BEIRUT, Lebanon — Yemen, one of the Middle East’s most impoverished countries and a haven for Al Qaeda militants, became the latest Arab state to see mass protests, as thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in the capital and other regions demand a change in government.
But in contrast to demonstrations in Egypt this week and the month of protests that brought down the government in Tunisia, the Yemen marches appeared to be carefully organized and mostly peaceful, and there were no immediate reports of clashes. Predictably, the protests were most aggressive in the restive south.
In Sana, at least 10,000 protesters led by opposition members and youths activists gathered at Sana University and around 6,000 more elsewhere, according to local news reports. Some groups carried banners and wore headbands and sashes that were color-coordinated by opposition party.
The government responded by sending a large number of security forces into the streets, said Nasser Arabyee, a Yemeni journalist in Sana reached by phone.
“There are very strict security measures, antiriot forces,” he said, adding that security forces for the moment were closely monitoring the gatherings in the capital.
Full Story: Thousands in Yemen Protest Against the Government – NYTimes.com.