Clashes mark 'Friday of Rage' in Yemen's capital

[February 18, 2011]  SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- Riot police fired shots in the air and used tear gas against thousands of government opponents who also clashed with supporters of Yemen's longtime ruler on what protest organizers billed as a nationwide "Friday of Rage." At least four people were wounded.

Riots also flared overnight in the southern port of Aden, the country's second-largest city, with police shooting to death one demonstrator after cars and a local government building were set ablaze, officials said. Tens of thousands rallied in the southern city of Taiz, a hotbed of dissent.

It was the eighth straight day of protests in Yemen inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Demonstrators in the Arab world's poorest country are calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh -- a key U.S. ally in fighting al-Qaida terrorists -- who has ruled the country for 32 years.

Organizers using social media sites Facebook and Twitter in summoning people to the streets for the "Friday of Rage" following noon prayer, and tens of thousands responded in the major cities of Sanaa, Taiz and Aden.

A preacher at the Sanaa University mosque spoke out against torture and beating of demonstrators, telling many protesters who had gathered there: "We have been living for 30 years without purpose or hope."

After the service, the protesters marched toward the presidential palace, chanting anti-government slogans, and were met by riot police and hundreds of Saleh supporters, similar to confrontations earlier this week. The pro-and anti-government sides attacked each other with rocks, and the riot police began firing in the air and launching tear gas canisters.

At least four people were hurt seriously enough to be taken away by ambulances.

The demonstrators dispersed to other streets, some of which were blocked by police.

In Aden, protesters burned four government cars and a local council building in the Sheik Othman neighborhood. Similar government buildings in the Mansoura and Crater districts were set on fire in the past two days.

Later on Friday, thousands marched through the city.

A large demonstration also was reported in eastern Hadramawt province, where police fired in the air to disperse protesters.

Saleh, a weak but increasingly important partner for Washington, had pledged not to seek re-election in 2013 and not to pass power to his son. The promise was seen as an attempt to defuse growing calls for his ouster.

Opposition groups said they are suspicious of Saleh's offer, however, and want concrete proposals for change.

Yemen has become a main battleground against al-Qaida. The government, which receives millions of dollars in U.S. military aid, has allowed American drone strikes on al-Qaida targets and has stepped up counterterrorism cooperation.

The U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, thought to be hiding in Yemen, is believed to have inspired and even plotted or helped coordinate recent attacks on the U.S. Those include the failed December 2009 bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner and the unsuccessful plot to send mail bombs on planes from Yemen to the U.S.

Al-Awlaki also is believed to have inspired the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, and had ties to some of the 9/11 hijackers.

Yemen is the poorest Arab country, with nearly half the population living below the poverty line of $2 a day and a government riddled with corruption. It also is plagued by shrinking water and oil resources and an inability to feed its people. Poverty and malnutrition are rampant in the country's rugged hinterlands.

Tens of thousands of residents have been displaced from their homes by conflict. The country is wrestling with a lingering tribal uprising in the north and a secessionist movement in the south.

[Associated Press; By AHMED AL-HAJ]

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