President of Yemen fires his entire government

By Mohamed Sudam in Sanaa

Monday March 21 2011

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh fired his entire government last night after a string of allies broke ranks with him as he faces increasing pressure from street protests to step down.

Mourners buried some of the 52 anti-government protesters shot dead by rooftop snipers after Muslim Friday prayers in the Arabian Peninsula state, where tens of thousands of people have protested for weeks against Mr Saleh's three decades long rule.

Yassin Noman, rotating head of an opposition coalition, dismissed the move as "an attempt to diminish the repercussions that the regime faces after the resignations of a number of ministers and ambassadors".

Friday's bloodshed prompted Mr Saleh, a key US ally in the fight against al-Qai'da, to declare a state of emergency for 30 days that restricts freedom of movement and the right to gather.

Yemen's ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Alsaidi resigned yesterday as defections picked up steam.

A government source said neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, had been trying to quietly mediate even before Friday's shooting, and efforts were continuing.

Mr Saleh, also trying to cement a northern truce and quell southern separatism, has rejected demands to resign immediately, promising instead to step down in 2013.

A string of his allies have since broken ranks to join protesters frustrated by rampant corruption and soaring unemployment. Some 40pc of the population live on $2 (€1.40) a day, or less, and a third face chronic hunger.

Defect

In addition to the UN envoy, Yemen's Minister for Human Rights Houda al-Ban resigned yesterday, the second cabinet member to defect since Friday.

Washington, which sees Yemen as a rampart against a resurgent al-Qa'ida wing, said US citizens should avoid areas of planned demonstrations, which could turn violent. It has already urged Americans to leave Yemen.

As unrest continued across Yemen, five pro-government tribesmen were killed in clashes with northern Shi'ite rebels yesterday.

- Mohamed Sudam in Sanaa

Irish Independent

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Jerusalem bomb blast injures 25

Rescue workers and paramedics following an explosion at a bus stop in Jerusalem. Photo: AP

At least 25 people have been injured in a bomb blast at a crowded bus stop in Jerusalem, apparently the first militant attack in the city in years.

The blast could be heard throughout Jerusalem and blew out the windows of two crowded buses.

Israel's national rescue service said 25 people were injured, including 15 seriously.

Meir Hagid, one of the bus drivers, said he heard a loud explosion as he drove by the site, near the main entrance to Jerusalem and its central bus station.

"I heard the explosion in the bus stop," he said. He halted his vehicle and people got off. He said nobody in his bus was hurt.

Jerusalem suffered dozens of suicide bombings that targeted buses and restaurants during the second Palestinian uprising last decade.

But the attacks have halted in recent years and Jerusalem last experienced a suicide bombing in 2004.

The bombing came amid rising tensions between Israel and the Hamas militant group, which has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks in recent years.

Press Association

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Gaddafi 'attacking civilians' despite allied military action

THE head of US forces in Libya claimed yesterday that Col Muammar Gaddafi was continuing to attack civilians despite the allied military intervention.

Adml Samuel Locklear, who has joint responsibility for enforcing the no-fly zone, said that, according to US intelligence, Gaddafi had launched attacks on the rebel-held western city of Misrata, where four children were reportedly killed by shelling yesterday.

"It's my judgment that, despite our success, Gaddafi and his forces are not yet complying with the UN resolution due to the continued aggressive actions his forces have taken against the civilian population of Libya," he said.

His comments followed reports that Misrata was under siege by Gaddafi's forces. Tanks and snipers have been deployed to the city centre, killing more than 40 people and injuring 300.

Doctors described desperate scenes as hospitals struggled to cope with the number of injured. Surgeons were forced to operate on bullet and shrapnel wounds in hospital corridors because of a lack of space.

One doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "They are talking about a ceasefire, they are talking about a no-fly zone, for me that does not mean anything. My people here are under attack.

"In my hospital here, we have no electricity and we work with a generator. We are relieved to hear about the air strikes and the coalition forces, but on the ground we are dying every day."

Another doctor said: "Snipers are everywhere in Misrata, shooting anyone who walks by while the world is still watching. The situation is going from bad to worse. We can do nothing but wait. Sometimes we depend on one meal per day."

The dead children, two boys and two girls, were reportedly being driven out of the city when their car was hit by a shell. The oldest was 13.

"It's horrible. Their father has collapsed and is in total shock," said Saadoun, a resident.

Shelter

Gaddafi's forces were also trying to seize the western town of Zintan, near the Tunisian border, and launched attacks using heavy weapons. Many residents have already fled the town centre to seek shelter in mountain caves.

Several houses and a mosque minaret were destroyed by shelling.

Abdulrahmane Daw, a resident, said: "New forces were sent today to besiege the city. There are now at least 40 tanks at the foothills of the mountains near Zintan."

There was also fighting in the rebel-held town of Yafran, south-west of Tripoli, where at least nine people were reported to have died. One resident said: "We had been waiting for the coalition to stop the advance of Gaddafi's battalion.

"In the absence of such an intervention, the regime wanted to take the city quickly by bombarding it and carrying out massacres."

Despite the international intervention, the rebels had made little progress yesterday, raising concerns about their organisation and leadership. In eastern Libya they remained stationed outside Ajdabiyah, having made no further advance on the strategic town.

Ahmed al-Alroufi, a rebel fighter, said: "Gaddafi has tanks and trucks with missiles. We don't depend on anyone but God, not France or America. We started this revolution without them through the sweat of our own brow, and that is how we will finish it."

Adml Locklear added that Qatar's air forces would be "up and flying" by the weekend, making it the first Arab state to help enforce the no-fly zone. (? Daily Telegraph, London)

- Steven Swinford in Misrata

Irish Independent

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