SANAA - EMBATTLED Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh sacked his government on Sunday as mourners massed in Sanaa to bury many of the 52 people gunned down by his loyalists, and more regime figures quit over the killings.
Tens of thousands of people turned out for the funerals in what witnesses said was the largest gathering of Mr Saleh's opponents since protests against his autocratic regime erupted in late January.
About 30 bodies were laid out in rows, and the square near Sanaa University overflowed with mourners who gathered under tight security and despite the state of emergency.
On Friday pro-Saleh snipers on rooftops raked demonstrators in the square with bullets in an attack which more than doubled the death toll from several weeks of unrest to around 80.
The violence drew condemnation from the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, which sees Mr Saleh as a key partner in battling Al-Qaeda in the region.
Mr Saleh suffered a further blow with the resignation on Sunday of Yemen's ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Alsaidi, and human rights minister Huda al-Baan in protest at the deadly attacks on demonstrators. 'Abdullah Alsaidi has submitted his resignation to protest at the use of violence against demonstrators,' a foreign ministry official said. -- AFP
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