Government and separatists in Yemen reach initial deal
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Yemen’s internationally recognized government and southern separatists have reached an initial agreement to end their infighting in the country’s south, Yemeni officials said Friday.
The two — forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and separatists known as the Southern Transitional Council — are ostensible allies in the Saudi-led coalition’s war against Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels.
The Houthis in 2014 overran major parts of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, pushing out Yemen’s internationally recognized government and ushering in the civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people. Hadi later fled first to the southern port city of Aden and then to Saudi Arabia.
In August, heavy in fighting broke out between Hadi’s forces and the southern separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates, a partner in the Saudi-led coalition. The separatists overran Aden, the temporary seat of Hadi’s government and key southern provinces.
That infighting has raised fears of further weakening of the anti-Houthi bloc and undermining chances for finding a negotiated solution to the civil war.
According to two Yemeni officials, the tentative deal between the separatists and the government envisages the formation of a new Cabinet with equal representation of northern and southern politicians, excluding the Houthis.
