SANA'A: Medical sources in Aden, the southern regional capital of Yemen and an important port reported on Tuesday that clashes between al-Harak, the southern secessionist movement and the armed forces were threatening to spark yet another civil war. Doctor Abdel Mageed Kulaib told Bikyamasr.com via telephone that scores of injured were coming through the hospital he manages with the administration having had to call back most of its medical staff to keep up. “I have seen passing through 2 children already. I don't know of their current status but when I last saw them they were seriously injured,” he said. Following an RPG attack against a polling station on Monday in the center of Aden, al-Harak warned that it would send its militants to prevent the elections from taking place. Tuesday morning, armed men stormed several polling stations in the city threatening to use violence if the ballot boxes were not thrown out in the street. Soon after clashes erupted, gunshots were heard and mayhem ensued. Residents said that tear gas canisters and live ammunition were being used against civilians, despite Field Marshal Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi‘s promises on Monday that the armed forces would refrain from lethal violence “Secessionist sentiments have been brewing in South Yemen for over a decade now, anger is bubbling out and if the central government does not act swiftly, Aden will be engulfed in a violent armed conflict,” warned an al-Harak militant. He added that the south would never recognized Hadi as its legitimate president since the power-transfer proposal was merely provisioning for a reshuffling of the regime and not a real change of play, stressing that western powers and the Gulf had worked at derailing the true Yemeni revolution. “People are now going back home to get their weapons,” said a doctor, adding that he was worried the violence would trigger a chain reaction throughout the southern provinces prompting a destructive civil war. “People cannot take anymore disappointment or lies, Hadi does not mean change, he is the regime!” said an injured civilian. Security analysts are now warning of a possible alliance between al-Harak and al-Qaeda as they share a common goal, the destabilization of the central government, stressing that it would put America's war of terror under serious strain. Added to that the ever growing meddling of Iran in Yemen's internal affairs and many said, Yemen could become the perfect storm for violence. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/EZH2h Tags: Civil War, Election, Harak, Violence Section: Latest News, Yemen
