Yemen, Syria, Libya (and Beyond) LiveBlog: The Battle of Sana'a

Footage from inside the compound of Yemeni opposition tribal leader Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, taken by Tom Finn of The Guardian, showing the destruction from regime shelling and treatment of an injured tribesman

2035 GMT: Thanks to James Miller for taking the LiveBlog through the afternoon.

More on the story, which began circulating yesterday, that the Libyan regime is offering conditions for a cease-fire and talks with the opposition....

"We have received a message from the Libyan government seeking an accord for a possible ceasefire," a spokesman for the office of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, said on Thursday.

The initiative came from Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi. He said at a news conference in Tripoli, "We are ready for a ceasefire. The solution cannot be a military one. There must be debate among Libyans far away from bombs."

But al-Mahmoud set one important condition: "Muammar Qaddafi is the leader of the Libyan people. If Muammar Qaddafi goes, all the Libyan people go."

The Independent of London reported on Wednesday that it had a copy of a letter from al-Mahmoudi to foreign governments, proposing an immediate ceasefire to be monitored by the United Nations and the African Union, unconditional talks with the opposition, amnesty for both sides in the conflict, and the drafting of a new constitution.

1723 GMT: Three artists who were detained for creating posters promoting tomorrow's "Second Day of Rage" in Egypt have been released, according to a source. Also, all three of have posted on Twitter that they have been released.

1707 GMT: Pakistan has granted the CIA permission to inspect the compund where Osama bin Laden had been hiding. The inspection team will be allowed to conduct a much more thorough investigation of the compound than what the US Special Forces were able to conduct during the 40 minute incursion on May 1. The team should be arriving in Abbotabad sometime in the next few days.

1702 GMT: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke today, referencing the removal of American diplomats and reiterating the need for Yemen's President Ali abdullah Saleh to step down:

"A few days ago, our Ambassador and other ambassadors were effectively detained by large crowds outside the residence of the ambassador from the United Arab Emirates. We have ordered the departure of American personnel. And we are working with all of our colleagues to do everything we can to end the fighting. We continue to support a unified and stable Yemen, and we continue to support the departure of President Saleh, who has consistently agreed that he would be stepping down from power and then consistently reneged on those agreements, turning his back on the commitments that he made and disregarding the legitimate aspirations of the Yemeni people.

"So we now urge him once again to immediately follow through on his repeated commitments to peacefully and orderly transfer power, and ensure that the legitimate will of the people of Yemen for political and economic reform can be addressed."

1527 GMT: Ben Wedeman shares this photo, of the power plant in Misrata that is destroyed beyond repair.

1506 GMT: Mana al-Sharif, the woman who was arrested for attemtping to break the boycott of women drivers in Saudi Arabia, was earlier sentenced to 5 days in prison. She was supposed to be released today, but she is now facing another 10 days in prison while investigators decide whether she should be prosceuted. 

1453 GMT: On March 20, we reported that 12 protesters members of the Assyrian Democratic Association in Qamishli were arrested. We wrote:

Khodr Abdel Karim, a human rights activist in Qamishli, said: "This is a message from the regime to Syrian Christians not to participate in any of these demonstrations."

Today, the Assyrian Democratic Organization has released a statement that their headquarters have been raided and 13 people have been arrested. They are calling for the immediate release of the Assyrian protesters, as well as "all those detained due to participating in these peaceful protests, and the release of all political prisoners in Syria."

1437 GMT: A leaked document shows that the Gaddafi regime had invested over $5 Billion (USD) in western investment banks. The document was dated June 30 2010, and many of these assets have likely been frozen by sanctions, but it is unknown whether or not these accounts have been identified and appropriately frozen.

1426 GMT: Three artists have been arrested in Egypt after creating posters that promoted a "Second Day of Rage," scheduled to take place in Tahrir Square tomorrow. The April 6th Movement has condemned the arrests, releasing a statement that compared the oppression of the military to that of the Mubarak Era. 

1416 GMT: The leaders of the G8 have called on Yemen's President Ali abdullah Saleh to step down. This news raises the obvious question, what will the G8 (or perhaps the UN) do if Saleh does not step down? 

The crisis is clearly widening in Yemen, and not just because of the violence, but also because of the severely suffering economy, which has reached a "crisis point."

1402 GMT: Egypt is opening its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, as we reported last night. Israel, predictably, has condemned the mood, stressing that this move could allow Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations to cross into Gaza. Hamas, predictably, praised the move. (thanks to the Guardian Liveblog for the links, as EA always notes its sources)

1353 GMT: The National Transitional Council's vice-chairman, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, has stated that it could take as long as two years to transition to a democracy. Originally, the NTC was designed to transition to a democratically elected government within 6 months.  

1343 GMT: The rating's agency Moody's has significantly downgraded Bahrain. Apparently, oppressed democracy just isn't worth much money.

1330 GMT: Friday - Prayers, Protests, and Really Good Marketing: Syrian opposition groups have called on soldiers to quit the government and join the protests. In a tradition of Arab Spring, each Friday post-prayer protest has a name. Tomorrow's name is "Friday of the guardians of the homeland," a direct call for the soldiers to protect the people rather than shoot them.

1312 GMT: Evidence of Torture? Syrian Foreign Press has posted a disturbing video of a body, allegedly Hamza al-Khatib, a 13 year old boy. The body is heavily bruised, and appears to show evidence of burn marks and other signs of torture. While there is no way for us to verify this claim, SFP has been a very reliable source of news thus far. With foreign press banned from Syria, the activists are the primary source of news. 

It should be noted that other sources, including Al Jazeera's Dorothy Parvaz who spent time in Syrian prison, have also suggested that the regime is torturing prisoners.

1256 GMT: The Yemen Human Right Monitor has compiled a list of 38 government buildings which have either been taken over by al-Ahmar tribesmen, or are in areas that are besieged by Yemen's largest tribe.

1243 GMT: James Miller takes the reigns to find a potential complication with the NATO mission in Libya.

Barack Obama, in recent explanations of why the U.S. and NATO have gotten involved in Libya, but not elsewhere, has said that a major factor was the cry from the international community, including Libya's neighbors, to get involved. What if Libya's neighbors call for the no-fly zone to end?

Mission Accomplished. The African Union is calling for a halt to NATO air strikes in Libya. The AU Commissioner Chief, Jean Ping, gave this explanation:

"Some international players seem to be denying Africa any significant role in the search for a solution to the Libyan conflict...Africa is not going to be reduced to the status of an observer of its own calamities." 

1035 GMT: Yemeni opposition tribal leader Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar has said this morning, "No mediation works with [President] Ali Abdullah Saleh, Ali Abdullah Saleh is a liar, liar, liar. We are firm. He will leave this country barefoot."

1030 GMT: Al Jazeera English reports from opposition lines on the continued fighting in the Western mountains of Libya:

1025 GMT: Yemen's Ministry of Defense says 28 people have been killed in an explosion at a storage facility for weapons in western Sana'a, close to a neighbourhood where battles are occurring. The opposition claims the deaths were caused by shelling by President Saleh's troops.

The Yemen Rights Monitor lists 38 buildings in Sana'a now thought to be under control of the Al-Ahmar tribesmen.

1010 GMT: An Egyptian activist, "Ganzeer", is tweeting the details of his detention in the Egyptian capital Cairo for putting up "anti-military" posters for a Friday rally:

Help! Military police arrested us. Close to journalist syndicate....They’re taking us to asr el nil police station....Not going to asr el nil police station anymore. Officer says waiting for orders but will probably release us. Driver just cruising to kill time.

1000 GMT: Tribal leader Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar is surrounded by bodyguards as he walks in his house amidst clashes with regime forces in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Tuesday (photo: Reuters):

0955 GMT: Al Jazeera journalist Adam Makary reports that activists have been arrested after distributing posters in downtown Cairo for a rally on Friday.

0945 GMT: Back from a break to find developments in Yemen....

The Ministry of Defense has said that President Ali Abdullah Saleh has ordered the arrest of opposition tribal chief Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, his nine brothers, and three of his sons for armed rebellion.

The State news agency SABA and tribal sources say 24 people --- 12 soldiers from President Saleh's Republican Guard, and 12 tribesmen and civilians --- have been killed in overnight gun battles and shelling by regime forces.

0612 GMT: The Independent of London claims that it has a copy of a letter from Libyan Prime Minister, Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, to foreign governments, proposing an immediate ceasefire to be monitored by the United Nations and the African Union, unconditional talks with the opposition, amnesty for both sides in the conflict, and the drafting of a new constitution.

0610 GMT: The US Government has ordered all non-essential diplomats and family members of personnel to leave Yemen. It has also advised all American citizens to depart, given the escalation of fighting in the country.

0600 GMT: The Associated Press follows up on the story that Bahrain has sentenced four protesters to sentences of one year each.

The regime is trying 21 opposition leaders and activists for demonstrating and plotting against the state. Among the defendants, according to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights is a 15 year-old, Mohammed Ebrahim Khatem, facing charges of gathering in a group of more than five people without authorization and rioting.

0500 GMT: Yemen's capital Sana'a was rocked for a third day on Wednesday by the battle between regime forces and opposition tribesmen. Indeed, the battle spread, as President Saleh's troops clashed with those of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who broke from the regime in March.

Sana'a International Airport has been closed because of nearby fighting, and clashes were continuing last night in the neighbourhood where General al-Ahmar and the leader of the most powerful tribe, Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, live.

In Syria, the nightly ritual of protest persists. A clip from Hama on Wednesday evening: