According to a new analysis by LIGNET.com , recent violence between protesters and government forces in Sanaa has brought the country closer to the possibility of civil war and is providing al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) a respite after government forces made significant gains in recent weeks in southern Yemen.

Republican Guard forces loyal to the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh began firing on unarmed civilians protesting the regime on Sunday, leaving dozens killed and wounded. On Monday, the violence escalated when forces loyal to defected General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar clashed with government troops.

According to the LIGNET analysis:

“Yemen has slipped closer to all out civil war as Saleh has continued to delay stepping down from power. His continued reluctance to sign a Gulf Cooperation Council transition agreement temporarily allowed his son, Ahmed Ali Saleh, to resume control over the Republican Guards and special forces.”

Click HERE to read the full analysis of this story from LIGNET.com , a new Washington, DC-based intelligence analysis and forecasting service.