Region
Opposition activist dies in clashes
Opposition activist dies in clashes
March 15, 2011 | 12:00 AM
AFP/Sanaa
An activist of the main opposition was shot dead in a gunfight with pro-regime loyalists in northern Yemen yesterday, a security official said.
Naser Musleh Nasm was "killed in the armed clash with supporters of the ruling General People’s Congress,” in Al Jawf province, a security official said and tribal leaders confirmed.
The same sources said security forces and GPC supporters are surrounding a government headquarters and threatening to evict protesters that have controlled it since Monday.
"The police have warned the demonstrators that they should evacuate the building or else they will be evicted by force,” a tribal leader said.
On Monday, 20 people demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power for 32 years, were injured when they assaulted the government headquarters in
Al Jawf, northeast of Sanaa, an official said.
Security forces and pro-regime loyalists, who were guarding the building and opened fire in an effort to break up the protest, were wounded by stones hurled by the protesters.
On February 22, Al Jawf, a stronghold of the Zaidi rebels, also known as Huthis, joined anti-Saleh protests that erupted across the country in January and gained momentum last month. Yemen’s mountainous northern region is stronghold of the Zaidis, who fought six wars with Saleh’s government forces from 2004 before signing a truce in February 2010.
Protests against Saleh’s regime, inspired by similar popular events that have ousted leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, have been marred by violence that has left dozens dead.
Also yesterday, tribal fighters sabotaged an oil pipeline in the eastern province of Marib and cut the road between the region’s gas fields and the capital, security officials and tribal sources said.
Yemen’s tribes have targetted oil pipelines in the past to protest against central government policy. Yemen is also battling secessionist unrest and a Shia sectarian rebellion. It is not a member of Opec but produces some 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Meanwhile, the interior ministry sacked the security chief in the main southern city of Aden, Brigadier Abdullah Qiran, after a wave of resignations by officials there in protest at crackdowns by security forces on anti-government demonstrations, a security official said.
Six demonstrators were shot in the head during clashes with security forces in Aden over the weekend, two of whom died of their wounds, medical officials said.
A parliamentary committee tasked with probing events in Aden has charged southern separatists and the Al Qaeda franchise in Yemen with turning peaceful demonstrations into acts of vandalism. According to the ruling party website Almotamar.net, the committee said 11 people were killed between February 8 and February 26, including an officer and a soldier, and 77 others were wounded, including 47 military personnel.
| Yemen anti-government protesters shout slogans during a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa yesterday |
Naser Musleh Nasm was "killed in the armed clash with supporters of the ruling General People’s Congress,” in Al Jawf province, a security official said and tribal leaders confirmed.
The same sources said security forces and GPC supporters are surrounding a government headquarters and threatening to evict protesters that have controlled it since Monday.
"The police have warned the demonstrators that they should evacuate the building or else they will be evicted by force,” a tribal leader said.
On Monday, 20 people demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power for 32 years, were injured when they assaulted the government headquarters in
| A Yemeni female anti-government protester carries her baby holding the national flag during a demonstration demanding the resignation of the president in Sanaa yesterday |
Security forces and pro-regime loyalists, who were guarding the building and opened fire in an effort to break up the protest, were wounded by stones hurled by the protesters.
On February 22, Al Jawf, a stronghold of the Zaidi rebels, also known as Huthis, joined anti-Saleh protests that erupted across the country in January and gained momentum last month. Yemen’s mountainous northern region is stronghold of the Zaidis, who fought six wars with Saleh’s government forces from 2004 before signing a truce in February 2010.
Protests against Saleh’s regime, inspired by similar popular events that have ousted leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, have been marred by violence that has left dozens dead.
Also yesterday, tribal fighters sabotaged an oil pipeline in the eastern province of Marib and cut the road between the region’s gas fields and the capital, security officials and tribal sources said.
Yemen’s tribes have targetted oil pipelines in the past to protest against central government policy. Yemen is also battling secessionist unrest and a Shia sectarian rebellion. It is not a member of Opec but produces some 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Meanwhile, the interior ministry sacked the security chief in the main southern city of Aden, Brigadier Abdullah Qiran, after a wave of resignations by officials there in protest at crackdowns by security forces on anti-government demonstrations, a security official said.
Six demonstrators were shot in the head during clashes with security forces in Aden over the weekend, two of whom died of their wounds, medical officials said.
A parliamentary committee tasked with probing events in Aden has charged southern separatists and the Al Qaeda franchise in Yemen with turning peaceful demonstrations into acts of vandalism. According to the ruling party website Almotamar.net, the committee said 11 people were killed between February 8 and February 26, including an officer and a soldier, and 77 others were wounded, including 47 military personnel.
March 15, 2011 | 12:00 AM