Yemeni tribal leader predicts president will leave office within weeks

Ashley Hall reported this story on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

ASHLEY HALL: The weeks of turmoil in Yemen continue, with thousands of people joining more demonstrations calling for the immediate resignation of president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Already this week, dozens of people have been killed as government forces have led violent crackdowns on the protesters in major towns across the country.

The president has welcomed an invitation by the Gulf Cooperation Council to host talks between the protesters and the Yemeni government, but he's given no clear signal that he's going anywhere anytime soon.

Sheikh Mohammed Abu Lahoum is one of Yemen's most influential tribal leaders, and a former senior member of the ruling party in Yemen.

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: The protests have been escalating in different cities all over Yemen from Sanaa to Aden to Taiz and the casualties have been increasing with these protests and the bloodshed is also increasing and this is something that we all regret but it looks like the more bloodshed is spilt, the sooner it is for a regime change and I hope that we are in that direction.

ASHLEY HALL: The United States has said that it will continue its military aid to the Yemeni government despite these violent crackdowns on protesters because of the role it plays in counter-terrorism strategies. What sort of actions would expect the US to take; are they fuelling these violent crackdowns?

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: The US, especially in the last two to three days, have been really active and their position in Yemen has dramatically changed and everybody is quite happy with the US position.

In respect to their aid for counter-terrorism I think that this hesitance will go away in the coming days because this is one of the things that leaders in this part of the world, especially dictators, they always say if we leave chaos is going to happen and the country is going to collapse. But we have been speaking frankly with the US and the other western allies that they can be assure that Yemenis, or whoever is to come next, will be a reliable and a serious partner and fighting al Qaeda and all those radical groups.

So yes Yemenis are happy with the US position and the European position and it looks like we are in the last days or weeks, that's the longest, before we see regime change and we hope no more bloodshed will be spilled in Yemen.

ASHLEY HALL: A couple of weeks or a few weeks you think?

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: I think yeah. I mean when I say two, three weeks I think I'm even giving more room but we hope to see a faster, much smoother exit strategy for the president. And to be honest and frank, all of us, including myself, we've all given initiative on how to solve the issues and how to have a good exit strategy but I think the president now he has to give us the final initiative because it is up to him now whether he would like to leave and be remembered as a good man or a less bloodier man, or would he like to leave as somebody like Gaddafi and I hope he does not take the position of Gaddafi.

ASHLEY HALL: He's reportedly welcomed and invitation by the Gulf Cooperation Council to host talks between the protesters and the government, what will the council's involvement bring to the dispute? Will this help or hinder?

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: People are not sure exactly and if you ask me I'm not, I mean, there is nothing substantial. All we heard from the GCC is reports on the media but on the ground we haven't seen anything substantial and here all the parties concerned are looking at the US and the European initiative, which is more serious initiative. They have given good ultimatum that the president and the government has to seriously consider handing over power peacefully within the next week or so.

ASHLEY HALL: Well what are the options do you believe that president Saleh has? Is there room to negotiate or are both sides' demands so set now that there is no negotiating possible?

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: The other thing that is still of hope is that Yemenis are forgiving people and I don't think that anybody is willing to see more bloodshed and it is up to the president and the president has given good signs that he is willing to leave and the opposition are really considerate in not settling scores with him. So the sooner and faster he leaves the better it is for him, for Yemen and for everybody else.

So I think yes, we are all going in the same direction. Any negotiation is a negotiation for an exit strategy, nothing else, there's nothing besides that.

ASHLEY HALL: So the question is then who will replace him? There are reportedly elements in Saudi Arabia backing Ali Mohsen as a replacement. He's the former general turned opposition figure. What are your thoughts on the appropriateness of him for the job?

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: I think what's more important than any name is that Yemenis are determined and Yemenis have been moving slowly and carefully and astonishing thing, or amazing thing that has happened in Yemen is that you see people from all aspects of life, whether on the right, whether on the left, whether in the centre, they are determined to see a process change that does not have any more military individuals, that does not have any more dictators, that does not have anything else but rather a clear leadership, a clear transparency.

So I don't see any chance for any military individual to rule in Yemen, I hope, in the coming period or forever but rather we would see a civilian government.

ASHLEY HALL: You're a member of the ruling party, is it a job that you would consider taking?

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: Right now I think what's more important for all of us is that to see the stop of the bloodshed, to see a good exit strategy for the president and then the conciliation is the most important thing and we have been having good discussions with all groups in Yemen and our direction right now is for a safe exit of this president's regime and then everything else will come later on. I don't think that anybody is in a rush for who's going to take over.

But I assure you, yes, there are plans and they have been studied well and all political parties participated in that, whether the Islamists, whether the left, whether the right. So I think things will turn out to be much better than anybody else expects.

ASHLEY HALL: So that wasn't a no then?

MOHAMMED ABU LAHOUM: Well all options are open for all of us. If you ask me I would like to see a transitional council that will take over for a period of six to eight months until things calm down and this is the direction I hope that we're going with.

ASHLEY HALL: Mohammed Abu Lahoum, an influential tribal leader and former senior member of the ruling party in Yemen, speaking to me earlier.

Moment of truth for Yemen

Date: 06 Apr 2011

INTRODUCTION

"The shooting started from different buildings around the same time and continued for more than 30 minutes."

An eyewitness describing to Amnesty International an attack on a protest camp in Sana'a on 18 March 2011 which reportedly left 52 people dead.

The first few months of 2011 have seen a rapid deterioration in the human rights situation in Yemen. The most shocking manifestation of this has been the brutal repression of protests calling for reform, and increasingly for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stand down, fuelled by frustration at corruption, unemployment and repression of freedoms in the country and partly inspired by events in Tunisia and Egypt. Scores of protesters have been killed and hundreds injured after security forces have repeatedly used live ammunition to break up demonstrations.

The response of the authorities has been woefully inadequate. While investigations have been announced into some of the killings, they inspire little confidence. In some cases, almost no details have been made public about the nature and scope of the investigation. In others, information revealed about the nature of the investigating body raises serious questions about its ability to conduct thorough, independent and impartial investigations. As far as Amnesty International is aware, the judicial authorities have launched only one investigation – into the killings of protesters on 18 March. No judicial proceedings against members of the security forces are known to have been opened.

The track record of the authorities in investigating allegations of serious human rights violations by the security forces is very poor. Crucially, they have failed to adequately investigate reports of massive violations committed in the context of the unrest in the south of Yemen against those seen as secessionists; in the name of countering terrorism against those accused of belonging to or supporting al-Qa'ida; and in the context of the intermittent conflict in the north between government forces and the Huthi rebel movement against suspected Huthi supporters and, more widely, the civilian population of the region. While rarely in the spotlight of the international media in the same way that the recent repression of pro-reform protests has been, these abuses and the lack of accountability for them are of no less concern.

Reports of excessive and lethal use of force against protesters calling for the secession of the south of the country have continued over recent months, but, as far as Amnesty International is aware, no one has been held accountable either for the latest deaths or the dozens of others which have occurred in protests since 2007.

Scores of people suspected of links to al-Qa'ida have been killed by security forces over the last couple of years. While the Yemeni government clearly has a duty to combat terrorism and take measures to protect citizens and others within their jurisdiction from attack by armed groups, who have killed dozens of Yemenis and foreigners in recent years, some of the killings by government forces may have amounted to extrajudicial executions. In no case, however, are investigations known to have been launched to establish whether the use of lethal force by the security forces was lawful or not.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of civilians have been killed in the conflict in Sa'dah since 2004, many as a result of apparently indiscriminate attacks and other violations of international humanitarian law by government forces, as well as abuses by rebel fighters. A parliamentary fact-finding committee was formed to investigate violations committed during the latest round of conflict but its findings have not been made public. There is no indication that the Yemeni authorities have conducted prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into allegations of violations of international humanitarian law during the conflict.

Hundreds of people suspected of supporting secession in the south, of having links to al-Qa'ida or of supporting the Huthi movement have been detained without charge or trial in recent years and routinely denied the opportunity to challenge the legality of their detention.

Most have been detained incommunicado for months before being allowed access to family members and some have reportedly been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. The authorities have generally failed to ensure investigations of any kind are conducted into reports of such abuses.

Yemen now faces a moment of truth. Having sought the international community's support to improve the economic situation in the country, the authorities must accept that they also need its help to carry out investigations that can uncover the full facts, the truth, about the recent protest deaths in the country. This should be the springboard for a much wider process of dealing with the heavy legacy of impunity for patterns of violations in recent years.

The international community also now needs to put pressure on the Yemeni authorities to invite in international expertise to help carry out independent investigations, and it needs to undertake a fundamental reassessment of its provision of security assistance to Yemen.

This report sets out Amnesty International's grave concerns about the government's response to the swelling protests calling for reform that have occurred this year and the authorities' failure to adequately investigate unlawful killings and other violations by its forces. It also provides an update on concerns since July 2010 arising from Yemen's other major challenges in the field of security and human rights, as presented in Amnesty International's report of August 2010, Yemen: Cracking Down Under Pressure.1 However, it does not address other important human rights issues - violence and discrimination against women, the detention and deportation of refugees and asylum-seekers, the death penalty, torture and other ill treatment - except when they are directly related to the concerns highlighted here.

Source: Amnesty International (AI)

Yemeni President Agrees to Meet Opposition in Saudi Arabia

05 Apr 2011

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has accepted an invitation from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to hold talks in Saudi Arabia with opposition representatives who want him to step down.

Some opposition groups Tuesday welcomed the talks, but many were non-committal. A senior official with one of the larger anti-government parties said Mr. Saleh's opponents would be open to discussions, but only if they focus on the "immediate transfer of power."

Many in the capital, Sana'a, view GCC intervention as potentially significant and see the group as having more leverage over key Yemeni political figures than Western countries.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton issued a statement Tuesday saying Yemen's political transition "must begin without delay." The U.S. echoed that call.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Washington has no intention of stopping its military aid to Yemen despite the unrest. He said support for Yemeni counter-terrorism efforts is essential because of the "real threat" from al-Qaida in the country.

These developments came as violence erupted in Yemen for a third straight day. A shootout broke out between troops supporting protesters and tribesmen loyal to Mr. Saleh in Sana'a, killing three people. General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who turned against the Saleh government last month, said the incident was an attempt to assassinate him.

Several Yemeni military leaders have recently withdrawn support for Mr. Saleh and are siding with demonstrators, as pressure mounts for the longtime president to leave office.

In the southern city Taiz, plainclothes security men opened fire and launched tear gas at protesters again on Tuesday. Dozens were wounded, mostly suffering from tear gas inhalation.

At least 15 people were killed on Monday during anti-Saleh protests in Taiz. The escalating protest comes as international calls intensify for Mr. Saleh's resignation.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed alarm at what it terms "reports of disproportionate and excessive use of force, including machine guns, against peaceful protesters in Taiz" on Monday.

The New York Times reported that the United States is dropping its longtime support for Mr. Saleh and negotiating the terms of his departure. The State Department would not confirm the reports.

A Yemeni opposition spokesman said U.S. and European diplomats were in contact with Mr. Saleh and also asked anti-government leaders for their "vision" for a transition. The opposition Saturday gave U.S. officials a proposal that Mr. Saleh resign immediately and hand over power to a temporary government led by Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi until new elections are held.

The Yemeni president, in power for 32 years, has offered to step down but only after new elections are held. His term ends in 2013.

Source: Voice of America (VOA)

Security Forces Arrest Six Youth Protesters in Aden Province

By Fatik Al-Rodaini

Aden, Apr 6, 2011- At least six youth protesters were arrested on Wednesday morning by security forces in Yemen's southern port of Aden.

Private sources told media outlets that security forces arrested six protesters who were intended to organize a rally in Aden province stared from Ba Kather School.

A civil disobedience was carried out in the province by youth revolution to disable the whole government offices and the all roads within Aden.

Saleh meets some of Gulf diplomats

SANA'A, April 06 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi has met Saudi, Omani and Qatari ambassadors to yemen.

During the meeting, the Gulf diplomats informed the president about a decision of the extraordinary meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States to invite representatives from the government and the opposition to hold a meeting in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The aim of the Riyadh talks is to find solutions assisting Yemen to overcome its current crisis and maintain its security, stability and unity.

President Saleh renewed Yemen's welcome to the GCC states' mediation, accenting his keenness to have serious dialogue to end the country's problem and its consequences.

He also said Yemen stability is a part of the security and stability of the GCC states.