A wave of change is soaking the Middle East.
First, it was Tunisia, where protests against President Ben Ali left 219 dead; Egypt has being leading the news for the last ten days, and yesterday, Yemen experienced its first day of anti-government protests.
It seems that the Middle East is witnessing a people's revolution, as one country inspires another in a domino effect
Yesterday, Cairo's Tahrir Square experienced the most violent day so far in the ten days of demonstrations. Clashes between anti and pro-Mubarak protesters left six people dead and more than 800 wounded.
Overnight, fire was opened on the anti-Mubarak demonstrators, some of whom were shot in the head. Many victims believe that the pro-government demonstrators were secret policemen. However, the Egyptian military stood by their promise of not using violence against the protesters. Yesterday though, The army's role was to set up a clear buffer zone around the square to separate the clashes. Although the soldiers called for peace, 3,000 supporters and 10,000 opponents of President Mubarak continued the fight by throwing rocks to each other.
Yet despite these violent events, the situation remains much the same.
On one side, President Mubarak wants to stay until September. Yesterday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hossam Zaki rejected talk about a transitional stage now starting in Egypt, and said: ”Pledges made by President Hosni Mubarak in a speech on Tuesday established a clear-cut roadmap to implement the popular demands.”
On the other side, protesters keep demanding that Mr Mubarak steps down immediately, refusing to wait for seven months. Opposition leaders, including Mr ElBaradei, and the mass Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, told Reuters that: “Only the president's departure and an end to violence would bring [them] to negotiations.”
Thirst for change spreads to Yemen
A new so-called “Day of Rage”, which is becoming increasingly more common within the Middle East, has taken place today in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Since early this morning, more than 20,000 activists have congregated in a central square protesting against yesterday's announcement of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's offer of stepping down in 2013.
Like President Mubarak in Egypt, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been Yemen's president for more than 30 years.
With shouts claiming: "No to corruption, no to dictatorship" and “The people want regime change," civil society groups and opposition leaders complained about poverty and a lack of political freedom in the country.
However, in Yemen, the number of anti-government protesters is equal to the number people who support the government, so the situation seems more balanced than the situation in Egypt. For now, at least.
By Eva Fernandez
First, it was Tunisia, where protests against President Ben Ali left 219 dead; Egypt has being leading the news for the last ten days, and yesterday, Yemen experienced its first day of anti-government protests.
It seems that the Middle East is witnessing a people's revolution, as one country inspires another in a domino effect
Yesterday, Cairo's Tahrir Square experienced the most violent day so far in the ten days of demonstrations. Clashes between anti and pro-Mubarak protesters left six people dead and more than 800 wounded.
Overnight, fire was opened on the anti-Mubarak demonstrators, some of whom were shot in the head. Many victims believe that the pro-government demonstrators were secret policemen. However, the Egyptian military stood by their promise of not using violence against the protesters. Yesterday though, The army's role was to set up a clear buffer zone around the square to separate the clashes. Although the soldiers called for peace, 3,000 supporters and 10,000 opponents of President Mubarak continued the fight by throwing rocks to each other.
Yet despite these violent events, the situation remains much the same.
On one side, President Mubarak wants to stay until September. Yesterday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hossam Zaki rejected talk about a transitional stage now starting in Egypt, and said: ”Pledges made by President Hosni Mubarak in a speech on Tuesday established a clear-cut roadmap to implement the popular demands.”
On the other side, protesters keep demanding that Mr Mubarak steps down immediately, refusing to wait for seven months. Opposition leaders, including Mr ElBaradei, and the mass Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, told Reuters that: “Only the president's departure and an end to violence would bring [them] to negotiations.”
Thirst for change spreads to Yemen
A new so-called “Day of Rage”, which is becoming increasingly more common within the Middle East, has taken place today in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Since early this morning, more than 20,000 activists have congregated in a central square protesting against yesterday's announcement of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's offer of stepping down in 2013.
Like President Mubarak in Egypt, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been Yemen's president for more than 30 years.
With shouts claiming: "No to corruption, no to dictatorship" and “The people want regime change," civil society groups and opposition leaders complained about poverty and a lack of political freedom in the country.
However, in Yemen, the number of anti-government protesters is equal to the number people who support the government, so the situation seems more balanced than the situation in Egypt. For now, at least.
By Eva Fernandez
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