Four killed in south Yemen clashes: Medics

Aden: Four people were killed when pro-president paramilitaries in Yemen's main southern city of Aden seized the state broadcaster from police allegedly controlled by Shiite Huthi militiamen, medics said on Monday.

Members of the so-called Popular Resistance Committees of pro-army tribesmen attacked special police guarding the complex, sparking fighting that lasted until dawn, PRC chief Hussain al-Wuhayshi said.

Medics at the city's Al-Jumhuriyah Hospital said two people on each side were killed.

On January 12, President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi appointed General Abdulrazaq al-Merwani, a Shiite known for his close ties to the Huthi militia that has seized power in Sanaa, as chief of the police special forces.

But less than a month later, on February 6, the Huthis ousted the government and dissolved parliament, tightening their grip after the Western-backed Hadi resigned in protest as the militia sought to extend its hold over the country.

The Popular Resistance Committees, loyal to Hadi, accuse the special police of cooperating with the Huthis.

"They are facilitating the entry of Huthi fighters into Aden to seize the city," Wuhayshi told AFP.

Yesterday, political leaders and governors of three southern provinces -- Aden, Lahij, and Mahra -- formed a local group to oppose what they branded as the Huthi "coup".

They demanded Hadi's reinstatement and affirmed their support for Yemen becoming a federation based on the outcome of a national dialogue held last year.