File picture shows a Yemeni security officer standing guard on a street in the southern city of Aden, on November 30, 2010 File picture shows a Yemeni security officer standing guard on a street in the southern city of Aden, on November 30, 2010

Yemeni police shot dead a protester in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday during a demonstration by supporters of secession for the formerly independent south, a medic said.

The demonstration came in response to a rally by government loyalists backing its defiance of the demands of Zaidi Shiite protesters in the capital for the sacking of the prime minister and the reversal of unpopular fuel price rises.

Four demonstrators were also wounded, the medic and witnesses said.

Impoverished Yemen has been locked in a protracted transition since long-time strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced from power in February 2012 after a deadly 11-month uprising.

The government's plans for a six-region federation as part of a new constitution have been rejected by both southern separatists and the Shiite rebels

AFP