One killed, 11 injured in Yemen after security forces disperse STC storming

Protest erupts after the internationally recognised government holds its first session in the southern city of Aden.Published On 20 Feb 2026Yemeni security forces have killed at least one person and wounded 11 as a crowd linked to the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) attempted to storm the gate of the al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent has reported.Al Jazeera obtained exclusive footage of the shooting, purporting to show several wounded individuals at the site.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Hope and scepticism as Yemen announces a new cabinetlist 2 of 3US-flagged ships advised to stay ‘as far as possible’ from Iranian waterslist 3 of 3Netanyahu says he’ll present ‘principles’ for Iran talks to Trumpend of listThe shooting took place on Thursday after Prime Minister Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani held the first meeting of the country’s internationally recognised government, which sits at the al-Maashiq palace. The session took place amid opposition demonstrations, according to the Saba News Agency.In a statement seen by Al Jazeera, the Aden Governorate Security Committee said that security personnel responded in a lawful manner to armed protesters who tried to enter the area to carry out “acts of sabotage”. The committee added that it would “not tolerate any involvement in acts of chaos or attacks on security forces”.According to the STC, at least 21 people were wounded. The group condemned what it called the excessive use of force and live ammunition against demonstrators and called for the establishment of a committee to investigate the incident. It also appealed to the international community to take action over “the systematic repression” against “people of the southern governorates”.The STC, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, controlled Aden and much of southern Yemen until a Saudi Arabia-backed government offensive forced them back in early January.