Separatists yesterday sent reinforcements to Yemen’s southern city of Aden as fighting continued with government units, security and humanitarian sources said, a day after the secessionists seized government headquarters.
The state-run news agency yesterday said that 12 people have been killed and more than 130 wounded in the clashes in Aden.
The separatist takeover on Sunday in the interim capital threw war-torn Yemen into further chaos, sparking warnings of a “coup” from the embattled government.
Photo: EPA-EFE/STR
It further complicates years of conflict, in which the Saudi-backed government has been battling Iran-backed rebels controlling the capital Sana’a and much of the north of the country.
The separatists, who have long demanded independence for the south, yesterday dispatched additional forces from the central province of Marib and southern province of Abyan, security sources said.
The forces from Abyan progressed toward Aden after clashes with government forces on the way, they said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported fighting overnight in Aden.
“All night shooting in Aden #Yemen, including heavy weapons,” Alexandre Faite, the head of the ICRC delegation in the country based in Sana’a, said on Twitter. “Those in southern part of city, including [ICRC staff] still unable to get out.”
Security sources on Sunday said pro-separatist units trained and backed by the United Arab Emirates had taken over the government headquarters in Aden after clashes.
The separatists accused the prime minister of ordering his troops to open fire at the protesters.
Sunday’s rally was called by the Southern Transitional Council, an autonomous body not recognized by the government and aimed at overseeing self-governance in southern provinces.
Meanwhile, the international aid organization Oxfam says the violence forced it to shut down its offices in Aden and the city of Taiz.
Additional reporting by AP
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