Yemeni government troops took over from the separatists on Wednesday (August 28th) the presidential palace and all of Aden, the big city in the south of the country at war. This is a blow for the separatist forces that have sought in recent weeks to seize several areas of southern Yemen.

"The officers and soldiers of the presidential guard have managed to completely secure the palace (presidential) and its surroundings" in Aden, Twitter Minister of Information Muammar al-Iryani wrote on Twitter. "The national army and security forces exercise full control over the districts" of the city, he added.

Prime Minister Mouïn Abdel Malek said that "the return of the state" to Aden was "a victory for the entire Yemeni people". He said he ordered "to protect public and private property and to prevent any disorder".

Driven 18 days ago from Aden, the "provisional capital" of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government after the loss of Sanaa, loyalist troops have overtaken the southern separatists of the "Cordon de Securité", dependent on the Council. Southern Transition (STC), supported by the United Arab Emirates and advocates of a recovery of the state of South Yemen.

The fighting between power and separatists broke out on August 7 in Aden, before moving to the neighboring province of Abyane and then to that of Chabwa, further north. Both sides had previously fought side by side against the Houthi rebels.

A few days after the outbreak of hostilities in Aden, the separatists seemed to have strengthened their grip on their stronghold. But in recent days, they have not been able to resist a government operation that sent important reinforcements.

"Return of the State"

"This victory could not have been possible without the sincere will and solidarity of the men of the southern provinces and without the support of our brothers in the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia," said Muammar al-Iryani.

Before the announcement of the resumption of Aden, street fighting had opposed the two camps.

Earlier, security officials said the loyalist forces had taken over the southern province of Abyane, which was last week under the control of the separatists, who had seized two security forces headquarters.

Rout of separatists

The same scenario occurred Saturday in the province of Chabwa, where separatists withdrew from a surge of government forces.

The defeat of the separatists accelerated with the defection of several battalions in Abyane and Chabwa and their decision to join the government forces, according to sources of security.

Despite the loss of Chabwa, the head of the STC, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, promised Tuesday night to rebuild the separatist units of Chabwa province and make them "stronger units".

The STC has traditionally been supported by the United Arab Emirates, while the Hadi government is supported by Saudi Arabia. These two countries are, however, allies in the military coalition that took place in Yemen in 2015 to support power against the Houthis.

Monday, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi reiterated their call for dialogue between the government and southern separatists.

"The only way for our brothers in Yemen is to overcome their differences through dialogue and work together to counter Iran's influence," said Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Foreign.

The conflict in Yemen, a poor country in the Arabian Peninsula, has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 2014, including many civilians, according to NGOs, and plunged the country into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world according to the UN.

With AFP