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Jinzibar has been completely sealed off by security forces

Separatist demo in south Yemen turns deadly


Witnesses report 12 killed in clashes between security forces, Fadhli supports at separatist rally in Jinzibar.






SANAA - At least 12 people were killed and dozens hurt in clashes between government forces and armed activists at a separatist rally in south Yemen on Thursday, witnesses said.

The demonstration at Jinzibar, 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the southern port of Aden, was called by Tarek al-Fadhli, a local dignitary who supports secession of south Yemen from the north, the witnesses said.

Despite strict security measures aimed at preventing the protest, Fadhli supporters and other armed elements were able to fire shells at the local police headquarters and other public buildings, a local official said.

The witnesses said soldiers fired live rounds to disperse the protesters and also shelled Fadhli's house in the town.

There have been sporadic clashes between police and protesters in the south over the past few months. Before Thursday's clashes, at least 22 people had been killed since the protests erupted in late April.

The Sanaa government has blamed the unrest on southern rebels demanding secession, but many in the impoverished south have been protesting against poor living conditions.

Local people feel they are the victims of discrimination by the north and have received inadequate economic help.

Socialists who formerly ruled the south led a secession bid in 1994 that sparked a two-month civil war before the uprising was crushed by northern forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Print Printer Friendly Version
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