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    December 24, 2011

Yemeni Troops Kill 7 Protesters in Sana'a

   VOA News
   Protestors carry an injured man from the site of clashes with security
   forces in Sana'a, Yemen, December 24, 2011.
   Photo: AP
   Protestors carry an injured man from the site of clashes with security
   forces in Sana'a, Yemen, December 24, 2011.

   Yemeni government forces in Sana'a have shot and killed at least seven
   opposition protesters participating in a giant march to the compound of
   Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
   Witnesses and medics say Yemeni troops opened fire to stop the march by
   tens of thousands of anti-government activists who reached Sana'a on
   Saturday, after a four-day journey from the city of Taiz, 270
   kilometers to the south. A total of 30 or more protesters were wounded.
   Soldiers and police also fired tear gas and used water cannon to block
   marchers south of the capital.
   Many residents of Sana'a joined the arriving protesters, who want Saleh
   to stand trial for the killings of hundreds of activists during the
   government's efforts to suppress 10 months of opposition
   demonstrations.
   Saleh has responded to the protests by agreeing to end his 33-year
   presidency after a February presidential election, a deal backed by
   Gulf nations and Yemen's ruling and opposition parties. Saleh also
   would be granted immunity from prosecution, and the agreement calls for
   all parties to back his deputy as the sole candidate in the election.
   Many activists in Saturday's march chanted, "No immunity for Saleh."
   Meanwhile, Yemeni officials say unidentified gunmen killed British
   citizen of Yemeni origin and wounded a security officer in a shooting
   on a vehicle in the southern province of Hadramout on Saturday. One
   official blamed the attack on highway robbers.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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