Youths in Square of Change to March on Presidential Palace Friday – JMP Spokesman

Sana'a, Mar 22, 2011- The anti-government youth protesters outside Sana’a University in Yemen’s capital, who have been calling for the resignation of President Saleh, plan to march Friday on the presidential palace, a spokesman for the Joint Meeting Parties, the opposition coalition, said on Tuesday.

The army personnel, units and divisions, which have recently joined the youths, will protect the protesters who have been assembling outside the university for more than a month, said Muhammad Qahtan, pointing out that the time for initiatives to address the situation has already passed.

The youths are determined to march on the presidential palace and to continue that whatever the republican guards do to them, he said, days after the massacre at the university in which 52 anti-Saleh protesters were killed and hundreds of others injured.

On Friday, security forces out of uniform and pro-Saleh thugs sniped the protesters from inside and over buildings nearby the square of change outside Sana’a University. The victims, who were named by the government as democracy martyrs, were laid to final rest two days ago.

Qahtan’s remarks come amid escalating protests across Yemen demanding the resignation of Saleh and as blows are continuing to the regime.

Many senior officials including ambassadors and ministers have recently resigned from their posts and from the governing party in protest at the crackdown on the protesters and the deteriorating situation in the country.

Source: Yemen Post