Thousands of Protesters Take to the Streets against Saleh's Regime

Thousands of Protesters Take to the Streets against Saleh's Regime

By Fatik Al-Rodaini

Sana'a- Feb 21, 2011, Thousands of protesters gathered outside the gates of Sana’a University on Monday for an 11th day of demonstrations calling for an end to President Saleh's regime, as well as in the southern provinces of Taiz and Aden.

Protesters in which most of them belonging to the opposition parties, the Joint Meeting Parties, JMP, formed checkpoints around the demonstrations to prevent weapons from entering.

Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebel group held a demonstration in Sa'ada province demanding the fall of Saleh's regime. The protest was headed by Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, the leader of Houthi group.

Saleh yesterday offered to open talks with the opposition as thousands of protesters gathered in the capital insisting on an immediate end to his three-decade rule. He said the government is willing to listen to “legitimate” demands and that political change should come though the ballot box and not protests.

Yemen’s main opposition coalition rejected Saleh’s offer for dialogue, saying it won’t hold talks as long as security forces are attacking protesters. At least five people have been killed in 11 days of protests inspired by the popular uprisings that overthrew the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.