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Thursday, March 10, 2011
Rights Group Says Yemen Used Deadly Force in Aden
Yemeni security forces used deadly force against largely peaceful protesters in the southern city of Aden last month, according to a Human Rights Watch report published Wednesday. Human Rights Watch says Yemeni security forces used a range of weapons against protesters in Aden, including assault rifles and machine guns. It says between February 16 and 25 at least nine people were killed and more than 150 people were injured, some of them children.
YEMEN: The view from Aden
ADEN, 10 March 2011 (IRIN) - Some of the worst violence in Yemen as protesters demand the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been in the southern port city of Aden, where at least 20 people have been killed since mid-February.
The first death on 16 February led to a surge of anger, and after Friday prayers on 18 February there were pitched battles with the security forces as the protesters tried to reach the main square in the city. At least one member of the security forces was reportedly killed.
“The government says the violence against the security forces is - more than anywhere else in the country - justifying their heavy-handedness, and two or three public buildings, including a police station have been torched,” said an analyst, who asked not to be named. “The demonstrators say the government is using agents provocateurs.”
There was more trouble on 7 March when masked men demanded the closure of schools in the al-Mansoorah and al-Mualla districts of Aden. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), students and teachers were threatened and told if they did not join the protests, their schools would be burnt down. Gun shots were heard in the area.
Schools were open on 8 March, but few students turned up for class. “Our main concern is that schoolchildren should not be involved by any of the parties - schools should be a safe environment for the children,” UNICEF field officer in Aden Mohammed al-Ebbi told IRIN.
“The situation is very unpredictable, our [risk] assessment can change from day to day,” a humanitarian worker noted. “Aden can be easily paralysed; there are few access roads and they can be blocked.”
Streets in the districts of Ma’alah, Crater and al-Mansoorah have been occupied by small groups of protesters, but local observers say the demonstrators, who are demanding jobs and an end to corruption, have been less organized and coordinated than in the capital Sana’a, and other cities.
Ibrahim Shaibi, a medical doctor leading the protest in Ma’alah, which has shut down Madram Street, the main commercial centre, said he was now “keeping in touch with Sana’a”, and committees were being formed.
New element
As in the rest of the country, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), a coalition of opposition groups, are supporting the protesters in Aden. But the presence of the secessionist southern movement, al-Hirak, adds an additional dimension, and Al-Qaeda is also present in the rural south.
Until unification in 1990, the south was a separate country with a socialist government. It is an era remembered as one in which the state provided free social services; jobs and housing were readily available; and women were more empowered. In 1994 the political agreement unravelled over southern accusations of marginalization, and the north invaded, brushing aside the numerically inferior southern army and seizing control of the south’s oil and gas resources.
But the south was not a harmonious idyll before the north’s invasion. There were tribal-based political rivalries which boiled over into killings in the mid-1980s, and which could still exist.
Al-Hirak is a broad movement that is particularly strong outside Aden where state control is weak. Its emergence and growth is seen as the direct result of the north’s refusal to listen to southern grievances, and the monopolization of senior local positions and economic power by northerners aligned to the ruling party. Yemen is run on a system of patronage and contacts that further penalizes southerners who do not have access to those networks, analysts say.
But the protests in the north that began on 2 February have provided a political alternative to separation for southerners wanting change: the idea that Saleh could be forced to quit after 32 years is a novel option.
“In Aden it’s now less about separation and more about regime change,” said the local analyst. “For ordinary people, if the situation changes, if there is an end to corruption and chances for the youth - that will satisfy the people here.”
Amir Ali, listening to the speakers at an anti-government rally in al-Mansoorah on 6 March, told IRIN: “There are many opinions here, but I’m a believer in one Yemen. The problem in the south is that we feel disenfranchised; we are not stakeholders in the future of this country. This is a revolution by the youth who want a stake in the future.”
oa/cb
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Yemen protesters threaten students in south -UNICEF
Anti-government demonstrators in south Yemen are threatening to burn down schools if teachers and students do not join their protests in the port city of Aden, the U.N. children's fund UNICEF said on Tuesday.
Daily protests have swept Yemen for over a month, as tens of thousands of demonstrators demand the end of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's three-decade rule over the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state.
"Yesterday's confirmed reports ... tell of a number of schools in al-Mansoura and al-Mualla (districts in Aden) being attacked by demonstrators," UNICEF said in a statement.
"Reportedly, children and teachers were threatened and told if they would not leave the schools and join the protest, they (the schools) would be burnt down. Gun shots were heard in the area."
UNICEF communications officer Mohammed Al Asaadi, who is based in Sanaa, told Reuters he knew of two schools being threatened and said many children in Aden were now being kept at home by their parents.
"Some schools were already closed down because parents did not want their kids to go to school in anticipation of violence or attacks on schools," he said, speaking by phone.
The reported threats on schools were the first of their kind since unrest hit Yemen in January, with protesters galvanised by successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
But schools have been targeted in previous disturbances in Yemen. Last May, UNICEF reported that gunmen had seized schools in north Yemen despite an uneasy truce between Shi'ite Muslim rebels and the government.
Saleh, a U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, was struggling to maintain stability even before the latest protests broke out. He has been trying to sustain a cease-fire with northern rebels while also seeking to curb a secessionist rebellion in the south.
In Aden, once the capital of an independent southern state, several children have been wounded and killed in this year's troubles, Asaadi said. In all, an estimated 27 people have died across Yemen in the protests.
"UNICEF is concerned about the safety of these children and their access to basic rights such as education and health services," he said.
(Writing by Erika Solomon; editing by Crispian Balmer and Sonya Hepinstall)
ٍSource: http://yhoo.it/f6aJEY
Monday, March 7, 2011
What is happening in Aden ?
Written by: Mr. Alaa Isam and Nashwan AlOthmani
Daily life
In general, daily life appears to be to an extent ‘normal’, trading outlets are open, yet not for long, usually closing around 7 or 8 p.m. Buses and taxis are operating at a capacity to ensure that people are able to carry out their normal activities.
Except that all that was described of the normal Adeni day is dependent on the events of the day. For the days where there are announcements that there will be big protests via the social networks, text messages, or emails, there is a complete standstill in activity. Shops do not open their doors, roads are clear of pedestrians and traffic, and employees and students do not go their respective workplaces and schools.
The security situation
Whilst travelling around Aden it is clear that there is a feeling of an unnanounced security alert. The roads leading to and from the 8 departments that make up the governate are blocked with government checkpoints. The departments which have seen the most unrest, such as Mansoura, Ma’ala, and Khormaskar have seen armed army vehicles, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, and army personnel from time to time.
The road blockade on Aden means that those coming from other governates to Aden cannot, apart from rare cases such as families and medical emergencies, and of course qat, which comes from the governate of al-Dhalie, a distance of 92 km to the north.
Depending on the unrest in the day’s protests there is an equal ratcheting up of the security situation, and the inhumane response of the army and the security services, deploying their heavy artillery. It appears that the videos of the attacks on the peaceful protesters in Mansoura, Ma’ala, and Khormaskar are the only way of showing what is going on on the ground.
The protests
I believe that the day the security forces fear the most in Aden is Friday. After Friday prayers the worshippers leave their mosques in the various departments of Aden, and come out into the streets. If there was no response from the security forces in Aden it is probable that the city would fall to the protesters in a dramatic and fast manner. Therefore, on Fridays, we see a huge deployment of the security forces and the army, with their light and medium artillery, in an attempt to repel any gathering or movement that would take the situation out of the hands of their choking hold.
On a geographical note to the protests, there have been two major gatherings in Aden city, one in Mansoura, and one in Crater. This does not mean that there have not been protests in the other departments, for there have been sporadic protests in Dar al-Saad, Khormaskar, Sheikh Othman, Ma’ala, Tawahi, and Little Aden, and they could become permanent as the days go by.
Strength
Without a doubt it is the youth who have called for these protests and demonstrations, for they are the biggest demographic on the ground, and in the mix of the events. Howeverm, the Adeni street is not operating solely on the orders of the youth movement. There are other organisations which are attempting to move the youth in different directions, and are attempting to appear on the ground and in the media.
- The Southern Movement:
The principal movement. It has emphasised, since the beginning of the protests in Aden, that it should help this bravery of the youth, and it has translated this into the appearances that the leaders of the movement, have made at the protests. Notable leaders such as Hassan Ba’oum, Qassim Askar Jibran, Qasim Othman al-Da’iri, Ali bin Ali Shokri, Dr Yihya Shaif al-Shuaibi, and Dr Aidroos al-Hirri, have appeared, along with others. Calls have been made for the protests in the governates of Lahj, Dhalie, Abyan, and Hadhramout, to the city of Aden, in an attempt that can be seen as supporting the youth, and maintaining the momentum.
It is important to remember that the areas that can be said to be under the control of the Southern Movement are Khormaskar, Mansoura, Daar al-Saad, Sheikh Othman, and Little Aden.
- Islah Party (Muslim Brotherhood):
Members of the Islah Party have been moving energetically and clearly; in the protests in Crater, Ma’ala, and Tawahi, they led the street protests, and supported the movement in an orderly manner. In the Crater protests, especially the Friday protests, they joined with vehicles manned by members of the Islah Party, in order to help any of those injured during the protests, especially those under the fire of the security forces.
Also, the members of the Islah Party are those who carry the microphones that send out the slogans, and they are the ones that gather worshippers after Friday prayers to protest, and I have seen this up close myself.
In the other departments, such as Mansoura, Sheikh Othman, Daar al-Saad, and Little Aden, the members of the Islah Party do not take leadership positions, as they have done in Crater, Ma’ala, and Tawahi.
- Socialist Party:
The party ruled the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) for 12 years, and the state still talks of the agenda of the Socialist Party, which is apparently a call for the citizens to separate, or what is being called ‘breaking the connection’ by many of the Southern Movement. The movement’s message is becoming clearer now, with the announcements being made in the name of ‘The Socialist Party Movement – Aden’, in addition to the emergence of a number of leaders of the Socialist Party who are speaking to the media on behalf of the media. This is in addition to some of its youth members who are taking part in the demonstrations, despite the Socialist Party members not taking on the same level of leadership as the members of Islah have. However, they are appearing prominently in the Khormasker department that is seeing statements being released by the Socialist Party backing up the calls of the Southern Movement.
- Marginal movements:
There is also movement on the ground by other marginal movements which are not large in number. The current role of these groups is to simply grow. Firstly there is the ‘Association of the Sons of Yemen’ (Raiy) party, the party that brought about the first women’s protest in Aden calling for the fall of the regime. A number of the participants in this protest were female members of the ‘Raiy’ party, in addition to a number of prominent figures in the Socialist Party.
Independent and liberal parties have had little impact. A number of other groups with specific agendas have attempted to attract protesters from other parties. One such person at the protest in Crater said that he had left his job and had come to protest with his brothers, the youth, in Aden. When I asked him about how much he and those with him had, he replied that he had $10,000, half of which he had gathered from his old job in Sana’a where he was a manager at a maintenance company for medical supplies. The other half he gathered from donations from some businessmen relatives of his, who come from the Yafai region that is separated between the Lahj and Abyan regions, where they transfer to him sums of money in Saudi Riyals. In this manner he is able to support the youths in their protests to bring down the regime, according to him.
In conclusion…
Signs of local contestation over the leadership and direction of the street protest are clear to the observer. It has actually started in Crater, where there were fistfights between Islah Party members and some youth who supported the Southern Movement. This ended with there being two protests, one by the Islah Party calling for the fall of the regime and fighting corruption, and the other supporting the Southern Movement which raised banners calling for separation and the return of the separate country.
There have also been indicators of an alliance between the Southern Movement and the Socialist Party in Aden. The Islah Party has been incubating the other movements and parties who are more inclined to support them, and are more open to, in an attempt to make themselves familiar to the street.
Are the Mideast uprisings strengthening al Qaeda?
It isn't Osama bin Laden who's out there toppling autocratic Arab regimes — but will he and his terrorist network benefit anyway?
Best Opinion: Wash. Post, Yemen Observer, Al Arabiya
As Libya slips deeper into a bloody civil war, unyielding leader Moammar Gadhafi insists that al Qaeda is behind the revoltagainst him. Meanwhile, many, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), argue that the uprisings in Libya and across the Arab world are a "repudiation" of Osama bin Laden's network of terrorists. Others aren't so sure. Will the uprisings unleash pent-up support for Islamist extremism?
The revolts will strengthen al Qaeda: The uprisings represent "an enormous strategic step forward for al Qaeda," says Michael Scheuer at The Washington Post. Each dictatorship that falls creates "a more religion-friendly" political environment where bottled-up support for Muslim extremists will now gush forth. And with Egypt's Hosni Mubarak gone, Israel has lost its last "anti-Islamist shield." For bin Laden, who has declared war against both Israel and "the Arab tyrannies," this is a double victory. "Why the Mideast revolts will help al Qaeda"
Actually, the uprisings make al Qaeda irrelevant: Al Qaeda has never been "more marginal than it is now," says Shahid Alam at the Yemen Observer. It recruits frustrated young people by calling for "terrorist attacks against local tyrannies or their foreign backers." But these uprisings, which have largely succeeded without violence from the protesters, are robbing the organization of its lifeblood, and undercutting its rationale. "Washington, al Qaeda, and the Arab revolt"
Al Qaeda is down, but not yet out: Al Qaeda was "caught by surprise,"says Musa Keilani at Al Arabiya, and it's trying to "muscle its way into the unrest" after the fact. But if new Arab leaders can guarantee stability and jobs, the region's "hopeful youth" will "shun al Qaeda." The real question is whether the governments replacing toppled regimes can satisfy protesters' demands. If the new regimes fail, don't count al Qaeda out. "Priorities for post-revolt leaders"
source: http://bit.ly/guBsmA
Yemen's Tipping Point
Yemen's political crisis is fast approaching a tipping point, with ever-growing numbers of anti-government demonstrators calling for Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to step down, after more than 30 years in power. They are also calling for an end to elite corruption, widespread poverty and high levels of unemployment. They want a more legitimate, responsive and inclusive government.
Last month, as Egypt's political crisis began to gather speed, President Saleh promised he would stand aside in 2013, at the end of his current term in office. He offered to form a national unity government and agreed to postpone April's parliamentary elections until he could reach a bi-partisan deal with the opposition coalition.
In an attempt to reach out beyond the political elite, Saleh announced several waves of bread-and-butter inducements, including public sector salary hikes and new jobs for graduates. He also shored up his patronage network among the tribes, distributing cash gifts and cars to loyalists in a bid to keep key sheikhs onside.
However, the scale of the street protests has created a new momentum in Yemeni politics, which is forcing many of the key players within the established political elite to reassess their alliances.
A television channel owned by business tycoon and opposition politician Hameed al-Ahmar broadcasts regular updates on defections from within the regime and the ruling party. Hameed's eldest brother, Sadek, heads Yemen's most powerful tribal power bloc, the Hashid confederation, while his brother Himyar is the deputy speaker of parliament. Hameed's personal wealth is said to bankroll the opposition's grassroots activities but his ambition to be president - or at the very least, a kingmaker in a future transition of power - also divides the coalition.
Politics in Yemen are highly personalized, and power is not fully structured through institutions. Neither government ministries, nor the ruling party nor the opposition coalition represents the real distribution of political power. Even some factions within the opposition are loyal to President Saleh, and different army divisions have not always acted entirely as instruments of the formal state. This adds to the confusion, when journalists - both Yemenis and foreigners alike - try to report on the status of political dialogue or rumoured deals, such as the opposition's latest counter-offer demanding that President Saleh steps down by the end of this year.
International media coverage of the protests currently lags behind reporting from other countries in the region. There are very few camera crews on the ground and al Jazeera staff face threats and intimidation. The Yemeni government has imposed a ban on new visas for journalists and researchers, and English-language reports are filed by a handful of Western freelance journalists already living in the capital, Sana'a, when the protests began. Yemeni activists are using YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to get their message to the outside world.
Yemen's street protests are amplifying existing tensions within the country's power elite but activists reject the idea of lending their support to a leadership bid from a new face who will simply perpetuate the current system. They want to see a fundamental reconfiguration of the political space. Under this model, any new president would need to build an inclusive coalition that attempts to balance the conflicting interests of the southerners, the rebels in Saada, the clerics, key military officers and key tribal leaders, as well as the urban protestors. Successful confidence building measures would probably include a degree of devolution, or even federalism, to keep the southerners on side.
The protestors also want better economic conditions and a higher standard of living. In a country where a third of the population is already living below the breadline, that's already a tall order but Yemen's falling oil production means economic conditions have the potential to deteriorate even further over the coming years. This has undeniable political consequences when power is brokered through cash-based patronage networks, and it opens up the potential for foreign powers to try to influence, or prolong, the coming power struggle.
US officials have expressed deep concern at President Saleh's use of violence against the protestors but they currently have all their eggs in one basket in Yemen. The US is channeling millions of dollars in military aid to President Saleh's son and nephews, who command the elite security and intelligence units that tackle al-Qaeda. The royal family in Saudi Arabia, who also fear al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen, maintain an extensive network of influence among Yemen's tribes and have allegedly paid billions of dollars direct to President Saleh in recent years. Riyadh and Washington might prefer the status quo and fear the chaos of transition but it may already be too late to stop the forces unleashed by nationwide street protests from pushing the issue towards a resolution.
Source: http://bit.ly/eifEhs
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Dutch urged to leave Yemen
The Dutch ambassador in Yemen has urged all Dutch nationals to leave the country unless their stay is absolutely necessary.
The foreign ministry issued a travel warning for Yemen on Saturday, saying there is a heightened risk of political unrest, terror attacks and hostage taking.
There are thought to be around 95 Dutch nationals in the country.
Source: http://bit.ly/e0YMlM
U.S. says citizens in Yemen should consider leaving
The United States urged its citizens on Sunday to avoid travelling to Yemen and said those already there should consider departing, adding the security threat in the Arabian Peninsula country was extremely high.Skip related content
"The Department (of State) urges U.S. citizens not to travel to Yemen. U.S. citizens currently in Yemen should consider departing Yemen," the U.S. State Department said in a travel warning. "The security threat level in Yemen is extremely high due to terrorist activities and civil unrest."
(Reporting by Mohamed Sudam; Writing by Cynthia Johnston)
source: http://yhoo.it/hiP25i
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Britain warns against travel to or stay in Yemen
The British Foreign Office has warned Britons in Yemen to leave the country due to the nationwide demonstrations.
“In light of the increasing violence in Yemen, we advise against all travel to Yemen,” a travel advice posted on the Foreign Office website on March 5 said. “We recommend that all British nationals in country without a pressing need to remain should leave by the commercial options currently available.”
The advice said that political demonstrations are continuing across Yemen, including in Sana’a, Aden, Hadramawt and Taiz and security forces and plainclothes policemen have been deployed to clash with demonstrators and use violence to disperse crowds.
“There have been reports of a number of deaths during demonstrations in Aden , Taiz and Sana’a,” the Foreign Office said. “Further protests are expected and violence is likely.”
This is the first warning to foreigners in Yemen since anti-regime protests erupted almost four weeks ago.
Yemen police arrest 16 anti-regime protesters
Yemeni security forces arrested 16 protesters in Aden on Saturday, as thousands continued to demonstrate in the south demanding the fall of the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The anti-government demonstrators were nabbed as police dispersed protesters who were gathering to hold a sit-in outside Al-Nur mosque in Aden, police said.
Witnesses said police used tear gas and fired warning shots to disperse the protesters and that two demonstrators were wounded after being beaten with batons.
Meanwhile, thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets in the city of Ataq, in the eastern province of Shabwa, on the third consecutive day of protests, witnesses said.
"People want to topple the regime," demonstrators chanted, echoing a slogan that has gripped many Arab capitals and that has already forced the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt to quit.
An MP from the neighbouring Al-Bayda province announced Friday his resignation from the ruling party of Saleh in protest to using force against demonstrators.
Ali al-Umrani announced his decision to quit the General People's Congress and join anti-government protests at an anti-Saleh demonstration in the capital, Sanaa.
Another member of the GPC, prominent businessman Nabil al-Khameri, also announced his resignation to protest the violence.
Eleven MPs who had quit GPC last week have since announced forming a new parliamentary bloc, named as the "Free Deputies", headed by MP Abdo Bisher.
Yemeni troops killed four demonstrators and wounded seven others on Friday when they fired on an anti-regime rally in the northern Amran province, officials and Shiite rebels said.
The shooting came a day after the opposition and clerics offered embattled Saleh a smooth exit from power.
Saleh's government has been rocked by a wave of protests in which at least 19 people have been killed since February 16, according to an AFP toll based on reports and witnesses.
Rights group Amnesty International has put the toll at 27.
source: http://yhoo.it/dXfs66
Yemen President reiterates to stay in power until 2013
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh Saturday reiterated that he would remain in power until his term ends in 2013, rejecting an opposition plan for him to step aside this year.
"The peaceful and smooth transition of power is not carried out through chaos but through the will of the people expressed through elections," an official source at the presidential office said in a statement.
The opposition Friday said Saleh was sticking to an earlier plan to step down in 2013 but had agreed to a proposal by religious leaders to revamp elections, parliament and the judicial system.
Saleh, an ally of the United States in its battle against an al Qaeda wing based in his country, has struggled to cement a truce with Shi'ite rebels in the north and quell a budding secessionist rebellion in the south.
Protests have taken place across Yemen, a country of 23 million which borders the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia.
The protesters say they are frustrated with widespread corruption and soaring unemployment in a country where 40 percent of its 23 million people live on $2 a day or less and a third face chronic hunger.
Earlier Saturday witnesses told Reuters three protestors were wounded Friday evening when Yemeni security forces fired into the air and used tear gas to disperse demonstrators at a sit-in in the southern port city of Aden.
Protestors were dispersed after they had gathered at a square in the city's Sheikh Othman district following Friday prayers, the witnesses said.
Possibly more than 100,000 protested Friday in one of the largest demonstrations in Sanaa yet and similar numbers rallied in Taiz, south of the capital, a Reuters reporter said.
More than 20,000 protesters marched in Aden and tens of thousands marched in Ibb, south of Sanaa.
Shi'ite Muslim rebels in the north of the country Friday accused the Yemeni army of firing rockets on a protest in Harf Sufyan, where thousands had gathered. Two people were killed and 13 injured.
(Writing by Jason Benham; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Source: http://yhoo.it/ejXGCg