Protests Spring Up in Rural Yemen .

Source: WSJ

SAN'A, Yemen—Yemen's opposition turned its focus to the country's rural areas Monday, organizing demonstrations in southern and central provinces that drew thousands—unusually large gatherings for these mountainous, hard-to-reach areas.

Over 3,000 opposition supporters gathered in the town of Maweya in Taiz province, in southern Yemen, condemning alleged oppression by the ruling party of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to eyewitnesses. And in Dhammar province , in central Al-Hada district, the opposition was able to gather more than 1,500 followers, in a district considered a stronghold for the ruling party.

Monday's protests are much smaller than demonstrations that drew thousands to the streets of San'a, the capital, and other urban centers late last week. Opposition leaders said they were now targeting rural areas, where loyalties to tribal and local authorities often outweigh any allegiance to Mr. Saleh's central government. They have promised country-wide demonstrations on Thursday.

Yemen is just one of several Arab countries, including Algeria, Jordan and Sudan, recently wracked by protests on the heels of demonstrations that ousted Tunisia's long-time president earlier this month. In recent days, tens of thousands of Egyptian protesters have clashed with state-security forces across Egypt, threatening President Hosni Mubarak's grip on power.



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