Yemen security forces fire on protesters

Anti-regime protesters fled a security crackdown on Sunday that left two people dead [AFP]

Yemeni security forces have opened fire on protesters outside a government building in the southern city of Taiz, reportedly killing three persons and wounding at least 10 others. 

A medical official said the body of a protester shot dead had been received at the local hospital while dozens of injured people had been admitted, among them five with bullet wounds, one in a serious condition, the AFP news agency reported on Monday.

He identified one of the dead protesters as Mohammed Abdelhaq, 35.

The attack early on Monday came after two protesters were killed a day earlier when government troops tried to break up the same demonstration, which has blocked the main Jamal Road near the regional education ministry.

Thousands of teachers demanding better pay and the postponement of final exams have been staging a sit-in outside the ministry building for weeks, but they were joined on Sunday night by hundreds of anti-regime protesters who set up tents and stayed through the night.

The teachers, joined by some students, had also chanted slogans against Yemen’s long-time president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

“A large force of police and army attacked protesters and then chased them in residential areas. They opened fire and used tear gas heavily,” Bushra al-Maqtari, an activist in Taiz, said. The security forces also used armoured vehicles, witnesses said.

Many demonstrators across Yemen, who include students, tribesmen and activists, have vowed to stay on the streets until Saleh, who has clung to power despite three months of protests, steps down. Around 150 people have been killed in the unrest.