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| Arabia |
| Tribal chiefs join opposition to Yemeni president |
| 2011-02-27 |
| SANAA: Pressure on Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign intensified on Saturday when the leaders of two of Yemen’s most important tribes abandoned the president and joined the anti-regime movement. Powerful tribal leaders, including those of the Hashid and Baqil, pledged to join protests against Saleh at a gathering north of the capital, a tribal source told AFP. “I have announced my resignation from the General People’s Congress in protest at the repression of peaceful demonstrators in Sanaa, Taez and Aden,” Hashid tribal chief Sheikh Hussein bin Abdullah al-Ahmar was quoted as saying, in reference to the ruling party. The Hashids are considered Yemen’s most powerful tribal confederation and include nine clans, among them the Sanhan, long a bulwark of Saleh’s regime. The announcement was warmly received by a large crowd of tribesmen, including members of Yemen’s second largest tribe, the Baqil, who gathered for the meeting, according to the tribal source. The two tribes announced they would support the popular uprising against Saleh, who has refused to step down after three decades in power, to chants of “the people want the fall of the regime!” |
| Posted by:Steve White |