The US and the UK are warning citizens that it might not be a good idea to travel to Yemen as the state department reports civil unrest and terrorist activity. Recent weeks have seen increasing anti-government protests in cities across the country and there have been reports that protesters clashing with police has resulted in fatalities.

The demonstrators are calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stand down. He has been in office since 1978. Those who are against his regime are looking for a fairer distribution of wealth, the end of corruption and better opportunities to find employment. The president has said that when his term is up in 2013 he will not stand for re-election. However, until that time he said he would continue to defend his regime.

Yemen continues to contend with tribal conflicts in the north, a separatist movement in the south and periodic attacks from al-Qaeda terrorists. It is suspected that a branch of al-Qaeda was responsible for the deaths of four Yemeni soldiers over the weekend.

A truck carrying soldiers was travelling near Marib, a town approximately 110 miles to the east of Sanna, the capital. According to reports, a group of men, who have yet to be identified, opened fire on the truck. Rebels claim that two people were killed when the army used rockets to disperse a demonstration in the north.

According to the US state department, if the situation deteriorates it will be difficult to initiate evacuation procedures because of the geography of Yemen and the lack of any solid infrastructure.