ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Forces loyal to Yemen's government opened fire against a rally of the pro-secession Southern Transitional Council (STC) in southeastern Shabwa Province on Thursday, a security official told Xinhua.

"Scores of the STC supporters organized a rally in Azzan town of Shabwa province but forces of the government attempt to prevent them," the official said on condition of anonymity.

He said that the Yemeni government forces used live ammunition in an attempt to disperse the pro-STC rally in Azzan.

The pro-STC demonstrators shouted slogans against the existence of the Yemeni government forces in Azzan, according to the security source.

Medical sources in Shabwa confirmed to Xinhua that about 10 demonstrators were injured by the government forces gunfire.

Last month, intense fighting erupted between the Yemeni government forces and the STC security units over the control of the oil-rich Shabwa province.

The Yemeni government forces managed to defeat the pro-STC security units and forced them to withdraw out of the Shabwa province.

The tense situation in Shabwa comes after the STC forces that are demanding secession completely seized the southern port city of Aden and neighboring Abyan province from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The STC was a part of the Saudi-led Arab coalition to fight Iran-backed Houthi militias in northern Yemen in a war that has rekindled old strains between the north and south of Yemen, which were separate countries until 1990.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces including the capital Sanaa.