Six people died as rival troops battled in the streets of the Yemeni capital for a fifth straight day Thursday, following the failure of a diplomatic bid to end the deadliest violence since mass anti-regime protests swept the country. Sporadic gunfire was heard throughout the night but later erupted into a full blown confrontation between troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and combatants of dissident General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar. Residents said the fighting occurred near the southern entrance of Change Square, the base of the anti-government protesters who have been calling for Saleh’s resignation.
In all, some 85 people, mostly unarmed civilians targeted by security forces or caught in the crossfire of the rival military units, have been killed in five days of clashes that first erupted on Sunday. Meanwhile, a diplomatic official who requested anonymity told AFP that a Gulf mediator who left Sanaa after failing to broker a peace deal would head to New York to discuss Yemen’s deteriorating security situation with Gulf foreign ministers.
