Armies of Liberation

YT
Amran, June 22 — Last Wednesday the First Court vindicated the person accused of raping Susan M.S. Al-Mudhla’, 19 years old. The vindication of the man came due to the lack of evidence according to the court, chaired by judge Abas Al-Washali, in Amran governorate north Sana’a.

The trial was held while the accused man and the lawyer of the victim, Jamal Al-Ja’bi, appeared in person along with human rights activists. After the release of the verdict, the lawyer of the victim requested the appeal.

Susan Al-Mudhala was subjected to sexual abuse when she was eight years old, according to Tiseer Al-Gabali, a lawyer and a human activist, Susan accused the 55-year-old Nasser Ahmed Zid, who denied the accusation, of raping her.

In a statement, the Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights, which adopted this case, described the verdict as “arbitrary”. The statement also said, “This arbitrary verdict that vindicated the accused man came because the trial lacked the justice conditions.” It further explained that a lot of events were not taken into consideration and witnesses did not attend the trial especially the nurses of Amran hospital to which the victim was taken and where a medical report proved the rape case by the Russian doctor, immediately after she was raped.

This case had a large scale of interest among the public and the organizations of human rights over the year. Before the trial, the Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights was afraid of the court verdict. The forum said that the case had engaged the public opinion and it lacked the fair trail conditions because the prosecution could not bring the witnesses to appear in person which is a negligence that revoked the fairness of the verdict that could not bring justice to the victim.

YT

SANA’A, June 13- For 440 days the order of General prosecutor to investigate Anisa al-Shuaibi’s case is still not put into actions. Al-Shuaibi’s situation is unbearable, “Living unsecured without a family or a friend standing beside you is something agonizing especially once it happened for a woman,” said Al-Shuaibi, who claimed she was arrested illegally and raped by the Criminal investigation unit officers.

In a press release, Hood organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms complained of disregarding Al-Shuaibi’s case for 440 days, though the General prosecutor ordered the investigation with the director of General investigation unit in Sana’a; Rizq al-Jawfi.

Muhammad Naj Allawo, the director of Hood organization said that al-Jawfi will be submitted to the trail of Al-Shuaibi’s case on Sunday 17th of June.

Barman said that referring al-Jawfi to the trail while he is still occupying his job is another violation of the law. He must stop working, before he is referred to the judicial proceedings.

Al-Shuaibi questioned the reasons behind neglecting her case, “All people deserted me even my mother and close friends. Is that because I am asking for my simple rights which is to protect my rights and live in dignity among my family.” “Is it hard for the woman to talk about such issues? Do they want us to keep silent even once they are abused and raped?,” said Al-Shuaibi.

Al-Shuaibi in the previous two months moved with her two children Harun and Ream to three houses hoping to live safely in a place which no one knows her. She came back lastly to her own house because of the dare circumstances she lived in, “For more than five months I have no salary. Even the money for transportation I lacked it,” said al-Shuaibi. Abdul Rahman Barman, the attorney who is in charge of al-Shuaibi’s case, confirmed that al-Shuaibi is threatened everywhere. And, since the accusers are still free and faced no penalty, al-Shuaibi’s situation will be as it is.

Moreover, instead of investigating her case, her salary is cut and there is no a forward step in the case, each responsible person tries to cover the truth and slow down the case, according to Barman.

“The promises of aiding al-Shuaibi and protecting her were a lot at the beginning of the concerned case, however, this call is about to disappear,” said Barman.

Arab News

JEDDAH, 30 June 2007 — Yemeni criminal prosecution decided recently to extend the detention of Yemeni journalist and former editor in chief of the country’s Al-Shoura newspaper, Abdul Karim Al-Khiwani, for another month, according to the defendant’s lawyer Khaled Al-Aansi.

Al-Khiwani was detained last week from his home in Sanaa, dragged in his pajamas from his home by police. Although the state controlled media said at the time that his arrest was based on leaked information that linked him to what has been the terror cell of Hussain Al-Houthi, the editor told Arab News that authorities arrested him based on charges of having subversive material related to ongoing religious tensions in North Yemen.

Al-Khiwani said earlier to Arab News last week in a phone interview, “They (prosecution) told me I was arrested because of (some) CDs about the Saada war.” He was referring to the sectarian clashes in recent months that have resulted in dozens of deaths.

“During the investigation they did not charge him of being involved with Al-Houthi movement,” said Al-Aansi. “The only accusation they had against my client was that he met individuals from that cell who handed him pictures of the ongoing war in Saada. This is a normal thing for anyone who works in the media. He is a journalist and he receives all kinds of information. His connection to a terrorism cell is completely unfounded.”

Al-Aansi accuses Yemeni official of forging a decision to detain his client.

He says a Yemeni court must abide by certain protocols before a appeal to extend the detention of an accused person is approved, including the presence of the accused in this proceeding.

“In the detention extension order it was written that Al-Khiwani was present at court, but that never happened,” said Al-Aansi.

The lawyer objected at the court decision and submitted an objection memo to the General Deputy in Yemen, saying that his client detention is a forged one and thus illegal.

“All these investigations could be easily done with Al-Khiwani as a free man,” he said. “There is no legal need for him to be in prison during the course of investigation.”

Al-Aansi accused officials of playing a role in extending the detention for another month while they mull what to do. The decision was approved on Monday, which would keep Al-Khiwani in jail until at least till the end of July.

The Yemeni Journalist’s Union has strongly condemned Al-Khiwani’s arrest, saying that authorities entered his home without a warrant and confiscated papers and computer equipment, a clear violation of Yemen’s Constitution.

“’He didn’t respect the president’s pardon.’ That’s what the forces told my sister while arresting me,” said Al-Khiwani, referring to a previous incident where the government critic was detained and later pardoned for allegedly subversive criticism of the state.

Really they are quite an amazing bunch.

Yemen Times:

SANA’A, June 27 — Journalists, human rights activists, as well as partisans and women leaders held a sit-in for the seventh time in front of the cabinet in the ” freedom Square” within the frame of the sit-in activities organized by the civil society organizations, protesting against blocking the SMS news services, and calling for releasing the journalist Abdulkareem Al-Khaiwani.

At the commencement of the sit-in, lawyer Khalid Al-Ansi, the executive manager of Hood organization for defending rights and freedoms, requested the audience to make a respected stance for the symbol of freedom, Al-Khaiwani.” Our fresh news this time, in this sit-in, is that Al-Khaiwani is detained,” Al-Ansi declared.

He also said,” We are having victory and we will continue till we achieve our complete demands. Al-Eshteraki and Al-Shora web sites have been unblocked and we will continue holding our sit-ins till the release of the SMS news services of Without Chains and Nass Press, as well as allowing the Without Chains Newspaper to carry on.”

For her side, Tawakul Kurman, the chairwoman of Women Journalists Without Chains, delivered a speech in which she said,” It a pity to have this sit-in held in the freedom Square.” “To call for releasing media means and insure a wide bias for practicing freedom of expression without any violations coincide with abducting Abdulkareem Al-Khaiwani, who is still in the precaution prison without charging him of any accusations.” She added.

“While we are holding this sit-in for the sake of freedom of expression and the right of having its media means, we salute journalist, Abdulkareem Al-Khaiwani, and announce our solidarity with him, considering him one of the pioneers of freedom of expression,” Kurman added. “The good pressmen are being violated, imprisoned, abducted, beaten, and wiretapped all over Yemen.” she elaborated.

However, during the sit-in, Dr. Abdullah Al-Faqeeh, Professor of political science in Sana’a University, said, “The Yemeni regime is portraying the Yemenis to the world to be a people of explosive belts, who are ready to explode themselves, as well as the world, calling the civil society to collate.” Al-Faqeeh also called the civil society to nominate Al-Khaiwani for Nobel Prize in its next turn. He also suggested preparing a letter draft of nomination and contacting the human rights organizations to support the Yemeni nominee for the prize.

He went on to say,” The prevention of having media means in Yemen suggests depriving the Yemenis from taking creative actions and transforming them to consumers of behavior examples and virtues as well as values of others. He also questioned how his regime could allow its citizens to have broadcast channels while it fears from 70 –letters messages.

Its good the issue is being addressed, bad that it’s ten years late, and very bad that it’s still not being addressed sincerely. The heart of many problems in Yemen is nepotism in the military.

From the Yemen Times:

ADEN, June 27 — The Coordination Council of the 18-Civil and Military retirees Associations has declared objection to meet any committees send either by the ministry of Defense or by the interior ministry to discuss their demands. This statement comes after the government decision to dismiss many military employees from the service and forced them to early retirement.

Head of the Coordination Council, Mr. Nasser Al Noobah, has announced the Council’s rejection to discourse with the government represented in the ministries of Defense and Interior unless a presidential decree was issued to solve their problems; “As along as the retirement of those military persons was imposed by a republican decree, so we will not accept any negotiation with the state unless a similar decree was undertaken to solve the problem”. Al Noobah confirmed.

On the other hand, Mr. Al Noobah has renewed his call to the people of the eastern and southern governorates to exercise all possible pressure through their parties, NGOs, and the press to defend their Just cases of which is the forcible retirement decision which was imposed by a political decision.

“In case we agree to have dialogue with state, it will have to be sponsored by an international mediation body as the state proved to be deceitful and unreliable in all accounts, including the frequent presidential promises which also were found fictitious” Al Noobah claimed.

Officially, the harmed retirees demanded in a statement distributed to the press to be fully compensated for unpaid pension period since July, 1994 up to date. They reconfirmed their absolute refusal to any individual negotiation except if the government offers a collective and a just solution that satisfies all the retirees around the country.

The military retirees pledged in their declaration the escalation of their peaceful protest until they got their demands met. Further, they have announced their determination to stage an open sit-in, dressed in military uniforms, at the festival shows area of Khur Maksser in Aden on July 5th, 2007. The statement added that the Coordination Council for War Retirees presided by Al Noobah is the only authorized body for any negotiations. The Retirees’ concluded their statement in calling for the solidarity and support from all political parties and civic society organizations in order to get their rights which the government has denied.

On the other hand, while demonstrations and riots are witnessed in some southern and eastern governorates, one retired army officer, Saeed Shahtoor and his followers are still dwelling at Mahfad Mountains, Abyan governorate, announcing their commitment to their demands and denouncing the state policy towards their issue.

In addition, Al Wassat newspaper reporter located in the area reported that the an armed group of Shahttor aids headed to Jay-shan district to block roads in anticipation for a government attack and that the army car which was taken by them was finally released after tribal mediation took place.

It is worth to mention that since Sharttor resided in the mountains, his armed followers and allies are dramatically increasing in all over Abyan and the nearby areas. This indicates the extend of tension and outrage against the state in these areas especially because that most of Shahtoor supporters are military retirees who got retired during the war of 1994 or those who were deprived of joining the public employment.

Meanwhile, a bomb explosion took place in targeted governmental compounds in Ahwar district led to concrete damage to the buildings and was followed by fire-shooting exchanged between security officers and unknown armed gun men, no causalities reported.

In Lahj governorate, security forces have arrested two people holding large quantities of explosives they were hiding in their car. However, the official response of the state through the defense minister described the retirees as rebels and separatists who are trying to provoke a national disturbance under the so-called demands of retirees which based on unhidden political motivations, according to official media.

“The retirement rule was applied on both civil and military sectors fairly according to the law unlike the baseless accusations of those separatists and sick-hearted people” Defense minister declared according to the military forces website.

Photos here, they are 14 years old. Its infuriating that Ali Mohsen sent little boys to fight his dirty war.

Yemen Times: For the first time since the fourth war erupted in mid-January, Yemeni government authorities allowed a group of representatives from local, Arab and foreign media outlets to visit war-afflicted areas in Sa’ada following an approximate five-month complete media blackout.

I was hoping to visit Sa’ada to see firsthand what has happened there and to what extent the war has affected citizens and the environment there. Certain images ran through my mind and I thought differently about the visit. In fact, I had a different picture of Sa’ada and I thought that Sa’ada locals are happy about the signed peace agreement with Houthis and the halting of military operations.

My dreams began to vanish as soon as we boarded the bus. Despite the fact that I was among my colleagues and therefore, wasn’t lonely, I felt something strange within me, but I didn’t know what it was. There was something dubious, beginning with taking different routes than those decided upon before the trip. At that point, I sensed the mistrust that still exists between both warring sides, despite the formal truce.

As soon as we reached the borders of Sa’ada, the war’s effects were everywhere, as wreckage and ruin were evident wherever one directed his gaze in nearly all of the governorate’s districts. Everything beautiful had lost its beauty and the region’s fruit farms, which used to produce the sweetest fruit, were no exception.

Contrary to my expectations, Sa’ada locals weren’t happy and sadness was evident on their faces, especially those of children and the elderly. Their looks seemed uninviting and somewhat aggressive; however, I told myself that this could be the residue of their bad and catastrophic experiences from the war, which now had stopped.

Shivering and trembling with fear, a young soldier began narrating his story and the scenes of blood and torment he had seen, something his immature mind was unable to understand.

He added that he still feels insecure and he can’t forget the bloody scenes constantly churning in his mind. He remembers his friends’ last calls for help, as well as their blood and their bodies, maintaining that such images will never depart his mind.

Another young soldier, whom I think was just 14 years old, said the Sa’ada war was catastrophic and although he was lucky enough to escape death, he too is unable to forget the scenes of war he experienced when he faced possible death with every passing moment.

He went on to say that Houthis used to take them by surprise and that most of the young soldiers were the victims because they were inexperienced and not trained sufficiently for such battles.

Furthermore, he complained about the toughness of land and the hot sun, as well as the longing for home and family, indicating that local residents received them with an unwelcoming attitude. “They wouldn’t give you a cup of water, even if you were on the verge of death,” he said, describing the attitude of locals toward them.

However, such an attitude can be excused when we consider that the Sa’ada war has destroyed their homes, halted education in their schools – which became barracks for both Houthis and the army – disrupted and ruined their businesses and generally turned their lives into a living hell.

This on the other hand is excellent news:

Finger Print and photo identification system launched in Ibb

Yemen Times: IBB, June 26 — Minister of Civil Service and Social Insurances Khalid Hamoud al-Sufi launched on Monday biological finger print and photo identification system which targets over 45,000 public servants in the governorate within 29 units of public and mixed sectors.

Al-Sufi told media outlets the implementation of finger prints and photo system aims to improve the performance of the general administration in Yemen as well as creating a capable administrative system.

He added his ministry’s priorities include terminating the existing randomness, job duality, and other wrong acts.

This statement really says alot. Theres a lot not said. But the bottom line, as before is no food, no medicine, no shelter for tens of thousands of Yemenis in Sa’ada. The Yemeni Red Cresent is not exactly impartial I read somewhere, but food for anybody is good.

Yemen: ICRC activities January to May 2007
In the Sa’ada region of North Yemen, confrontations between government forces and the Believing Youth resumed in January 2007. The fighting often takes place near inhabited areas. As a result, thousands of families were forced to leave their homes in search of safe haven.

An ICRC team is based in Sa’ada, and works in partnership with the newly established Sa’ada branch of the Yemeni Red Crescent Society (YRCS). The ICRC/YRCS teams aim to ensure that the most urgent needs of those affected by the fighting are provided through distribution of emergency supplies.

Humanitarian consequences of the armed confrontations in the North

One of the major consequences of the confrontations in the North has been the large number of persons driven from their homes in order to flee the fighting. Approximately 3,500 to 5,000 families are staying either in Sa’ada city and its surroundings or in areas to the North close to the Saudi border. Others have taken the difficult decision to stay in their villages in order to safeguard their homes and property and are left fearing for their lives.

The population of the Sa’ada region depends mainly on crops, herds and commerce for their living. As a result of the confrontations, these essential activities have been seriously disrupted, mainly due to restrictions on movement that leave internally displaced persons (IDPs) with limited means to cope with their current situation.

The ICRC in partnership with the YRCS is addressing the most urgent needs of the displaced and the residents who are giving them shelter.

Access to medical care has also been disturbed due to the confrontations. Medical personnel fearing for their lives were not able to reach health centres in areas where the fighting took place. In addition, exposure to wind, rain and heat further complicates the precarious living conditions of the displaced people, both for those staying with host families and for those grouped in different locations where they stay in tents provided by the ICRC/YRCS teams.

Access to food is becoming a problem in areas where movement is restricted as a result of the fighting. In urban areas, the increasing cost of basic materials such as food and fuel makes it even more difficult for the population to cope with the current situation. Many families have left their homes with just a few belongings that could help them in the short run. Given the enduring nature of the confrontations, those families will be dependent on humanitarian assistance to ensure acceptable living conditions.

The ICRC, through its dialogue with the parties on both sides, underlined its concern about civilians affected by the fighting, in particular by looting of their personal belongings, restrictions on movement and difficult access to medical services. Under international humanitarian law (IHL), people not or no longer taking direct part in hostilities must be protected and respected. The law also prohibits the destruction of water supplies, foodstuff and other items essential for the survival of the population.

Due to security constraints, the ICRC had limited access to the region, restricted to Sa’ada town and surrounding areas, including some IDP groupings. However, the YRCS had larger access to the affected areas.

Assistance

Emergency assistance in favour of displaced persons in the North

From February to April 2007, the ICRC and YRCS provided emergency assistance to over 23,400 displaced people.

15,960 displaced people staying in Sa’ada city and surroundings areas received 699 tents, 1,447 tarpaulins, 16,533 mattresses, 17,916 blankets, jerry cans, washing soap and hand soap;
7,490 displaced people in Mahjar Achmas, Al Masaiba, Al Daira, Al Nawaz, Al Daquaeq, Al Ammar, Al Mahadir, Al Salem, Akwan, Bani Oer, Damaj, Mandaba and Al Asghool received 266 tents, 330 tarpaulins, 7,674 mattresses, 7,674 blankets, jerry cans, washing soap and hand soap.

Emergency medical care
At the outset of the fighting, the ICRC supplied first aid kits to six health centres located in the fighting zones, and wherever needed the ICRC/YRCS provided medical personnel to help treat the wounded. Three of these health centres treated a total of 140 wounded in February. This figure is in addition to the treatment of sick IDPs who were not able to reach other medical facilities due to restrictions on movement.

Addressing medical needs of sick IDPs

For the population, access to medical care was hampered by the ongoing armed confrontations in the North. The ICRC/YRCS team provided medical care in locations such as Al Anad, Mahjar Akhmas and Al Ammar, where over 5,200 displaced people had gathered.

Two YRCS medical assistants were able to treat up to 380 cases of sick IDPs, an average of 20-30 cases per week. For urgent emergency cases, the ICRC referred sick IDPs to the republican hospital in Sa’ada town and covered the cost of the medication.

Water trucking and sanitation

Since February 2007, the ICRC addressed the IDPs’ urgent needs for clean drinking water.

In Al-Anad, where 1,500 displaced persons are present, the ICRC/YRCS installed four water tanks to cover their daily needs. These tanks are filled three times a day. In addition, 24 latrines have been constructed to serve the sanitation needs of the population, 12 of these are reserved for women only.
In Al Salim over 400 displaced persons did not have access to clean drinking water. The nearest water points were located 5-10 km away. Accordingly, the ICRC/YRCS organized water trucking to this area.
In Mahjar Akhmas in Al Saifi area, four water tanks were installed to the benefit of 550 displaced people.
Assessments and evaluations of the water situation in other areas where displaced people are present such as Al Sahn and Mandabah were carried out with the aim of addressing their needs if any.
Restoring family links

ICRC tracing services help asylum seekers and refugees in Yemen to locate and restore contact with family members in their home countries, mostly in the Horn of Africa. They also enable Yemeni families to restore and maintain ties with relatives held in U.S. detention facilities in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Significant numbers of Yemeni families and Iraqis living in Yemen have been able to locate and re-establish contact with relatives in Iraq through ICRC tracing services.

35 tracing requests were filed during the period under review; among them 11 persons were located and 77 are still being sought;
1,449 Red Cross messages (RCM) were exchanged between refugees in Yemen and family members in their home countries;
315 RCM were exchanged between Guantanamo internees and their families in Yemen;
67 RCM were exchanged between families and persons detained in relation to the conflict in Iraq and 17 RCM between families and persons detained in relation to the conflict in Afghanistan.

Detainees

In many countries and with the specific mandate given to the ICRC, its delegates are visiting prisoners of war and other detainees. In Yemen, the ICRC aspires to visit detainees according to ICRC standard modalities. A dialogue is currently taking place with the Yemeni authorities regarding access to all places of detention in Yemen.

six detainees were visited by the ICRC after their transfer from Guantanamo Bay to the Political Security detention centre in Sana’a.
Vocational training for women in six central prisons continued to be successfully implemented in partnership with the YRCS. The project aims to build the capacities of detained women in the fields of literacy, sewing, weaving and needlework in Mahaweet, Hodeida, Dhmar, Amran, Aden and Hajji central prisons.

ICRC/YRCS activities in Sa’ada 2005-2006

3,500 people were assisted in 2006 following an assessment in the area. A joint team consisting of three ICRC staff members and 14 YRCS volunteers provided IDPs with 2,000 blankets, 2000 mattresses, 500 tarpaulins, kitchen utensils, cooking stoves, gas cylinders and soap.
Five health centres in areas that were affected by the fighting were provided with first aid material.
The ICRC and the YRCS assisted the inhabitants of the Marran area in Sa’ada governorate in June 2005 when a joint team distributed water filters and provided construction material for the repair of 84 ponds that were damaged during the fighting in 2004.

Sana’a, NewsYemen:

The Yemeni security could arrest two persons suspected of kidnapping the son of the financial officer of the Libyan embassy in Sana’a, a security source told NewsYemen.

The source told NewsYemen that investigations have revealed that the kidnappers have relationship with the Libyan financial officer, his son and some officials of the embassy. It said that the kidnappers used to contact officials at the embassy to favor the latest get some information.

The kidnappers have admitted they had kidnapped the son of the financial officer of the Libyan embassy after a disputed occurred between them.

The source said the search is ongoing to place the son and arrest other kidnappers.

Tribes performing unexplained services for Libya.

SANAA, Yemen: Armed Yemeni tribesmen have kidnapped the son of a Libyan diplomat in Sanaa, and demanded a $4mn ransom for his release, security officials said yesterday. The officials said a group of tribesmen belonging to the Bani Dhabian tribe snatched Hafidh Jebreel al-Awami, 23, from outside his home in Sana’a and took him to a mountain hideout in the Khawlan area, about 100kms east of Sanaa.
The kidnappers called the embassy and demanded that $4mn should be paid as a ransom for the release of the son of the embassy’s financial officer, Jebreel al-Awami, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified.
They said the abduction took place on June 16. A dispute between the tribesmen and the embassy on payments for unexplained services for the embassy they had allegedly carried out was behind the kidnapping, they said. – DPA

480 candidates were originally submitted, the Shura council threw out most of them. JMP walks out.

Sana’a, NewsYemen

The Parliament members, 158 out of 301 members, elected on Monday the members of the National Anti-Corruption Authority after suspending election for weeks.

According to the vote of the Parliament, majority of which affiliate with the General People’s Congress, the results were as follows:
Ahmad al-Anisi, Bilquis Abu Esba, Mohammad al-Matari, Abd Rabu Jarada, Yasin Abdu Saeed, Sadaddin bin Taleb, Ahmad Qerhash, Ezaddin al-Asbahi, Mohammad Sanhob, Obeid al-Hamar and Khalid Abdul-Aziz. All of them belong to the ruling General People’s Congress Party.

Parliamentary blocs of opposition parties withdrew from the vote protesting to the vote measures, which they described as “illegal”.

Head of Islah bloc Zaid al-Shami, who read the joint statement of Joint Meeting Parties before leaving the session, said that the committee in charge of checking out documents of candidates for the authority membership has found that some documents have been incomplete as those candidates have not given a good conduct recommendations from their employing offices to prove their candidacy. “This was the most important condition of nomination,” he said.

He added that this condition is meaningless for some candidates “because they are either undersecretaries of some ministries or deputy governors”. “It is normal that they get testimonies of good conduct from their employing offices”, said al-Shami.

Al-Shami advised the Parliament leadership that persons who are supposed to fight corruption must have full desire to do so.

“We know some of these candidates have not desire to fight corruption simply because they do not believe they is corruption to fight and they have statements in this regard,” said al-Shami.

He said the options before the Parliament have become very limited after the Shoura Council abandoned personalities known for their honesty and power to face corruption.
Yemen has hundreds of personalities who can really fight corruption, not only tens, said al-Shami.

According to al-Shami, the candidates whom the Parliament voted for were only 24 and that 22 of them have complete documents.

Al-Shami concluded reading the statement as saying “we, opposition parties regret for being unable to choose the anti-corruption authority members”.

“The way of voting reflects carelessness about fighting corruption which kills Yemenis everyday. In this way, we lose five-year-ahead chance to fight corruption threat,” said al-Shami.

The deputy chairman of Yemeni Socialist Party’s parliamentary bloc Mohammad Saleh said the Joint Meeting Parties blocs decided to leave the vote session after they had found some violations in the way of choosing the candidates.

“We have boycotted the vote due to our believe in the great role the anti-corruption authority must play,” he said.

The MP Abdul-Karim Shaiban has ruled out that the authority could do fight corruption and said that it would only burden the state’s budget more expenses.

“The Parliament members who burden the state’s budget four billion rials could not present even one corrupt to justice and the reports of the Central Organization of Controlling and Auditing are always neglected by the Parliament”, said Shaiban.

Shaiban said that 480 candidates have submitted their files to the Shoura Council which supervises the anti-corruption authority, but the Shoura threw out important and well-known personalities and kept personalities of one affiliation.

The article (9) of the Anti-Corruption Law stipulates that the Anti-Corruption Authority should have representatives of Yemeni NGOs, private sector and women organizations. The same article gives the Shoura council the right to raise the Parliament a list of 30 candidates who have met the conditions of nomination.

According to law, the elected anti-corruption authority continues for five years before electing a new one.

AFP:

A man charged with distributing false documents claiming Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were funding a terrorist cell to target tourists in Egypt went on trial in the Yemeni capital Tuesday.

Yemeni Hamad al-Thahouk, 50, contacted an employee of the Egyptian embassy in Sanaa in March and asked for money in return for documents stating Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were financing a cell in Yemen, the prosecution said.

The documents stated the cell was preparing, with the permission of the Yemeni government, to travel to Egypt to target tourists.

“Thahouk … aimed to unlawfully pass on false and misleading information about Arab states,” the prosecution said.

The judge adjorned the trial until July 10 for the defence to prepare its response.

more:

SANA’A, June 26 — Hamad Ali Al-Dhahook denied the accusations, related to contacting a number of unknown Arab countries to harm Yemen’s interests, last Tuesday.

Al-Dhahook, 50 years old, refuted the accusations in the first session held by the Court of the National Security Issues. The accusation resolution was cited by the representative of the General Prosecutor, Hamoud Ishaq, to the trial court headed by Judge Najeeb Al-Kadri. The resolution said, ” On March 7th, Al-Dhahook tried to contact one of the employees in the Egyptian Embassy in Sana’a to convey false information about Arab countries; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well as other gulf countries, pretending that these countries support and train a terror group in Yemen so as to be sent to Egypt to carry out terrorist acts targeting to harm the tourist sector.”

The resolution indicated that Al-Dhahook submitted some documents to one of the employees in the Egyptian embassy in Sana’a. These documents contain information which indicate that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia support terrorist elements in Yemen to attack the tourist sector in Egypt. Al-Dhahook demanded some amount of money in return for that, according to the indictment.

The representative of the General Prosecutor, who pointed out that this act aims at harming the Yemeni political and diplomatic relations with other countries, requested to punish the accused severely.

However the court decided to postpone the case two weeks from now to enable the Al-Dhahook’s lawyer to have the case file in order to enable the General Prosecutor raise the evidences.

Update: 6/30

Almotamar.net - The Specialised Penal Prosecution finished Saturday interrogation with another a person accused of contacting an Arab state and who is in relation with another previous Yemeni defendant who stood trial last Tuesday in the capital Sana’a.

A court source told almotamar.net the new defendant is a government employee and was arrested over information given by the previous defendant Hamad Ali Hamad al-Dhahouk who was last Tuesday faced a charge of giving false information to the Egyptian embassy on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait offering support to terrorist elements in Yemen to strike Egyptian tourist facilities and violation of the Egyptian security under allegation of the Yemeni knowledge about that.

The source added that investigations that began last Wednesday have been completed and the defendant will stand trial in a short time at the same court where al-Dhahouk was tried and on the same charge.
The first instant section at the penal court had fixed next Tuesday a date for holding a second sitting for trying the main defendant al-Dhahouk in response to request from the prosecution and lawyer of the defendant for presenting evidence and photocopying the case file.

Al-Sahwa

June 23, 2007 –The Yemeni authorities have arrested 4 soldiers in al-Safra district, Saada, under charges of smuggling weapons from a military camp in Saion, Hadramout province.

They said that the security officials followed up the suspects to Marib governorate and found that they had 4 vehicles carrying weapons.

The local sources also said that Saada province witnessed calmness in the wake of the agreements reached between the government and the al-Houthi rebels under a Qatri mediation.

Thats not how the story is written but thats what happened:

Almotamar.net - A local source in the governorate of Shabwa said Tuesday a mediation committee has been formed including members from the local authority and sheikhs succeeded in containing a problem happened the day before yesterday between emergency policemen and gunmen from the tribe of Lakmoush.

Stating to almotamar.net the source added that the mediation committee chaired by Sheikh Faarid al-Awlaqi and a number of Baihan area sheikhs managed to calm down confrontation and there is at present negotiation with sheikhs of Lakmoush for holding a tribal meeting to settle the problem.

Confrontations erupted the day before yesterday between gunmen from the tribe in Shabwa and members of security checkpoint resulted in the killing of two troops and one civilian and the injury of eleven others, including a number of citizens.

Incorrecto. What game is the regime playing now?

YT

In related news, Bahraini Interior Minster Gen. Rashid Abdullah Al-Khalifa noted that his ministry has received no information about any Bahrainis involved in supporting Houthis in Yemen.

Responding to Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi’s statement regarding Yemen having material evidence of such groups’ involvement with Houthis, Al-Khalifa said his government is contacting the Yemeni side to learn the names of the alleged Houthi supporters.

He stressed that his country will investigate any individual or group providing such support, if proven, noting that Bahrain is keen not to interfere in other nations’ affairs.

Al-Qirbi told media outlets that some groups in Bahrain support Houthis; however, he declined to provide further details.

Bahrain to question anyone with links to Houthi rebels
By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
Published: June 23, 2007, 00:05

Manama: Bahrain’s interior minister yesterday pledged to question any Bahraini suspected of links with the rebels in Yemen.

“We are not currently aware of any information about Bahrainis supporting the rebellion in Yemen, but we are ready to probe any person or group of people who could be with the Houthi rebels,” Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said in a statement to Al Ayam newspaper.

The minister was reacting to a statement by Abu Baker Al Qorbi, Yemen’s foreign minister, who on Tuesday said that his country had evidence that groups in and around Iran as well as non-governmental groups in Bahrain had offered support to the Houthis, the Shiite rebels in northern Yemen.

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But Al Qorbi, who mentioned the alleged support from Bahrainis in press conference in London, refused to give more details, saying that the Yemeni interior ministry was overseeing the issue.

Non-interference

Shaikh Rashid said that Bahrain had sought information from the Yemeni authorities, mainly about the names and identities of the Bahrainis allegedly supporting the Houthi rebels who have been battling since 2004 to restore the Zaidi imamate which ruled in Sana’a until 1962. An offshoot of Shiite Islam, the Zaidis are a minority in mainly Sunni Yemen, but form the majority in the north.

“We wish to stress the keenness of Bahrain not to have any of its citizens interfere in the domestic affairs of our brothers in Yemen or in any other country,” Shaikh Rashid said.

Bahrain and Yemen in September 2005 signed an agreement on security cooperation and intelligence-sharing in the war on terror. The accord covers cooperation on fighting terrorism and organised crime and the extradition of wanted terrorists.

Manama : A Bahraini delegation of security personnel is currently visiting the Yemeni capital Sana’a to investigate alleged support by some Bahrainis for local separatists, the “Al-Ayam” daily said.

The head of the delegation, the deputy chief of public security, Brigadier General Tariq Mubarak Bin Dinah, has held talks with Yemeni Interior Minister Rashed Mohammad Al-Alimi, the newspaper said in its edition published on Wednesday.

A security source who requested anonymity said the Yemeni side provided the Bahraini delegation with “sufficient information on the issue,” the paper reported.

The Yemeni side affirmed commitment to security cooperation between the two countries with regard to exchange of information and experience.

Bahraini Minister of Interior Sheikh Rashid bin Abdallah bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa recently said that Bahrain is ready to interrogate any Bahraini citizen or authority, suspected of supporting the separatists, Al-Huthi family.

His statement was in response to previous statements released by Yemeni officials, saying that some Bahraini groups supported these separatists.

YO

The Ministry of Information plans to allow private ownership of television and radio channels, said Minister of Information Hassen al-Lawzi this week. “This law will eliminate the state control of the radio and television, and give private institutions the possibility of investing in radio stations and television,” he said. The new law will also establish guidelines for the electronic press, he said. Highly placed sources in the Ministry of Information said that the new law will be the subject of consultations with all interested parties, particularly the Yemen Journalists Syndicate, to create the best formulas to reflect the evolution of press freedoms in Yemen.

(Read on …)

SANA’A, June, 23 — President Saleh has issued last month his directives to the Cabinet to start negotiation with the Hong Kong based company, Hutchison Whampoa ltd. to operate Aden Containers Terminal.

The directives came after 2-years of dispute and severe criticism by independent and opposition bodies over the lack of transparency in contracting the Dubai Ports International Company (DBI), which won the tender of operating Aden Container Terminal in December, 2005, under the previous government for the period of 25 to 30 years.

Sources mentioned that president Saleh has approved the third choice within a list of alternatives was submitted by Prime Minister Mujawar, in order to sort out the Aden Container Terminal issue.

Last month, Dr. Mujawar, has enclosed in his letter to the President the outcomes of the last negotiations with DBI along with four alternatives from which the president selected to go for the Hong Kong based company, which transfers 50 million containers per year, while DBI transfers 8 million containers per year.

According to Al Nedaa newspaper, Dr. Mujawar explained that the Chinese company has applied to the tender but withdrew for unknown reasons. “It’s better to open the door in front of all interested reputable international companies including DBI and transparently analyze their applications and select the best offer” the Prime Minister pointed out in his letter.

The four alternatives that Mujawar’s letter included were; accepting the last offer by DBI which speculates that Yemen shall receive 50% of the pure profits, but he warned that selecting this choice is against the tender conditions and the criteria, which were announced, will hold Yemen responsible before the two competing companies.

The second choice was to cancel the current tender and re-advertise for a new tender but again he stated that Yemen would risk its reputation in the event of a new tender. These risks represented in the unlikely chance to get better offer than what the three current companies offered and the negative role that DBI may play as a result of canceling its application.

The third choice which President Saleh approved was to start negotiation with the Chinese Company. However, the fourth choice was to cancel the current tender, therefore, the government undertakes the implementation of the first construction phase with a capital of USD 120 millions as state-financed or through loans from national banks.

It is worth mentioning that the DBI Company has involved in a hot competition with other two companies, one of them is Kuwaiti company, before wining the tender after which it received a wide media criticism by local press. As a result, the government has transferred the whole agreement to the parliament to be ratified. Sources also confirmed that the presidential decision to abandon the agreement with DBI comes to avoid the tension of the press and the public due to the obvious defects in the agreement.

Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) is the world’s leading port investor. It operates Africa’s, Middle-east’s, America’s, Asia’s, and Europe’s busiest ports, handling more than 13% of the world’s container traffic.

Additionally, it operates ports in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Tanzania, among other locations in the world, bringing its worldwide total of ports to a staggering 136.

He is calling the government’s fight in Sa’ada one against the mujahadin? No the fight in Sa’ada was against the Shiite rebels, which al-Qaeda would not normally term as “mujahadin” but rather rejectionists. Maybe MEMRI inserted that since it is in brackets, because it makes no sense. This guy is urging the jihaddis not to cooperate with the Yemeni government, denies there is talks between the two and complains about corruption.

If it is authentic, it shows the impact that the escape is continuing to have. Also that there is a rift between those who accept regime accomidations and those who dont.

MEMRI: Commander of Al-Qaeda in Yemen: Jihad in Yemen Will Continue Until the Last Crusader is Expelled From the Arabian Peninsula

On June 20, 2007, Islamist websites posted a 21-minute audio recording by Abu Hurairah Al-San’ani, a commander of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, [1] in which he denies reports that his organization is holding talks with the Yemeni government.

Al-San’ani first states that it was the top commander of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, Nasser Al-Wahaishi (nicknamed Abu Basir), who ordered him to deny these claims. Next, he says that those who collaborate with the Crusaders in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Saudi Peninsula repeatedly try to persuade the mujahideen to negotiate with their enemies “in order to rescue the Crusaders from the dead end into which they have gotten themselves… and in order to extinguish the flame of jihad… but Allah has protected our brothers from this pitfall which leads to hell.” The jihad fighters, he adds, have been advised to turn over a new leaf by stopping their jihad and turning themselves in, but they will not. Rather, jihad will continue until the last of the infidels is expelled from the Arabian Peninsula - especially since victory is near, and the president of Yemen “is now breathing his last [breath] after his battle [against the mujahideen] in Sa’dah and [due to] his government’s corruption.”

Finally, Abu Hurairah calls on the jihad fighters to join ranks, and not to be tempted to cooperate with the Yemeni government, because “today, both East and West are terrified of the jihad fighters, so there is no need for concessions… [Jihad] is the command of the hour [and will continue to be] until the day of judgment.”

[1] Abu Hurairah Al-San’ani is one of 23 Al-Qaeda members who escaped in February 2006 from the Political Security prison in Yemen.

This guy: Aarif Saleh Mujalli alias Abu al-Laith al-Sanaani and Abdul Bari?

Or Cole bomber, #13 on the following list from the Yemen Times in 2004:

The US has always demanded the delay of the tribunal so as to collect more information on the case, uncovering the real perpetrators and masterminds of the incident that caused the deaths of 17 and injury of 39 US citizens.
The prosecution requested on Sunday that the court give it one month to complete their investigations and the interrogation of the suspects. Political observers said this request spells out the difference between the US and Yemeni sides.
A delegation representing the US Department of Justice and the FBI arrived in Sana’a last week to take part in the investigations and tribunal of the suspects.

The 15 suspected terrorists on trial
1-Omar Saeed Hasan Jarallah, alias Ibn Hafidh, 26
2- Fawzi Yahia al-Hababi, alias Abu al-Shaheed, 26, jobless
3-Mohammed Saeed Ali al-Amari, alias Abu Gharib al-Taeezi, 25, jobless
4-Fawzi Gharib alias Abu Musab al-Taeezi, 24, student
5-Yasser Ali Salem (still at large)
6- Fawaz Yahia Hasan al-Rabee
7-Abu Bakr Yahia Hasan al-Rabee, 26
8-Hizam Saleh Ali, alias Mujali
9- Ibraheem M. Abduljabar, alias Abu Zaid, 25
10-Mohammed A. Ahamd al-Dailami, 26
11-Saleem Mohammed Ali al-Dailami, 25, teacher
12- Abdulghani Ali Hussein, alias Jaber al-Sanani, jobless
13-Kasem Yahia Mahdi, alias Abu Hurairah al-Sanani
14- Khaled A. al-Jalob, alias Abu Muslim
15- Aref Saleh Ali Mujali

Al-Motamar quotes Saleh about terrorism:

In his interview to the French TV 5 and YTA channels president Saleh affirmed that Yemen achieved success in fighting terror and “We can say we have controlled terrorists attacks but despite of that a terrorist act happens e very now and then but our security apparatuses are awake and control the situation well.” He added,” Besides the security aspect we have conducted dialogues with young people who were deceived and were influenced by ideas of terrorist organisations and we have rectified the wrong ideas put in their minds. Thus many of them returned to the right course and moderateness at a time there is a number of terrorist elements hiding and at large for fear of justice and security authorities are chasing them.” Nevertheless the president expressed concern over the increasing danger of terror as a result of joint international efforts in fighting terror and all causes and factors feeding terror.

The president mentioned that he had confirmed more than once that before going to fight terror there must be beginning in drying up springs of terror, clarifying in this regard that there should be a combat on poverty and unemployment because extremist elements take advantage of the unemployed youth in some areas where poverty spreads especially in the non-democratic countries.

President Saleh added that Yemen supports the efforts of fighting terror and that it is partner with the United States of America, the European Union countries and other world countries, whether those that have been exposed to terror or have not.

The Executive Committee of the Southern Democratic Assembly “TAJ” has held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the serious developments and events that the occupied South has recently experienced due to the abusive practices that the Yemeni troops have been committed against the people of the South since it was fallen under the occupation in July 1994. Since 22nd May 2007 the South has been witnessed a big turn in its struggle from the peaceful to the armed struggle against the occupation. The South is witnessing a wide marches, strikes and armed conflicts due to the violence that the Yemeni troop is used against the people of the South. (TAJ) has evaluated the situation and issued the following communique: -

First: - “TAJ” greets our southern active people for their heroic, wonderful attitude and for their steadfastness against the escalated aggression that has been committed by the Yemeni occupying forces. It salutes all these heroic and spirit struggles of our people. It considers their struggle and considers it as a legal and self defence acts and highly appreciates the sacrifices of our martyrs from the governorates of Shabwah, Abyan, Lahj and Hadhramout who are innocent victims murdered by the occupation.

Second: - “TAJ” condemns all daily crimes of murders that were carried out by the Yemeni occupying forces against our people in particularly heinous crimes, which were occurred in Shabwah at the military point of AlAbr and at other military points- points of murder and humiliation- in the governorates of Shabwah and Abyan such as in the Naqba, Alarem and in the Mahfad.
“TAJ” strongly condemns the occupying forces for attacking people of the village of Shaeb Laheiah from Awad’s kinsfolk of Altomah of Laqmoosh tribes and for the arbitrary and the illegal arrest to some people of that village and robbing their houses, clothes, food, humiliating their women and children and threatened their lives.

Third: - “TAJ” strongly condemns Shabwah military ruler’s fabrications whom so-called Almaqdashi gave a statement against Shabwah’s people and deplores desecrating our holly places and women. We promise our people that, could not miss such filthy and serious crimes go unpunished and Almaqdashi will get what he deserves.

Fourth: “TAJ” would like to draw the attention of the International and the local observers who are interested in the Yemeni affairs to the exaggeration use of the military force of the Yemeni occupying regime in carrying out killing and violence against our people, which would expand the use of violence because blood cause blood, consequently Sana‘a’s regime bears full responsibility for its crimes, which are resulting with the people’s reactions mostly come in self-defence for honour and dignity. It is not the last one these revolve battles of today’s , Sunday, June 24, 2007 between the proud tribesmen in the governorate of Shabwah and Abyan and the Yemeni occupying forces, that using all types of light weapons, heavy artilleries and tanks. It is continued until the writing of this statement.

Fifth :- “TAJ” greets the courageous position of the national hero Said Al-Shahtoor in his rejection to the occupation and to its practices and hailed his appropriate response to the attacks and provocations of some Yemenis Sheikhs who look to our people in disdain, describe them at inferiority and granted themselves what they do not deserve.

Sixth: - The Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ) confirms its position of rejecting the looting of the wealth of our country, fish, oil, gold and other practices by companies under various names of investment, and (TAJ) reserves for itself the rights to prosecute those companies and authorities involved, at the same time “TAJ” does not approve killing foreigners civilians working in these companies.

Seventh: - “TAJ” is following the developments and the events in the Yemeni political arena; it strongly condemns the collusion of the leaderships of the parties of what so called (Joint Meeting Parties) with the occupying regime in an attempt to dwarf our people’s right to their homeland, properties, freedom, dignity, resources. They work to turn the essential political issue to a simple human rights demands, ligtimizing to the occupation its abusive and criminal practices. So “TAJ” condemns this filthy colluding with the occupation and calls the people of the South to thwart their dishonest plan.

“TAJ” calls the Joint Meeting Parties to distinguish themselves from the tribal and the military gang and to condemn crimes committed against our people in the south by Sana’a’s regime and to recognise the rights of our nation. “TAJ” also called them for not to be helpful to the occupiers, the criminals, the murderers. Have not been able to do so, “TAJ” call on them not to go into the home and the rights of our people and leave them to continue their struggle peacefully to achieve the rights that is recognized in all heavenly religions, international laws and the United Nations Charter..

On the same time “TAJ” calls the leadership of the Joint Meeting Parties to distinguish themselves from the tribal and the military gangs and to condemn the regime of Sana’a’s crimes committed against our people in the South, to recognise the right of our nation. “TAJ” also calls them not to be helpful to the occupiers, criminals and the murderers. If they have not been able to do so, we call them not to deal with the rights of our people and leave them to continue their peaceful struggle to get the rights recognized in all heavenly religions, international laws and the United Nations Charter … At the same time, “TAJ” salutes the wonderful heroic stance expressed by a galaxy of our honourable southern elite who issued a statement on 23rd June, 2007 in the glorious City of Aden the eternal capital of the South.

Eight : - “TAJ” calls on all heroes citizens of the South to response the homeland appeal and standing shoulder to shoulder in the face of the occupiers and quickly provide assistance and aid to your brothers in the governorates of Shabwah and Abyan who are now combating the occupying forces and defend their dignity and honour… It also calls on the people of the South who are still in Sana’a to move away from servicing the occupying regime and to declare an explicit position condemning crimes. It is worth to remind them that the history is not a merciful.

The Southern Democratic Assembly “TAJ” renews its promise to the masses of our proud people of the continuous loyalty to struggle relentlessly with all legitimate and peaceful means to achieve freedom and self-determination for our people and to establish its desired state for itself and for the future’s generations.

“TAJ” reaffirms that all the conspiracies, sick dreams and infernal backward plans of the occupation will be failed and smashed into pieces against the rock and the will of our insist on victory. We worn the occupation that all its plans in distributing the South to fiefdoms Popularized to the Yemeni tribes such as Almahrah and Hadhramout governorates to Hashid tribes, the governorates of Shabwah and Abyan to Bakeel tribes and the governorates of Lahj, Aden to the remaining tribes and so on … We say to the gang in Sana’a that your hellish backward plans will not go as long as the blood in our veins pulsates. We will thwart them, and leave them for the violent winds that are coming from the South. It will not rescue you by the various programs of the leaderships of the Joint Meeting Parties. All your games are open to us and we have known your secret conspiracies. No doubt they will rebound on your chests, but the South and its faithful and loyal sons will achieve the victory as long as they are determined to liberate their home and get the eternal emancipation from the tribal and backward military occupation. And tomorrow for its awaiting is close.

Issued by:
Executive Committee
The Southern Democratic Assembly “TAJ”
Sunday, June 24, 2007

Sana’a, NewsYemen

The Penal Court of Sana’a extended the imprisonment of journalist Abdul-Karim al-Khiwani to one month to complete investigations after the Prosecution accused him of offering support to al-Houthis in Saada and circulating their goals.

Al-Khiwani’s lawyer Khalid al-Anisi the court’s decision was surprising.

“I could know that the legal doctor visited al-Khiwani at his prison but the doctor’s report was not submitted to the General Prosecution until the moment of the court’s decision,” said al-Anisi.

The decision based on a falsified report submitted by the General Prosecution saying that the judge saw al-Khiwani before deciding to extend his imprisonment and this is not true, said al-Anisi. “We could prove the report is false”.

He said he also opposed the report on things the Prosecution claimed it found at al-Khiwani’s house including CDs contain information about Saada war, some letters and a list of wanted persons and documents about talks between the mediation committee and al-Houthi. “The political security considered such documents as confidential, but they are not at all, said al-Anisi.

“They claimed they had found weapons at my client’s house, but the Prosecution could not prove that. They could not also prove that al-Khiwani attacked president Saleh over confrontations in Saada,” he added.

The Sa’ada war in northern Yemen may be coming to a close. The Yemeni government announced on June 15 that a cease-fire had been negotiated through the good offices of the Emir of Qatar. Shiite rebels agreed to lay down their arms after nearly three years of fighting. Hopes are high that an end to hostilities will allow immediate assistance to over a half a million Yemenis in Sa’ada province adversely affected by the fighting.

The rebellion began in 2004 led by cleric Hussain al-Houthi. According to government officials, the rebels aimed to re-institute the Shiite theocracy overthrown by North Yemen’s republican revolution in 1962. After Hussain was killed in 2004, leadership of the movement transferred to his brother, Abdelmalik al-Houthi. The rebels, known as the Houthis, say they oppose Yemen’s alliance with the U.S. and regime corruption.

Yemeni officials repeatedly accused both Libya and Iran of funding the rebellion situated on the Yemeni-Saudi border. The Houthis received millions of dollars from an African country, an informed source disclosed. Monetary transfers intended for the rebels began in the summer of 2006 and continued into 2007, the source reported. This and other foreign meddling raised the specter of the bloody rebellion spiraling into a proxy war between regional heavyweights with hundreds of thousands of Yemeni civilians caught in the middle.

HUMANITARIAN DISASTER: In January 2007, the Yemeni military declared “all out war” on the Houthis. The military’s subsequent bombing campaign was countered by the rebels who were well armed with medium and heavy weapons. Thousands have been killed or injured in the fighting. Cities and villages have been ravaged. Nearly 50,000 civilians, mostly women and children, are internal refugees.

Assisting and resettling these internally displaced persons is the most urgent requirement facing concerned parties. Diseases including cholera are spreading throughout Sa’ada as medical facilities and supplies were largely unavailable to civilians during the war. The military sealed off Sa’ada province, home to about 700,000 Yemenis, in January citing security concerns. As a result, food and other basic necessities are in critically short supply. Yemen’s opposition parties charged that the regime deliberately hampered aid deliveries to displaced persons. An information embargo is also in place with all communication cut off including land lines, and cell phone and internet connections. Journalists are prohibiting from reporting from the region.

With human suffering mounting to catastrophic proportions, in early June the Yemeni government declared a humanitarian disaster in Sa’ada and called for international aid. With the cease-fire agreement concluded, the Yemeni regime is expected to end the blockade and immediately open the province to international aid organizations, local media, Qatari observers, and Yemeni civil welfare organizations.

THE BASIS OF PEACE: Rebel forces remain heavily armed and co-mingled with civilians in some urban areas. Local sources report intense fighting is continuing despite official announcements to the contrary. The cease-fire agreement reached between rebel leaders and regime officials does not include all the parties to the conflict. Some powerful military commanders are opposed to the settlement for financial or ideological reasons and have not halted offensive operations.

Yemeni military commanders beyond central control have hampered peace efforts before. A governmental fact finding committee found that the military at times failed to abide by a prior 2006 amnesty agreement and contributed to the resumption of hostilities. Well connected weapons dealers and sheiks on both sides likewise have profited from the war and may not be eager to see it end. In light of several failures to achieve a lasting peace, the successful and enduring disengagement of forces may require a sustained Qatari presence or that of UN observers.

The cease-fire agreement outlines the aftermath of disengagement but not the tactical methods to accomplish a cessation of hostilities. According to its terms, Abdelmalik al-Houthi and other rebel leaders will live in Qatar and refrain from political activity and public statements. Their followers will return to their homes, surrender their medium weapons and commit to “the republican system, the constitution and the laws of the country” according to a statement issued by al-Houthi.

The Yemeni government has declared that in exchange, it will reconstruct damaged private and public property, will respect “freedom of opinion and expression,” will release uncharged detainees, and will allow the rebels to establish a political party. The regime will extend its authority to Sa’ada governorate.

THE CONTEXT OF INJUSTICE: Although the rebels’ philosophy has little popular support, the regime’s concessions to the rebels may have a broader appeal. The sad reality is that the entire nation of Yemen would benefit from having these rights and benefits extended to them as well.

For the central authority to extend itself to Sa’ada requires much more than soldiers. The 700,000 residents of Sa’ada are serviced by one dilapidated hospital. Like in most of rural Yemen, a functional judiciary is absent from Sa’ada. Also absent are clean water, medical facilities, an electrical grid, schools that teach and security forces that protect. Qatar offered USD 500 million in development assistance to Yemen. However the rebellion itself is an indication of the massive amounts of domestic and donor development funds that have been lost to graft, corruption and mismanagement nationally.

That the rebels will be afforded “freedom of opinion and expression” is rather difficult to envision as the Yemeni government is increasingly hostile to free expression. Last week, a teacher and headmaster in Taiz were imprisoned after asking students to write about corruption and price hikes on their exams. In recent months, the government blocked established news websites, prohibited the founding of new newspapers, and criminalized SMS mobile news alerts for all but the official media.

The release of imprisoned, uncharged suspected Houthi loyalists will be a welcome development for the judicial system. However hundreds if not thousands of Yemenis are languishing in jail without trial, some as hostages of the Yemeni government. A recent parliamentary report disclosed over 100 official hostages, some held for over a dozen years. Other Yemenis are jailed in the unregulated tribal prisons prevalent throughout Yemen. Torture is common in Yemeni jails.

The rebels will be allowed to form a political party. However, Yemen’s opposition parties are a décor of democracy which face vast institutional inequities when competing with the hegemonic ruling party. One opposition party was recently disbanded and other mainstream parties may meet a similar fate. The inability of political parties and other institutions to advance the public interest has lead to instability. Tribesmen have kidnapped foreign tourists in order to force the regime to release adolescent family members held hostage. Disgruntled taxi drivers left the head of a bull on the steps of parliament after their sit-in was ignored for months. Demonstrations are currently flaring throughout southern Yemen after legitimate grievances were left unaddressed for years.

Exporting the leaders of an unpopular uprising will do little to decrease the state’s vulnerability to rebellion without addressing the context that spawned the violence. The elite’s hollow poetry about reform, its election theatre and empty democratic institutions will not diminish increasing frustration as prices rise, water runs dry, oil reserves deplete and children starve. For peace to be enduring, lessons need to be learned from failure, without rancor. Nothing was achieved in the Sa’ada war that was worth the blood shed.

The writer is a political analyst and expert on Yemeni affairs. She maintains the website www.armiesofliberation.com and can be reached at jane.novak@gmail.com.

Well-Known Yemeni Journalist Detained
Ebtihal Mubarak, Arab News

JEDDAH, 25 June 2007 — Just two weeks after participating in a judiciary and freedom of the press conference in Kuwait, well-known Yemeni journalist and former editor in chief of the country’s Al-Shoura newspaper, Abdul Karim Al-Khiwani, was forcibly detained last Wednesday by Yemeni national security forces….

“They told me I was arrested because of CDs about the Saada war,” he told Arab News from his cell in Sanaa. The CDs were found in his house following his arrest on Wednesday when he was dragged to the police station still in his pajamas. “They slapped my seven-year-old daughter while searching the house so hard that she fainted,” said Al-Khiwani.
He said the CDs he had are no secret and that most journalists in Yemen have them. They do not contain terrorist information. They only provide information about the conditions of civilians in Saada and the number of civilians who have died there….

Al-Khiwani thinks that this arrest, his second, is a kind of payback by the Yemeni government. He was arrested for seven months in 2004 for alleged support of the rebel movement in Saada. Al-Khiwani explained in Kuwait and also from his cell that he feels many problems come from his writing in the media about the Yemeni president’s attempts to ensure that his son will inherit the office.

Are they joking? Is the whole thing a set-up from the get-go?

Main Committee decides to constitute committees to monitor cease-fire and receipt of arms from rebels
Sunday 24 June 2007

26 Septemper News

Well-informed sources reported to (26sept.net) that the mediation committee in charge of supervising the main implementation of the suspension of military operations in Saada governorate decided to set up a number of sub-committees, which will monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and implementation of the agreement signed to end the rift in Saada governorate.

The sources added that the subcommittees will function as follows:
§ receiving terrorist elements of al-Huthi followers.
§ receiving also medium weapons and ammunition from al-Huthi terrorists according to the attached data.
§ as well as receiving the equipments and vehicles that have been robbery according to the attached files.
§ to ensure that the terrorist elements, who had been amnestied reached to their homes and villages.
§ Receiving the abducted members of the army and security, and citizens.
§ Extending the authority of the State and positioning anywhere want to be in it.