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Reuters
ADEN
Southern Yemeni separatists declared a state of emergency in the port city of Aden on Sunday and vowed to overthrow the internationally recognised government, the group said, in a move that puts the two allies on a collision course.
The announcement underscores rising tensions between southern separatists, who are allied with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government over control of the southern half of Yemen.
Hadi's government has been energised after Saudi Arabia deposited $2 billion into the central bank to shore up the rial.
The government has been nominally based in the southern port city of Aden since the coalition, with help from southern fighters, drove the Iran-aligned Houthis out of the city in 2015. Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr, who has been struggling to assert his government's control over southern Yemen, has announced the first state budget since 2014. At a meeting in Aden on Sunday, the Southern Transitional Council accused bin Daghr's government of starving Yemenis and pushing the impoverished country to the verge of famine.
"The Southern Resistance Forces (SRF) declare a state of emergency in Aden and announce that it has begun the process of overthrowing the legitimate government and replacing it with a cabinet of technocrats,"the statement issued after the meeting said.
