Protester killed, four injured in shooting at Aden rally

ADEN, Feb. 20 (YPA) – A demonstrator affiliated with the dissolved Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the UAE, was killed and four others were injured on Thursday when pro-Saudi forces opened fire outside the gate of Maashiq Palace in Aden, southern Yemen.

A human rights source familiar with the incident said that members of the Saudi-backed Dera al-Watan and al-Amaliqa forces, responsible for securing the palace, fired on demonstrators during a heated protest at the main entrance.

According to the source, crowds of STC supporters attempted to storm the gate, prompting armed personnel to shoot directly at protesters calling for the government’s removal.

The source added that the area surrounding the presidential palace has seen an unprecedented military deployment, amid growing public anger and widespread dissatisfaction in neighborhoods around Maashiq Palace.

Protests in Aden have intensified following the return of the Saudi-backed Aden government’s head, Shaye al-Zindani, along with several ministers, to the palace in recent days. This comes after last month’s dissolution of the STC and the dismissal of its chairman, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, from the Presidential Leadership Council.