At least 80 anti-government student protesters were injured Monday in Yemen in the eastern Hudeidah province when police launched a violent counter attack against their rally calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The students had boycotted their studies and took to the streets chanting slogans calling on Saleh to leave power immediately, and refusing any political initiative which does not include Saleh's removal, dpa reported.
They also demanded Saleh and others allegedly behind the killing of peaceful protesters be prosecuted.
In total hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters rallied Monday in at least 10 provinces calling on president to Saleh to stand aside and denounced the brutal escalation by government police on demonstrators.
Some 100 people have been killed and thousands injured in police clampdown on protesters since the Yemeni youth-led uprising commenced in mid February.
Earlier, in its first meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is seeking to mediate a compromise, the Yemeni opposition insisted Saleh must abandon power.
The mediators decided to meet with the Yemeni government for further talks after the three and a half hours of discussions with the opposition Sunday night in Riyadh.
The opposition argued that Yemen's security and stability were endangered by Saleh remaining in office. Yasin Saeed Numan, head of the opposition coalition Joint Meeting Parties, called the discussions "fruitful" in a statement made to Al Jazeera television.
He said the Gulf foreign ministers showed an understanding of the sensitivity of the critical situation in Yemen, which, he said, requires a transition of power.
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