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The wires are now reporting that Yemeni security forces opened fire on tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in the capital, Sannaa, on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring at least 40 more, according to the AP. There are also reports of deaths in the southern city of Taiz and nearby Damar after clashes with security forces, and demonstrations in several other locations.
The AP, citing witnesses, paints a vivid picture of the violence in Sanaa, noting how protesters marching from a main square in the city toward the cabinet's headquarters "came under fire from snipers on rooftops, plainclothes security forces, and soldiers with anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks," with security forces also employing water cannon and tear gas. Some protesters who hopped on motorcycles to find treatment for injured protesters were stopped by officers, who loaded the injured into police vehicles.
Reuters takes us to Taiz, where "the daily rhythms of Yemen's main industrial center" are at a standstill. "Dozens of protesters were wounded by gunfire, tear gas and beatings by bat-wielding plainclothes security men," the news outlet reports, and protesters responded by lighting a police building on fire, storming government buildings, and burning tires (see above). The AFP adds that demonstrators locked the gates of the Yemen Petroleum Company with chains and posted a sign: "Shut by the people." This video, via NPR's Andy Carvin, allegedly shows the protesters seizing the police station: