Yemen unrest: Key Hashid tribe in clashes with police

Heavy fighting has broken out in the Yemeni capital Sanaa between security forces and members of the country's powerful Hashid tribe.

Several people were hurt in the clashes in a northern district, near the home of tribal leader Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar.

Witnesses said machine-guns and grenades were used, sending some local residents fleeing in panic.

Sheikh Ahmar, a former supporter of President Abdullah Saleh, joined protests against his rule in March.

The clashes come a day after Mr Saleh refused to sign a Gulf-brokered transition deal.

He said he would only sign in the presence of opposition leaders.

Saleh supporters besieged Western and Arab diplomats in the United Arab Emirates embassy, preventing the Gulf mediators from reaching the palace for the intended signing.

The Gulf Co-operation Council then suspended the initiative because of "a lack of suitable conditions".

The deal called for Mr Saleh to step down after 33 years in office and hand over power to a unity government within a month.

It would also have given the president immunity from prosecution.

Mr Saleh has been criticised by Western powers, in particular the US and France, for failing to agree to a transfer of power.

Many protesters meanwhile - inspired by the successful revolts in Tunisia and Egypt - say the accord does not go far enough, and are calling for Mr Saleh's immediate departure.

In March, Sheikh Ahmar said he was "joining the revolution" and called on Mr Saleh, himself a member of the Hashid tribe, "to exempt Yemen from the bloodshed and make a quiet exit".

source : bbc.co.uk