Thousands of armed tribesmen were headed towards Sanaa on Thursday, June 2, to back their leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, whose fighters have been locked in heavy fighting with Yemen's security forces, tribal chiefs said.
The tribesmen clashed with security forces at a military post 15 kilometers (nine miles) north of Yemen's capital, AFP quoted sources as saying.
Gunbattles on Wednesday killed about 40 people, witnesses said after a truce collapsed between security forces and tribesmen who have taken control of public buildings across the capital.
A truce was announced May 27, after a week of fierce clashes that erupted when embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh warned of a civil war as he refused to sign a Gulf-brokered plan for him to give up office as demanded by protesters.
Ahmar had in March pledged his support for protesters who have been demonstrating since January for the departure of Saleh, who has been in power since 1978.
