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3 soldiers killed in violent protests across Yemen
[Arab News] Scattered festivities broke out across Yemen on Monday, with three soldiers killed in the north, as military forces were deployed to check nationwide protests demanding the resignation of President  President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh.... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... The impoverished Arabian Peninsula state has been rocked by weeks of demonstrations that have undermined Saleh's 32-year grip on power, with both pro- and anti-government supporters appearing to resort increasingly to violence in the struggle. Seven demonstrators and three soldiers have died in festivities since Saturday, raising the corpse count from unrest above 30. The United States, which has long seen Saleh as a bulwark against a dynamic Al-Qaeda wing based in Yemen, has condemned the bloodshed and backed the right for peaceful protest, but has insisted only dialogue can end the political crisis. Two soldiers and an officer were killed as festivities broke out in the northern Al-Jawf province, which borders oil giant Soddy Arabia, Yemen's state news agency Saba said. Fighting intensified after protesters stormed a municipal building. Security forces fired on them, wounding 10, but could not stop them seizing the building, a local official said. In the central Maarib province, where several oil and gas fields of international companies are located, a man stabbed governor Naji Zayedi, critically wounding him as he and police tried to break up a crowd of thousands at a sit-in. "Members of the opposition stabbed the governor and maimed three others as security tried to stop protesters from inciting chaos," a local official said. Posted by: Fred 2011-03-16 |
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