Yemen Unrest Deepens, Downward Spiral Spreads

May 31, 2011

Medics and other men carry an injured tribesman loyal to tribal leader Shiekh Sadiq al-Ahmar after clashes with police forces outside al-Ahmar's house in Sanaa, May 31, 2011

Yemeni government troops in Sana'a are again fighting members of the Hashid tribe, just one of several forces, including militants and anti-government protesters, seeking to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The street battles followed a brief truce between the government and forces loyal to Sheikh Sadek al-Ahmar, and threatened once again to push Yemen toward civil war.

The two sides had tentatively achieved a cease-fire Sunday, but al-Ahmar loyalists accused the government of breaking the deal with renewed attacks on the sheikh's Sana'a compound. The government countered that fault lay with Hashid fighters who retook key government buildings in Sana'a.

Meanwhile, officials and medics say suspected militants have killed at least five soldiers near the southern town of Zinjibar, which was seized by fighters described as Islamist militants in recent days. Government forces have carried out air strikes over the town.

The underlying opposition demand - that President Saleh step down as outlined in a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council - remains unchanged. Saleh has three times rejected the plan.

Tom Finn, a journalist in Sana'a, described the fighting in the past days as the heaviest since protests began against Saleh four months ago.