However, despite Saleh's successive concessions, the demonstrations continued unabated on Tuesday — the fifth day of protests. Approximately 2,000 protesters armed with rocks and batons fought government loyalists in the capital before the police stepped in and took control of the situation.
Riot police blocked the protesters marching down a street leading to the presidential palace. As they dispersed into side streets, they were confronted by hundreds of government backers and both groups hurled rocks at each other.
Some loyalists beat a Parliament member who had joined anti-government protesters. Ahmed Seif Hashid told Reuters that he believed the ruling party had hired men for support, with some of them carrying daggers.
“Most of them were not members of the ruling party, they were hired thugs,” he said. “Some of them tried to stab me in the back. The attacks here keep happening, they want to occupy the places used for protests.”
A few hundred men had been waiting for protesters as they gathered at Sanaa University, the launch pad for anti-government rallies. Some waved pictures of Saleh, most carried batons.
In Taiz, demonstrators seemed to be bloodied but unbowed after five days of demonstrations.
Explaining Saleh’s new initiative, Saba said: “This step comes in the framework of the close and strong relationship that the president has long maintained with the nation … in order to serve the national interest and strengthen the national mobilization to confront the challenges that face the country.”
Saleh also received at the presidential palace, for the fourth consecutive day, the heads of influential tribes that live in Sanaa’s neighboring governorates. The tribesmen expressed their allegiance to the president and pledged their support in light of the challenges that face the country, the agency reported.
In another development, Yemen denied reports about the death of top wanted Saudi militant Saeed Al-Shihri, second-in command of Al-Qaeda in Yemen.
Brig. Gen. Abdulrazag Al-Marouni, the head of Abyan Province Security, told the Ministry of Defense website that what has been reported is unauthentic and misleading, and that Yemen’s security services are still pursuing Al-Shihri and other terrorists. Some sections of the Gulf press quoted anonymous source as saying Al-Shihri died in Abyan while working with explosives.
