Paper prepared for the Yemeni Consultative Group Meeting, held
from 15th -16th November 2006, London
First of all the executive committee of Southern Democratic
Assembly salute all the delegates representing countries, organisations
and all participants in the conference and would like to present before all
of you a numbers of facts and figures regarding the situation in the
occupied South Yemen, for your serious consideration.
The Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ) is a political organisation that
struggles to liberate South Yemen peacefully and insure that there is a
free and independent state for the southerners.
The South of Arabia was granted its independence from the British
colony on 30th November 1967 after an occupation lasted 129 years (19th
January 1839 - 30th November 1967). The independent state was
established on all the southern land, which is 338,000 squared km,
bordered from the east Oman Sultanate, Saudi Arabia from the north,
Arab Republic of Yemen from the Northwest, the Red sea from the West
and the Aden gulf and Arabian sea from the south. It has declared the city
of Aden as its capital and gained a full membership of all regional and
international organisations including the United Nations and the Arab
league which lasted till 1990.
The National Front that received the independent was a branch of the
Arab Nationalist Movement took the initiative to call the new state
Peoples Republic of South Yemen and amended it to the Peoples
Democratic Republic of Yemen. It was the intention of the new state to
achieve the comprehensive Arab unification due to the adoption of the
national and revolutionary ideology that was very poplar during the 50s
and the 60s of the last century.
On the 22nd 1990 the unification was declared between Peoples Republic
Democratic of Yemen with population of nearly 2 million according to
the 1988’ census and Arab Republic of Yemen, covering an area of
160,000 square km with the population nearly 20 million (there was no
accurate census) with Sana’a city as its capital. Bearing in mind that there
was no referendum was conducted amongst the people of South Yemen
regarding the future of their country which was a clear breach to the
Aden’s historical convention of 30th November 1989. The new unified
state has encountered many obstacles and conflicts due to the different
cultures, visions and means of building the modern state between the two
different political leaderships of the two countries. Consequently the
conflict has escalated to an extent, which made the president of the Aِrab
Republic of Yemen; the Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh declare on 27th April
1994 the un fair war, which lasted for 2 months against the South of
Yemen, which ended with the fall of Aden and the full military
occupation of the South in July 1994.
Since July 1994 the people of South Yemen has been living under the
northern tribal and military occupation causing lots of suffering and
hardship to the people in the South.
The northern occupying authority has not been satisfied with plundering
the wealth and implementing exclusion and depravation policy against
the southerners but also it continues to practice aggression such as
committing serious killings of children, men and women. It has also
committed various actions to forge the historical and geographical facts
and to omit the identity of the South.
The Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ) continues its peaceful struggle
to get rid of this brutal occupation and underdevelopment and for selfdetermination
to build a free and independent state for Southerners.
Again TAJ would like to assert that it does not recognise any agreements
and conventions signed by the occupation regime in particularly after 7th
July 1994, and has the legal right to bring back all its legitimate right.
TAJ calls on the international community to provide full back up for the
Southerners and ensure urgent implementation of the Security Council’s
resolutions 924 and 931 issued during the summer war of 1994 for
ordering the Northern regime to stop its military aggression against the
south. It is important to revisit these resolutions for instructing the
northern military security authorities to withdraw from the south fully and
grant our people in the south their right to Self-determination. TAJ
would also like to revisit the Arab foreign minister’s decision of their
meeting, which took place in, the city of Abha; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
94 concerns the situation of south Yemen.
The regime of the dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh that has been leading
Yemen since 1978 and occupying the south for 12 years has no intention
to establish a modern constitutional state. Instead he continues to exert his
effort by setting up a repressive and corrupt regime that is heavily used to
eliminate political opponents and violate human rights and freedom. This
regime is very well known to have provided safe havens for terrorists,
exports terrorism and smuggles arms to neighbouring countries which
contribute to a large scale in creating instability in those countries. This
regime continues to wreck the already fragile Yemeni economy by
counterfeiting the Yemeni currency (Riyals) and the foreign currencies of
neighbouring and others countries.
Everybody could refer to the evidence such as photographs, facts and
figures that we have provided in this paper for confirmation. We feel
under obligation to alert and warn all responsible people i.e. Arabs,
foreigners and international organisations of the danger that this regime
will inflict upon the future of the people of Yemen, regional countries and
the world as a whole.
The Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ) calls on our brothers in the
Gulf Cooperation Council to understand and support the southerner’s
peaceful struggle for freedom. We would also like to take this opportunity
to advise them not to fall into the trap that the south has fallen in by
giving the corrupt dictatorship regime a chance to mess up the situation
and the people of the Gulf States.
TAJ warns all conference participants that any support offered to the
dictatorship regime in Sana’a led by Ali Abdullah Saleh will only be used
to enhance corruption, repression, increase poverty rate and instability.
Thus terrorists’ activities will also increase and the suffering of our
people will be prolonged.
Examples of the occupiers’ corruption in the south
• Since declaring the unification on 22nd May 1990 the Yemeni
regime has not implemented its commitments to convert Aden city
to a free zone and economic capital, just promises and lies only. On
the opposite the following acts indicate that he is destroying the
city’s future:
• The regime is selling the Aden port through influential bodies with
the businessman Abdullah Buqshan in a suspicious deal in order to
exclude it of the competition with neighbouring ports including
Jabal Ali in Dubai.
• According to that suspicious deal the capacity of the port of Aden
well make it capable to receive 3 millions containers only after 35
years, while the capacity of Salalah; the port of the Sultanate of
Oman is currently(2006) receives 4 million containers. Not to
mention the competitor port of Jabal Ali in Dubai, this will receive
55 million containers after 15 years only!!
• Despite the fact that the previous southern state spent 7o million
dollars on enlarging and creating a new quay in the port Mualla,
the authority has leased it to Dubai only at annual rate of $225,000
in four instalments.
• The government paid $ 200 million compensation to (Yemenfest)
for the withdrawal from the containers terminal at Aden port. The
company left the country due to the epidemic of the corruption and
to lawlessness after the attacks on the warship U.S.S Cole and the
French tanker Limburg. However the authority leases the
containers terminal to Dubai company according to the agreement,
which presented before the parliament; for a annual rate of half
million dollars lasting for 35 years, equivalent of $50 million for
the whole lease period, which mean the state will lose $148
million. (Source: original agreement’s text).
• Recently the president has granted one of the trading houses; (Hael
Saeed Anam’s group) a whole quay at the campus of the port of
Aden without paying one penny to the government. The group has
obtained a straightforward agreement stating that the quay is
granted and put in possession of the group!!(Published at several
electronic news sites).
• The Military and Economical Establishment trades and smuggles
on behalf of the president Saleh and some influential relatives
various things using the military ships of the previous southern
navy. The establishment is exempted from port charges under the
pretext that it transfers weapons to the governorates. It is worth to
be mentioned that this establishment is not subject to any
supervision or any financial control of the government.
• Installing illegal collection points inside the campus of Aden port
and interfering blatantly in all affairs of the port and controlling
unlawfully its aeronautical activities.
• Aden airport was closed before the international flights and turned
into an internal airfield.
• Influentials at the occupation authority have been digging artesian
wells haphazardly causing a big secrecy to the water in the city of
Aden. They get the water free, bottle and sell it to the market.
• Two years ago Aden has obtained a loan of $45 million provided
by the British government in very easy terms to build an alternative
hospital replacing the current Republican one. The corrupt tried in
Sana’a sizing on the loan. Unfortunately the loan was cancelled
after it was revealed that an attempt to seize the amount by officials
from the headquarter in Sana’a.
• The occupation authority seized a researching boat called (Ibn
Majed) that was donated by the Japanese government to the
Institute of Marine Science during southern state before 1990. The
boat now is used in exporting shrimps abroad by private company,
which is belonging to one of the president relatives.
• The strategic oil installations in Hugaif, Aden were delivered to
one of the president assistants, Tawfeeq Abdulraheem according to
the agreement signed by the ministry of the of oil and minerals on
11th March 2003.( Source- Alshoura newspaper, volume no481,13 May
2004.)
• Aden refinery is being neglected and destroyed despite it is one of
the main sources of the country. The occupiers have looted and
deliver its income to influential officials in Sana‘a at the same time
the authority is building another refinery in Hodaida city value of
$450 million.
• The head of the occupation regime Ali Abdullah Saleh has
smuggled the country wealth to the Dutch and Germany banks. The
Germany magazine Dearshpeagl”Focus” has estimated the Yemeni
President’s wealth at $ 20 billion. (Source: diplomatic magazine)
published in London in August 2004).
• In a suspicious deal, influential officials have signed to sale gas to
Korean companies less than 40% of the official price in the world
market (Source. Petroleum Economist, March 2005).
• Influential officials have looted large quantities of gold that is
mined from the south. They sold it on the world market without
declaring or supplying revenue to the state treasury. According to
gold global market in Dubai, Yemen is among the 10 countries
exporting gold.
• They have manipulated and squandered the oil wealth of the south
by concluding a deal to sale the Government’s shares in the oil
sector No. 53 in the Hadhramout to a foreign company at 13
million and 123 thousand dollars, which deprived the state treasury
of $ 200 million at least.(Source: Alshoura newspaper,14 / 04 / 2004).
• Plundering of fish stocks by the close bodies to the President
through granting licenses to private and foreign companies to fish
indiscriminately and illegally.
• An illusory budget of (700 billion riyals)equivalent to $3 billion
and 535,000,000 was allocated additional to the government’s one
for the current year 2006 (Re: the Yemeni Parliament).
• A large amount of (600 billion riyals)equivalent to $3 billion and
303,000,000 from the differences of the sale price of oil for the
current year 2006 was not declared and not delivered to the
government treasury (Source Yemeni Parliament).
• The huge amounts of taxes of 40 billion and 116 million Yemeni
riyals equivalent to 202 million and 585 thousand dollars that were
collected in the provinces were not supplied to the state treasury.
Source : Central Agency for the Control and Accounting, Althawri newspaper
No.1925 17 August, 2006
• The total amount, which was looted from the oil sector and
Government budget and taxes for 2006 only for the benefit of
the President and corrupts thugs gang of his companions
reached 1340 billion and 581 million Yemeni riyals equivalent
to seven billion and 240 million and 708 thousand dollars
Notes: Money looted from other sectors such as gas, gold and fish
stocks are not included.
• The amount of (3.549.573.053) three billion, five hundred and
forty-nine million, five hundred and seventy-three thousand, fifty
three Yemeni Riyal has been laundered by presidential instructions.
The amount has been diverted from the account of the “expansion
project, the Great Mosque” to Hamoud Alshobami the financial
officer of the General Public Congress Party, that is headed by the
President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The scandalousness was revealed
by Mohammed Qahtan Head of the Political Department of the
Yemeni Congregation for Reform. (Source: Http: / /
www.nasspress.com/news.asp?n_no=3001&sss).
• A large amount of drugs has been smuggled across the Indian
Ocean to the southern Yemeni governorate in Hadhramout, and
from there it has been exported and smuggled across the land to the
neighbouring countries. The operation is managed and supervised
by someone close to the Yemeni president.( Source: Jane Novak
Worldpress.org contributing editor, October 14, 2005)
• Investors are subject to a continuous harassment, blackmail and
extortion carried out by the influential officials from the occupation
authority. Here are some examples:
1. The Contractor Ahmad Al-Sorimah the owner of Across the
Sahara Company, which is specialised in the international
roads construction. The authority has refused to pay the
company its dues after the completion of all projects;
consequently the company has raised the issue before the
World Bank’s Court in Paris, which is in charge in resolving
commercial disputes.
2. .The two businessmen Abdullah Al-Husseini and Khaled
Abdul-Ghani with other investors from UAE and Saudi
Arabia were involved in constructing (Hadhramout Refinery
Project). They left the country and have not returned until
now due to the artificial disruptions that they have
encountered. After the authority managed to stop
implementing the project, they are now trying to put another
tender without to resolve the issue with existing investors.
3. The Government has bought the share of the businessmen
Taher Bawazeer and Osama Bawazeer at Aden port about $
120 million, and gave the money to another body rather to
Bawazeer; the owners of the shares.
4. The owner of Aden Sheraton Hotel, Abdullah Al-Katheeri
has left the country and refused to return preferring to live
in the UAE away from the occupation Government’s
harassment and blackmail, by imposing additional and
informal(political security and taxation)charges.
Military Expenditures
According to a report prepared by the American Centre
for Strategic and International Studies a few months ago,
that during the past few years it has been noticed that a
remarkable increase in military spending in Yemen as
follows:
Expenditure has increased from $ 482 million in 2001 to
$809 million in 2003 and $942 million in 2005.This high
expenditure is carried out through mediators who are
close to the President. Such high expenditures are a
serious burden on the Yemeni economy as Yemeni
military spending during 1990s did not exceed $ 539
million. It has been found that Yemen still continues to
raise arms imports.
Examples of the occupation practices and violation of
human rights and public freedoms
• Looting the state’s land and real estate in the south
and distributing them to the President’s family and
companions.
• The Budget of Aden governorate (the capital of the
south) is less than the budget of Al-Thawra Hospital
in Sana’a.
• Demobilising by force nearly half million people from
civil and military personnel of the southern state and
replacing them by those from the Yemen Arab
Republic.
• Referring the majority of southern personnel women
of the University of Aden to the forced demobilisation
and recruiting other teachers from the Arab Republic
of Yemen to replace them.
• Implementing unfair policy of depriving Southern
young people of education and restricting the study
abroad to those from the Arab Republic of Yemen.
• Practicing deliberate murder on southern women,
children and men by the occupation soldiers and
officers without bringing the criminals to justice.
All of these martyrs were killed by the occupation forces
without any guilt, while the killers are enjoying the
authority’s protection. No justice for the victims because
they are southerners.
Yemen and Terrorism
For two decades, the name of Yemen is associated with a large number of
explosions and accidents carried out by Islamic extremists, and provide a
safe haven to many of the Jihad movements. These movements have
received financial support, training and facilities to carry out attacks
targeting Western interests and some of the Arab countries in and outside
Yemen as well.
Many reports and statements indicate that the Jihad members have
received financial support and training from the official bodies and
foundations of the State and are supervised by leaders who are in
important civil, military and political state’s positions. The general Ali
Mohsen Al-Ahmar; half brother of the president Saleh, the leader of the
1st Armoured Division and Commander of the military region of the
Northern part of the country, is in charge for recruiting the Jihad
members who returned from Afghanistan; in the security and military
(M آOPH ا QKRGH اSTU دوع GH ا GJKL
Tawfeeq Abdul Ethar Fares Moneerah Ahmed
Kareem Hussein Alkhadher
Masoud Taleb Awadh Alhanki)
institutions and retain them equipped and trained as well. In an interview
with the leading element who returned from Afghanistan; Mustafa Paddy
(Abu Allojri) – Yemeni newspaper Al-Wasat March 15, 2006.) Also he
confirmed that when he was a leader of a Camp in Afghanistan, that Abdul-
Majeed Al-Zendani; Chairman of the Council of the Yemeni Congregation
for Reform and the President of Al-Ima’an (the faith) University,
he went to Afghanistan in 1992- at that time he was a member of the
Presidency of the Yemen -and asked the militants to pledge allegiance
and return to Yemen to implement specific tasks. (The same earlier source).
He also stressed that he is assured of the future of the Jihad (fighting)
because of the regime experience and wisdom in maintaining the Jihad
member and keeping them equipped and safe for the future to fight
anywhere else when it is necessary.
The prominent Jihad’s member; Rashad Mohammed Said so-called (Abu
Al-Fida’a) who is very close to Osama Ben Laden has commended at the
wisdom of the Yemeni authorities in hosting the Jihad’s members and
confirmed that these groups are more pervasive and powerful in Yemen
and in the whole Arabian Peninsula. (Rashad Mohammed Said (Abu Al-Fida’a) -
interview with the Yemeni newspaper Al-Wasat October 19, 2006.)
The escape of 23 members of Al-Qaeda prisoners from the political
security jail in Sana’a in February 2006, a similar incident of assisted
escape of a numbers of Al-Jihad’s prisoners from Aden’s jail some years
ago and 7 members of what is called Hata’ab’s group ran away from Al-
Bahreen prison in Abyan in July 2006. Due to these incidents it was
discovered that there were many members of these groups operating
within the political security organisation and the controversial statements
made by the president with regard to his confirmation that the escapees
prisoners are in the Yemen and he is in touch with them. An interview
with Ali Abdullah Saleh published in Al-Hayah newspaper, based in
London, issued in February 2006.
These findings indicate that the Yemeni regime itself uses the terrorism to
blackmail the regional countries and it has a good relationship with Al-
Jihad’s members and their activities.
(Al-Qaeda and the Holly alliance: Saleh, Al-Zendani,
Ali Mohsen and Bin Laden. The authoritarian,
financial, spiritual and military integration.)
Both the evidence and information indicate that who carried out the bombing
attack on the American Warship USS Cole in Aden port in October 2000 are
well-known bodies to the Yemeni regime and some of who were involved still in
their jobs. Moreover the facts confirm that high-ranking officers serving in the Republican Guard are directly related to jihad groups. All these evidences indicate the extent of the link between the current Yemeni regime and Al-Jihad’s terrorist activities.
The Yemeni claim to fight terrorism is a mere tactic by the government in
order to deal with the foreign pressure and to stray other countries from
looking at Yemen as a state that support terrorism.
Numerous reports have uncovered that the Yemeni Authorities have
established several military camps inside Yemen and provided them with
heavy and medium arms such as anti-plane missile and Mortar arbitrary.
Source: (an interview with Al-Jihad’s member Mr Ali Abu AL-hind by Alwasat
newspaper in August 2005).
The Yemeni authorities also cooperate in regrouping those fighters who
returned from Afghanistan, amongst them the Afghan Arab, members of
Al-Qaeda and a large number of fugitives from countries such as Egypt,
Jordan, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Kuwait. Half brother of the
president; General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar was st
