40 die in Yemen as civil war looms
Source: Agencies |
May 27, 2011, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MORE than 40 Yemenis were killed in pitched street battles in the capital yesterday as fighting aimed at ending President Ali Abdullah Saleh's three-decade-long rule threatened to ignite civil war.
Residents were fleeing Sanaa by the hundreds, hurriedly fastening possessions to the roofs of cars, hoping to escape the violence that has killed more than 80 people since Monday.
The fighting, pitting the security forces of President Ali Abdullah Saleh against members of the country's most powerful Hashed tribe led by Sadiq al-Ahmar, was the bloodiest Yemen has seen since protests began in January.
The battles threatened to spread into other parts of the capital Sanaa. The defense ministry said 28 people were killed in an explosion in an arms storage area of Sanaa at dawn yesterday. Fighters in civilian clothes roamed some districts yesterday and machine gun fire rang out sporadically.
Sporadic explosions could be heard in the capital near the protest site where thousands of people demanding Saleh to leave after nearly 33 years in power are still camped. Black smoke from mortar fire mixed with a haze of pollution and dust that hangs over Sanaa like a shroud.
The United States and Saudi Arabia, both targets of foiled attacks by a wing of al-Qaida based in Yemen, have tried to defuse the crisis and stem any spread of anarchy that could give the global militant network more room to operate.
There are worries that Yemen, already teetering on the brink of financial ruin, could become a failed state that would undermine regional security and pose a serious risk to its neighbor Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter.
The United States ordered all non-essential diplomats and embassy family members to leave the country. "The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high due to terrorist activities and civil unrest," the State Department said.
Yemen's state prosecutor ordered the arrest of "rebellious" leaders of the tribal group led by the al-Ahmar family and a government official said the headquarters of an opposition television station had been "destroyed," without giving details.
Tribal leader al-Ahmar said there was no chance for mediation with Saleh and called on regional and global powers to force him out before the Arabian Peninsula country of 23 million people plunges into civil war.
Saleh said on Wednesday he would not bow to international "dictates" to step down and leave Yemen despite mounting protests and international pressure. With fighting now escalating after a tense but mostly contained standoff between Saleh's supporters and opponents, panic has begun to grip the capital. There were long queues at Sanaa bakeries, banks and petrol stations as residents tried to stock up on cash and food before fleeing to safer areas in the country. Several electronic and clothes shops opened but few buyers were around except those shopping for food.
The most recent clashes have been concentrated in a part of northern Sanaa where fighters loyal to Ahmar have been trying to take over government buildings.
Broken glass, bloodstained corridors and a makeshift clinic for the wounded attested to the damage at Ahmar's mansion, while Sanaa residents heard the sounds of explosions ripping through the city in the midnight hours.
Residents were fleeing Sanaa by the hundreds, hurriedly fastening possessions to the roofs of cars, hoping to escape the violence that has killed more than 80 people since Monday.
The fighting, pitting the security forces of President Ali Abdullah Saleh against members of the country's most powerful Hashed tribe led by Sadiq al-Ahmar, was the bloodiest Yemen has seen since protests began in January.
The battles threatened to spread into other parts of the capital Sanaa. The defense ministry said 28 people were killed in an explosion in an arms storage area of Sanaa at dawn yesterday. Fighters in civilian clothes roamed some districts yesterday and machine gun fire rang out sporadically.
Sporadic explosions could be heard in the capital near the protest site where thousands of people demanding Saleh to leave after nearly 33 years in power are still camped. Black smoke from mortar fire mixed with a haze of pollution and dust that hangs over Sanaa like a shroud.
The United States and Saudi Arabia, both targets of foiled attacks by a wing of al-Qaida based in Yemen, have tried to defuse the crisis and stem any spread of anarchy that could give the global militant network more room to operate.
There are worries that Yemen, already teetering on the brink of financial ruin, could become a failed state that would undermine regional security and pose a serious risk to its neighbor Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter.
The United States ordered all non-essential diplomats and embassy family members to leave the country. "The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high due to terrorist activities and civil unrest," the State Department said.
Yemen's state prosecutor ordered the arrest of "rebellious" leaders of the tribal group led by the al-Ahmar family and a government official said the headquarters of an opposition television station had been "destroyed," without giving details.
Tribal leader al-Ahmar said there was no chance for mediation with Saleh and called on regional and global powers to force him out before the Arabian Peninsula country of 23 million people plunges into civil war.
Saleh said on Wednesday he would not bow to international "dictates" to step down and leave Yemen despite mounting protests and international pressure. With fighting now escalating after a tense but mostly contained standoff between Saleh's supporters and opponents, panic has begun to grip the capital. There were long queues at Sanaa bakeries, banks and petrol stations as residents tried to stock up on cash and food before fleeing to safer areas in the country. Several electronic and clothes shops opened but few buyers were around except those shopping for food.
The most recent clashes have been concentrated in a part of northern Sanaa where fighters loyal to Ahmar have been trying to take over government buildings.
Broken glass, bloodstained corridors and a makeshift clinic for the wounded attested to the damage at Ahmar's mansion, while Sanaa residents heard the sounds of explosions ripping through the city in the midnight hours.
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