Tribesmen, army clash in Yemeni capital

Loud explosions and gunfire rocked the Al-Hassaba district of Sanaa.Witnesses said an armoured vehicle of the elite Republican Guard, which is led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s son, Ahmed, was hit by a projectile and set ablaze.There were no immediate casualty figures available.The troops earlier blocked several roads and erected checkpoints, triggering a similar action by the tribesmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.Fierce clashes between Ahmar’s tribesmen and loyal troops in Al-Hassaba in May killed more than 140 people before the two sides agreed a truce.The sheikh heads the powerful Hashid tribe which ended its support to Saleh – also a member of Hashid – in March and joined the protests which erupted in January demanding the ouster of the president.Influential tribal leaders formed last week a coalition headed by Ahmar to bolster the uprising against Saleh who has been in a Saudi hospital since June after being wounded in a bomb attack on his Sanaa compound.Tribes wield much influence in impoverished Yemen, where the Hashid is a heavily armed tribal confederation capable of rallying and financing thousands of fighters. The Bakil is the other main tribal confederation.