Yemen and Libya
Libyan socialite funds the re-organization of Baath Party in Yemen.
In 2006, the Yemeni Baath party split from the opposition coalition and supported President Saleh’s re-election bid. As the following article notes, Yemen recruited Iraqi military personnel in 2003. Later former Iraqi generals were noted particpating in offensives in the Saddah region alongside General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, paid tribesmen, Aden Abyan Islamic Army members and some Afghan Arabs. Reports last year indicated that subverted elements of Yemeni security forces had established training camps for Baathist insurgents. Saddam’s nephew, Omar Sabawi Ibrahim Hasan Al-Tikriti, is wanted by interpol for funding and directing the Iraqi insurgency in Mosul from Yemen. There’s a regular flow of Yemeni youth to Iraq. Some family members of suicide bombers report that they were trained with the assistance of high ranking Yemeni military and that there are safe houses are in Sanaa, which they listed.
SANNA: Libya is seemingly trying to build up momentum in Yemen after decades of “cold” relations. After the failed Nasserite coup against Saleh in 1978, said to be backed by Gaddafi, Libyan-Yemeni relations soured. Libya was also always on the side of ex- South Yemen in its series of wars with Saleh’s north.
President Saleh visited Libya just before elections and news reports indicated that Libya provided a million or two million dollars for his presidential campaigns. Libya was also reported to be supporting Hussein Al-Ahmar, the younger son of Parliament speaker Sheikh Abdullah , to form an opposition party in Yemen after quitting the GPC.
According to the official 26 of September, Said-el-Islam Al-Gaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader is in Sana’a to meet with President Saleh’s son, head of Yemen’s special forces including the anti-terrorism unit, Col. Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss “cooperation in the field of charity between the NGOs that they preside in their countries”.
Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh leads the Al-Saleh Welfare society, while Saif-el-Islam heads “Gaddafi Global corporation for Welfare Societies”. However Mareb press, Naba News and others reported Libyan mediation between authorities and Al-Houthi rebels of Sa’da. Reportedly Gaddadfi is carrying a letter regarding the topic from his father to the Yemeni president.
Exiled ex-parliamentarian Yahya Al-Houthi on Sunday accused Yemeni authorities of provoking more fighting and ignoring the prospect of a “Libyan mediation”. Al-Houthi told the indepndent Mareb Press in a phone interview that Gaddafi’s proposal included release of all prisoners and commitment to President’s amnesty”. Today the opposition and other media announced that all Houthi partisans imprisoned in Sa’da and Hodeida were suddenly released, although numerous amnesty declarations had previously failed to bring about this result.
Arab and Gulf media, and some Yemeni media, recently reported that Aisha Al-Gaddafi, the daughter of the Libyan veteran is funding the re-organization of Iraqi Baath party in Yemen with millions of dollars. Aisha, like her brother, is heading a welfare society of an unknown budget, but said to be immense.The new Baath is formed of those who left Iraq after the fall of Saddam, many of which were granted facilities in Yemen. It is said that the ex-head of Iraq women union (in Saddam’s time) who obtained political asylum in Sana’a, visited Libya twice for this issue. The new organization is reportedly confined to Sunni sect, and not even ex-Baathist Shi’as are allowed in. An unofficial report by Naba news said that Iraqis who entered Yemen in the past two or three years are around 26,000. News by Asharq Al-awsat Arabic London daily said that Yemen is trying to convince the Americans to allow the Baath party a role in Iraq after re-organization. Aisha is a very strong advocate of Saddam Hussein, and had visited him once. She also visited his daughter in Amman recently.
Some media sources said that Saudi Arabia had circulated to its friendly intelligence services in the region a list of names of “significant personalities” paid by Libya including Yemeni tribal figures who visited Libya more than once recently “to disturb security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.” A foothold in Yemen may be a way for Libya to confront Saudi Arabia.
