Southern demonstration
Again trying to co-opt legitimate disent with patronage
ADEN, July 8 — Responding to the call by the Coordinating Council of the Military Pensioners Associations, thousands of military pensioners from southern and eastern areas of Yemen staged a sit-in on Saturday morning in Aden’s Parades Square. Right from the early morning, the spread of military vehicles and personnel was noticed everywhere and checkpoints were introduced to prevent the demonstration.
Further, some soldiers prevented congregating in the square and tried to disperse the demonstrators. The military police arrested the demonstration’s leaders and organizers including Brig. Abdulkarim Thabet and Brig. Nasser Al-Noubah, while their fellow demonstrators chanted against the restriction of freedom and peaceful expression of opinion.
They also raised slogans and flags calling for a political resolution to the pensioners’ issue and the same thing was demanded in the speeches delivered during the demonstration. Several human rights organizations expressed their solidarity with pensioners.
A pensioner who declined to mention his name told Yemen Times that they came for demanding their rights in peaceful and civilized way, noting that they face a harsh treatment by security forces and dozens were arrested.
“We are graduates of Russia and some of us were military leaders, pilots, etc. Following the civil war of 1994, we were laid off,” said he.
After releasing him, by noon, the head of the Coordinating Council of the Military Pensioners Associations Brig. Nasser Al-Noubah pointed out that they gathered in order to express their demands in a peaceful way.
He further pointed out that the security personnel took him to the Southern Area’s headquarters where they asked him many questions and, in return, Al-Noubah asked for reinstatement of all military pensioners as well as improving their life standards.
A statement issued by the coordinating council hailed the positive response of pensioners and stressed the importance of this demonstration, hailing the demonstration aims to draw the attention of people to the problems of pensioners following the dismissal from their units.
An official source at the Prime Minister’s office expressed its surprise over the escalations of pensioners’ issues despite the fact that the government has taken positive steps to resolve the issue, hinting that the recent escalation aims to disturb security and stability of the society.
The source added that the government promised in its meeting held last week to set comprehensive solutions to the issue of civic and military pensioners in implementation of President Saleh’s directives which dictate resolving the issue of pensioners as well as promoting 493 officers and reinstating 637 officers to their military units.
He also demanded those with complaints to act according to the law and present their complaints to the concerned authorities in Defense and Interior ministries.
Moreover, the source denounced the slogans raised by the demonstrators that call for sectarianism and incite sedition among people, hinting that such acts affect and defame the country’s unity and disturb the national security.
