SANA’A, May 23 — Two people were killed and several others wounded on Wednesday, May 23 in armed confrontations between former President Saleh’s supporters and Anti-Riot police.

Saleh supporters have been camped out in Tahreer Square at the center of the capital Sana’a since last year demanding Saleh remain in office until 2013. Now they are demanding compensation for remaining there in support of Saleh.

Anti-Riot Forces have remained in Tahreer Square anticipating a renewal of clashes.         

The confrontations broke out when Saleh’s supporters closed Ali Abdulmoghni Street and attacked Gamal Gameel Police Station, adjacent to the square.

Saleh Al-Haimi, an organizer of the demonstrations, told the Yemen Times that they are demanding YR two billion ($ 9.3 million). He claimed that Hafedh Mayad, former director of Yemen Economic Company, promised to pay them this sum in return for their camping in Tahreer Square and supporting former president Saleh since the fall of Egyptian former president Housni Mubarak.

For his part, Basheer Al-Asbahi, owner of a clothing shop in Tahreer Square, said that three of Saleh’s supporters were wounded by the Anti-Riot Forces’ batons.

On Saturday night, fire broke out in the thugs’ camps in Tahreer Square. Al-Asbahi said that the fire spread in several camps before the fire trucks came.

The fires started following a declaration by Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) that it intends to remove the camps as Saleh has already left office. However, evacuation plans were hindered because the armed camps put forth twenty conditions before leaving, including the recruitment of 20,000 men, the resignation of the Minister of Information as well as the $ 9.3 million payment.

The main reason behind the evacuation is that the GPC has no funds to give to Saleh’s supporters and this sparked arguments between them.

The campers have been accused of the deaths of numerous revolutionary youth during last year’s uprising in which hundreds were killed.