Two protesters were killed and four others injured today when police opened fire to disperse hundreds of supporters of the Southern Movement, which is demanding the separation of southern Yemen. The Southern Movement called for southerners to mark a "day of rage" in the tightly patrolled city of Aden on the 16th anniversary of the short-lived civil war in which the South was defeated.
The group had also called for people to attend the funeral of Ahmed Darwish, who died last Friday after he was detained along with dozens of others following a suspected al Qa'eda attack on Aden intelligence headquarters on June 19. According to local sources, the protesters were marching towards a state hospital to recover Darwish's corpse when the clashes erupted with police. South Yemen was united with the North in 1990. malqadhi@thenational.ae
