SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council said Friday that people were killed and injured following unrest it described as attempts to target state institutions in the interim capital, Aden, a day after the newly formed government convened its first meeting there.

In remarks carried by the official Saba news agency, an unnamed source at the council said state leaders had monitored “with deep regret” what he called “acts of incitement and armed mobilization by elements outside the law, culminating in repeated attempts to attack public institutions.”

The source did not provide further details on the number of dead or injured.

Earlier, Aden’s security committee said armed groups had gathered near the Maasheq Presidential Palace and attempted to storm it, while also confronting security forces.

According to the presidential source, security forces responded to the escalation with “maximum restraint,” dispersing gatherings that sought to block roads and disrupt public order, while “safeguarding sovereign facilities in line with the law.”

He expressed regret over the casualties, describing the events as a coordinated escalation.

The official further accused unnamed parties of financing, arming and inciting the confrontations, and of pushing individuals in civilian clothing into clashes with security personnel.

He said the government’s meeting in Aden sent a “decisive message” that the state is pressing ahead with restoring the regular functioning of its institutions in the country.

The timing of the unrest, he added, coincided with what he described as tangible improvements in public services and preparations for a Saudi-sponsored southern conference, raising questions about the role of certain regional actors allegedly seeking to undermine national unity in the face of the Houthi threat.

The source urged citizens to cooperate with security agencies and avoid being drawn into what he described as calls for chaos issued by fugitives and dissolved entities backed from abroad.

In a separate statement late Thursday, the Southern Transitional Council, which announced its dissolution in January, said one person was killed and 21 others injured during marches protesting what it called “imposed policies and attempts to bypass southern political aspirations.”

On Feb. 6, the Presidential Leadership Council announced the formation of a new government headed by Shaya al-Zindani, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio.

The cabinet followed weeks of consultations in Riyadh aimed at easing tensions between the internationally recognized government and the Southern Transitional Council and reaching a consensual framework for the next phase.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref