Yemen govt warns against 'riots' after separatists call for uprisingBy AFPPUBLISHED: 23:27 AEST, 3 October 2018 | UPDATED: 03:47 AEST, 4 October 2018
Yemen's embattled government warned of mass riots after a southern separatist movement called Wednesday for an uprising against President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, accusing the authorities of negligence and corruption.The Southern Transitional Council, which wants the reinstatement of an independent south Yemen, issued the call for a "peaceful, popular uprising" in protest against inflation and poverty in the war-torn country."All of southern Yemen is a disaster area thanks to the policies of the so-called legitimate government," read a statement released by the STC.The separatists called on Saudi Arabia and its allies, which publicly support the president, to back their push for independence and find a "solution to the issue of the south".In a statement released in response, the Yemeni government urged the "so-called transitional council to abandon any military or security plans that are not part of the legitimate government and turn instead to political work"."Any rioting would only harm the security and unity of Yemen and its people... and benefit the Huthi coup-plotters and their Iranian allies," the statement said.Yemen's Saudi-backed government has battled northern Huthi rebels linked to Iran for four years. Southern Yemen is home to both the government and separatists, until January allies in the country's war.The STC and Hadi have publicly disagreed on the future of Yemen since clashes erupted in Aden in January, when separatists allied with troops trained by the United Arab Emirates seized control of parts of the government bastion of Aden.The STC, mainly based in Aden province, has since gained traction in its push for self-rule over the past year and regularly denounces the Saudi-backed government as corrupt.The separatists have openly called for the reinstatement of north and south Yemen as independent states. The two were unified in 1990.
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