Troops fire on Yemen protest, killing 6, as US, Europe try to negotiate president’s removal

[Blue_Tires]

Source: WaPo

SANAA, Yemen — Security forces and plainclothes gunmen opened fire on crowds of Yemenis marching through a southern city Monday, killing at least six and wounding more than 30, in an intensifying crackdown against the uprising against the 32-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Witnesses described troops and gunmen, some on nearby rooftops, firing wildly on thousands of protesters who marched past the governor’s headquarters in Taiz in the second straight day of violence in the southern city. Some — including elderly people — were trampled and injured as the crowds tried to flee, witnesses said.

Violence has swelled in recent days amid frustration over behind-the-scenes efforts to convince Saleh to step down in the face of a nearly two-month-old uprising. The United States and European countries have been contacting Saleh and his opponents, trying to find a formula for the president to leave his post with a stable transfer of power , an opposition spokesman said.

Saleh has been a key ally of the United States, which has given him millions in counterterrorism aid to fight al-Qaida’s branch in the country, which has plotted attacks on American soil. So far, Washington has not publicly demanded that he step down, but the diplomatic effort was a clear sign that the Americans have decided the danger of turmoil and instability outweighs the risks if Saleh leaves.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/troops-fire-on-yemen-protest-killing-6-as-us-europe-try-to-negotiate-presidents-removal/2011/04/04/AFPRrFaC_story.html