SANAA, Yemen, March 24 (UPI) -- Opposition fighters in Yemen clashed with government forces in the east of the country as London said it pulled most of its staff out of the country.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is clinging to power as calls for his resignation mount. Saleh declared a state of emergency Wednesday though clashes erupted in the east of the country by Thursday, al-Jazeera reports.
Opposition groups continue to dismiss Saleh's concessions and tribal groups announced Thursday they were backing the anti-government movement, a move echoed by many of the country's top generals.
Protesters at the main university in the nation's capital said they were calling Friday for a "day of departure" to put additional pressure on the president.
Saleh has fought to maintain control in a declining security environment. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Thursday it pulled all non-essential embassy staff out of the country.
"Given the situation on the ground, it will be very difficult for the British government to provide consular assistance in the event of a further breakdown of law and order and increased violent civil disorder," an FCO statement read.
Meanwhile, authorities in Dubai said they intercepted about 16,000 pistols headed to Yemen from Turkey.
