Rally for Independence on anniversary of South Yemen Nov 30 1967 Independence Day

Tens of thousands of people from all parts of South Yemen flocked to Aden to rally for independence from unity with North Yemen, on the day they mark and celebrate the 49th anniversary of the famous November 30 national independence day.

Many courageous southerners sacrificed their lives to achieve freedom from the 129 years of occupation by the British, which end on this day in 1967. 

Yet again, southerners find themselves facing the same and much harsher challenges today, with the North Yemen occupation of South Yemen. Southerners like their forefather’s are determined to see off any form of oppression and strive to exercise the right of freedom of choice. 

In order to enforce unity, in 1994 North Yemen launched a war on the seceding South Yemen. Since then, thousands of southerners have been killed and the whole of South Yemen became the spoils of war. Furthermore, over a thousand civilians (many children, women and the elderly) were brutally killed and thousands injured (many with life changing injuries) in the recent North Yemen coup and invasion of South Yemen between March and August 2015. 

Southerners rally today to remind all parties to the conflict in Yemen, they are expecting to be included in any peace talks, and their demand for a referendum to be included in any peace agreement, exercising freedom and choice over their own future, is essential in order to achieve and maintain long term peace.