Yemen government delays return, officials blame separatists

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni officials say the government has been forced to delay its return to the city of Aden, blaming southern separatists for stalling on the key point of a power-sharing deal signed early this month to end their infighting.

Under the agreement brokered by Saudi Arabia between Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates, the government was to have returned to Aden last Tuesday.

The separatists pushed government forces out and captured Aden during summer clashes.

The officials say the separatists refuse to hand over government facilities and insisting on joint committees. The officials spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to reporters.

The infighting between government forces and separatists added another layer to Yemen’s complex civil war.