Military Factions Clash in Yemen

The New York Times reports:

Fighting broke out late Tuesday between rival military factions in the capital, Sana, leaving at least two people dead, Yemeni officials said.

It was the first clash between government forces and those commanded by Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsin al-Ahmar, who announced his support for the country’s antigovernment protest movement three weeks ago.

An official from General Ahmar’s First Armored Division, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said about 100 members of the Republican Guard and Central Security Forces, elite military units commanded by President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s son and nephew, seized control of a checkpoint from General Ahmar’s troops in the northern part of the capital, Sana.

During the attack, one soldier was shot dead and about six were wounded.

A government official said at least one person was also killed from the government side. But he denied that the Republican Guards and Central Security Forces were involved in the clash, saying the fighting was between General Ahmar’s soldiers and police.

“Police clashed with the First Armored Division; their forces drew back, and then attacked again,” said the official, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the incident.

Residents near the area of attack said that they heard heavy gunfire and the sound of explosions for about half an hour around midnight.

General Ahmar, who comes from the same tribe as Mr. Saleh, announced on March 21 that his soldiers would protect antigovernment demonstrators in Sana and called for Mr. Saleh to step down after snipers linked to the government killed 52 protesters. Several other high-ranking commanders joined General Ahmar the same day.

On Wednesday morning, an exchange of gunfire between demonstrators and security forces in the southern port city of Aden resulted in the death of one protester, according to a local journalist. Protests erupted in neighborhoods throughout Aden afterward.

While antigovernment demonstrations in Sana and other cities are generally large continuous sit-ins in one area of the city, the protests in Aden are more spontaneous, with hundreds of demonstrators marching through the streets calling for the end of Mr. Saleh’s government.