Foreign Policy Blogs

Dark Clouds Hover above Yemen

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for the Foreign Policy Blogs network and, due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous.

The Joint Meeting Parties, a coalition of various political factions united in their opposition to the Saleh regime, has extended an invitation to the government to discuss the transition of power.

The government led by Vice President Hadi declined, saying that no negotiation will take place without President Saleh. A senior government official claimed that Saleh will return “soon” and that the situation had not changed because of his recent departure.

March in Sana’a

On Tuesday, thousands of protesters decided to march towards the Vice President’s residence in Sana’a, demanding that he transfers power to a transitional council. The protesters were chanting: “The people want to form a transitional council, we will not sleep, we will not sit until the council is formed.”

The youth is said to be now calling for a “Million-men march” on Friday, demanding the permanent exile of Saleh to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to the Yemeni Constitution, if the acting president is unable to assume his functions, then the Vice-President will have 60 days to organize the next presidential elections.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton actually expressed her wish of seeing Yemen follow that path.

On Wednesday, the First Brigade, led by General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who is now assuming the role of the VP’s protector, cleared the tents that protesters had set up in front of the residence. Soldiers were seen asking the protesters to clear the way.  General Mohsen came to lend a hand to Vice-President Hadi when the latter was victim of an assassination attempt. Mohsen said that it was his duty to ensure a safe and peaceful transition of power.

Negotiations

The JMP is now under extreme political pressure in Yemen. Since President Saleh left the country following an attack on the Presidential Mosque. The Youth Movement has been waiting for them to act. However, with the current government, or at least what is left of it, in no mood to engage into talks, the situation is becoming difficult.

Many pro-democracy activists are now very critical of what they view as political apathy.

The current stalemate holding by a thread, Yemen could yet reversed to the violent armed conflicts of the past week.

President Saleh

According to Taha al-Hemyari, a senior Yemeni diplomat in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Saleh would be in good health, recovering from his misadventure.

“I visited him yesterday evening and he was good. He talked to us and asked about the Yemeni expatriates and he is better than the others who were injured. He is very good and talks. He was sitting on a chair,” he declared to the press.

The Yemeni government is of course following the same rhetoric, saying that Saleh will return in the next coming days.

However, despite all this good will, President Saleh is according to medial sources and US officials in a much worse condition than previously thought. The President underwent a few days ago a surgery to remove shrapnel from under his heart and 40% of his body is said to have suffered severe burns. It was also revealed today that he was suffering from internal bleeding.

A medical source to AlJazeera said that it would take Saleh at least a month to recover from these injuries adding that the internal bleeding in his brain could prevent him from carrying his presidential duties.

Clashes in Taiz

On Tuesday further clashes between the Army and tribesmen were reported. The tribes were dragged into the conflict a few weeks ago when Saleh ordered his troops to storm the protesters encampment in the city centre. They have since, sworn to protect civilians by every mean necessary. They have become the armed hand of the revolutionary movement in the South.

According to the Associated Press, a shell landed in a residential area, killing four people, amongst who were 3 children.

“I consider Taiz to have fallen under the control of the dissidents,” Sheikh Hammoud Saeed al-Mikhlafi, told the AFP news agency by telephone.

The country’s second largest town is now lost to the government and under the control of the tribes. And if nothing is done soon to remedy the political vacuum, it could be a taste of things to come in Yemen.