ADEN, Yemen, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Security forces "fired heavily" to disperse anti-government protesters who attempted to storm the presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday night, a security official said.
"Security personnel opened fire after pro-secession demonstrators approached the palace compound and tried to break through security barriers," the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, adding that the forces later pushed the protesters back and secured the area.
There were no immediate official reports of casualties. However, the AIC satellite news channel affiliated with Yemen's Southern Transitional Council (STC) reported several injuries during the confrontation, without providing specific figures.
Witnesses said some protesters initially retreated following the gunfire but refused to fully withdraw, regrouping nearby amid heightened tensions in the surrounding area of the presidential compound.
Earlier in the day, the new cabinet of Yemen's internationally-recognized government, headed by Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani, held its first meeting in Aden following its return from Saudi Arabia.
According to the state-run Saba news agency, the meeting was chaired by al-Zindani and attended by most cabinet members, marking the official resumption of government operations in Aden.
A large number of demonstrators supporting the STC gathered outside the meeting venue, waving pro-secession flags and chanting slogans against the government.
They attempted to block cabinet members from entering the compound and blocked the main roads for hours before security forces intervened, local sources said.
Residents said that military and security forces redeployed around the presidential area and along roads leading to government institutions and officials' residences as part of heightened measures.
Meanwhile, the STC attacked the government's return, describing it as a challenge to "the will of the southern people" and a disregard for their "self-determination demands," warning of further protests.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces captured Sanaa and large swathes of the north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.
The STC, formed in 2017, seeks self-determination and eventual independence for southern Yemen. Despite joining the Saudi-led coalition and integrating into the Presidential Leadership Council in 2022, the group continues to push for southern sovereignty, leading to recurring disputes over power-sharing and control of resources. ■
