ADEN, Yemen

Separatist leaders in southern Yemen on Thursday rejected the proposed relocation of the nation's capital to the southern city of Aden, where Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi has sought to reinstate his embattled presidency far from Houthi-controlled Sanaa.

The separatists voiced their rejection of the proposal at a Thursday meeting in Aden between separatist groups and UN Envoy Jamal Benomar, according to a separatist leader who attended the gathering.

"The south shouldn't be dragged into Yemen's power struggle," the source, speaking anonymously, told The Anadolu Agency.

"Benomar expressed an understanding of the [separatist] delegation's grievances," he said.

Separatist leaders gave Benomar a message calling for internationally-supervised negotiations with the Yemeni government.

"We demanded that the UN take decisive action to address our demands for independence," the source said.

"Benomar hailed our peaceful rallies and promised to convey our message to international agencies," he added.

Tension has mounted in Yemen since the powerful Shiite Houthi group seized control of capital Sanaa last September, from which it has since sought to extend its influence to other parts of the country.

Earlier this week, Hadi fled Sanaa – where he had been placed under house arrest by the Houthis – to the southern city of Aden.

Upon his arrival in Aden, Hadi declared that he was still Yemen's "legitimate" leader, going on to assert that all Houthi decrees issued since the Houthi takeover of Sanaa were "null" and "illegitimate." 

Hadi has since met with a number of senior officials from Yemen's southern region in hopes of reinstating his embattled presidency from Aden.

The Houthis, for their part, have vowed to prosecute government officials that remain loyal to Hadi, who the Shiite group considers "illegitimate."

On Feb. 6, the Houthis issued a "constitutional declaration" dissolving parliament and establishing a 551-member transitional council.

The declaration, however, was rejected by most of Yemen's political forces – along with some neighboring Gulf countries – which described it as a "coup against constitutional legitimacy."