By Murad Abdu
ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Residents in the southern port city of Aden expressed deep concerns over the escalating tension currently building up between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) that called for a popular uprising.
The call for a popular uprising came after "the government's inability to tackle the economic crisis including the collapse of the country's national currency as well as the rampant corruption caused by government officials," according to a STC statement.
Both the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the STC began mobilization of military units in Aden in addition to the deployment of heavy armored vehicles and tanks around the city's sole international airport and other key institutions.
Residents based in Aden told Xinhua the ongoing military preparations and the deployment of armored vehicles are creating fears in the minds of the people living in the city and other neighboring main cities.
Mohamed Yahya, a supermarket owner in Aden, described the idea of deploying armored vehicles across the city's neighborhoods as ominous because it made people feel that there would be unavoidable clashes between the two rivals.
After noticing the recent development, many traders and owners of large stores expect armed confrontations and plan to shut down their offices during the next days, Yahya said.
"Fighting might erupt inside the city's residential areas anytime and no one will provide protection for the people's properties. It's better to start preparing for the worse," he added.
Some of the Aden-based residents urged the STC's leadership and the Yemeni government to reassure anxious families about the situation and clarify the recent military mobilization in the city.
"It's a bit difficult to know what's going on around us because there are various military units in Aden and every unit linked to a specific political faction," said Abdul-Nasser Salah, a university lecturer at Aden University.
"The STC and the government leaders are exchanging accusations about the recent deteriorating situation but they didn't give adequate clarifications for the citizens," Salah said.
"The citizens in Aden will be the only victims and have the right to know everything about what's going to happen in their city," he added.
Hani Alkhadher, a 40-year-old government employee, who lives near the presidential palace, told Xinhua that he would relocate his families to another neighborhood in Aden.
"Living near the presidential compound is becoming more dangerous because anti-government military units might attack this place," Alkhadher said.
"My relatives live in a neighborhood free of government institutions and I decided to move my children to that place to avoid the imminent conflict," he added.
Supporters of the STC expressed no worries and welcomed the deployment of armored vehicles in Aden and elsewhere in Yemen's southern part.
"Deploying the army units is just to provide protection for the southern people that will go out to the streets to demand their rights peacefully," the STC supporter Bashar Kaid told Xinhua.
"People in Aden will raise their voices loudly and say no for starvation policies and demand solutions for the recent economic crisis that complicated their lives," Bashar said.
The pro-secesssion council issued a statement on Wednesday and called "the southern people to take control over all the government's institutions which provide revenues and expel the pro-government officials."
"The economic collapse is frightening and the corruption practised by the government is indescribable and our southern people, who suffered so much, has nothing to lose anymore," Mansour Saleh, a leading member of the STC, told Xinhua.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government urged the STC to join the political process and reject the acts of violence including mobilization of some military units not linked to the country's Defense or Interior ministries, according to a statement released by Saba News Agency.
In January, forces loyal to the STC engaged in fierce armed confrontations with the government Presidential Protection Forces over the control of Aden.
During the fighting, the forces loyal to the STC took control of the port city of Aden and other government headquarters after two days of clashes which left more than 38 killed and scores of others injured.
There have been rising tensions between southern separatist leaders and ministers of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government over the control of the southern half of the country after expelling Iran-backed Houthis from the region.
Aden, where the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has been based since 2015, is considered Yemen's temporary capital.
The Yemeni government, allied with the Saudi-led Arab military coalition, has been battling Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels for control of the country for more than three years.
