The Yemeni government says gangs and al Qaeda snipers attacked the capital . Meanwhile , eruptions of violence point to a growing risk of civil war . `` We 're really worried this could become a civil war , '' a resident says . The U.N. secretary-general condemns `` excessive use of force '' by Yemen . In Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power for 33 years, there are fears that his regime is on its last legs as he struggles to hold onto power.
The Yemeni government says gangs and al Qaeda snipers attacked the capital . `` We 're really worried this could become a civil war , '' a resident says . The U.N. secretary-general condemns `` excessive use of force '' by Yemen . In Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in power for 33 years, there are fears that his regime is on its last legs as he struggles to hold onto power.