A delegation from the Southern Transitional Council in Riyadh announced its dissolution, but members abroad rejected the news amid fears it was not voluntary.
Aidarous al-Zubaidi is wanted on treason charges in Yemen after he led a lightning military offensive that escalated a bitter feud between the Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Invited to Saudi Arabia for talks, dozens of Yemeni separatist officials went incommunicado on Wednesday as the conflict in their country took a sharp twist.
Around 600 foreigners have been stranded on Socotra as clashes on mainland Yemen halted flights, turning the nature sanctuary and tourist spot into a geopolitical trap.
An offensive by Yemeni government-allied forces appeared to turn the tide in a conflict that has become a proxy clash between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Saudi-backed government in Yemen said it would send forces to reclaim territory from a group that the United Arab Emirates supports.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates burst into the open this week with an unusually direct confrontation that has global implications.
Saudi-led forces struck an Emirati shipment early Tuesday, worsening tensions between the once-close allies. The Saudis said the shipment had arms for a separatist group, which the Emiratis denied.
The Saudis ramped up their rhetoric against a faction that has seized parts of Yemen in recent weeks.
The Southern Transitional Council has seized control of parts of Yemen over the past week, with ambitions to create a “south Arabian state.”