Security forces arrested 16 people late Friday in three provinces in southern Yemen where the government is facing a secessionist movement, accusing them of illegal separatist activities, official sources said. The group were accused of taking part in unauthorized protests and jeopardizing security and unity in the country, the sources said. Some of the group were carrying anti-government leaflets and banners, and others attacked security forces with stones, they said. Further details were not immediately available. In a separate incident earlier on Friday, security sources said separatists killed the director of a criminal investigations unit in an ambush on his vehicle. Another person died and three were injured in the shooting. The government of Yemen is facing a secessionist movement in the south. It has also been battling an insurgency in the north and a resurgent Al-Qaeda. The northern rebels and the government agreed last week to a truce to end a war that has raged on and off since 2004. Previous truces have not held. In a separate incident Friday, clashes erupted between security forces and unidentified gunmen in the southern province of Al-Dalea. No injuries were reported.
