The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association (FPA), and due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous.
After announcing on Friday the imminent resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh on favor of the Opposition, the Foreign Minister, Abubakr al-Qirbi is now playing on words. If Friday’s presidential address to the nation clearly indicated a willingness to leave office, the President seems to have once more “changed his mind”. It is this exact attitude that is making the Opposition dubious as to the validity of Saleh’s promises….
Presidential Bravado
As anti-government’s ranks are swelling at the University, Saleh seems to be under the impression that his pro-presidential supporters who were commandeered to show up and remunerated for their services, were actually truly yearning for him to continue as ruler of Yemen. If many find the situation comical, it shows a staggering lack of understanding on the government part of the dissensions that are rocking the nation. The government believes its own propaganda, entrenched in a parallel dimension which could very well push Yemen towards civil war.
This is what the President had to say at a tribal meeting this Saturday: “The legitimate authority is firm and steadfast in face of challenges, and we shall not allow a small minority to overcome the majority of the Yemeni people…”
Saleh went even further in his rhetoric of legitimacy in an interview with Alarabiya TV channel when he said: “I could leave power … even in a few hours, on condition of maintaining dignity and prestige,” he said. “I have to take the country to safe shores … I’m holding on to power in order to hand it over peaceably … I’m not looking for a home in Jeddah or Paris.” Although the reporter reminded him that Mubarak and Ben Ali had uttered the same words before leaving office, Saleh laughed at the suggestion.
In scenes which were reminders of the Egyptian Revolution, people in the Capital Sana’a started to through shoes at pictures of the President, screaming in anger. The tension is palpable on the Square; after over a month of protests and false promises, demonstrators are losing patience fast, threatening to march towards the presidential palace and “make the regime pay for it crimes.”
The Yemeni President is said to be holding “emergency talks” with his party on Sunday to discuss the ongoing crisis….
Position of the Opposition
If up to this point the Opposition was willing to negotiate the terms of Saleh’s departure, the President’s game of “cat and mouse” is wearing its patience thin.
Influential figures such as Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar and Hameed al-Ahmar are saying that Saleh’s window of opportunities to resign with dignity is now closed and that they are willing and able to take the fight to a new level. The Opposition is also determined to honor the will of the people by taking the President and his entourage to Court for alleged corruption. Hameed al-Ahmar, one of the most outspoken anti-government figure is accusing Saleh of maneuvering his way through negotiations in an attempt to gain time and reaffirm his power by the way of the army. He said: “Saleh not only violated the deal, but also attempted to deploy the army to take control of the capital Sanaa, where thousands of his opponents are camping. But the Yemeni tribes blocked the move…”
The Army card
Air strikes have been reported in the southern parts of Yemen as the government continues to deploy the remainder of its army in a desperate attempt to regain control over the South. This “warrior” attitude further deepens the belief that the government has no intention what so ever to honor its promises of reform and political change.
Even the release of secessionists such as Kassem Askar Jibran, Kasseem Othman al-Dayri and Ali bin Ali Shukri did little to calm the spirits.
And while Saleh is deploying his battalions across Sana’a to ensure his safety, Ali Mohsen is also preparing for an eventual attack. Tanks and police blockades are now a common sight and even the presence of snipers is becoming familiar. However, if the streets are eerily calm and empty, it feels as if a storm is brewing, about to unleash its thunderous rage on the Yemeni people.
So if the President assumed that the “army card” will be a deterrent to further mass demonstrations, he has severely underestimated his people. After decades of daily humiliation, poverty and overall hopelessness, Yemen has awakened. Unlike the regime, Yemeni have nothing to lose…
Even the Americans and Europeans who so far were supporters of the regime in that they saw in it an ally against Al Qaeda, have warned Saleh that he needed to step down immediately. The US Ambassador is actually meeting with more and more members of the Opposition. It is seen as a sign that the US is positioning itself with the next government.
In the light of recent events it is becoming clear that before Yemen could be free of those in power, more blood would have to be spilled onto the streets. I suppose that only the promise of safe passage and no reprisal could convince Saleh to relinquish his hold on the presidential seat. But in a country which craves Justice and needs reparations, I don’t think that this scenario is feasible or even moral for that matter.
