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Yemenis mark independence of South Yemen from UK

Yemenis shout slogans and wave their national flag during a rally commemorating the anniversary of the independence of South Yemen from the British colonial rule, in the capital, Sana’a, November 30, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

Yemenis have rallied en masse in the capital, Sana’a, to mark the 48th anniversary of the independence of South Yemen from Britain, Press TV reports.

In 1839, British forces captured the port of Aden in southwestern Yemen, establishing the Aden Protectorate and turning it to a coal depot for British ships heading to India. The British withdrawal, which began in 1967, turned the so-called Protectorate into the independent state of South Yemen, which eventually unified with the north in 1990.

This year’s anniversary, which fell on Monday, came amid the ongoing Saudi-led aggression, which continues to claim civilian lives across the impoverished country.

Those partaking in the rally, however, said the anniversary of the independence showed that Yemenis would never surrender to aggressors and occupiers and will fight for their freedom.

“We’ve always been keen to mark this important occasion, which took place in 1967, when the last British soldiers left Yemen’s soil. So, the days to come will prove that Yemen’s soil will get rid of all occupiers and Saudi Arabia will face a humiliating defeat,” said one demonstrator.

In late March, Saudi Arabia began military strikes against Yemen with the supposed aim of undermining the popular Yemeni Ansarullah movement, and bringing fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour, a Saudi ally, back to power.

Yemeni men clear the debris following a Saudi airstrike in the capital, Sana’a, November 29, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since the onset of the military attacks on Yemen. The strikes have also taken a heavy toll on the impoverished country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

The demonstrators said foreign powers were still seeking to divide Yemen decades after the country’s independence.

They also condemned a ground operation carried out by Saudi-backed militants loyal to Hadi in the southern Yemen province of Ta’izz, saying it reflected a Saudi plot to occupy the south and reinstate the former ruler.

“Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who has proven himself [to be] a puppet of Saudi Arabia and a staunch ally of the US and Israel has faced a humiliating defeat in Ta’izz,” said another demonstrator. “The country (Yemen)’s army forces and Popular Committees have foiled all plots against their country’s sovereignty and integrity,” he said, pointing to the forces’ retaliatory attacks against the Saudi-led offensives.


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