By Mohammed Ghobari
Tue Dec 27, 2011
SANAA (Reuters) - Foes and backers of a plan to ease Yemen's president out of power fought each other with stones and clubs on Tuesday, deepening the country's chaos as Washington said it was considering a request from the leader to fly to the United States.
Youth activists, who have led months of protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule, were split on him leaving the country - saying it might ease the conflict but could also let him escape justice.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh bowed to months of protests and international pressure by agreeing last month to a deal that would grant him immunity from prosecution over his violent crackdown on the uprising but see him hand over power to his deputy.
Far from resolving the crisis, the settlement has sparked further tension between groups who opposed the immunity deal, and groups who backed it - many of whom have since joined an interim government.
Activists said least 20 people were injured in the clashes in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday between supporters of the Islah party, which backed the immunity deal, and the Houthi movement, a Shi'ite rebel grouping in the north of the country.
Washington and top oil producer Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, both fear continued chaos would allow al Qaeda to build on its already strong presence in the country, which lies close to key oil shipping lanes.
After another bout of violence on Saturday - when protesters said Saleh's forces killed nine people who had joined a mass march against the immunity deal - the president vowed to give way to a successor and go to the United States.
A White House spokesman late on Monday said the U.S. government was trying to decide whether to allow Saleh to travel to the United States, adding that the president had requested medical treatment.
Anti-Saleh protesters said they were in two minds about the possible U.S. trip.
"We are at a loss, between our desire to see Saleh go and avoid Yemen sliding into civil war, and the desire to see him tried for his crimes," said Samia al-Aghbari, a protest leader who was detained briefly after Saturday's violence.
"If he (Saleh) is away and forbidden from being part of the political atmosphere in Yemen, it may help, I see the point of that. But he still has money and weapons in the country and if this doesn't change, nothing will change at any level in Yemen," said activist Hamza Shargabi.
OVERLAPPING CONFLICTS
Any suggestion that Saleh is taking up sanctuary in the United States would be highly controversial among activists and opposition figures who have accused Washington of backing Saleh as an ally in the campaign against al Qaeda.
"He has this relation with the U.S., its war on terror, and torturing people in the name of that war, and putting people in prison," said Shargabi. "Anything can happen in the name of the war on terror."
Hostility against the United States was fanned by Yemeni media reports that Washington's envoy in Sanaa described Saturday's march as a provocative act, shortly before Saleh's forces cracked down on the protest.
In a statement on Monday, a group of protest organisers demanded Washington recall Gerald Feierstein, whom they called an "advocate and defender of Saleh's ruthless oppression of his people, almost from the start of his assignment in Yemen."
Al Masdar Online, one of the publications which attended a briefing with Feierstein, cited him as saying, in Arabic translation: "Being peaceful isn't just about not carrying weapons. If 2,000 people decided to march on the White House, we wouldn't consider it peaceful and we wouldn't permit it."
The U.S. embassy in Sanaa did not respond to requests for comment on the remarks.
The top "counter-terrorism" official in Washington - which wages a campaign of drone strikes against alleged al Qaeda members in Yemen and assassinated Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen, that way earlier this year - urged Saleh's deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Sunday to show restraint with protests.
Any successor to Saleh would face multiple, overlapping conflicts including renewed separatist sentiment in the south, which fought a civil war with Saleh's north in 1994 after four turbulent years of formal union.
Islamist fighters have seized chunks of territory in the southern Abyan province. Fighting there has forced tens of thousands of people to flee, compounding a humanitarian crisis in a country where about half a million people are displaced.
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Source: U.S. to allow Yemeni president in for treatment
By the CNN Wire Staff
December 27, 2011
Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh will be allowed to come to the United States for medical treatment in New York, a senior Obama administration official said Tuesday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged a debate within the administration.
Officials do not want to come across as providing safe haven to a dictator responsible for a violent crackdown on an uprising that killed many protesters, the source said.
The decision was made in hopes that Saleh's departure from Yemen could ease tensions in the country and help pave the way toward elections next year, the official said.
Saleh was wounded in a June bomb attack on his presidential palace.
He received treatment in Saudi Arabia as protests grew against his 33-year rule.
On Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. officials were considering Saleh's request to come to America "for the sole purpose of seeking medical treatment."
Saleh agreed to step down from power after months of unrest.
Yemen has been wracked with protests throughout the year, with demonstrators and rival factions demanding the president's departure and calling for elections.
In November, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Saleh had told him he would come to New York for medical treatment after signing an agreement to step down. Under the deal, brokered by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, the president agreed to transfer power into the hands of a coalition government.
While unpopular with many Yemenis, Saleh has been an ally of the United States in its war on terrorism, particularly against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
December 27, 2011
Embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh will be allowed to come to the United States for medical treatment in New York, a senior Obama administration official said Tuesday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, acknowledged a debate within the administration.
Officials do not want to come across as providing safe haven to a dictator responsible for a violent crackdown on an uprising that killed many protesters, the source said.
The decision was made in hopes that Saleh's departure from Yemen could ease tensions in the country and help pave the way toward elections next year, the official said.
Saleh was wounded in a June bomb attack on his presidential palace.
He received treatment in Saudi Arabia as protests grew against his 33-year rule.
On Monday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. officials were considering Saleh's request to come to America "for the sole purpose of seeking medical treatment."
Saleh agreed to step down from power after months of unrest.
Yemen has been wracked with protests throughout the year, with demonstrators and rival factions demanding the president's departure and calling for elections.
In November, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that Saleh had told him he would come to New York for medical treatment after signing an agreement to step down. Under the deal, brokered by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, the president agreed to transfer power into the hands of a coalition government.
While unpopular with many Yemenis, Saleh has been an ally of the United States in its war on terrorism, particularly against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
Monday, December 26, 2011
France warns Yemen of sanctions
AFP
December 27, 2011
FRANCE has criticised the Yemeni government's use of deadly force on protesters and warned it could seek sanctions.
Yemen is in the grip of an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has promised to stand down after a presidential election in February, but cuts an increasingly beleaguered figure as his country plunges into chaos.
In a statement from its foreign ministry, France said government forces had fired live rounds at a peaceful demonstration in Sanaa on Saturday "causing numerous deaths and injuries."
"France called on the vice president and prime minister to assume all their responsibilities and exert their authority on all military and police forces to bring to an end violence against protesters," it said.
France called on commanders in the security forces to put themselves under the command of Vice President Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi, and expressed the hope that Mr Saleh's departure "will reduce tensions".
"France and its partners do not rule out putting particular restrictive measures in place against members of the army or police or people who, by deliberately stoking tension, seek to undermine the political process."
Mr Saleh has said he is ready to travel temporarily to the United States in order to calm the atmosphere, but Washington has said it would only issue him a visa for "legitimate medical reasons".
It comes as the ongoing battles between Al-Qaeda suspects and Yemen's army near the restive southern city of Zinjibar killed five soldiers and two Al-Qaeda suspects.
"Five soldiers were killed and seven wounded in late Sunday battles" between the army and Al-Qaeda-linked militants, a military official said.
The army fired artillery rounds on the militants' hideouts on Zinjibar's outskirts.
Medics confirmed the toll, adding that two of the extremists were also killed in the fighting.
The Islamist extremist network has turned 11 months of political turmoil in the country to its advantage, using the popular revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh to bolster its presence in southern and eastern Yemen.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda control several regions and towns including Abyan provincial capital Zinjibar, where they clash regularly with government forces and tribal auxiliaries.
Government forces are also sometimes supported by US drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
December 27, 2011
FRANCE has criticised the Yemeni government's use of deadly force on protesters and warned it could seek sanctions.
Yemen is in the grip of an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has promised to stand down after a presidential election in February, but cuts an increasingly beleaguered figure as his country plunges into chaos.
In a statement from its foreign ministry, France said government forces had fired live rounds at a peaceful demonstration in Sanaa on Saturday "causing numerous deaths and injuries."
"France called on the vice president and prime minister to assume all their responsibilities and exert their authority on all military and police forces to bring to an end violence against protesters," it said.
France called on commanders in the security forces to put themselves under the command of Vice President Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi, and expressed the hope that Mr Saleh's departure "will reduce tensions".
"France and its partners do not rule out putting particular restrictive measures in place against members of the army or police or people who, by deliberately stoking tension, seek to undermine the political process."
Mr Saleh has said he is ready to travel temporarily to the United States in order to calm the atmosphere, but Washington has said it would only issue him a visa for "legitimate medical reasons".
It comes as the ongoing battles between Al-Qaeda suspects and Yemen's army near the restive southern city of Zinjibar killed five soldiers and two Al-Qaeda suspects.
"Five soldiers were killed and seven wounded in late Sunday battles" between the army and Al-Qaeda-linked militants, a military official said.
The army fired artillery rounds on the militants' hideouts on Zinjibar's outskirts.
Medics confirmed the toll, adding that two of the extremists were also killed in the fighting.
The Islamist extremist network has turned 11 months of political turmoil in the country to its advantage, using the popular revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh to bolster its presence in southern and eastern Yemen.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda control several regions and towns including Abyan provincial capital Zinjibar, where they clash regularly with government forces and tribal auxiliaries.
Government forces are also sometimes supported by US drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
Yemen replacing commander after soldiers strike
By AHMED AL-HAJ
December 26, 2011
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An officer says Yemen's military has agreed to replace a commander accused of corruption, apparently settling a brief strike by 1,000 soldiers.
Anwar Abdullah, an officer in a department that deals with public affairs and army morale, said that the strikers demanded the ouster of department head Maj. Gen. Ali al-Shater for mismanagement. Abdullah said al-Shater had his own prison, and some soldiers were jailed, even for minor offenses. Some were kept in chains.
He said after the prime minister intervened in the dispute Monday, it was agreed that al-Shater would be replaced.
The soldiers said they would end their strike when the defense minister appoints a new commander.
December 26, 2011
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An officer says Yemen's military has agreed to replace a commander accused of corruption, apparently settling a brief strike by 1,000 soldiers.
Anwar Abdullah, an officer in a department that deals with public affairs and army morale, said that the strikers demanded the ouster of department head Maj. Gen. Ali al-Shater for mismanagement. Abdullah said al-Shater had his own prison, and some soldiers were jailed, even for minor offenses. Some were kept in chains.
He said after the prime minister intervened in the dispute Monday, it was agreed that al-Shater would be replaced.
The soldiers said they would end their strike when the defense minister appoints a new commander.
Yemen Leader May Visit the United States for Medical Treatment
By MARK LANDLER
December 26, 2011
HONOLULU — The Obama administration is considering a request by the embattled president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to come to the United States for medical treatment after he relinquishes power, a senior administration official said here on Sunday evening.
The White House has not decided whether to grant the request, the official said. But he added that if Mr. Saleh were allowed to come, it would only be for “legitimate medical treatment.”
Mr. Saleh was seriously wounded last June in a bomb attack on his palace in the Yemeni capital, Sana. He agreed to give up power a month ago and an election to replace him has been set for February, but until then, he maintains his title and much of his authority. Fears that Mr. Saleh will not let go have hampered Yemen’s transition and played an underlying role in the chronic political violence gripping the country, one of the poorest in the Middle East.
On Saturday, government security forces opened fire on protestors in Sana, killing at least nine people. They were protesting a deal under which Mr. Saleh would get immunity for his role in previous clashes with demonstrators, in return for giving up his post.
The United States will not offer Mr. Saleh asylum or safe harbor if it allows him to seek treatment here, the administration official said. Anti-government activists in Yemen said they would oppose that, and demand that the United States hand him over for legal prosecution at home.
Doubts remain strong in Yemen about the real intentions of Mr. Saleh, who has clung to power for three decades.
President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, called Yemen’s vice president, Abdo Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi, on Sunday to urge the government to show restraint against protesters, said Joshua R. Earnest, the deputy press secretary.
“Mr. Brennan emphasized strongly the need for Yemeni security forces to show maximum restraint when dealing with demonstrations, and called upon all sides to refrain from provocative acts that could spur further violence,” Mr. Earnest said in a statement issued in Hawaii, where Mr. Obama is spending the Christmas holiday with his family.
Vice President Hadi, who is to assume Mr. Saleh’s powers during the transition period, told Mr. Brennan that the government would investigate the deaths and injuries, Mr. Earnest said.
The United States has found itself in a sometimes awkward position as the unrest in the Arab world has swept through Yemen. The administration conducts extensive counterterrorism operations with the Saleh government on suspected Al Qaeda cells in Yemen.
Still, the administration has supported efforts by Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf neighbors to broker a peaceful transition. Mr. Brennan, who knows the Mr. Saleh well, has served as the administration’s main interlocutor with the government.
Ever since Mr. Saleh was hurt in the June bombing — suffering shrapnel wounds and extensive burns — there have been reports that he would leave Yemen for medical treatment. He was flown to a hospital in Saudi Arabia after the attack, but returned three months later.
On Saturday, Mr. Saleh told reporters at his palace that he was leaving to “get out of sight and the media, to calm the atmosphere for the unity government to hold the presidential election,” according to The Associated Press. But he did not say when he was leaving, and noted that he would eventually return, to work as an “opposition figure.”
December 26, 2011
HONOLULU — The Obama administration is considering a request by the embattled president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to come to the United States for medical treatment after he relinquishes power, a senior administration official said here on Sunday evening.
The White House has not decided whether to grant the request, the official said. But he added that if Mr. Saleh were allowed to come, it would only be for “legitimate medical treatment.”
Mr. Saleh was seriously wounded last June in a bomb attack on his palace in the Yemeni capital, Sana. He agreed to give up power a month ago and an election to replace him has been set for February, but until then, he maintains his title and much of his authority. Fears that Mr. Saleh will not let go have hampered Yemen’s transition and played an underlying role in the chronic political violence gripping the country, one of the poorest in the Middle East.
On Saturday, government security forces opened fire on protestors in Sana, killing at least nine people. They were protesting a deal under which Mr. Saleh would get immunity for his role in previous clashes with demonstrators, in return for giving up his post.
The United States will not offer Mr. Saleh asylum or safe harbor if it allows him to seek treatment here, the administration official said. Anti-government activists in Yemen said they would oppose that, and demand that the United States hand him over for legal prosecution at home.
Doubts remain strong in Yemen about the real intentions of Mr. Saleh, who has clung to power for three decades.
President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, called Yemen’s vice president, Abdo Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi, on Sunday to urge the government to show restraint against protesters, said Joshua R. Earnest, the deputy press secretary.
“Mr. Brennan emphasized strongly the need for Yemeni security forces to show maximum restraint when dealing with demonstrations, and called upon all sides to refrain from provocative acts that could spur further violence,” Mr. Earnest said in a statement issued in Hawaii, where Mr. Obama is spending the Christmas holiday with his family.
Vice President Hadi, who is to assume Mr. Saleh’s powers during the transition period, told Mr. Brennan that the government would investigate the deaths and injuries, Mr. Earnest said.
The United States has found itself in a sometimes awkward position as the unrest in the Arab world has swept through Yemen. The administration conducts extensive counterterrorism operations with the Saleh government on suspected Al Qaeda cells in Yemen.
Still, the administration has supported efforts by Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf neighbors to broker a peaceful transition. Mr. Brennan, who knows the Mr. Saleh well, has served as the administration’s main interlocutor with the government.
Ever since Mr. Saleh was hurt in the June bombing — suffering shrapnel wounds and extensive burns — there have been reports that he would leave Yemen for medical treatment. He was flown to a hospital in Saudi Arabia after the attack, but returned three months later.
On Saturday, Mr. Saleh told reporters at his palace that he was leaving to “get out of sight and the media, to calm the atmosphere for the unity government to hold the presidential election,” according to The Associated Press. But he did not say when he was leaving, and noted that he would eventually return, to work as an “opposition figure.”
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Yemeni MPs denounce US Ambassador' statement against “March of Life”
25/12/2011
News Yemen
Members of the Yemeni Parliament in the city of Taiz, southern Yemen, criticized U.S. ambassador to Yemen over labeling a foot march from Taiz to Sana'a, almost 280km, as “non-peaceful.”
The independent MPs said in a press conference on Sunday that the U.S. ambassador Gerlad Feierstein's remarks on the march of life gave green light to the regime to kill the participants in the march in Sana'a.
At least 13 people were killed and more than 200 others wounded.
The MPs, who resigned from the General People's Congress (GPC) party and joined the peaceful youth and popular revolution last March, called the U.S. ambassador to apologize “for the people of Taiz in particular, and the people of Yemen in general.”
They also demanded material and moral compensation for families of victims and for those who are suffering injuries, disabilities and psychological and moral damage.
“Members of the Parliament strongly condemn the US ambassador's irresponsible statements, which was one of the main reasons that encouraged the regime to attack the peaceful march.”
The MPs added that the regime carried out the massacre “because it was sure that it would not be held accountable as the statement by the US ambassador was considered a green light.”
The MPs condemned the attack on the march and said that they would boycott the sessions of the Parliament and that they will never give immunity for killers.
A source in the US embassy in Sana'a told al-Masdar Online that the embassy talked to senior Yemeni officials one day before the arrival of the “March of Life” to Sana'a and urged retraint.
The source said that the embassy also asked Yemeni officials to meet the marchers and allow them to march to the Change Square.
This comes one day after the US ambassador told reporters in Sana'a that the “March of Life” is not peaceful and aims to cause chaos and provoke the security forces, according to reports by al-Masdar Online and al-Ula independent daily which attended the press conference.
News Yemen
Members of the Yemeni Parliament in the city of Taiz, southern Yemen, criticized U.S. ambassador to Yemen over labeling a foot march from Taiz to Sana'a, almost 280km, as “non-peaceful.”
The independent MPs said in a press conference on Sunday that the U.S. ambassador Gerlad Feierstein's remarks on the march of life gave green light to the regime to kill the participants in the march in Sana'a.
At least 13 people were killed and more than 200 others wounded.
The MPs, who resigned from the General People's Congress (GPC) party and joined the peaceful youth and popular revolution last March, called the U.S. ambassador to apologize “for the people of Taiz in particular, and the people of Yemen in general.”
They also demanded material and moral compensation for families of victims and for those who are suffering injuries, disabilities and psychological and moral damage.
“Members of the Parliament strongly condemn the US ambassador's irresponsible statements, which was one of the main reasons that encouraged the regime to attack the peaceful march.”
The MPs added that the regime carried out the massacre “because it was sure that it would not be held accountable as the statement by the US ambassador was considered a green light.”
The MPs condemned the attack on the march and said that they would boycott the sessions of the Parliament and that they will never give immunity for killers.
A source in the US embassy in Sana'a told al-Masdar Online that the embassy talked to senior Yemeni officials one day before the arrival of the “March of Life” to Sana'a and urged retraint.
The source said that the embassy also asked Yemeni officials to meet the marchers and allow them to march to the Change Square.
This comes one day after the US ambassador told reporters in Sana'a that the “March of Life” is not peaceful and aims to cause chaos and provoke the security forces, according to reports by al-Masdar Online and al-Ula independent daily which attended the press conference.
Intelligence chief shot dead in south Yemen: police
(AFP) December 25, 2011
ADEN — Gunmen shot dead an intelligence chief on Sunday in the port of Aden in south Yemen, a police official said, blaming the attack on Al-Qaeda.
The assailants intercepted the vehicle carrying Colonel Hussein Shabibi, head of internal security in the city's Sheikh Othman district, and shot him dead before making good their escape in a car, the official said.
Shabibi was the latest security officer to be targeted in recent months in south Yemen in attacks generally attributed by officials to Al-Qaeda.
The Islamist extremist network has turned 11 months of political turmoil in the capital Sanaa to its advantage, using the popular revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh to bolster its presence in south and east Yemen.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda control several regions and towns including Abyan provincial capital Zinjibar, where they clash regularly with government forces and tribal auxiliaries.
Government forces are also sometimes supported by US drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
ADEN — Gunmen shot dead an intelligence chief on Sunday in the port of Aden in south Yemen, a police official said, blaming the attack on Al-Qaeda.
The assailants intercepted the vehicle carrying Colonel Hussein Shabibi, head of internal security in the city's Sheikh Othman district, and shot him dead before making good their escape in a car, the official said.
Shabibi was the latest security officer to be targeted in recent months in south Yemen in attacks generally attributed by officials to Al-Qaeda.
The Islamist extremist network has turned 11 months of political turmoil in the capital Sanaa to its advantage, using the popular revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh to bolster its presence in south and east Yemen.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda control several regions and towns including Abyan provincial capital Zinjibar, where they clash regularly with government forces and tribal auxiliaries.
Government forces are also sometimes supported by US drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
US ambassadors to Yemen announcements provoke controversy
Mohammed al-Kibsi
Dec 25, 2011
Yemen’s revolutionary council and peace Laurent Tawakul Karman condemned the announcements of the US ambassador Gerald Feierstein that said the Life March from Taiz to Sana’a was not peaceful.
The revolutionary council demanded that ambassador Feierstein most apologize while Tawkul Karman in her face book described the announcement as brutal. “How did he know that the march would turn violent,” she wondered. Some other youth affiliated to Houthi even demanded the US ambassador to leave Yemen.
Feierstein had said in a press conference held at the embassy on Saturday that the march of life that was approaching Sana'a aimed to erupt chaos and violence. “It seems to have the intention not to carry out a peaceful march, but to get access to Sana'a in order to generate chaos and provoke a violent response by the security forces”, US ambassador said.
“Peace is not only not to take up arms, for example , if 2000 people decided to protest to the White House in US, we do not consider it a peaceful act and will not allow this,” US ambassador added.
These announcements provoked controversy and anger among the youth and opposition activists that organized the march.
According to opposition sources over 9 demonstrators were killed when some of the demonstrators changed their route and tried to head to the Presidential complex.
They clashed with the security barriers set ups to prevent them from reaching to the presidential complex in al-Sabein area in the south of Sana’a.
The protesters affiliated to the JMP accused the so called Shabab al-Somoud affiliated to Houthi of derailing the march and of erupting chaos and violence.
Thousands of protesters who marched from Taiz south of Yemen entered Yemen's capital Saturday after a 5-day march passing three Yemeni provinces.
Prior to the march the General People Congress Party (GPC) that is the ruling party called on the sponsors of the GCC peace deal to pressure on the Joint Meeting Opposition Parties JMP to respect the deal and stop provocations accusing them of sponsoring the march of life to temper the peace deal.
President Saleh in his press conference held on Saturday few hours before the incidents accused Hamid al-Ahmar of financing the life march.
He also accused him of being in charge of the June 3 assassination attempt that targeted him and other high rank Yemeni officials that resulted in killing dozens including the speaker of Yemen Senate late Abdul-Aziz Abdul Ghani and wounding man others including the president himself, the former prime minister and the speaker of the parliament.
Saleh called on the opposition parties and all other parties to commit to the GCC deal as a whole matrix but not to be selective.
The president also said that he would leave Yemen to the United States not only for medical treatment as was announced by some UN officials but also for some political affairs.
He said he would leave and stay abroad so as to give chance for the interim government to organize the early presidential elections. However he said he would come back to Yemen to lead his ruling party GPC when in the opposition.
The violence underlined the continuing turmoil in Yemen even after Saleh signed a GCC brokered deal that was backed by UNSC resolution last month by which he handed his powers to his vice president and committed to step down completely within 90 days.
Dec 25, 2011
Yemen’s revolutionary council and peace Laurent Tawakul Karman condemned the announcements of the US ambassador Gerald Feierstein that said the Life March from Taiz to Sana’a was not peaceful.
The revolutionary council demanded that ambassador Feierstein most apologize while Tawkul Karman in her face book described the announcement as brutal. “How did he know that the march would turn violent,” she wondered. Some other youth affiliated to Houthi even demanded the US ambassador to leave Yemen.
Feierstein had said in a press conference held at the embassy on Saturday that the march of life that was approaching Sana'a aimed to erupt chaos and violence. “It seems to have the intention not to carry out a peaceful march, but to get access to Sana'a in order to generate chaos and provoke a violent response by the security forces”, US ambassador said.
“Peace is not only not to take up arms, for example , if 2000 people decided to protest to the White House in US, we do not consider it a peaceful act and will not allow this,” US ambassador added.
These announcements provoked controversy and anger among the youth and opposition activists that organized the march.
According to opposition sources over 9 demonstrators were killed when some of the demonstrators changed their route and tried to head to the Presidential complex.
They clashed with the security barriers set ups to prevent them from reaching to the presidential complex in al-Sabein area in the south of Sana’a.
The protesters affiliated to the JMP accused the so called Shabab al-Somoud affiliated to Houthi of derailing the march and of erupting chaos and violence.
Thousands of protesters who marched from Taiz south of Yemen entered Yemen's capital Saturday after a 5-day march passing three Yemeni provinces.
Prior to the march the General People Congress Party (GPC) that is the ruling party called on the sponsors of the GCC peace deal to pressure on the Joint Meeting Opposition Parties JMP to respect the deal and stop provocations accusing them of sponsoring the march of life to temper the peace deal.
President Saleh in his press conference held on Saturday few hours before the incidents accused Hamid al-Ahmar of financing the life march.
He also accused him of being in charge of the June 3 assassination attempt that targeted him and other high rank Yemeni officials that resulted in killing dozens including the speaker of Yemen Senate late Abdul-Aziz Abdul Ghani and wounding man others including the president himself, the former prime minister and the speaker of the parliament.
Saleh called on the opposition parties and all other parties to commit to the GCC deal as a whole matrix but not to be selective.
The president also said that he would leave Yemen to the United States not only for medical treatment as was announced by some UN officials but also for some political affairs.
He said he would leave and stay abroad so as to give chance for the interim government to organize the early presidential elections. However he said he would come back to Yemen to lead his ruling party GPC when in the opposition.
The violence underlined the continuing turmoil in Yemen even after Saleh signed a GCC brokered deal that was backed by UNSC resolution last month by which he handed his powers to his vice president and committed to step down completely within 90 days.
Yemen leader urges truce after troops kill protesters
Mohammed Ghobari, Reuters December 25, 2011
SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's acting leader on Sunday urged foes and loyalists of President Ali Abdullah to call a truce, after Saleh's forces killed nine people demanding he be tried for the deaths of demonstrators over nearly a year of protests against him. Troops from what witnesses identified as key loyalist units opened fire on tens of thousands of protesters approaching Saleh's compound in the capital on Saturday after a days-long march from the city of Taiz, chanting "No to immunity!."
They referred to a pledge to spare Saleh prosecution in exchange for giving his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and letting a government including opposition parties lead Yemen to a February election to replace Saleh after 33 years.
That government is to separate Saleh's forces from rebel army units and tribal militias they have fought in Sanaa, a key to the power transfer deal Yemen's wealthier neighbours brokered to avert a civil war they fear will affect them.
The state news agency on Sunday quoted Hadi as saying during a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Sanaa, Gerald Feierstein, that all sides "must commit ... to a truce and respect its rules forbidding escalation" that would threaten the transition deal.
Hadi was echoing a note struck by the U.S. side just before the killings, when Feierstein was quoted by a Yemeni news outlet as telling a group of Yemeni journalists that the protest - which set out days earlier from Taiz 200 km (125 miles) to the south - was a provocative act.
Feierstein and other embassy officials did not respond to calls on Saturday and Sunday seeking comment on the remarks.
Washington long backed Saleh as a cornerstone of its "counter-terrorism" policy in Yemen, which includes the use of drones to kill alleged al Qaeda members. A CIA drone strike killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, earlier this year.
MILITARY DENIES IT KILLED PROTESTERS
Hours after the killings, Saleh said he would leave for the United States and give way to the new government and the vote to pick his successor. But he gave no timetable for leaving and vowed to return, this time in opposition to the government.
"An unstable Yemen means an unstable region. So, protect the security, unity and stability of Yemen, neighbour states," he told reporters. "Its security is yours."
A defence ministry website, September 26, on Sunday cited an unidentified official denying the military - key units of which are led by Saleh's son and nephew - played any role in the killing of the protesters in Sanaa.
It pinned the blame on the interior ministry - now led by an opposition figure - calling witness and news accounts of pro-Saleh troops shooting protesters "baseless, mendacious claims that are part of a vicious media campaign ... against the defence establishment."
The interim government, led by a former foreign minister who joined the opposition against Saleh, late on Saturday called for an investigation of the killings.
The youth-led protesters who have taken to the streets against Saleh bitterly condemn the opposition parties - some of which once took part in Saleh's governments - for agreeing to grant him immunity, and demand that he and his inner circle be tried and banned from power.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, called on governments to ignore the immunity pledge and freeze Saleh's assets abroad, saying: "Promises of immunity encourage rather than deter illegal attacks."
Any post-Saleh government would face overlapping regional conflicts that have displaced nearly half a million people, and political paralysis has seen attacks on infrastructure hamper the modest oil exports that fund imports of staple foods.
Fighting with Islamist who have seized chunks of territory in a southern province, Abyan, has sent tens of thousands of its residents to flight, compounding Yemen's humanitarian crisis.
Separatist sentiment is also surging in the south, formerly a socialist republic that fought a civil war with Saleh's north in 1994 after four turbulent years of formal union.
SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen's acting leader on Sunday urged foes and loyalists of President Ali Abdullah to call a truce, after Saleh's forces killed nine people demanding he be tried for the deaths of demonstrators over nearly a year of protests against him. Troops from what witnesses identified as key loyalist units opened fire on tens of thousands of protesters approaching Saleh's compound in the capital on Saturday after a days-long march from the city of Taiz, chanting "No to immunity!."
They referred to a pledge to spare Saleh prosecution in exchange for giving his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and letting a government including opposition parties lead Yemen to a February election to replace Saleh after 33 years.
That government is to separate Saleh's forces from rebel army units and tribal militias they have fought in Sanaa, a key to the power transfer deal Yemen's wealthier neighbours brokered to avert a civil war they fear will affect them.
The state news agency on Sunday quoted Hadi as saying during a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to Sanaa, Gerald Feierstein, that all sides "must commit ... to a truce and respect its rules forbidding escalation" that would threaten the transition deal.
Hadi was echoing a note struck by the U.S. side just before the killings, when Feierstein was quoted by a Yemeni news outlet as telling a group of Yemeni journalists that the protest - which set out days earlier from Taiz 200 km (125 miles) to the south - was a provocative act.
Feierstein and other embassy officials did not respond to calls on Saturday and Sunday seeking comment on the remarks.
Washington long backed Saleh as a cornerstone of its "counter-terrorism" policy in Yemen, which includes the use of drones to kill alleged al Qaeda members. A CIA drone strike killed Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, earlier this year.
MILITARY DENIES IT KILLED PROTESTERS
Hours after the killings, Saleh said he would leave for the United States and give way to the new government and the vote to pick his successor. But he gave no timetable for leaving and vowed to return, this time in opposition to the government.
"An unstable Yemen means an unstable region. So, protect the security, unity and stability of Yemen, neighbour states," he told reporters. "Its security is yours."
A defence ministry website, September 26, on Sunday cited an unidentified official denying the military - key units of which are led by Saleh's son and nephew - played any role in the killing of the protesters in Sanaa.
It pinned the blame on the interior ministry - now led by an opposition figure - calling witness and news accounts of pro-Saleh troops shooting protesters "baseless, mendacious claims that are part of a vicious media campaign ... against the defence establishment."
The interim government, led by a former foreign minister who joined the opposition against Saleh, late on Saturday called for an investigation of the killings.
The youth-led protesters who have taken to the streets against Saleh bitterly condemn the opposition parties - some of which once took part in Saleh's governments - for agreeing to grant him immunity, and demand that he and his inner circle be tried and banned from power.
Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, called on governments to ignore the immunity pledge and freeze Saleh's assets abroad, saying: "Promises of immunity encourage rather than deter illegal attacks."
Any post-Saleh government would face overlapping regional conflicts that have displaced nearly half a million people, and political paralysis has seen attacks on infrastructure hamper the modest oil exports that fund imports of staple foods.
Fighting with Islamist who have seized chunks of territory in a southern province, Abyan, has sent tens of thousands of its residents to flight, compounding Yemen's humanitarian crisis.
Separatist sentiment is also surging in the south, formerly a socialist republic that fought a civil war with Saleh's north in 1994 after four turbulent years of formal union.
Yemenis rally for Saleh trial despite shootings
By Jamal al-Jabiri (AFP) – December 25, 2011
SANAA — Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Yemen's capital Sunday calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to face trial, a day after his forces and loyalists killed 13 people at a similar demonstration.
"The people want to bring the slaughterer to trial," shouted the protesters who marched from Change Square, epicentre of the uprising that began nearly a year ago, towards Sittin Avenue in the northern district of Sanaa.
"We won't rest until the slaughterer is executed," they chanted. "We don't want Abdrabuh, Ali Saleh controls him," they chanted, referring to Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.
Saleh is still honorary president but handed authority over to Hadi last month when he signed a Gulf-brokered deal in which he won immunity from prosecution in exchange for ending his 33-year rule when polls are held in February.
Angry youths have staged defiant protests against the plan, which is backed by the United Nations, despite a bloody backlash by Saleh's forces and loyalists that has seen hundreds of them killed.
But Saleh's General People's Congress party insisted on Sunday that the parliament would confirm the immunity deal.
"Measures will be taken to issue the immunity law as per the Gulf plan" after a parliamentary vote of confidence on the newly formed unity government expected this week, Sultan al-Barakani, who represents the GPC's bloc in parliament, told AFP.
The veteran leader said Saturday that he would soon visit the United States ahead of transferring power following a February 21 presidential election.
A diplomat from one of the countries that has sponsored the deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Saleh has presented "a list of 412 people" he wants the immunity deal to include.
The list includes his relatives, aides, and officials who had worked with him during his rule, the source said, adding that Saleh was given a US visa "two weeks ago."
But Sunday's protesters reject any such agreements.
"No guarantee, no immunity to Saleh and to those close to him," they shouted.
The protesters, backed by tens of thousands who were met by gunfire from Saleh's forces and loyalists after they arrived on foot Saturday from the second-largest city Taez, called on Hadi to hand over those responsible for the violence to justice.
"Take up your responsibility and hand the killers of the youths over to justice, or resign," said one of the organisers on a loudspeaker as the demonstrators gathered outside Hadi's residence on Sittin Avenue.
Thirteen people were killed on Saturday when security forces and gunmen loyal to Saleh attacked their march in which they were calling for him to be put on trial.
"Thirteen people were killed and 50 others were wounded by live rounds," a medical official said Sunday, updating an earlier toll of nine dead.
The medic from a field hospital in the capital said that 150 other people suffered from breathing difficulties due to tear gas inhalation.
Another medic who confirmed the toll said three of the wounded had succumbed to their injuries while a fourth was shot dead in another protest later on Saturday.
The objective of the five-day-long "March for Life" that turned deadly on Saturday was to press for Saleh and his top allies to face criminal charges for their roles in the violence committed against anti-regime protesters.
Despite being met by live rounds, water cannon and tear gas upon their arrival in Sanaa's south, the crowds who set off from Taez on Tuesday for the 270-kilometre (167-mile) march to Sanaa poured into the capital where they spent the night in Change Square.
SANAA — Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Yemen's capital Sunday calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to face trial, a day after his forces and loyalists killed 13 people at a similar demonstration.
"The people want to bring the slaughterer to trial," shouted the protesters who marched from Change Square, epicentre of the uprising that began nearly a year ago, towards Sittin Avenue in the northern district of Sanaa.
"We won't rest until the slaughterer is executed," they chanted. "We don't want Abdrabuh, Ali Saleh controls him," they chanted, referring to Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.
Saleh is still honorary president but handed authority over to Hadi last month when he signed a Gulf-brokered deal in which he won immunity from prosecution in exchange for ending his 33-year rule when polls are held in February.
Angry youths have staged defiant protests against the plan, which is backed by the United Nations, despite a bloody backlash by Saleh's forces and loyalists that has seen hundreds of them killed.
But Saleh's General People's Congress party insisted on Sunday that the parliament would confirm the immunity deal.
"Measures will be taken to issue the immunity law as per the Gulf plan" after a parliamentary vote of confidence on the newly formed unity government expected this week, Sultan al-Barakani, who represents the GPC's bloc in parliament, told AFP.
The veteran leader said Saturday that he would soon visit the United States ahead of transferring power following a February 21 presidential election.
A diplomat from one of the countries that has sponsored the deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Saleh has presented "a list of 412 people" he wants the immunity deal to include.
The list includes his relatives, aides, and officials who had worked with him during his rule, the source said, adding that Saleh was given a US visa "two weeks ago."
But Sunday's protesters reject any such agreements.
"No guarantee, no immunity to Saleh and to those close to him," they shouted.
The protesters, backed by tens of thousands who were met by gunfire from Saleh's forces and loyalists after they arrived on foot Saturday from the second-largest city Taez, called on Hadi to hand over those responsible for the violence to justice.
"Take up your responsibility and hand the killers of the youths over to justice, or resign," said one of the organisers on a loudspeaker as the demonstrators gathered outside Hadi's residence on Sittin Avenue.
Thirteen people were killed on Saturday when security forces and gunmen loyal to Saleh attacked their march in which they were calling for him to be put on trial.
"Thirteen people were killed and 50 others were wounded by live rounds," a medical official said Sunday, updating an earlier toll of nine dead.
The medic from a field hospital in the capital said that 150 other people suffered from breathing difficulties due to tear gas inhalation.
Another medic who confirmed the toll said three of the wounded had succumbed to their injuries while a fourth was shot dead in another protest later on Saturday.
The objective of the five-day-long "March for Life" that turned deadly on Saturday was to press for Saleh and his top allies to face criminal charges for their roles in the violence committed against anti-regime protesters.
Despite being met by live rounds, water cannon and tear gas upon their arrival in Sanaa's south, the crowds who set off from Taez on Tuesday for the 270-kilometre (167-mile) march to Sanaa poured into the capital where they spent the night in Change Square.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Troops hit protesters marching into Yemen capital
By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press –
December 24, 2011
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — More than 100,000 protesters who entered Yemen's capital Saturday after a 4-day march from another city were attacked by elite troops loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who opened fire with guns, water cannons and tear gas. Medical officials said at least three protesters were killed, including a woman.
The crowd of protesters had marched from Taiz, a city that has been a major opposition center 170 miles (270 kilometers) to the south. The first of its kind protest, called the March of Life, aimed to put pressure on the country's new government not to grant Saleh immunity from prosecution.
The violence underlined the continuing turmoil in Yemen even after Saleh signed a U.S.- and Saudi-backed deal last month by which he handed his powers to his vice president and committed to step down completely in return for immunity.
Protesters who rallied by the thousands for the past 10 months rejected the deal, demanding Saleh be tried for his bloody crackdown on their movement.
At the same time, Saleh has seemed to continue to exercise influence through his relatives and loyalists still in their positions, even after Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi formed a unity government between the opposition and ruling party. Forces loyal to Saleh have defied orders to withdrew from the streets of Sanaa after a deadline was reached Saturday to do so.
The marchers Saturday were trying to pass down a main avenue on which the presidential palace is located when it was met at Sanaa's southern entrance by a force from the Republican Guard, which is commanded by Saleh's son, and Central Security forces, led by Saleh's nephew, backed by tanks.
Troops fired to disperse the crowd, who responded by throwing stones.
A medic at the scene, Mohammed el-Qoutbi, says three protesters including a woman were killed, and more than 30 people were injured by gunshots and tear gas.
As clashes went on, thousands of protesters camping in Sanaa's Change Square, which is the epicenter of Yemen's protest movement, marched to the scene to join in. The protesters were cordoned by security forces before reaching the site of clashes. Witnesses said they saw tanks and artillery units from military camps around the capital also heading to the site.
In the evening, Hadi, who heads a Military Committee in charge of preserving security and ending military presence in the streets, ordered the Republican Guard and other security forces to open the way for the protesters to continue marching. The forces eventually did let the protesters continue their march after international ambassadors working with Hadi also intervened, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the behind-the-scenes efforts.
The march came as Yemen's parliament convened Saturday for the first time since opposition and independent lawmakers suspended their participation in March to protest the crackdown against protesters.
Lawmakers were to discuss the program of the new national unity government, headed by veteran independent politician Mohammed Basindwa.
On Dec. 7, Basindwa said the government will focus on providing public services to the people, including electricity, water, fuel and basic commodities together with restoring security and stability.
Services and security have been in short supply during the unrest in Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world.
However, the presence in the country of Saleh, his sons, family members and loyalists who still hold key positions could pose a challenge to the new administration.
December 24, 2011
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — More than 100,000 protesters who entered Yemen's capital Saturday after a 4-day march from another city were attacked by elite troops loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who opened fire with guns, water cannons and tear gas. Medical officials said at least three protesters were killed, including a woman.
The crowd of protesters had marched from Taiz, a city that has been a major opposition center 170 miles (270 kilometers) to the south. The first of its kind protest, called the March of Life, aimed to put pressure on the country's new government not to grant Saleh immunity from prosecution.
The violence underlined the continuing turmoil in Yemen even after Saleh signed a U.S.- and Saudi-backed deal last month by which he handed his powers to his vice president and committed to step down completely in return for immunity.
Protesters who rallied by the thousands for the past 10 months rejected the deal, demanding Saleh be tried for his bloody crackdown on their movement.
At the same time, Saleh has seemed to continue to exercise influence through his relatives and loyalists still in their positions, even after Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi formed a unity government between the opposition and ruling party. Forces loyal to Saleh have defied orders to withdrew from the streets of Sanaa after a deadline was reached Saturday to do so.
The marchers Saturday were trying to pass down a main avenue on which the presidential palace is located when it was met at Sanaa's southern entrance by a force from the Republican Guard, which is commanded by Saleh's son, and Central Security forces, led by Saleh's nephew, backed by tanks.
Troops fired to disperse the crowd, who responded by throwing stones.
A medic at the scene, Mohammed el-Qoutbi, says three protesters including a woman were killed, and more than 30 people were injured by gunshots and tear gas.
As clashes went on, thousands of protesters camping in Sanaa's Change Square, which is the epicenter of Yemen's protest movement, marched to the scene to join in. The protesters were cordoned by security forces before reaching the site of clashes. Witnesses said they saw tanks and artillery units from military camps around the capital also heading to the site.
In the evening, Hadi, who heads a Military Committee in charge of preserving security and ending military presence in the streets, ordered the Republican Guard and other security forces to open the way for the protesters to continue marching. The forces eventually did let the protesters continue their march after international ambassadors working with Hadi also intervened, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the behind-the-scenes efforts.
The march came as Yemen's parliament convened Saturday for the first time since opposition and independent lawmakers suspended their participation in March to protest the crackdown against protesters.
Lawmakers were to discuss the program of the new national unity government, headed by veteran independent politician Mohammed Basindwa.
On Dec. 7, Basindwa said the government will focus on providing public services to the people, including electricity, water, fuel and basic commodities together with restoring security and stability.
Services and security have been in short supply during the unrest in Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world.
However, the presence in the country of Saleh, his sons, family members and loyalists who still hold key positions could pose a challenge to the new administration.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Yemen: Thousands gather to demand Saleh trial
Sanaa, 23 Dec. (AKI) - Thousands of Yemeni anti-government protesters gathered following Friday prayers in support of marchers who are demanding that president Ali Abdullah Saleh stand trial.
Around 3,000 others continued a march from the Yemen's south in the direction of capital Sanaa demanding that outgoing president Saleh face trial for killing anti-government protesters. The march is expected to conclude Saturday.
"The world should see us walking a distance of 255 kilometres to continue the uprising which would bring us justice, freedom and the decent life which the regime deprived us from for decades," said Natheer al-Asbahi, one of the marchers, in a report by the dpa new agency.
The objective of the protest is to strip Saleh of the immunity he was granted in a recent agreement linked his resignation and the transfer of power.
Around 3,000 others continued a march from the Yemen's south in the direction of capital Sanaa demanding that outgoing president Saleh face trial for killing anti-government protesters. The march is expected to conclude Saturday.
"The world should see us walking a distance of 255 kilometres to continue the uprising which would bring us justice, freedom and the decent life which the regime deprived us from for decades," said Natheer al-Asbahi, one of the marchers, in a report by the dpa new agency.
The objective of the protest is to strip Saleh of the immunity he was granted in a recent agreement linked his resignation and the transfer of power.
Yemen demo attacked, 7 soldiers killed in an ambush
(AFP)
23 December 2011
SANAA - Loyalists of Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday attacked demonstrators gathered south of the capital calling for the leader’s trial, a protest organiser told AFP.
Further south, in Abyan province, seven soldiers were killed late Thursday near Zinjibar in an ambush by Al-Qaeda suspects, a military source said, adding three militants were also killed in subsequent fighting.
Assailants, some of whom were armed, attacked a group of 2,000 demonstrators in Hizyaz, a suburb south of Sanaa, before they could join a rally headed to the capital, said Mondher al-Asbahi.
“Dozens of demonstrators were wounded, struck by stones, and one was hit by a bullet,” said Asbahi, a member of a Taez youth group organising the rally.
The “March for Life” procession, which kicked off in the southwestern city of Taez, has amassed tens of thousands of participants along the 270-kilometre (167 mile) road to Sanaa.
The demonstration is likely to reach the capital on Saturday, Asbahi said.
Tribesmen are escorting them to ensure the security of the march, which was the target of an armed attack in the province of Dhamar, a tribal chief told AFP.
He added that Saleh’s partisans began to gather 30 kilometres south of Sanaa in bid to “block the march.”
A security services source told AFP that their were plans for military reinforcements as the march enters Sanaa to “guarantee the safety of its participants and prevent the entry of any armed participant.”
Those marching hope to pressure the new unity government to put Saleh and his chronies on trial over his government’s crackdown on opposition demonstrations, which has left hundreds dead since January.
Several demonstrations have called for Saleh to be tried for murder, nepotism and corruption, since he signed a Gulf-brokered deal which calls on him to step down in February in exchange for immunity.
Elsewhere, 10 people were killed in a sixth night of clashes pitting militants linked to Al-Qaeda against Yemeni troops trying to retake Zinjibar, Abyan’s provincial capital.
“A military vehicle was ambushed by members of Al-Qaeda east of Zinjibar and seven soldiers died,” a military source said.
“Three extremists were killed” in a subsequent gunfight,” the source added.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni air force carried out four raids in the southern city of Jaar, also in Abyan province, he said, without being able to say specify the number of casualties.
Government forces have been backed by tribal fighters and sometimes supported by US drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, an insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
Al-Qaeda has profited from the instability caused by 11 months of protests against Saleh, strengthening its positions across the south of the country.
23 December 2011
SANAA - Loyalists of Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Friday attacked demonstrators gathered south of the capital calling for the leader’s trial, a protest organiser told AFP.
Further south, in Abyan province, seven soldiers were killed late Thursday near Zinjibar in an ambush by Al-Qaeda suspects, a military source said, adding three militants were also killed in subsequent fighting.
Assailants, some of whom were armed, attacked a group of 2,000 demonstrators in Hizyaz, a suburb south of Sanaa, before they could join a rally headed to the capital, said Mondher al-Asbahi.
“Dozens of demonstrators were wounded, struck by stones, and one was hit by a bullet,” said Asbahi, a member of a Taez youth group organising the rally.
The “March for Life” procession, which kicked off in the southwestern city of Taez, has amassed tens of thousands of participants along the 270-kilometre (167 mile) road to Sanaa.
The demonstration is likely to reach the capital on Saturday, Asbahi said.
Tribesmen are escorting them to ensure the security of the march, which was the target of an armed attack in the province of Dhamar, a tribal chief told AFP.
He added that Saleh’s partisans began to gather 30 kilometres south of Sanaa in bid to “block the march.”
A security services source told AFP that their were plans for military reinforcements as the march enters Sanaa to “guarantee the safety of its participants and prevent the entry of any armed participant.”
Those marching hope to pressure the new unity government to put Saleh and his chronies on trial over his government’s crackdown on opposition demonstrations, which has left hundreds dead since January.
Several demonstrations have called for Saleh to be tried for murder, nepotism and corruption, since he signed a Gulf-brokered deal which calls on him to step down in February in exchange for immunity.
Elsewhere, 10 people were killed in a sixth night of clashes pitting militants linked to Al-Qaeda against Yemeni troops trying to retake Zinjibar, Abyan’s provincial capital.
“A military vehicle was ambushed by members of Al-Qaeda east of Zinjibar and seven soldiers died,” a military source said.
“Three extremists were killed” in a subsequent gunfight,” the source added.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni air force carried out four raids in the southern city of Jaar, also in Abyan province, he said, without being able to say specify the number of casualties.
Government forces have been backed by tribal fighters and sometimes supported by US drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, an insurgent group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
Al-Qaeda has profited from the instability caused by 11 months of protests against Saleh, strengthening its positions across the south of the country.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Yemen faces critical period to cement political settlement: UN envoy
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 22 (APP): The next few weeks will be critical as Yemen seeks to address its political, security and humanitarian challenges, a UN envoy has stressed, adding that the support of the international community will be vital to the transition process.“Now is not the time for complacency,” Jamal Benomar, the Secretary General’s Special Adviser for Yemen, told reporters in New York after briefing the Security Council behind closed doors on Wednesday. Warring factions in Yemen signed an agreement last month on a transitional settlement under which President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to hand over power to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi. A new Government of National Unity was sworn in and presidential elections have been scheduled for 21 February.
“The situation in Yemen remains highly fragile, and the political agreement will be impossible to implement without the continuous commitment and cooperation of political and other leaders throughout the country,” said Benomar,who just returned from his seventh visit there.
“I remain hopeful, despite the many challenges that lie ahead, that the agreement provides for new, inclusive institutions and processes, and opens the way for reform that can meet expectations of those calling for change,” he stated.
He said the next 60 days, leading up to the polls, will be fraught with challenges and “ups and downs” and now is the time for the international community to scale up its support to Yemen’s recovery.
The UN, for its part, has deployed electoral experts to assist during this critical period. Overall, he reported that the process is moving forward and the agreement is being implemented. The Government has already taken action to restore peace and stability, including the removal of barricades and checkpoints and the withdrawal of armed groups from public and private facilities.
“Serious commitment from all sides will be required to make these inroads to stability a success,” said Benomar, who noted that the UN will continue its close engagement and monitor progress.
“We want to see a Yemen where the streets belong to the people, not to the militia. We want to see Yemenis able to go about their daily lives and grow their communities, where civic leaders are the ones shaping the future of the country, not those with arms,” he stated.
He added that the Security Council is following the situation in Yemen closely.“Indeed, the world is watching the peace process in Yemen and there will be consequences for those who think they may derail the peace process.” He stressed that the continuous engagement of all actors will be critical and
long-term stability will depend on the success of a genuinely participatory process.
“The international community has pressed hard for the sides to reach a political settlement and these calls have been heeded. Now donors have to back up their calls for reform by providing the support that is needed to implement the agreement and see the country through this transition period.”
“The situation in Yemen remains highly fragile, and the political agreement will be impossible to implement without the continuous commitment and cooperation of political and other leaders throughout the country,” said Benomar,who just returned from his seventh visit there.
“I remain hopeful, despite the many challenges that lie ahead, that the agreement provides for new, inclusive institutions and processes, and opens the way for reform that can meet expectations of those calling for change,” he stated.
He said the next 60 days, leading up to the polls, will be fraught with challenges and “ups and downs” and now is the time for the international community to scale up its support to Yemen’s recovery.
The UN, for its part, has deployed electoral experts to assist during this critical period. Overall, he reported that the process is moving forward and the agreement is being implemented. The Government has already taken action to restore peace and stability, including the removal of barricades and checkpoints and the withdrawal of armed groups from public and private facilities.
“Serious commitment from all sides will be required to make these inroads to stability a success,” said Benomar, who noted that the UN will continue its close engagement and monitor progress.
“We want to see a Yemen where the streets belong to the people, not to the militia. We want to see Yemenis able to go about their daily lives and grow their communities, where civic leaders are the ones shaping the future of the country, not those with arms,” he stated.
He added that the Security Council is following the situation in Yemen closely.“Indeed, the world is watching the peace process in Yemen and there will be consequences for those who think they may derail the peace process.” He stressed that the continuous engagement of all actors will be critical and
long-term stability will depend on the success of a genuinely participatory process.
“The international community has pressed hard for the sides to reach a political settlement and these calls have been heeded. Now donors have to back up their calls for reform by providing the support that is needed to implement the agreement and see the country through this transition period.”
Yemen president 'to seek medical treatment abroad'
December 22, 2011
Yemen's president is expected to leave the country for more medical treatment for injuries suffered in an attack on his palace in June, a UN envoy says.
Veteran leader Abdullah Ali Saleh earlier spent three months recuperating in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Saleh signed a peace deal last month after a government crackdown on months of protests left hundreds dead.
Under the deal he agreed to transfer power to his deputy, and formally to stand down in February.
Observers say there had been concern that Mr Saleh would try to avoid leaving office on time, but his medical condition may now force his departure.
'Fraught with difficulties'
"My understanding is that President Saleh still requires serious medical treatment and medical treatment that he will require outside of Yemen," UN special envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council.
"Efforts are being made for arrangements to be concluded for him to get this treatment," he said.
President Saleh is due to give up his presidential title at the next elections under an agreement brokered by the US and Gulf Arab states.
But Mr Benomar stressed this was "a first step in a long road fraught with difficulties" for Yemen.
He said the new government needed to re-establish control over large parts of the country now under the control of al-Qaeda.
And he praised leaders for ordering the military back to barracks and removing checkpoints.
But many protesters are still angry that the transfer deal has not gone far enough and that it gives Mr Saleh and his family immunity from prosecution.
Yemen's president is expected to leave the country for more medical treatment for injuries suffered in an attack on his palace in June, a UN envoy says.
Veteran leader Abdullah Ali Saleh earlier spent three months recuperating in Saudi Arabia.
Mr Saleh signed a peace deal last month after a government crackdown on months of protests left hundreds dead.
Under the deal he agreed to transfer power to his deputy, and formally to stand down in February.
Observers say there had been concern that Mr Saleh would try to avoid leaving office on time, but his medical condition may now force his departure.
'Fraught with difficulties'
"My understanding is that President Saleh still requires serious medical treatment and medical treatment that he will require outside of Yemen," UN special envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council.
"Efforts are being made for arrangements to be concluded for him to get this treatment," he said.
President Saleh is due to give up his presidential title at the next elections under an agreement brokered by the US and Gulf Arab states.
But Mr Benomar stressed this was "a first step in a long road fraught with difficulties" for Yemen.
He said the new government needed to re-establish control over large parts of the country now under the control of al-Qaeda.
And he praised leaders for ordering the military back to barracks and removing checkpoints.
But many protesters are still angry that the transfer deal has not gone far enough and that it gives Mr Saleh and his family immunity from prosecution.
Yemen protesters demand Saleh trial, denounce government
Thu Dec 22, 2011
By Mohammed Ghobari
SANAA (Reuters) - Thousands of Yemenis marched toward the capital on Thursday, demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh face trial for killings of protesters over 11 months of demonstrations against him and denouncing a new government that would spare him prosecution.
The United Nations, which endorsed a pact brokered by Yemen's wealthier neighbours to stave off civil war by easing Saleh from power, said he would need medical treatment abroad while the country prepares to elect a successor.
The struggle over Saleh's fate has rekindled the poor country's multiple conflicts, and fanned fears in Washington that the Yemeni wing of al Qaeda could grow stronger if the Arabian Peninsula state descends further into chaos.
"The goal is to bring down the regime and try its figures, to refuse giving Saleh and his aides any parliamentary immunity," said Waddah al-Adeeb, an organiser of the march which set out from the southern city of Taiz earlier this week.
"And we reject the unity government, because it just reproduces the regime itself," he said by telephone from some 100 km (62 miles) south of the capital Sanaa.
He was referring to a government split between members of Saleh's party and opposition parties tasked with leading Yemen to the vote in February.
It is also to oversee the disengagement of troops loyal to Saleh - including a well-armed unit led by his son - and those of tribesmen and rebel army factions that have waged war in Sanaa and elsewhere.
The government's role is laid out in the transition pact, echoed by a U.N. Security Council resolution, that would make Saleh the fourth leader to surrender power after mass protests that have redrawn the political map of the Middle East.
U.N. Yemen envoy Jamal Benomar, who is attempting to implement the transition plan, said on Wednesday that efforts were underway to arrange treatment for Saleh, who suffered burns and other injuries in an apparent assassination attempt in June.
Yemeni government and opposition officials said on Wednesday that efforts to pull pro-Saleh forces and those of tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar from the capital's Hasaba and Soufan districts, where they have clashed sporadically, had bogged down.
RENEWED FIGHTING WITH ISLAMISTS IN SOUTH
Any successor government will face multiple challenges including resurgent separatist sentiment in the south, formerly a socialist republic that fought a civil war with Saleh's north in 1994 after four turbulent years of formal union.
The region is also home to Islamists who have seized chunks of Abyan province. Ensuing fighting with government troops has sparked mass flight, compounding humanitarian crisis in a country with some 500,000 internally displaced people.
An official in Abyan, whose capital Zinjibar fell to Islamist fighters in May, said that seven government troops and as many as 20 Islamist fighters had been killed since Tuesday in a fresh round of fighting in that city.
Residents of nearby Jaar said columns of smoke were rising from parts of the city where there had been intense fighting, and that the bodies of Islamist fighters had been carried out for burial.
In another southern province, Lahej, a local official said six men suspected of membership in al Qaeda had been detained.
Saleh's opponents accuse him of fomenting chaos and ceding territory to Islamists in the region to underline his claim that only his rule can contain the country's al Qaeda branch, which has planned attacks abroad, abortive to date, from Yemen.
The United States, which long backed Saleh as a cornerstone of its "counter-terrorism" policy and has carried out drone attacks in Yemen, has thrown its weight behind the plan to replace him, seeing him as more a liability than asset now.
There have also been repeated attacks on Yemen's main oil pipeline, paralysing the country's largest refinery and leading to acute fuel shortages and cut-offs of exports that in turn fund imports of staple foodstuffs.
The Yemeni state news agency on Wednesday quoted the oil minister as saying those attacks had cost Yemen $700 million, without elaborating whether that sum came from lost exports, estimated damage to infrastructure or both.
By Mohammed Ghobari
SANAA (Reuters) - Thousands of Yemenis marched toward the capital on Thursday, demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh face trial for killings of protesters over 11 months of demonstrations against him and denouncing a new government that would spare him prosecution.
The United Nations, which endorsed a pact brokered by Yemen's wealthier neighbours to stave off civil war by easing Saleh from power, said he would need medical treatment abroad while the country prepares to elect a successor.
The struggle over Saleh's fate has rekindled the poor country's multiple conflicts, and fanned fears in Washington that the Yemeni wing of al Qaeda could grow stronger if the Arabian Peninsula state descends further into chaos.
"The goal is to bring down the regime and try its figures, to refuse giving Saleh and his aides any parliamentary immunity," said Waddah al-Adeeb, an organiser of the march which set out from the southern city of Taiz earlier this week.
"And we reject the unity government, because it just reproduces the regime itself," he said by telephone from some 100 km (62 miles) south of the capital Sanaa.
He was referring to a government split between members of Saleh's party and opposition parties tasked with leading Yemen to the vote in February.
It is also to oversee the disengagement of troops loyal to Saleh - including a well-armed unit led by his son - and those of tribesmen and rebel army factions that have waged war in Sanaa and elsewhere.
The government's role is laid out in the transition pact, echoed by a U.N. Security Council resolution, that would make Saleh the fourth leader to surrender power after mass protests that have redrawn the political map of the Middle East.
U.N. Yemen envoy Jamal Benomar, who is attempting to implement the transition plan, said on Wednesday that efforts were underway to arrange treatment for Saleh, who suffered burns and other injuries in an apparent assassination attempt in June.
Yemeni government and opposition officials said on Wednesday that efforts to pull pro-Saleh forces and those of tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar from the capital's Hasaba and Soufan districts, where they have clashed sporadically, had bogged down.
RENEWED FIGHTING WITH ISLAMISTS IN SOUTH
Any successor government will face multiple challenges including resurgent separatist sentiment in the south, formerly a socialist republic that fought a civil war with Saleh's north in 1994 after four turbulent years of formal union.
The region is also home to Islamists who have seized chunks of Abyan province. Ensuing fighting with government troops has sparked mass flight, compounding humanitarian crisis in a country with some 500,000 internally displaced people.
An official in Abyan, whose capital Zinjibar fell to Islamist fighters in May, said that seven government troops and as many as 20 Islamist fighters had been killed since Tuesday in a fresh round of fighting in that city.
Residents of nearby Jaar said columns of smoke were rising from parts of the city where there had been intense fighting, and that the bodies of Islamist fighters had been carried out for burial.
In another southern province, Lahej, a local official said six men suspected of membership in al Qaeda had been detained.
Saleh's opponents accuse him of fomenting chaos and ceding territory to Islamists in the region to underline his claim that only his rule can contain the country's al Qaeda branch, which has planned attacks abroad, abortive to date, from Yemen.
The United States, which long backed Saleh as a cornerstone of its "counter-terrorism" policy and has carried out drone attacks in Yemen, has thrown its weight behind the plan to replace him, seeing him as more a liability than asset now.
There have also been repeated attacks on Yemen's main oil pipeline, paralysing the country's largest refinery and leading to acute fuel shortages and cut-offs of exports that in turn fund imports of staple foodstuffs.
The Yemeni state news agency on Wednesday quoted the oil minister as saying those attacks had cost Yemen $700 million, without elaborating whether that sum came from lost exports, estimated damage to infrastructure or both.
Yemen Kills Brother Of Country’s Al-Qaida Leader
By Ahmed Al-haj, Associated Press
SANAA, Yemen (AP) December 22, 2011 — The brother of Yemen’s al-Qaida leader was among dozens of people killed in battles raging for days in the south of the country, security and military officials said Thursday.
A member of a local tribe confirmed that Abdel-Rahman al-Wahishi was killed in fighting Wednesday between Yemen’s military and Islamic militants near the city of Zinjibar.
He was a younger brother of Nasser al-Wahishi, a Yemeni who once served as Osama bin Laden’s personal aide in Afghanistan and now leads al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The younger al-Wahishi is believed to have been an operative in the group, but it is not clear what his role was in its hierarchy.
The security officials said faulty intelligence had indicated the military was firing on the al-Qaida leader himself, a high-value target for both the United States and Yemen’s government. Further investigation revealed that the leader was not in the area at the time and that the man killed was the younger brother.
At least 51 people, including 18 soldiers, have been killed in the fighting since Sunday, according to an area hospital and the security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
SANAA, Yemen (AP) December 22, 2011 — The brother of Yemen’s al-Qaida leader was among dozens of people killed in battles raging for days in the south of the country, security and military officials said Thursday.
A member of a local tribe confirmed that Abdel-Rahman al-Wahishi was killed in fighting Wednesday between Yemen’s military and Islamic militants near the city of Zinjibar.
He was a younger brother of Nasser al-Wahishi, a Yemeni who once served as Osama bin Laden’s personal aide in Afghanistan and now leads al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The younger al-Wahishi is believed to have been an operative in the group, but it is not clear what his role was in its hierarchy.
The security officials said faulty intelligence had indicated the military was firing on the al-Qaida leader himself, a high-value target for both the United States and Yemen’s government. Further investigation revealed that the leader was not in the area at the time and that the man killed was the younger brother.
At least 51 people, including 18 soldiers, have been killed in the fighting since Sunday, according to an area hospital and the security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
EU calls for “inclusive” Yemen democratic transition
December 22, 2011
EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton told Yemeni Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Thursday that his country's democratic transition must be inclusive in order to succeed.
Ashton said she called Hadi to underline her "firm support" for his efforts after veteran President Ail Abdullah Saleh agreed last month to hand over power to his deputy following February elections.
"I confirmed the EU's continued support to Yemen and to a Yemeni-led, inclusive and democratic transition process on the basis of a sustainable national consensus," she said in a statement.
"I assured the vice president that we will stand by him in his efforts towards a better future based on democracy, justice and human rights," she said.
"I also underlined the EU's view that to succeed, the transition process must be inclusive: we discussed how best to reach out to the large numbers of unemployed young people, the youth movements and other groups."
A national unity government, headed by the opposition, was sworn in earlier this month to lead a three-month transition period until early polls are held and Saleh formally steps down.
After the February elections, Hadi will take over the presidency for an interim two-year period under a Gulf-sponsored deal drafted to resolve Yemen's political crisis.
EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton told Yemeni Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Thursday that his country's democratic transition must be inclusive in order to succeed.
Ashton said she called Hadi to underline her "firm support" for his efforts after veteran President Ail Abdullah Saleh agreed last month to hand over power to his deputy following February elections.
"I confirmed the EU's continued support to Yemen and to a Yemeni-led, inclusive and democratic transition process on the basis of a sustainable national consensus," she said in a statement.
"I assured the vice president that we will stand by him in his efforts towards a better future based on democracy, justice and human rights," she said.
"I also underlined the EU's view that to succeed, the transition process must be inclusive: we discussed how best to reach out to the large numbers of unemployed young people, the youth movements and other groups."
A national unity government, headed by the opposition, was sworn in earlier this month to lead a three-month transition period until early polls are held and Saleh formally steps down.
After the February elections, Hadi will take over the presidency for an interim two-year period under a Gulf-sponsored deal drafted to resolve Yemen's political crisis.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Four Russians fall victims to war in Yemen
Sana'a, December 21, 2011- Four Russian citizens have been killed in Yemen. Armed clashes between the government troops and the opposition continue in this country for months. The unrest started in February, when opposition activists demanded former President Ali Saleh should be put on trial.
Foreign Ministry has officially confirmed the news about the death of four Russian citizens in Yemen. The Russians arrived in the country for religious purposes. The group was rather large: there were tens of people in it.
The group of Russian citizens is staying in Yemen's Saadah province. The people study at Dar al-Hadith religious center, in the town of Dammaj. According to the information from the Russian embassy in Sanaa, there are 36 people in the group. They are students and their family members, including children. The students arrived in Yemen illegally, bypassing the rules of departure from the Russian Federation. They maintained no contacts either with the Russian embassy or the Consulate Office," the message posted on the official website of the Foreign Ministry said.
The town of Dammaj found itself in the area of combat actions between the government troops and the gunmen of al-Husi, a Shiite tribal confederation. Local Sunni fundamentalists also struggle against the Shiite radicals. They own the religious center, where the above-mentioned Russians study. For the time being, the deaths of approximately 60 Sunni radicals have been confirmed. The Russian citizens were among them.
"The Russian Embassy continues to establish contacts with representatives of Yemeni authorities to identify the fates of the Russian citizens and provide assistance to them in leaving the troubled zone. The administrations of the ministries for foreign and internal affairs of Yemen have taken the question under control. We are also in contact with the International Red Cross Committee in this country - the organization has humanitarian access to various districts of Saadah province.
Diplomats previously warned Russian citizens against tours to Yemen. "The Foreign Ministry would like to remind Russian citizens that we strongly recommend not to visit this country," RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Lukashevich, an official spokesman for the ministry, as saying.
The combat activity started in Yemen in the forefront of the "Arab spring" in the beginning of 2011. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down on November 23, after 30 years of rule. It was then said that Saleh would travel to the USA for medical treatment. However, the former leader has not received the permission from the US authorities for that. The USA reportedly denied Saleh the visa in the beginning of December, although it was then said that the question had not been discussed yet.
Sources at the US State Department say that the ex-president of Yemen will most likely receive the visa. Afterwards, after the course of medical treatment in the States, Ali Saleh will be able to move to Germany, Yemen Fox said with reference to Akhbar-Al-Yom.
Nowadays, Yemen is ruled by the interim government under the chairmanship of the new Prime Minister, Mohammed Basindwa. Basindwa headed the Foreign Ministry of Yemen during the 1990s.
Russia welcomed the establishment of the new government of Yemen, which was supposed to conduct the general elections in Yemen on February 21, 2012.
Foreign Ministry has officially confirmed the news about the death of four Russian citizens in Yemen. The Russians arrived in the country for religious purposes. The group was rather large: there were tens of people in it.
The group of Russian citizens is staying in Yemen's Saadah province. The people study at Dar al-Hadith religious center, in the town of Dammaj. According to the information from the Russian embassy in Sanaa, there are 36 people in the group. They are students and their family members, including children. The students arrived in Yemen illegally, bypassing the rules of departure from the Russian Federation. They maintained no contacts either with the Russian embassy or the Consulate Office," the message posted on the official website of the Foreign Ministry said.
The town of Dammaj found itself in the area of combat actions between the government troops and the gunmen of al-Husi, a Shiite tribal confederation. Local Sunni fundamentalists also struggle against the Shiite radicals. They own the religious center, where the above-mentioned Russians study. For the time being, the deaths of approximately 60 Sunni radicals have been confirmed. The Russian citizens were among them.
"The Russian Embassy continues to establish contacts with representatives of Yemeni authorities to identify the fates of the Russian citizens and provide assistance to them in leaving the troubled zone. The administrations of the ministries for foreign and internal affairs of Yemen have taken the question under control. We are also in contact with the International Red Cross Committee in this country - the organization has humanitarian access to various districts of Saadah province.
Diplomats previously warned Russian citizens against tours to Yemen. "The Foreign Ministry would like to remind Russian citizens that we strongly recommend not to visit this country," RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Lukashevich, an official spokesman for the ministry, as saying.
The combat activity started in Yemen in the forefront of the "Arab spring" in the beginning of 2011. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down on November 23, after 30 years of rule. It was then said that Saleh would travel to the USA for medical treatment. However, the former leader has not received the permission from the US authorities for that. The USA reportedly denied Saleh the visa in the beginning of December, although it was then said that the question had not been discussed yet.
Sources at the US State Department say that the ex-president of Yemen will most likely receive the visa. Afterwards, after the course of medical treatment in the States, Ali Saleh will be able to move to Germany, Yemen Fox said with reference to Akhbar-Al-Yom.
Nowadays, Yemen is ruled by the interim government under the chairmanship of the new Prime Minister, Mohammed Basindwa. Basindwa headed the Foreign Ministry of Yemen during the 1990s.
Russia welcomed the establishment of the new government of Yemen, which was supposed to conduct the general elections in Yemen on February 21, 2012.
US Man Convicted of Conspiring to Help Al-Qaida
December 21, 2011
Associated Press|by Laura Crimaldi
BOSTON -- A man who grew up in the Boston suburbs was convicted Tuesday of conspiring to help al-Qaida and plotting to kill U.S. Soldiers in Iraq after a two-month trial in which jurors heard references to Osama bin Laden and saw dramatic images from the Sept. 11 attacks.
The federal jury deliberated about 10 hours over three days before finding Tarek Mehanna, 29, guilty of four terror-related charges and three charges of lying to authorities. He faces life in prison, though his attorneys plan to appeal.
"The heart of the case is really this: Did Mr. Mehanna conspire to support terrorists, conspire to kill in a foreign country and then did he lie to federal investigators?" said Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz. "Today a jury of his peers concluded that he did that."
Ortiz said the references to bin Laden and 9/11 were relevant and not inflammatory, but defense attorneys said they made it impossible for their client to get a fair trial.
"This is one the most cynical government cases I've ever seen tried," said defense attorney Janice Bassil. "Picture after picture just wanting to scare the jury. Deal after deal to government witnesses. All those government witnesses did way more than Tarek Mehanna."
Prosecutors said Mehanna and two friends conspired to travel to Yemen so they could receive training at a terrorism camp and eventually go on to Iraq to fight and kill U.S. Soldiers there.
When the men were unable to find such a training camp, Mehanna returned home and began to see himself as part of the al-Qaida "media wing," translating materials promoting violent jihad and distributing them over the Internet, prosecutors said.
One of the men, Kareem Abu-zahra, testified under a grant of immunity. A third man, Ahmad Abousamra, was also charged. Prosecutors say they believe Abousamra is in Syria.
One observer said he was surprised Mehanna was convicted of all counts. Boston College Law School professor George Brown said he wasn't convinced prosecutors proved Mehanna was taking orders from a terrorist organization.
"I think the jury overall had formed an unfavorable impression of Mehanna and when his credibility was on the line like that they were not about to find in his favor," he said.
Mehanna, who was born in the U.S. and raised in the Boston suburbs, will be sentenced April 12. His mother, Souad Mehanna, sobbed after the verdict was read and was consoled by her younger son, Tamer. Mehanna's lawyers also wept.
Mehanna's father, Ahmed, a professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, said he was stunned by the verdict.
"I can't even think," he said. "It was political."
Andrew March, a Yale University professor who testified for the defense as an expert witness, said the verdict sends the message to Muslim-Americans that they do not have free speech.
"I do what he did almost every single day at Yale University. I teach Islamic law, I study Islamic law. I translate things about al-Qaida. I teach people to debate," March said. "Because I'm not a Muslim and because of what my name is, I have no problem doing it. But if my name were Tarek Mehanna, I would have everything being tapped, and that should worry every single one of us."
During the trial, which started in October, Mehanna's attorneys portrayed him as an aspiring scholar of Islam who traveled to Yemen to look for religious schools, not to get terrorist training. They said his translation and distribution of controversial publications was free speech protected by the First Amendment.
Prosecutors focused on hundreds of online chats on Mehanna's computer in which they said he and his friends talked about their desire to participate in jihad, or holy war. Several of those friends were called by prosecutors to testify against Mehanna, including one man who said he, Mehanna and a third friend tried to get terrorism training in Yemen so they could fight American Soldiers in Iraq.
Mehanna's lawyers told jurors prosecutors were using scare tactics by portraying Mehanna as a would-be terrorist and were trying to punish him for his beliefs.
The defense built its case on the testimony of a half-dozen terrorism experts. Mehanna did not testify.
His lawyers acknowledged that Mehanna expressed admiration for Osama bin Laden but said he disagreed with bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders about many things, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Jurors began deliberating Friday. In his instructions, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. told them that in order to find Mehanna guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida, they must find that he worked "in coordination with or at the direction of" the terrorist organization. He said independent advocacy on behalf of the organization was not a violation of the law.
Associated Press|by Laura Crimaldi
BOSTON -- A man who grew up in the Boston suburbs was convicted Tuesday of conspiring to help al-Qaida and plotting to kill U.S. Soldiers in Iraq after a two-month trial in which jurors heard references to Osama bin Laden and saw dramatic images from the Sept. 11 attacks.
The federal jury deliberated about 10 hours over three days before finding Tarek Mehanna, 29, guilty of four terror-related charges and three charges of lying to authorities. He faces life in prison, though his attorneys plan to appeal.
"The heart of the case is really this: Did Mr. Mehanna conspire to support terrorists, conspire to kill in a foreign country and then did he lie to federal investigators?" said Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz. "Today a jury of his peers concluded that he did that."
Ortiz said the references to bin Laden and 9/11 were relevant and not inflammatory, but defense attorneys said they made it impossible for their client to get a fair trial.
"This is one the most cynical government cases I've ever seen tried," said defense attorney Janice Bassil. "Picture after picture just wanting to scare the jury. Deal after deal to government witnesses. All those government witnesses did way more than Tarek Mehanna."
Prosecutors said Mehanna and two friends conspired to travel to Yemen so they could receive training at a terrorism camp and eventually go on to Iraq to fight and kill U.S. Soldiers there.
When the men were unable to find such a training camp, Mehanna returned home and began to see himself as part of the al-Qaida "media wing," translating materials promoting violent jihad and distributing them over the Internet, prosecutors said.
One of the men, Kareem Abu-zahra, testified under a grant of immunity. A third man, Ahmad Abousamra, was also charged. Prosecutors say they believe Abousamra is in Syria.
One observer said he was surprised Mehanna was convicted of all counts. Boston College Law School professor George Brown said he wasn't convinced prosecutors proved Mehanna was taking orders from a terrorist organization.
"I think the jury overall had formed an unfavorable impression of Mehanna and when his credibility was on the line like that they were not about to find in his favor," he said.
Mehanna, who was born in the U.S. and raised in the Boston suburbs, will be sentenced April 12. His mother, Souad Mehanna, sobbed after the verdict was read and was consoled by her younger son, Tamer. Mehanna's lawyers also wept.
Mehanna's father, Ahmed, a professor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, said he was stunned by the verdict.
"I can't even think," he said. "It was political."
Andrew March, a Yale University professor who testified for the defense as an expert witness, said the verdict sends the message to Muslim-Americans that they do not have free speech.
"I do what he did almost every single day at Yale University. I teach Islamic law, I study Islamic law. I translate things about al-Qaida. I teach people to debate," March said. "Because I'm not a Muslim and because of what my name is, I have no problem doing it. But if my name were Tarek Mehanna, I would have everything being tapped, and that should worry every single one of us."
During the trial, which started in October, Mehanna's attorneys portrayed him as an aspiring scholar of Islam who traveled to Yemen to look for religious schools, not to get terrorist training. They said his translation and distribution of controversial publications was free speech protected by the First Amendment.
Prosecutors focused on hundreds of online chats on Mehanna's computer in which they said he and his friends talked about their desire to participate in jihad, or holy war. Several of those friends were called by prosecutors to testify against Mehanna, including one man who said he, Mehanna and a third friend tried to get terrorism training in Yemen so they could fight American Soldiers in Iraq.
Mehanna's lawyers told jurors prosecutors were using scare tactics by portraying Mehanna as a would-be terrorist and were trying to punish him for his beliefs.
The defense built its case on the testimony of a half-dozen terrorism experts. Mehanna did not testify.
His lawyers acknowledged that Mehanna expressed admiration for Osama bin Laden but said he disagreed with bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders about many things, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Jurors began deliberating Friday. In his instructions, U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr. told them that in order to find Mehanna guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida, they must find that he worked "in coordination with or at the direction of" the terrorist organization. He said independent advocacy on behalf of the organization was not a violation of the law.
LEAD: Yemen clashes with al-Qaeda suspects leave 14 dead
Dec 21, 2011
Sana'a (dpa) - At least 14 people were killed in clashes between al-Qaeda-linked fighters and Yemeni government forces in the southern province of Abyan, military officials said Wednesday.
The fighting erupted when militants suspected of having links to al-Qaeda attacked military units on the outskirts of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan, killing four soldiers, a military official said, adding that 10 gunmen were also killed.
The opposition has accused the Yemeni government of allowing militants to control Zinjibar to justify a military offensive there and divert international attention from protests demanding that former president Ali Abdullah Saleh stand trial.
A Gulf-brokered power transfer deal last month granted Saleh immunity from legal prosecution in return for stepping down and handing over power to his deputy.
In a separate incident, a senior Yemeni security officer was killed by unknown gunmen in the southern province of Lahj, the Yemeni website Rai News reported.
Gunmen riding a motorbike shot Colonel Mahmoud Saleh as he was getting into his car late Tuesday, the report said.
Sana'a (dpa) - At least 14 people were killed in clashes between al-Qaeda-linked fighters and Yemeni government forces in the southern province of Abyan, military officials said Wednesday.
The fighting erupted when militants suspected of having links to al-Qaeda attacked military units on the outskirts of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan, killing four soldiers, a military official said, adding that 10 gunmen were also killed.
The opposition has accused the Yemeni government of allowing militants to control Zinjibar to justify a military offensive there and divert international attention from protests demanding that former president Ali Abdullah Saleh stand trial.
A Gulf-brokered power transfer deal last month granted Saleh immunity from legal prosecution in return for stepping down and handing over power to his deputy.
In a separate incident, a senior Yemeni security officer was killed by unknown gunmen in the southern province of Lahj, the Yemeni website Rai News reported.
Gunmen riding a motorbike shot Colonel Mahmoud Saleh as he was getting into his car late Tuesday, the report said.
Russia: 60 Islamic radicals killed in Yemen
The Associated Press
Sana'a, December 21, 2011-The Russian Foreign Ministry says 60 Islamic radicals, including four Russian citizens, have been killed in clashes in northern Yemen.
The ministry said they died in fighting between ultraconservative Salafis and Hawthi Shiites that has been going on in the province of Saada since mid-November.
The Russian Embassy in Yemen counted 36 Russian citizens living in Saada — students at the Salafi-run Dar al-Hadith school for Islamic studies and their families.
"According to the information received, 60 radicals were killed, including four Russian citizens," the ministry statement said.
Dar al-Hadith, in the city of Dammaj, has long been a popular destination for foreign students. The Russian Embassy said the Russian students are there illegally, having bypassed regulations for leaving Russia.
Sana'a, December 21, 2011-The Russian Foreign Ministry says 60 Islamic radicals, including four Russian citizens, have been killed in clashes in northern Yemen.
The ministry said they died in fighting between ultraconservative Salafis and Hawthi Shiites that has been going on in the province of Saada since mid-November.
The Russian Embassy in Yemen counted 36 Russian citizens living in Saada — students at the Salafi-run Dar al-Hadith school for Islamic studies and their families.
"According to the information received, 60 radicals were killed, including four Russian citizens," the ministry statement said.
Dar al-Hadith, in the city of Dammaj, has long been a popular destination for foreign students. The Russian Embassy said the Russian students are there illegally, having bypassed regulations for leaving Russia.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Broader sectarian rift feared in northern Yemen
Tom Finn
December 20, 2011
SAADA, Yemen (Reuters) - Their faces bruised and limbs scarred by bullet wounds, scores of young men writhed in agony on shabby mattresses at a Yemeni hospital in Saada, victims of a conflict largely hidden from the world.
Shi'ite Muslim rebels in Yemen's northern mountains near Saudi Arabia had fought government forces for years until an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh this year gave them a free hand in the lawless frontier province of Saada.
In recent months the conflict, next door to the world's top oil exporter, has taken on a dangerous sectarian twist.
The Houthis, as the rebels are known after the clan of their leaders, have been fighting Salafis, a hardline Sunni Islamic group whose creed is similar to that of Saudi Arabia.
Each side offers conflicting accounts on everything from air strikes to motives.
The Houthis accuse the Salafis of receiving funds and arms from Saudi Arabia, while the Salafis say their religious schools have been shelled by the Shi'ite rebels.
The Houthis deny charges by the Yemeni government and some of its regional allies that they have ties to non-Arab, mostly Shi'ite Iran. The Houthis adhere to the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, doctrinally distinct from that practiced in Iran.
In the Saudi-funded hospital, Salafi and Houthi fighters lay side by side, nursing wounds from renewed clashes in the Salafi stronghold Damaj that coincided with a visit to Houthi leaders this month by U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar.
Some muttered prayers to themselves and stared vacantly at the ceiling. Most were unwilling or unable to talk. A man named Ali, with a pale face and a thick black beard who identified himself as a "supporter" of the Salafis in Damaj, accused the Houthis of trying to "exterminate Sunnis from Saada."
Although Saleh has signed a deal to hand power to his deputy after 10 months of protests, Yemen is still roiled by a southern separatist movement and al Qaeda-linked militants who have seized territory in the south, as well as the Houthi revolt.
While Saudi Arabia was worried by the potential breakup of Yemen, it was particularly alarmed by the prospect of a Shi'ite mini-state springing up on its border, said Hasan Zaid of Yemen's Shi'ite-dominated al-Haq party.
"They hope by funding the Salafis they can weaken the growing strength and popularity of the Houthi movement," he said.
Saudi Arabia intervened militarily against the Houthis in 2009 before a ceasefire took hold last year.
ANTI-U.S., ANTI-ISRAELI SLOGANS
Residents said the latest bout of sectarian violence erupted in early October when a boy walked into a Salafi-controlled medical center brandishing a Houthi protest sign.
The boy was assaulted by the Salafis, residents said, triggering an armed conflict, which has continued sporadically in spite of nearly a dozen mediation attempts.
"Negotiations have reached a dead end," said Mohammed Abdul-Azizi, a youth activist who accompanied an eight-person delegation from Sana'a to mediate.
"Too many people have interests in this conflict."
With the government distracted by months of mass protests demanding an end to Saleh's 33 years in office, the Houthis have been able to extend their grip over most of Saada province.
December 20, 2011
SAADA, Yemen (Reuters) - Their faces bruised and limbs scarred by bullet wounds, scores of young men writhed in agony on shabby mattresses at a Yemeni hospital in Saada, victims of a conflict largely hidden from the world.
Shi'ite Muslim rebels in Yemen's northern mountains near Saudi Arabia had fought government forces for years until an uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh this year gave them a free hand in the lawless frontier province of Saada.
In recent months the conflict, next door to the world's top oil exporter, has taken on a dangerous sectarian twist.
The Houthis, as the rebels are known after the clan of their leaders, have been fighting Salafis, a hardline Sunni Islamic group whose creed is similar to that of Saudi Arabia.
Each side offers conflicting accounts on everything from air strikes to motives.
The Houthis accuse the Salafis of receiving funds and arms from Saudi Arabia, while the Salafis say their religious schools have been shelled by the Shi'ite rebels.
The Houthis deny charges by the Yemeni government and some of its regional allies that they have ties to non-Arab, mostly Shi'ite Iran. The Houthis adhere to the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, doctrinally distinct from that practiced in Iran.
In the Saudi-funded hospital, Salafi and Houthi fighters lay side by side, nursing wounds from renewed clashes in the Salafi stronghold Damaj that coincided with a visit to Houthi leaders this month by U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar.
Some muttered prayers to themselves and stared vacantly at the ceiling. Most were unwilling or unable to talk. A man named Ali, with a pale face and a thick black beard who identified himself as a "supporter" of the Salafis in Damaj, accused the Houthis of trying to "exterminate Sunnis from Saada."
Although Saleh has signed a deal to hand power to his deputy after 10 months of protests, Yemen is still roiled by a southern separatist movement and al Qaeda-linked militants who have seized territory in the south, as well as the Houthi revolt.
While Saudi Arabia was worried by the potential breakup of Yemen, it was particularly alarmed by the prospect of a Shi'ite mini-state springing up on its border, said Hasan Zaid of Yemen's Shi'ite-dominated al-Haq party.
"They hope by funding the Salafis they can weaken the growing strength and popularity of the Houthi movement," he said.
Saudi Arabia intervened militarily against the Houthis in 2009 before a ceasefire took hold last year.
ANTI-U.S., ANTI-ISRAELI SLOGANS
Residents said the latest bout of sectarian violence erupted in early October when a boy walked into a Salafi-controlled medical center brandishing a Houthi protest sign.
The boy was assaulted by the Salafis, residents said, triggering an armed conflict, which has continued sporadically in spite of nearly a dozen mediation attempts.
"Negotiations have reached a dead end," said Mohammed Abdul-Azizi, a youth activist who accompanied an eight-person delegation from Sana'a to mediate.
"Too many people have interests in this conflict."
With the government distracted by months of mass protests demanding an end to Saleh's 33 years in office, the Houthis have been able to extend their grip over most of Saada province.
Gulf countries set up $5b fund for Jordan, Morocco
Tuesday, 20 Dec 2011
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Gulf Arab countries say they have created a $5 billion development fund to support projects in Jordan and Morocco.
Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, the general secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council, says the $5 billion will be divided equally between the two countries. The GCC wrapped up a summit meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday.
In May, al-Zayani said the six-member GCC accepted the two countries' request to join, but some procedures had to be completed before final approval. Unlike the other GCC members, Jordan and Morocco are not oil exporters.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said the GCC will also help Yemen during its transitional period. Yemen's president has agreed to transfer power by Friday.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Gulf Arab countries say they have created a $5 billion development fund to support projects in Jordan and Morocco.
Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, the general secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council, says the $5 billion will be divided equally between the two countries. The GCC wrapped up a summit meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday.
In May, al-Zayani said the six-member GCC accepted the two countries' request to join, but some procedures had to be completed before final approval. Unlike the other GCC members, Jordan and Morocco are not oil exporters.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said the GCC will also help Yemen during its transitional period. Yemen's president has agreed to transfer power by Friday.
Yemen mobile firm Sabafon alleges govt vendetta
Tue Dec 20, 2011
* Sabafon says a quarter of sites attacked by govt-allied forces
* Sabafon subscribers cannot phone abroad
* Calls to and from landlines also barred
* Ruling party denies deliberately targeting Sabafon
By Matt Smith
DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Yemeni mobile operator Sabafon said on Tuesday that its facilities had come under repeated attack by state forces because of its chairman's support for protests aiming to end the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
A spokesman for Sabafon, which is 27-percent owned by Bahrain Telecommunications Co (Batelco), told Reuters from Sanaa the company's headquarters had been hit three times by rocket-propelled grenades this year.
He said more than 250 transmission towers and other sites -- about a quarter of its facilities -- had been subject to shelling, gunfire and looting, killing one employee.
Sabafon subscribers cannot receive or make calls to Yemen landlines or phone abroad, illustrating the toll nearly a year of strife in the impoverished Gulf nation has taken on basic services.
"The damage continues ... employees were afraid to attend the headquarters and many sites were shut down, which dramatically affected operations and the company's ability to provide services," said the spokesman.
"These led to an exodus of subscribers to other providers. These unlawful measures are part of a punishment by the authorities on Sabafon because of the position of its chairman, who supports the peaceful popular revolution in Yemen."
An official of Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) denied Sabafon was deliberately targeted, and that whatever damages it may have suffered came in the context of hostilities instigated by gunmen allied to Sabafon chairman and major shareholder Hamid al-Ahmar.
Al-Ahmar is the brother of Sadeq al-Ahmar, a leader of the powerful Hashed tribal confederation and a rival of the outgoing Saleh. This month, Yemen's new unity government met for the first time and a presidential election is due in February.
The government claims the Ahmar family was behind a June assassination attempt that left Saleh seriously injured.
The bomb attack capped weeks of fighting between forces loyal to him and those allied to the al-Ahmar family. Skirmishes between the two sides have erupted periodically since then.
GOVT RESPONSE
Abdulhafeedh al-Nahari, vice-spokesman of the ruling GPC, said fighting in the capital had damaged infrastructure.
"He (Hamid al-Ahmar) attacked government buildings in the capital, the government responded in self-defence ... this created bad relations with the government," Nahari said. "All the telecommunication companies in Yemen have suffered as a result of this crisis."
As well as restrictions on making phone calls, Sabafon subscribers are also barred from mobile Internet access.
Sabafon lost has lost "hundreds of thousands" of subscribers as a result of this disruption, the company spokesman said. It had 3.6 million customers at the end of 2010, according to Batelco's annual report.
"The tribal and political fractures in Yemen are also seen in the country's telecoms sector -- Ahmar controls Sabafon, while the government controls the landline infrastructure and the international gateway," said a telecoms analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"This shows Yemen really needs the rule of law and democracy, because vital sectors such as telecoms shouldn't be left to the whims of individuals. Disruption will likely continue until the political situation is resolved."
Sabafon competes against MTN Yemen, a unit of South Africa's MTN, and state-run Yemen Mobile.
* Sabafon says a quarter of sites attacked by govt-allied forces
* Sabafon subscribers cannot phone abroad
* Calls to and from landlines also barred
* Ruling party denies deliberately targeting Sabafon
By Matt Smith
DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Yemeni mobile operator Sabafon said on Tuesday that its facilities had come under repeated attack by state forces because of its chairman's support for protests aiming to end the 33-year rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
A spokesman for Sabafon, which is 27-percent owned by Bahrain Telecommunications Co (Batelco), told Reuters from Sanaa the company's headquarters had been hit three times by rocket-propelled grenades this year.
He said more than 250 transmission towers and other sites -- about a quarter of its facilities -- had been subject to shelling, gunfire and looting, killing one employee.
Sabafon subscribers cannot receive or make calls to Yemen landlines or phone abroad, illustrating the toll nearly a year of strife in the impoverished Gulf nation has taken on basic services.
"The damage continues ... employees were afraid to attend the headquarters and many sites were shut down, which dramatically affected operations and the company's ability to provide services," said the spokesman.
"These led to an exodus of subscribers to other providers. These unlawful measures are part of a punishment by the authorities on Sabafon because of the position of its chairman, who supports the peaceful popular revolution in Yemen."
An official of Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) denied Sabafon was deliberately targeted, and that whatever damages it may have suffered came in the context of hostilities instigated by gunmen allied to Sabafon chairman and major shareholder Hamid al-Ahmar.
Al-Ahmar is the brother of Sadeq al-Ahmar, a leader of the powerful Hashed tribal confederation and a rival of the outgoing Saleh. This month, Yemen's new unity government met for the first time and a presidential election is due in February.
The government claims the Ahmar family was behind a June assassination attempt that left Saleh seriously injured.
The bomb attack capped weeks of fighting between forces loyal to him and those allied to the al-Ahmar family. Skirmishes between the two sides have erupted periodically since then.
GOVT RESPONSE
Abdulhafeedh al-Nahari, vice-spokesman of the ruling GPC, said fighting in the capital had damaged infrastructure.
"He (Hamid al-Ahmar) attacked government buildings in the capital, the government responded in self-defence ... this created bad relations with the government," Nahari said. "All the telecommunication companies in Yemen have suffered as a result of this crisis."
As well as restrictions on making phone calls, Sabafon subscribers are also barred from mobile Internet access.
Sabafon lost has lost "hundreds of thousands" of subscribers as a result of this disruption, the company spokesman said. It had 3.6 million customers at the end of 2010, according to Batelco's annual report.
"The tribal and political fractures in Yemen are also seen in the country's telecoms sector -- Ahmar controls Sabafon, while the government controls the landline infrastructure and the international gateway," said a telecoms analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"This shows Yemen really needs the rule of law and democracy, because vital sectors such as telecoms shouldn't be left to the whims of individuals. Disruption will likely continue until the political situation is resolved."
Sabafon competes against MTN Yemen, a unit of South Africa's MTN, and state-run Yemen Mobile.
Yemeni general backs peace deal, 10 militants killed – msnbc.com
20 December 2011
SANAA — A dissident army general said on Sunday he backed a peace accord signed last month, lending support to efforts to pull Yemen from the brink of civil war, as officials said ten Islamist militants died in attacks by government forces in the south.
General Ali Mohsen’s announcement came one day after both his forces, and troops loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, began withdrawing from the capital Sanaa as part of the Gulf-brokered peace deal.
“We are ready to support the Gulf initiative, which was bolstered by Security Council resolution 2014,” Mohsen told reporters at a news conference in Sanaa, referring to the resolution adopted by the U.N. body in October endorsing the Gulf peace proposal.
He was speaking before a meeting with representatives of the European Union, the Gulf Cooperative Council and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, as part of efforts to win support from factions excluded from the peace accord signed in Saudi Arabia last month.
The diplomats had earlier met separatist leaders in Aden and U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar visited Shi’ite rebels in Saada province in northern Yemen.
Last month, Saleh signed the accord to transfer his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ushering in an opposition-led Yemeni government to lead the country to early presidential elections in February 2012.
If the deal goes according to plan, Saleh will become the fourth Arab ruler brought down by mass demonstrations that have reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East.
Mohsen’s troops had been among the opposition forces controlling the Yemeni capital’s northern half, where they had battled the pro-Saleh army for control over Sanaa.
Under supervision of a military committee set up by the Gulf peace deal, Mohsen’s troops had pulled back on Saturday.
The new government faces challenges from a southern separatist movement that wants to revive the Yemeni socialist state that existed before Saleh united it with the capitalist north under his rule in 1990.
Months of protests against Saleh’s rule have alarmed Saudi Arabia and the United States, which had seen Saleh as a bulwark against al Qaeda in the region.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia shares U.S. fears that more instability in Yemen could embolden the country’s al Qaeda wing — against which Washington has waged a campaign of drone strikes — in a country sitting next to oil shipping routes.
MILITANTS MOURN
In the country’s south, ten fighters from the Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist militant group linked to al Qaeda, were killed when government forces shelled their positions in Zinjibar, capital of the southern province of Abyan, a local official said. Fighters also clashed with the army, he said.
The clashes followed fighting on Saturday in which two government soldiers were killed and six were wounded.
Residents in the town of Jaar, located some 15 km (10 miles)north of Zinjibar and which is under the control of the Islamist militants, said they saw fighters bury fallen comrades.
“In the last three days, we saw the militants bury the bodies of several dead fighters,” said Abdul Khaleq, a local resident. “They were weeping bitterly for their dead as they read (verses from) the Koran.”
SANAA — A dissident army general said on Sunday he backed a peace accord signed last month, lending support to efforts to pull Yemen from the brink of civil war, as officials said ten Islamist militants died in attacks by government forces in the south.
General Ali Mohsen’s announcement came one day after both his forces, and troops loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh, began withdrawing from the capital Sanaa as part of the Gulf-brokered peace deal.
“We are ready to support the Gulf initiative, which was bolstered by Security Council resolution 2014,” Mohsen told reporters at a news conference in Sanaa, referring to the resolution adopted by the U.N. body in October endorsing the Gulf peace proposal.
He was speaking before a meeting with representatives of the European Union, the Gulf Cooperative Council and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, as part of efforts to win support from factions excluded from the peace accord signed in Saudi Arabia last month.
The diplomats had earlier met separatist leaders in Aden and U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar visited Shi’ite rebels in Saada province in northern Yemen.
Last month, Saleh signed the accord to transfer his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ushering in an opposition-led Yemeni government to lead the country to early presidential elections in February 2012.
If the deal goes according to plan, Saleh will become the fourth Arab ruler brought down by mass demonstrations that have reshaped the political landscape of the Middle East.
Mohsen’s troops had been among the opposition forces controlling the Yemeni capital’s northern half, where they had battled the pro-Saleh army for control over Sanaa.
Under supervision of a military committee set up by the Gulf peace deal, Mohsen’s troops had pulled back on Saturday.
The new government faces challenges from a southern separatist movement that wants to revive the Yemeni socialist state that existed before Saleh united it with the capitalist north under his rule in 1990.
Months of protests against Saleh’s rule have alarmed Saudi Arabia and the United States, which had seen Saleh as a bulwark against al Qaeda in the region.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia shares U.S. fears that more instability in Yemen could embolden the country’s al Qaeda wing — against which Washington has waged a campaign of drone strikes — in a country sitting next to oil shipping routes.
MILITANTS MOURN
In the country’s south, ten fighters from the Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist militant group linked to al Qaeda, were killed when government forces shelled their positions in Zinjibar, capital of the southern province of Abyan, a local official said. Fighters also clashed with the army, he said.
The clashes followed fighting on Saturday in which two government soldiers were killed and six were wounded.
Residents in the town of Jaar, located some 15 km (10 miles)north of Zinjibar and which is under the control of the Islamist militants, said they saw fighters bury fallen comrades.
“In the last three days, we saw the militants bury the bodies of several dead fighters,” said Abdul Khaleq, a local resident. “They were weeping bitterly for their dead as they read (verses from) the Koran.”
Monday, December 19, 2011
Bahrain - Foreign Minister takes part at the joint meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the GCC States
December 19, 2011
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, took part at the joint meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and the Gulf Cooperation Council Committee on Financial and Economic Cooperation convenes in Riyadh at the GCC general secretariat Sunday (Dec. 18) ahead of the 32nd GCC Summit, scheduled to be held tomorrow Monday.
The Foreign Ministers agreed on the completion of GCC Customs Union establishment requirements and to build up on what have been agreed upon such as the common customs law, the common customs tariff, the one entry point, and the resolution of outstanding issues, in addition, they decided to establish a customs Union Commission and unification of Customs procedures.
On the other hand, Conferees met with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen who presented a briefing on the political and security developments in Yemen, and the formation of the national unity government, where the GCC Foreign Ministers welcomed this step and reiterated the GCC States’ support to the Republic of Yemen to ensure the prevalence of security and stability there.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, took part at the joint meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and the Gulf Cooperation Council Committee on Financial and Economic Cooperation convenes in Riyadh at the GCC general secretariat Sunday (Dec. 18) ahead of the 32nd GCC Summit, scheduled to be held tomorrow Monday.
The Foreign Ministers agreed on the completion of GCC Customs Union establishment requirements and to build up on what have been agreed upon such as the common customs law, the common customs tariff, the one entry point, and the resolution of outstanding issues, in addition, they decided to establish a customs Union Commission and unification of Customs procedures.
On the other hand, Conferees met with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen who presented a briefing on the political and security developments in Yemen, and the formation of the national unity government, where the GCC Foreign Ministers welcomed this step and reiterated the GCC States’ support to the Republic of Yemen to ensure the prevalence of security and stability there.
Yemen’s new Government taking steps to restore peace and stability – UN envoy
December 19, 2011
Yemen’s new Government has taken steps to restore peace and stability in the country, the United Nations special envoy for the country said today, explaining that the new measures include instructions that roadblocks be removed, soldiers return to their barracks and militias go back to their villages.
Warring factions in Yemen on 23 November reached agreement on a transitional settlement under which President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to hand over power to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi. A new Government of National Unity was sworn in on Sunday and presidential elections have been scheduled for 21 February.
“Serious commitment from all sides will be required to make these inroads to stability a success and the UN will continue its close engagement and monitor its progress,” said Jamal Benomar, the Secretary General's Special Adviser for Yemen on a visit to the country, his seventh this year in that capacity.
“We want to see a Yemen where the streets belong to the people, not the militia. We want to see Yemenis able to go about their daily lives and grow their communities – where civic leaders are the ones shaping the future of the country, not those with arms,” he said in a statement, noting that he had consulted with a broad array of political leaders, and for the first time travelled outside the capital, Sana’a.
He travelled to the south-western cities of Taiz and Aden and Sa’ada in the north-west to gain first-hand impressions of the spectrum of Yemen’s challenges and how they are interlinked.
“The situation in Yemen remains highly fragile and the political agreement will be impossible to implement without the continuous commitment and cooperation of political and other leaders throughout the country,” said Mr. Benomar.
“The international community has pressed hard for the sides to reach a political settlement and these calls have been heeded. Now, donors have to back up their calls for reform by providing the support that is needed to implement the agreement and see the country through this transition period.
“Only with their immediate assistance and commitment can the building blocks of the peace process maintain a strong foundation,” he added.
Yemen’s new Government has taken steps to restore peace and stability in the country, the United Nations special envoy for the country said today, explaining that the new measures include instructions that roadblocks be removed, soldiers return to their barracks and militias go back to their villages.
Warring factions in Yemen on 23 November reached agreement on a transitional settlement under which President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to hand over power to Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi. A new Government of National Unity was sworn in on Sunday and presidential elections have been scheduled for 21 February.
“Serious commitment from all sides will be required to make these inroads to stability a success and the UN will continue its close engagement and monitor its progress,” said Jamal Benomar, the Secretary General's Special Adviser for Yemen on a visit to the country, his seventh this year in that capacity.
“We want to see a Yemen where the streets belong to the people, not the militia. We want to see Yemenis able to go about their daily lives and grow their communities – where civic leaders are the ones shaping the future of the country, not those with arms,” he said in a statement, noting that he had consulted with a broad array of political leaders, and for the first time travelled outside the capital, Sana’a.
He travelled to the south-western cities of Taiz and Aden and Sa’ada in the north-west to gain first-hand impressions of the spectrum of Yemen’s challenges and how they are interlinked.
“The situation in Yemen remains highly fragile and the political agreement will be impossible to implement without the continuous commitment and cooperation of political and other leaders throughout the country,” said Mr. Benomar.
“The international community has pressed hard for the sides to reach a political settlement and these calls have been heeded. Now, donors have to back up their calls for reform by providing the support that is needed to implement the agreement and see the country through this transition period.
“Only with their immediate assistance and commitment can the building blocks of the peace process maintain a strong foundation,” he added.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Yemen crisis to hit 4 mn people in 2012: UN
(AFP
DUBAI —December 18, 2011- Nearly four million people will be affected by Yemen's crisis in 2012, UN agencies said in Dubai on Sunday, warning that the restive Arabian Peninsula country is on its way to becoming another Somalia.
"About four million people will be affected by the crisis in Yemen in 2012 and will require immediate humanitarian support," said the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee.
"While there have been significant political developments in Yemen, humanitarian needs are forecast by all actors to deteriorate still further over the next 12 months," UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, told reporters.
Kelly Gilbride, policy adviser of Oxfam, said UNICEF assessments of the cities of Hudaydah in the west and Haja in the north put malnutrition rates at above 30 percent.
"These (figures) are comparable to Somalia. We are talking about severe malnutrition rates," she said on the sidelines of a photographic exhibition in Yemen's oil-rich regional Emirati neighbour.
"Basic food prices have skyrocketed almost 50 percent (while) prices in fuel have peaked at five times the average amount" in the already poor nation, Gilbride said, adding that the crisis affects all of Yemen.
"This is why it's staggering at this point. We're not just talking about conflict affected areas any more. Men, women and children across Yemen are not able to find enough food every day."
Yemen has been rocked by months of deadly anti-government protests that destabilised the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has agreed to step down in February 2012 after 33 years in power.
A transitional unity government was sworn in on December 10, and on Saturday a military commission began removing checkpoints and barricades erected during the protests, raising hopes that Yemen might begin to see an end to nearly a year of unrest.
"One of the biggest problems we've been facing is that there is no access to all areas," Toyberg-Frandzen told AFP.
"There's also been security concerns: how do you get out to the people you're supposed to reach when you have internal strife and when you have a country that has been torn from within?"
Already impoverished Yemenis may also be paying a price because of the world economic downturn.
"There are many fears. One is that because of the economic crisis across the world we won't be able to mobilise the resources that are necessary," Toyberg-Frandzen added.
"What I really hope wouldn't happen is that Yemen would go into more strife and conflict."
DUBAI —December 18, 2011- Nearly four million people will be affected by Yemen's crisis in 2012, UN agencies said in Dubai on Sunday, warning that the restive Arabian Peninsula country is on its way to becoming another Somalia.
"About four million people will be affected by the crisis in Yemen in 2012 and will require immediate humanitarian support," said the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee.
"While there have been significant political developments in Yemen, humanitarian needs are forecast by all actors to deteriorate still further over the next 12 months," UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, told reporters.
Kelly Gilbride, policy adviser of Oxfam, said UNICEF assessments of the cities of Hudaydah in the west and Haja in the north put malnutrition rates at above 30 percent.
"These (figures) are comparable to Somalia. We are talking about severe malnutrition rates," she said on the sidelines of a photographic exhibition in Yemen's oil-rich regional Emirati neighbour.
"Basic food prices have skyrocketed almost 50 percent (while) prices in fuel have peaked at five times the average amount" in the already poor nation, Gilbride said, adding that the crisis affects all of Yemen.
"This is why it's staggering at this point. We're not just talking about conflict affected areas any more. Men, women and children across Yemen are not able to find enough food every day."
Yemen has been rocked by months of deadly anti-government protests that destabilised the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has agreed to step down in February 2012 after 33 years in power.
A transitional unity government was sworn in on December 10, and on Saturday a military commission began removing checkpoints and barricades erected during the protests, raising hopes that Yemen might begin to see an end to nearly a year of unrest.
"One of the biggest problems we've been facing is that there is no access to all areas," Toyberg-Frandzen told AFP.
"There's also been security concerns: how do you get out to the people you're supposed to reach when you have internal strife and when you have a country that has been torn from within?"
Already impoverished Yemenis may also be paying a price because of the world economic downturn.
"There are many fears. One is that because of the economic crisis across the world we won't be able to mobilise the resources that are necessary," Toyberg-Frandzen added.
"What I really hope wouldn't happen is that Yemen would go into more strife and conflict."
4 Yemeni soldiers killed in fighting with al-Qaida-linked militants
By Associated Press, December 18
SANAA, Yemen — Four Yemeni soldiers and two al-Qaida-linked militants were killed in clashes in the country’s south, military and medical officials said Sunday.
The fighting took place overnight outside the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province that Islamic militants seized earlier this year, a military official said. A medical official said six soldiers were wounded in the fighting.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.
Al-Qaida-linked militants have overrun swaths of territory in Abyan, taking advantage of a security vacuum that has developed as a result of Yemen’s ongoing political unrest amid nine months of massive protests demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Fighting with the militants has continued as Yemen tries to emerge from its crisis. Saleh is due to step down by the end of the month in return for immunity from prosecution under a deal he signed last month. Under the U.S.- and Saudi-backed deal, a national unity government has already been formed, bringing in opposition parties.
Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has also formed a military committee joining both pro-regime forces and military units that defected to the opposition. On Saturday, the committee had succeeded in removing fighters, weapons and equipment of both sides from two main streets of the capital, Sanaa. But armed pockets of the rival forces could still be seen in side streets nearby.
The U.N. secretary-general’s envoy to Yemen, Jamal bin Omar, told reporters before he left Yemen Saturday that the military committee should end its work next Saturday in separating the rival sides, which at times engaged in heavy battles in the capital.
Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, the commander of the First Armored Division who defected and joined the protesters in March, expressed his backing for the military committee after meeting Sunday with ambassadors supervising enforcement of the deal.
SANAA, Yemen — Four Yemeni soldiers and two al-Qaida-linked militants were killed in clashes in the country’s south, military and medical officials said Sunday.
The fighting took place overnight outside the city of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province that Islamic militants seized earlier this year, a military official said. A medical official said six soldiers were wounded in the fighting.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media.
Al-Qaida-linked militants have overrun swaths of territory in Abyan, taking advantage of a security vacuum that has developed as a result of Yemen’s ongoing political unrest amid nine months of massive protests demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Fighting with the militants has continued as Yemen tries to emerge from its crisis. Saleh is due to step down by the end of the month in return for immunity from prosecution under a deal he signed last month. Under the U.S.- and Saudi-backed deal, a national unity government has already been formed, bringing in opposition parties.
Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has also formed a military committee joining both pro-regime forces and military units that defected to the opposition. On Saturday, the committee had succeeded in removing fighters, weapons and equipment of both sides from two main streets of the capital, Sanaa. But armed pockets of the rival forces could still be seen in side streets nearby.
The U.N. secretary-general’s envoy to Yemen, Jamal bin Omar, told reporters before he left Yemen Saturday that the military committee should end its work next Saturday in separating the rival sides, which at times engaged in heavy battles in the capital.
Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, the commander of the First Armored Division who defected and joined the protesters in March, expressed his backing for the military committee after meeting Sunday with ambassadors supervising enforcement of the deal.
UN seeks $447 mln for Yemen, Gulf Arabs urged to help more
Sun Dec 18, 2011
* Money to be targeted at 4 million vulnerable people
* Political turmoil worsens humanitarian conditions
* Over 30 pct of Yemeni children acutely malnourished
By Martina Fuchs
DUBAI, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Sunday for nearly $450 million in humanitarian aid for conflict-torn Yemen to save it from becoming what one U.N. official called "another Somalia".
Yemen will need substantial humanitarian assistance over the next three to five years, especially for food, health care, sanitation and clean water, U.N. agencies and other relief groups working in Yemen said at a conference in Dubai.
"The Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2012 is seeking $447 million. This represents an increase of 95 percent compared to one year ago," they said, adding the money would be targeted to help around 4 million vulnerable people.
Almost a year of protests against outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh has brought Yemen's economy close to collapse, worsening already dire living conditions for many people who face acute shortages of fuel, food, water and electricity.
"The situation is dramatic. If we don't act now, we hit a humanitarian disaster soon," said Geert Cappelaere, representative of the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen.
"If we don't act now, Yemen will become another Somalia from a humanitarian perspective."
Cappelaere said more than 30 percent of Yemeni children were acutely malnourished.
"In general, when you have 15 percent of under-five-year-olds that are acutely malnourished, we call that a nutrition emergency. In Yemen, you have twice the emergency level."
COMPLEX CRISIS
Aside from its political and economic crisis, Yemen must also cope with a growing influx of refugees from the Horn of Africa to its southern coast and a host of Yemenis forced to flee their homes by fighting in the south and the north.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that at the end of November around 214,000 refugees and almost half a million internally displaced persons were in Yemen.
Arrivals from Somalia had increased, with 3,292 reaching Yemen in September and 3,689 in October, compared to a monthly average of 1,648 in the first half of the year, UNHCR said.
This year's turmoil in Yemen had posed many challenges, the country's health and population minister, Ahmed al-Ansi, said.
"The humanitarian situation in Yemen is very precarious at the moment," he told Reuters. "It affects all parts of life of citizens, not just health, but their economic activity, the environment, social life."
Saleh last month signed a pact brokered by Yemen's wealthy Gulf Arab neighbours to hand power to his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Under the deal, Saleh's General People's Congress and opposition parties agreed to divide cabinet posts between them, forming a unity government to lead Yemen to a presidential election in February.
"What has happened in the last 10 months has put the clock in Yemen back 15 to 20 years when it comes to the development and basic services, which were already not that widespread throughout the country," UNICEF's Cappelaere said.
"What is now needed is a government that will make it a top priority not only to get the political side of things right, but also to give top priority for its development and the children."
The International Monetary Fund approved a $370 million loan for Yemen in August 2010, but only one disbursement of around $50 million has been made so far.
Aid officials urged Gulf countries to chip in more.
"The bulk of donor money comes from Western countries. It's time that Gulf countries deliver as well," said Naveed Hussain, UNHCR's representative in Yemen.
* Money to be targeted at 4 million vulnerable people
* Political turmoil worsens humanitarian conditions
* Over 30 pct of Yemeni children acutely malnourished
By Martina Fuchs
DUBAI, Dec 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Sunday for nearly $450 million in humanitarian aid for conflict-torn Yemen to save it from becoming what one U.N. official called "another Somalia".
Yemen will need substantial humanitarian assistance over the next three to five years, especially for food, health care, sanitation and clean water, U.N. agencies and other relief groups working in Yemen said at a conference in Dubai.
"The Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2012 is seeking $447 million. This represents an increase of 95 percent compared to one year ago," they said, adding the money would be targeted to help around 4 million vulnerable people.
Almost a year of protests against outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh has brought Yemen's economy close to collapse, worsening already dire living conditions for many people who face acute shortages of fuel, food, water and electricity.
"The situation is dramatic. If we don't act now, we hit a humanitarian disaster soon," said Geert Cappelaere, representative of the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen.
"If we don't act now, Yemen will become another Somalia from a humanitarian perspective."
Cappelaere said more than 30 percent of Yemeni children were acutely malnourished.
"In general, when you have 15 percent of under-five-year-olds that are acutely malnourished, we call that a nutrition emergency. In Yemen, you have twice the emergency level."
COMPLEX CRISIS
Aside from its political and economic crisis, Yemen must also cope with a growing influx of refugees from the Horn of Africa to its southern coast and a host of Yemenis forced to flee their homes by fighting in the south and the north.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that at the end of November around 214,000 refugees and almost half a million internally displaced persons were in Yemen.
Arrivals from Somalia had increased, with 3,292 reaching Yemen in September and 3,689 in October, compared to a monthly average of 1,648 in the first half of the year, UNHCR said.
This year's turmoil in Yemen had posed many challenges, the country's health and population minister, Ahmed al-Ansi, said.
"The humanitarian situation in Yemen is very precarious at the moment," he told Reuters. "It affects all parts of life of citizens, not just health, but their economic activity, the environment, social life."
Saleh last month signed a pact brokered by Yemen's wealthy Gulf Arab neighbours to hand power to his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Under the deal, Saleh's General People's Congress and opposition parties agreed to divide cabinet posts between them, forming a unity government to lead Yemen to a presidential election in February.
"What has happened in the last 10 months has put the clock in Yemen back 15 to 20 years when it comes to the development and basic services, which were already not that widespread throughout the country," UNICEF's Cappelaere said.
"What is now needed is a government that will make it a top priority not only to get the political side of things right, but also to give top priority for its development and the children."
The International Monetary Fund approved a $370 million loan for Yemen in August 2010, but only one disbursement of around $50 million has been made so far.
Aid officials urged Gulf countries to chip in more.
"The bulk of donor money comes from Western countries. It's time that Gulf countries deliver as well," said Naveed Hussain, UNHCR's representative in Yemen.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Warring Yemen forces quit Sanaa, 2 troops die in south
Sat Dec 17, 2011
SANAA (Reuters) - Forces loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his opponents withdrew from their positions in the capital Sanaa on Saturday, witnesses and officials said, in a further sign a peace deal signed last month was being implemented. In southern Yemen, two government soldiers were killed in a clash with Islamist militants, medical sources said, as insurgents linked to al Qaeda challenged the peace accord aimed at pulling the country away from civil war.
Witnesses said a military committee set up under the Gulf peace deal signed in Saudi Arabia last month oversaw the dismantling of military positions that have divided the capital since protests against Saleh's 33-year rule began in January.
They said armoured bulldozers removed barricades from Sixty Street which split the capital into a dissident-controlled north and Saleh-ruled south under the military's supervision.
Military trucks were seen carrying armoured vehicles from the base of a brigade led by dissident General Ali Mohsen outside Sanaa.
A spokesman for the committee told the state news agency Saba that the first day of dismantling military positions had gone smoothly.
On the eastern side of the city, Republican Guard troops led by Saleh's son Ahmed also abandoned their positions.
"But tribal fighters from the al-Ahmar tribe, are still there, surrounded by paramilitary Central Security Forces," one resident said.
Saleh's forces had fought pitched battles with fighters loyal to tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar in the al-Hasaba and Soufan districts of Sanaa, where fresh explosions were heard early on Saturday. There were no reports of casualties.
Since Saleh handed over his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, under the Gulf peace accord, a new Yemeni government headed by an opposition leader has been formed and a early presidential election is set to be held in February.
Hadi has also formed a military committee which oversaw a ceasefire in the flashpoint city of Taiz and supervised the withdrawl of rebel fighters and government forces.
CONTINUED FIGHTING IN SOUTH
In the southern city of Aden, sources at a military hospital said two soldiers were killed and six wounded near Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, where Islamist militants have exploited the chaos caused by nearly 11 months of protests to seize swathes of territory.
Apart from Islamist militants, the new government is facing challenges from a southern separatist movement and a Shi'ite Muslim rebellion in the north.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia shares U.S. fears that more instability in Yemen could embolden the country's al Qaeda wing - seen by Washington as the group's most dangerous branch - in a country sitting next to oil shipping routes.
European Union diplomats urged separatist leaders in Aden on Saturday to try to resolve their grievances in a national dialogue with the unity government in Sanaa.
The EU ambassador in Sanaa said after talks with southern Yemeni separatist leaders in Aden that the bloc encourages all Yemenis to join a national dialogue to determine the future of the country.
Separately, Abyan's governor said in a statement the fighting had made it impossible to open the main road to Aden, which has been closed for five months.
SANAA (Reuters) - Forces loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his opponents withdrew from their positions in the capital Sanaa on Saturday, witnesses and officials said, in a further sign a peace deal signed last month was being implemented. In southern Yemen, two government soldiers were killed in a clash with Islamist militants, medical sources said, as insurgents linked to al Qaeda challenged the peace accord aimed at pulling the country away from civil war.
Witnesses said a military committee set up under the Gulf peace deal signed in Saudi Arabia last month oversaw the dismantling of military positions that have divided the capital since protests against Saleh's 33-year rule began in January.
They said armoured bulldozers removed barricades from Sixty Street which split the capital into a dissident-controlled north and Saleh-ruled south under the military's supervision.
Military trucks were seen carrying armoured vehicles from the base of a brigade led by dissident General Ali Mohsen outside Sanaa.
A spokesman for the committee told the state news agency Saba that the first day of dismantling military positions had gone smoothly.
On the eastern side of the city, Republican Guard troops led by Saleh's son Ahmed also abandoned their positions.
"But tribal fighters from the al-Ahmar tribe, are still there, surrounded by paramilitary Central Security Forces," one resident said.
Saleh's forces had fought pitched battles with fighters loyal to tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar in the al-Hasaba and Soufan districts of Sanaa, where fresh explosions were heard early on Saturday. There were no reports of casualties.
Since Saleh handed over his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, under the Gulf peace accord, a new Yemeni government headed by an opposition leader has been formed and a early presidential election is set to be held in February.
Hadi has also formed a military committee which oversaw a ceasefire in the flashpoint city of Taiz and supervised the withdrawl of rebel fighters and government forces.
CONTINUED FIGHTING IN SOUTH
In the southern city of Aden, sources at a military hospital said two soldiers were killed and six wounded near Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, where Islamist militants have exploited the chaos caused by nearly 11 months of protests to seize swathes of territory.
Apart from Islamist militants, the new government is facing challenges from a southern separatist movement and a Shi'ite Muslim rebellion in the north.
Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia shares U.S. fears that more instability in Yemen could embolden the country's al Qaeda wing - seen by Washington as the group's most dangerous branch - in a country sitting next to oil shipping routes.
European Union diplomats urged separatist leaders in Aden on Saturday to try to resolve their grievances in a national dialogue with the unity government in Sanaa.
The EU ambassador in Sanaa said after talks with southern Yemeni separatist leaders in Aden that the bloc encourages all Yemenis to join a national dialogue to determine the future of the country.
Separately, Abyan's governor said in a statement the fighting had made it impossible to open the main road to Aden, which has been closed for five months.
Fresh clashes in Yemeni capital
Dec 17, 2011
Sana'a,(dpa) - Clashes again erupted Saturday between government troops and opposition tribal forces in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.
The fighting started when the government forces shelled the district of Hasbah in northern Sana'a, which is the stronghold of the dissident tribal chief Sadiq al-Ahmar, according to local residents.
There were no immediate details of casualties.
The violence comes hours before a security committee, formed under a United Nations-sponsored power transfer deal, was to meet on Saturday to plan the removal of barricades and gunmen from the streets.
Meanwhile, the UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has warned against hampering the implementation of the Gulf-brokered power transfer deal signed last month in Saudi Arabia.
Under the deal, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 33 years, agreed to step down in return for immunity from prosecution.
'The UN Security Council is closely monitoring the ... process in Yemen,' Benomar told reporters in Sana'a on Friday.
'The UN looks forward to seeing Yemen with its streets belonging to the people, not to militias and military groups,' he added.
The impoverished Arabian Peninsula country has been gripped by anti-government protests since February.
Sana'a,(dpa) - Clashes again erupted Saturday between government troops and opposition tribal forces in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.
The fighting started when the government forces shelled the district of Hasbah in northern Sana'a, which is the stronghold of the dissident tribal chief Sadiq al-Ahmar, according to local residents.
There were no immediate details of casualties.
The violence comes hours before a security committee, formed under a United Nations-sponsored power transfer deal, was to meet on Saturday to plan the removal of barricades and gunmen from the streets.
Meanwhile, the UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has warned against hampering the implementation of the Gulf-brokered power transfer deal signed last month in Saudi Arabia.
Under the deal, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 33 years, agreed to step down in return for immunity from prosecution.
'The UN Security Council is closely monitoring the ... process in Yemen,' Benomar told reporters in Sana'a on Friday.
'The UN looks forward to seeing Yemen with its streets belonging to the people, not to militias and military groups,' he added.
The impoverished Arabian Peninsula country has been gripped by anti-government protests since February.
Three defected officers killed in Yemen
Sana'a, December 17, 2011- In Yemen, three defected army officers have been gunned down after attending an anti-regime demonstration in the southern city of Taizz, medics and witnesses say.
"The officers, Abdullah Ali, Ali bin Ali and Kayed Abdulrahman, were gunned down and another soldier was seriously wounded by unidentified gunmen in Jamal Street near the protesters' Liberation Square," Sadiq al-Shuga'a, head of a field hospital in Taizz, told Xinhua.
Witnesses said that masked gunmen opened fire on the officers on Friday when they were heading home after taking part in the rally calling for prosecution of the country's dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Some sources say the attackers, who fled the scene after the firing, were "thugs hired by loyalists of Saleh.”
Yemenis took to the streets in the capital, Sana'a, Taizz and other main cities following the Friday prayers, stressing that Saleh and his top lieutenants should face justice over the killing of hundreds of demonstrators.
The demonstrators also rejected the newly formed national unity government over the presence of Saleh's elements in the new Yemeni cabinet. Yemenis say they want their country to be cleansed of the ruling regime.
Saleh, who has been in power for 33 years, signed the power transition deal brokered by Persian Gulf Arab states in Saudi Arabia on November 23 and resigned as president and handed authority to his vice Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in return for amnesty.
Saleh currently serves as an honorary president until polls are held in February to elect his successor.
Hundreds of Yemenis have been killed and thousands more wounded in clashes between Saleh forces and revolutionaries since the start of the popular uprising in the impoverished Arab nation in late January.
"The officers, Abdullah Ali, Ali bin Ali and Kayed Abdulrahman, were gunned down and another soldier was seriously wounded by unidentified gunmen in Jamal Street near the protesters' Liberation Square," Sadiq al-Shuga'a, head of a field hospital in Taizz, told Xinhua.
Witnesses said that masked gunmen opened fire on the officers on Friday when they were heading home after taking part in the rally calling for prosecution of the country's dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Some sources say the attackers, who fled the scene after the firing, were "thugs hired by loyalists of Saleh.”
Yemenis took to the streets in the capital, Sana'a, Taizz and other main cities following the Friday prayers, stressing that Saleh and his top lieutenants should face justice over the killing of hundreds of demonstrators.
The demonstrators also rejected the newly formed national unity government over the presence of Saleh's elements in the new Yemeni cabinet. Yemenis say they want their country to be cleansed of the ruling regime.
Saleh, who has been in power for 33 years, signed the power transition deal brokered by Persian Gulf Arab states in Saudi Arabia on November 23 and resigned as president and handed authority to his vice Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi in return for amnesty.
Saleh currently serves as an honorary president until polls are held in February to elect his successor.
Hundreds of Yemenis have been killed and thousands more wounded in clashes between Saleh forces and revolutionaries since the start of the popular uprising in the impoverished Arab nation in late January.
UN envoy leaves Yemen as power transfer process moves forward
SANAA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN envoy Jamal bin Omar left Yemen on Saturday after his seventh visit to Sanaa to follow up implementation of a UN resolution and a Gulf-brokered power transfer deal, state media reported.
"There is important development in the political situation in Yemen, where preparations are underway for early presidential elections on Feb. 21 next year and the joint military committee began its process to restore normality to the country," official SABA news agency quoted bin Omar as saying upon his departure.
"The obstacles must be overcome through dialogue and consensual understanding," said bin Omar, who is scheduled to present his report on Yemen to the UN Security Council on Dec. 19.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni Military Affairs Committee headed by Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi began on Saturday morning to remove barricades and checkpoints of forces loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the defected First Armored Division from the western part of Sanaa in line with the UN-backed initiative.
The initiative was signed by Saleh and opposition leaders in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 23, which was designed to end the 11-month- long turmoil that brought the impoverished Arab state on the verge of a civil war and economic collapse.
Under the deal, early presidential elections in Yemen are set to be held on Feb. 21, 2012, while Saleh retains the title of honorary president for 90 days before his resignation and enjoys immunity from prosecution afterwards.
"There is important development in the political situation in Yemen, where preparations are underway for early presidential elections on Feb. 21 next year and the joint military committee began its process to restore normality to the country," official SABA news agency quoted bin Omar as saying upon his departure.
"The obstacles must be overcome through dialogue and consensual understanding," said bin Omar, who is scheduled to present his report on Yemen to the UN Security Council on Dec. 19.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni Military Affairs Committee headed by Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi began on Saturday morning to remove barricades and checkpoints of forces loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the defected First Armored Division from the western part of Sanaa in line with the UN-backed initiative.
The initiative was signed by Saleh and opposition leaders in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 23, which was designed to end the 11-month- long turmoil that brought the impoverished Arab state on the verge of a civil war and economic collapse.
Under the deal, early presidential elections in Yemen are set to be held on Feb. 21, 2012, while Saleh retains the title of honorary president for 90 days before his resignation and enjoys immunity from prosecution afterwards.
Yemen's military committee begins to remove roadblocks, checkpoints in capital
SANAA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni national military committee, which was assigned to end clashes and restore order to the cities after months-long unrest in line with a power transfer deal, began Saturday to remove the roadblocks and checkpoints in the capital Sanaa, officials said.
"The Military Affairs Committee headed by Vice President Abd- Rabbu Mansour Hadi began this morning to remove barricades and checkpoints of forces loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the defected First Armored Division in 60th Street in western Sanaa," a security official told Xinhua.
The rival forces were ordered to return to their barracks within the next few hours, the official said on condition of anonymity. He added that "the process is running smoothly until now."
The removal process came hours after heavy clashes took place in Hassaba district in downtown Sanaa between forces loyal to Saleh and the defected army-backed opposition militia, which left two policemen guarding the headquarters of the Interior ministry dead.
On Wednesday, Vice President Hadi ordered the government forces and the opposition militants to withdraw from Sanaa's streets as of Saturday and to restore order in a week, according to Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered power-transfer initiative, official SABA news agency reported.
On Nov. 23, Saleh's party General People's Congress and the opposition Joint Meeting Parties signed the GCC deal in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in an attempt to end the crisis.
Under the deal, early presidential elections in Yemen are slated for Feb. 21, 2012, while Saleh retains the title of honorary president for 90 days before his resignation and is granted immunity from prosecution.
"The Military Affairs Committee headed by Vice President Abd- Rabbu Mansour Hadi began this morning to remove barricades and checkpoints of forces loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the defected First Armored Division in 60th Street in western Sanaa," a security official told Xinhua.
The rival forces were ordered to return to their barracks within the next few hours, the official said on condition of anonymity. He added that "the process is running smoothly until now."
The removal process came hours after heavy clashes took place in Hassaba district in downtown Sanaa between forces loyal to Saleh and the defected army-backed opposition militia, which left two policemen guarding the headquarters of the Interior ministry dead.
On Wednesday, Vice President Hadi ordered the government forces and the opposition militants to withdraw from Sanaa's streets as of Saturday and to restore order in a week, according to Gulf Cooperation Council-brokered power-transfer initiative, official SABA news agency reported.
On Nov. 23, Saleh's party General People's Congress and the opposition Joint Meeting Parties signed the GCC deal in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in an attempt to end the crisis.
Under the deal, early presidential elections in Yemen are slated for Feb. 21, 2012, while Saleh retains the title of honorary president for 90 days before his resignation and is granted immunity from prosecution.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Yemenis protest against amnesty for Saleh
December 16, 2011- (AFP)
SANAA — Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis demonstrated Friday across the country rejecting an amnesty given to President Ali Abdullah Saleh against prosecution in a deal that eases him out of office.
"A trial is a must and amnesty is rejected," chanted demonstrators in Sanaa's Sitin Street, close to Change Square -- the focal point of protests that broke out in January demanding Saleh's departure after 33 years in power.
Similar demonstrations were staged in 18 cities and towns across Yemen in response to a call by the central organising committee of protests, as protesters insisted Saleh and his top lieutenants should face justice over the killing of demonstrators.
"There should be punishment for shedding the blood of the youth," said cleric Waheeb al-Sharabi in his Friday sermon in Taez, the second largest city of Yemen and a major flashpoint in the conflict with forces loyal to Saleh.
Last month, Saleh signed a Gulf-brokered deal aimed to end the political crisis in the impoverished country. Under the deal, he handed authority to Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, and the opposition formed a national unity government.
Saleh serves now as an honorary president until polls are held in February to elect his successor.
A bloody crackdown on anti-Saleh demonstrations since January has claimed hundreds of lives.
SANAA — Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis demonstrated Friday across the country rejecting an amnesty given to President Ali Abdullah Saleh against prosecution in a deal that eases him out of office.
"A trial is a must and amnesty is rejected," chanted demonstrators in Sanaa's Sitin Street, close to Change Square -- the focal point of protests that broke out in January demanding Saleh's departure after 33 years in power.
Similar demonstrations were staged in 18 cities and towns across Yemen in response to a call by the central organising committee of protests, as protesters insisted Saleh and his top lieutenants should face justice over the killing of demonstrators.
"There should be punishment for shedding the blood of the youth," said cleric Waheeb al-Sharabi in his Friday sermon in Taez, the second largest city of Yemen and a major flashpoint in the conflict with forces loyal to Saleh.
Last month, Saleh signed a Gulf-brokered deal aimed to end the political crisis in the impoverished country. Under the deal, he handed authority to Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, and the opposition formed a national unity government.
Saleh serves now as an honorary president until polls are held in February to elect his successor.
A bloody crackdown on anti-Saleh demonstrations since January has claimed hundreds of lives.
2 killed after huge rally in Yemen, medical official says
December 16, 2011
SANAA, Yemen (CNN) -- Two youth activists were killed in Taiz, in southern Yemen, after participating in a massive march Friday in opposition to the ruling family, a medical official said.
Dr. Sadeq al-Shujah, lead medic in Freedom Square Taiz, said the two youth activists were killed by central security soldiers dressed in civilian clothes as they were heading home after the march.
"The attacks did not happen during the march. The youth were heading home and were (a) target of the ruling family forces. The two dead bodies are now at the medical facility in the square," al-Shujah said.
He said they were shot on Jamal Street, near the square, and a Red Crescent ambulance brought them to the medical facility.
Al-Shujah told CNN that witnesses saw the shooter flee the scene of the attack in a government security vehicle.
Protests were reported Friday in 15 of the country's 21 provinces.
The largest was Taiz. Organizers told CNN that nearly a million people showed up in Freedom Square Taiz. The actual number on hand could not be confirmed.
The anti-government protesters named the protest the "Friday of Trialing," vowing to hold President Ali Abdullah Saleh accountable for the killing of what is alleged to be more than 1,000 youth activists since January.
Banners portraying Saleh as a criminal were raised, as well as some portraying him hanged.
"The criminal must be tried," youth activists repeatedly said in Sanaa and Taiz.
Saleh has agreed to transfer power into the hands of a new coalition government within 90 days. But that accord has not appeared to ease tensions.
"It's nowhere close to being over," said Abdul Haleem al-Magashi, the media officer in Freedom Square Taiz. "We have not achieved 10 percent of our goals. Yemen must be free, democratic and for the people before we consider ending our protests."
Other chants included "no immunity to the bloodthirsty Saleh," and "people want the the butcher behind bars."
Friday's protests were called for a day earlier by the organizing committee for the Yemen revolution, which also called for continuous escalation until the demands of the revolution are met in total.
"Saleh and his family still control the army and wealth of the country," said Khaled Anesi, a leading member of the revolutionary youth council. "Why is everyone thinking our revolution is over? When Saleh stands in front of a revolutionary court, then we can consider our revolution somewhat fruitful."
SANAA, Yemen (CNN) -- Two youth activists were killed in Taiz, in southern Yemen, after participating in a massive march Friday in opposition to the ruling family, a medical official said.
Dr. Sadeq al-Shujah, lead medic in Freedom Square Taiz, said the two youth activists were killed by central security soldiers dressed in civilian clothes as they were heading home after the march.
"The attacks did not happen during the march. The youth were heading home and were (a) target of the ruling family forces. The two dead bodies are now at the medical facility in the square," al-Shujah said.
He said they were shot on Jamal Street, near the square, and a Red Crescent ambulance brought them to the medical facility.
Al-Shujah told CNN that witnesses saw the shooter flee the scene of the attack in a government security vehicle.
Protests were reported Friday in 15 of the country's 21 provinces.
The largest was Taiz. Organizers told CNN that nearly a million people showed up in Freedom Square Taiz. The actual number on hand could not be confirmed.
The anti-government protesters named the protest the "Friday of Trialing," vowing to hold President Ali Abdullah Saleh accountable for the killing of what is alleged to be more than 1,000 youth activists since January.
Banners portraying Saleh as a criminal were raised, as well as some portraying him hanged.
"The criminal must be tried," youth activists repeatedly said in Sanaa and Taiz.
Saleh has agreed to transfer power into the hands of a new coalition government within 90 days. But that accord has not appeared to ease tensions.
"It's nowhere close to being over," said Abdul Haleem al-Magashi, the media officer in Freedom Square Taiz. "We have not achieved 10 percent of our goals. Yemen must be free, democratic and for the people before we consider ending our protests."
Other chants included "no immunity to the bloodthirsty Saleh," and "people want the the butcher behind bars."
Friday's protests were called for a day earlier by the organizing committee for the Yemen revolution, which also called for continuous escalation until the demands of the revolution are met in total.
"Saleh and his family still control the army and wealth of the country," said Khaled Anesi, a leading member of the revolutionary youth council. "Why is everyone thinking our revolution is over? When Saleh stands in front of a revolutionary court, then we can consider our revolution somewhat fruitful."
Yemeni Uprising Opens a Door to Besieged Rebels in the North
Samuel Aranda for The New York Times
All over the city of Saada, the ruins of centuries-old buildings blown apart by artillery stand as reminders of the conflict between Houthis and the government.
By KAREEM FAHIM
December 16, 2011
SAADA, Yemen — In the streets of this city’s medieval quarter, the toll of Yemen’s hidden wars became clear.
Boys and men maimed by fighting, missing hands, eyes or legs, arrived by bus to greet a visiting dignitary. All around them, mud buildings that stood for centuries had been blown apart by artillery fire, crumbling to the earth. Shrapnel pierced the white walls of a mosque, exposing the red brick underneath. In the mosque’s garden, headstones marked the graves of two of the war dead, representing untold numbers of other victims: locals say thousands were killed during the six separate wars in recent years that swept through Yemen’s northern provinces. There is no official tally.
Beginning in 2004, in fighting that was largely invisible to the outside world, President Ali Abdullah Saleh sent his armies to vanquish a group of rebels known as the Houthis, after the clan of their leader. The government bombed villages and shelled cities as it accused the Houthis of kidnappings and assassinations. Hundreds of thousands of civilians took shelter in camps.
It was just one of many conflicts that have destabilized Yemen. Separatists continue to press their claims on the south, and a resurgent offshoot of Al Qaeda has seized territory from a government distracted by a popular uprising and a deal for Mr. Saleh to leave power.
The regional overtones of the northern wars raised the stakes. The government, offering scant proof, accused Iran of interfering as Saudi Arabia, coaxed into the fight, attacked the Houthis with overwhelming force. Mr. Saleh diverted resources from the pursuit of Al Qaeda, sending counterterrorism forces financed by the United States to fight the rebels.
Now in Saada city, the seat of Houthi power, the guns have gone quiet. The calm and recent statements by the Houthis have raised tentative hopes that the rebels may be trying to come in from the cold.
Reporters accompanying a United Nations diplomat on a rare visit to the area last week saw neighborhoods badly damaged in the last round of fighting — hundreds of homes in the city were destroyed — and a threadbare camp for people displaced by the wars. But there were also plans to rebuild, as well as bustling shops and gas stations without the lines that have formed in other Yemeni cities during the current political crisis.
The diplomat, Jamal Benomar, who is the United Nations envoy to Yemen, said the Houthi leader expressed a willingness to participate in a new political process that started last month. The Houthis were not part of an internationally backed agreement to remove Mr. Saleh from power, but the statements by the leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, raised the prospect of an end to their armed struggle. “They need to do politics,” Mr. Benomar said after a meeting with Mr. Houthi. “The sooner, the better.”
The 11-month Yemeni uprising may have given the movement an opening. The Houthis supported the popular uprising and forged new alliances in protest squares around the country. At the same time, they seized on the political crisis to expand the territory under their control, as their rivals allied with the country’s Islamist opposition tried to do the same.
Analysts say that the Houthis are now trying to build on a base of support they have cultivated over years, finding allies among people angered by the government’s indiscriminate attacks during the wars, or impressed with their organizational skills.
Majid el-Fahed, a senior project manager with the Finnish conflict resolution organization Crisis Management Initiative, who travels to Saada often, said that despite the relative youth and inexperience of the movement’s leaders, they had been smart administrators, dividing fuel rations so that a quarter was kept for electric generators and some of the rest was distributed to farmers.
“I think they want to be part of Yemeni politics so they can be socially effective,” he said.
The antigovernment protests that swept through Yemen brought thousands to the streets in Saada for weekly marches from a gate in the old city to a security barracks. In March, as Houthi fighters advanced on the city, the old governor fled.
Now the city is administered by an unlikely coalition that includes government troops and defected soldiers, the Houthis and the new governor, a prominent arms dealer who receives a salary from the state. Many people here said that the Houthis were the most powerful members of that coalition and that there was still plenty of confusion — and concern — about their goals.
At the same time, the troubles in the north are far from over. Scores of people have been killed in recent weeks during fierce clashes in Damaj, a town on Saada’s outskirts, between Houthi fighters and ultraconservative Islamists called Salafis, one of the many layers of a conflict that has festered over time and could derail any political progress. The Houthis are Zaydi Muslims, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. On one level, the fight is between hard-line religious groups with competing agendas. But analysts say it may also represent a proxy war stoked by unseen hands. At various times, the Salafis have been supported by the Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia or Yemen’s Islamist opposition, they said.
Houthis in Saada complain that many of the Salafis are foreigners. At a hospital in Saada city there were several wounded Salafis, some of whom said they were afraid to leave for fear of being attacked by the Houthis. A hospital administrator said it was a Saudi-financed hospital, with a mission to provide care and stay out of politics.
In the wards, patients insisted on being heard. They included two Algerians and a student from the United Arab Emirates, who said he had just come to study.
“Then, the fighting started,” he said.
Some viewed the fighting as a trap for the Houthis, orchestrated to plunge them into a new conflict and keep them out of politics. In a statement released after Mr. Benomar’s visit, Mr. Houthi was looking ahead, saying that “in the context of a fair system,” the movement would consider forming a political party. “This is a step forward,” Mr. Benomar said, after his plane had lifted off from an airstrip in Saada. “It’s a step forward in a long road.”
All over the city of Saada, the ruins of centuries-old buildings blown apart by artillery stand as reminders of the conflict between Houthis and the government.
By KAREEM FAHIM
December 16, 2011
SAADA, Yemen — In the streets of this city’s medieval quarter, the toll of Yemen’s hidden wars became clear.
Boys and men maimed by fighting, missing hands, eyes or legs, arrived by bus to greet a visiting dignitary. All around them, mud buildings that stood for centuries had been blown apart by artillery fire, crumbling to the earth. Shrapnel pierced the white walls of a mosque, exposing the red brick underneath. In the mosque’s garden, headstones marked the graves of two of the war dead, representing untold numbers of other victims: locals say thousands were killed during the six separate wars in recent years that swept through Yemen’s northern provinces. There is no official tally.
Beginning in 2004, in fighting that was largely invisible to the outside world, President Ali Abdullah Saleh sent his armies to vanquish a group of rebels known as the Houthis, after the clan of their leader. The government bombed villages and shelled cities as it accused the Houthis of kidnappings and assassinations. Hundreds of thousands of civilians took shelter in camps.
It was just one of many conflicts that have destabilized Yemen. Separatists continue to press their claims on the south, and a resurgent offshoot of Al Qaeda has seized territory from a government distracted by a popular uprising and a deal for Mr. Saleh to leave power.
The regional overtones of the northern wars raised the stakes. The government, offering scant proof, accused Iran of interfering as Saudi Arabia, coaxed into the fight, attacked the Houthis with overwhelming force. Mr. Saleh diverted resources from the pursuit of Al Qaeda, sending counterterrorism forces financed by the United States to fight the rebels.
Now in Saada city, the seat of Houthi power, the guns have gone quiet. The calm and recent statements by the Houthis have raised tentative hopes that the rebels may be trying to come in from the cold.
Reporters accompanying a United Nations diplomat on a rare visit to the area last week saw neighborhoods badly damaged in the last round of fighting — hundreds of homes in the city were destroyed — and a threadbare camp for people displaced by the wars. But there were also plans to rebuild, as well as bustling shops and gas stations without the lines that have formed in other Yemeni cities during the current political crisis.
The diplomat, Jamal Benomar, who is the United Nations envoy to Yemen, said the Houthi leader expressed a willingness to participate in a new political process that started last month. The Houthis were not part of an internationally backed agreement to remove Mr. Saleh from power, but the statements by the leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, raised the prospect of an end to their armed struggle. “They need to do politics,” Mr. Benomar said after a meeting with Mr. Houthi. “The sooner, the better.”
The 11-month Yemeni uprising may have given the movement an opening. The Houthis supported the popular uprising and forged new alliances in protest squares around the country. At the same time, they seized on the political crisis to expand the territory under their control, as their rivals allied with the country’s Islamist opposition tried to do the same.
Analysts say that the Houthis are now trying to build on a base of support they have cultivated over years, finding allies among people angered by the government’s indiscriminate attacks during the wars, or impressed with their organizational skills.
Majid el-Fahed, a senior project manager with the Finnish conflict resolution organization Crisis Management Initiative, who travels to Saada often, said that despite the relative youth and inexperience of the movement’s leaders, they had been smart administrators, dividing fuel rations so that a quarter was kept for electric generators and some of the rest was distributed to farmers.
“I think they want to be part of Yemeni politics so they can be socially effective,” he said.
The antigovernment protests that swept through Yemen brought thousands to the streets in Saada for weekly marches from a gate in the old city to a security barracks. In March, as Houthi fighters advanced on the city, the old governor fled.
Now the city is administered by an unlikely coalition that includes government troops and defected soldiers, the Houthis and the new governor, a prominent arms dealer who receives a salary from the state. Many people here said that the Houthis were the most powerful members of that coalition and that there was still plenty of confusion — and concern — about their goals.
At the same time, the troubles in the north are far from over. Scores of people have been killed in recent weeks during fierce clashes in Damaj, a town on Saada’s outskirts, between Houthi fighters and ultraconservative Islamists called Salafis, one of the many layers of a conflict that has festered over time and could derail any political progress. The Houthis are Zaydi Muslims, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. On one level, the fight is between hard-line religious groups with competing agendas. But analysts say it may also represent a proxy war stoked by unseen hands. At various times, the Salafis have been supported by the Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia or Yemen’s Islamist opposition, they said.
Houthis in Saada complain that many of the Salafis are foreigners. At a hospital in Saada city there were several wounded Salafis, some of whom said they were afraid to leave for fear of being attacked by the Houthis. A hospital administrator said it was a Saudi-financed hospital, with a mission to provide care and stay out of politics.
In the wards, patients insisted on being heard. They included two Algerians and a student from the United Arab Emirates, who said he had just come to study.
“Then, the fighting started,” he said.
Some viewed the fighting as a trap for the Houthis, orchestrated to plunge them into a new conflict and keep them out of politics. In a statement released after Mr. Benomar’s visit, Mr. Houthi was looking ahead, saying that “in the context of a fair system,” the movement would consider forming a political party. “This is a step forward,” Mr. Benomar said, after his plane had lifted off from an airstrip in Saada. “It’s a step forward in a long road.”
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