YEMEN FORCES "OPEN FIRE ON PROTESTERS"

Yemen forces 'open fire on protesters'

           At least 33 anti-government protesters have been shot dead by Yemeni forces in Sanaa, doctors have told the BBC.  They said 145 were wounded when armed men in plain clothes opened fire on protesters from positions on top of buildings overlooking Taghyeer Square. A month of violence has shaken Yemen, with protesters demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down.Yemen's opposition condemned the shooting and urged Mr Saleh, who is due to address the country, to leave. "There is no longer any possibility of mutual understanding with this regime and he has no choice but to surrender authority to the people," said Yassin Noman, rotating president of Yemen's umbrella opposition group, according to Reuters. Reuters reports that tens of thousands of protesters were also gathered in cities across the country - from the southern port of Aden to Hodeida, in the west."Most of the wounds were to the head, neck and chest," one doctor told AFP about Friday's shooting. Yemen is one of a number of countries in the region that have seen unrest since the presidents of Egypt and Tunisia were ousted in popular revolts.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh in power since 1978 *Population 24.3m; land area 536,869 sq km *The population has a median age of 17.9, and a literacy rate of 61% *Youth unemployment is 15% *Gross national income per head is $1,060 (£655) (World Bank 2009)

        Thousands of people have turned out for regular demonstrations in cities including Sanaa, Aden, Taiz and elsewhere, calling for corruption and unemployment to be tackled and demanding the president step down. Some 40% of the population lives on $2 (£1.20) a day or less in the country, and a third face food shortages. The protests have often been met by riot police or supporters of President Saleh armed with knives and batons. On 9 March one person was killed and at least 80 were injured when forces opened fire on a similar protest by a group which has been camped out in front of the university since mid-February. The president has been in power for 32 years, facing a separatist movement in the south, a branch of al-Qaeda, and a periodic conflict with Shia tribes in the north. He has said he will not seek another term in office in 2013 but has vowed to defend his regime "with every drop of blood". (From BBC News)

Prof. John Kurakar