Chiara Onassis | 12 March 2012
SANA’A: Just as Yemen is gearing
up for a military confrontation with al-Qaeda in its southern provinces with
daily security reports emphasizing the growing danger the terror is
representing, the Joint Meeting Parties, an umbrella of political factions
which united to oppose former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule, announced
that they would not engage in any dialogue with the regime until President Abdu
Rabbo Mansour Hadi resumed the armed forces restructuring.
According to the GCC brokered
power transfer agreement signed in November last year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
all parties present, the regime and the opposition, agreed that upon the
election of a new President of the Republic, the latter would oversee through a
military committee the appointment of new military leaders as to re-balance the
country’s power plates.
Although President Hadi did indeed
appoint a new commander to the South and operate a few changes here and there,
members of the opposition are waiting for him to tackle the main issue, that of
President Saleh’s relatives.
However, the task is proven harder
than first anticipated since, Ahmed Ali Saleh, Saleh’s eldest son and Head of
the powerful Republican guards and Special Forces, and Yehia Mohamed Saleh,
Saleh’s nephew and Head of the Central Security Forces are both holding within
their hold the nation most potent and well-trained troops, which Yemen in its
current fight against al-Qaeda cannot afford to jeopardize.
The US which said was keen to keep
on the two men since they were long standing allies of the American
anti-terrorism policy in the region and therefore important assets has thrown
its weight into the argument, urging Hadi to postpone the restructuring until
after the terror threat is lifted.
The JMP though is arguing against,
saying that the ruling party is breaching the power-transfer terms, threatening
to reconsider President Saleh’s immunity blanket if nothing is done soon to
oust the 2 military chiefs.
“We cannot engage in an inclusive national
dialogue until the way is paved for it. The main thing that would lay the
ground for the national dialogue is restructuring the army,” said Abdu Galal
al-Adini, the opposition official spokesman.
He further added: “Combating
terrorism is a corporate responsibility of the political leadership and the
armed forces and that it’s not stipulated to a certain person or a military
commander.”
Interestingly, revolutionaries are
divided on the matter with many recognizing the necessity to maintain a sense
of continuity within the armed forces as Yemen is literally at war with
al-Qaeda in several southern provinces.
“I don’t think we need to change our military
leaders at present, we are at war. Politics and the military should not mix
right now, not when we are facing the biggest threat against our nation in
decades. The JMP should really refrain from urging soldiers to rebel against
their commanders; it is anti-patriotic and could be considered an act of
treason even. We need to stand behind our army and show soldiers the nation is
supporting them. Before being members of a political party we are Yemenis and
today we need to put that before everything,” said Abdel-Aleem Bugheti.
Posts
