Fighting in the Yemeni capital worsened Thursday as forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh battled with tribal fighters, edging the country closer to all-out civil war.

Witnesses reported that thousands more fighters were on their way to Sanaa to help tribal forces remove Saleh from power. Saleh is refusing to step down after 33 years in office.

The fighting grew out of protests which began back in January, culminating in heavy street clashes over the past 10 days. At least 135 people have been killed since then.

Witnesses said security forces began firing live ammunition at protesters overnight, while state television showed live footage of the Yemeni Airways building ablaze. The broadcaster blamed tribesman, while Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera reported the fire began after government troops targeted the nearby home of a tribal leader.

Backtracking

On Tuesday, Saleh went back on a deal brokered by the Gulf Arab states to see him leave office peacefully.

A counter-terrorism advisor to US President Barack Obama arrived in the region on Wednesday to help avert the looming civil war in the country.

The unfolding conflict in Yemen has stoked fears around the world of a further unsettling of global oil stocks, as the country borders the world's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia.

Yemen is also home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and risks becoming another fortress state for the terrorist network.

Author: Darren Mara (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Nicole Goebel