Yemen Forces Kill 12 in Shelling of Hospital, Protesters in Taiz

Yemeni forces killed 12 people and wounded dozens when they shelled the southern city of Taiz with mortars and artillery, hitting a hospital and a square where anti-government demonstrators were taking part in the Muslim Friday prayers, a protest activist and a medic said.

One person died when eight mortar shells struck the third and fourth floors of al-Rawdah Hospital, where the dead and wounded had been taken, the medic, Abdulrahim Sultan, said by telephone.

Earlier today, three women who were among those praying in the square were killed, the activist, Ahmed al-Wafi, said in a telephone interview. A male protester died when a shell fell on a tent at the protest camp, he said.

Demonstrations this year in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, were inspired by revolts that ousted the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt. They deepened as military and tribal leaders joined the opposition. Efforts by the Gulf Cooperation Council to broker an agreement under which President Ali Abdullah Saleh would step down have failed.

A United Nations envoy to Yemen arrived in the capital, Sana’a, yesterday for talks with the government and opposition aimed at getting agreement on the GCC proposal for a transition of power.

Saleh returned to Yemen on Sept. 23 after three months in Saudi Arabia, where he received medical treatment following a rocket attack on his compound in the capital.