Gunbattle in Yemen as transition deal collapses

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/23/us-yemen-idUSTRE73L1PP20110523

(Reuters) - Yemeni loyalist forces fought a gunbattle on Monday with opponents of entrenched President Ali Abdullah Saleh one day after he backed out of a Gulf-brokered accord for him to step down.

The clashes in Sanaa cast renewed doubt on prospects for a political solution to a three-month crisis in which youth-led demonstrators, inspired by protests that swept aside the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, are demanding an end to Saleh's nearly 33-year rule.

"There is heavy gunfire and violent clashing between government forces and Sheikh (Sadiq) al-Ahmar's guards," a witness said, referring to a powerful tribal leader who has sided with protesters. Ten people were reported wounded, one of them a journalist with the state news agency Saba.

The shooting, which shattered windows at Saba's offices, followed the collapse of a transition deal that Saleh was to have signed on Sunday and would have given him immunity from prosecution, ensuring a dignified exit.