SANAA/ADEN (Reuters) – Yemen’s opposition rejected the president’s offer of a unity government yesterday, saying it would stand with the tens of thousands of protesters demanding an end to his 32-year rule.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a US ally against al Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing, has been struggling to quell daily protests that have swept across the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state, leaving 24 people dead in the past two weeks.
Yesterday, demonstrators gathered across the country, from the capital Sanaa to disparate regions where separatists or Shi’ite rebels hold sway, chanting slogans such as “No dialogue, no dialogue. You leaving is the only option.”
Violence increased against security forces in the south. Local officials said gunmen killed two soldiers in successive attacks, and a prison riot killed one inmate and wounded two guards as four prisoners escaped.
Saleh has tried to rally support from key tribal groups and military leaders. At a meeting with religious leaders, he expressed willingness to form a unity government and said Yemen would split up if the opposition came to power. “They would not be able to rule for even one week … Yemen would be divided … into four pieces by those who are riding the wave of stupidity,” Saleh said, quoted by state media.
The opposition, planning country-wide “Day of Rage” protests today, rejected the unity government offer.
“The opposition decided to stand with the people’s demand for the fall of the regime, and there is no going back from that,” said Mohammed al-Sabry, a spokesman for Yemen’s umbrella opposition coalition, the Joint Meeting Party.
Opposition to Saleh has gained steam as students and activists have taken to the streets since January, galvanised by successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
The activist movement regained support last week from the traditional political opposition, which dropped planned talks with Saleh. On Monday, the Sanaa protesters’ ranks swelled as tribesmen and Islamist groups joined the rallies.
