Israel Matzav

Friday, March 18, 2011

Over 30 protesters dead in Sana'a

More than 30 people were killed in Sanaa, Yemen on Friday, and more than 100 (some reports say 200) were wounded after troops opened fire on demonstrators in Yemen's capital.

According to witnesses, pro-regime "thugs" opened fire on protesters calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh from houses close to the square at Sanaa University.

Medics said more than 30 were killed and more than 100 wounded.

"Most of the wounds were to the head, neck and chest," one medic said.

Thousands of people have camped out in the square since February 21, demanding the departure of Saleh, who has been in power since 1978.

The Friday bloodbath came after five Yemeni protesters were wounded in an attack on Wednesday night by masked men on the Sanaa University sit-in.

Anti-government activists told AFP that the attackers wielding guns, clubs and daggers were "thugs" loyal to the regime.

Witnesses said that dozens of people were injured when police and loyalists of the ruling General People's Congress party attacked protesters in the square with live rounds and tear gas on Sunday.

How many no-fly zones can the West impose at once in the Arab world?

Labels: Arab democracy, Sanaa, Yemen

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Massive protests in Yemen

Egypt isn't the only place where there are mass demonstrations in the Arab world. There's a massive demonstration going on Thursday in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

Tens of thousands of protesters massed on Thursday at Sanaa University for a "day of rage" against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule, while a similar number of loyalists flooded a central square in support of the embattled leader.

...

Facing demands for him to quit, Saleh on Wednesday announced that he would not seek another term as president, and said he will freeze plans to change the constitution that would have enabled him to remain president for life.

He also said he was opposed to hereditary rule, a response to suspicion among critics that was grooming his eldest son Ahmed Saleh, who commands an elite unit of the Yemeni army, to succeed him as president.

In what appeared to be yet another bid to stave off the kind of mass anti-regime protests that have swept Tunisia and Egypt and which have rippled throughout the Arab world, Saleh also announced he would postpone controversial elections due in April.

Unimpressed, opposition groups said they would press on with their "day of rage."

"Thursday's demonstration will continue as scheduled," said Mohammed Kahtan of the Islamist Al-Islah (Reform) party.

When it rains, it pours.

Labels: Ali Abdullah Saleh, Sanaa, Yemen