Yemen Islamist leader urges president Saleh to leave

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One of Yemen's most influential political figures says President Ali Abdullah Saleh must leave the country, not just step down from power. Hamid al-Ahmar, of the Islamist Islah party, told the BBC of opposition plans to escalate anti-government protests, reports BBC Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in several Yemeni cities on Wednesday. Many also blame the government for blasts at an ammunitions factory on Monday that left 150 people dead. The explosions, in the town of Jaar in central Abyan province, happened while residents were searching for ammunition left behind by suspected Islamist militants who had been involved in clashes with government forces in the area on Sunday. Yemen officials have blamed al-Qaeda for the blasts, but the opposition accuses the president of withdrawing his forces and allowing the area to be overrun with militants as a ploy to sow fears of chaos if he leaves. President Saleh has agreed to resign by January 2012, but the opposition and protesters are calling for his immediate departure. Mr Ahmar told the BBC that the president and his family "have no immediate future in Yemen. They should leave power, they should leave the country for their own safety".