Yemeni rebels seize Aden, govt confined to palace

Southern separatists, backed by UAE, helped in fight against Houthis

ADEN: Yemen’s prime minister was preparing to flee for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after separatists backed by the UAE seized the area around the presidential palace in the southern city of Aden in fierce battles overnight, security officials said.

A Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE has been battling rebels in northern Yemen for nearly three years on behalf of the internationally recognised government. But long-simmering tensions between the UAE and President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi boiled over on Sunday as clashes erupted across the government’s seat of power.

The security officials said fighters loyal to the so-called Southern Transitional Council fought all way to the gates of the palace in central Aden, forcing Hadi’s troops to abandon their positions. The officials said Hadi’s prime minister and several Cabinet members would leave Yemen for Riyadh, where Hadi is already based.

Saudi troops who have been guarding the palace for months stopped the separatists at the gate, preventing them from entering. A senior government official told The Associated Press that Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid Bin Daghar and several ministers remain inside.

Elsewhere in the country, suspected Islamic militants attacked a checkpoint in the southern Shabwa province, killing at least 12 soldiers. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.