SANAA, Yemen, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Armed supporters thought to be loyal to Yemen's southern secessionists captured at least seven government troops in weekend violence, authorities said.
Authorities said that Yemeni militants captured several soldiers to pressure the government to release detained members of a southern secessionist movement, al-Jazeera reports.
The uptick in violence follows a death sentence for Fares Abdullah Saleh, who is accused of bombing a Yemeni sports center in October to express solidarity with the secessionists.
Al-Jazeera notes that streams of fighters have taken to the streets in south Yemen, closing businesses and choking off area roads.
Proponents of the secessionist movement in the southern provinces of Dhale and Lahj clashed with government forces since early 2010.
North and South Yemen united in 1990, though a civil war in 1994 threatened unification.
Yemen is also struggling to contain the lingering presence of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen's al-Qaida franchise connected to a string of attacks targeting Western interests.
