YEMEN: Nation on brink of civil war as dozens die in streets.
Street battles between Yemeni government forces and armed tribesmen killed dozens of people Wednesday in this country teetering on the brink of civil war, forcing residents to cower in basements or brave gunfire to fetch bread and water.
Nearly four months of mass protests calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster have exacerbated already dire poverty.
Yemen’s mainly peaceful protests gave way to fighting last week between Saleh’s security forces and fighters loyal to the head of Yemen’s most powerful tribal coalition, Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar. That was the tipping point that pushed the anti-government uprising toward civil war.
At least 41 people were killed Wednesday as clashes spread to new quarters of the city.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saleh’s refusal to step down was prolonging the crisis.
“We cannot expect this conflict to end unless President Saleh and his government move out of the way to permit the opposition and civil society to begin a transition to political and economic reform,” she told reporters in Washington.
BAHRAIN: Security forces attack peaceful protesters.
Hours after Bahrain officially ended 11 weeks of martial law Wednesday, security forces attacked peaceful protesters in more than 20 villages with rubber bullets, stun grenades, shotguns and tear gas, according to human-rights observers in Bahrain.
The renewed crackdown came one day after the king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, called for a national dialogue aimed at reconciliation, while also making it clear he would not tolerate public protests.
SYRIA: Assad opponents gather to organize.
For nearly three months, protesters in Syria have repeatedly braved bullets to take to the streets, first demanding reforms and then the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
On Wednesday, the movement to transform Syria appeared to take a critical step forward in an unlikely spot: With this sunny beach resort town as a backdrop, about 300 Assad opponents gathered at a hotel to try to give structure and voice to a movement that has been leaderless and disparate.
Because most activists in Syria were prevented from attending the conference because of security concerns — and given the history of squabbling within the exiled Syrian community — it was unclear whether the effort would succeed.
AUSTRALIA: Country lobbies for Syrian president to be tried in international court.
Australia is lobbying for Syrian President Bashar Assad to be tried by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity over his regime’s violent suppression of protesters.
Officials told an Australian Senate committee today that letters were sent to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the U.N. Security Council requesting that the situation in Syria be referred to the Hague-based court so members of Assad’s regime can be prosecuted.
