Yemen daily news

Al-Houthi responds to Netanyahu's allegations

2019-10-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Member of the Supreme Political Council Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi mocked at Netanyahu's statements in which he alleged that Iran deployed precision-guided missiles in Yemen to target Israel.
"Netanyahu was unable to conclude a sentence without contradictions saying "the Iranians have started deploying precision-guided missiles in Yemen" Then he said in another tweet that "the development of missiles is still an Iranian ambition", said Mohammed Ali AL-Houthi in two tweets on Tuesday.
AL-Houthi wondered how ambition has quickly turned out to be an action and deployed into Yemen!
Al-Houthi said that such fast change from ambition into action and deployment requires a miracle the same as the miracle of Solomon when one of his comrades that had the science of the book could bring the shrine of the Queen of Sheba from Yemen to Jerusalem within a second.
Al-Houthi stressed that Netanyahu's statement confirmed Israel's participation in the US Saudi Lead Coalition war on Yemen.
"This Israeli statement is nothing but a message for continuing the aggression against the Yemeni people Particularly that it coincided with the presence of the US secretary." Tweeted Al-Houthi.
Al-Houthi added that Netanyahu's statement served the Yemeni awareness as it confirmed for the people of Yemen that Israel was a partner with the Saudi Lead Coalition in their aggression on Yemen.
Al-Houthi concluded saying "deception of the Zionist entity is over and its time is over"

Resume Yemen daily news?

2019-09-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have suspended publishing more news about Yemen for almost 5 years or so.
Do you think I should resume publishing news about Yemen?
If so is there any buyers for such news?

Lead by al-Beidh Southern National Resistance declares war against army forces

2014-01-19T16:50:00.001-08:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Few days before the conclusion of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), the former vice president of Yemen Ali Salem al-Beidh declared war against the military and security forces, launched from Dale and Lahj provinces in the south of Yemen on Sunday.

In a statement screened on the Beirut based, Aden Live TV channel, affiliated to al-Beidh, the TV channel published what it called the statement number one that it attributed to the Southern National Resistance through which it sponsored launching attacks against the military and security forces in Dale and Lahj provinces on Saturday.

This was the first time the Southern Movement admits launching attacks against the army and calling it as "the army of the enemies". The southern movement has been always affirming it’s a peaceful movement.

In its statement it said that the Southern National Resistance militias launched massive attacks against the military sites of the 33^rd armor brigade in al-Jarba and Abboud military camps in Dale province. "The attacks resulted in capturing two military sites and capturing one of the soldiers," the statement said.

It also said that the southern resistance's fighters launched an attack against a military patrol in Lahj province, killing four soldiers, destroying a military vehicle and capturing a number of arms.

A security source affirmed that militants affiliated to the Southern Movement launched an RBG assailant on a military vehicle while it was in its way to the 7^th of July military brigade at al-Malah area of Radfan district in Lahj province on Saturday.

The source said that two soldiers were killed immediately and that two others died later sustaining injuries from the attack.

The statement also warned the military forces from attacking any southerners, promising to continue launching assailants against the army until liberating the south of Yemen and restoring the "South Arabian State", former southern Yemen.

The statement said the attacks were in response to killing leader Burkan Manee' Saleh and a number of civilians who were killed in attacks launched by the 33^rd armor brigade located in Dale province on Friday.

Confrontations between the southern movement and the 33^rd armor brigade, located in Dale province, have been continuing for the past two weeks resulting in killing over 30 of the southern movement fighters and civilians including women and children.

Over 20 people were killed when a tank affiliated to the 33^rd armor brigade bombarded a school in Sanah area of Dale last December. The southern movement stated that the tank targeted a mourning ceremony that had been launching in the school. However the commander of the 33^rd brigade General Abdullah Dhaba'an alleged the tank fired back at militants that were launching attacks from the school at a military vehicle. President Hadi dispatched a military committee to investigate the incident; however the committee has not announced its findings.

Last Friday confrontations broke out between the two sides and over nine people were killed including three women.

A number of political parties and civil society organizations condemned the attacks launched by the 33^rd armor brigade against civilians and called for ousting General Dhaba'an who was also accused of burning protest site in Taiz city during the uprising against Ex president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011 before the general and his armor brigade were moved from Taiz to Dale as part of a wide restructure process of the Yemeni army.

A sit in was launched at the National Dialogue Conference before starting activities of the conference on Saturday. The sit in was organized by the representatives of the southern movement to the NDC but all NDC members took part in it. They called for moving the 33^rd armor brigade from Dale, ousting General Dhaba'an and referring him to the judiciary for the crimes he committed in Dale. Representatives of the southern movement to the NDC called for trying general Dhab'an and threatened to withdraw from the conference if not firm measures would be adopted regarding what has been happening in Dale.

"If the authority could not remove Dhaba'an during the past three weeks what would it do to implement the NDC's outcomes", they vowed.

Member of the NDC Abdulhamid Huraiz considered the silence of the government and president Hadi about what has been happening in Dale as approval for what has been happening there.

"The Southern Resistance affirms that operations of the southern resistance will continue until removing the Yemeni occupation off the Southern Arabian, militarily, politically and economically and liberating the last inch of the Southern Arabian national soil and restoring the independence of the Southern Arabian State," the statement read.

"I'm talking on behalf of the southern movement and I'm with the demands of trying Dab'aan the killer and removing the brigade centered in Dale and we request from president Hadi to interfere for this issue and to withdraw this brigade to another place and to form a new brigade comprising from the sons of that region," said Dr, Yasin Makawi , vice president of the NDC.

This escalation coincided with the conclusion of the National Dialogue Conference a matter that indicated attempts to sabotage the political dialogue process.

The UNSC council had warned former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and former Vice president Ali Salem al-Beidh from disturbing the political settlement.

The Yemeni government accuses al-Beidh of receiving financial support from Iran to disturb the security, stability and unity of Yemen, an accusation that al-Beidh has not denied.

An Iranian diplomat was assassinated on a main road down town in Sana'a on Saturday.

The Yemeni government had detained a number of ships carrying weapons from Iran to Yemen the last of them was Jihan 1 that was captured in the Yemeni maritime territorial in 2012. Investigations uncovered that most of the weapons were of Iranian origin.

Yemen security arrests 5 al-Qaeda suspects, al-Qaeda kills 2 soldiers

2012-10-03T11:54:00.002-07:00

By : Mohammed al-Kibsi

Few hours after the Yemeni security authorities arrested two al-Qaeda operatives in a check point in Lahj province, al-Qaeda insurgents attacked the checkpoint and killed two soldiers and wounded three others.

Suspected al-Qaeda militants ambushed a Yemeni army post in the southern province of Lahj before dawn Wednesday, killing two soldiers and wounding three, a security source said.

The attack occurred early Wednesday in the area of Hableen when four gunmen opened fire on an army checkpoint in eastern Lahj province, said the security source.

The death toll is expected to rise because some of those injured were in critical condition.

On Tuesday security forces at al-Habilain check point arrested two al-Qaeda terrorists. The arrested are called Ammar al-Maysari and Ali al-Jahafi.

After arresting the two suspects the security forces stormed their home in Rimi neighborhood in Aden where the forces found huge number of explosives, weapons and valuable documents about al-Qaeda plans for attacking vital government premises and officials in Aden.

On Tuesday, security forces stormed a house in Aden's Mansoura neighborhood to arrest some wanted terrorists, but the armed group started shooting at the security troops, sparking a short gun battle that left four al-Qaeda suspects killed at the scene.

The security authorities also announced on Tuesday of arresting three key al-Qaeda operatives in Aden.

Lahj is located 337 km southwest of the capital city Sanaa, and 30 km east of Aden, Yemen’s international seaport.

While media affirms that hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters left to Syria Yemen says hijacked officers were studying in Syria

2012-10-01T12:52:00.001-07:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters left Yemen to Syria to join the fight against Bashar al-Asad’s forces, said different media sources.

Yemen Observer had published a report attributed to Sheikh Tariq al-Fadhly as saying that hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters were transported from Abyan province in south Yemen to Syria.

Al-Fadli announced that there was a deal for evacuating al-Qaeda fighters from Yemen and sending them to Syria to join the fight against the Syrian regime.

He said that Saudi Arabia is sponsoring this deal and that the fighters were sent to Syria through Turkey.

“The sudden withdrawal of al-Qaeda militants from the two cities of Zinjubar and Ja’ar in Abyan province is connected to a conclusive deal recently made to have groups of armed men relocated to Syria to partake in the war against the Syrian regime, al-Fadhli told the Adenalghd local news site.

Later in the month the British based Guardian newspaper affirmed that hundreds of international fighters have flocked to Syria to join the war against Bashar al-Assad’ government.

Sheikh Tariq al-Fadhli is a veteran Arab Afghan Jihadist who is currently one of the key leaders of the southern movement.

Some are fresh-faced idealists driven by hatred for Assad, while some are jihadi veterans from Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.

According to the Guardian, to reach the country, foreign fighters have crossed borders with forged passports and dodge secret services.

The fighters have been dispersed among different jihadi organizations, including Ahrar al-Sham ("the Free Men of Syria") and Jabhat al-Nusra ("the Front for the Aid of the People of the Levant").

These fighters are also secretive, especially when dealing with the Free Syria Army.

Meanwhile the German De Vilt newspaper revealed that a report issued by the German intelegence uncovered that only 5 percent of the Syrian Free army are of Syrian national and that the rest are jihadists brought from other Arab and Islamic countries, including Yemen.

The report said that the number of the Arab Jihadists in Syria amounts to 15000. According to the report most of these jihadists are affiliated to al-Qaeda and the rest are from other extremist Islamic groups that have been using children as human shields.

On the same context the Yemeni daily newspaper al-Ola said that the Yemen government rejected a Qatari deal for purchasing weapons from North Korea and sending have of the weapons deal to the Syrian Free Army.

The paper said that the deal was rejected by President Hadi during his visit to Qatar.

Yemen's defense ministry has denied that five military officers reportedly being held by rebels in Syria were sent to fight alongside Syrian government forces.

An official told BBC Arabic that the soldiers had been studying at a military academy in Aleppo and were detained as they tried to travel home.

The al-Nusra Front, an Islamist rebel group in Syria, posted a video on Sunday saying it had captured them.

The video showed five men asking Yemen to stop supporting Bashar al-Assad.

The Yemeni defense ministry said the five soldiers had travelled to Syria two years ago to study at the Assad Military Academy in Aleppo as part of a military co-operation agreement between the two countries.

“They were sent to study in Syria a year before the uprising started in Syria”, said the military source and friends of the captured Yemeni officers.

They were detained on 4 September as they travelled from Aleppo to Damascus to get their flight home, it added.

The ministry's account supports what the Yemeni human rights group, Hood, told the Reuters news agency over the weekend.

The unverified four-minute video, which was posted on jihadist forums, shows the identity cards of five men, one of whom appears to be a lieutenant-colonel, as well as pictures of them in military uniform.

The men are pictured sitting below a black flag emblazoned with "al-Nusra Front" in Arabic.

The video includes an interview with one of the men, who says the group had been sent to Damascus to help quell the uprising.

The man, who identifies himself as Mohammed Abdo Hezam al-Meleiky, says: "I ask the Yemeni government to cut all logistical and military ties because Bashar al-Assad's regime is a regime that is killing its people and that is what we saw with our own eyes when we came here."

A friend of al-Meleiky said all he knows about Mohammed al-Meleiky was that he was studying for a master degree in Syria and that they were expecting him to come back home early September.

“I believe that what al-Meleiky said on the video was under threat by his abductors,” said his friends that preferred to be anonymous.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen assassinates pro-government tribal militia leader

2012-09-29T11:12:00.002-07:00

Source: Yemen Observer www.yobserver.com

A pro-government militia man died an hour ago after being targeted along with other members by al-Qaeda suicide bomber earlier today in the southern province of Abyan.

The suicide bomber targeted a group of pro-government militia in the morning but mist the militia leader in the district of Lawdar, Abyan province in south Yemen, a local source said.

Saleh al-Agdal, a local from Lawdar district, said that al-Masoodi died in a hospital in Aden city, south Yemen. He said another member is unlikely to survive whlile the third one is stable.

The suicide bomber was waiting for the pro-government leader, Muhammed Aidarous, but he was already in office when the bomber resorted to targeting a car carrying members of the militia, said al-Agdal.

Al-Agdal said three of the targeted people were taken to Aden as they were seriously injured. The other four, the source said, are now in the local hospital in Lawdar. “So far,” al-Agdal said, “no one has died and Aidarous is fine.”

Aidarous has escaped three assassination attempts before. The pro-government militias, known as the Popular Committees, have joined the government army in its fight against al-Qaeda militants in the restive province in Abyan.

The militants attacked earlier in the month the leader of the militia in Ja’ar district but he escaped the assassination and suffered severe injury.

Yemen al-Qaeda: second man alive, US asks Yemen delay DNA test

2012-09-29T11:09:00.003-07:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi & Shoaib al-Musawa

Saeed al-Shihri, the Yemen al-Qaeda’s second-in-command government announced killed recently, is still alive, sources close to the group said.

Yemen defense ministry announced on September 10 it killed Saeed al-Shihri, deputy leader of Yemen based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in a “qualitative operation” believed to have been conducted by a U.S. drone attack.

Local sources from Abyan said al-Shihri is still alive. “The man is present,” said an Abyan local source who is familiar with the groups’ activities. “I contacted several people [close to al-Shihri] and confirmed he wasn’t basically at the attack scene.”

Another Abyan source, known to be an al-Qaeda affiliate, said al-Shihri is still alive. “I am one hundred percent sure he [al-Shihri] is alive. So close sources from al-Shihri have also affirmed he is still alive,” said the al-Qaeda affiliate source. Both two sources spoke on anonymity conditions citing personal concerns.

The al-Qaeda affiliate source, reached by mobile from al-Mahfad area which is now under al-Qaeda control, said “many” of al-Qaeda leaders announced dead by government are still alive, too. “Sometimes, they [al-Qaeda leadership] avoid affirming or denying that their members are dead for fear of [government] pursuit,” he said.

Yemeni government has not commented since media has reported conflicting accounts on al-Shihri being alive.

London-based Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, quoting a “senior government official”, reported on September 14 that symbols of corpses were taken from a Hadramout hospital for a DNA test which, according to the paper, proved al-Shihri was not among those killed by the drone attack. Saudi interior minister told the paper on September 16 that he is not sure yet that al-Shihri was among those killed.

However, Yemeni officials from the criminal investigation said that no DNA test has been taken yet to any of the corpses.

“We received four corpses, one of which is believed to be al-Shihri’s,” said a security officer at the criminal investigation department based on Sana'a. “Department of Criminal Evidence Investigation [in Sana’a] fetched them to Sana’a the second day of the attack for the DNA test but the American asked [Yemeni government] not to conduct any test,” said the officer, who asked to remain anonymous for not being authorized to speak to the press.

The officer said an American German team is arriving Yemen to conduct a DNA test of what believed to be the corpse of al-Qaeda second man along with three affiliate members killed by a U.S. drone attack in east province of Hadramout. The officer said he doesn’t know the specific day the team would arrive.

The officer said he had been to the criminal evidence department, where the corpse are, and saw four corpses but that no DNA test has been conducted yet either in Sana’a nor in Hadramout. “All were totally burned that no one can identify them [corpses].

Yemen has announced killing of Shihri three times before but the group has denied the news.

Al-Shihri is a Saudi national who was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2007 and was sent to Saudi Arabia for rehabilitation.

Situations calm down in north of Yemen after 16 fighters killed

2012-09-27T10:07:00.008-07:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

After fierce clashes between Houthi rebels and militants of Islah party in Rayda town, Houthis rebels withdraw their militants from Rayda and handed over 36 prisoners of war that they captured during the past two days.

Over 16 fighters were killed in Rayda town in the north of Yemen in ongoing clashes between Shiite tribesmen known as al-Houthis and ultra-conservative Sunnis affiliated to Islah Islamist party, security officials and local sources said on Monday.

Tensions have long existed between Salafi Islamists, who are Sunni Muslims, and al-Houthi rebels, who are Shiite Muslims.

Local sources said that tribal midiators from Ayal Suraih tribe lead by Sheikh Sinan al-Ghouli succeeded in reaching to a truce between the two rivals and that both sides agreed to withdraw their militants from Rayda immediately.

Nearly 200 people died in fighting late last year between the two sides in northern Sa’ada province.

The latest clashes in Amran province revealed a new alliance between Hawthis and loyalists of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom the group fought in a costly six-year war until a cease-fire was reached in early 2010.

Over 200 Yemeni Jews live in Rayda town; however no casualties were reported among the minority Jewish community during the latest clashes.

The clashes happened after some affiliates of Islah party intrupted a demonstration organized by Houthis who were protesting the Innocence of Muslims movie that defamed Islam and Prophet Mohammed.

The Houthis also protested the appointment of the new governor of Amran, Mohammed Damaj and the new security chief of Amran, alleging that Damaj was not from Amran province and that the new chief police was the cause of war in Sa’da and war in Bani Hushish.

Residents trapped in street fighting in the city of Rayda in Amran say the Salafis from the opposition Islah Party were fighting Houthis, the two sides firing at each other with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons.

Houthis accused the commander of the 110 brigade General al-Gushaibi of supporting Salafis with armor vehicles and rockets.

The clashes happened a week after Yemen's government installed new governors from the Islah Party in Amran, about 45 miles north west of the capital Sana’a, and two other provinces around Sa’ada where Houthis are concentrated.

Aid agencies call 'Friends of Yemen' to rescue Yemenis from hunger

2012-09-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

The hunger crisis in Yemen, which affects almost one out of every two Yemeni citizens, and is putting nearly one million children at risk of severe malnutrition, must be addressed immediately to put the fragile country on the path to a better future, eight international and Yemeni aid agencies said today.

The call for more targeted emergency funding came as foreign ministers from the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and other countries are set to meet with the Yemeni government at the Friends of Yemen donor conference in New York.

The aid agencies – Oxfam, Mercy Corps, Islamic Relief, CARE International, Merlin, International Medical Corps, Yemen Relief and Development Forum (YRDF) and the Humanitarian Forum – said that despite generous pledges of $6.4bn made at a conference in Riyadh, the humanitarian response was still dangerously under-funded with the majority of pledged funds being allocated to infrastructure and macro-economic stability. This year’s UN appeal for $585 million for Yemen’s emergency needs is still less than half-funded.

This shortfall could be closed with a fraction – just over 4 percent – of the funds promised in Riyadh. There is no reason for an under-funded humanitarian response, say the agencies.

Recent surveys have uncovered high malnutrition rates in Lahj in the south and Hajjah in the north, and agencies are now responding to needs in Abyan, which until recently was a no-go area wracked by fighting between the Yemeni government and insurgents.

The aid agencies said that although longer-term funding was essential, it would not help Yemen achieve development and stability unless matched with immediate funding to tackle the worsening humanitarian crisis. Colette Fearon, Country Director of Oxfam in Yemen, said:

“With each passing day, the crisis gets tougher. Children’s futures are at risk with some of the highest rates of child malnutrition in the world. Women tell Oxfam that their lives have got worse since last year's political upheaval. They can’t afford food or find work. Parents are pulling children out of school to beg, marrying their daughters early and selling what little they have just to get food today. They know this will make life harder in the future, but have little choice. People cannot survive on promises, however generous. It would take a fraction of the money already promised to fully fund the UN appeal.”

The aid agencies urged donors not to repeat the mistakes of the past where funds were pledged to Yemen, but did not materialize. In 2006, five billion dollars was promised to Yemen, but in early 2010 less than 10 percent had been disbursed. They called on the Friends of Yemen to ensure a comprehensive strategy and accountable and transparent plan detailing how the money would be spent and by when, with clear indicators that national and international civil society could monitor. They said this would help ensure that humanitarian funding was quickly followed by investment to tackle the root causes of Yemen’s hunger crisis.

Mohammed Qazilbash, Mercy Corps Yemen Country Director said “The humanitarian crisis is staggering and Yemen needs immediate assistance to help the millions of Yemenis who are hungry right now. As world leaders gather to discuss Yemen’s future, we urge them not only to meet pressing needs on the ground, but to ensure that there is a plan in place to address the root causes of the crisis. Unemployment and high food prices mean that people cannot afford food today. By investing in the private sector, supporting market development, job training and youth employment programs, donors can give Yemenis a better future and break the cycle of hunger.”

The UN is expected to request another £92 million to address needs in Abyan in the coming months. The agencies said this could be covered with just over one percent of the 6.4bn pledged.

“Malnutrition rates in Hodeidah have exceeded the emergency threshold by 100 percent, so Islamic Relief is launching a health, nutrition and livelihood program there, it’s aim is to save life” said Islamic Relief Country Director Hashem Awnallah, adding that the agency is also targeting Abyan and Lahj, but “more resources are needed to keep current operations

in place and reach out further.” The call of the international aid agencies is echoed by Yemeni civil society. In a recent civil society conference in Riyadh, over 100 civil society representatives from across Yemen agreed that the humanitarian crisis should be a key priority for funding. The Yemeni diasporas is also campaigning for recognition of the hunger crisis through its Hungry4Change campaign.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen hails attack on US consulate in Libya, urges Muslims worldwide to attack American interests

2012-09-16T14:28:00.001-07:00

By: Mohammed al-Kibsi
Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen AQAP praised the attack against US embassy in Libya as well as attacks against US embassies in Egypt and Yemen and urged Muslims worldwide to attack Americans interests.
The AQAP's comment did come in the form of claim of responsibility for the Benghazi attack. It was in the form of a justification for the attack.
According to SITE, an intelligence group in the US which, inter alia, monitors the web statements of Al Qaeda, the AQAP said, "The killing of Sheikh Abu Yahya only increased the enthusiasm and determination of the sons of (Libyan independence hero) Omar al-Mukhtar to take revenge upon those who attack our Prophet. The uprising of our people in Libya, Egypt and Yemen against America and its embassies is a sign to notify the United States that its war is not directed against groups and organizations... but against the Islamic nation that has rebelled against injustice."

AQAP called for more violent demonstrations against US embassies in the Middle East and Africa, and urged Muslims in the West to attack American interests in their countries of residence.

Analysts wondered that al Qaeda's first comment on the commando-style attack on the United states consulate in Benghazi in Libya has not come from its command and control in North Waziristan in Pakistan headed by its Amir Ayman al-Zawahiri, but from its Yemen branch called al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Of course, Zawahiri had issued a video message on September 10, 2012, one day before the Benghazi attack, confirming the death of his No.2 Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan cleric, in a US drone strike in the Waziristan area on June 4,2012. The message called President Barack Obama a liar, who was trying to mislead the Muslims.

The presumption among many analysts was that the Benghazi attack was to avenge the death of al-Libi and that it had been planned before the Islamic world came to know of the film Innocence of Islam which has sparked off violent anti-US protests in many countries.

Analysts expected that the first comment of al-Qaeda on the Benghazi attack would come from Zawahiri or from Al Qaeda headquarters in North Waziristan. It has not. It has come from Yemen, indicating a possible co-ordination of the anti-US protests by AQAP.
"May the expulsion of embassies and consulates lead to the liberation of Arab lands from the American hegemony and the arrogance," said the statement.

Meanwhile, more than 400 insurgents from al-Qaeda in al-Mahfad district in south Yemen, the current stronghold in a mountainous area between Abyan and Shabwah provinces, are preparing to control the town of Baihan, local official said on Sunday.

The director of Al Mahfad district, Yaslem Al Anboori, said in a press interview that al-Qaeda in al-Mahfaf had sent a number of suicide bombers to Aden and Sana’a to target Yemeni and western officials and installations.
A total of 200 armored vehicles of the American marines arrived to the Yemeni capital Sanaa according to the weekly independent newspaper Al Ola.
And 250 soldiers of the marines had arrived on Friday and Saturday.

The American government said it had sent forces to protect its embassy in Sanaa.

Earlier, the Yemeni Parliament called the American forces to leave the country immediately, after about 150 from the American Marines forces arrived to Sanaa after angry demonstrators stormed and destroyed the US embassy in protest over American-Israeli film deemed abusive to Islam and its prophet Mohamed.

"We do not accept any foreign forces in Yemen, be it small or big forces, and for any reason," said a statement by the Parliament on Saturday. The Parliament asked the government to protect all foreign missions in Yemen. The statement condemned the anti-Islam film ( the Innocence of Muslims) and called for putting the film makers on trial.

On September 15,2012, the Tehrik-e-Taliban [ Images ] Pakistan as the Pakistani Taliban is known called upon Muslim youth in Pakistan and other countries to protest against the movie. While one violent incident attributed to the Afghan Taliban has been reported from Southern Afghanistan, reportedly resulting in the death of two US Marines, there have so far been no violent incidents in Pakistan, but anti-US demonstrations have been held in different cities of Pakistan.

The wave of protests till now has been against the film itself and the US for allowing it to be produced and clips to be disseminated from the US, but clerics in different countries, while calling for the protests to be peaceful, have been demanding a UN ban on any insult to sacred symbols of Islam and other religions.

Innocent Muslims movie worsens relations between Yemen and USA, Yemen parliament demands US Marines leave Yemen

2012-09-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

The controversial Innocent Muslims movie lead into anger all over the Islamic countries including Yemen. Thousands of Yemenis stormed the US embassy on September 13 and 14.

Over 4 civilians were killed on the streets near the US embassy in Sana’a after some or protesters broke into the Embassy and looted what they found available. This move incited the US administration to dispatch some more US marines to protect the embassy.

However it seems that the controversial Innocent Muslims movie produced in USA is going to hurt relations between Yemen and USA.

The Yemeni Parliament called the American forces to leave the country immediately, after about 150 from the American Marines forces arrived to Sana’a after angry demonstrators stormed and looted the US embassy in protest over American-Israeli film deemed abusive to Islam and prophet Mohamed.

"We do not accept any foreign forces in Yemen, be it small or big forces, and for any reason," said a statement by the Parliament on Saturday. The Parliament asked the government to protect all foreign missions in Yemen. The statement condemned the anti-Islam film ( the Innocence of Muslims) and called for putting the film makers on trial.

Meanwhile, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula called Muslims to kill more American diplomats saying that the film was only a new chapter of a Crusade war on Islam. " Follow the example of the Libyans, grandsons of Omar Al Mukhtar," said the statement in a clear reference to the killing of American ambassador in Libya last week.

Four people were killed and 48 other injured including 10 soldiers last Thursday when angry protester stormed the US embassy in Sana’a. 61 cars were completely damaged, and 13 were burnt and one was stolen.

One of those killed was buried on Saturday in Sana’a and his father said during the funeral that the America Marines killed his son. This would create additional anti-American sentiment.

Yemen parliament demands US Marines leave Yemen

2012-09-16T12:01:00.002-07:00

One of those killed was buried on Saturday in Sana’a and his father said during the funeral that the America Marines killed his son. This would create additional anti-American sentiment.

The day the US Embassy in Yemen was looted

2012-09-16T11:31:00.004-07:00

By: Mohammed Humaid

I live next to the bridge leading to the US Embassy. A number of windows of my house were shattered during an exchange of stone throwing between the protesters and the anti-riot police on Thursday afternoon, September 13, 2012. We also had a dose of tear gas in our house that infiltrated from the shattered windows. Youths in their teens were hysterically throwing stones and chanting anti-American slogans. Youths too young to form any serious political opinion seemed thrilled with the prospects of throwing stone at police and chanting a mantra that promotes self-sacrifice.
Later in the evening we saw TV footage of horrific scenes of these youths, entering the US embassy and looting whatever can be carried. Scenes of protesters smashing wind screens of cars were particularly appalling. This shameful conduct demonstrates an inherent character that we have tried to deny but failed repeatedly; it’s that tendency to seize the property of others by use of force, if it can’t be seized, it gets destroyed. This is not a transitory reaction to hap hazard events. It is becoming part of our modern identity. It’s true that the majority of people denounce it but the fact that it continuous unabated means that it defines who we are.
The issue is not against whom the violence is directed, nor to whom the property in question belongs, the question is why force and unlawful seizing of property has become a way to express our anger or discontent?
The trouble is deeper than one might think at first instance. An incident such as the appalling film against the prophet served as a stimulant that incited anger and discontent. The interpretation of such response depends on the culture and set of values the respondent believes in. In Libya, it took the form of barbaric brutality that led to murder, In Egypt rioting and invasion of US embassy compound, in Morocco peaceful condemnation, in Asia burning of the US flag. In Yemen, violence and looting of property. We have experienced similar incidents when Sana’a was looted in 1948; when Aden was looted in 1994; when several ministries were looted in 2011 and when the Ministry of Interior was looted in 2012. The looting of the US embassy was thus not an act of animosity directed at the embassy as per ce, rather it is a form of expression of our anger and discontent.
The chief culprits are the youths who are themselves are victims of misgovernance. The youths, have little hope, little education and are frustrated with their lives. They lack the simplest forms of recreation; they have energy but don’t know how to expend it. You see them playing football in the roads, streets and alleys. No sports grounds, no places for them to discover their talents and improve their skills. They are jobless with little prospect of employment no matter how hard they tried. Scholarships, abroad and inside the country, are taken up by the small elite. The same elite that have confiscated the parks and recreation grounds and suffocated their hopes. This practice is recurrent day in and day out and explains not only why Yemeni cities are deprived of green space and from trees and why most of our roads lead to nowhere. Disrespect of their rights translates into disrespect for the rights and property of others.

Relations between Yemen and the United States haven’t been better. The US has given Yemen hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, making it the second largest donor after Saudi Arabia. The United States played an indispensible role in brokering the Gulf Cooperation Deal and the Security Council resolution on Yemen that paved the way for restoration of peace in Yemen. The US ambassador used his good offices and shuttled back and forth relentlessly between warring factions with a view to securing the Gulf Cooperation initiative. In fact, the US played and continuous to play a critical role in defusing tension during and after the signing of the political settlement. US president Obama has denounced the film so has his secretary of State Hilary Clinton. Having said that, the US says that freedom of expression gives right to citizens to express themselves and there is nothing the government can do anything about it, yet US laws give individuals who become victims of slander or libel the power to prosecute the perpetrator when individual dignity and respect have been violated so there must be laws that punish people who show disrespect to the spiritual believes of other cultures, especially when the lives of many are at stake. May be when US laws were enacted situations such this one didn’t exist, but now require a fresh look. It can’t be that hard to enact a new law. After all respect goes both ways.
Written by Mohammed Humaid a Yemeni Fulbrighter and journalist

Yemen army kills AQAP number 2 along with 6 militants

2012-09-10T10:48:00.004-07:00

By Mohamed al-Kibsi

Deputy leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Saeed Ali al-Shihri was killed along with six other al-Qaeda insurgents in Hadramout valley on Monday, said the website of the ministry of defense 26sep.net.

The website quoted a high profile military officer as saying that the Yemeni military forces have killed Saeed al-Shihri and six al-Qaeda suspects in an identical military operation launched by the Yemeni military forces targeting a house in al-Ain district in Hadramout valley where al-Shihri and other militants were living on Monday.

The military source said that the killing of al-Shihri was a painful strike for the remains of al-Qaeda militants that fled from Abyan province due to the massive offensive launched by the Yemeni forces last June that resulted in expelling al-Qaeda fighters from Zinjubar, Jaa’r and other towns of Abyan province.

The Yemeni military took credit for the Sept. 2 airstrike in Hadramout that targeted a vehicle and is reported to have killed six AQAP fighters. However, the strike was carried out by the US's fleet of unmanned Predators and Reapers based in the area, a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal. US drones have zeroed in on Hadramout province over the past month. Of the seven recorded strikes since the beginning of August, five have taken place in the eastern province.

US officials have not commented on reports of al Shihri's death. AQAP has not released a martyrdom statement announcing his death. In the past, AQAP has announced the deaths of senior leaders quickly.

Al Shihri has been reported killed several times in the past. Most recently, In February 2011, he was rumored to have been killed while working with explosives. Al Shihri was also said to have been killed in a US cruise missile attack in December 2009. And in January 2010, Yemeni officials claimed that al Shihri was captured.

Said al-Shahri was the second man of AQAP after the leader of AQAP Nasser al-Wahaishi.

Al-Shahri is a Saudi national that was extradited by the US authorities to the Saudi authorities from Guantanamo prison in 2007. He was released by the Saudi authorities after he took part in the Saudi rehabilitation program. However few months after he was released al-Shahri lead the Saudi branch of al-Qaeda and decided to merge with the Yemeni branch to form AQAP.

In November 2007, Shihri was released from Guantanamo and placed into Saudi custody, where he then entered a government-run rehabilitation program for former jihadists. Less than a year later, Shihri played a direct role in al Qaeda's attack on the American embassy in Sana'a, Yemen's capital, in September 2008. That attack killed 10 civilians, along with six terrorists.

In February 2009, when Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia and Al Qaeda in Yemen merged to form Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Shihri was named as deputy to AQAP emir Nasir al Wuhayshi.

Al-Shahri was accused of being behind a number of terrorist operation in Yemen, among them was the terrorist attack that targeted the US Embassy in Sana’a.

Yemen President decreases powers of ex-president's son and defected general Ali Mohsen

2012-08-06T16:31:00.002-07:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

President Abdu Raboo Mansour Hadi has issued a decree stripping the ex-president’s son and the commander of the first armor brigade of part of their military command, a measure seen as a step toward reforming the armed forces.

Monday’s decision by President Hadi transfers command of three brigades of the Republican Guards and one of the first armor brigades to his direct oversight to be considered as the presidency protection unit under the direct command of the president.

The Republican Guards, Yemen’s best trained forces, are commanded by Ahmed Ali, son of the former president and the first armor brigade are commanded by defected general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar.

Another republican decree was indorsed, stripping other four republican guards brigades and four armor brigades and putting them under commander of regional military units.

Hadi’s move is expected to ease Ahmad Ali’s and Ali Mohsen’s influence over the military, giving Hadi more influence over the military forces.

The republican decree was preceded by holding a meeting between the military committee that was assigned by Hadi to restructure the military and security forces and between the ambassadors of the 5 permanent members of the UN security council and ambassadors of the Gulf states to inform them about the reshuffle.

Al-Qaeda kills over 55 citizens in south Yemen

2012-08-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

By Mohammed al-kibsi

An al-Qaeda suicide bomber killed at least 55 civilians at a funeral in Ja’ar town of Abyan province, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.

Other sources confirmed that over 95 were killed and injured among them 55 were killed.

The al-Qaida suicide bomber detonated the explosives around his waist among funeral guests in Ja’ar town in Abyan province late on Saturday night, the country's Defense Ministry said in a brief statement posted on its website.

"Latest reports coming from Abyan province indicate that at least 46 people were killed and about 48 others were wounded, some of them in critical conditions," the statement said.

A local pro-government tribal chief is among those killed in the funeral attended by other anti-al-Qaeda militiamen and social figures, the statement added.

Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in an emailed statement obtained by Xinhua on Sunday. "One of our holly warriors carried out a successful jihadist operation on a compound in Jaar town," the statement said without giving more details.

It also threatened to launch further attacks on security officials and military bases across the country.

RI Yemen seeks help for famous child bride Nojoud

2012-08-06T13:55:00.004-07:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Nojoud Ali Al-Ahdal is the most famous Yemeni child bride and the first ever that revolted against the law and Yemeni tradition when approached a court in Sana’a demanding to be divorced from her 33 years old husband when she was only 9 years old.

Nojoud won the Glamour Magazine prize along with Condoleezza Rice to be the woman of the year in 2008.

A book about her life and her story was published by a French publication house in 2008. The publisher bought Nojoud a house in al-Hasaba neighborhood Sana’a from her share of the book sales. He also pays her a US$ 1000 a month to her father’s account as Nojoud is under age and cannot have her own account.

This money is supposed to be spent for her living along with her family. However recently her father got married to a third wife that keeps making troubles to Nojoud and her brothers and sisters.

A day after day Nojoud that is the symbol of Yemeni revolutionary women and children suffered a lot from her father and his new wife harassment a matter that forced Nojoud and some of her brothers to leave her own home for her father and his new wife. She preferred to go live with her father’s second wife in al-Qa’a neighborhood.

Last Sunday Nojoud went to her father on the same day he received the monthly 1000 dollars asking him to give her, and her mother and other family members a share of the money.

The father got mad at her and asked her to offer him half of the house and half of the book’s sales otherwise he would kill her.

Fortunately her brothers prevented him from hurting her and they locked her in her room to protect her.

Her father kept trying to break the door threatening to kill her if she did not answer his demands.

On Monday Nojoud told her family she would go to her grandmother that lives near Tahrir in Sana’a.

She approached Relief International office in Sana’a, where she knows one of RI staff asking for help.

So far RI staffer contacted some lawyers. Lawyer Qais Sanabani promised to help her through the Justice and Development Center to provide her free legal assistance.

Nevertheless Nojoud that is revolting against her father’s harassment and against masculine supremacy this time that gives her father the right to spend her own money for entertaining himself is asking help from NGOs.

RI is approaching all NGOs in charge to help Nojoud live her own life and have access to education as she did not go to school last year due to security problems and family problems.

Nojoud is 15 years old now but she is still in 4^th grade due to family problems and threats from unknown people that have been texting her and calling her on her cell phone to never goes out of her home or else.

The US Secretary of state Hilary Clinton met with Nojoud during her visit to Yemen last year, praised her courage and promised her dignitary life.

“All I want is to live an ordinary life and go to school like all children do and never be subjected to harassment or threats,” cried Nojoud with tears dropping from her innocent childish eyes.

All RI could do was asking staff to donate for Nojoud to have dinner for the night, promising her to pass her complain to the NGO’s in charge to find her temporary solution.

Lawyer Qais Sanabani promised to cancel her father’s custody through the court but this cannot be achieved during Ramadan month as the Yemeni courts are in vacation till the 10^th of Shawal Islamic month that coincides the 2^nd of September 2012.

Nojoud has 15 brothers and sisters 10 of them are younger than her. They all used to live from the money she gets from the publisher of her book. But now they all live from food that her step mother collects from neighbors.

Armed gangs torture African border crossers in north Yemen

2012-03-09T11:07:00.002-08:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Yemen’s Interior Ministry has confirmed on its website that armed gangs in Haradh district, that borders Saudi Arabia, in North Yemen have tortured African border crossers.

The ministry said it discovered 129 Ethiopians detained by armed groups. The Ethiopians had been physically tortured and forced to contact their families in Saudi Arabia with requests that money be transferred, upon which it would be seized by their captors.

Abdullah Abdu al-Wahsh and Khalid Mohammed Absi have been accused of leading the gangs, said the Interior Ministry, and noted that Al-Wahsh had detained 49 Ethiopians within the yard at his residence, with a further 79 held by Absi. The Ethiopians had arrived in Yemen illegally in order to then pass into Saudi Arabia.

A security document issued by security management in Haradh revealed the names of19 persons who have backyards that contain African border crossers, in several villages in the directorate.

Reports also revealed that African persons had had body parts cut off as part of attempts to force them to pay.

Security sources confirmed that jails and prisons existed in al-Sharifiya Department in Haradh directorate, referring to the imprisonment of a number of African victims.

The Interior Ministry said the hostages have been freed.

The ministry noted that after their release of the Ethiopian captives in a “rapid and unannounced operation,” they were transferred to hospitals and migrant centers of voluntary return. The centers are under the auspices of the International Organization for Migration in Haradh, and the Ethiopians’ presence there represents a prelude to deportations to their home countries in cooperation with the IOM.

The security apparatus referred the border crossers to the prosecutor in Haradh so that legal action may be taken against them.

According to security and human rights statistics, 170 cases of assault against African border crossers have been monitored from January 1, 2011 until January 24 of this year. The cases involved 90 young victims, 10 women, 50 children and 20 elderly persons.

Most of those attacks were of a physical nature, with many involving being burned and hit in the face, with many cases also involving hearing and sight loss.

Security statistics also revealed 156 cases involving smuggling by gangs, six cases involving border guards in Saudi Arabia, 4 cases with Yemeni border guards, 4 cases with bandits, as well as 12 cases of robbery and 4 cases of human trafficking.

A number of humanitarian organizations, as well as the Ministry of Human Rights and security authorities, have demanded an end to such crimes and those behind them be held accountable.

Security sources have also mentioned the involvement of sheikhs and other influential individuals in these crimes, whether through the adoption or protection of such gangs.

Secretary General of al-Haq party rejects dismissal as a “big joke”

2012-03-09T10:45:00.003-08:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

The Secretary General of al-Haq party, Hassan Mohammed Zaid, rejected as a “big joke” the decision by his party’s Executive Committee to remove him from the post of secretary general.

Zaid was quoted as saying, “The statement of the so-called Executive Committee of the al-Haq Party was simply a soap bubble and heavy banter.”

The Executive Committee’s statement approved the dismissal of Zaid from his post as secretary general, and confirmed that Mohammed Yahya Al-Mansour had been assigned to carry out Zaid’s functions.

Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mansur, Vice President of the al-Haq party, said that Zaid will remain the secretary general until the party’s General Conference has convened.

Muhammad al-Mansour approved a statement issued by Executive Committee members and heads of branches and leaders of the al-Haq party on Tuesday the dismissal of Zaid was dismissed. He stressed that what has been addressed in some media outlets about the dismissal of Zaid came as the result of individual actions by the head of the acting political department, Mohammed Yahya Al-Mansour.

The statement emphasized the party's intention to hold the General Conference, and called on all party members and supporters to involve themselves with the efforts of the secretary general and the Preparatory Commission, and with the heads of branches to make the General Conference a success.

Mr. Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mansur, vice president of the ruling right, is the highest official in the party leadership. He has exercised the functions of party head since the death of scholar Majd al-Din al-Muayadi.

Hasan Zaid said the Executive Committee had not met, and described what happened as coming down to a statement issued by one person, Muhammad Yahya Al-Mansour, with assistance from Ahmed Qasim Daylami, who had resigned from the party before announcing that he was joining the al-Ommah party.

The Executive Committee, considered to be the party’s highest-ranking body, said the decision to sack Zaid came after he closed the party headquarters in Sana’a to prevent committee members from entering, and also that a secret meeting had been held between some members of the party without consulting or inviting party leadership.

Al-Haq party was established following the reunification of Yemen in 1990. However the party could not hold its first General Conference yet.

The party is a religious party representing the Zaydi Shiite sect. It collated with other Islamic, social and Nasserite parties to topple down President Saleh.

Yemen based al-Qaeda plans strikes on Sana’a and Mukala

2012-03-09T10:42:00.001-08:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi & Abdul-Aziz Oudah & Nasser Arrabyee

Reliable sources have said that al-Qaeda has been preparing for its largest operations yet in the capital city of Sana’a, operations aimed at strategic sites including military and security installments and embassies.

Sources said that al-Qaeda cells in the areas of Zindan and Arhab have trained for operations involving the storming of fortified sites, attacking fixed and mobile targets while aboard vehicles and motorbikes, and that al-Qaeda militants have entered Sana’a in preparation for carrying out their attacks in the coming few days.

The sources expect that al-Qaeda’s potential targets include the Airbase in Sana’a, the Interior Ministry, Republican Guard units and a number of embassies, including the American embassy.

The sources confirmed information regarding intentions by al-Qaeda to attack Mukala to divert attention its plans in Sana’a.

Security sources said that over 400 al-Qaeda militants are currently in Shabwa’s Azan Directorate, with three al-Qaeda leaders in charge (Ibrahim al-Bana, an Egyptian, Qasem al-Rimi and Shaker Hamel) of plans to attack vital installations, security sites, and important government facilities as part of a plan to expand their so-called Azan Islamic state to Mukala.

This coincides with the arrival of militants from the Somali al-Shabab al-Muslim to Yemen to support local al-Qaeda elements. Citizens in the coastal Shagra town said that they saw about 300 armed African men traveling from Azan to Zinjubar.

On its website, the Interior Ministry emphasized the government’s ability “to confront such adventurous terrorist plans, which show the true confusion of al-Qaeda, that knows that their end is eminent in Yemen in light of tendency of the restructure of the army on national basis and the comprehensive national dialogue in compatibility with the scheduled provisions of the operational mechanisms of the GCC initiative.”

In preparation for the attacks on Mukala, the Interior Ministry ordered their leadership in Hadramout and Shabwa to step up security precautions at all checkpoints leading to the two governorates and to stay prepared to face any terrorist actions.

Field sources in Abyan, in southern Yemen, said that the 111^th Brigade in Lawder shelled heavy artillery trucks suspected of carrying weapons to al-Qaeda when they passed Akad area, to the east of Lawder.

A source said added that one of the trucks was hit but that they didn’t learn the extent of the damage caused, as they were in an area under al-Qaeda control. The source said that information indicated the trucks were carrying weapons to al-Qaeda fighters in Hadramout.

The interior Ministry said it had received information that armed al-Qaeda fighters were arriving in Yemen and that the ministry had taken measures to prevent them from entering Yemeni territories.

The cabinet held an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday to discuss the challenges posed by terrorist forces in certain governorates, and especially the savage attack in Abyan which killed over 120 soldiers and officers from army and security forces.

The Cabinet overlooked a report that included details of the incidence from the Defense Minister, as well as details of other terrorist activities carried out by al-Qaeda in Hadramout, al-Baidha, Shabwa and Aden.

The cabinet also stressed the need for the unification of security and military efforts, and elaborated on visions and plans “to face and defeat the evil forces to restore security and public tranquility.”

The Cabinet urged the Military Committee to accelerate their practical procedures to restructure the armed and security forces.

The Council of Ministers has ordered governors and military and security officials to live up to their commitments, and stressed that the government would hold accountable and take measures against those who fail to meet their responsibilities.

The Cabinet approved the formation of a ministerial committee consisting of the Ministers of Defense, the Interior, Local Administration, Justice and the Civil Services, to take charge of adopting all necessary measures to achieve stability and security and to investigate security defects, and to investigate events in Abyan. The committee has been directed to submit immediate reports to the cabinet so that it may take measures to deal with the situation.

The Cabinet said the government would not hesitate to take all measures to deter and eradicate terrorism and extremism of all sorts and forms. “We will provide all support to the military and security forces to carry out their duties, so as to enhance security and stability and eliminate terrorism,” read a statement issued by the cabinet on Wednesday.

It asked clerics, imams, and intellectuals to inform the public of Islamic rules that refute extremism and terror and prohibit the killing of innocent people under the pretence of serving Islam and of implementing Islamic rules, as is claimed by terrorist groups.

Meanwhile, local sources in Abyan said on Monday that al-Qaeda is forcing detained soldiers to train its militants on the use of modern tank, artillery units and other heavy weapons that it seized after attacking troop positions last Sunday in south Yemen.

About 60 soldiers were detained and taken to the Taliban-style, al-Qaeda-declared Islamic Emirate of Ja’ar in the southern province of Abyan on Sunday morning. More than 110 soldiers were killed and more than 150 other injured when al-Qaeda operatives attacked camps and positions in Dawfas area, near Zinjubar, the capital of Abyan.

About 20 al-Qaeda fighters were killed and dozens were injured, according to sources in Ja’ar.

Security sources have revealed that among those killed was Mohammed al-Haniq, the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arhab district.

"On Monday in Ja’ar, detained soldiers from the Dawfas battles were witnessed training al- Qaeda fighters on the use of looted tanks and artillery units under gun point," said local sources.

Although American and Yemeni fighters jets tried to bomb the seized heavy weaponry on Sunday, they failed to destroy everything, said sources.

Newly-elected president Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi vowed to crush all terrorist hideouts in Abyan and other places.

"The confrontation will continue with all force until the last terrorist is killed," said President Hadi in a meeting on Monday with American, British, and Saudi officials and diplomats.

The country's Supreme Military Committee also held a meeting with 10 Arab and Foreign ambassadors who assisted Yemenis in extracting themselves from their political crisis to discuss further serious confrontations with al-Qaeda.

In a statement released to media outlets on Monday, the families of dead and injured soldiers demanded that newly-elected President Hadi should strike with an iron fist those responsible for the massacre in Dawfas.

The families demanded that the Minister of Defense and Interior Minister resign and that an investigation committee be formed.

Meanwhile, six al-Qaeda suspects in possession of a car bomb were arrested early Monday morning in Sanaa, according to security authorities. Earlier in the week, another car bomb was discovered and confiscated. Authorities had been looking for three car bombs made in the Arhab area, about 30 km north of the capital. Arhab is the home district of extremist cleric Abdul Majid al-Zandani, who has been accused by the United States and the United Nations of being a global terrorist.

Last Wednesday, February, 29, al-Qaeda threatened to attack places outside the battlefield if government troops failed to withdraw from the vicinity of Zinjubar within ten days.

"We, Ansar al-Shariah in the State of Abyan, give the government an ultimatum of 10 days to withdraw all troops from around Zinjubar, and to compensate the displaced persons," said Abu Hamzah Jalal Beledi, emir of Ansar al-Shariah in the State of Abyan, in a statement sent via SMS by one of his assistants, who called himself Abu al-Waleed.

"If the troops are not withdrawn, we will attack outside the battle field, and we might have to implement the ‘flooding river’ plan," said the leader of al-Qaeda in Zinjubar.

The al-Qaeda threat came only two days after local military command issued an ultimatum of one week for Al-Qaeda operatives to leave the city of Zinjubar, with the threat that troops would storm the city if this did not happen.

Yemen new President sworn in

2012-02-25T08:51:00.004-08:00

Yemen's new President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi took the constitutional oath before the Parliament on Saturday in presence of members of unity government and chiefs of diplomatic missions in Yemen.

After one year of wars of words and bullets, almost every one of the MPs and ministers of the conflicting parties, before the swearing in ceremony started, was hugging and kissing everyone as a sign of greeting and congratulating for ending the long standing crisis.

The majority of MPs belong to Saleh's party.

Earlier in the day, the supreme elections committee granted Hadi a certificate of winning as an elected president. Hadi won with 65 percent of the 10 million registered voters. Sone 6.5 million eligible voters voted for Hadi.

At the dawn of Saturday, the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh had arrived in the capital Sanaa and stayed in his own house.

Saleh will attend the installation ceremony of his successor Hadi on Monday, February 27th, 2012. Saleh will keep as a president of his party, the People's General Congress. (PGC).

Last Tuesday, the overwhelming majority of Yemenis voted for Hadi as a new president ending the 33-year long reign of the President Ali Abdullah Saleh,71.

The new President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, was the sole candidate of consensus in exceptional elections viewed by the majority of Yemenis and international and regional community as the only way to rescue Yemen from a civil war.

Mr Hadi, 67, was highly supported by the international community when the two conflicting factions within Saleh's regime failed to end the one-year political crisis to the interest of one side.

Hadi is respected by almost all groups including those who defected from Saleh's regime and joined the youth revolution but failed to have what they called " revolutionary legitimacy" to be rulers.

Much of the respect given to Hadi from all Yemeni is because he is from the south which complains from being marginalized by the northerners.

Hadi served as vice president since after the 1994 civil war which erupted only four years after south and north united.

The last presidential elections was in 2006 when the former president Saleh was elected in an election described by the international community as " reasonably free and competitive" .

After about one year of anti-Saleh protests, Saleh now has gone, but his party and his supporters remain.

His party has 50 per cent of the ministries of the national unity government and his supporters were at least representing 50 per cent of the election turn out all our the country on this week's elections.

Saleh's party, the General People Congress(GPC), has now three operating Satellite channels, Yemen Today, Al Akeek, and Azal.

The vice chairman of the supreme committee of the elections Khamis Al Daini said the turn out " surprised every one".

Only 9 constituencies out of 301, which did not hold elections because of violent acts by those who refused the elections in the south because they demand independence.

The overall turn out was estimated at more than 70 per cent.

The Yemeni political leaders and international diplomats in Yemen described the elections as historic and as the only way to rescue the conflict-torn country from a civil war.

" The February 21st, is a historic day, and it protected Yemen from a civil war," said the UN envoy, Jamal Bin Omar, while visiting some of the polling stations in Sanaa on Tuesday.

"After elections,Yemenis will have a new social contract," added Bin Omar who orchestrated the Saudi-led and US-backed deal that led to such a political solution of the Yemeni crisis.

One day before elections, the former president Saleh called his supporters to vote for Hadi.

" Today, I would say good bye to the power, which should always be responsibility not a privilege," said Saleh from New York where he finished further medical treatments for burns and injuries he sustained in an assassination attempt last June.

Saleh declared he would attend the installation ceremony of Hadi which is expected to be held late this week or early next week.

" Saleh will definitely return and attend the installation ceremony," Saleh's secretary, Ahmed Al Sufi told the Weekly.

Al Sufi expected the installation ceremony to be held on Thursday February 23.

Saleh will return as a good and normal citizen as he always says,

Yemenis final goal not achieved yet:

The establishment of a civil state which protects rights and liberties of every one is the final goal, and changing Saleh with Hadi is the not the final goal of Yemenis.

The protesters in the streets still threaten to continue sitting in their tents until this final goal is achieved.

The 25-year old Mohammed Alwan, said Tuesday he is ready to stay in his tent all the two-year transitional period of Hadi or even more than that if the civil state is not established.

" Today I voted for Hadi, but I would keep staying in the tent until all our goals are achieved," said Mohammed shortly after he voted in a poll station inside the Sanaa university where the protests square is located.

Two big challenges

Before establishing the civil state which every one is dreaming, Yemenis with their new President Hadi need to open a comprehensive national dialogue to discuss and solve all big issues of those who refused the elections such as the issue of Al Houthi in northern province of Saada, and the issue of the south.

The second big thing to be done during the transitional period is the writing of a new constitution on which the would-be civil state will be based. France and Germany are helping Yemenis to write the new constitution.

In February 2014, a competitive presidential election is supposed to be held according to the new constitution. The elected president would set a date for parliamentary elections.

Al-Qaeda announces accountability of killing dozens of Yemen soldiers

2012-02-25T08:49:00.004-08:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi
Over 25 troopers and an elderly woman were killed and dozen others were wounded when a suicide bomber driving a Tia car broke into the main gate of the Republican Palace in Mukalla city in the south east of Yemen on Saturday afternoon, a security and local sources said.
The governor of Hadramout Khalid Said al-Daini affirmed that a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at the soldiers at the gate of the Republican Palace at Fooh area killing at least 20 soldiers while were having their lunch>
Al-Dini said that the investigations are carried on to uncover the identity of the suicide bomber, adding that the car used in the bombing was turned into pieces scattered in the area of Fooh.

Meanwhile a spokesperson of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula told Reuter news agency that their organization was accountable of the blast adding that the attack was in response to the crimes committed by the Yemeni Republican Guards.
The attack occurred on the same day Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi the new president of Yemen sworn in front of the Yemeni parliament as the new elected president.
Hadi in his speech on the eve of the election’s day vowed that fighting and eradicating al-Qaeda was a priority.

Yemen in the aftermath of President Saleh

2012-02-23T06:19:00.003-08:00

By Mohammed Humaid
It is difficult to imagine Yemen without president ali Abdulla saleh. Not that he was particularly good for the country, but simply because for the last 33 years the media have constantly barraged us with his images to the extent that he became a salad that comes with every menu. This was particularly true prior to the age of satellite stations that have invaded our airspace. When satellite first entered our airspace we were led to believe by those who feared for our morality that foreign media would spread indecency and obscenity. It turned out that those fears were at best misplaced and were in fact a pretext to shield our society from interacting with modern ideas.
The inordinate spotlight of the president and relative obscurity of all others reflected the injustice done to the 23 million plus people of this country and goes to show that that our culture is still tied to the middle ages where the leader is viewed as a superman who was born to rule, an omnipotent figure who knows all and knows best.
I remember writing an article marking the 25th anniversary since President Saleh took the reins of power. In that article I intended to give the audience a taste of the President’s past by alluding to his military background and the little political experience he possessed before becoming president and how, in spite of that, he managed to lead the country skillfully. One of my colleagues read the article that was prepared for the radio. I noticed a sudden change in his facial expression. “You can’t broadcast that.” He snapped . When I asked for the reason, he said “You can’t say the President had little political experience. You must say that he exceptionally talented and was destined to lead this country.” I got the point my colleague was making and decided to scrap the program.
One of the problems with long term dictators is that they diminish all possibilities of other leaders to appear no matter how talented they may be . Aspirations of gifted people are viewed as a potential challenge to their authority if they are not sponsored by them. No space for social mobility is allowed through the work process. The only possibility is through subordination and allegiance.
The Arab Spring has changed all that and have cracked the ceiling that used to limit peoples hopes and actions. Now people get a sensation out of expressing their new sense of worthiness , knowing that they won’t be punished any more by laws that were enacted to zip their mouths. This sensation has resulted in a flurry of expressive press articles, talk shows, protests, strikes etc. However, when it comes to constructive actions and taking stance people are still puzzled of what to make of the newly founded space and freedom. They know they have been empowered but are not sure how to put into good use. It’s like someone discovering a fortune but doesn’t know how to spend it Or having excessive energy energy that can either be constructive or destructive.
People have been used for too long of hearing about events that affect their lives but take no part in dictating their outcome. The February 21 elections are a good starting point for people to emphasize their will for change and assert their right to elect a new president. It may be argued that outcome of the elections is already known. This may be true but these elections will be the first time in the history of Yemen to lead to a genuine peaceful transition of power through the balloting box . A high turnout in the elections by the public will send a strong message to the whole world that Yemenis want a united, peaceful, secure and stable country.

Journalist/ economist
Mohammed.humaid@gmail.com

After escaped assassination attempt Baroness Emma Nicholson: Southern Movement couldn’t ban voters

2012-02-23T06:18:00.001-08:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

Member of British House of Lords, Baroness Emma Nicholson has hailed the Presidential elections and described the early presidential election held on February 21 as very successful.

Nicholson said that the Southern Movement failed to ban the southerners from taking part in the presidential elections

On Thursday, upon her departure, Nicholson pointed to the high level of voter turnout in Aden governorate in spite of the boycott calls.

The Baroness also thanked the military and security forces for protecting the people in Aden governorate and for protecting her against the violent acts committed by the Southern Movement’s militants.

Baroness Nicholson and two Yemeni ministers escaped an assassination attempt when some militants affiliated to the Yemeni Southern Movement randomly fired machine guns at a vehicle boarding the Baroness and two Yemeni female ministers in Aden city on Tuesday, said security and local sources from Aden.

The baroness was accompanying the Yemeni minister of human rights Horya Mashhour and minister of state Jawharah Hassan to observe the presidential elections.

Eye witnesses said that unidentified militants fired machine guns at the motorcade of the baroness and that her vehicle was hit by at least 4 bullets.

However security sources affirmed that the Baroness and the two ministers were not hurt.

The security forces fired back at the attackers and forced them to runaway.

Local sources from Aden said that tens of militants affiliated to the Southern movement were deployed to Aden city in an attempt to foil the presidential elections.

The militants fired to the air so as to scare citizens and ban them from going to the elections centers. At least two kids were killed in Aden by the militants.

The head of the security committee of the Yemeni Elections and Referendums Commission judge Saba al-Haji affirmed that the elections were successful and that at least 80% of the voters turned out to the balloting centers to cast their voices. However he said that the elections were halted in 9 constituencies five of the in Dale province, three in Lahj province and one in Abyan province due to disturbance created by extremist militants.

Later on the day local sources affirmed that the Southern Militants forced at least 16 percent of the balloting centers in Aden to close down.

Some other violent events broke out in Shabwa province, and in Hadrmout province where the Southern movement militants clashed with the security forces in an attempt to foil the presidential elections.

Over ten million eligible Yemeni voters are expected to take part in the presidential elections to elect the sole candidate AbduRabu Mansour Hadi as a president of Yemen after President Saleh signed a GCC brokered deal to end the crisis in Yemen.

Baroness Emma Nicholson was head of the EU Commission for Observing Yemen’s Presidential elections in 2006.

She arrived in Yemen last week to take part in observing the early presidential elections to elect Hadi as a president of Yemen.

Emma Nicholson was appointed to the House of Lords in 1997. She is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Human Trafficking and speaks regularly on health care and education in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Nicholson is also the Executive Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council, an organisation which facilitates business and trade investment in Iraq. Between 1999 and 2009 she was a member of the European Parliament, where she served on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Whilst there, she generated controversy through her strong opposition to international adoptions, which she believed had become a market and subject to corruption. The Romanian government implemented legislation to control the practice of de facto adoption as a result, in part, of her pressure.

Nicholson spent a decade in the Commons before gaining elevation to the peerage. For much of this time, she was a Conservative, only switching her allegiance to the Liberal Democrats in 1995 after declaring her disillusionment with the Tories. Before joining the latter party – and quickly gaining the position of Spokesperson for Overseas Development and Human Rights – Nicholson was a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Jack, aiding him at the Treasury (1995), Ministry of Agriculture (1993-95) and Home Office (1992-93). She entered the Commons in 1987 as the MP for Devon West and Torridge. She had previously been vice-chairman of the party and director of fundraising at Save the Children. She joined the charity in 1974 after spending thirteen years working for a computer company, where she was a software designer and systems analyst. Nicholson was born in 1941.

Al-Qaeda attacks Yemen’s balloting centers, gunmen storm elections centers, soldier killed, four wounded in Mukalla, officials said

2012-02-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

By Mohammed al-Kibsi

One soldier was killed and four others were wounded in Mukalla city of Hadramout governorate, an official source said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile Deputy Chairman of the General People Congress party (GPC) Abdul-Kareem Al-Eryani has accused Al-Qaeda and hardliners of the Southern Movement of attacking electoral committees in some governorates.

Gunmen have ambushed the soldiers, as they were removing stones from a street in Ghuaizi area in Mukalla, the source said.

The security authorities are hunting the perpetrators, he added.

Meanwhile, outlaws broke in some electoral stations in two districts of Hadramout, the source said.

The Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER)'s members Saba al-Hajji and Sahel Hamza told reporters that some security incidents were registered in some stations; including a sniping incident killed security individual next to a polling station at the 124th constituency.

In addition to another incident in the 25th constituency, and the four perpetrators were arrested, they added, confirming that "these incidents will not affect the ballot."

The two officials asserted that the ballot forced to transfer the electoral stations of nine constituencies in Dali, Lahj and Abyan governorates.

In a press conference held on Monday evening, Al-Eryani praised the current coordination between GPC and the alliance of the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), pointing out that both sides cooperate for the success of the presidential elections.

He said that the boycott of elections by some parties or groups would not affect on the election process.

According to one of Saleh’s aides Ahmad al-Soufi Al-Eryani is expected to be appointed as a vice president after the elections.

Al-Qaeda militants had killed the head of elections committee and the head of the security committee in al-Baida province four days before the elections day.