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Dozens Killed In Yemen As Saleh Declares State Of Emergency

Benjamin Gottlieb |
March 18, 2011 | 10:57 a.m. PDT

Senior News Editor

(Photo Courtesy of IRIN)
(Photo Courtesy of IRIN)

More than 35 anti-government protesters were killed and hundreds more wounded by forces loyal to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday, as scores of demonstrators convened in Yemen's capital city of Sana'a.

The attack came after roughly 100,000 protesters convened peacefully along a mile-long stretch of road near Sana'a University to mourn the loss of the seven protesters killed in similarly violent clashes last week. The rising death toll is the highest in more than a month of anti-government demonstrations in Yemen, which continue to call for Saleh to step down as president.

"They shot people in the back of the head as they were running away," said Mohammed al-Jamil, an Indian doctor treating the wounded. "Whoever did this wanted these people to die."

Hundreds of wounded demonstrators flooded a nearby mosque for medical treatment after it was transformed into a makeshift clinic. The victims, mostly young men in their 20s, suffered mainly from gunshot wounds and tear gas.

Al Jazeera reported that many protesters killed in Sana'a were shot by live ammunition in the head and neck.

“As soon as we got up from prayer they started firing from the tops of multiple buildings in the area,” Essam al-Maqtary, a Sana'a resident, told the Christian Science Monitor. “The baltageya [thugs] lit tires on fire so nobody could see exactly where they were and so they couldn’t be recorded on video.”

Following the attack, Saleh announced a state of emergency in Yemen. The timeframe for his decree has not been decided.

Saleh - who has been in power for 32 year in Yemen - has up until now avoided violence of Friday's magnitude on anti-government protesters. However, witnesses of the killings said Yemeni security forces opened fire on demonstrators right after they began marching out of University square in Sana'a.

According to Reuters, Saleh has blamed "armed elements" amongst the anti-government protesters for the dozens killed Friday. He also asserted that citizens, not Yemeni security forces, were clashing with anti-government demonstrators.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the violence, echoing a familiar stance on the widespread Middle East unrest when asked about Yemen.

"With regard to Yemen, our message remains the same," Clinton said. "The violence needs to end, negotiations need to be pursued in order to reach a political solution."

Other reports suggest that pro-government thugs, not Yemeni security forces, were responsible for the violence.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also condemned the violence.

"I am dismayed by the reports coming from Yemen. I have repeatedly and unreservedly condemned the use of violence against protesters in Sanaa and other cities, and the loss of life," Ashton said. "Human rights and fundamental freedoms must be fully respected. President Saleh must stand by his commitments to uphold the right to peaceful protest, as he announced on March 10. I ask him to stop violence now."

Although initial projections of those killed were below three dozen, more deaths are expected as Friday's clashes come to an end.

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To reach Benjamin Gottlieb, click here.

Follow him on Twitter @benjamin_max.



 

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