SANAA: Shiite militiamen in Yemen killed two protesters on Thursday when they opened fire on a rally in support of the beleaguered Western-backed president, a medic and an activist said.

Thousands of people had joined the demonstration in the central city of Baida, which the Houthi militiamen who control the capital seized last month, said organizing committee member Fahd Al-Tawil. The Houthis fired live rounds to disperse them, said Tawil.

A medic said “two people were killed and six others were wounded,” raising an earlier toll, after injured protester succumbed to his wounds.

Demonstrations in support of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi have multiplied since he escaped from house arrest in the capital last month.