Key dates in the revolt in Yemen:
January 27: Inspired by revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, Yemenis rally to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
February 2: Saleh promises reforms and says he will not seek a new mandate when his term ends in 2013.
February 3: Tens of thousands take part in a "day of rage". Saleh loyalists hold a counter-demonstration.
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February 16-17: Deadly clashes between protesters and security forces in the southern port city of Aden. In Sanaa, students attempt to march on the presidential palace but are beaten back.
February 26: Leaders of two of Yemen's most important tribes abandon the president.
March 1: Huge new protests near Sanaa University.
March 10: Saleh promises a referendum on a new constitution to devolve power to parliament, but the opposition rejects the offer.
March 18: Regime loyalists open fire on demonstrators in the capital, killing 52. Saleh declares a state of emergency.
March 20: Saleh sacks his government as tens of thousands of mourners mass in Sanaa to bury many of the 52 people gunned down by his loyalists.
March 21: Top generals pledge allegiance to the "revolution", and the country's main tribal leader demands Saleh's exit from power. Several top government officials also pledge support for the protesters.
March 22: Saleh warns against a coup, saying it could cause civil war. Tanks are deployed in the capital.
March 23: Deputies backing President Saleh approve the state of emergency, but the vote is boycotted by the opposition. The Islamist Al-Islah (Reform) party dismisses the vote as a "fraud".
- Saleh says he is willing to step down at the end of the year.
- The premises of the Al-Jazeera TV news station in Sanaa are ransacked and shut down.
March 24: Clashes in southeastern Yemen between regular army troops and the Republican Guard, loyal to Saleh.
- Saleh holds late-night talks with powerful army general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who has defected to the opposition, but the two fail to agree.
March 25: Saleh says he will hand over power, but only to "safe hands".
- Huge rival marches in Sanaa, one for and one against the president.
- Thousands of anti-Saleh protesters march in the southern port of Aden.
April 1: Saleh opponents and supports stage mass rallies in Sanaa.
April 2: The opposition urges Saleh to transfer his powers to his deputy.
April 3: Activists say police kill one anti-government demonstrator and wound scores more in Taez as Saleh calls for an end to the protests. The Taez governor denies a protester was killed.
April 4: Yemeni security forces shot dead at least 17 protesters as Gulf states offered to mediate and Washington appeared to be pulling the plug on Saleh.
