Violent clashes between armed tribesmen and security forces continued in the Yemeni capital Sana'a on Wednesday, with mediation efforts abandoned and President Ali Abdullah Saleh refusing to step down, DPA reported.
Saleh said he would not bow to any foreign pressure and that he would only sign a power-transfer agreement "in the context of dialogue," in comments aired on Yemeni state television.
Fighting between followers of influential tribal leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar and security forces killed 14 soldiers on Tuesday, according to the interior ministry.
Tribesmen have taken over several government buildings in the capital, including the offices of the official state news agency Saba, Al-Arabiya reported.
The clashes began outside al-Ahmar's house on Monday, a day after Saleh refused to sign a Gulf-brokered power transition plan for a third time.
The group of tribal leaders which was attempting to mediate the conflict between the tribesmen and Yemeni security forces said it was stopping its efforts after Saleh refused to accept a ceasefire, independent news website the Yemen Post reported.
Al-Ahmar is the leader of the Hashid tribe, to which Saleh belongs, and has supported the widespread protests demanding that Saleh step down after 32 years as president.
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