Yemen protests expected after lull in fighting

May 27, 2011

SANAA (AFP) - Protests both for and against embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh were expected after Friday prayers in the capital Sanaa, which an AFP correspondent said was quiet but tense after heavy clashes.

Heavy fighting between security forces and tribesmen loyal to Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, who heads the powerful Hashid tribal federation and in March pledged support for anti-Saleh protesters, stopped on Thursday afternoon, although some sporadic clashes took place afterwards.

Saleh, who has been in power for 33 years, has since January faced demonstrations calling for his departure.

Anti-regime protest organisers have called for demonstrations on Friday, calling it "The Friday Peaceful Revolt." Saleh loyalists, meanwhile, called for a "Friday of Law and Order" counter-protest.

On Sunday, Saleh refused to sign a Gulf Cooperation Council-sponsored deal that would have seen him cede power within 30 days, instead issuing new demands to the opposition, and warning of civil war.

Fighting between security forces and Ahmar supporters, in which dozens of people have been killed, erupted on Monday.

The Yemeni defence ministry's 26sep.net news website said on Thursday that Saleh has ordered the arrest of Ahmar and others involved in the unrest.

Ahmar, meanwhile, has accused Saleh of dragging the country into civil war.

Yemeni Forces Bomb Position Seized by Tribesmen

Yemeni military jets have bombed a position that had been seized by opposition tribesmen on Friday.

Earlier Friday, tribal leaders who have been fighting government forces said they had taken over a military camp outside of Sana'a. The tribesmen say at least six people were killed in the clash. It is unclear, from initial reports, if the camp is the site that has been bombed.

Yemeni security forces have been battling loyalists to Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, the leader of the Hashid tribe. The battles have become the most serious threat to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's grasp on power after three months of opposition protests.

Witnesses and activists say nearly 100 people have been killed in clashes between the two sides this week.

Also, tribal fighters loyal to Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Zindani - who is allied with the Al-Ahmar family and faces U.S. sanctions as a terrorist financier - have been fighting pro-government forces.

Meanwhile Friday, Yemeni opposition leaders are calling for a new round of anti-government protests. Supporters of President Saleh has also rallied after Friday prayers, in recent weeks.

In a separate development, India announced Friday that it is advising all of its nationals in Yemen to leave. The foreign ministry cited the escalating violence. About 11,000 people from India live in Yemen.

Saleh has refused to leave power after nearly 33 years of authoritarian rule.

U.S. embassy in Yemen shuts consulate due to unrest

May 23, 2011

SANAA (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Yemen shut its consular section to the public for at least two days due to insecurity, as forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah fought a gunbattle with opponents on Monday.

"Due to the fluid security situation in the city, the Consular Section is closed to the public for Tuesday and Wednesday, May 24 and May 25, 2011, and will be providing emergency American citizen services only," the embassy said in a statement.

Yemen Security Forces, Al-Ahmar Tribesmen Clash in Capital

May 23 (Bloomberg) -- Gunmen from Yemen's most influential tribe clashed with security forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital, Sana'a, a day after the president refused to sign an accord requiring him to give up power.

Two tribesmen and one civilian were killed and 27 people injured, according to the opposition Suhail TV and the official media. Gun battles took place at an empty school and in the vicinity of the building that houses the official news agency Saba, state-run Yemen television said. Two journalists in the building were injured, the television reported.

"There are heavy clashes," Farouk al-Kamali, one of the injured journalists said in a telephone interview. "Close to 200 staffers are trapped in the building."

Fire broke out at the offices of Yemenia, the national airline, after gunmen clashed outside, the defense ministry said.

Tribal leader Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar had been an ally of Saleh. The two fell out after al-Ahmar joined nationwide anti- government protests that began in January. The opposition said in a statement that pro-Saleh forces tried to storm al-Ahmar's house in an attempt to ignite civil war.

The violence broke out a day after Saleh declined to sign an accord requiring him to give up power within 30 days. The six-member Arab Gulf bloc, which had brokered the deal, abandoned its efforts to bring about an end to the unrest.

Third Failure

It was the third time the GCC-led talks had failed, this time in dramatic fashion as helicopters were used to evacuate diplomats, including those from the U.S., E.U. and U.K., from the United Arab Emirates Embassy that had been surrounded by machine-gun wielding Saleh supporters.

The E.U. said in a statement after a meeting in Brussels today that it "condemns President Saleh's repeated failure to sign up to the GCC sponsored initiative." It called on him to follow through on his commitment to transfer power now.

It also said it "deplores" the failure by Saleh and Yemen's security forces to ensure safe passage of the diplomats at the UAE Embassy.

"We believe President Saleh still has the opportunity to sign this initiative and break the deadlock," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in Washington.

"We've seen all sides agree" to the GCC accord, Toner noted. "President Saleh is the only party who refuses to match his actions to these words."

The U.S. embassy in Sana'a said in a travel warning that it will close the consular section to the public tomorrow and the next day and will provide emergency American citizen services only. The statement said the closure was necessary due to "the fluid security situation in the city."

GCC Suspends Initiative to Yemen

By Fatik Al-Rodaini

Sana'a, May 23, 2011- The Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC announced on Sunday night the suspending of the GCC-brokered agreement to salvage the current crisis in Yemen.

The GCC foreign ministers decided Sunday to suspend their initiative because of the lack of suitable circumstances to sign it by all parties.

In a statement said they were keen on helping the Yemeni people to overcome their differences and to reach a compromise that would safeguard the security, stability and unity of Yemen.

They hoped Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh would sign the GCC-brokered agreement as soon as possible in order to pave way for a peaceful transition of power.

The foreign ministers called on all parties in Yemen to be patient and act wisely.

Yesterday, supporters of Saleh blocked Western diplomats and the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council that were negotiating the agreement at the United Arab Emirates’ embassy. The diplomats were later flown out by government helicopter.

Hundreds of other Saleh supporters blocked roads leading to the presidential palace, the airport, and the capital’s Tahrir Square, scene of opposition demonstrations.

Yemen's ruling General People Congress party and its partners signed on Sunday on the GCC initiative to solve the current crisis in Yemen in the Presidential Palace.

The Yemeni T.V. said that the representatives of the ruling General People Congress party and its partners signed on the agreement.

The deal was signed by the GPC's second Vice President Abdul Karim Al-Iriyani and the GPC's assistant secretaries Sadiq Amin Abu Ra's, Ahmed Ibn Dagher and Amat Al-Razzaq Humad and NDAP's Chairman Qassim Sallam.

The initiative was signed in the presence of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Prime Minister Ali Mujawar, GCC's Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani and ambassador of the United States Gerald Feierstein.

sources said that President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a GCC-brokered power transfer deal which was signed by the opposition late on Saturday after it had been teetering for more than a month.