The people of Yemen have taken a cue from the Egyptian uprising and have held five straight days of protests so far.

They have demanded political reforms and the ouster of the country's U.S.-allied President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The tension comes as ties between the U.S. and Saleh have increased recently as Washington has become concerned about the activities of al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.

Saleh has been in office for more than 30 years and has tried to stop mounting tensions by promising not to seek re-election when his term ends in 2013.

The latest protest drew about 3,000 people, chanting slogans which included, "Down with the president's thugs."

"We will not back off, whatever the government thugs do," said Tawakul Karman, a senior member of the opposition Islamic fundamentalist Islah Party, She was briefly arrested last month for leading anti-government protests.

"We will retain the dignity of the people and their rights by downing the regime," she added.

Police tried to disperse the protestors, but they continued their march from Sanaa University toward the city center.