Yemen’s southern separatists reportedly capture govt HQ

Monitoring Desk

ADEN: Yemen’s southern separatists have reportedly captured the seat of the government in the coastal city of Aden after clashes with government forces amid reports of casualties.

Forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) seized the government headquarters in Aden on Sunday after deadly clashes with presidential guards, STC military sources said.

STC forces also broke into the camp of the 3rd Brigade of the Presidential Guards in the city, the sources added on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Pro-government military sources, however, said the camp was still controlled by the 3rd Brigade.

Medical sources said around 20 people have been killed and injured in ongoing clashes between the two sides.

Tension has been running high in Aden since the STC called for sacking the government of Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr.

The STC accuses the government of starving Yemenis and pushing the country to the verge of famine.

Coalition urges Yemenis to back joint action (SPA): The Arab Coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen has stressed that it is important for all Yemenis of different views and affiliations to take responsibility for joint action with the Coalition so as to complete the liberation of all Yemeni land.

In a statement, the Coalition leadership said, “The Arab Coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen follows up on the latest developments in the Yemeni capital, Aden, and the media debate in this context about some popular demands to rectify some imbalances in the government sector. It calls on all Yemeni political and social components to be calm and to restrain themselves, adhering to the language of calm dialogue.”

The statement said that it was important that all Yemenis should work with the Coalition to liberate all Yemeni territory, to defeat the Iranian-backed Houthi militias and put an end to its control over the resources of Yemenis and their lives. It was also important, the statement said, not to give an opportunity to those who plotted to divide the Yemeni ranks or divert Yemenis from their main battle as a political, humanitarian and moral commitment that can not be undone. This requires the coming together of all components of Yemen and the focus of political and military efforts, as well as the avoiding of anything that lead to division and undermine the state institutions.

Later, Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr hailed the historic decision of the Custodian of the King Salman to declare Decisive Storm to end the Iranian Houthi coup and restore the state of Yemen.

The official Yemen news agency said that the Yemeni official made the remarks during a meeting with a number of leaders and officers of the Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen.

The official was quoted as saying that the decision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques united the Arabs and destroyed the ambitions of Iran in the region.

The Yemeni Prime Minister praised the great sacrifices made by the coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the battle against the Houthi coup against legitimacy in Yemen represented by President Abderbo Mansour Hadi, pointing out that the Yemeni army with the support of the coalition managed to liberate 85 percent of the land.

The Yemeni government  also welcomed the statement issued by the Command of Coalition for Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen which called on all Yemeni political and social components for calm, restraint, adherence to the language of calm dialogue and directing the joint action with the coalition to complete the liberation of all Yemeni lands from the control of pro-Iranian Houthis.

The Government Spokesman Rajih Badi said in a statement reported by the official Yemeni news agency that this position and the call of the command of the coalition to support the legitimacy is just as the government has repeatedly stressed the imp-ortance of not diverting the compass of the fateful battle of the legitimacy and the Ar-ab coalition from confronting the dangerous Iranian project to the internal division of the national front and serving Iran and its tools represented by Houthi coup militias .

He stressed that the obligations of the current phase and great victories achieved by the National Army with the support of the coalition led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to complete the end of the coup and normalize the situation in the liberated provinces require that some adventurers stop betting on losing agendas that completely contradict the goals and objectives of the legitimate government.