he fled the capital and is in the southern port of aden trying to don sol date his -- consolidate his power base. his move doesn't sit well. there's concern if the power shifts from sanaa to the south, it will trigger instability. >> reporter: this is aden the de facto capital since abd-rabbu mansour hadi arrives here. the houthi militia makes the call and puts him under house arrest in sanaa. he escapes, and now is trying to rule from aden. but the reaction of people here may surprise many. they are shouting no no no aden is the capital of the south. we don't need the north. we want independence. >> it's not the secret history of bitterness between the north and the south. instead of being buoyed. people we talk to expressed apprehension and mistrust. >> there's zero trust between the north and the south. the southerners were the first to demand unity, contributing more than 70% of the country's territory and resources, but received nothing in return. abd-rabbu mansour hadi is a southerner. he doesn't speak for the south. if he does so and takes the right decisions, we'll support him