Alwaght- Southern Yemeni city of Aden has witness deadly clashes between rival militia groups, one backed by Saudi Arabia and the other by United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Aden's Saudi-backed Ahmed bin Dagher has accused southern separatist forces backed by the UAE of staging a "coup" after they seized several offices during deadly clashes in the port city of Aden.
Clashes erupted in Aden early on Sunday after the army of fugitive ex-Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is supported by Saudi Arabia, tried to prevent separatists, backed by the UAE, from entering the city.
At least 10 people were killed and 30 wounded in the fighting, hospital sources were quoted as saying. The main airport was also reported closed.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) - a movement demanding secession for southern Yemen - had given Hadi's faction a seven-day ultimatum last week to vacate administrative offices.
Bin Dagher called on members of the Saudi-led coalition, in particular the UAE, to intervene in Aden as events were headed towards a "total military confrontation."
The council, which was formed last year to push for a split between Yemen's southern and northern parts, has accused the Hadi administration of pushing the impoverished country to the verge of famine.
Aden, Yemen’s second largest city, used to be the capital of the once independent South Yemen before unification in 1990.
The port city has now turned into a scene where Saudi Arabia and the UAE, members of a Riyadh-led coalition that is waging a war on Yemen, are competing for influence.
