Snipers in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, have fired on anti-government protesters, killing at least one person and wounding nine others.

The shootings Thursday near Change Square came as government forces continued to clash with dissident soldiers on the fifth day of a deadly crackdown.

More than 85 people, mostly unarmed civilians, have been killed since Yemen's youth-led protest movement stepped up demonstrations last week.

Government forces killed at least nine people Wednesday. The troops fired on mourners at a mass funeral and attacked civilians in Change Square, the encampment where thousands have staged a months-long sit-in.

Also Wednesday, a Gulf mediator left the country with no word on a power-transfer deal.

Gulf Cooperation Council chief Abdul Latif al-Zayani left Sana'a after meeting with Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The head of the six-nation council had traveled to Yemen Monday in an attempt to revive a long-stalled GCC plan that calls for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over power to a deputy.

Mr. Saleh has agreed to the proposal three times since April. However, in each case, he has backed out before a deal could be signed.

The president remains in Saudi Arabia, where he is recovering from injuries sustained in a June attack on his presidential compound in Sana'a.