Thousands protest in Yemen march

Thousands of opponents of Yemen’s government took to the streets of the capital Sanaa and other cities today a day after the president pledged not to seek another term in office.

Several thousand pro-government protesters were also marching into the centre of Sanaa with banners supporting President Ali Abdullah Saleh and accusing the opposition of intending to “destabilise and create chaos”.

His move was an apparent attempt to defuse protests inspired by Tunisia’s revolt and the turmoil in Egypt.

Several thousand protesters marched from Sanaa University calling for his regime to step down sooner. Saleh has been in power for nearly 32 years.

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world and is beset by an al Qaida offshoot attacking government forces and foreign embassies.