Syria, Yemen, Libya and Middle East unrest – live updates

Yemen death toll rises as explosion hits Libyan rebel-held city of Benghazi 2.40pm: Russia is advising its citizens in Yemen to leave . A foreign ministry spokesman said: “The situation is escalating every hour, the tensions are not easing.” 2.35pm: Reports now from al-Jazeera that Sana’a aiport is closed and flights are being diverted to Aden. CNN correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom tweets that Yemen State TV is quoting official sources denying that there are any changes or delays. 1.50pm: Reuters now report that the airport in Sana’a has re-opened. Thousands of other people are also fleeing fighting in the Yemen capital by car, it said: “It felt as if the artillery shells were flying next to my head… My wife, my daughter were screaming. It was horrible,” resident Sadeq al-Lahbe said before leaving. “There is no electricity, no water and violent strikes shaking the house. Is this life?” 1.32pm: Yemen : The AFP news agency quotes medical staff as saying at least 15 people died overnight in the Al-Hasaba area of Sana’a, Sadiq al-Ahmar’s stronghold, among them a seven-year-old girl struck by a stray bullet. 12.49pm: According to rights campaigners in Syria , quoted by Reuters, security forces have killed 11 people today in the under-siege central town of Rastan. As ever, there is no way to independently verify this. 12.18pm: A brief return to Bahrain : I’ve been passed an email from the rights group Avaaz urging F1 teams to boycott the emirate’s Grand Prix if it is rescheduled following a meeting tomorrow . The race had been due to begin the 2011 season in March, but it was called off amid the quashing of pro-democracy protests. Azaaz said: F1 mustn’t give credibility to a pariah regime that is as brutal as Iran and Zimbabwe. If F1 decides to race in Bahrain, it will be on a par with the sporting tours that chose to play in apartheid South Africa in the 1980s. 12.06pm: Francis Matthew of the Gulf News highlights the role of Hamid al-Ahmar , the prominent Yemeni businessman and politician – and brother of Sadeq al-Ahmar, the tribal leader at the centre of the conflict – who turned against Saleh this week. (Our correspondent Tom Finn wrote about the family last week . The political initiative was seized this week by Hamid al-Ahmar, when he rebelled against Saleh. A businessman and politician, Ahmar holds an important position in the major Hashid confederation. His elder brother Sadiq al-Ahmar is the paramount chief of the Hashid confederation, and they are the sons of the late Shaikh Abdullah al-Ahmar, who was a major figure in Yemeni politics till his death in 2007, backed by substantial Saudi influence. A third brother, Hussain, commanded the Saudi-backed Hashid militia in the recent fighting in Sa’ada. Hamid al-Ahmar’s challenge will be viewed favourably by Saudi Arabia, which has had a close relationship with his family for decades. The Saudi leadership is the most concerned of all the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) states that Yemen does not slip into chaos, and it will naturally back an alternative to Saleh based on northern leaders. And if Ahmar is dismissed as being just a businessman rather than a politician, his relative, General Ali Mohsin al-Ahmar is an effective military commander who has already rebelled against Saleh. But Matthew says the intervention of the Ahmar family is not necessarily a win for the pro-democracy opposition, who have rejected the idea of supporting a leadership bid from another member of the power elite They have promised to hold out for a peaceful transfer to a civilian authority. The activists are slowly developing their own management structure and deciding on mechanisms to nominate their leaders, but this was not sufficiently advanced to enable them to send observers to the GCC transition talks. But others who are not yet part of the action are the leaders from the south. When Yemen united in 1990, the president of South Yemen, Ali Salim al-Beidh, became vice-president of the united country. He despaired that Saleh would not listen to his concerns, and resigned to lead a breakaway movement when he declared the Democratic Republic of Yemen, which only lasted in the south from May to June 1994. Beidh is the leader of Al Harak, a party dedicated to a southern breakaway. The GCC sees Yemen as too important and too close to be allowed to fail. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Saudis ran massive grant programmes which they allowed to wither away after the border settlement in 2000. Now they are leading GCC efforts to find a political solution. They have reopened their links with northern political leaders like al-Ahmar to try and find a way forward. But in the end, any long-term solution in Yemen will also need to take into account southern ambitions, as well as the new demands of the young people on the streets, who have time and demographics on their side, even if they have failed to find a leader to articulate their demands and take part in the talks this time round. 12.02pm: Reuters are reporting a Yemen detail I’d so far missed: Barack Obama’s chief counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, has arrived in Saudi Arabia en route for he United Arab Emirates, and is seeking help from both countries to pressure Saleh into stepping down. 11.34am: My colleague Brian Whitaker has the following useful context for the situation in Yemen : Fighting in and around Yemen’s capital seems to be intensifying, and this morning there are reports that Sana’a airport has been closed. Is this the end for President Saleh? Certainly many people are hoping so. With many erstwhile supporters – both civil and military – abandoning him, it’s clear that Saleh can never regain the authority he once had. But there’s still the question of how, exactly, he can be ousted from office. One thing to keep in mind is that armed conflict in Yemen is not unusual; in fact it’s almost routine. The regime has fought an on-off war with Houthi rebels in the north for years, as well as a separatist insurrection in the south which sprang up more recently. Tribal militias have also fought the army often in the past, and sometimes got the better of it. Saleh’s regime, therefore, is well accustomed to sitting-out periods of turmoil, and even military setbacks, without feeling that its survival is challenged to the core. The difference this time is that a lot of the fighting is concentrated in the capital rather than more remote areas where it would be only scantily reported, and that its objective this time is the removal of Saleh himself. The situation now is beginning to resemble that in Ivory Coast earlier this year when Laurent Gbagbo was holed up in his presidential compound and refusing to budge. Saleh has his own well-protected compound and in theory could stay there for ages while the country falls apart all around him. In fact, even if he were to resign, he would technically still be president unless the Yemeni parliament – where his party holds an overwhelming majority – agreed to accept it. 11.03am: We’re going to try and speak to a couple of Yemen experts to see where things might be heading for President Saleh and his country. In the meantime, here’s AP’s latest summary of events: Street battles raged Thursday between the army and opposition tribesmen in Sana’a and dozens of people on both sides were killed and wounded. Elsewhere a thousands-strong force of tribal fighters fought to break through government lines on the northern outskirts of the city. Sana’a airport was closed Wednesday night and remains shut for fear that planes could be hit in the heavy shelling around the city. The Defence Ministry issue a statement claiming the army stopped the tribesmen from entering Sana’a, but an army officer who defected from President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s military, said the fighting continues. The officer, who spoke on condition he not be named in accordance with opposition force custom, said the fighting was within 10 miles of the northern outskirts of Sana’a. He said the tribesmen had captured but later released 30 soldiers from the elite Republican Guard. Heavy casualties were reported inside the city’s Hassaba neighborhood where resident Talal Hazza said government troops were shelling opposition forces for a second day running. The army is trying to dislodge fighters loyal to pro-opposition Sheik Sadeq al-Amar. The Defence Ministry acknowledge fighting in Hassaba for the first time Thursday. Opposition fighters have taken control of some government buildings in the region. In the southern city of Taiz, three protesters were wounded in the fighting with the army, security men and plain-clothes government enforcers, said activist Mohammed al-Darfi. He said security forces stormed the house of Taiz opposition lawmaker Sultan al-Samie Wednesday night and confiscated his computer and documents. 10.55am: Al-Jazeera has some spectacular footage of the burning car bomb outside Benghazi’s Tibesti Hotel, and of the anti-Gaddafi protests which followed. 10.47am: Yet another update from Yemen , where Reuters is reporting that flights have been suspended at Sana’a airport as fighting approaches the area. No news yet on how permanent this could be. The airport closed last week, but only briefly. 10.29am: Some more on Yemen , where the situation does appear to be deteriorating. This from Reuters: Yemeni soldiers have fired at protesters in the southern city of Taiz who are calling for the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year-rule over the impoverished Arab state, witnesses said on Thursday. There have been no immediate reports of injuries or deaths. The U.N. human rights envoy said earlier this week her office was investigating reports that Yemeni soldiers have killed at least 50 protesters in Taiz since Sunday. 10.13am: There has been more overnight violence in Yemen , with “dozens” hurt, according to reports. AP writes: A Yemeni army officer who defected from President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s camp says government forces and armed tribesmen who sided with the opposition have fought new street battles overnight in the capital Sanaa, leaving dozens killed and injured. The officer also says that thousands of armed tribesmen have fought the Yemeni army about 10 miles from the city in an effort to push toward Sana’a… A Sana’a resident, Talal Hazza, says government forces continued shelling positions of pro-opposition Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar’s tribesmen in the capital’s Hassaba neighborhood on Thursday. 10.03am: In connection with the above video, Richard Norton-Taylor writes: Spectacular explosions followed the bombing by RAF Tornado and Typhoon jets of ten ammunition storage bunkers and a vehicle at a site near Waddan, in central Libya. The Ministry of Defence has released the video of the bombing on Tuesday of the targets with weapons equipped with satellite and laser guidance systems. Secondary explosions, which can be seen in the video, show that a significant quantity of ammo was stored at the site, the MoD said. Major General John Lorimer, the ministry’s chief military spokesman, said Gaddafi forces had become increasing dependent on Waddan for ammunition. 9.44am: Unicef , the UN children’s organisation, has sent us this blog from one of its staff members in Libya . Rebecca Fordham recounts the impact the conflict has had on two children in particular. It’s worth quoting at some length: June 1st 2011: I witnessed the graphic impact of conflict on children when I boarded a boat coming into Benghazi from Misrata. Two young boys, who had been severely injured by explosive remnants of war (ERW) lay on beds inside the on board field hospital, provided by LibAid, with their fathers standing patiently beside them. Both boys stared out, Ayman, 14, his wrists heavily bandaged and, Mamud, 9, lying quietly in the bed next to him. The boys had been playing close to the Medical Technical College in Misrata, Ayman’s father told me, when his son picked up what he thought was shrapnel from an exploded bomb to take home and show his family. It exploded when he touched it. His father knew there were “cluster bombs” that had been dropped close by, and that they could explode when someone tried to move them but, he didn’t know the exact location and what they looked like. Children are particularly at risk, because their natural curiosity means that they often pick up items that adults are more cautious to touch. In Libya, where some children have been living under extremely challenging and stressful conditions for over three months, they need to understand the dangers of unexploded ordinance and also have safe spaces to play. … The ERW threat in Misrata is particularly grave. Limited surveys of Misrata confirm the use of cluster munitions and anti-personnel mines amongst a litany of ERW across the city. It has been reported that 30 ammunition storage areas have been destroyed by air strikes, spreading even more ERW. According to ICRC [Red Cross], in the past six weeks there have been 13 reported casualties from ERW in Misrata. … Both Ayman and Mamud were taken to a Misrata hospital where Ayman had to have both his hands amputated. They are now receiving medical treatment in Benghazi. I have visited the hospital and hope to again soon. 9.38am: Al-Jazeera’s English service has this good round-up of yesterday’s post-martial law clashes in Bahrain, including security forces seemingly aiming live fire at protesters. 9.25am: Behind its paywall the FT has an interesting article about yesterday’s meeting in Turkey during which Syrian opposition activists sought to agree a united front. It’s not an easy task, as the report says: Some activists have questioned what the meeting in Antalya can achieve, given the difficulty of representing an inchoate and still-evolving protest movement inside Syria. There are no high-profile leaders, and the movement is apparently driven by young, non-affiliated people – different from the traditional opposition made up of the Muslim Brotherhood, leftwingers and Kurdish nationalists… Some also voiced distrust of the motives of those outside Syria campaigning for change. “Some are looking to capitalise on the intifada inside the country – this is not acceptable,” one said, arguing that trust was key in a movement where many were putting their lives at risk. A statement released on behalf of some activists within Syria said they had “reservations about the rush to hold such a conference without any pre-consultation with the inside”. 9.19am: Here’s a photo of the debris following last night’s car explosion in Benghazi. Al-Jazeera have their own, slightly more dramatic photos . 9.11am: A Libya update from late last night, via AP : A United Nations panel has said that Libyan government forces have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in a conflict it estimates has killed between 10,000-15,000 people. The UN investigators found evidence that opposition forces also committed “some acts which would constitute war crimes,” the global body said. “The commission is not of the view that the violations committed by the opposition armed forces were part of any ‘widespread or systematic attack’ against a civilian population such as to amount to crimes against humanity,” it added. Their 92-page report was commissioned in February by the UN Human Rights Council, which has now power itself to launch proceedings. 8.54am: A couple of interesting items from today’s Independent: • A 20-year-old female student in Bahrain , who was arrested two months ago for reading a poem at a pro-democracy meeting , is to go on trial, according to her mother. Some earlier reports said Ayat al-Gormezi was bekiueved to have been killed. • On a parallel note, an Amnesty International campaigner for women’s rights argues that self-confident young women are worrying established male authorities in the Middle East. 8.35am: Good morning. Welcome to today’s live updates from the Middle East unrest. Here’s a brief rundown of the latest news: • The crisis in Yemen is escalating , with at least 41 people killed yesterday during clashes between President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s troops and forces loyal to Sadeq al-Ahmar, the influential tribal leader. Hillary Clinton last night increased US pressure on Saleh to step down , telling reporters that he and his regime should “move out of the way to permit the opposition and civil society to begin a transition to political and economic reform”. • A car has exploded in Benghazi , the de facto capital city for Libya’s rebels. It’s believed a grenade was thrown into the car outside the Tibesti Hotel, where most foreign diplomats and journalists stay in the city, late yesterday. Rebels called it a “cowardly act” carried out by supporters of Muammar Gaddafi. Earlier, it emerged that Gaddafi’s oil minister, Shukri Ghanem, has defected and now backs the rebels. • Bahrain remains tense after yesterday’s renewed clashes between demonstrators and security forces after martial law was lifted. Plus a couple more things from today’s paper and website: • The daughter of a veteran Iranian dissident has died during clashes between mourners and security forces at her father’s funeral in Tehran. • Hosni Mubarak will face trial for alleged corruption and killing protesters from 3 August, an Egyptian court official has said. His two sons will also be tried for corruption . Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Yemen Syria Libya Bashar Al-Assad Bahrain Muammar Gaddafi Peter Walker guardian.co.uk

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