Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:11:00 GMT
 
 
A general strike called by Yemen southern secessionists is under way in several areas in the war-hit country, a local official said.

Daleh was paralysed by a general strike called by the Southern Movement, a grouping of parties, some of which demand full secession for the former South Yemen.

The strike also was observed in the southern towns of Habilain in the Lahej region and Lawder and Moudiya in Abyan, witnesses said.

Pro-independence protests have multiplied in the south amid a worsening economic situation in Yemen and charges of discrimination in favor of northerners.

Meanwhile, two people and a police officer were killed on Monday by suspected al-Qaeda gunmen in in south of the capital Sanaa.

A fourth man was also shot dead on Sunday by soldiers in Dalea, the centre of southern separatist strike, media said.

The Sahwa news website said activist Naji bin Naji and his young son Saleh were killed on their qat farm near Dalea on Sunday.

South Yemen was independent from 1967 until 1990 when it united with the north.

The south seceded in 1994, sparking a short-lived conflict that ended when the south was overrun by northern troops.
SBR+ ALALAM NEWS