On Wednesday, at least one Yemeni demonstrator was killed in clashes
with security forces in Hablain. Witnesses said the military deployed at
least 40 T-72 main battle tanks and 100 armored personnel carriers in the
city.
"Local activists are trying to convince the government to pull its
troops off the streets so that they can persuade people to stop their
protests," Yemeni parliamentarian Nasser Mohammed Thabet said.
So far, at least 140 people have been arrested, reports from Yemen said.
Thousands of people were said to have clashed with security forces.
On March 30, the former military officers and youthful supporters
torched at least two police stations and military vehicles in the southern
city of Dhale. The protesters were also said to have stormed a state-owned
bank.
Anti-riot police were sent to disperse the attackers. The demonstrators,
many of whom were equipped with firearms, then blocked the highway to the
port city of Aden.
The violence has marked intensified unrest in Yemen amid threats by Al
Qaida. In late March, the Retired Army Association, which represents
soldiers of the former army of the Democratic Republic of South Yemen,
called
for protests to press for demands to be absorbed into the Yemeni military.
In late 2007, Sanaa launched a military recruitment drive in an effort
to bolster border security in the southern provinces of Aden and Maarib. But
the Retired Army Association said the military ignored most applicants,
including former soldiers and young people.
Southern Yemenis have long complained of discrimination by the Saleh
government. They said northern Yemenis have dominated the military and civil
service.
