Fighting In Yemen's Capital

In Sana, Yemen, security forces fired machine guns and other weapons on demonstrators Sunday, September 18th, killing 24 people and injuring over 200. Demonstrators were protesting for President Abdullah Saleh to step down from power and agains Yemen's devided military that is instilling the fear of a possible civil war. Anti-government protesters were shot at from rooftops and protesters marching on the Ring Road were attacked with tear gas and gunfire in a massacre that lasted about an hour. The army that opened fire was being lead by General Yahya Saleh, the newphew of president Saleh. General Saleh denied that the army used any gunfire and the Yemen government claims that gun-fire was between local residents and the protesters. the attacks were said to reflect on going tension between President Saleh's security forces and his main rival, the Ahmar family. A makeshift hospital was put together to tend to the wounded victims. After repeatedly refusing to step down, President Saleh issued a decree that he would negotiate and sign a transfer-of-power agreement. It is unclear is negotiating will actually follow through. Some Yemen officials are not hopeful that the president will step down and the attack on protesters was an attempt to put an end to the effors for a peaceful resolution to the problems in Yemen.

By Blake Sabatke

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/world/middleeast/yemeni-forces-open-fire-killing-protesters.html?hp