A group of secessionist gunmen attacked a jail in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Sunday, wounding at least two police officers, a government official told Xinhua.

"Masked gunmen attacked the main gate of the Mansoura central jail in Aden and attempted to free inmates of the pro-secession Southern Movement, but they failed. No prisoners fled during the attack," the local official said on condition of anonymity.

At least two police officers were wounded by gunshots, the government source said, adding that the attackers may be members of an armed separatist faction.

Local residents in Aden said the gunmen also stormed a military checkpoint near the central jail, and that sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the city.

The government authorities have blamed an armed faction of the pro-secession Southern Movement for similar attacks that have killed several senior military and intelligence officials.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has called for separatist groups in the country's southern regions to take part in a national reconciliation dialogue scheduled for March 18 to settle disputes.

Separatist sentiment escalated after northern troops overran southern regions following a four-month civil war in 1994. Southerners complain of being economically and politically marginalized and discriminated. Endi

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