Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Deadly Blast Rocks Yemen Ammunition Factory VOA News March 28, 2011 Officials in Yemen say a blast at an ammunition factory in the country's south has killed at least 50 people. Officials say the explosion occurred Monday at the weapons factory near the town of Jaar in Abyan province. The plant was overtaken the day before by Islamic militants. Yemeni officials say militants also captured government buildings in Jaar, initially facing little resistance from security forces who appeared to have deserted the area. Yemeni officials said government troops later counterattacked and a soldier was killed. Yemeni warplanes also flew over the region. The unrest comes as Yemen's weakened president tries to deal with an escalating political crisis. Suspected al-Qaida militants attacked soldiers in Yemen's central Marib province Sunday, killing at least six Yemeni troops and wounding four others. Officials say the assailants also seized a Yemeni military vehicle.  Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has faced weeks of daily mass protests demanding that he step down after 32 years in power. His security forces have engaged in deadly confrontations with opposition activists while also fighting al-Qaida militants who have used lawless parts of Yemen to plot and carry out attacks on the government and the West. Saleh convened a meeting of his ruling General People's Congress party Sunday, vowing there will be "no more concessions" to opposition groups who he says are bent on eradicating the party rather than engaging in democratic elections. Yemeni opposition groups have rejected previous offers by Saleh to stand down before the end of his term in 2013, insisting on his immediate departure. Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.  Follow our Middle East reports on [1]Twitter and discuss them on our [2]Facebook page. References 1. http://twitter.com/VOAMidEast 2. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667? v=wall .