Yemen: Protesters storm Aden presidential palace
March 16, 2021
Dozens of Yemeni protesters on Tuesday stormed the Maasheq presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden, witnesses told reporters.
The protesters reportedly chanted anti-government slogans as they demanded better living conditions and payment of delayed wages.
Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and other members of the internationally recognized government were inside the building at the time, two Yemeni officials told Reuters news agency.
Protesters withdraw
Journalist Ali Mahmoud shared a video on Twitter showing protesters leaving the palace premises, saying that they withdrew peacefully after they "delivered their message to the government."
The head of the police department had gone the palace to "persuade protesters to leave," an official source told the German news agency DPA.
Witnesses said the protesters had stormed the palace without any resistance from security guards.
What is happening in Yemen?
Aden is mostly controlled by the United Arab Emirates-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC).
Abdulmalik's government was formed last year to unite the STC with the former government of ousted President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The two comprise the main factions of the Saudi-backed Sunni Muslim coalition fighting the Houthis, who are Shiite Muslim rebels controlling the northern region in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
The six-year conflict has killed some 130,000 and left millions on the verge of famine.
fb/wmr (DPA, EFE, Reuters)