SANAA — A shootout erupted on Thursday at a separatist rally in southern Yemen, killing one civilian, while a senior police officer was injured in clashes in a neighbouring province, witnesses and police said.
The death occurred in Zinjibar, capital of Abyan province south of Sanaa, during a demonstration marking former South Yemen's independence and calling for the release of arrested southern activists.
Witnesses said two people were also wounded in the firefight.
Meanwhile, in Qatabah in Dhaleh province, a deputy police chief and a civilian were wounded in clashes, residents and police said.
The violence broke out between security forces and protestors who had prevented the smooth staging of a partial legislative election in Qatabah, residents said.
The demonstrators also demanded the release of all of the southern movement's members arrested in recent months.
The opposition-boycotted vote on Thursday was to elect 12 deputies to fill parliamentary seats that had become vacant through death.
It could not be conducted in Qatabah and two districts of the northern province of Saada, where the government and Saudi forces have been fighting Shiite Zaidi rebels intensively since August.
Separately, hundreds marched through the streets of Dhaleh and Al-Habilayn, north of the main southern city of Aden, protesting a ban by authorities of a rally that had been planned for November 30.
Southern separatists are demanding secession in response to what they say is discrimination by northerners and a lack of financial aid.
Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/slideshow/ALeqM5hBR8eWDhAfgzPxNWfdw7u8v17-YQ?index=0&ned=en_pk
No comments:
Post a Comment