Yemeni government troops kill eight protesters

[News_Editor]

Yemeni government troops kill eight protesters

2011-10-18 19:56:58 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA (BNO NEWS) -- At least eight people were killed early Monday when government forces opened fire at a protesters' camp and opposition tribesmen stationed in the northern district of Hasaba in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.

The government shelling targeted Change Square where protesters demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been camping for around eight months. The incident comes after Yemeni police forces on Saturday also fired at thousands of anti-government protesters in the country's capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 50 others.

Government forces also attacked armed tribesmen loyal to Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, who vowed support to the protesters in May. They are stationed in the Hasaba district which has seen the most fierce clashes of the past few months, dpa news agency reported.

Meanwhile, at least 12 people were injured on Monday by military forces gunfire during an anti-government march in the southern city of Taiz.

Protesters have been calling on the United Nations to pressure President Saleh, who sharply criticized United Nations Security Council members, to step down. The UN Security Council is currently working on a draft resolution that is expected to call for Saleh to leave power.

Violence in Yemen has continued to escalate after President Saleh threatened with civil war after refusing, for a third time, to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative for power transition on May 22. The uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh has claimed at least 1,500 lives since February.

Tensions have further escalated since Saleh returned to Yemen after spending more than three months in Saudi Arabia to recover from injuries he sustained in a rocket attack which hit the mosque of the presidential palace in Sanaa on June 3. Saleh has said he is planning to leave power 'in the coming days', although a ruling party official immediately said that Saleh has no intention to leave.

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