Yemen, April 19: As violence and unrest continues to intensify in Yemen, a passerby has been killed and several others wounded in the city of Taizz after Yemeni police fired on anti-government protesters.
The reports came in the wake of fierce clashes between Yemeni plainclothes police and anti-government protesters in the southern port city of Hudaydah on Monday, leading to injuries to at least 45 people.
Yemen has been wracked by anti-regime protests since mid-February over the country’s lack of civil liberties and extreme poverty.
Meanwhile, key Yemeni figures and lawmakers defected from the ruling party and formed a new faction in support of the popular revolution against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The UN Security Council is also set to hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss Yemen’s developments for the first time since the beginning of the uprising in the volatile country.
Inspired by revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, Yemeni protesters have been making demands for the establishment of justice and the removal of the country’s longtime ruler since January. Saleh has, however, declared that he will stay in power until the end of his term in 2013.
Some 40 percent of the Yemeni population lives on USD 2 a day or less, and one third faces food shortage.
The popular protests in Yemen have been met by riot police and supporters of Saleh, armed with knives and batons. According to local sources, the death toll in the country has surpassed 300.
—–Agencies