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Reports from Yemen today are mainly focusing on the street battles between government forces and armed tribesmen (pictured above) in the capital, Sanaa, which killed at least 41 people, according to the AP. But the unrest in the country, fueled by nearly four months of protests calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down, is actually playing out on numerous fronts this week, highlighting just how fragmented and fragile Yemen is right now. Let's take a brief tour of the various flashpoints:
Clashes With Tribes in Sanaa: The skirmishes between Yemeni forces and tribesman loyal to loyal to the family of Hamid al-Ahmar, Saleh's most powerful tribal rival, spilled into new neighborhoods today, as the two sides jockeyed for control of government buildings. Sanaa's residents, according to the AP, had to "cower in basements or brave gunfire to fetch bread and water." The Guardian describes the Hasaba neighborhood, where fighting is fiercest, as a "ghost-town where Kalashnikov-wielding tribesmen stalk the streets." This video from The Telegraph shows some of the explosions in the capital:
And this Reuters photo shows families fleeing their homes in Sanaa: