{"id":396013,"date":"2018-01-28T18:32:02","date_gmt":"2018-01-28T18:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=396013"},"modified":"2018-01-28T18:32:02","modified_gmt":"2018-01-28T18:32:02","slug":"yemen-crisis-separatists-seize-government-buildings-aden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/01\/yemen-crisis-separatists-seize-government-buildings-aden\/","title":{"rendered":"Yemen crisis: Separatists seize government buildings in Aden"},"content":{"rendered":"
Separatists in southern Yemen have seized government buildings in the city of Aden amid fierce clashes with forces of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher has accused the separatists of mounting a coup.<\/p>\n
Aden serves as a temporary base of the Hadi government, with Houthi rebels controlling the capital Sanaa.<\/p>\n
The development further complicates an already dire situation in Yemen, where millions need aid.<\/p>\n
What’s happening in Aden?<\/strong><\/p>\n The modern state of Yemen was formed in 1990 from the merger of South Yemen and North Yemen, and separatist desires for an independent southern state have not gone away.<\/p>\n The separatists have been backing the government against the Houthis, but long-simmering tensions have flared in recent weeks, with the separatists accusing the government of corruption and discrimination.<\/p>\n Fighting broke out on Sunday after a deadline set by the separatists for Mr Hadi to dismiss Mr Dagher and his cabinet.<\/p>\n At least 10 people have been killed and eyewitnesses reported gunfire and explosions in several parts of the city.<\/p>\n The southern separatists are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is also part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Dagher called on the “decision maker” UAE to take action, warning that the clashes would advantage the Houthis.<\/p>\n President Hadi, who is based in Saudi Arabia, has called for a ceasefire, but it is unclear whether the clashes have subsided.<\/p>\n And in the rest of the country?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Houthis remain in control of Sanaa and territory in the north and west.<\/p>\n They seized the capital in 2014, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene on the side of the government.<\/p>\n