Southern Yemen separatist leaders call for secession as clashes reported in Aden

In the wake of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's resignation late Thursday, leaders of Yemen's southern separatist movements have taken to airwaves to call for secession, as reports come in from local media of explosions and clashes rocking the centre of Aden.

Nasser al-Nuba, a former military general and founder of the Southern Movement (al-Hirak) in Yemen, announced the succession of the South on al-Jazeera Arabic on Thursday, blaming the Houthis for a power grab.

Former South Yemen leader Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attashas has also reportedly called for Southerners to take power in South Yemen, according to RT Arabic.

Security authorities, including those in Aden, Abyan, Lahej and Daleh in southern Yemen, say they are no longer taking orders from Sana'a and have ordered local political and security leaders in the South to do the same.

During the Aden Supreme Security Committee's announcement in which they were declaring their break from Sana'a's authority, a live feed on Aden TV was cut off. Many watching the broadcast then took to social media to blame the cut on the Houthis. 

The statement called for the ceasing of “dealings with and instructions from Sanaa” and stated that every local mayor in Aden should take full control of their regions. The statement threatens the forced resignation of anyone taking orders from the capital.

In light of the committee's announcement, Yemenis took to the streets of Aden in their hundreds demanding independence for the South, according to local media.

Shortly after, reports came in from the local Al-Hadath news service that explosions had been heard in Aden, though the cause is as of yet unknown.

Though the announcements sound dramatic, analysts have warned that declarations of independence could be hollow.

Adam Baron, a Sana'a-based visiting fellow at European Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted that al-Nuba's announcement "doesnt mean much w/o big moves on the ground" though he also told Al-Jazeera that secession was still a distinct possibility.

Hisham Omeisy, a Yemen-based analyst, agreed that secession announcements were premature.

"The south is too fragmented with too many leaders who dislike each other to strongly bid for secession," he told Middle East Eye.

"His announcement will excite some people, but won't really register much on the radar."

Hadi had previously been seen as a unifying figure in south yemen, due to his originating from the area, with local authorities closing the Aden international airport on Wednesday in solidarity with the President over attacks from the Houthis.

The People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen was established in 1967 as the Arab world’s only Marxist-Leninist state, receiving support from the Soviet Union and Gamel Abdel Nasser’s Egypt.

The north and south were unified in 1990, which was followed by a violent secession war in 1994.

The resignation of Ali Abdul Saleh in 2012 prompted further threats of secession from the south, though the threats were not carried through.