Two people were killed on Saturday in clashes between opposition activists and police in southern Yemen on the eve of a political meeting, witnesses told AFP. They said six people were also wounded during the violence in Al-Habilain 340 kilometres (210 miles) south of the capital Sanaa when police confronted opposition supporters.The clash came ahead of an opposition-organised demonstration on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the October 14, 1964 uprising against British rule in what was then south Yemen. No official confirmation of the clash was immediately available. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest against rising prices in one of the world's poorest countries and to press for better public services. The protests have been orchestrated by opposition parties including the Al-Islah (Reform) Party, the main Islamist opposition party, and the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), which ruled the former south Yemen. Two people were killed and 18 wounded -- including 11 police officers -- in clashes between security forces and protesters on September 10 in the southern town of Dhaleh.
On October 6 the official Saba news agency reported an interior ministry warning to political parties and professional associations that anyone staging unauthorised demonstrations "will have to take the consequences."