Wednesday, 13 April 2011
A Yemeni anti-regime protester stands in front of a Yemeni flag during demonstration to demand the resignation of President Saleh. (File photo)
One protester was shot dead and four others were wounded in clashes in southern Yemen early Wednesday as police fired shots and protesters hurled rocks at security forces, Al Arabiya correspondent and witnesses said.
Residents told Reuters police fired shots in the southern port town of Aden to break up protests.
The number of injured transferred to al-Naqeeb Hospital in Aden is 8, 2 in critical condition, a medical source in the hospital told Al Arabiya.
Al Arabiya sources earlier said that the sound of bomb explosions and gunfire were heard for 15 minutes in Aden, suggesting it could be a campaign by the Yemeni security forces to end the state of civil disobedience that was called for by protesters Aden.
Sporadic gun fire is still heard in Hay Alreemi near the strike square in al-Mansoura neighborhood in Aden, the sources told Al Arabiya.
The protesters are demanding an end to the 32-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. A proposal by Gulf Arab states to negotiate a power transition appears to have stalled.
The situation could escalate into more violence in the heavily armed but impoverished Arabian Peninsula state, where half the population of 23 million owns a gun.
An opposition delegation, which initially rejected the plan by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), met the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait on Tuesday. They sought clarification of what is meant by a proposed “transfer of power” which does not specify a timeframe for Saleh to step down.
(Abeer Tayel of Al Arabiya can be reached via email at: abeer.tayel@mbc.net)
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