Southern Yemenis flock to Aden for celebrations

Supporters of the south Yemen separation movement have flocked to Aden ahead of the seventh annual celebration of "reconciliation and tolerance" day. The celebration is about moving on from the massacre in Aden on January 13, 1986, which claimed the lives of 10,000 people as the two wings of the Socialist Party battled for power in South Yemen. The meaning has changed over time, with southern factions hoping to use the occasion to unite activists against participation in the country's national dialogue conference. Local sources told Arabstoday that thousands of supporters flocked to the city from different parts of the south, chanting slogans calling for disengagement from the northern region, and "waving flags of the former southern state." The previous presidents of the southern state, Ali Nasser Mohammed and Ali Salem al-Baid recently met in Beirut to instigate reconciliatory measures. On Thursday, Ali Nasser met southern leaders in the United Arab Emirates. A joint statement issued after the meeting stressed on the need to unite the south and encouraging young leaders to step forward.