Yemeni police block march on palace

ANTI-GOVERNMENT protesters clashed with police who were blocking them from marching to Yemen’s presidential palace in Sanaa yesterday.

The clashes occurred while President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the main opposition group were preparing for talks that the government hoped would help avert an Egyptian-style revolt in the Arabian Peninsula state, a vital US ally against al-Qaida.

Saleh decided to postpone a visit to the US planned for later this month “due to the current circumstances in the region,” the state news agency Saba said without elaborating.

About 1,000 people attended the demonstration shouting “the Yemeni people want the fall of the regime” and “a Yemeni revolution after the Egyptian revolution”, before dozens broke off to march to the palace.

In the harshest response yet to a wave of protests in the capital, police prevented the smaller group from reaching the palace, hitting them with batons, while protesters threw rocks at the police, witnesses said. Four people were injured.

Anti-government protests have gained momentum in Yemen in recent weeks, inspired by protests in Tunisia and Egypt, and prompted Saleh to offer significant concessions to calm tensions, including a pledge to step down in 2013.

Many of the Sanaa protests, including a “Day of Rage” on February 3 attended by tens of thousands of opposition and pro-government demonstrators, ended peacefully.

Although pro and anti- government protesters have clashed in recent days, police have generally stayed out of the fray in Sanaa. They have clamped down more firmly outside the capital.

Opposition officials said 10 protesters were briefly detained in Sanaa yesterday and 120 more were taken into custody overnight in Taiz after protests on Saturday.

Instability in Yemen would present serious political and security risks for Gulf states. The US relies on Saleh to help combat al-Qaida’s Yemen-based arm.

US-based Human Rights Watch criticised Yemen for allowing government supporters to assault, intimidate and sometimes clash with protesters calling on Saleh to quit.

“The Yemeni authorities have a duty to permit and protect peaceful demonstrations,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Instead, the security forces and armed thugs appear to be working together.”

There was no immediate response from Yemeni officials.