Protests continue in Middle East, North Africa
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Violent protests continued to cloud several countries in the Middle East and North Africa on Friday, as nearly 30 bodies of protesters were found in Libya, three protesters were killed in Yemen and dozens wounded in Bahrain.
In the Bahraini capital of Manama, over 1,000 protesters tried to throng into Pearl Square in the city center, where anti-government rallies were banned beginning Thursday.
Security forces opened fire and also fired tear gas at the protesters, injuring dozens of them.
Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims gathered at two places on the outskirts of Manama for funerals for two protesters, who were killed when security forces were clearing the square of protesters early Thursday.
U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen.
"The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries," Obama said in a statement.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Bahrain authorities to exercise restraint to avoid further violence and the use of excessive force.
"I am alarmed by reports of soldiers firing on protesters in Bahrain. This is an extremely worrying development," Hague said.
In Libya, 20 bodies of protesters were found in the second largest city of Benghazi and seven in the eastern city of Derna, Oea newspaper reported on its website.
Protesters hanged two policemen and set a police station on fire in the eastern city of Al-Baida.
About 1,000 prisoners escaped from a prison in Benghazi.
In Yemen, three anti-government protesters were killed and 76 people wounded in fierce clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators in the country's major cities of Taiz, Aden and Sanaa.
Around 8,000 government supporters armed with daggers and batons attacked more than 10,000 anti-government protesters near downtown Taiz. Some government backers aboard a car hurled a hand grenade, killing two protesters and injuring more than 20 others, some in critical condition.
The Yemeni government deployed nearly 5,000 troops in a bid to stop the clashes in the city, some 200 km south of the capital Sanaa, according to a police officer who asked not to be named.
In Yemen's southern port city of Aden, one anti-government protester was shot dead and 44 others were injured.
About 7,000 protesters stormed into two buildings of the local government and set them on fire Friday evening.
In Sanaa, over 2,000 police troops were trying to break up a clash in a street near downtown Sanaa between thousands of anti-government protesters and hundreds of government supporters, who were wielding knives, batons and rocks. At least 12 people were injured, including reporters from foreign media.
Armed government backers were laying a siege to the anti-government demonstrators, as police apparently failed to break up the rallies and stop the melee.
In Egypt, more than 1 million people gathered in downtown Cairo to celebrate the victory of their mass protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the epicenter of the 18-day protests since Jan. 25, was crowded with Egyptians, many of them waving national flags and chanting: "Long live Egypt."
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