*ADEN – Yemeni separatists took effective control of the port city of Aden,militray camps and presidential palace on Saturday night after days offighting with troops loyal to the internationally backed government.*
Forces aligned with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) –which wants an independent south – said they had seized control of militarycamps and the presidential palace.
The government said it was a “coup”.
The action has fractured the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels thatboth sides have fought in.
The coalition called for an immediate ceasefire in the city and said itwould “use military force against anyone who violates it”, Saudi Arabia’sstate news agency SPA reported.
The separatists agreed to the ceasefire, which came into effect early onSunday.
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The southern port city of Aden has been the temporary base of PresidentAbdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government. The president himself is based in theSaudi capital Riyadh.
An official with the separatist Security Belt militia told AFP that itseized the presidential palace on Saturday without a fight.
“Two hundred soldiers from the Presidential Guard were given safe passageout of the palace,” the official said.
An eyewitness confirmed to the news agency that the complex had been handedover. -APP/AFP
