Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed on April 23 to leave power after 32 years of rule, officials said—but only if the opposition agrees to a list of conditions, including that he and his family are granted immunity. Opposition leaders said they are prepared to accept most terms of the deal, which would establish a coalition government with members of both the opposition and ruling party. The president would turn over authority to the current vice president, though not for at least 30 days. But the opposition said it could not guarantee at least one of Saleh’s demands—that demonstrations be halted. (NYT [2], April 23)
Meanwhile, a clash between armed tribesmen and troops of Yemen's Republican Guard in the southern province of Lahij left at least eight dead, six of them soldiers, on April 22. The clashes broke out following the army's refusal to redeploy a Republican Guard unit from the mountain village of Labus, despite demands from local tribesmen. (Middle East Online [3], April 22) That same day, tribesmen and presumed al-Qaeda [4] militants killed 22 people, all but two of them soldiers, and captured dozens of others in two separate attacks in the eastern province of Marib. (Middle East Online [5], April 22)
See our last posts on Yemen [6], and the new regional revolutions [7].
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