Head of Yemen's top tribe tells president to go

SANAA, Yemen – The leader of Yemen's largest tribe sided Thursday with opponents of the embattled president, calling for Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down immediately and refrain from further violence against protesters.

The decision by the widely respected Sheik Sinan Abu Lohoum, 80, was announced in a statement issued from the United States, where he is receiving medical treatment. It was read to protesters gathered at a central Sanaa square that has become the epicenter of the protests.

Members of Abu Lohoum's immediate family confirmed the authenticity of the statement.

Abu Lohoum's Baqeel tribe is the larger of two that follow the Zaidi offshoot of Shiite Islam. The other — Saleh's own Hashid tribe — has already backed the opposition.

[link to news.yahoo.com]