Armies of Liberation

An interesting little article from al-Motamar that doesnt name the organzation that is denouncing the JMP, and the article also states the Houthi rebellion is in favor of colonialist powers. There might be some shred of credibility if the regime picked one external villain and stuck to it, instead of blaming a new foreign power, organization, nation, conspiracy every week

almotamar.net – Members of the Yemeni organization that is anti plucking courage from outside against the homeland expressed their strong condemnation and denunciation against the acts of the stray group in some districts of the governorate of Saada of acts of sabotage in favour of colonialist powers. A statement of the organization said those powers seek to dominate the Arab nation’s riches, wealth and history.

The organization called on the parties of the JMP in Yemen to reconsider their stand towards the events of Saada and to express with a national responsible stance in to bury whatever may provoke sedition and destabilization of the homeland.

from Al-Sahwa:

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hossain al-Ahmer was reelected today, Sunday as the head of Islah Pary by over 4,000 representatives attending the party’s fourth general congress held at Apollo Hall in Sana’a.

The representatives of Islah also elected Mohammad al-Yadomi as the deputy of the Supreme Board of the Party and Solaiman al-Ahdal as the head of Judicial Board of the party .

They will also elect 130 members of the Shoura Council .Over 250 candidates compete for the positions, most are youths.

The fourth conference had discussed in its past session the report presented regarding Islah’s performances in the last two years .

They notified that Islah media don’t fit its leverage as the Yemen’s main opposition Party.

On the other hand, the congress referred a letter raised by the Shoura council regarding the false accusations issued against Sheikh Abdul-Majid al-Zandani by US.

More from Al-Sahwa: (Read on …)

The US has issued a statement of support for the military campaign in Saada. And yes I understand that people shouldn’t take up arms against their own governments. Generally speaking, law and order should prevail and the government should have a monopoly on the use of force.

There are certain issues here that make the issue less black and white:

1- Who provoked, attacked and profits from the violence?

2- Are civilians being targeted by the military, judiciary or media? Has the conflict been publically framed in religious terms? Who are the people arrested? Why has the regime excluded journalists from traveling to Saada and cut the phone lines? What medical facilities are available to the wounded with the roads blocked? How are they eating in Saada? Do the citizens have water?

3- What happened after the election to destroy the relative calm?

4- Why was the amnesty promised yet never fully implemented?

5- Considering there are a variety of Salafi jihaddist groups fighting on the side of the Yemeni state in a conflict that has been framed as a jihad (similar to the 1994 events), does the US offer of support mean that the US is actively allied with terrorists in Yemen? Make my head explode please. Against a Shiite civilian population no less. As part of an ongoing campaign to decimate a culture that includes destroying and burning mainstream religious literature, closing religious schools, and replacing moderate Zaidia preachers with Salafis. And as part of an ongoing campaign to promote a culture which includes President Saleh’s very vocal support and legitimization of “resistance fighters” everywhere, and the Yemeni state’s material support of terrorists including the killers of US troops. I understand its complicated. I understand its like Pakistan. I understand instability in strategically located Yemen is a bad thing and the alternative is everybody fighting everybody else and wider blood shed. Still, its repugnant. Wasn’t there some lesson learned from Afghanistan in the 80’s? Aw well, maybe they’ll find Elbanegh and Badawi up there.

News Yemen: The new development in Saada war is the US official statement its support for the Yemeni army in confrontations against al-Houthi group.
“We support the government efforts to counter such armed group. We are ready to hear and take into consideration a request by the government to offer assistance” said US ambassador to Sana’a, Tomas Krajeski.
We do not support or recognize any armed rebellion against the government of president Saleh,” said Krajeski in an interview with the Army 26 September newspaper, confirming that America is so worried about events in Saada.
We understand that the situation in Saada is extremely bad and that Saada is a very poor part of Yemen. We are ready to support the government’s efforts to improve investment in Saada to develop its economy and give inhabitants some hopes, said Krajeski.
Krajeski expressed hope that fighting in Saada stop soon and that the government could convince “terrorists to put down arms and solve the crisis peacefully”.
Krajeski said that security and military cooperation between Yemen and the United States started five years ago and it would continue as Yemen still wants that.

The Houthis are terrorists according to Krajeski? I thought terrorists employed the tactic of terrorizing civilian populations. I thought terrorists had a global reach. The Houthis are a domestic rebel group. They should stop fighting the government. However, the regime has promised to destroy them completely. The US apparently supports that posture and will assist. I guess the US has a few unicorns of its own.

Even with US military help, things may spiral out of control. Historically, a tide of rising expectations (as created by the election) can turn to increased fustration when those expectations fall short. Hope is itself a dangerous thing:

NY: The followers of al-Houthi in Saada provinces threatened to expand confrontations with the government forces to include other provinces.
Other provinces will also be involved in confrontations with the army troops and more areas of Saaad will also witness confrontations,” a source close to the Shiites leader in Saada, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, told NewsYemen.
More than ten areas of Saada including Al Saifi, Al-Talah, Al Ghabeer, Abkoor, Methab, Al-Jamalah, Al Salim, Al Sofian and Azel of Haidan, according to the source, are witnessing violent clashes.
The source said that Mage planes and helicopters joint last two days in air strikes on many regions of Saada. He said that strikes left “uncountable casualties.”
Despite the source said that many troops were killed, military sources said “the Army is about to put end for the rebellion and encircle the rest of rebels”.
Armed forces could kill many terrorists and arrest many others. Many Houthis also surrendered,” said the military source. “Those who surrendered have admitted that foreign organizations support them to escalate such a mutiny.”

In 2005, President Saleh said he had proof, proof, that the Houthis were supported by a foreign government and he was going to reveal it shortly. Still waiting on the big reveal, maybe its coming soon. Hard to believe its Iran though, considering Yemen’s unwavering support of the Iranian nuclear file and the growing cooperation between the two states.

Wasn’t Jarallah Omar shot during am Islah conference in 2002? The regime is playing its games again.

from From News Yemen: The opposition Islah party held the second session of its 4th conference in an open area after it disagreed with the security authorities over security measures.
We held the second session outside the room to protest the misconducts of security apparatuses which did not do their duty properly, said the deputy chairman of information circle of Islah, Adnan al-Odaini.
The Islah party accused security apparatuses of refusing to protect the conference room. Security authorities said they were not allowed to enter the room to make some security measures.
“They did not give us names of representatives and attendees in the conference and did not allow security forces to enter the room so we decided to protect the room from outside only,” said a security source.

The Houthis are not entirely blameless in this war but a seperate reality is that the the following is all regime propaganda.

The false opposition coalition that is allied with the GPC called the National Council for Opposition (not to be confused with the JMP) and Baath together condemn the Houthis. according to al-Motamar. And al-Motamar is so tricky, tricky that they include the phrase “joint meeting” several times in the article, just to be confusing. (The real opposition coalition, the Joint Meeting Parties, called for mediation and a peaceful resolution, and was roundly denounced by the regime.)

The Yemeni Jews condemn the Houthis according to al-Motamar. (When the 45 Jewish Yemenis got kicked out of their homes, they got put in a hotel, the US called the Yemeni Ambassador to the State Department, and the story was in every Western newspaper. But when the 400 poor villagers in Alja’asheen are thrown out of their homes by a member of the Shoura coucil, they are sleeping tents outside with no one on their side but Allow and HOOD.)

The Union of Popular Forces condemns the Houthis according to 26 September. (This must be the cloned party of the security guard who took over the party’s building in May of 2005 and continues to publish a cloned version of al-Khaiwani’s newspaper.)

This is why I call President Saleh “The King of Spin.” He’s really very good at making a false reality look real.

An article from News Yemen tells the news that the regime hasn’t lived up to its promises to sea captains in Aden. The sea captains’ grievence is the same as the teachers and the doctors and pharmacists: empty promises for more pay dating back to the news wages law “enacted” after the fuel protests in 2005. Bus drivers also held a strike recently.

Also in Aden is the ongoing protests over the digging up of bodies in order to steal a cemetery’s land, a truely low, despicable practice. But land theft is common by powerful people in Yemen. They steal from the living, the dead and the yet to be born.

From News Yemen; Almost 14 Yemeni captains threatened to organize protests to the government’s delay to better their financial status quo and give them legal allowances delayed for along time.
The captains, who are marine guides in Aden harbor, warned they would start frequent strikes next two weeks until the government respond to their requests.
“You know duties we burden and risks we face in our mission, marine guidance, which is the backbone service in Aden harbor to guide ships coming to the harbor everyday,” said the captains in a letter to minister of transportation, Omer Hassan
al-Amodi.
They asked for professional allowances special for marine guides as well as apartments, vehicles and insurances.

From the 26 Septemper News comes the news that Parliament has refered lifting immunity of Yahya Al-Houthi to constitutional committee. This is the same garbage they tried to pull with Hamid in the dispute with al-Shater.

I’ve been reading the statements by Yahya al-Houthi for two years whenever they are published. He’s made accusations against the regime but I dont remember that he ever publically advocated violence or rebellion. Usually he calls for dialog and for the regime to live up to its committments on the amnesty.

They are calling him a “fugitive terrorist” while reports are that real terrorists are fighting for the regime, just like in 1994. But then the regime calls its political opposition “terrorists” all the time to try to impress the West and the US in particular.

This is the article from 26 Sept:

Yemeni parliament has approved the demand of Justice’s Minister pertain to lift the parliamentary immunity on Yahya Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi, a member in the parliamentarians council, and referred it into the committee of constitutional and legal affairs so as to take the fundamentals of this demand.

The Minister of Justice, Ghazi Shayf Al-Aghbari has called the presidency of the House of Representatives to lift the immunity of the fugitive terrorist, Yahya Al-Houthi so that the public prosecution could take legally the necessary measures against him, judicial sources told ” 26sep.net”.

The fugitive terrorist, Yahya Al-Houthi has been charged over forming an armed gang and rousing armed insurrection to not compel bylaw and inviting rebellion on the existing regime and supporting the terrorist acts on some Sa’dah districts, in addition to play a significant role to out of constitution and communicate with foreign countries, the sources pointed out.

The procedures of lifting immunity on Yahya Al-Houthi based on the article (82) of the constitution and article (205) of the internal panel of the House of Representatives.

In the US, if you call a Yemeni a terrorist and yell insults, you get arrested for hate speech, as recently occurred in Seattle. The charge carries a potential jail term of nine months.

However, in Yemen if you call a Yemeni a terrorist and yell insults, then you must be President Saleh.

HE added “It is revealed to what those ignorant and obscurantist were instilled the terrorist and racist ideas which are obsolete and timeworn not believe in democracy, freedom and people’s right in the self-rule. They are quislings sold themselves to Satan in order to damage to the nation and its interests.”

The official media is going wild against the Shiites in general, not just the Houthis.

Armies of Liberation blocked in Yemen

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Your cache administrator is support@yemen.net.ye.

wimps

really I’m very sweet, not subversive at all

Ok back to woik, so what *are* some of the foreign and domestic jihaddist groups allied with the Yemeni military and fighting in Saada against the Shiite rebels you ask.

Reports indicate the following: The Aden Abyan Islamic Army (Nabi), the Jihad group of Tareq Al Fadhli, Abu Hassan Al Masry’s ( Egyptian Jihadists), and the Al-Hamza group (Saudi Jihadists).

When they are finished in Saadah, what are they going to cook up next, I ask.

Yemen in talks for building bridge to Djibouti

sanaa • Yemen is in talks with a Dubai-based company to build a 14km bridge across the Red Sea to the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti, a Yemeni official said. A UAE newspaper said the project, estimated to cost $1bn, could be launched within two months, though it was not immediately clear when it would be completed. “The company and the government are still in negotiations,” a senior Yemeni government official said. “This project, if implemented, will be a main gate between Africa and Asia.” UAE newspaper Al Bayan cited unnamed officials as saying that Dubai-based Middle East Development company was discussing the bridge project with both Djibouti and Yemen, an Arab country on the southwestern edge of the Arabian peninsula. It said the project would span Yemen’s Red Sea island of Perim across the strait of Bab Al Mandib to Djibouti. As well as a motorway to carry cars and trucks, the bridge will include a railway track which will be used to transport goods imported from Russia, India and China to Africa, it said.

Heating up

AS: Local sources in Aden province revealed that the operations of arresting protesters in Tariq cemetery came in light of orders issued by the Political Security Organization in Aden.

The sources said that arrests occurred after some protesters vividly slammed the regime, but the protest’s organizing committee rejected that the protesters had insulted the regime.

Moreover, a statement was issued by the committee denounced the arrests and assaults.

Alsahwa net was informed that Aden court prosecutor issued orders to release the detainees, but the security authorities refused them.

The statement also demanded to free all detainees at once without any conditions.

It also appealed all political parties and civil society and human rights bodies to stand by the protesters.

The security authorities had detained on Thursday 20 protesters in Tariq cemetery who are protesting digging out their relatives graves.

Stealing even the gravesites, how low.

dang

AS: The director of security in Riama province, Ahemed Mothna , affirmed the death of a teacher inside a jail in Bilad Altam .

“There are no details about the death event and we dispatched the criminal investigation director to interrogate” he added.

Moreover, scores of people protested in the province, demanding to unveil the surrounding conditions of the death.

The sheikh, Abdul-Karim al-Brar said that the prisoner’s family rejected taking their relative’s body, conditioning arrival of the prosecution.

Thats so nice:

26 Sept: Thomas C. Krajeski, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Yemen confirmed US support to Yemen through Millennium Institution decision’s for rehabilitating Yemen which is considered to be a clear sign of US help to Yemen.

He told “26sepnet” : The design of President Saleh to confront terrorism and to fight against corruption was impressed by US administration and the white House does not have any doubt about Yemen’s commitment to fight against terrorism.

US ambassador said “MY country follow up that sequence of events in from near Sa’dah, and at the same time we support Yemeni government’s efforts to fight those who confront government, stressing that the United States does not support nor accept any armed rebel against the government of President Ali Abdella Saleh, expressing his hope that the government can persuade the armed rebels to lay down their weapons and to reach a peaceful solution .”

The US ambassador clarifies that there are many opportunities to increase support for Yemen

Chlorine as a chemical weapon…..hmmmm, now why does that sound oddly familiar? Yellow gas clouds and all.

I thought it was interesting that when Saleh went to Saadah for a visit in 2006, he went directly to Suleiman cave, referenced in an article I wrote in 2005 as the location of an alleged chlorine gas attack by the Yemeni military on the Shiite rebels: (Read on …)

Truth, lies, spin and counter-spin, with the telephone lines cut, and the journalists prohibited, there’s no clear picture of what is going on in Saadah.

But (former) AAIA leader Nabi in Saada? Naw, can’t be, last we heard, he was a peaceful farmer:

The official who refused to be identified told Asharq Al Awsat, “The Aden Abyan Army does not exist. Khalid Abdul Nabi had given himself up in the past, President Saleh pardoned him and he is now living as an ordinary citizen and has a farm.”

He’s got to be somebody’s buddy. According to the U.S. State Department’s 2004 Patterns of Terrorism report, “In October 2003, despite repeated statements that [Aden Abyan Islamic Army] leader Khalid Abd al-Nabi was dead, Yemeni officials revealed that he was not killed in the confrontations … Instead, al-Nabi surrendered to the Yemeni authorities, was released from custody, and is not facing charges for any of his activities.”

Is this (currently fighting in Saada) an example of what Aden Abyan Islamic Army leader Ahmed Haidrah Abubakr, a/k/a Abulashaath, meant when he said , “we know that we were imprisoned again only to be used against those opposing the regime.”

Then there’s the “foreign gangs that escaped Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Somalia and Iraq” (along with the exiled Iraqi Baathists) that Yahya al-Houthi said are currently militarily engaging the Houthis in Saada. Well, the Somalis needed something to do now that the ICU was defeated…

The regime has denied it has deployed “fighters” in Saddah.

Some of the last group of government mediators were arrested after they criticized some regime actions and policies. The regime is heighting the tension by accusing the opposition parties of supporting the rebels instead of enlisting the parties’ support. The official media is framing the conflict is sectarian terms and vilifying a broad range of (Shiite Zaidi) moderate society with hate speech.

What a bloody ugly mess.

Update: “Today hundreds of Jihadists from Abyan and Aden been sent to join war in Saddah .”

Foreign and domestic jihaddists and Iraqi Baathists and Wahabbi Yemeni General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar fighting against the Death to American chanting Shiite Houthis who may or may not be receiving support from Iran, oh wait, this week its Libya. Some of the regular units of the Yemeni military, who are primarily (Shiite) Zaidi, are refusing to fight. It must be bad.

The regime denies bombing at all, and civilian areas in particular, but reports persist.

Cue the crickets.

Civilians bombed: IHT.

Update: Apparently yes, the terrorists are going to Saada (again):

YT: In related news, media sources reported that extremist groups from Aden-Abyan Army, whose number wasn’t defined, have headed to Sa’ada governorate to join military units in their war against Al-Houthi rebels. This was timed with the official military’s mobilizing address, which calls for fighting Al-Houthis.

Shoura.net quoted local sources in Abyan as saying that Salafi groups were transferred from Abyan to Sa’ada last Monday to fight with government forces.

The same sources also revealed that groups belonging to Hittat Jihadists, headed by Khalid Abdunabi – coincidentally, groups which fought the army within past years – also have joined army forces after being prompted by an inciting address against Shi’ites in Abyan’s mosques.

Sources referred to last Friday’s sermon in Zingibar’s Al-Toumisi Mosque, wherein the preacher called Shi’ite followers “disbelievers,” along with those who support Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Adopting a blasphemous address against Shi’ites, many government institutions, armed forces and security leaderships, together with the local authority in Sa’ada, last Friday called upon all citizens there – whom they described as nationalists – to fight Al-Houthis.

Additionally, the Ministry of Endowments officially announced that it has distributed more than 300 preachers throughout all Yemeni governorates, including Sa’ada, to eliminate the Houthi sedition. Their sermons focus on blaspheming the 12th Shi’ite and warn about their risks. Minister of Endowments Hamoud Obad accused unnamed Shi’ite nations and institutions of supporting Houthis, noting that Yemen is being subjected to a vast conspiracy.

Abyan’s Forum for Reconciliation and Toleration last Tuesday denounced what it called the authority’s racial and inciting address against major components of civil society.

Published via Shoura.net, the statement assured that “Abyan’s Forum rejects using force to face public demands.” It also pointed out that it denounces the authority’s address, which describes Houthis as a terrorist group.

The Joint Meeting Parties renewed their denunciation of the new upsurge in confrontations between the army and Houthis in Sa’ada. In a statement distributed Tuesday, they also declared their complete readiness to participate in stopping the war and its sorrowful consequences.

They also called upon the Yemeni government and concerned authorities to use all legal and judicial measures to handle security issues. They further denounced politicizing such security issues, calling for treating the consequences ensuing from political conflicts and respecting citizens’ rights.

The previous article also describes ariel bombardment of residential areas and citizens fleeing to the mountains (again). Also resurgent Houthiphobia.

SANAA, 21 February (IRIN) - Residents of the northern province of Saada could soon face a humanitarian crisis as clashes between government forces and followers of the deceased radical Shia leader Hussein Badr Eddin al-Houthi have escalated over the few past days, officials have warned. (Read on …)

A good thing but the farmers are going to need help to transition to another crop, few of which are as profitable and easy to grow as Qat.

SANA’A, Feb.20 (Saba)- In its meeting held Tuesday, the cabinet agreed on carrying out Amran-Assoudah-Al-Ahnoum road project.
The 121-kilo meter long project costs US$ 19, 4 million, supplied by the government and the Saudi Fund.
The cabinet stressed on having necessary law guarantees on carrying out the project before signing the contract to be confirmed that the project will be carried out on accordance to the given specifications and conditions in the period agreed upon.

The cabinet agreed also on decision project submitted by the ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation that banning Qat farming in the agricultural lands, especially Jahran and Alboun grounds to prevent food security dangers.
The cabinet stressed on the role of local authorities in agricultural governorates in implementing this decision and supporting the efforts of the Agriculture Ministry regarding this issue.
The cabinet reviewed also the paper submitted by Combating Money Laundering Committee on the results of the Periodical Meeting of Financial Work Group for the Middle East and North Africa.
The cabinet affirmed forming Observation Committee chaired by the Central Bank governor to prepare for the joint assessment process for Yemen’s efforts in fighting money laundry and terrorism funding.
The cabinet also was acquainted with ministers’ activities on foreign level.
MS/TN

Draft Law Proposed by Parliament

Qat plantations should be gradually dried out, and compensations given to qat farmers for 10 years to replace the lost income from qat, says a new draft law presented by 68 members of parliament last week. The draft law is the brainchild of MP Dr. Najeeb Saeed Ghanim. The draft law is intended to unify the official and public efforts to reduce the widespread abuse of the drug qat in Yemen.
(Read on …)

Trying to link the political opposition to the “stooges who have sold themselves to Satan in order to harm the homeland and its interest,” as Saleh calls the Houthis.

Almotamar.net – An official source at the General People’s Congress (GPC)’s General Secretariat described Wednesday the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP)’s statement on the stand towards the sabotage acts carried out by armed terrorist elements in some areas of Saada as “scandal”.

The source played down the importance of what the statement contained, saying the stance announced in the name of the JMP member parties just implies the orientation of some beneficiary and opportunist leaderships inside the JMP. Those leaderships’ interests and trends are connected to eruption of commotion, adding the statement contradicts the stands of the JMP parties’ bases that align against all that targets the homeland security and stability. (Read on …)

YO

A Saudi company intends to build two big housing and trading towers in Sana’a, at a cost of $150 million, said the Saudi Investment Group. The company said the two towers could be great landmarks in Yemen.

A delegation from the company will visit Yemen in two weeks to discuss the executive procedures for building investment projects, according to the Saudi Iqtisadiya Newspaper.
Tariq bin Laden, Head of the Middle East Development Company, had earlier announced the desire of his company to invest in Yemen by building a full economic city, including industrial, educational and business centers, hotels, recreational facilities, conference centers, tourist centers, in addition to a wharf and an airport.

This city, which would be constructed to receive large number of tourists visiting Yemen, would employ many Yemeni laborers.
These plans are the result of efforts by the Yemeni government to promote Yemen as an investment environment, and as a support for the Yemeni economy.

He’s building twin towers.

PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 31/001/2007

07 February 2007

UA 29/07 Fear of torture and ill-treatment/Incommunicado detention

YEMEN Qursan Ahsan Qursan (m), farmer

‘Abdullah Mohamed Saliha (m)

‘Ali ‘Abdulla Tahoos (m)

Ibrahim al-Huthi (m)

At least 50 others

The four men named above are among at least 50 people detained following clashes between security forces and members of the Shi’a Zaidi community in Sa’da in northern of Yemen, at the end of January. The detainees are reportedly held incommunicado in undisclosed locations. Amnesty International is concerned that they are at risk of torture and ill-treatment and that many of them may be prisoners of conscience, held solely for expressing their conscientiously-held beliefs.

Qursan Ahsan Qursan, a farmer, was arrested by members of the armed forces in the Sala area of Sa’da on 29 January, while celebrating his daughter’s wedding. Two other men, ‘Abdullah Mohamed Saliha and ‘Ali ‘Abdulla Tahoos, were also arrested by members of the armed forces on 29 January. All three are reported to be held incommunicado in undisclosed locations. On 1 February, Ibrahim al-Huthi was arrested by security forces at the airport in the capital Sana’a, when he sought to travel to obtain medical treatment abroad. He is reported to be held incommunicado at Political Security Prison in Sana’a. Ibrahim al-Huthi is the brother of Hussain Badr al-Din al-Huthi, Shi’a Zaidi cleric and former member of the Yemeni Parliament, who was killed in September 2004 during clashes with government forces. Hussain Badr al-Din al-Huthi was an outspoken critic of the US invasion of Iraq

The latest violence is reported to have claimed the lives of dozens of people, including members of the security forces. According to press reports, a number of civilians may have been killed during a bombardment by the military. Amnesty International is concerned if these reports are accurate, those killed may have been victims of excessive use of force, in violation of Yemen’s obligations under international law.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Long-standing tensions between the Shi’a Zaidi community and the Yemeni government were heightened by protests by the Shi’a Zaidi community during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. During and after the US-led invasion, members of the Zaidi community carried on the protests after Friday prayers every week outside mosques, particularly the Grand Mosque in Sana’a, during which they shouted anti-US and anti-Israeli slogans. The protests were invariably followed by arrests and detentions. In June 2004 the government called on Hussain Badr al-Din al-Huthi, one of those leading the criticism of the US-led invasion, to hand himself over to the authorities. When he refused, tension between the two sides escalated into armed clashes. (Read on …)

Keep in mind, many teachers in opposition parties were transfered to distant posts after the election as retribution. Some refused to go. On the other hand, control of the pay to make sure it goes directly to the teachers is a good thing. There’s several good mechanisms here.

YO:

The educational bureau of the capital secretariat sacked 412 teachers this week, said Mohammed Abdullah al-Fadhli, the bureau’s general director. The teachers were discharged after it was proved that they had not been working for almost six months, which is the period required for legally sacking an employee for absenteeism.

This action came as part of the agenda of reform adopted by the Ministry of Civil Service and the Ministry of Education to end the practice of some workers illegally holding two government jobs, and the existence of phantom employees. Al-Fadhly said that his office sacked 361 teachers in December 2006 and 51 others this past January. Furthermore, the educational bureau has adopted a new strategy for paying its employees salaries. From the beginning of January 2007, all the employees of the educational bureau of the capital secretariat and all governmental schools in the capital began receiving their salaries from the CAC Bank after opening credit accounts there for each employee.

“This step will help to verify that the salaries are going to actual employees and not ‘ghost employees’ or other corrupt individuals,” said al-Fadhly. This step also encourages teachers to save money, and helps to ensure that they receive their salaries on time. Once the capital secretariat had adopted these reforms, the Ministry of the Civil Service decided to finally implement the teachers’ pay increase that was promised by the government last September. The pay increase was made effective in September 2006, but the actual dispersal of funds has been delayed.

The Ministry of the Civil Service stipulated that no governorate in the country would receive funding for the teachers’ pay increase until they had adopted and enacted the reform agenda, which included fingerprinting all current employees and getting rid of all dual jobs and sacking all non-working employees. Al-Fadhly, who considers himself “a reformist,” is proud that his educational bureau was the first to implement the reform agenda. As a result, twelve thousand teachers in Sana’a will receive their pay increases this month, at an estimated value of YR 500 million.

However, the teachers union has rejected the salary increase as insufficient, and far below the amount demanded by the union. The teachers union is one of three unions that represent teachers. The teachers union that is affiliated with the Islah party has rejected the current pay increase and is demanding a 200 percent increase in pay. The largest union—the Union of Educational Professions—had called for a strike at the beginning of February, after the salaries for the month of January were released without including the pay increase that both it and the government had agreed to this past September.

The strike was suspended when the Ministry of the Civil Service explained that no state institution would receive the pay increase until it had complied with the stipulations of the reform agenda, which the ministry distributed to all concerned bodies.