Armies of Liberation

INT

Fifteen people were killed when the Yemeni army bombarded a village in an area at the heart of a rebellion by the Zaidi minority against government forces, a tribal source said on Thursday.

The explosion ripped through a petrol station in Souq al-Lail in the northern province of Saada on Wednesday night, setting the station ablaze, killing 15 people and wounding another 35, the source said.

An army official confirmed the incident, saying a number of people were killed and injured.

“The Yemeni authorities received information about an attack led by supporters of the rebellion against shops in Souq al-Lail in a bid to take over the petrol station and stock up on fuel,” the official said.

“Security forces sought to strike the service station to prevent the rebels from seizing it,” he added.

Thousands of people have died since a three-year-old uprising by the Shi’a Zaidi minority resumed in January in Saada, according to various sources.

Hundreds were killed in an earlier rebellion which sought restoration of the Zaidi imamate, which ruled in Sanaa until a 1962 coup by republican forces.

An offshoot of Shi’a Islam, the Zaidis are a minority in mainly Sunni Yemen but form the majority in the north.

Yemen has accused Shi’a Iran of supporting some of the rebels. – AFP

More Sa’ada updates from the YT

SA’ADA, May 30 — Tribal and media sources from Sa’ada reveal that violent confrontations continue to flare between Yemeni army forces and Houthi loyalists in most Sa’ada districts, while official media claim that the army is seizing all of Sa’ada.

Houthis are employing guerilla war tactics in their operations against the army, attacking military camps and barracks for several hours and then moving on to other places.

Sources also mention that Houthis are still seizing four Sa’ada districts, together with numerous strategic high positions, and that the war is still ongoing in Al-Safra district where the fourth Sa’ada war erupted four months ago.

In Al-Salim’s Dammaj area, Houthis attacked Akwn Mountain on Monday, taking it back from the army. They also waged an offensive on central Al-Safra district; however, losses among both warring sides weren’t reported. (Read on …)

Otay, some rocks fell on the storage depot causing an explosion which destroyed the weapons the regime had so proudly displayed to reporters in touting its weapons buy back program. So now we dont have to worry about all those RPG’s, anti-tank missles, bombs and other large and medium weapons being exported, smuggled or re-sold on the black market.

The Gulf States had funded the weapons buy back program.

So the “influential persons” make money when they buy weapons for the military or elsewhere, when they sell them to dealers or the public, when they buy them back from the dealers or the public, and when they resell them again after they are reported destroyed. The same persons can handle a transaction on the same weapon four times. Now thats what I call effective marketing.

SANAA, May 31 (Reuters) – Explosions at a military depot in Yemen on Thursday were caused by a landslide, a Web site run by the defence ministry said. No casualties were reported.

“The explosions at a camp east of the capital Sanaa resulted from rocks falling on old ammunition in a storage facility at the camp located on a slope,” the site, www.26sep.net, quoted a defence official as saying. “It was caused by rain.”

“So far there are no casualties,” said the official.

Fire trucks and police cars rushed to the area. Hundreds of people watched from rooftops as smoke billowed from the depot.

Earlier this week, officials took reporters to the depot to display bombs, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and other weapons bought or seized from civilians as part of a crackdown in the Arab country where arms are openly carried.

Yemen’s cabinet launched a campaign last month to shut down shops selling guns without a licence. It said millions of dollars would be spent buying up weapons from tribesmen.

Which warehouse? Bombs or guns? Its really not funny. I would guess bombs. There was another explosion at a depot in Aden last year. That one was caused by the sun.

The ministry informed the journalists about three warehouses of weapons in the suburbs of the Sana’a containing tens of thousands of weapons of various kinds. The first weapons warehouse contained tank missiles and machine guns, while the second warehouse had different kinds of artillery shells, explosives and mines. The officials at the warehouses refused to reveal any details to reporters on the prices of these weapons that have been collected, just saying that their task is confined to the storage of such weapons.

The Minister of Interior Rashad al-Alimi said that the cost of these weapons exceeds tens of billions, and that these weapons were collected in an effort to implement the decision to collect the country’s weapons that was approved by the government last April.

“The explosions occurred at an old ammunition dump at the foot of Noqom mountain, a few kilometres (miles)” southeast of the capital, the official said, adding that there were no casualties.

double punkification

al-Motamar

HR Minister calls for exposing prejudiced use of religion against women
Wednesday, 30-May-2007
Almotamar.net – Human rights Minister Huda al-Ban called Wednesday on all educational and media institutions in Yemen and the Arab world to take stances supportive to the woman rights in the essential issues and to unveil types of violence directed against the woman. she also called for facilitating impediments blocking the woman rights to political participation in order to establish comprehension of her different issues in addition to improving knowledge of her needs. She also asked for issuing legislations and decisions for her protection and to toughen punishments against practicing family and social violence against her.

That came in the Minister’s speech she delivered at the opening of the regional conference inaugurated Wednesday in Sana’a under the motto “Together to end violence against the woman”. The Human Rights Minister called on all Arab organisations to organize aware campaigns in order to activate agreements on ending all forms of discrimination against the woman and the necessity of deepening mechanisms of coordination among organisations working in the field of woman rights and exchanging information, especially regarding the efforts exerted for developing a system of laws of personal status.
She stressed that these organisations should give especial attention to the issue related to violence against the woman in addition to exposure of the prejudiced use of religion and legal interpretations in an attempt to give legitimacy to lower status of the woman and called to benefit from religious men to open dialogue with trends that are more open and enlightened. She pointed out that all forms of violence against the woman are considered a major cause in tearing off the fabric of the family and a factor to displacement of children and depriving them of the simplest needs of safe childhood.

The Human Rights Minister said” Despite the noticeable progress achieved for the Yemeni woman in the previous years in all walks of life, the human rights of the woman, as is the case for her Arab sisters, remain the weakest aspects of human rights and most fragile because of a historical heritage curbing the woman’s progress towards equality and depriving her of enjoying the relative gains she got.”

The Minister added among the main indicators of the woman exposure to violence is the violence represented by physical violation against young females. She pointed out that present evidence indicates that the Arab woman, especially in the rural areas, is still exposed to many types of social, family and economic violence and it is embodied by the physical harm, early marriage, deprivation of education, preliminary health care services, imposition of duties heavier than her physiological and psychological capabilities although there are relevant legal texts concerning the achievement of justice and equality between the man and the woman. She said protection of the woman against violence is the essential means for removing the difficulties that restrain development of the woman in various social and legal aspects.

In the same context the chairwoman of Yemen Women Federation Ramziyah Al-Eryany said dissemination of the phenomenon of female circumcision in Yemen is attributed to negative cultural accumulations and ignorance of the society of the legal rights of the woman and confusion between the inherited accumulations and the correct Islamic religion texts.

She has also attributed that phenomenon in Yemen to being acquired from the African migrations, citing that by spread of this phenomenon in the coastal regions. She added that despite the Yemeni government efforts for putting an end to this phenomenon it is still practiced secretly in houses without knowledge of health authorities.

On his part the assistant representative of the UN Fund of Population in Yemen Saleh Bi Al-Sheikh said the violence directed to the woman and girls is unacceptable and will not be tolerated, calling all to join forces in order to change the deep-rooted trends that consolidate the phenomenon of female circumcision.

Encouraging

DHAMAR:

Local council insists on firing officials

May 29 — In a Tuesday’s meeting, the local Council of Dhamar governorate demanded that confidence should be withdrawn from four general managers of executive offices for failing to perform their duties and neglecting issues that are part of their job, Al-Motamar.net quoted local sources as saying. More than 60 percent of the Dhamar local council members insisted on the governor to fire the general managers of health, public works, roads, electricity, and tax offices. The sources indicated that the local council representatives began a campaign this year to monitor and evaluate performance of executive offices.

Almotamar.net – Local sources in Thamar governorate said Tuesday that the local council of the governorate demanded in a meeting today to withdraw trust from four directors general of executive offices for failing in performing their duties and negligence of issues that are part of their specializations.

Sources told almotamar.net correspondent in Thamar that two thirds of the local council members presented a demand to the governor of Thamar calling for the necessity of firing directors general of the offices of health, public works and roads, electricity and taxes.

The sources said the 24-member local council began from the begging of this year a campaign of following up activities of executive offices in the governorate and monitor failures in their performance.

Then there’s the Thomas Paine effect:

(YT) ADEN

Power institutions enraged over anonymous brochures

May 29 — Brochures of unidentified sources lashed out at the Aden Electricity Corporation and Al-Haswa Power Station’s administration and accused them of exercising corruption. This enraged both institutions. Al-Sahwa.net reported that tens of workers at the station distributed the brochures in and outside their worksite, and this led the station’s management to investigate some workers in order to identify the brochures’ sources. The brochures accused the Electricity Corporation of establishing an illumination project for its fence at a cost of YR 50 million.

Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ)
For Self-determination to South Yemeni People
www.tajaden.org

URGENT STATEMENT
(TAJ) alerts the international community to the seriousness of the accelerated
incidents in the South of Yemen.

To
The Secretary-General of the United Nation
The President and members of the UN Security Council
The President of European Commission
The Secretary General of the Arab League
The Secretary General and the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council
The world’s leaders and the international and regional organizations
Peace be upon you

The Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ) would like to draw your attention to the
seriousness of the accelerated incidents in South Yemen in general and in the area of
Almahfad- Abyan governorate in particular.

On 22nd May 2007, which is the day of what so called “unification”, the dictator of
Sana’a Ali Abdullah Saleh and his clan were celebrating in the northern city of Ibb
whereas all governorates of the South were witnessing peaceful demonstrations,
marches and political speeches calling for the end of the Yemeni tribal and military
occupation to our country. They held a big meeting in Hadhramout governorate, in the
city of Mukalla where attended representatives from different regions of the South.
The peaceful demonstration in the city of Dhala was repressed by the troops of the
northern Yemeni occupation and used the life shots; also the demonstration in
Shabwah governorate was oppressed by the security forces of the Yemeni occupying
regime and kidnapped the leader of the Reconciliation and Tolerance Committee Mr.
Naser Thabet Alawlaqi and kept him in the custody for 24 hours. The most serious
thing amongst all these incidents are the armed uprising in the area of Al-Mahfad in
the governorate of Abyan, which is led by the retired officer (forcibly) Saeed
Shahtoor calling for the southern rights and end of the Yemeni occupation to the
South. The uprising is continued and developed dramatically indicating to a bloody
confrontation with occupiers.

The protest in Al-Mahfad is a clear proof to what “TAJ” has warned, that if the
Yemeni regime keep ignoring the southern demands and continuing to implement a
systematic discrimination and oppression; no doubt it will lead to an armed conflict,
which has already started in Al-Mahfad.

The Southern Democratic Assembly “TAJ” would like to remind the international
community about our frequent warns during the last 3 years to the serious
consequences due to continuing Yemeni occupation to our country. We have been
raising or concerns about the unaccepted situation before all bodies that we met or
contacted in the Untitled States, Europe, the Arab league, and all the international
organisations.

The Yemeni arrogant military occupation holds the full responsibility for the
deteriorated situation and for the serious results of its practice in the South. This
uprising is the first spark, which will lead to a bloody confrontation between the
southern citizens and the Yemeni occupiers. No doubt this confrontation will not be
between occupiers and the militants and the citizens in the area of Al-Mahfad only but
it will be spread to different areas in the south as the tension now is in its high level
and no one could foretell its results.

The Southern Democratic Assembly “TAJ” would like to draw the attention of the
International community and ask it to interfere and implement the international law in
supporting our people’s cause in achieving the self-determination and have its own
free state. It is the legal and the moral responsibility of the international community
mainly the Arab and Islamic states to break their silence and denounce the Yemeni
occupation that breaches in a wide scale the South people’s human rights, including
erasing their identity, looting their wealth and properties, depriving them of jobs,
freedom and neglecting their peaceful demands.

We keep repeating or call to the international community to implement 924 and 931
resolutions of the Security Council for 1994, and pressurise the Yemeni occupation to
comply with the international law and conventions. The moment that we have warned
of has already come and it will be too late if there is no immediate international
interfere to sort out the conflict peacefully and fairly.
Southern Democratic Assembly
27th May 2007

موقع صوت الجنوب

http://www.soutalgnoub.com

Good news. Now that they are all collected, what happens to the weapons next?

YT

Pressmen and representatives of several local and international media had an opportunity to access three storage facilities filled with a wide range of arms and weapons which were bought from the public in various parts of the country as a part of an arms-reduction strategy carried out by the Yemeni government. The Interior Ministry has arranged a media tour to the three arm stores in a rare opportunity to attend a showcase of the various types of weapons which were in the hands of regular civilians, tribal sheikhs and clans from around the country. Tens of thousands arm pieces with different types including rare brands made including the latest guns made in the U.S. UK, Europe and China were bought” an Interior Ministry representative, who requested not to be identified, said. (Read on …)

MIlitary still bombing Sa’ada

Al-Sahwa

May 29, 2007-Local sources in Saada province have said to Alsahwa.net that 2 of pro-government tribesmen were killed and 5 were wounded by al-Houthi rebels in al-Saifi area, saada .

The same sources asserted that police could check a rebel’s attack which targeted a government centre.

Meanwhile, government artillery bombardments are still ongoing against the rebels in Sahar area.

The aforementioned sources further said that the al-Houthi loyalists blasted a government building in Amer district as a reaction to the government bombardments against their houses.

(Read on …)

One president said they talked about the Gitmo prisoners; the other said they didn’t. And the American lawyers seem to believe Saleh, despite the fact that none of the Yemeni officials will meet with them:

Yemen Times A delegation of 14 volunteer lawyers representing Yemeni detainees at the U.S. detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, traveled to Yemen to meet with President Ali Abdullah Saleh and relieve the worries of the detainees’ families last Sunday. However, the refusal of security and government officials to meet with them made the chance to release the detainees more complex.

All European detainees at Guantánamo have been released, as have most detainees from other countries, while only eight Yemeni detainees have been released. Yemenis comprise the highest number of detainees, at a third of those remaining.

Martha Payner, an associate clinical law professor at Lincoln Square Legal Service representing four Gitmo detainees, two of which are Yemenis, observed, “Several weeks ago, President Saleh traveled to the U.S. to meet with President [George W.] Bush; however, the issues they discussed weren’t made known to the media or to public opinion in America.

When Saleh returned to Yemen, it was reported in the Yemen Observer that he yearned for the Yemeni detainees’ return. He also indicated that he asked Bush during his visit to return the Yemeni detainees.”

In contrast, Bush remarked that detainees remain at the Guantánamo detention center because their governments are unwilling to receive them, naming Yemen as one such government. According to Payner, “Since Guantánamo Bay, Bush has been blaming others via his political lies.”

Saleh’s remarks encouraged the lawyers because it is a support for them; however, it remains words without action. “The main reason such a high number of Yemeni detainees remain at Guantánamo is due to lack of government support. We need the Yemeni government to push the U.S. government and then, consequently, most of them will be released,” attorney Karma Brown observed. (Read on …)