On Sunday thousands of Haraki militants (Southern Secessionist Movement) gathered in the seaport of Mukalla to demonstrate against Sana’a central government and demand to be granted independence. Three years after Yemen 2011 uprising and calls for broad institutional reforms, southerners remain determined to see South Yemen reinstated an a sovereign entity, regardless of the concessions President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi agreed to in the name of national cohesion.
Keen to use South Yemen Independence Day as a reminder of the southern movement’s goals and reaffirm its political will, the Southern Movement called on Sunday on its supporters to join in a large demonstration and express their support toward secession from Sana’a.
Despite President Hadi’s many calls for unity and national cohesion as well as the promise of greater independence under a new federal system, hard-line separatists have so far categorically refused to contemplate Yemen’s six-region federal plan, adamant only secession will do.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday a Haraki political activist, Basser Bakazkuz noted, “This rally is a message addressed to the world saying that the south is under occupation.”
In Aden where the Southern Movement also planned to stage a demonstration this Sunday, residents confirmed that police prevented people from reaching the city’s main square for fear of violence. In the past, Haraki political gathering did lead to clashes with the police.
20 years after South Yemen failed to reclaim its sovereignty; Haraki militants have said they will continue to oppose President Hadi based on the principle that their inherent right to self-determination. “We should be allowed to choose for ourselves … We choose South Yemen. We have no desire in staying united with North Yemen, we seek independence, this reality will never change,” said Abu Haytham al-Ansi from Aden.