Official death tolls have varied wildly today, but as violence erupted across Yemen and a massive crackdown on protesters was launched in the capital city of Sanaa, indications are that at least 70 people were slain.
This included security forces bulldozing protest tents in Sanaa and reports of sporadic gunfire and massive explosions across the city. The Saleh regime lost a number of government buildings in Sanaa last week to pro-protester tribal forces, but later chased them off.
But the tribes are still looming over the city, with a growing number of the formidable factions joining pro-democracy protesters in demanding Saleh’s ouster. Saleh has repeatedly ruled out leaving office. The tribes remain on the march.
Meanwhile, pro-regime warplanes also launched a series of air strikes against the city of Zinjibar. The city was lost over the weekend, reportedly to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
