As pro-democracy movements gain momentum in the region, Yemen and Libya are cracking down on the protest movements that have been growing within their borders during the past week.
Popular uprisings continue to spread through the regions of North African and the Middle East.
In Yemen's capital, Sana'a, protests turned violent Saturday as anti-government and pro-government activists clashed on the streets.
Stone throwing and gunfire erupted, but an official tally of wounded or dead has not been released. At least one anti-government protester was reported killed.
Activists are protesting against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power for 32 years.
Protests have gained momentum this month in impoverished Yemen, and they are not limited to the capital. The New York-based Human Rights Watch says Yemeni human rights activists report that at least three people were killed and 80 wounded on Friday alone. One fatal attack involved an unknown assailant who threw a hand grenade at protesters in the southwestern city of Taizz.
Elsewhere in the region, the Libyan government is sharply cracking down on activists who are calling for political reform and an end to Moammar Gadhafi's more than four decades in power.
