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Sana’a airport reopens after heavy fighting

27 May 2011 04:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The international airport in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, has reopened after heavy fighting forced its closure, APA reports quoting monstersandcritics.com website.

Violent clashes between armed tribesmen and Yemeni security forces continued in Sana’a for the fifth consecutive day, with no movement towards a ceasefire, dpa reported.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh continues to cling to power, and prominent tribe leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, who is at the center of the clashes, says his supporters will fight until Saleh resigns.

The US State Department, which has ordered all non-essential US diplomats, embassy staff and family members to evacuate the country, Thursday warned all US citizens in Yemen "to seek a way out via the airport."

"There are flights available. And for those planning to travel to Yemen, we’d ask them to defer travel," department spokesman Mark Toner said.

Toner called the unrest a "very serious situation" and repeated a call by US President Barack Obama earlier this week for Saleh to step down.

Toner said the US was "looking at ... possible scenarios" if Saleh does not step down, but did not give details.