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Prominent Yemeni General Sides With Protesters
Photo: Reuters
Mourner raises his hand as he waits with others for the coffins of anti-government protesters during a funeral in Sana'a, March 21, 2011
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A prominent Yemeni general close to President Ali Abdullah Saleh is taking the side of protesters who are calling for the president to resign.
In a message broadcast Monday on Al Jazeera television, General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar announced his support for the "peaceful revolution of the youth."
Tanks deployed across the capital, Sana'a, following the the general's message.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the use of live ammunition by security forces and said the government has an obligation to protect civilians.
Ban said Monday there is no alternative to an inclusive dialogue on political, social and economic reforms to address Yemen's political crisis.
Saleh fired his entire Cabinet Sunday amid escalating protests demanding his ouster.
Leaders of the president's own tribe had joined calls for his resignation, while tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered for funerals of anti-government protesters shot dead by Saleh loyalists on Friday.
The mourners Sunday joined a mass funeral procession in the Yemeni capital for some of the 52 people killed when pro-Saleh gunmen opened fire near Sana'a University two days earlier. Yemen's government withdrew armed police from areas near the procession and replaced them with a largely unarmed force in an apparent bid to ease tensions.
The head of Saleh's Hashed tribe, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, issued a joint statement with prominent clerics late Saturday, holding the Yemeni president responsible for the killings of the protesters. They demanded that he resign the post he has held for 32 years.
Saleh declared a nationwide state of emergency Friday, shortly after the deadly crackdown on protesters in Sana'a. The killings drew condemnation from the United States and the United Nations.
The violence also has prompted more government officials to quit. Yemen's Human Rights Minister Huda al-Ban and Yemeni Ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Alsaidi resigned Sunday in protest at Friday's shootings. Several other ministers and ruling party lawmakers also have quit in recent days.
Saleh has offered to hold a dialogue with the opposition on a new constitution and promised to step down at the end of his term in 2013. Opposition groups and activists have rejected those gestures.
In a message broadcast Monday on Al Jazeera television, General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar announced his support for the "peaceful revolution of the youth."
Tanks deployed across the capital, Sana'a, following the the general's message.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the use of live ammunition by security forces and said the government has an obligation to protect civilians.
Ban said Monday there is no alternative to an inclusive dialogue on political, social and economic reforms to address Yemen's political crisis.
Saleh fired his entire Cabinet Sunday amid escalating protests demanding his ouster.
Leaders of the president's own tribe had joined calls for his resignation, while tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered for funerals of anti-government protesters shot dead by Saleh loyalists on Friday.
The mourners Sunday joined a mass funeral procession in the Yemeni capital for some of the 52 people killed when pro-Saleh gunmen opened fire near Sana'a University two days earlier. Yemen's government withdrew armed police from areas near the procession and replaced them with a largely unarmed force in an apparent bid to ease tensions.
The head of Saleh's Hashed tribe, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, issued a joint statement with prominent clerics late Saturday, holding the Yemeni president responsible for the killings of the protesters. They demanded that he resign the post he has held for 32 years.
Saleh declared a nationwide state of emergency Friday, shortly after the deadly crackdown on protesters in Sana'a. The killings drew condemnation from the United States and the United Nations.
The violence also has prompted more government officials to quit. Yemen's Human Rights Minister Huda al-Ban and Yemeni Ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Alsaidi resigned Sunday in protest at Friday's shootings. Several other ministers and ruling party lawmakers also have quit in recent days.
Saleh has offered to hold a dialogue with the opposition on a new constitution and promised to step down at the end of his term in 2013. Opposition groups and activists have rejected those gestures.
(source:voa)
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