Yemen troops fire on protest: Witness

The teachers say the government hasn't followed through with higher wagesMany were injured, witnesses said, and the death toll is expected to riseThe GCC-brokered agreement that calls for Saleh's departure is still in the works

(CNN) -- Security personnel in the Yemeni city of Taiz opened fire on a demonstration Sunday by thousands of teachers and killed two of the educators, witnesses and others said.

At least 50 people were injured, including 11 by gunfire, according to witnesses and members of field medical teams. The death toll is expected to rise because three people are in critical condition.

Thousands of teachers staged the march to call for the implementation of a wage increase and the departure from office of Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

A senior security official in Taiz who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media wouldn't confirm casualties or claims that security forces shot anyone.

But he said that protesters were carrying weapons. That assertion was staunchly disputed by the witnesses.

Saleh's impoverished and unstable nation has been wracked by anti-government protests and clashes between demonstrators and security forces for many weeks.

"We called for the march yesterday against this oppressive regime that will not give us our rights," Fuad Dahabah, head of the Teachers Syndicate in Yemen. "They fired on us as we were marching peacefully."

Dahabah, who also confirmed the death of the two teachers, said the syndicate announced in April that they joined the Yemeni protests because of oppression and because they have not yet been paid higher wages agreed upon in a signed deal with the government last year.

"Teachers were marching demanding their rights and salaries," said Abdul Karim Ali, one of the marchers.

Despite the firing of tear gas and bullets, the march continued, witnesses said.

The senior security official in Taiz told CNN that marchers were armed, attacked government forces, threatened locals, forced shop owners to close their businesses and closed main roads.

"We accept them expressing their opinion, but when they attack others we must step in," the official said. "Security forces would never use force; they would only do so if lives of other civilians were in danger."

Abdul Karim Ali rejected claims that protesters were armed saying this is the government's usual excuse to kill people.

"If we were armed why didn't any security forces get shot or killed. We protest peacefully and that is the best way to get our rights," Ali said.

The youth revolution committee in Yemen denounced the attack on teachers and demanded the international community intervene.

"The world is watching as Saleh continues to freely kill innocent unarmed protesters. These crimes will not be forgotten," said Riadh Abdullah, a leader in the youth committee, now in Sanaa.

A deal that would lead to Saleh's stepping down, brokered by the Gulf Arab nations, has been in the works.

The agreement stipulates that Saleh transfer power and leave office within 30 days of signing the deal.

It also provides immunity for him and those who served in his regime and calls for a unity government to be formed within seven days.

Saleh, who is unpopular in many quarters across Yemen, has been a U.S. ally in the fight against militants -- most prominently the Yemen wing of the al Qaeda terror network. Called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the militant network has a strong presence in the country.

This week, a U.S. drone strike attempted but failed to take out Anwar al-Awlaki, the U.S.-born radical cleric based in Yemen tied to the AQAP.

CNN Top Stories

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.