At least 12 people were killed and scores injured in clashes between government forces and southern separatists in Yemen’s coastal city of Aden, according to the health ministry.

The violence broke out after forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) reportedly seized the government headquarters in Aden on Sunday.

Ministry official Jalal Baoudah said nine people were in a serious condition, according to the official Saba news agency on Monday.

It remains unclear whether civilians were among the victims.

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.

Aden serves as the temporary seat of the Saudi-backed government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi since Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy -- launched a massive military campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back the Houthis’ territorial gains.</s>Five militants of the Southern Transitional Council were killed by snipers, while four soldiers died in clashes.

The day before clashed resulted in 12 people dead and over 130 wounded, while supporters of a movement to restore South Yemen's independence from the North reportedly captured several government facilities.

Clashes between former allies — the Saudi-led pro-government forces and militants of the Southern Transitional Council erupted the day after the internationally recognized government hadn't met a deadline for the resignation.

READ MORE: Yemen's Southern Movement: What They Want and Who They Are

Southern rebels initially backed internationally-recognized Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fled from advancing Houthi rebels to his hometown of Aden, and alongside the Saudi-led coalition helped push the Houthis away from southern regions.

Hadi, in turn, rejected the ultimatum and banned public gatherings before January 28 — subsequently, clashes erupted. The president has called on the Saudi-led coalition to help and currently facing two fronts — one against the Houthis and a second against the Southern rebels.</s>Supporters of southern Yemeni separatists take part in an anti-government protest in Aden, Yemen, on Sunday (Reuters photo)

ADEN, Yemen — Four people were killed on Monday in a second day of fighting between rival factions seeking control of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, where the internationally recognised administration is based, witnesses and officials said.

The clashes between southern separatists allied to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and forces loyal to Saudi-based President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi risk crippling their once united campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

Witnesses reported fighting outside Yemeni government camps in the districts of Khor Maksar and Dar Saad in the north of Aden. The clashes involved tanks and heavy artillery targeting a hill, Jabal Hadeed, which overlooks Khor Maksar and Aden port.

The SABA state news agency, controlled by the Hadi government, said four people had died in Monday's fighting, bringing the total death toll since Sunday to 16 and the number of wounded to 141.

President Hadi issued a statement ordering the military to secure the city and assuring the population that his government was capable of handling the situation.

The witnesses said forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which was formed last year to push for the revival of the former independent state of South Yemen, were apparently trying to wrest control of two bases in Aden from Prime Minister Ahmed Bin Daghr’s government.

In downtown Aden, most people stayed off the streets as government forces guarded the main road to Al Maasheeq palace where the government is based.

Aden airport was closed for a second consecutive day because of the fighting, local officials said.

A government source said the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen in support of the Hadi administration should rein in the STC separatists or else the battle against the Houthis would suffer.

“The military commanders leading the battle in the western part of Yemen [against the Houthis] have given short notice to the Saudis and the UAE to intervene to end the fighting in Aden. Otherwise they will leave the battlefront and move back to Aden to assist President Hadi and the government,” the source said.

Sunday’s fighting broke out after the expiry of a deadline set last week by separatists from the STC for Hadi to dismiss the Bin Daghr government, accusing it of corruption and mismanagement. The government denies the charges.

Bin Daghr has described the ultimatum as a coup against the internationally-recognised government, which the STC has accused of attacking civilians who had converged on the city’s Parades Square from across southern Yemen for a rally.

The clashes in Aden have effectively divided the city into two zones, one controlled by the STC and one by the government.

Although Hadi remains in exile in Saudi Arabia, his administration and local allies nominally control about four-fifths of Yemen’s territory.

The factional fighting in the south compounds the misery of Yemenis whose country has been torn apart by three years of conflict between Hadi’s forces and the Houthis.</s>ADEN (Reuters) - At least ten Yemeni fighters were killed and 30 were wounded in clashes which erupted throughout the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Sunday, medical sources told Reuters.

The medics added that the figures, which were gathered from several hospitals in the city, were a preliminary tally.</s>At least four people have been killed in raging battles between government forces and secessionist fighters in Yemen's southern port city of Aden.

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher accused southern separatists of attempting a coup after fighting erupted. The two sides in Aden are supported by countries within the Saudi-led coalition that are fighting the Houthi rebels.

Fighting has also intensified in the city of Taiz in central Yemen, prompting international aid organisations such as OXFAM to close down their offices.</s>Separatists in southern Yemen, who are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have dispatched sizable reinforcements to the city of Aden, where they have been engaged in fierce clashes with Saudi-allied militants loyal to the former Yemeni government.

Reports on Monday said the so-called Southern Transitional Council had sent a large number of armed members from Dhale and Shabwah Provinces, respectively in southwestern and south-central Yemen, to Aden.

The fresh outburst began on Sunday after the separatists managed to take control of a number of sites and military camps run by the former Yemeni administration following intense clashes with Saudi mercenaries.

At least 15 people, including civilians, were killed and over 130 more injured in Sunday's violence.

The International Committee of the Red Cross reported overnight clashes in Aden.

The UAE has played a key role in the Saudi military campaign, which was launched in March 2015 with the aim of reinstalling the government of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement that currently runs Yemen’s state affairs.

Prior to the offensive, Hadi had resigned and fled to Riyadh. The Saudi regime and its allies later managed to seize Aden from the Houthis and put it under the control of the ex-president’s officials.

Numerous Arab-language outlets have verified the collision between Saudi and Emirati interests there. Neither Abu Dhabi nor Riyadh has, however, attested to any division within the Saudi-led coalition.

The latest wave of violence broke out a week after Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the separatist council, said in a statement that the self-proclaimed Yemeni parliament would be barred from convening in the city of Aden unless Hadi removes his “prime minister” and his entire “cabinet.”

The statement declared “a state of emergency in Aden” and said “it has begun the process of overthrowing” Hadi’s “government.”

The separatists have long demanded independence for Yemen’s south, which used to be independent -- with former British colony Aden as its capital -- from its formation in 1967 until 1990, when it was unified with the north.

Last year, it was revealed that the UAE clandestinely supports the secessionists against the Saudi-armed forces loyal to Hadi.

Given its economic importance, Aden’s control would lend considerable leverage to any side exercising ultimate control over the port.</s>Yemen’s prime minister Ahmed bin Dagher is accusing southern separatists of a coup after they seized several government buildings during fighting Sunday with government forces the port city of Aden.

The fighting killed at least 10 and left as many as 86 wounded, including some civilians.

At least a temporary calm returned when Yemeni leaders ordered their forces back to their barracks.

The fighting broke out when President Abd Rabuh Mansour Hadi ignored separatists’ demands to fire Prime Minister bin Dagher, accusing him of corruption.

The separatists also accuse Yemeni troops of firing on anti-government protesters.

The separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates, want Yemen to return to its pre-1990 status, when it was an independent state before unifying with North Yemen.

All of Yemen has been in turmoil since Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sana’a in 2014, forcing Hadi to flee to exile in Saudi Arabia.

The government has since set up shop in Aden.

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes trying to oust the Houthis have obliterated entire civilian neighborhoods, including schools and hospitals. Yemen is also battling a deadly cholera outbreak, a possible famine, and the U.N. estimates about 80% of Yemenis are in desperate need of food, medicine, and clean water.</s>ADEN/MARIB, Yemen (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed and about 100 others were wounded as southern Yemeni separatists fought government troops in the southern city of Aden on Sunday, local medics said, deepening a rift between forces that had been on the same side.

The worst clashes yet between southern separatists, who are allied to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and forces loyal to the Saudi-based government risk crippling their once united war against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen’s north.

The fighting subsided by the evening after Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr ordered a truce and instructed forces loyal to the government to return to barracks, witnesses said.

By evening, some shops were open but the streets were mostly deserted.

Yemen has been torn apart by three years of conflict between the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi, and the factional fighting in the south compounds the misery.

The fighting broke out after the expiry of a deadline set last week by separatists from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) for Hadi to dismiss the bin Daghr government, accusing it of corruption and mismanagement. The government denies this.

Gunmen were deployed throughout most of Aden’s districts and there was heavy automatic gunfire and explosions in the southern port city, according to Reuters witnesses.

Armed separatists appeared to gain the upper hand by wresting a key military base in Khor Maksar district in northern Aden and several government buildings from soldiers loyal to Hadi, local newspaper Aden al-Ghad reported on its website.

Residents said that hundreds of pro-Southern demonstrators had gathered in a main square.

Hospitals said at least nine fighters and one woman were killed in the fighting. International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said 86 wounded people were being treated, including seven people from one family whose car was hit by a shell.

Bin Daghr had earlier denounced the separatists’ actions as a coup and said the outcome of the contest in Aden was in the hands of their backers, the UAE, who enjoy overall control in the city. He said the situation was headed toward “a comprehensive military confrontation ... (which is) a direct gift to the Houthis and Iran”.

“This is a serious matter and the coalition and Arabs as a whole must move to save the situation,” bin Daghr wrote in a message on his Facebook page. “The matter is in their hands and the hope, as we in the government see it, is on the (United Arab) Emirates.”

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the UAE’s stand was “clear and principled in supporting the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia”.

The STC accused bin Daghr’s government of attacking peaceful protesters and urged Hadi to sack the prime minister and his cabinet.

“The STC holds the bin Daghr government fully responsible after it violated the Arab coalition’s call for calm and used weapons to prevent demonstrators from reaching the parades square,” it said in a statement.

Although Hadi remains in exile in Saudi Arabia, his administration and local allies nominally control about four-fifths of Yemen’s territory, but political and military leaders in Aden now want to revive the former independent state of South Yemen.

A top military adviser to Hadi, Mohammed Ali al-Miqdashi, said any move toward rebellion would render the southerners an enemy.

“There is no difference between the Houthis and anyone else who rebels against the legitimate government, no matter who they are - left, right, south, east,” said Miqdashi, speaking at a remote military base near the central Yemeni city of Marib, late on Saturday.</s>The ongoing Yemeni civil war and staggering famine has further intensified the conflict between the southern and northern parts of the country. In 1990, the once independent state of South Yemen (1967-1990) was unified with North Yemen under the leadership of the North's leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Four years later, the South accused North of economic marginalization, corruption and abuses of power, and a civil war broke out between April 27 and July 7, leaving between 7,000 and 10,000 people dead. Although southern leaders sought to regain sovereignty, the government quashed the separatist movement.

In May 2007 in South Yemen, retirees who had not received pensions for years took to the streets to protest economic and political inequality. The movement gained momentum and evolved into open calls for sovereignty of the region. The authorities branded the demonstrators as “apostates of the state” and reportedly fired on them.

The Southern Movement formed in response to the purported shootings, embracing a diverse mosaic of groups sticking to the idea of splitting from the North. Herak separatists are the spearhead of the movement.

Southern separatists initially backed internationally-recognized Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fled from advancing Houthi rebels to his hometown of Aden, and alongside the Saudi-led coalition helped push the Houthis away from southern regions. However, the economic and political issues remained a point of contention.

On April 4, 2017, the Southern Movement established the Southern Transitional Council (STC) – a 26-member secessionist body. Its leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the Aden Governorate, was dismissed by Hadi for “disloyalty” at the time. The separatists control the area of Aden and are reportedly supported by the United Arab Emirates.

'Great Surprise': General Says Turning Point in Yemen Conflict is Close at Hand Fresh Developments

On January 22, 2018, al-Zubaidi accused the Hadi government of “rampant corruption,” and declared a state of emergency in Aden, where the authorities are located. The STC said the president had a week to make his choice.

Hadi, in turn, rejected the ultimatum and banned public gatherings before January 28 – subsequently, clashes erupted. The president has called on the Saudi-led coalition to help and currently facing two fronts – one against the Houthis and a second against the separatists.</s>Forces loyal to Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia, exchanged fire with an armed group linked to the Southern Transitional Council, a movement supported by the United Arab Emirates that is demanding secession for southern Yemen, in the city of Aden on Sunday. According to reports, at least 10 people were killed and 30 others were wounded in the clashes.

Following the battle, officials in Yemen accused the southern separatist forces of trying to stage a coup after they took hold of government offices.

​Speaking with Sputnik Radio's Loud & Clear, Mustafa Akhwand, executive director of Shia Rights Watch, offered insight into the ongoing issues in Yemen and his take on what needs to happen to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people.

"Right now, the situation is between Saudi Arabia and UAE," Akhwand said. "There is a lot of news and documentation that there is a natural resource in Yemen and that each of those countries want to have a stake [in it]."

"Thats a big issue right now," Akhwand added, referring to the newfound resources of oil, silver and gold along Yemen's border with Oman. "If Saudi Arabia controls that, they're going to control more natural resources in the region and the UAE, at the same time, because they have a small country, they're trying to get [control of the natural resources in order to get] more power in the region as well."

Akhwand described the ongoing situation to show hosts Brian Becker and John Kiriakou as "the poorest country fighting the richest country in the region."

And yet, the situation is only going to get worse, the activist said.

"We have 10,000 people killed, almost 19 million out of water, gas, any natural resources and more than 2 million children without education, which will create a third party conflict of observers who will be in the region and not have enough education to survive," he told Kiriakou.

For Akhwand, the only way for the situation to settle and see a positive change is simply for the violence to stop and to get Yemenis in the northern and southern region to find a balance in order to get along.

"That's the one thing we have to do, to get the north and south to work together," he told Becker. "Hadi has to go and someone moderate has to come who will work with the Houthis and others to build the country again."

"With this new natural resources that is coming a lot of economy growth can come, a lot of medical resources can be built, a lot of education can be given… that's what we need to bring to the country to be able to work with," he added.
United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighters seize control of government buildings in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, after clashing with forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. At least 10 people are reportedly killed and 30 wounded. Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr accuses the separatists of mounting a coup.