Middle East protests: Country by country - Yemen

Yemen

Since February hundreds of people have been killed in violence between the security forces and demonstrators calling for an end to the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In response to the protests he repeatedly held out the promise that he would step down, only to back-out of deals paving the way for his departure.

After stalling for months, Mr Saleh finally signed an agreement on 23 November to begin the transfer of power to his deputy, although he will remain as a figurehead president for another 90 days.

The violence against his rule escalated early on in the crisis when government forces were confronted by fighters from the powerful Hashid tribal federation, who sided with the protesters.

On 4 June, he was flown to Saudi Arabia to receive medical treatment for injuries he sustained after his compound in the capital, Sanaa, was attacked.

A little over a month later, he appeared on state television, with bandages on his hands and arms, saying he had undergone "more than eight successful operations".

Speaking from Saudi Arabia, Mr Saleh said dialogue was needed to resolve Yemen's problems. He welcomed the idea of power-sharing, but stressed that it should be "within the framework of the constitution and in the framework of the law".

In September, a new wave of violence broke out when about 50 protesters were killed and some 600 injured in a two-day crackdown in Sanaa.

Witnesses say government snipers were firing on people from rooftops, while military aircraft shelled positions held by the protest-supporting troops.

In the middle of this new bout of violence, Mr Saleh surprised many Yemenis by returning to the country.

On 21 October the UN Security Council called on the president to sign a deal brokered by Gulf states, under which he would step down in return for immunity from prosecution.

It took another month before Mr Saleh finally flew back to Saudi Arabia to put his signature to the agreement.

The deal should eventually clear the path for elections to take place, but many protesters are angry that Mr Saleh will be not face justice for the suppression of the protests.

Yemen is the Arab world's most impoverished nation and even before the current protests, it was becoming increasingly chaotic, with both al-Qaeda and separatist challenges to the government's authority.