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.
As Yemen enters its third month of protests against the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the 32 year-long ruler, a resurgence of violence is sweeping across the country, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
After having sworn publicly that he would do his utmost to avoid violence against protesters, Saleh has in recent days ordered the bloodiest crackdown on his opponents yet.
And if Sana’a remains relatively calm in comparison to cities like Taiz and Hodeidah, the death toll is still mounting in the capital.
Taiz
It all started in the southern city of Taiz, when new anti-government protesters decided to join the main square. While marching throughout the town they passed the Governor’s headquarter which was guarded by Security Forces and police officers. It is when the latter attempted to block the advance of the protesters that things turned violent.
Snipers positioned on nearby rooftops opened fire on the crowd and bullets started raining on the unarmed civilians.
In a country which is believed to have a ratio of 3 weapons per inhabitant, the simple fact that the protesters made the conscious decision of leaving their fire arms back at home should be proof enough of their peaceful intentions. If as the government keeps claiming, those men were indeed armed criminals, the streets of Yemen would be filled with dead bodies…
Up to this day, President Saleh is ordering his Republican Guards to attack protesters, whoever they might be, men or women, young or old. And as helicopters circle above the city, dumping tear gas upon the crowds below, his loyalists are having a shooting feast.
Hodeidah
In Hodeida, as protesters marched in a show of solidarity for Taiz, the government Republican Guards there too, opened fire on civilians. The “battle” continued well into the night, forcing families to take shelter on the roof tops of buildings to avoid being hit by “lost bullets”.
Hodeida hospital is said to be overwhelmed by the numbers of civilians in need of medical care, and the Chief Doctor has warned that the hospital supplies were running dangerously low.
Sana’a
In the Capital, which is now literally cut into two parts, more men joined the crowds of protesters. It seems that the more radical Saleh becomes, the more people realize that his rule cannot be tolerated anymore.
In a last attempt to regain control of the situation militarily, Saleh sent an envoy to Ali Mohsen with the specific order of killing the defected General. The plot failed, as soldiers faithful to Mohsen opened fire on the conspirators, killing 4.
This event triggered fresh clashes between the demonstrators and the government forces leading to at least one death and dozens of casualties.
In the past few days alone, more than 500 people are reported suffering from injuries related to beating, tear gasing, shooting or stoning. To this number comes an added 20 deaths amongst which some children.
International Pressure
For the first time since the beginning of the social uprising, the United States has condemned the lethal use of force by the government against its population.
Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said in a statement that the US “strongly condemns the use of violence by Yemeni government forces against demonstrators in Sanaa, Taiz, and Hodeida in the past several days”.
“We call upon the government of Yemen to conduct full investigations into these events and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions,” the statement said.
Given that in recent days only the President and his immediate family are allowed to give orders, I would stay that holding those responsible accountable, should be fairly easy. But then again, since known criminals of the like of Moussa Koussa are allowed to walk free, the word accountable might be a rhetoric jest…
The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon expressed “strong concerns for the dead and the injured, and urged utmost restraint from both government and opposition’s forces”.
In Europe, William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary declared that he was appalled by the recent bloodshed and that he condemned the “indiscriminate violence” used against civilians.
Even the GCC, which so far refused to get dragged into the conflict, offered to become a mediator between Saleh and the Opposition in the hope to put an end to the crisis. If the President has agreed to attend on the condition that only “adequate people” were allowed, the Opposition has made no declaration so far.
