CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th August, 2019) The possible capture of the presidential palace in Yemen's Aden by separatists will lead to a demise of President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, as well as to the loss of legitimacy of the Saudi-led Arab coalition's operation in Yemen, Fuad Rashid, the secretary of the Supreme Council of the separatist Southern Movement (al-Hirak), told Sputnik.
On Wednesday, clashes erupted in Aden, which became the interim capital of Yemen after the capture of Sanaa by the Houthis, after Hani Ben Brik, the vice president of the separatist Southern Transitional Council, called on supporters to overthrow Hadi's government. The main clashes erupted in the vicinity of the presidential palace of Ma'ashiq. According to media reports, three people were killed and 10 were injured in the clashes. On Thursday, clashes continued.
"Ma'ashiq Palace today is a symbol of not only legitimate authority, but also of the Arab coalition, because it hosts not only the government, but also Saudi and UAE military. Its fall will lead to a demise of the Yemeni legitimate authority and the legitimacy of the Arab coalition's presence in the country," Rashid said.
Yemen, a nation in the south of the Arabian peninsula, has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces and the Houthis for several years now. At Hadi's request, the Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis since March 2015. The conflict has resulted in a massive humanitarian crisis.
In 2017, the Southern Transitional Council was created around former Aden Governor Aidarus Zoubaidi, who had been fired by Hadi for his sympathies toward southern secessionists, and in 2018 tried to seize control of the city of Aden. Although the situation eventually stabilized, the incident revealed serious rifts within the anti-Houthi coalition.
