SANAA, 22 July 2005 — At least ten protesters and two army soldiers died and dozens of people were injured yesterday as violent protests broke out in six Yemeni provinces for the second day over fuel price rises.
Protests spread from the capital Sanaa to other provinces, including Houdieda, Saada, Taiz, Dhalea and Hadhramout.
In Sanaa, clashes renewed between army troops and angry protesters. One person was reportedly killed in clashes in the impoverished southern suburb of Shumaila. Municipality workers had barely finished cleaning the streets of the damage from Wednesday’s clashes when the violence erupted again. Fires broke out and gunfire was heard in several neighborhoods. The army deployed tanks and armored personnel carriers at main intersections and near vital government installations and the presidential palace.
Witnesses in the western port city of Houdieda said three protesters were killed and at least 15 others injured. They said riot police fired at angry protesters trying to storm oil facilities in the Red Sea city.
Local sources in the northern province of Saada said clashes broke out in the central city of the province where three civilians and two troopers were killed. In the southern city of Taiz, three people were killed. Violence was reported also from the southern provinces of Dhalea and Hadhramout. But no casualties were reported.
Thousands of army troops were also deployed in other main cities to thwart protests, witnesses said. Scores of people were arrested during the protests. Ten people were killed in similar protests on Wednesday
Crown Prince Abdullah telephoned President Ali Abdullah Saleh and discussed with him “the brotherly relations between the two countries as well as regional and international issues” according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The Yemeni government raised Tuesday the prices of oil derivatives by up to 260 percent as part of a restructuring program agreed with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in 1995.
The Cabinet decided to raise the price of petrol by 90 percent to 1,300 rials ($6.75) per gallon and diesel by 260 percent to 900 rials a gallon. Kerosene prices shot up by 250 percent to 900 rials per gallon and cooking gas by 100 percent to 400 rials per cylinder. The price hikes came into effect at midnight Tuesday.
Public transportation fares in Sanaa and between cities rose by 100 percent, despite a Transportation Ministry’s announcement that set the rise at only 25 percent.
Government officials said Tuesday’s subsidy cut have been delayed since 2002.
Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been reducing government subsidies on basic foodstuffs and fuel utilities since early 1995 under pressure from international donors.
