Bloodbath during protest in Sanaa, Saleh declares state of emergency

Down.. down with the regime.

Gunmen firing on an anti-government rally in the Yemeni capital Sanaa have killed at least 41 people and injured 200. ´Most of the wounds were to the head, neck and chest,´ one doctor told AFP about Friday's shooting.

The gunmen, who were said to be in plain clothes, opened fire from roof-tops overlooking the central square.

State media say the security forces had nothing to do with the violence and blamed it on ´clashes among citizens´. President Ali Abdallah Saleh has declared a state of emergency across the country. The president reportedly expressed sorrow for the violence in Sanaa, which began after Friday prayers.
Yemen's opposition condemned the shooting and urged Mr Saleh to leave, as there was no room for dialogue anymore. ´There is no longer any possibility of mutual understanding with this regime and he has no choice but to surrender authority to the people,´ Yassin Noman, rotating president of Yemen's umbrella opposition group, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. According to Reuters, tens of thousands of protesters also gathered in other cities across the country, from the southern port of Aden to Hodeida in the west.