Uprising Underway in Yemen as Tens of Thousands Vow 'Sit-Ins Until Regime Ousted'

Uprising Underway in Yemen as Tens of Thousands Vow 'Sit-Ins Until Regime Ousted'

Fuad Rajeh

Sana'a-Feb 20, 2011, Tens of thousands of Yemeni people started on Sunday indefinite sit-ins in several provinces including the capital Sana'a, Taiz, Ibb and Aden.

The move comes as the Joint Meeting Parties, the opposition, has just joined the popular and youth protests across the republic demanding the ouster of the regime.

In Sana'a, thousands of people, mostly college students, and including MPs and activists, are continuing their protest day and night at Sana'a University.

Today, they vowed to start a sit-in and not to leave their place until the government was ousted.

We urge the regime, the president and his gangsters [government] who are looting the public properties, to quit and we demand radical political changes, said Arafat Al-Daghshari, a 25-year graduate.

"We will stage a sit-in here until the regime was out. The bullies who attack us are mercenaries and they can't stop us or make us abandon our strife," he added.

Another protester said the moves the regime is taking to thwart their protest and force them to give up mean this regime is 'stupid'.

"Our corrupt regime is hiring bullies and paying them everyday to attack us with batons, rocks and sometimes they shoot us, but all this regime is taking does not work……we are very determined: the regime must be out or we die for the sake of liberation," said Eisa Al-Sanawi, 27.

"The moves by the regime reflect disrespect for freedoms and democracy".

Saleh has been in power for almost 32 years as Yemen continues to be undeveloped and not liberated from oppression and tyranny, said Eisa, adding: "the Saleh regime is tyrannizing the Yemeni people more than colonialism does".

This regime should go out of office….. much better it leaves the country, he said.

"What an irony: the regime is hiring bullies to attack the peaceful demonstrators with batons and rocks as it calls for dialogue," said Muhammad Musheiki, 29.

We will not give up our rights and we are determined to continue our peaceful strife after Tunisia and Egypt, he said.

In Taiz, Aden, Ibb and other cities, thousands are continuing their protests demanding the removal of the regime.

They are camping at areas some of which have become now called Tahrir Square as the ruling party is continuing the occupation of Tahrir Squares in Sana'a and Taiz preventing protesters from going to them in a bid to avoid an Egypt-like revolution.

More than a dozen protesters have been killed and dozens wounded after the protests escalated in the country following the resignation of Egyptian President Mubarak.

Though the protesters, mostly young, are being fed with soaring unemployment rates, poverty, widespread corruption and patronage, the protests were inspired by the revolts that forced the Tunisian and Egyptian regimes out of office in the last two months.