Sanaa, April 25: Five people have lost their lives in clashes between armed tribesmen and Republican Guard forces in southern Yemen as protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh continue nationwide.
“Four soldiers and a tribesman were killed in new fighting today,” said a police official, AFP reported on Sunday.
The clashes in the province of Lahij had also earlier claimed the lives of eight people, including six tribesmen and two soldiers.
The armed tribesmen also attacked the Republican Guard reinforcements, but the number of casualties remains unknown.
The local tribesmen regard the presence of Yemen’s Republican Guard troops in the area as a provocation.
The incident took place as hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have regularly taken to the streets in various cities since January, demanding the ouster of Saleh.
The Yemeni protesters have faced the government’s brutal crackdown by riot police and supporters of Saleh, who are often armed with knives and batons.
Yemen’s Deputy Information Minister Abdoh al-Janadi earlier confirmed at a press conference that the Yemeni incumbent president will step down and that the transition of power will take place in accordance with the Yemeni constitution.
The Yemeni opposition has agreed to the deal, which also calls for a unity government to be formed within a week.
The anti-government protesters also demand that Saleh should be held accountable for the violent crackdown on protesters.
According to local sources, the death toll in Yemen has surpassed 300 since anti-government protests began in late January.
——–Agencies