Yemeni army commanders defect to opposition as protests grow

It appeared Mr Saleh’s support was eroding from every power base in the nation – his own tribe called on him to step down, he fired his entire cabinet ahead of what one government official said was a planned mass resignation, and his ambassador to the United Nations and human rights minister resigned.

All three officers who defected yesterday belong to Mr Saleh’s Hashid tribe.

A Hashid leader said the tribe, eager to keep the president’s job for one of its own, was rallying behind one of the men, Maj Gen Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, as a possible replacement.

Gen Al-Ahmar, the most senior of the three officers, is a long-time confidant of Saleh and commander of the army’s powerful 1st Armoured Division. Units from it deployed in a major square in Sanaa where protesters have been camping out to call for Mr Saleh to step down.

His crackdown on a month-long uprising against his rule has grown increasingly violent, suggesting he is becoming more fearful that the protests could unravel his three-decade grip on power.

He also tried unsuccessfully to calm the protest by pulling back riot police.

The two other officers are Mohammed Ali Mohsen and Hameed al-Qusaibi, who both have the rank of brigadier. Yemen’s ambassadors to Jordan, Syria and parliament’s deputy speaker also announced they were supporting the opposition, further undermining Mr Saleh’s authority.

News of the defections came after crowds flooded cities and towns across Yemen to mourn dozens of protesters killed on Friday when security forces opened fire on a demonstration in Sanaa.

Political protests are also continuing in Bahrain where the king yesterday accused Iran of being behind the Shiite uprising which has rocked the country.

While not naming Iran directly, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said in a thinly veiled reference: “I here announce the failure of the fomented subversive plot against security and stability.”

The king spoke to the commander of the Sunni Saudi-led force Gulf force which moved into Bahrain last week and said its troops give strength and confidence.

Iran has condemned the presence of the Gulf force and Shiites across the Middle East have been outraged by the protest crackdown that has killed at least 13 people. The Bahrain opposition’s main demand is for a constitutional monarchy that would let people elect a government.