Three killed in south Yemen clashes

At least three people have been killed and several others injured in clashes between security forces and pro-independence protesters in Yemen’s south.

The violence broke out in the port city of Aden on Saturday, after hundreds of protesters who called for the establishment of an independent state attacked police stations.

Yemen’s south has been gripped by angry demonstrations after the killing of a tribal leader earlier this month at a military checkpoint in southeastern province of Hadhramaut.

Meanwhile, armed clashes have been reported between militants and security forces in the region.

North and south Yemen unified in 1990 after the southern government collapsed. But four years later, the south tried to break away and this led to a civil war. The conflict ended with northern troops taking control of the south after winning the war.

The Southern Movement gained strength during mass demonstrations which forced former Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down in February 2012.

The secessionist movement calls for autonomy or the complete independence of the south. Southern residents complain that they have been economically and politically marginalized by the central government.