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| Arabia |
| Yemen: Separatists hold protest in south |
| 2010-03-27 |
| [ADN Kronos] Separatists on Thursday protested in southern Yemen against a strengthened military presence in the region, Yemen's Mareb Press reported. Several thousand people gathered in the city of al-Habilin in the southern province of Lahaj to protest against restrictions on citizens' movements in several towns. The army has for the past two weeks set up checkpoints at the entrance to cities in southern Yemen, especially in Abyen and al-Daliya provinces,to restrict people from travelling. Yemeni authorities said the purpose of the military presence was to prevent the heads of separatist groups from meeting and organising anti-government protests. Yemeni journalist Hisham Bashahil, editor of the Aden-based newspaper al-Ayyam, was released from prison on Thursday. He had been detained for allegedly publishing articles in favour of secession. Yemen's embattled president Ali Abdullah Saleh (photo) has said separatists in the south represent a potent threat to the government, which is already dealing with a revolt in the north and a resurgent Al-Qaeda network in the country. Two senior Al-Qaeda leaders were killed in an air strike in southern Yemen last week, according to the official news agency Saba. Local residents said up to 20 civilians were also reportedly killed in the strike. A Yemeni air strike against militant training camps in southern Abyan province in December killed 34 Al-Qaeda members, according to the Yemeni government. Supporters of Yemen's separatist movement have called for an inquiry into the Abyan incident. A local official and a tribal source said that 49 civilians, including 23 women and 17 children, were among those killed in the air raid. |
| Posted by:Fred |