Yemen Army Opens Fire on Anti-Government Protesters in Sana'a

SANAA, Apr 17, 2011- (AP/The Huffington Post) — Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in cities across Yemen on Sunday, denouncing embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his remarks against women taking part in protest rallies.

Reuters reports that military forces loyal to Saleh opened fire on protesters in the capital, Sanaa, when they tried to march in a street outside their normal protest zone. Witnesses reported that the wounded were being rushed to the hospital.

In a speech Friday, Saleh condemned the mingling of men and women at protests in the capital and said it violated Islamic law. The comments enraged many in Yemen, and prompted the youth movement leading the anti-Saleh protests to call for mass demonstrations Sunday dubbed a day of "honor and dignity."

The call drew a massive turnout across the nation, with more than 100,000 people taking to the streets in Taiz and tens of thousands more marching in Ibb, Aden, Shabwa and other cities. The participation of women in the demonstrations, which also demanded the president step down, was strong.

Abdel-Malek al-Youssefi, an activist and organizer with the youth movement said the protests could well be "the last nail in Saleh's coffin."

Like many countries in the region, Yemen has been wracked with anti-government demonstrations for the last two months. The protesters are calling for steps to improve livelihoods and open up the country's restricted political life.

Though it was a young woman who first led anti-Saleh demonstrations on a university campus in late January, women didn't begin taking part in large numbers until early March. It was a startling step considering the Muslim nation is a largely tribal society with deeply conservative social and religious traditions.