Saudi Arabia troubled as rival groups battle it out in Aden city

On Thursday, violent firefights erupted in the port city of Aden as Saudi-backed Hadi loyalists and separatists of the South Yemen Movement clashed with one another.

The 39th Armored Division of the Yemeni Army responded with live bullets as tens of thousands of protesters, some of who were gunmen loyal to the South Yemen Movement, assembled to demontrate in the Khormaksar district.

Protesters reportedly questioned the legitimacy of exiled Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and demanding him to step down. However, the Saudi-backed Yemeni Army responded with brute force and dislodged the separatist gathering.

In the morning hours, protesters swarmed Al-Ourouz Square and had their “Declaration of Aden” read out loud. Hadi recently sacked a separatist governor, causing outrage among supports of the South Yemen Movement.