Violence Spirals in Yemen as Protesters Clash
Violence flared again in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, on Friday, Feb. 18, as protests continued for an eighth consecutive day. Recent clashes between pro- and antiregime demonstrators have been marked by quick and brutal episodes that have sent opposition protesters scattering into the streets of Sana'a while government loyalists remain at the scene.
Inspired by this year's revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, opposition activists throughout Yemen have increased calls for Ali Abdullah Saleh, President for the past 32 years, to step down. But Saleh, who has recently made a host of concessions that include a pledge to not seek re-election in 2013, still holds some support.
Undaunted by two bloody clashes on Thursday, opposition leaders called for protests to resume after Friday prayers. Thousands gathered at Sana'a University and began marching toward the Saleh Mosque, which is named after the President and was completed in 2008 for an estimated $60 million.
As protesters reached a central underpass along the route, the crowd surged and began shouting the Arabic term for "thugs." Thousands of government supporters charged down the street from the opposite direction, wielding sticks and throwing stones. Brief fighting ensued as security forces fired shots in the air and opposition protesters dispersed.
Protests also continued Friday in Taiz, 130 miles (210 km) south of Sana'a. According to Reuters, a grenade was thrown at a crowd of opposition demonstrators, killing one and injuring at least eight. Meanwhile, local news reported that at least one protester was killed as a result of gunfire from security forces during demonstrations in the southern port city of Aden.
The most violent day of unrest in the capital was Thursday, when crowds toppled the iron fences separating the two camps and fought under a constant hail of stones. Members of both sides, carrying sticks, batons and chains, led charges back and forth amid sounds of sporadic gunfire. Dozens with head injuries fled the scene for treatment at a nearby hospital.
A small number of uniformed police officers stood beside official motorcycles parked by the scene. Uniformed security forces were not noticeable within the crowds, but antigovernment protesters accused undercover police of joining in the escalating violence. "Police are here," said 32-year-old opposition activist Bakil Mohammed al-Raman. "They're armed and dressed as civilians."
"Security is making a play," said Ibrahim al-Howry, 35, a student at Sana'a University. "They're following the same scenario that happened in Egypt, where they used gangs to fight protesters." Yemen's official state news agency, Saba, cited an official source at the Interior Ministry as saying that "security services tried to disengage the scuffle, but they could not."
As smoke billowed from tires and trash cans that had been set ablaze, pro-Saleh demonstrators chanted, "With our soul and our blood, we will sacrifice for Ali," while the opposition responded, "After Mubarak, then Ali." A shopkeeper, opening his metal door to survey the scene during a brief lull, mocked the popular antigovernment slogan, "The people want the regime to fall," that has been heard in Egypt, Tunisia and now Yemen. "The people want the blood to fall," he shouted before retreating as a volley of stones landed around him.
The melee began to dissipate in the afternoon, when opposition demonstrators led a march to Sana'a University, where protests have been taking place on a daily basis. Approximately 200 antiregime demonstrators were gathered in front of the campus when a slightly larger group of Saleh supporters appeared, holding clubs and sticks. Many of the opposition protesters had discarded their weapons during the march.
A single gunshot rang out as proregime demonstrators attacked the opposition, who fled toward the main gate of the university, where they were beaten while attempting to squeeze through a small entrance. One antiregime protester screamed, "We're peaceful!" as others scattered throughout the surrounding streets.
Previous demonstrations in Sana'a had drawn larger crowds and had been organized peacefully by the official opposition Joint Meeting Parties. But since the resignation of Egypt's former President, Hosni Mubarak, on Feb. 11, protests have erupted spontaneously, becoming increasingly violent and unpredictable.
In an interview with TIME earlier this week, prominent female activist Tawakul Karman said the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt have changed the political landscape in Yemen and energized the youth that make up the majority of Sana'a's opposition demonstrators. "They hope that each one of them can become another Wael Ghonim," Karman said, referring to the opposition activist who became a symbol of the successful protest in Egypt. "Everyone is ready to be more than a hero for their homelands — they're ready to be martyrs."
More than 1,000 people answered her call to hold the capital's first nighttime demonstration on Thursday. This time, loyalists and the opposition rallied side by side, chanting slogans and even dancing. It appeared that the event would continue peacefully.
But suddenly, government supporters attacked Karman, who escaped in a car as bottles and chunks of concrete were thrown at her. Again fighting broke out, leaving many seriously injured. According to local human-rights watchdog HOOD, more than 100 were injured over the course of the day.
These recent escalations are unlikely to deter activists in the capital in coming days. Nor are they expected to push Saleh to resign. But an extended period of violence could prove devastating to the country — Yemen boasts the second highest rate of per capita gun ownership, behind only the U.S., according to the 2007 Small Arms Survey.
Still, antiregime protesters vow they will keep taking to the streets. Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world, with nearly half of its 23 million inhabitants illiterate and 35% unemployed. "We want to build freedom like in the U.S. and Europe," said Shukri al-Shaibani, a 35-year-old orthopedic-surgery resident at the demonstration Thursday night. "We want to build our economy and create opportunities."
On Thursday, influential Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, a longtime ally of President Saleh who has been labeled a terrorist by the U.S. government, attempted to ease tensions by calling for a unity government that would include opposition members and hold elections in six months. But the move appeared to have little effect on Friday's demonstrators, who shortened their chants to a single word: "Leave."