(Al Jazeera Media Network) Yemen’s southern separatist movement says it aims to hold a referendum on independence from the north in two years as Saudi-backed forces are fighting to regain territory the separatists seized last month.
Fighting broke out on Friday in Hadramout province, which borders Saudi Arabia, between forces loyal to Hadramout’s Saudi-backed governor and the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). The STC accused Saudi Arabia of bombing its forces near the border.
Seven people were killed and more than 20 wounded when seven air strikes hit a camp in al-Khashaa, said Mohammed Abdulmalik, head of the STC in Wadi Hadramout and the Hadramout Desert.
But Hadramout Governor Salem al-Khanbashi said on Friday that the efforts to take back bases from the STC were meant to “peacefully and systematically” reclaim military sites in Yemen’s southern province.
“The operation is not a declaration of war or an escalation, but rather a precautionary measure to protect security and prevent chaos,” he said in a statement.