Thousands demand ouster of Yemen's president

Yemeni students chant slogans calling on their president Ali Abdullah Saleh to leave the government and follow Tunisian ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali into exile during a protest in Sanaa, Yemen. AP photo

Drawing inspiration from the revolt in Tunisia, thousands of Yemenis fed up with their president's 32-year rule demanded his ouster in a noisy demonstration that appeared to be the first large-scale public challenge to the strongman.
Saturday's protests in Yemen appeared to be the first of their kind. The nation's 23 million citizens have many grievances: they are the poorest people in the Arab world, the government is widely seen as corrupt and is reviled for its alliance with the United States in fighting al-Qaeda, there are few political freedoms and the country is rapidly running out of water.
Still, calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down had been a red line that few dissenters dared to test.
In a reflection of the tight grip Saleh's government and its forces have in the capital - outside the city, that control thins dramatically - Saturday's demonstration did not take place in the streets, but was confined to the grounds of the University of San‘a.
Around 2,500 students, activists and opposition groups gathered there and chanted slogans against the president, comparing him to Tunisia's ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, whose people were similarly enraged by economic woes and government corruption, reported the Associated Press. "Get out get out, Ali. Join your friend Ben Ali," the crowds chanted.
On Sunday, about 200 journalists marched in the capital to demand the release of press freedom activist Tawakel Karman and other detainees, while witnesses said student protesters clashed with police in San‘a.
One of the organizers, Fouad Dahaba, said the demonstration was only a beginning and they will not stop until their demands are met. "We will march the streets of San‘a, to the heart of San‘a and to the presidential palace. The coming days will witness an escalation," said Dahaba, an Islamist lawmaker and head of the teachers' union.
Making good on that pledge will be difficult. Like other entrenched regimes in the Arab world, Yemen's government shows little tolerance for dissent and the security forces - bolstered by U.S. military aid intended for fighting the country's virulent al-Qaeda offshoot - are quick to crack down.
Police fired tear gas at Saturday’s demonstrators, whose grievances include proposed constitutional changes that would allow the president to rule for a lifetime. Around 30 protesters were detained, a security official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
On Sunday, clashes broke out as security forces tried to disperse the students in the capital, Agence France-Presse reported, citing witnesses. A cameraman for Al-Arabiya satellite channel who was filming the clashes was briefly detained, his station said. And a cameraman for Al-Jazeera was beaten by police, the Qatar-based station said.
Since the Tunisian turmoil, Saleh has ordered income taxes slashed in half and has instructed his government to control prices. He also ordered a heavy deployment of anti-riot police and soldiers to several key areas in the capital and its surroundings to prevent any riots.
Nearly half the population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and doesn't have access to proper sanitation. Less than a tenth of the roads are paved. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes by conflict, flooding the cities.
The government is riddled with corruption, has little control outside the capital, and its main source of income - oil - could run dry in a decade.
Protests were also held in the southern port city of Aden, where calls for Saleh to step down were heard along with the more familiar slogans for southern secession. Police fired on demonstrators, injuring four, and detained 22 others in heavy clashes.
Military forces responded harshly to two similar protests a day earlier in four cities in the nearby southern province of Lahj, even firing mortar shells that killed one woman. The response forced residents to flee.
Besides the battle with al-Qaeda's local franchise, which has taken root in the country's remote and lawless mountains, Yemen's government is also trying to suppress the secessionist movement and a separate on-and-off rebellion in the north.
Adding popular street unrest to that mix could present the government with a new challenge, though it has shown itself to be resilient even to the occasional al-Qaida attacks to penetrate the capital's defenses.