September 20, 2011: In the capital, troops loyal to rebel general Ali Mohsen al Ahmar battled Republican Guard troops led by president Saleh’s son Ahmed. The fighting, which includes continued demonstrations, has caused over a thousand casualties. The violence continues. General al Ahmar’s rebel troops have been confronting the army in the capital for months. This was done with roadblocks and checkpoints. But today the protestors attempted to expand the territory controlled by rebel troops, and this led to more gunfire from government forces. There’s also a sense of desperation, because six months of unrest has disrupted the economy, causing shortages of food, fuel and other supplies. No one wants another civil war (there were two in the 1990s), but that’s what the growing unrest and violence is turning into.

September 19, 2011: Outside the capital, unarmed demonstrators seized a small Republican Guard compound. While militarily insignificant, it had great propaganda value.

September 18, 2011: Large demonstrations (over 100,000 people in the capital) took place throughout the country, and the security forces responded with more violence than usual. There was more gunfire, and more casualties. The main cause was the feeling that the latest rounds of negotiations with Saleh were going to end up like all the others, with Saleh refusing to keep his promise to leave.

September 17, 2011: Thousands of students shut down their schools on the first day of the new term. The students called for schools to remain shut until Saleh was out of power.

September 15, 2011: Violence in the capital increased once more. The unrest is looking more like a civil war every day.

September 13, 2011: In the southern provincial capital of Zinjibar, clashes between troops and al Qaeda gunmen left 14 dead, 12 of them terrorists. Meanwhile, in the southern port of Aden, three bombs went off late at night, two at intelligence headquarters and one at a police station. A soldier and a civilian were killed.

September 12, 2011: President Saleh, still in Saudi Arabia, authorized aides in Yemen to negotiate a transfer of power, so that he could step down. North of the capital, warplanes bombed rebellious tribesmen, killing seven of them.

September 11, 2011: The Minister of Defense was murdered in his home in the capital. The government reported that at least 230 soldiers have died in the south over the last three months, while fighting al Qaeda.

September 10, 2011: Al Qaeda gunmen have been chased out of most of the southern provincial capital of Zinjibar, where the Islamic terrorists have been since May.

September 9, 2011: The usual large anti-government demonstrations were held throughout the country today, as they have every Friday for most of this year.