President Hadi blames Iran for southern separatist unrest Yemeni security forces have killed eight demonstrators and injured 50 others during clashes in the southern city of Aden, after protesters attempted to disrupt a rally supporting beleaguered President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Central Security Forces used tear gas to disperse crowds before firing on demonstrators, who were demanding the secession of Yemen’s south from the rest of the country.
The counter-demonstration, organised by the Islamist al-Islah Party, was rallying for national unity and the leadership of President Hadi.
Two policemen were also injured by sniper fire from the rooftops surrounding the protest site.
Many observers expressed their fears especially that the southern leaders insist on escalating the current situation.
The news comes two days after human rights organisation Amnesty International called on Yemeni security forces to exercise restraint amid a growing separatist protest movement.
"The Southern Movement and its followers have a right to protest peacefully, and the Yemeni authorities must allow them this right," said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International's Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa programme, on Wednesday.
Harrison demanded security forces end “excessive, lethal force” against peaceful demonstrators, following a spate of violent clampdowns in recent weeks.
Yemen’s President meanwhile warned Southern Movement factions of the repercussions from refusing to join national dialogue talks, accusing groups of colluding with foreign powers, namely Iran.
“Those people who respond to calls from a country that supports them with money and arms have not understood the changes in Yemen,” he said.
The presidential statement came during a speech coinciding with Interior Ministry restructuring which, government sources claim, aims at improving security conduct and respecting human rights.