On the 19th anniversary of 1994 southern uprising against Sana'a central government, Haraki militants (Southern Secessionist Movement) gathered across Yemen southern territories to commemorate South Yemen's bid for independence and freedom as well as renew their loyalty to the movement.
As a sea of militants poured to the streets of Aden and Mukallah, Haraki leaders called once again for secession, shunning away from President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi's attempt to retain Yemen's unity through federalism.
With deep internal dissensions in between Hassan Baoun - prominent leader of al-Harak in favor of federalism - and intransigent former South Yemen President Ali Salem al-Baidh, who refused to fathom any form of dialogue with Sana'a until South Yemen is once again declared an independent state, the stakes are growing ever dire in the impoverished nation.
As violence and resentment are slowly building up under the surface, security analysts fear a failure on the part of National Dialogue representatives to rally around all protagonists would translate into yet another spell of violence in Yemen southern territories, potentially opening a window of opportunity to groups such as al-Qaeda in the region.
While President Hadi reinforced his commitment to unity, rejecting al-Baidh's demands Turkey offered to broker an agreement in between al-Harak inner-factions as to reach a compromise which would satisfy all parties and make room for negotiations with Sana'a by hosting talks between Baoun and al-Baidh.