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Yemen's "Oil" Clashes Resume, 14 Killed
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Demonstrators carry a dead protestor in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. (Reuters)
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SANAA,
July 21, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – At least 14
people have been killed and scores others wounded in a second day of
deadly clashes Thursday, July 21, between Yemeni security forces and
demonstrators over a government decision to hike fuel prices.
Four
protestors have been killed Thursday and ten others wounded when an
exchange of fire broke out between security forces and armed
demonstrators in the town of Al-Dali, 250 kilometers (155 miles) south
of the capital Sanaa, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.
The
protestors damaged vehicles and shops in the town of Loder, in the
southern province of Abyan, witnesses told AFP.
The
clashes were also reported in at least three towns in the south and
north of the impoverished country, with government forces, backed by
army tanks and armored vehicles, deployed along main roads, they said.
Similar
clashes also raged in the northwestern city of Saada.
The
bloody confrontations erupted Wednesday after a Cabinet decision
Tuesday to put into effect new fuel prices and lift subsidies to fuel
products.
Petrol
prices in the impoverished republic nearly doubled from 35 riyals (32
cents) per liter to 65 riyals (60 cents). Diesel jumped from 17 riyals
(16 cents) to 45 riyals (42 cents).
Heavily
Deployed
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Rioters blocked streets by setting fire to tires. (Reuters)
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Yemeni
army and security forces have been heavily deployed in the capital
Sanaa and other major towns in the south where similar clashes broke
out Wednesday, leaving at least 10 dead and scores wounded.
Tanks
and armored vehicles took up positions on main crossroads in the
capital and other towns as patrols roamed main streets, according to
witnesses.
In
Sanaa, loudspeakers mounted on police cars called on residents not to
take part in "destructive acts and riots" as "the
security and stability of the country is the responsibility of all
citizens."
Earlier
Wednesday, armed demonstrators, angered by the government's decision,
opened fire on the headquarters of the ruling General People's
Congress (GPC) party, as thousands took to the streets, a party source
told AFP.
The
source, who was inside the headquarters of the party, said a hail of
bullets was fired in the direction of the party offices.
Demonstrators
also reportedly attempted to storm the house of Yemeni Vice President
Abdrabo Mansur Hadi, but were met by machine-gun fire and tear-gas
bombs.
The
clashes were the heaviest death toll in Yemen protests since 1998,
when 34 people died in two weeks of demonstrations and violent clashes
over price hikes.
"This
is a natural reaction because the government's reforms are a lie and
we can't take it any more ... This government is making the rich
richer and the poor poorer," one man told AFP.
Analysts
said the riots posed a challenge to the government of President Ali
Abdullah Saleh struggling to prevent a collapse of a debt-ridden
economy with high unemployment and poverty, Reuters reported.
"What
happened today was a spontaneous reaction by the people who feel
targeted in their livelihood. Such riots will hurt the country's
stability," said analyst Saeed Thabet.
Yemen,
situated at the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has a
population of 19.7 million, and Gross National Product (GDP) per
capita does not exceed 800 dollars.
World
Bank figures show more than 42 percent of Yemeni people live below the
poverty line, with illiteracy estimated at 50 percent and unemployment
at over 20 percent.
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