Yemeni forces attack protesters in Taizz

Yemeni security forces open fire on anti-government protesters in the southern city of Taizz as the nation renew calls for an end to the rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh, Press TV reports.

One protester was killed and 23 others were injured on Thursday in clashes between peaceful demonstrators and Yemen’s Republican Guards, who are commanded by Saleh’s son Ahmed Ali.

The new outbreak of violence comes after a series of explosions and heavy gunfire hit the capital, Sana’a, and the southern port city of Aden earlier in the day and left at least three civilians killed and five others wounded.

Yemen has been swept up by almost daily protests against Saleh, who refuses to release his three-decade long grip on power.

The Yemeni dictator has been in Saudi Arabia recovering from injuries he sustained in a rocket attack by pro-opposition tribal fighters on his palace in June.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report calling on the Yemeni regime to immediately release all prisoners detained during peaceful protests that erupted in the country in late January.

Navi Pillay also urged Sana’a to put an end to attacks and the use of live ammunition against civilians.

According to local reports, hundreds of Yemenis have been killed and thousands more have been injured since the outbreak of the popular uprising against the US-backed Saleh regime.