Seven ruling party representatives in the Yemeni parliament quit the party Wednesday to protest what they called "repression" by the party against peaceful protesters demanding change of power, one of the resigned representatives said.
"We, the seven parliamentary members, resigned in protest against the armed repression carried out by the ruling party on the protesters across the country who peacefully demanded an end to the power of President Ali Abdullah Saleh," Abdu Bishr told Xinhua.
The resignation came a day after armed government supporters attacked a protest camp in the capital of Sanaa late Tuesday. According to the protest organizers, the attack killed two protesters and injured about eight others.
But the ruling party General People's Congress said one government backer was killed and five others, including a soldier, were wounded by the anti-regime protesters.
Yemeni official news agency Saba on Wednesday quoted an official source at the Council of Ministers as saying that an investigation committee was formed to investigate into the shootings outside Sanaa University, which left one person dead.
Thousands of people, including students, academics, writers, clerics and hundreds of tribesmen, who came from the northern provinces of Marib, Al-Jouf and Saada, joined Wednesday the anti- Saleh sit-in outside the Sanaa University, according to eyewitnesses and security sources.
Protests were also reportedly held in the southern provinces of Hadramout and Aden, where thousands of people went to streets to demand the resignation of the president. At least three protesters were slightly injured in Hadramout.
Meanwhile, Saleh urged the opposition Wednesday to halt the rallies and called for forming a unity national government, according to Saba.
"I call on the opposition to halt protest rallies in order to help prepare the political atmosphere for dialogue," Saleh was quoted as saying, "I also called for forming a national unity government with members of the ruling party and opposition coalition for overseeing the process of next parliamentary elections."
Saleh offered a series of concessions to the opposition earlier this month, in a bid to ease the escalating tensions between his ruling party and the opposition.
Thousands of Yemenis have staged protest rallies across the country for the 12th consecutive day, demanding the end of Saleh's 33-year rule.