Soldiers opened fire at anti-government demonstrators Friday in northern Yemen, killing four people and wounding seven.
Witnesses said the shootings in the town of Harf Sofyan occurred as soldiers tried to disperse thousands who took to the main street for Friday prayers. Tens of thousands also assembled amid tight security near Sana University in the capital to call for Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters also demonstrated in Taiz, Hadramawt, Ibb and Hudaydah in what was dubbed the “Friday of the national cohesion.” Several thousand government supporters staged counterdemonstrations in the capital, urging the opposition to respond to the president’s call for dialogue.
BAHRAIN: Clashes highlight religious divide.
Thousands of anti-government demonstrators chanting slogans against the Sunni dynasty streamed toward the headquarters of Bahrain’s state television Friday after clashes between Sunnis and the majority Shiites leading protests in the gulf nation.
The street fighting underscored the tensions building after nearly three weeks of unrest that has left the tiny island kingdom in a stalemate between the Sunni monarchy and Shiite-led demonstrators, who claim widespread discrimination and demand a greater voice in the nation’s affairs.
JORDAN: Opponents want more say in government.
Political opponents amplified their calls Friday for the nation’s new prime minister to resign and demanded to be brought into a unity government to usher in swift reforms designed to open up the kingdom’s politics.
“Enough is enough; our patience has run out,” said political independent Sufian Tal, reflecting the views of many of the 2,000 Jordanians who took to the streets of Amman.
The U.S.-allied King Abdullah II, who so far has not faced calls for his ouster, appointed a new prime minister and ordered him to implement some political changes, including a fairer election law. But protesters also are demanding that Abdullah give up the power to appoint the prime minister and the rest of the Cabinet.
TUNISIA: New Cabinet to debut soon.
The prime minister said Friday that he will present a new Cabinet in coming days to help get beyond the renewed bout of violence in the North African country — which led his predecessor to quit — and pull the country back from the “abyss.”
Beji Caid-Essebsi’s announcement was the latest step by Tunisia’s interim leaders to stabilize the country after longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled amid protests in January — sparking unrest across the Arab world.
IRAQ: Thousands rally for better pay, services.
Thousands of Iraqis rallied in Baghdad and other cities Friday in anti-government demonstrations, despite security checkpoints and a vehicle ban that forces many to walk for hours to the heart of the capital.
Most of the protests were peaceful, but police used water cannons against demonstrators in the southern city of Basra and beat some journalists covering the demonstrations. The protesters want improved government services, better pay and an end to corruption.
DJIBOUTI: Government thwarts protests.
Soldiers and police filled the streets of Djibouti on Friday to prevent a planned demonstration against the president by opposition parties, officials said.
Djibouti — a tiny East African nation that hosts a U.S. military base — saw thousands turn out at an anti-government demonstration two weeks ago.
Protesters said that they planned to hold another rally Friday but that the government denied them permission and sent security forces into the street.
President Ismail Omar Guelleh has served two terms and faces an election in April, but critics lament changes he made to the constitution last year that scrubbed a two-term limit from the nation’s bylaws.
The Associated Press
