Thousands of Yemenis have gathered in Aden to support a separatist group backed by the UAE
Thousands of Yemenis gathered Saturday in the southern city of Aden in a show of support for a separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates, a day after the group dissolved itself, following heightened tensions and armed clashes with forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council assembled in their stronghold of Khor Maksar district, where Aden’s international airport is located. Armed groups loyal to the STC were seen securing the protest area, according to an Associated Press journalist in Khor Maksar.
The protesters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni international government. They waved flags of southern Yemen, which was an independent state between 1967 and 1990. Some were seen holding posters showing the council’s leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi who fled Aden to the UAE earlier this month, video footage aired by STC media showed.
Yemen, located at the strategic southern entrance of the Red Sea, has been mired for more than a decade in a civil war that involves a complex interplay of sectarian and tribal grievances and the involvement of regional powers.
