Sana’a, March 12: Police firing live rounds and tear gas killed one person and wounded many others in a dawn assault on an anti-government sit-in in the capital Sana’a, protest organisers said on Saturday.
Police moved in on protesters who had been camped out in University Square since February 21, they said.
One protester was killed and nearly 300 were wounded or affected by the tear gas, the medical committee set up by the protesters said.
The crackdown came despite Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh’s promise in a speech on Thursday that he would protect demonstrators, whether they were for or against his rule.
Saleh also pledged on Thursday to devolve power to Parliament through constitutional reforms that would be voted on in a referendum later this year.
His offer appeared to bow to pressure after more than a month of violent protests, was swiftly rejected by the opposition, which is demanding his immediate resignation.
Protesters have been calling on Saleh, in power since 1978, to step down despite his pledges of reform.
-Agencies