At least 20 dead in clashes between Yemeni security forces and protesters

[News_Editor]

At least 20 dead in clashes between Yemeni security forces and protesters

2011-05-30 22:02:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

TAIZ, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- At least 20 people on Monday were killed in clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters in southern Yemen, the Yemen Post reported.

The clashes took place on early Monday as central security forces and pro-regime armed groups broke into the Freedom Square in the southern Taiz province where an antigovernment protest was being held.

The security forces surrounded the square and blocked all entry points in an attempt to disperse the protesters. They fired live ammunition and tear gas and the demonstrators, most of them young, fought back by throwing rocks and other objects.

Also on Monday, jet fighters conducted air strikes in some areas of Abuan province after Islamic militants took over the provincial capital Zunjbar. Violence continued in the southern city as many deaths have been reported.

Air force combat jets on Friday attacked tribal villages, killing 18, injuring 65, and destroying more than 120 homes. The air strikes came as the government and the Hashid tribes announced a truce after five consecutive days of street battles that left dozens dead and hundreds injured.

Tribesmen from the most powerful tribal coalition, Hashid, stormed the capital city Sana'a last week to support their leader, Sadiq Al-Ahmer, after government forces attacked his house. Tribesmen took over several government buildings, triggering fears of a civil war.

Tribesmen recently joined the opposition groups behind the anti-government protests in Yemen. Current President Ali Abdullah Saleh belongs to the Hashid, Yemen's largest tribe, but Al-Ahmer supported the opposition instead.

Violence continued escalating after Saleh threatened with civil war after refusing, for the third time, to sign a power transfer deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) last May 22.

Protesters also rejected the GCC-proposed plan as it included guarantees that Saleh will not be prosecuted after his resignation within 30 days from the acceptance date. They want Saleh to be hold responsible for the crimes committed against the population.

The GCC-proposed plan also called for holding presidential elections within two months from the date of Saleh's departure as well as the establishment of a new government within 90 days.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-30