Military commanders join uprising demanding ouster of Yemen's President Saleh

Military commanders join uprising demanding ouster of Yemen's President Saleh

2011-03-22 06:12:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- Some military commanders on Monday announced that they joined the popular and peaceful uprisings demanding the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

According to the Yemen Post, division commander Ali Muhsen Al-Ahmer, former Defense Minister and Saleh's current military advisor Abdullah Alaiwah and other army commanders announced their full support to the thousands of protesters.

The commanders said that the move was decided in the best interest of Yemen and its citizens, who have been demonstrating outside Sana'a University seeking a peaceful change to address the deteriorating security situation, maintain national unity and end violence against anti-government protesters.

In addition, the military leaders said that they expect more army commanders and camps to follow them. In recent weeks, hundreds of soldiers and security forces joined the anti-Saleh movement.

In the meantime, President Saleh has intensified the violent crackdown on the protesters by firing live ammunition and poisonous gas at them. As a result, many protesters have been killed and thousands more injured.

Also on Monday, several Yemeni ambassadors to foreign countries announced their support to the uprising. Yemen's ambassadors to Jordan, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, China, Saudi Arabia, Czech Republic, and Syria resigned over the weekend.

On Sunday, Saleh fired his government and then designated it as caretaker until a new government is formed. The announcement came after 52 protesters were killed by security forces on Friday.

Yemeni protesters have been demanding the resignation of Saleh for the past two months. Yemeni protesters, mostly young, are fighting against soaring unemployment rates, poverty, widespread corruption and patronage.

The demonstrations were initially inspired by the Tunisian revolt, but they gathered momentum with the success of Egypt's revolution. President Saleh has pledged not to seek his reelection in 2013 or hand over power to his son.

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