Yemen opposition refuses to call off 'day of rage'

Opposition leaders in Yemen vowed Wednesday to go ahead with their anti-government "day of rage," despite a pledge by President Ali Abdullah Saleh not to extend his rule.

Reuters

Saleh called on the opposition to cancel their protest after announcing a freeze on proposals that would have allowed him to remain president for life.

"Thursday's demonstration will continue as scheduled," said Mohammed Kahtan, a member of the Islamist Al-Islah (Reform) party in the Yemeni consultative council.

And Mohammed al-Sabri, a leader of the parliamentary opposition alliance, the Common Forum, called Saleh’s demand “unacceptable".

"We will look into the president's speech, although his announcements came late," he said.

Until last weekend, demonstrations had been taking place on a nearly daily basis in the capital Sanaa, echoing anti-government protests in Egypt and Tunisia.

In central Sanaa on Wednesday, dozens of armed men from Saleh's General People's Congress were seen setting up tents in Al-Tahreer square and carrying portraits of the president.