Calls for Political Change Keep Protests Going in Mideast

18 February 2011

An anti-government protester in Bahrain is carried to a vehicle to be taken to a hospital after being shot Friday during a demonstration in Manama.

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Anti-government protests continued this week in several countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

In Bahrain, the crown prince went on television Friday and appealed for calm. Thousands of mourners tried to return to Pearl Square in Manama, the capital, after a funeral for an anti-government protester.

Security forces fired on the mourners, who were disobeying a protest ban. Local officials and witnesses said at least twenty-three people were wounded. Later, angry protesters gathered next to a hospital. Many shouted "Down with Khalifa" -- Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.

The military cleared Pearl Square of protesters during a raid on Thursday. The protests in Bahrain began on Monday.

Seventy percent of Bahrain's population is Shi'ite, but Sunni Muslims lead the government. Bahrain is also home to the United State Navy's Fifth Fleet.

In Yemen, demonstrators have been calling for more than a week for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign. Thousands protested across Yemen on Friday. Protesters fought with security forces in Aden. Medical officials say four people were shot to death.