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| Prison Guard Killed as South Yemen Observes 'Civil Disobedience' |
| 2013-03-31 |
| [An Nahar] A prison guard was killed and a colleague maimed in a gun attack in the port city of Aden, police said on Saturday, as southern Yemen observed a "civil disobedience" campaign called by separatists. The overnight attack came as several district of the main southern city, including Mansura, Sheikh Othman and Crater, were brought to a virtual standstill by the protest action. Police said the shooting took place when a police vehicle from Mansura prison arrived at the local hospital carrying a sick inmate. The assailants expeditiously departed at a goodly pace. On Saturday morning, dozens of southern activists used rocks and logs to block main roads around Aden, where shops, banks and schools stayed closed, an Agence La Belle France Presse correspondent said. Pro-autonomy groups have staged such actions every Wednesday and Saturday since February 21 in protest at killings of southern activists in confrontations with security forces. On March 18, President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi warned Yemenis against the use of force to express political views, as he opened a national dialogue to pave the way for the drafting of a new constitution and the staging of elections. The dialogue, scheduled to run six months, brings together 565 representatives of Yemen's various political groups -- from secessionists in the south to Zaidi Iranian catspaws in the north, in addition to civil society representatives. |
| Posted by:Fred |