Thousands rally in support of Yemen’s main separatist group

(Reuters)

ADEN, Jan 10 – Thousands of people took to the streets of the cities of Aden and Mukalla in southern Yemen on Saturday in support of the country’s main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council, which denied it was planning to disband.

Some held up photos of STC leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who has fled the country, while others chanted “southerner, raise your voice, independence or death”, a Reuters witness said.

People took to the streets despite Saudi-backed groups urging them on Friday not to do so.

The STC, a group backed by the United Arab Emirates, seized parts of southern and eastern Yemen in December in advances that heightened tensions with another Gulf power, Saudi Arabia.

“We have taken to the streets again… No one can silence us… Not Saudi Arabia, nor any other party or country,” one man who took to the streets told Reuters.

Another said: “This large public gathering is a powerful message and a popular referendum in the south for the Southern Transitional Council.”