Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Protests in Yemen Turn Deadly

On Tuesday, Yemen police forces have beaten and fired upon protestors in Sana, the capital city, killing one and injuring nine and leaving dozens suffering with the after effects of tear gas. This was the first time that live ammunition was used on protestors since the demonstrations began two months ago, though two protestors were killed by men in civilian clothes two weeks ago. Tens of thousands of protestors have accumulated outside of Sana University, and more seem to arrive each day. The new arrivals add diversity to the crowd, initially made up of only students and the unemployed, the crowd now contains individuals from all levels of society. Two different stories developed after the violence, as the protestors claimed that the police began beating protestors and the police claim that protestors had automatic rifles hidden in their camping equipment. Yemen's Interior Ministry promises to investigate the episode. Yemen's Foreign Minister appealed to wealthier Persian countries on that same day for an additional $6 billion to confront the economic crisis in the country. Also on Tuesday, a large demonstration calling for the resignation of the government was held in Dhamar, the city that many of the the ruling officials come from.

By Margaret Nunne

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