Yemen celebrates unification

Celebrations are taking place in Yemen to mark the tenth anniversary of the unification of the formerly communist south with the north of the country.

In the capital, Sanaa, a colourful procession was led by thousands of children and youths carrying flags; it was followed by a military parade, that included battle tanks and Scud missiles, while warplanes flew overhead in formation.

Among the foreign guests watching the festivities with the Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, were the Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. South Yemen gained independence from Britain in 1967 and merged in 1990 with the north in an uneasy alliance which degenerated into a civil war lasting several weeks four years later.

A BBC correspondent in the region says there is a lingering resentment in south Yemen over what people there see as domination by their northern neighbours.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service