The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi movement in Yemen have blocked southern separatist leaders from returning to Aden city, Reuters quoted Yemeni officials as saying on Thursday.
The separatists are part of a Sunni Muslim coalition that intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to try to restore the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ousted in 2014 from the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthis.
Last year, the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, turned on Hadi’s government and seized its interim capital in Aden, sparking clashes that opened a new front in the war.
As part of a peace deal, Saudi forces have taken control of most of south Yemen, following a withdrawal of the UAE military. However, the deal’s implementation, including the formation of a new government, has stalled and tensions have been rising between Saudi-backed forces and STC fighters.