Yemen vows to continue to fight against separatists

<p>Yemen’s government vows to continue their fight against the Southern Transitional Council (STC) as both sides clash on the outskirts of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan.</p> <p>The clash led to the deaths of 2 government soldiers and 2 separatists; 13 government soldiers were also wounded, and 11 separatists were wounded. The conflict was sparked by the offensive military manoeuvre in the region by pro-government troops.</p> <p>Al Jazeera notes that on 25 April, the STC declared self-rule in the port city of Aden and nearby areas.</p> <p>Yemen’s Foreign Minister has urged the STC to implement a power-sharing agreement which is known as the Riyadh pact. This was brokered by Saudi Arabia in November to help resolve tensions in the region.</p> <p>The STC leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has urged southern forces to be prepared to “defend their national gains”.</p> <p>The latest clashes follows calls from the UN Chief for a global ceasefire to stem the spread of the coronavirus. In Yemen, there are 58 confirmed cases of coronavirus, most are within the southern city of Aden.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Read more from <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/yemen-gov-vows-fight-separatists…">Al Jazeera </a>and <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-south/yemen-govt-says-…">Reuters</a></p>