ADEN: Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi on Sunday ordered his forces to cease fire immediately in interim capital Aden after fierce clashes with southern separatists.
The call came in a communique issued by Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher to the commanders of government forces in the southern port city.
“Based on instructions from President Hadi, supreme commander of the Yemeni armed forces, and after talks with the Arab coalition... you must order all military units to cease fire immediately,” said the communique seen by AFP.
It ordered government forces “to return to base,” and said all positions taken on Sunday should be vacated by all sides unconditionally.
Yemen’s Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher on Sunday accused southern separatists of attempting a coup in the interim capital of Aden after they took over the government headquarters.
The premier called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed Houthis to intervene, hours after fierce clashes erupted between military units loyal to the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and separatist security forces.
At least 15 people were killed in fierce fighting on Sunday in Yemen’s interim capital of Aden, hospital sources said, as separatists took over the government headquarters.
Three civilians were among those killed, medical sources in four hospitals in Aden said.
“A coup is ongoing here in Aden against legitimacy and the country’s unity,” Dagher said in a statement.
Security sources told AFP that pro-separatist had taken over the government headquarters in Aden after clashes.
The clashes erupted after separatist protesters were prevented from entering Aden where supporters of secessionists were gathering for a rally to demand the ouster of Dagher’s government.
Aden serves as a temporary base for Hadi’s government as Iranian-backed rebels took over the capital Sanaa more than three years ago.
A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in 2015 to back Hadi’s government in its war against the Houthis. Military and security units from both sides were deployed in the city amid high tension.
Universities, schools and the only international airport in the city had all been closed, according to witnesses.
Dagher said that events in Aden were headed toward “total military confrontation” and urged members of the coalition to take action.
He also warned that separating south Yemen from the rest of the country would benefit Iran and the Houthis.
“Iran is trying to consolidate its presence in Yemen through the Houthis and by splitting Yemen, we are giving them one-third of the land and three-quarters of the population,” Dagher said.
Sunday’s rally was called by the South Transition Council, an autonomous body aimed at overseeing self-governance among southern provinces.
The 26-member council, which is not recognized by Hadi’s government, includes the governors of five southern provinces and two Cabinet ministers.
Former Aden Gov. Aidarous Al-Zoubeidi formed the council in May after Hadi fired him the previous month.
Ahead of the planned protest, the coalition called for calm and restraint from “all Yemeni political and social” parties.
It urged all sides to “adhere to the language of calm dialogue,” to liberate all of Yemen from the control of the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists, according to a statement cited late Saturday by Saudi state news agency SPA. The Yemeni government has welcomed the statement.
Yemen’s government spokesman Rajih Badi said in a statement that the position of the coalition in its support for the legitimate government was what it had stressed from the outset — which was the importance of maintaining the focus of the battle in confronting the Iranian-backed efforts to divide the country from within.
He said there was a need to keep faith in the goals and objectives of the legitimate government, the Arab coalition and UN in achieving and maintaining stability in the country.
The spokesman explained that the adoption of any action against the legitimate government only led to serve the enemies of Yemen, Gulf Arab countries, and the Arab region.
![]()
Yemen president orders his forces to cease fire in Aden
Yemen president orders his forces to cease fire in Aden
Sudan army breaks RSF siege on southern city Dilling
- Army says its forces 'succeeded in opening the Dilling road after carrying out a successful military operation'
- Victory comes as the military attempts to stem a sweeping paramilitary advance across the wider Kordofan region
KHARTOUM: The Sudanese army said on Monday it had broken a long-running siege of Dilling, a city in the country’s south, where paramilitary forces had choked off access for more than a year and a half.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has killed tens of thousands of people.
The war has also left 11 million people displaced and triggered what the UN describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.
In its statement, the army said its forces “succeeded in opening the Dilling road after carrying out a successful military operation,” claiming they had inflicted “heavy losses” on the RSF.
If confirmed, the advance would secure the army’s hold over both the northern and southern approaches to Dilling, located in South Kordofan state.
The city lies halfway between Kadugli — the besieged state capital — and El-Obeid, the capital of neighboring North Kordofan, which the RSF has sought to encircle.
Videos shared on social media showed army forces, said to be in Dilling, celebrating atop pick-up trucks as people ululated and cheered alongside them.
AFP could not independently verify the army’s claim or the footage, and the RSF has not yet commented.
- Sweeping offensive -
The push around Dilling comes as the army attempts to stem a sweeping paramilitary advance across the wider Kordofan region.
Since seizing the army’s last stronghold in western Darfur last October, the RSF has shifted its focus eastward, aided by its local allies, namely the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu.
Since then, the paramilitary group has tightened its grip on West Kordofan, taken Heglig — home to Sudan’s largest oil field — and intensified its siege of Kadugli.
A UN-backed assessment last year already confirmed famine in Kadugli, which has been under RSF siege for more than a year and a half.
The assessment said conditions in Dilling were likely similar, but security issues and a lack of access have prevented a formal declaration.
The UN has repeatedly cautioned that atrocities similar to those reported during the RSF offensive in El-Fasher — including mass killings, sexual violence, abductions and widespread looting — could spread into Kordofan.
More than 65,000 people have fled the Kordofan region since October, according to the latest UN figures.
Those escaping, particularly from South Kordofan, face “long and uncertain journeys” lasting up to 30 days and sleep “wherever they can,” according to Mercy Corps, one of the few aid groups operating there.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has killed tens of thousands of people.
The war has also left 11 million people displaced and triggered what the UN describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.
In its statement, the army said its forces “succeeded in opening the Dilling road after carrying out a successful military operation,” claiming they had inflicted “heavy losses” on the RSF.
If confirmed, the advance would secure the army’s hold over both the northern and southern approaches to Dilling, located in South Kordofan state.
The city lies halfway between Kadugli — the besieged state capital — and El-Obeid, the capital of neighboring North Kordofan, which the RSF has sought to encircle.
Videos shared on social media showed army forces, said to be in Dilling, celebrating atop pick-up trucks as people ululated and cheered alongside them.
AFP could not independently verify the army’s claim or the footage, and the RSF has not yet commented.
- Sweeping offensive -
The push around Dilling comes as the army attempts to stem a sweeping paramilitary advance across the wider Kordofan region.
Since seizing the army’s last stronghold in western Darfur last October, the RSF has shifted its focus eastward, aided by its local allies, namely the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu.
Since then, the paramilitary group has tightened its grip on West Kordofan, taken Heglig — home to Sudan’s largest oil field — and intensified its siege of Kadugli.
A UN-backed assessment last year already confirmed famine in Kadugli, which has been under RSF siege for more than a year and a half.
The assessment said conditions in Dilling were likely similar, but security issues and a lack of access have prevented a formal declaration.
The UN has repeatedly cautioned that atrocities similar to those reported during the RSF offensive in El-Fasher — including mass killings, sexual violence, abductions and widespread looting — could spread into Kordofan.
More than 65,000 people have fled the Kordofan region since October, according to the latest UN figures.
Those escaping, particularly from South Kordofan, face “long and uncertain journeys” lasting up to 30 days and sleep “wherever they can,” according to Mercy Corps, one of the few aid groups operating there.
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.