Yemenis march for independence in south on anniversary of coup

Published January 13th, 2013 - 02:27 GMT
Demonstrators pictured in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, during protests to oust Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011.
Demonstrators pictured in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, during protests to oust Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011.

Thousands of separatist demonstrators in southern Yemen on Sunday rallied in Aden to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of civil war in South Yemen in 1986.

Supporters of the Southern Movement organized the demonstration in the port city, calling for “reconciliation and tolerance” and the separation of the south.

A series of demonstrations have been held in southern Yemeni cities in recent days.

The march began in the city of Ataq on Thursday in commemoration of a massacre that began the conflict following an armed coup (link in Arabic).

Tens of thousands of protesters on Friday reportedly gathered in Taiz, calling for the governor to leave office and alleging widespread corruption.

On Thursday, a car bomb exploded next to a school in Aden, in an attempted assassination of Republican Guard soldier Fadi Farouq al-Yabli (link in Arabic). No one was hurt in the blast.

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