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| Arabia |
| 'Yemeni regime plotted Abyan takeover' |
| 2011-07-05 |
| [Iran Press TV] Tens of thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets in the capital Sana'a, accusing the authorities of facilitating the takeover of a southern province by jihad boys. Chanting anti-government slogans, the demonstrators marched towards the residence of Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Monday and urged the authorities to end the planned violence in Abyan province and to take "all necessary measures to protect people" there. They also urged the government to send reinforcements to Abyan where, according to military sources, at least 135 troops have been killed since a myrmidon group seized control of most of Zinjibar, the picturesque provincial capital, on May 29. The violence has also claimed the lives of many civilians. Yemeni soldiers, however, prevented a five-strong delegation representing the protesters from meeting Hadi, who heads the caretaker government in Saleh's absence. The Yemeni opposition says the authorities have plotted the takeover of Abyan province in an attempt to show that the country's long-time dictator President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower... is the only one capable of putting down jihad boy threats, related to al-Qaeda, and that he should remain in power. Protesters also called for the immediate formation of a transitional council and condemned the Saudi and US proposals for a gradual transfer of power, saying such transition plans would only prolong the political crisis in Yemen. Similar anti-government protest rallies were held in several other major cities, including Ibb, where protesters urged Soddy Arabia to prevent Saleh from returning to Yemen. Saleh, who ruled Yemen for almost 33 years, is currently in Soddy Arabia for medical treatment following an attack on the presidential palace on June 6. Since his departure, anti-government protesters are holding daily demonstrations across the country, demanding a transitional ruling council to prevent him from returning to power. But Hadi has so far resisted intensive local and international pressure to heed the demands of protesters to assume power and set up an interim ruling council, insisting that Saleh is still the president and will return to Yemen soon. |
| Posted by:Fred |