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Tanks Deployed In Sanaa As Top Yemeni Commanders Defect

Last updated (GMT/UTC): 21.03.2011 14:24

Three senior army commanders in Yemen have defected to the side of antigovernment demonstrators, further eroding the power base of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a close ally of Saleh and the commander of the army's powerful 1st Armored Division, is the most senior of the three commanders to join the opposition.

He announced his and his unit's defection today in a short video message.

"I announce on their behalf our peaceful support and solidarity with the youths' revolution. We support their demands," he said. "We will carry on with our duties in maintaining security and stability in the capital. Our units will be supporting our brothers in the security and armed forces. I ask God to spare Yemen any trouble."

Tanks deployed in the streets of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, following the announcement.

Several tanks drove up to the square where protesters have been camping out for weeks, while others took position outside the presidential palace, the central bank, and the Ministry of Defense.

It was unclear which tanks belonged to the opposition and which belonged to the Republican Guards, an elite force led by Saleh's son Ahmed.

The two other officers who joined the revolt are Mohammed Ali Mohsen and Hameed al-Qusaibi. Top Yemeni tribal leader Sadiq al-Ahmar today said he, too, was joining the opposition. A series of ambassadors have also quit in recent days, including Yemen's envoys to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria.

Al-Ahmar's defection comes one day after Saleh dismissed his entire cabinet in a bid to end weeks of protest. Saleh, who has ruled for 32 years over the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state, has previously pledged not to run for reelection in 2013 and has proposed political reforms.

But many Yemenis are angry at his heavy-handed response to the unrest. More than 50 protesters were killed by rooftop snipers on March 18 as they gathered in Sanaa to demand Saleh's resignation.

The bloodshed prompted him to declare a monthlong state of emergency that restricts freedom of movement and extends the police's authority.

The unrest in Yemen has sparked concern in Western countries, which regard Saleh as an ally against a local Al-Qaeda offshoot that has plotted attacks on the United States and oil producer Saudi Arabia.

compiled from agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/yemen_ protests_generals_resign/2344825.html

Copyright (c) 2011. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.