At least one person has been killed and multiple others wounded in violent clashes in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, after security forces moved to disperse a group of protesters that tried to storm the al-Maashiq Presidential Palace. Officials say government security personnel confronted demonstrators linked to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) late on Thursday, firing on the crowd as they approached the palace gates amid opposition to the newly formed nationally recognised government’s first session there. According to local health officials, the clashes left one person dead and at least 23 others injured, many of them from gunshot wounds, with wounded transferred to nearby hospitals.
The protesters, largely supporters of the STC — a secessionist grouping that has long sought greater autonomy or independence for southern Yemen — demanded the departure of the Saudi-backed government and denounced its legitimacy. The Aden Supreme Security Committee stated that security forces acted in accordance with the law to prevent “acts of chaos” as demonstrators attempted to breach restricted areas around the presidential compound.
In response, authorities put in place heightened security measures, including establishing checkpoints and barring access to key routes surrounding the palace to prevent further unrest. Tensions in Yemen remain high amid complicated power struggles involving the internationally recognised government, the STC and other armed factions, all against the backdrop of Yemen’s long-running civil war that began in 2014.
news as reported
