Shelling Kills 36 in South Yemen; 900 Foreigners Flee Aden
Northern Yemeni forces bombarded the besieged southern stronghold of Aden, reportedly killing at least 36 people, as 900 foreigners who fled the city by ferry reached safety Friday in Africa.
The heavy fighting came despite northern President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s announced willingness to agree to a cease-fire. But five previous truces declared during the 6-week-old civil war have failed within hours.
The Kuwait News Agency, which has a correspondent in Aden, said the 36 dead, most of them civilians, were among 170 casualties recorded in the shelling of Aden over the previous 36 hours. It said more deaths were expected.
The north, which appeared to be tightening its noose around Aden, warned southern civilians to stay away from strategic targets.
The civil war erupted May 4 after the 4-year-old union of north and south collapsed amid feuding between Saleh and his former vice president, Ali Salim Bidh, the southern leader. Northern forces hold most of the country.
The 900 foreign evacuees included Americans, Britons, Tunisians and Palestinians, said Jean Francois Golay of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The evacuees arrived in Djibouti aboard the 250-foot ferry Canadian Spirit after sailing 155 miles overnight across the Gulf of Aden.
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