Who is responsible for the new wave of killings in Aden?
It's hard to determine which side or sides are behind the latest wave of killings as a new round of military escalation looms in Yemen’s south, which has seen skirmishes in Abyan province between the two partners of the Saudi-led coalition.
SANAA, Yemen — While Yemen’s southern city of Aden had been witnessing relative calm after separatists took control of the city in August, that changed after the Riyadh Agreement was signed Nov. 5 between the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) as a new wave of killings engulfed the city.
The killings intensified in early December, not long after Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed returned from Riyadh to Aden on Nov. 18, under the terms of the Riyadh Agreement, and STC President Aidarous al-Zubaidi arrived in Aden on Nov. 29.
According to local Arabic news reports, southern Yemen, particularly Aden, witnessed from Dec. 1 to Dec. 8 about 10 killing operations, including three failed attempts, amid the deterioration of security and stability in the city.
The latest incident took place Dec. 12, when unknown gunmen killed two Yemeni soldiers in an ambush in the southeastern province of Shabwa, which neighbors Aden.
