The World Bank's role in Yemen's transition period and the need for CSO engagement

1 June 2012

BIC outlines the World Bank's current activities in Yemen and proposes that civil society engagement is necessary now more than ever.

Throughout 2011, Yemenis fought for their right to a democratic country free of corruption and dictatorship. The country underwent an extremely painful and difficult year in which the regime’s forces fought the rebellion, and used the withholding of basic services such as electricity as political pawns in the fight to retain power. Meanwhile, international institutions and bilateral donors halted aid to Yemen either in protest of the regime’s actions, or due to their inability to monitor how the government was spending the funds. The World Bank was one such donor and in July 2011 released a statement announcing that all disbursements to Yemen would be temporarily suspended.

The Bank restarted operations in January 2012 in a limited way, but since the February election which passed the political reins to Abdrabbo Al-Hadi, the Bank’s role in the transitional period has become increasingly clear and strong. The DC-based institution may not be the biggest lender in the game - indeed the Friends of Yemen conference that took place on May 23rd proved that countries like Saudi Arabia will continue to lend impressive sums to Yemen – but it certainly deserves our attention.

Yemen is considered one of the poorer countries in the Bank’s portfolio, and as such the Bank provides grants to the country as opposed to loans. Historically however, even though the amounts that the Bank gives to Yemen are not very substantial relative to some other Middle East and North Africa countries like Egypt or Morocco, Yemen has not been able to absorb all the money that the Bank has given it. Moreover, certain projects have had more success than others with respect to implementation and results. Consequently, the Bank plans to re-evaluate and restructure its existing portfolio in the country keeping the “good” projects and canceling others that were not seeing success. This is unusual for the Bank which ordinarily prefers to keep the money flowing out of its door, and it is curious as to whether this type of sensible decision would have been made had it been loans we were talking about rather than grants.

Beyond its project portfolio, the World Bank has been leading efforts on a social and economic assessment alongside the European Union, the United Nations, and the Islamic Development Bank, to determine the impact of the past year’s political crisis on the economic and social condition of Yemen. Moreover, the Bank is providing technical assistance to the government on its economic transition plan. Very importantly, the Bank will be coordinating and co-chairing a donor conference that will be taking place in the coming months.

While Yemeni civil society was unfortunately not invited to be a part of the Friends of Yemen conference, a number of groups have asked the Bank to give space to civil society at the upcoming donor conference. It is yet to be seen how the Bank will respond to this request but the outlook is positive. This is after all not a novel concept; civil society and the private sector, for that matter, have been present at several donor conferences that the Bank has coordinated in the past, including in Uganda and Nepal.

The involvement of civil society in activities being discussed and proposed by international organizations and by the government of Yemen is one of absolute necessity. Some say that a revolution took place in Yemen, but we could also consider that the revolution is still in motion and as such, bringing those voices to the table would be useful at any moment in time but bringing them in now is particularly critical. This is the moment when the blueprints for this country's future are being drawn up; the constitution is being drafted, the laws are being made, and the economic plans which could affect every one of Yemen's 24 million people are being developed. These plans can not be made behind closed doors - all stakeholders should be involved. While these documents are in their budding stages, civil society is not. There is a lot that Yemeni civil society has to offer, but there need to be the opportunities to do so.

In order for there to be meaningful engagement, timely information and the availability of space is key. This is what the World Bank and other international institutions can and should do. This is also what they should encourage the government of Yemen to do. On the other hand, Yemeni civil society also has to step up and be ready to engage; ready to read and analyze that information and ready to participate in that space.

12 al-Qaida insurgents killed in U.S. drone strike in south Yemen

Baku-APA. At least 12 al-Qaida militants were killed on Friday when a U.S. drone strike pounded their compound in the southern province of Abyan, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The U.S. drone fired three missiles on a compound used for communications and meetings of the al-Qaida militants in the eastern parts of Mahfad town in Abyan province, killing at least 12 insurgents at the scene, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.

Three Somalis and some other foreign nationals were among the killed insurgents, the official said.

The al-Qaida compound was completely demolished in the attack along with some communication materials used by the terrorist group, he added.

Local residents confirmed to Xinhua said "for the first time, several foreigners were killed by the air strike that targeted an al-Qaida complex in Mahfad town."

The al-Qaida spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Hundreds of militants from the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, locally known as Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), are attempting to expand their foothold and take control over the county’s southern regions where central authority has almost no presence.

The United States strongly supported Yemen in the fight against al-Qaida with drone attacks, killing a number of senior al-Qaida members.

Yemeni militants say they release 27 soldiers

SANAA | Fri Jun 1, 2012

 (Reuters) - A Yemeni Islamist group linked to al Qaeda said on Friday it had released 27 soldiers taken prisoner, after they vowed to quit the U.S.-backed government army.

Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic law) said in a statement it had seized the soldiers last month in Abyan province in the south of the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state.

Yemeni troops continued bombing targets in the Shaqra and Arqoub regions of Abyan for a fifth day on Thursday, part of an army offensive against the militants. There was no news of casualties.

Yemen's government has been battling al Qaeda-linked groups which took over areas of south and central Yemen during an uprising last year against veteran ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh before he finally stepped down in February.

The army has regained control of some parts of Abyan, including parts of the provincial capital Zinjibar, and surrounds the town of Jaar, after militants overran them last year.

The regions are on Yemen's southern coast by the Arabian Sea, a key shipping route.

Last week a suicide bomber killed more than 90 soldiers in Sanaa in an attack claimed by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in revenge for the operations against them.

Washington sees AQAP as a threat to international security and has thrown its weight behind Yemen's new president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. It has been using pilotless planes known as drones to kill militants.

In Yemen, five guys rape poor girl in Sana'a

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, May 31, 2012-

I'm sorry for that girl Fuad.

A well-known and a Yemeni journalist Fuad Rajeh wrote in his page on Facebook a long article about a Yemeni girl who was raped by five people in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, indicating to the failure of the Yemeni government to arrest the five guys, who they are belonged to Yemeni powerful leaders. Fuad wrote also something in English, I hope we can help that girl through arresting the five guys.

Please my leaders publish about the case of that girl if you can, just to fair her. Thank you.

Fuad Rajeh‎

"There are Al-Qaida militants, the Shiite Houthi Group, the southern movement HARAK, impeders of power-transfer deal, starvation, spread of weapons and ignorance of people, annnnnnnnnnnnnd the failure of the authorities to arrest five suspects who gang-raped to death a juvenile in the capital Sanaa. The fathers of these suspects are army officers, former diplomats who worked at Yemen embassy in Washington, powerful tribal elders and thugs."

Houthis accept to participate in the comprehensive Yemeni dialogue

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, May 31, 2012- Yemen's Houthi group in northern Yemen, said that it will participate in the comprehensive Yemeni dialogue according to the Gulf initiative and its mechanism and the UN Security Council Resolution 2014.

In a statement posted in the Internet by liaison committee said Hothis confirmed their participation in the comprehensive dialogue during its meeting with the leader of the Houthi group Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi. 

The statement said Al-Houthi welcomed the committee and stressed the importance of the national dialogue.

It also cited that the Houthi accepted the participation on the base of "healthy foundations that could end Yemen's crises and achieve the revolution's goals.''

The national dialogue is designed to settle down disputes between Yemeni political factions under the supervision of Hadi, in accordance with the GCC power transfer deal deal that eased former president Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power.

The eight-member liaison committee to start a planned national reconciliation dialogue as part of a UN-backed power transfer deal.

The Houthi-led rebels have been engaging in severe sectarian conflicts for several months with Sunni fundamentalists in Saada and neighboring provinces of Hajja and Jawf that left hundreds of people killed and forced thousands of residents to flee their villages.

Yemen has witnessed sporadic battles since 2004 between government troops and rebels. The government has been accusing the rebels of seeking to re-establish the clerical rule overthrown by the Yemeni revolution in 1962 that created the Yemeni republic.

Seven killed in militant raid on Yemeni town

SANAA | Thu May 31, 2012  

 (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed when fighters linked to al Qaeda attacked Yemeni troops guarding a town briefly seized by the militants earlier this year, officials said on Thursday.

The attack on Radda, a town in the al-Baydah province 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Sanaa, comes amid a major Yemeni army offensive on militant strongholds further to the south.

The Yemeni Defence Ministry said four militants and three soldiers died during the attack late on Wednesday night.

Fighters linked to the al Qaeda's Yemen branch, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), briefly seized Radda in January but left the town after striking a deal with the authorities.

AQAP-linked Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic law) said Wednesday's clash began after government troops surrounded the home of a resident named Nassr al-Hattam and pounded it with tank fire.

In an emailed statement, it said Ansar al-Sharia dispatched fighters who attacked troops surrounding the house and a Republican Guard checkpoint at the entrance of Radda. Several soldiers were killed or wounded, it said.

Washington has grown concerned over security in Yemen after militants overran several towns in the south of the country during a popular uprising last year that severely weakened central government authority and eventually toppled former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Yemeni army has since regained control of some parts of Abyan, including parts of the provincial capital Zinjibar, and surrounds the town of Jaar, another militant stronghold, Yemeni officials say.

Washington, which sees AQAP as a threat to international security, has thrown its weight behind Yemen's new President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The United States has stepped up drone attacks against militants it suspects may be plotting against it. It has also renewed military training to help Yemeni security forces against al Qaeda.

On Wednesday, an army official said 20 militants and seven soldiers died when government troops fought off an ambush by Islamist militants on the western edge of Jaar.