One Dead as Yemeni Troops Fire on Protesters

Yemen troops opened fire Sunday on protesters calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to be tried for crimes against Yemenis, killing one person, hours before he was expected to make a speech.

The protester was shot in the head as he shouted into a megaphone while perched on top of a minivan that was leading the march of tens of thousands of people in the city, an Agence France Presse correspondent reported.

The protesters, who set off from Change Square, the epicenter of the pro-democracy movement in the capital, chanted "Freedom! Freedom! The people want the butcher tried!"

Their demand comes after the bloodiest week Sanaa has seen since mass anti-government protests calling for Saleh's resignation erupted in January, prompting fears of renewed clashes.

In all, more than 170 people, mostly unarmed protesters, have been killed in the capital since last Sunday.

Most of the casualties were anti-government protesters killed when security forces used artillery and gunfire and to disperse demonstrating crowds.

In Yemen's second largest city of Taez, three people were killed and three others were wounded in clashes early on Sunday.

The overnight fighting erupted between armed tribesmen who have thrown their support behind anti-government protesters and security forces loyal to Saleh.

Two tribesmen were killed and three others were wounded, a tribal source told AFP, requesting anonymity.

A medical official in Taez said a third man was shot early on Sunday by government troops.

The clashes came a day after Yemeni security forces in Taez, including the elite Republican Guard troops commanded by Saleh's son Ahmed, bolstered their deployment throughout the city and on its outskirts.

Also on Sunday, witnesses said that the army bombed central Taez.

Four people were wounded when their car was hit in the shelling, they said.

The beefed up military deployment came after Saleh's return to Yemen on Friday after a near four-month absence.

He flew in from Saudi Arabia where he received treatment for wounds sustained in a June explosion at his presidential compound.

Taez has been the scene of intense clashes between government troops and anti-government protesters since calls for Saleh's resignation first began.

In June, influential tribal leaders deployed armed men to protect the pro-democracy protesters in Taez, leading to regular firefights and bloody clashes between the two sides.

At least eight people have been killed there in the past week, six of them civilians, according to medical officials.

The latest protests came amid renewed calls by the United Nations, the United Stares and Gulf leaders for Saleh to step down and transfer power to Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.