Aden (AFP)

After the violence last week, al-Adha's Muslim holiday seems to have calmed the spirits in southern Yemen, with separatist leader Aidarous al-Zoubaidi saying he was ready to abide by a ceasefire and participate at a peace meeting in Saudi Arabia.

No fighting has been reported in recent days in the large southern city of Aden, a scene of deadly clashes between separatist fighters and government forces, and Mr. Zoubaidi, president of the Southern Transition Council (STC, separatist), adopted a rather conciliatory tone Sunday night.

In a televised speech, he first claimed that the violence had been "provoked" by the government forces and that the separatist fighters then had "only two options: self-defense or the surrender and liquidation of our just cause. "

The other side, he said, wanted to "implement a plan based on the assassination of our leaders".

Separatists and government soldiers are, however, theoretically allies in a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015, who are masters of vast northern regions, including the capital Sanaa.

Earlier Sunday, Saudi Arabia conducted an air strike against a separatist zone in Aden to obtain the withdrawal of their fighters from several barracks and the presidential palace they had conquered the day before.

- "Total opening" -

In his speech, Zoubaidi said he was "ready" to "work responsibly" with the Saudi authorities to "manage this crisis".

While renewing the separatists' "commitment" to maintain the ceasefire announced on Saturday night, he said his side was ready to "attend the meeting requested by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and that in a spirit of total opening ".

For its part, the Yemeni government, very weakened, denounced in the first fights a "coup" and a "coup" separatists.

President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has been a refugee since 2015 in Saudi Arabia, was successively received by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday, the Saudi agency SPA said.

The fighting in Aden undermines the anti-rebel coalition in Yemen: Saudi Arabia supports Hadi while the United Arab Emirates, the other pillar of that coalition, has formed a force, called "Cordon de sécurité", which is linked to separatists of the JTS.

On Monday, Mohammed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and strongman of the Emirates, went to Saudi Arabia, said the official SPA agency.

In July, the UAE authorities announced their intention to reduce their troops in Yemen, while stressing that Emirati soldiers were not leaving the country.

The UN has provided a record of 40 dead and 260 wounded, including many civilians, in the fighting in Aden that spanned several days. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported treating 119 wounded in 24 hours in one of its hospitals in Aden.

Due to the war between the Houthis and the anti-rebel camp, Yemen is already experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the UN. Nearly 80% of the total population, or 24.1 million people, need assistance, according to the same source.

- "Preserve unity" -

South Yemen was an independent state until 1990. In the south there is still strong resentment against Yemenis from the north, accused of forcing the unification of the country by force.

This is not the first time separatists in the south have opposed units loyal to President Hadi. By January 2018, fighting between the two sides had killed at least 38 people.

But the circumstances of the outbreak of hostilities last Wednesday between separatists and government units remain unclear.

Separatist officials accused the Yemeni Islamist party Al-Islah of killing one of their commanders.

According to them, Al-Islah "infiltrated" the Hadi government, held at arm's length politically and financially by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman, one of the king's sons, reaffirmed Ryad's support for the "legitimate government of Yemen".

He stressed the need to "preserve unity and stability" in a country facing the risk of a "civil war in civil war", according to the terms of a report by the International Crisis Group ( ICG).

© 2019 AFP