ADEN: Forces loyal to Yemen’s president said they had seized strategic buildings in the southern city of Aden yesterday after a five-hour battle, escalating a civil conflict threatening to split the country in two.
The militias supporting Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi wrested parts of Yemen’s economic hub from security forces allied to the Houthi movement, including its main power station and intelligence headquarters, sources said.
The country’s north is dominated by the Shia Muslim Houthis, who completed a takeover of the capital Sanaa last month. In the south, forces loyal to Hadi and separatists aiming to restore the former South Yemen appear to be in charge. UN Yemen envoy Jamal Benomar tweeted yesterday that he had visited Hadi, who is still under house arrest at his residence.
Benomar said he had briefed Hadi on the UN Security Council resolution adopted on Sunday calling for an end to his house arrest and that of his government.
The United Nations Security Council on Sunday urged the Houthis to quit government institutions, threatening further steps if the violence does not stop. Minister of Information Nadia Al Sakkaf tweeted that she had also visited Hadi yesterday, adding he had a heart condition and was “quite ill”.
The Houthis forced Hadi to resign during their takeover, but he remains de jure president. They tried to dissolve the assembly two weeks ago, but its largest group, the General People’s Congress party (GPC), objected. The GPC said yesterday it had withdrawn its objection, boosting chances of a consensus in multi-party talks on picking a new national administration.
Reuters
