Asia

Home page

Asia

Security forces fire on Yemen protest, three dead

09 May 2011 17:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Yemeni forces fired at protesters blockading a government building Monday, killing a shopkeeper and two protesters in a city that has seen some of the largest rallies against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, witnesses said, APA reports quoting â€œReutersâ€.
At least 80 protesters were wounded when security forces, some in armored vehicles, moved in to disperse the rally in the city of Taiz, south of the capital Sanaa. "A large force of police and army attacked protesters and then chased them in residential areas. They opened fire and used tear gas heavily," said Bushra al-Maqtari, an activist in Taiz.
The shopkeeper, who ran a small kiosk, was killed by a stray bullet, and two protesters were also shot dead amid heavy gunfire, a doctor treating the wounded said.
Tension has risen in the Arabian Peninsula state since a plan to end Yemen’s political crisis by easing Saleh out of power within a month appeared close to collapse.
Saleh, who refused to sign the plan, has clung to power despite three months of street protests that regularly draw tens of thousands of people, even though many of his allies have deserted him including a general who is among the protesters.
Yemen’s main opposition said the deal -- brokered by Gulf Arab states -- had been modified to allow Saleh to sign as party leader rather than president, as he demands. It now wants the Gulf states, which are holding a summit in Riyadh Tuesday, to press Saleh to relinquish power.
But Yemeni youth groups leading mass protests have called on the Gulf states -- under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- to withdraw the plan.
THOUSANDS PROTEST Thousands of protesters had gathered outside an education ministry building in Taiz Sunday, many of them teachers and students, demanding the postponement of school exams. Some also chanted anti-Saleh slogans.
Security forces tried to break up the demonstration on Sunday evening, killing two. But the protesters regrouped overnight before the forces moved in to disperse them once again Monday, witnesses said.
Clashes were also reported in the Red Sea port city of Hudaida, where security forces stormed a university campus to break up protests, wounding six, activists said. Six more people were wounded in clashes in Dhamar province, south of Sanaa.
Many demonstrators across Yemen, who include students, tribesmen and activists, have vowed to stay on the streets until Saleh steps down. About 150 have been killed in the unrest.