Yemeni govt reaches initial agreement with separatists – officials

Yemen’s internationally-recognized government and the country's southern separatists have reached an initial agreement to end their fighting in the country’s south, officials said on Friday.

The forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and separatists known as the Southern Transitional Council are nominally allies in the Saudi-led coalition’s war against Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels.

In August, infighting broke out between Hadi’s forces and the southern separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates, a partner in the Saudi-led coalition. The separatists overran Aden, the temporary seat of Hadi’s government.

The tentative deal between the separatists and the government envisages the formation of a new Cabinet with equal representation of northern and southern politicians, excluding the Houthis, AP reports, citing officials.