ADEN, Yemen – A Yemeni soldier was killed and two others wounded, along with two passers-by, during a clash between the army and southern separatists near Aden on Saturday, a security official said. The clash took place in the town of Al-Hawat, in Al-Lahej province just north of Yemen's second city and main seaport, after separatists tried to close the marketplace. Bringing stability to impoverished, turbulent Yemen is a priority for Washington and Gulf Arab states who fear that a further collapse of central rule will allow Al-Qaeda to build a launchpad for attacks with global reach. The group's Yemen-based wing has been described by US-officials as the movement's most dangerous. Yemen's southern separatist movement is one of several big challenges for an interim government in Sana'a, formed after street protests helped oust long-time ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh last year. The government also faces a rebellion by the Houthi movement in the north of the country, an insurgency by militants east of Aden, splits in the military and a humanitarian crisis. The Houthis and the southern secessionists are involved in a “national dialogue” aimed at reconciling the country's many different factions around a transition towards democracy. – Reuters
