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Doctor says troops loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh fired on pro-democracy protesters after president’s shock return At least 16 people have been killed in an assault by government troops on pro-democracy demonstrators in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, according to a doctor. The deaths came as troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose sudden return to the country on Friday sparked fears of an all-out civil war, tried to storm an opposition movement camp on Change Square, said medic Mohammed al-Qabatis. The doctor said those killed included 15 civilians and one soldier who had joined the opposition movement. Another 54 people were wounded in the attack on the tented shantytown, which broke out last night amid mortar shelling and sniper fire. Protesters distributed plastic helmets in a desperate effort to protect themselves from the bullets of pro-government snipers prowling the rooftops of nearby houses. The opposition camp has been the focal point of Yemen’s anti-government uprising and daily protests to demand Saleh’s removal from power. The abrupt reappearance of Saleh, who has spent the past three months recovering in Saudi Arabia from an assassination attempt, has plunged into confusion tentative hopes for a way out of Yemen’s political crisis. More than 100 protesters have been shot dead in the past week, some by government troops using anti-aircraft guns. There have been street battles and exchanges of shelling between Republican Guards led by Saleh’s son and a division of renegade soldiers who support the pro-democracy movement. Although Saleh called for a truce between the two sides after his return on Friday, it is not clear whether his message will be heeded. The president’s arrival came as a shock, with western diplomats in Sana’a and even members of his ruling party seemingly caught unawares. Many fear that Saleh’s sudden reappearance may draw Yemen’s powerful tribal leaders into the fray. When Saleh was airlifted to Saudi Arabia for treatment after an explosion at his compound in June, Sadeq Al-Ahmar, the sheikh at the head of Yemen’s most influential tribe, the Hashed, swore “by God” that he would never let Saleh rule again. The last time hostilities between the Saleh and Ahmar families turned violent in May, a week’s worth of mortar battles erupted, flattening an entire neighbourhood in east Sana’a and killing hundreds. Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Protest Saudi Arabia guardian.co.uk