Yemen to release rebel prisoners, separatists esclate tension

Yemen is to release  northern Shi’ite rebel prisoners within days.  A move by the government to free more prisoners would be a significant step toward cementing a fragile truce to end a northern war that has raged on and off since 2004.
 
"The Ministry of Interior is reviewing lists of prisoners and they are expected to be released in the coming few days," a government official told Reuters.
 
The official did not say how many prisoners would be freed, but independent sources said it could be several hundred.
 
.The government  shortly before the rebels freed their captives, had accused the insurgents of returning to some vacated positions and refusing to hand over landmines removed from the war zone.
 
A rebel spokesman denied the insurgents were obstructing truce implementation and said that they had resolved the prisoner issue on Wednesday by releasing Yemeni soldiers and tribesmen who fought alongside the state.
 
A military official, however, has said many more prisoners were still being held by the insurgents.
 
Yemen, as well as battling al Qaeda, also faces separatist unrest in the south. Violence erupted in the flashpoint southern town of Dalea on Thursday when security forces shot dead a separatist protester during an anti-government demonstration, igniting armed clashes, witnesses said.
 
The witnesses said two other protesters were wounded, and a security source said two security men were hurt in the unrest.

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