SANAA, Yemen - February 25, 2011 - Tens of thousands of Yemenis demonstrated after the main weekly Muslim prayers around the country on Friday to demand that veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh resign.
In the capital, thousands poured into a main square near Sanaa University, many of them women, chanting "Out, out!" and "God bears witness to your acts, Abdullah," an AFP correspondent reported.
Police set up nearby checkpoints.
The protesters have dubbed Friday "the beginning of the end" for Saleh's regime, which has been in power in Sanaa since 1978. "There is no solution unless the regime steps down," prayer leader Sheikh Abdullah Satar told the faithful over a megaphone.
In the main southern city of Aden, thousands rallied to demand the 64-year-old president resign, an AFP correspondent said.
There were no immediate reports of any violence in the city, which has seen almost daily clashes between police and protesters since February 16, which have killed 12 people and wounded scores more.
