Yemen crackdown claims more deaths after government announces ceasefire

[News_Editor]

Yemen crackdown claims more deaths after government announces ceasefire

2011-10-26 00:47:42 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANAA (BNO NEWS) -- Clashes erupted on Tuesday between anti-government protesters and government forces shortly after the Yemeni government announced a ceasefire, the Yemen Post reported.

Government officials announced that the ceasefire between the Opposition and President Ali Abdullah Saleh would take effect as of Tuesday at 3.00 p.m. local time. However, the truce came to an end when government forces attacked protesters in the cities of Sana'a and Taiz.


Residents in Taiz said the shelling was still ongoing well passed 4.30 p.m. local time. Sahwa Net reported that at least eight civilians, including two women and a child, were killed and 50 others wounded after security forces bombarded some squares of the city.

Meanwhile, Yemeni security forces and thugs loyal to the regime used live bullets, batons and tear against peaceful protesters in Sana'a. At least two people died and 40 others were wounded, according to hospital sources.

Eyewitnesses claimed that no real ceasefire took place but that the strategy was a tactic by the government to fool the international community and act as if it calls for peace. "This game of cat and mouse has lasted long enough. Saleh has clearly no intention of surrendering his power and I believe it is time to move towards sanctions," a member of the Opposition said, as quoted by the Yemen Post.

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 Saleh has claimed at least 1,500 lives since February.

Yemen is one of a handful of countries across North Africa and the Middle East where large numbers of civilians have risen up this year to call for greater democracy and freedoms. But many people have died during clashes and protests and United Nations officials have repeatedly warned about the humanitarian and human rights situation.

The violence continues despite international efforts to promote a peaceful political transition. Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, reported that the security situation has deteriorated "very dramatically," with five or six provinces now out of Government control and Sana'a divided between rival forces.

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