Yemen's separatists said they had lost contact with a senior delegation that travelled to Riyadh for talks on Wednesday following clashes in the country's south.
More than 50 Southern Transitional Council (STC) members had not been heard from by colleagues or family since arriving in the Saudi capital, an official said.
Witnesses saw the group boarding a black bus at Riyadh airport, senior STC official Amr Al Bidh told journalists in a video call.
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"This was a high-level delegation including the minister of defence, several ministers and members of the STC leadership," he said.
"Until now, we have heard nothing from them. We have tried to contact them repeatedly and have received nothing."
AFP was unable to reach the Saudi foreign ministry for comment.
A statement released by the STC on Wednesday night accused the Saudis of arbitrarily detaining the delegation and taking them to an unknown location.
"We call on their immediate release and put the onus on Saudi Arabia for their safety," the STC said in a statement.
The delegation travelled at Riyadh's request after an offensive by the UAE-backed separatists was pushed back by Saudi warplanes and pro-Saudi ground forces.
After STC leader Aidaros Alzubidi refused to join the flight, the Saudi-led coalition formed to fight Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out air strikes on his home province, killing seven people according to hospital sources.
A post on X from Riyadh on the account of one delegation member was not considered "legitimate communication", Al Bidh said.
The delegates' phones were either switched off or calls were going unanswered, he added.
"We cannot reach any of the more than 50 delegation members. That is worrying."
A separate STC statement demanded that Saudi authorities "guarantee the safety of its delegation currently in Riyadh".
"We call on all the international community to put pressure to make sure our delegation is safe," added Al Bidh.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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