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Rival forces clash; 7 killed as Yemen close to civil war

Seven people, including 4 security personnel were killed in Yemen as the country came close to a civil war with rival army factions clashing in the capital today.

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Seven people, including four security personnel were killed in Yemen as the country came close to a civil war with rival army factions clashing in the capital today and thousands of pro-democracy protesters rallying across the restive nation to demand the ouster of its US-backed President.

Pro-democracy protests continue to rock across Yemen to put pressure on long time President Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit after 32-years of power.

Yemenese capital witnessed clashes between Saleh's Republican Guards and forces loyal to Gen Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who has defected to the opposition, with Saleh continuing to hold on, despite mounting national and international pressure for him to step down.

Mohsen, a kinsman of Saleh who has thrown his weight behind the opposition and whose military units are protecting protesters in Sanaa, has welcomed a mediation proposal by the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to end the unrest.

Al Jazeera reported, five people were killed as the two sides traded fire with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades after pro-opposition soldiers flagged the car carrying pro-government security personnel who refused to be searched at a checkpoint in Amram province.

BBC described the clashes as "alarming" saying that any prolonged confrontation between the two factions would be difficult to contain and leave space open to al-Qaeda terrorists in the north and Huthi rebels in the south. The BBC report says two soldiers were killed in the clash.

Clashes also erupted in the southern city of Aden, when security personnel opened fire on protesters who threw stones and set up roadblocks to stop troops from patrolling the streets, killing two people.

More than 100 people have been killed since the start of the protest on February 11, which were inspired by popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

Tens of thousands of people are marching in cities across the country.

In addition to democratic and economic reforms, the protesters want to see legal action against Saleh and his sons, who occupy key security and political posts.

On Monday, opposition groups rejected outright a proposal by Gulf Arab countries for Mr Saleh to transfer power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

They now say they will hold talks with Gulf ambassadors to see if a timetable can be agreed and other details ironed out.

The mediation proposal calls on Saleh to transfer power to his deputy, but gives no specific time frame for him to leave office.

It also includes immunity from prosecution for Saleh and his family.

"The initiative does not clearly mention the immediate departure of the head of the regime and it did not touch on the fate of his relatives who are at the top military and security agencies that continue killing the peaceful protesters,"  the anti-government Civil Alliance of the Youth Revolution said in a statement.

The alliance, which includes 30 youth groups, said the GCC proposal was an attempt to abort the revolution.

Saleh has accepted the Gulf framework as long as it's carried out "constitutionally," but state media had initially suggested the government would reject it.

 

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