Yemen, a nation racked by political mistrust

Sana'a: On May 22, 1990, the leaders of the former Marxist People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Ali Salim Al Beidh, and the Yemen Arab Republic, Ali Abdullah Saleh, struck a deal to merge their states into one nation called the Republic of Yemen. Ali Saleh Al Beidh agreed to relinquish power to his northern counterpart.

Three years later, differences between the two leaders came into the open following a wave of assassinations against members of the Socialist party.

In January, 1994 the then Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah stepped in and got the two feuding leaders to sign a peace agreement. The agreement was short-lived and war soon broke out. On May 21, 1994 Al Beidh unilaterally announced the end of the unified state from Aden. The new state was not recognised by the international community.

On July 7 1994, northern forces entered Aden and Al Beidh and other senior members of the Socialist party fled from Aden and went into exile. Al Beidh remained in Oman for 15 years .

In 2006/2007 thousands of discontented army pensioners from the South held rallies in Aden demanding equal rights as retired soldiers in the north. Then disgruntled citizens from the south joined them and the Southern Movement was born.

The Yemeni government unleashed force against the campaign and hundreds of citizens died. On May 21, 2009, Al Beidh broke his silence and expressed his support for the movement.