat series of attacks.

Zubaidi asserted that the only realistic path to stability in Yemen lies in a two-state solution. He was clear that he did not believe that present-day Yemen could be unified via a peace settlement. “No matter how hard we have tried,” he said, “the effort to unite Yemen has not succeeded.” Calling it a “deeply divided country,” he noted that the South and North already operate as two distinct states economically and militarily. He emphasized that the Houthis’ escalating attacks on Red Sea shipping targets and Israel have halted efforts to reach a peace deal.

Zubaidi answered a series of questions from Salisbury, an assistant adjunct professor at Columbia SIPA who has worked extensively in Yemen. Salisbury pressed him on the practicality of his vision for an independent South Yemen, noting the internal divisions within the PLC, which is composed of four representatives from the south and four from the north. He questioned how Zubaidi could reconcile his dual roles as a leader in a unified Yemen and leader of a separatist movement.

“Your answer [to ending the conflict with the Houthis] seems to be more to do with obtaining independence in the South, and these colleagues of yours would really be left to fend for themselves. Is that fair?” Salisbury asked, suggesting that PLC members’ conflicting visions for Yemen’s future are limiting the council’s ability to formulate a united campaign against the Houthis.

Zubaidi argued that the south has been more effective than the north in liberating its territories from the Houthis, and criticized the PLC structure as flawed and unrepresentative, saying the northern members represent only 10 percent of Yemen’s liberated territories. He cited the existence of parallel governments and the failure to centralize revenues and military command as major obstacles facing the PLC, asserting that the south’s aspirations for independence are widely shared. “The current objective of the PLC is to confront the Houthis, but that does not contradict our efforts to establish our independent state,” he said.

The conversation later shifted to the role of regional and international actors in Yemen’s conflict, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the US. When asked about future relations with Israel, Zubaidi said an independent South Yemen would join the Abraham Accords only if an internationally recognized Palestinian state is established.

Zubaidi ended the discussion by reiterating that the defeat of the Houthis is essential not just for Yemen’s stability but for the security of the entire region. He called for greater international and regional cooperation, including with the US and Arab states, to counter Houthi expansion.