One killed, 4 injured in Yemen's pro-independence rally
Iran Press TV
Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:54PM GMT
Clashes between police and people demonstrating for the establishment of an independent state in Yemen's southern parts have left one demonstrator dead and four others wounded, activists say.
Members of Yemen's pro-independence Southern Movement said the casualties came after Yemeni police used live rounds and tear gas against the protesters in the seaport city of Aden on Sunday.
'Police opened heavy fire…to disperse us as we tried to advance towards the governorate building to raise the flag of (the former) South Yemen,' said a member of the movement whose name was not released.
Waving the flag of what used to be South Yemen, the protesters vowed not to let up until the secession of the Asian country's southern regions.
'We will not back down until we achieve victory -- liberation and independence,' read banners in Sunday's rally.
The demonstrators were marking the 47th anniversary of the end of British colonial rule over the Arab country in 1967, which created an independent state that lasted until 1990 when North and South Yemen unified. Four years later, however, the south tried to break away, which led to a civil war ending with northern troops taking control of the south.
In February, the Yemeni government disclosed a plan to divide the country into six regions.
However, politicians in southern Yemen are opposed to the plan, arguing four provinces in the north would have more power than the two in the south.
The idea of creating a federal system has been part of Yemen's political transition, as the country is still reeling from the unrest that followed the ouster of longtime dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in February 2012.
Yemen's southern residents complain that they have been economically and politically marginalized by the central government in the capital city of Sana'a.
SSM/HMV/SS
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