Security is deteriorating in the southern province of Lahij, which stretches from Bab Al-Mandab almost to the port of Aden. Southern Movement (Al-Hirak) activists in Aden tell GSN that Lahij is rapidly falling into lawlessness as conflict increases between residents and government security forces. Towns such as the provincial capital Al-Houta, formerly known as Lahij, are also suffering spillover from the neighbouring province of Abyan, as elements of Ansar Al-Sharia (AAS), an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), move west into Lahij.