Pro-Saudi Forces Kill Yemen Protesters Demanding End to Occupation

Governor vows anyone threatening stability will be dealt with

Pro-Saudi Yemeni soldiers have attacked and killed at least three protesters in eastern Yemen, responding to public protests demanding an end to the Saudi occupation with live fire.

Locals reported that there were dozens of protesters present when the troops started firing. Three have been killed, and four others wounded, according to their reports.

The attacks appear to have been the governor’s doing, as he had announced on Tuesday that “anyone threatening stability would be dealt with firmly.” It has subsequently been reported that he ordered security forces to open fire on any protesters.

The Mahra Province is generally relatively quiet, but the arrival of a number of Saudi reinforcements this week appears to have inflamed tensions, and has fueled calls to end the occupation.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.