At least 1 dead in Yemen violence

By the CNN Wire Staff

April 5, 2011 -- Updated 1734 GMT (0134 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• More clashes between opposition and government forces reported
• The United Nations calls for a halt to the use of force against protesters
• U.S. warns President Ali Abdullah Saleh about violence, not meeting opposition demands
• U.S. officials say they fear al Qaeda operatives exploiting political turbulence

(CNN) -- Clashes between Yemeni protesters and military and pro-government gangs continued Tuesday, claiming at least one life, as the future of President Ali Abdullah Saleh remained uncertain.
In Sanaa, the capital, eyewitnesses and field medical teams told CNN that one protester was killed in Change Square when Republican Guard Forces and pro-government gangs opened fire and beat demonstrators with batons. More than 40 people were injured by bullets or batons, the sources said. The witnesses reported two military helicopters flying over the square.
At another demonstration near a military base, pro-government gangs attacked protesters, injuring two, witnesses and medical teams reported.
The violence comes as the United States is helping to mediate a transition out of office for Saleh, who has been facing popular protests for weeks, according to two Yemeni officials.
The timing is delicate, officials said, because they want to avoid any steps that could further destabilize Yemen or interrupt counterterrorism efforts in a country that U.S. officials believe is home to some of the world's most active al Qaeda operatives.
In another focal point, the city of Taiz, security forces and the Republican Guard fired on protesters to break up a march, injuring 12, a field medical team there told CNN.
The previous day, the state-run Saba news agency reported clashes there caused the deaths of 10 people and injured a number of other demonstrators. According to Saba, witnesses said the opposition had deployed armed militias in the city.
Taiz Gov. Hamoud al-Soufi said protesters had attacked the governor's building and the presidential palace in Taiz, and that he was forming a committee to investigate the incident.
"We express our deep regret for the deviation of peaceful protests," he said.
The U.N. human rights office on Tuesday called on Yemen to halt the use of force against protesters, citing more than 100 deaths since the protests began.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague also said he was appalled by the reports of further deaths this week.
"In early March, President Saleh promised to maintain maximum restraint in the use of the Yemeni security forces in controlling peaceful demonstrations. We strongly urge him to keep that promise," he said.
Earlier, an Obama administration official told CNN that the U.S. has been working behind the scenes, trying to determine the best way forward.
"Whatever timeline they develop, we can accept -- but it needs to be worked out. That's the problem that's making people anxious," he said. "There has to be a path forward, it can't be a situation where he thinks that, week to week, he can sort of continue to hold on without making some kind of accommodation."
Saleh offered to step down by the end of the year after constitutional reforms and new elections, but the opposition, led by the Joint Meeting Parties bloc, is demanding he leave immediately. A plan unveiled by the bloc Saturday called for Saleh to hand over all authority to Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi in the interim. But Saleh is not offering any further concessions, and protests by the opposition continue.
U.S. officials said various groups, including al Qaeda and secessionist elements, are exploiting the political turbulence and splits within the military and security services for their own gain.
The rapidly deteriorating situation presents a major problem for the Obama administration.

Saleh has been in power since 1978 and has been a staunch U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Saleh argues he should remain in office because he is the only one who can effectively continue that fight against terrorism.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom, Jill Dougherty and Elise Labott contributed to this report.