2011-03-04 Yemen's 'Friday of Warning' Brings Hundreds of Thousands Into Streets, #Yemen Gov't Fires on Protesters
WL Central will be updating news on Yemen, with new items added at the top. All times are based off of Sanaa time in Yemen. You can contact me on Twitter @kgosztola or by email at kgosztola@hotmail.com.
Current time and date in Sanaa:
FRIDAY, March 4
Many videos and pictures from the day here on this Facebook page, which has been monitoring the Yemeni revolution.
Jane Novak has posted a statement of solidarity from people in Saada, Amran, and al Jawf, an organization that intends to move to overthrow Saleh The statement makes clear how the people plan to continue to push for Saleh to step down:
* We affirm our support and solidarity with members of the Yemeni people to overthrow the corrupt regime, and we stress the following: http://armiesofliberation.com/archives/2011/03/04/saada-amran-al-jawf-organization-affirms-solidarity-in-move-to-overthrow-saleh/
* Moved that this move is within the broad popular marches and this is the cohesion and harmony with the position of people in all governorates of Yemen.
* Deplore and strongly condemn what the power of the brutal assaults against the protesters and demonstrators in the arena of freedom in all the governorates of Yemen, and as we express our Isthjanna of these criminal practices by the Authority against the people hold the power, led by Ali Abdullah Saleh and the symbols of corruption responsibility for what is happening bloodshed and the confiscation of the rights and freedoms and demand to bring them to trial before a fair judicial and independent participation of all political groups to receive their penalty kicks their crimes.
* We condemn and denounce the suspicious movements of some personalities and political parties are trying to circumvent the revolution of the people to be aborted and the nip and call upon our people to identify those conspiracies and suspicious movements and warning and danger.
* We affirm that this authority is against all unjust and must act to address them all and drop away from the small and narrow suspicious, logos, and it will not change a people-only regime change.
* Affirm that we are heading for an escalation in our positions and continuing to move and effectively and the momentum of a large rally in order to ensure the necessary pressure to bring down the regime, and we invite all members of the Yemeni people to come out in mass marches in the coming days, God willing, and continue until the overthrow of the regime.
* Announce to all our public events to organize mass rallies and protest activities are diverse and continuing until the overthrow of the regime's corrupt and oppressive and tyrannical, and we invite everyone to attend those events and to participate effectively.
Video of protesters out in Yemen demonstrating The number of people protesting swelled and was larger than previous days in the uprising.
Jane Novak, again, reports on protesters being shot in Amran. A CNN report is quoted and it says, "Security forces opened fire on anti-government protesters in northern Yemen on Friday morning, killing two people and injuring nine others." Forces apparently shot at the protesters to disperse them. Three army planes flying overhead also attacked protesters. Novak writes in reaction to the unfolding violence: "Saada was carpet bombed during the six Saada wars, beginning in 2005. Civilian areas including villages and cities were destroyed and thousands were arbitrarily arrested. A strong case exists against President Saleh for war crimes and crimes against humanity from the conduct of the military over the last several years, including blocking food and medicine to the entire region in a deliberate attempt at starving the people into submission.
Financial Times posts this report on students in Yemen, who have been inspired by Egypt and Tunisia, and asks what they've accomplished so far in their attempts to persuade President Saleh to step down.
Reuters reports on Yemen rallies growing in strength and President Saleh's rejection of a transition plan
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh rejected an opposition plan for him to transfer power this year, as demonstrations against his three-decade rule over the impoverished nation swelled into hundreds of thousands. Saleh, who has ruled the poverty-stricken Arab country for 32 years, is sticking to his earlier offer to step down only when his term ends in 2013. However, he agreed to a reform plan proposed by religious leaders earlier this week which would revamp elections, parliament and the judicial system. "The president rejected the proposal and is holding on to his previous offer," the opposition's rotating president Mohammed al-Mutawakil said on Friday. There was no direct word from the government.
Al Jazeera English reports on Yemeni soldiers firing rockets at protesters.
Soldiers fired rockets and artillery at protesters in Semla, a village in the northern province of Amran on Friday, sources said. The area, about 170km from the capital Sanaa, is a Houthi stronghold. "During a peaceful protest this Friday morning ... demanding the fall of the regime, an end to corruption and political change, a military site fired rockets at a group of protesters and hit dozens of people," Houthi rebels, named after their leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi, said in a statement. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Sanaa, said local security forces dismissed the Houthi's account of events, saying armed tribesmen tried to enter one of the city's security checkpoints by force, after which "clashes ensued, three tribesmen and four policemen were injured".