Yemen's president visited the country's fractious southern region on Sunday in a show of strength, following weeks of violence in the Abyan and Aden states, AP reported on Monday.
President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi toured Zinjibar in Abyan province on foot and traveled in convoy on the road to Aden in a move designed to show that his government was back in control of the region.
In Abyan, the government has faced a series of attacks by al-Qaeda fighters who had taken over large swathes of the province. Meanwhile in the Aden region, Southern separatists groups have again risen up against the Sana'a government, calling for an independent state.
President Hadi is seen by many as part of the problem as he was deputy to ousted dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, back when he was in power. Following Yemen's uprising the former president was overthrown but many of the old officials have stayed in power.
