Armies of Liberation

Unbelievable!! UN Envoy Jamal Benomar was in Yemen twice, for weeks, supposedly to conduct an investigation. He issued his report today, and apparently failed to recommend a war crimes trial for Saleh or even freezing his assets. Instead the UN SC issues a statement deploring the humanitarian situation and expressing concerns about al Qaeda. One of the opposition politicians called Benomar “Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UN,” and I see why.

“All parties” cannot form “an inclusive government,” because Saleh and his regime have been excluded by the Yemeni people, who have a right to determine their own government. “Saleh’s followers” are his western-armed family and paid operatives. Saleh and his family are the problem and not part of the solution. The UN SC supports the GCC plan which is never going to happen without the consent of the governed, and they don’t consent. And after Saleh rejected it three times, the US, UN, UK are just looking foolish for acting as if there’s some shred of credibility to anything Saleh says. There’s not and has never been. What a total failure international efforts have been; well if their goal is slowing and delaying the transition then I guess they’ve worked as planned so far.

Al-Qaeda threat in Yemen: UN

August 10, 2011 – : The UN Security Council says al-Qaeda could exploit the power vacuum in Yemen to gain an even greater foothold in the country.

The 15-nation council urged followers of ailing president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the opposition to quickly settle Yemen’s fate because of the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the country.

The UN body gave strong support to efforts by the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council to end the Yemen crisis. (Read on …)

From War and Peace in the ME: “Bell Pottinger, the British public relations firm, is working for the government of Yemen, the company’s chairman Lord Bell confirmed to Robert Booth.” While they are not working directly for Saleh, but some new mystery division of the Yemeni government, the stated goal is to obtain a favorable transition including immunity for Saleh’s many war crimes both before and after the revolution began. How do you spin bombing a refugee camp? And then bombing a hospital? Denying food to tens of thousands and then openly stating that its a tactic to pressure the residents to expel rebels? Saada War 6 is enough to convict Saleh not to mention 1-5, the violence against southerners, thousands of isolated crimes and the hundreds of deaths since February.

The PR firm is carrying out communications work for an unnamed special entity that has been created within the Yemen government to ensure a transition to newly elected government.

It is unclear which part of the government the firm, but the goal of the communications campaign appears to be in line with a proposal by the Saudi-led Gulf Co-operation Council for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stand down in return immunity from prosecution. (Read on …)

In tandem with attacking the media to prevent the real news from escaping Yemen, Field Marshal Saleh hired a PR firm notorious for white washing dictators. One standard tactic is to plant positive op-eds and TV guests. We’ll have to track who gets bought off.

Saleh’s ongoing murder of over 500 protesters since the start of the revolution is exceeded by his war crimes prior (bombing refugee camps etc.) Saleh’s family’s coordination with al Qaeda is well documented as are his criminal networks and looting of the budget. Rebranding Saleh is like rebranding Saddam.

Over 450 serious attacks on journalists have been recorded in the last six months. Fire destroyed the building housing HOOD the leading Human Rights organization, and all its archives on July 18. The deliberate and often random murder of Yemeni citizens is a near daily occurrence over the last months. Security forces containing the CT units under Saleh’s son and nephews have bombed, shot, beaten and burned people alive, including children.

“President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime has hired British PR firm Bell Pottinger , through a subcontract from US PR firm Qorvis to promote a better image for the regime in the US and Europe. Bell Pottinger has hired a big suite inside the Sheba Hotel. The company is received about US 2 million per month from Saleh’s family for publishing articles in international newspapers to improve Saleh’s image and employing its relations with US congressmen in favour of the regime. This is part of Saleh’s regime’s better utilisation the country resources and assistance. I am wondering if these companies can prove the image of Yemeni People as terrorists.” More here (ar).

Yemen Post Over the last week, one journalist killed, another escaped an assassination attempt, two were attacked, and the biggest law firm defending journalist rights in Yemen was burnt to ashes….More than 60 newspapers have shut down in three months after security forces confiscate and burn thousands its of newspaper copies. Al-Neda newspaper office was attacked by gunmen and property was damaged…This comes as government spokesperson Abdu Ganadi accused journalists in Yemen are serving foreign agendas.

Wednesday a British worker was killed when his car exploded in a terror attack and today, Sunday, a car bomb rammed a military convoy, killing 8. There were many messages of outrage and condolences posted by Yemenis regarding the murder of the British national. Car bombings are a hallmark of the so called AQAP: the tactic was used in the attacks on two oil facilities in September 2006, on tourists in Marib were killed in July 2007, in the bombing at the Sayoun police station in July 2008. The September US embassy attack also included car bombs, as did the suicide attack on a Zaidi religious procession organized by the Houthis in November 2010 which killed 17. That’s off the top of my head. (Yemen released those murderers responsible for training the driver who carried out the 2007 car bombing which killed two Spanish tourists in Marib after two years in jail, if they even served that much time.)

On Wednesday, a car bomb killed David Tom, David Mockett who worked as a marine surveyer through his office in Al-Mualla St, detonated when he left his office. It was followed by an attack today on a military convoy.

Yemen Post An explosive-laden car was rammed into a military convoy on Sunday morning in Yemen’s business capital Aden killing at least six people including soldiers and the attacker, eyewitnesses were quoted as saying.

Almost twenty others were injured, the website said, quoting medical sources as saying that the death toll is likely to rise.

The suicide attack took place near an air force camp in Al-Mansoura district while it was heading to Abyan province, where the army has been fighting Islamists for almost two months, it quoted military sources as saying.

Wow, a Yemen Times interview with the new British ambassador (Wilks) demonstrates the inane talking points of the US/UK position:

1- he urges the opposition not to engage in violence, fails to note all the violence has been perpetrated or initiated by the state forces

2- he says if the Saleh family refuses to engage in dialog, the UK will urge them some more (how’s that working for you?)

3- he urges youth to hold elections for representatives, when the state has been unable since 2006. Parliamentary elections slated for 2009 had to be postponed for two years and there wasn’t even a revolution then. Gee, maybe something like a council might work in this situation.

4- he urges elections but wont recognize the leaders if elected unless it is according to the UK’s plan

5- the UK’s plan is to support inclusive dialog, the magic potion, with no plan B, and here it is six months later and there’s still no plan B.

6- he says Yemen prone to chaos but no chaos by the protesters occurred since protests began; its Saleh’s regime that is prone to chaos.

7- he says the politicians have all the power to resolve the crisis, and over looks the support of the people who are to be governed by them-ie, the UK is urging Yemenis to replace one illegitimate govt with another.

8- he is annoyed by blame on the international community ??!! for not sorting out the problems. Wow, just wow, I think just shut up and stop supporting and legitimizing the failed regime is all anybody wants.

9- He is waiting for a basic agreement? theres been one since Feb but Saleh and Obama rejected it, its been written and presented time and time again. The protesters want a transitional council. Oh, does he mean Saleh should agree to be overthrown? Its a strawman position. (The Straw Man fallacy is committed when a person simply ignores a person’s actual position and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position.)

10- “The political process in Yemen should not just be about seats in government, it should be about dealing with the fundamental economic crisis in the country.” Is it an economic crisis or a glut of corruption that bankrupted the country? Q) Why is there an economic crisis? A) No reform, no diversification, subsidies, poor education, no spending on basic services and elite capture of all resources. The structures of patronage and corruption must be shattered for any hope of an economic recovery. There can be no economic reform without political reform and there’s no hope of political reform without regime change: the last decade has demonstrated the immutability of that truth.

11- The ambassador’s experience of getting kidnapped/besieged by an angry mob of regime thugs was no problem, he smoked and ate and went home. That’s just a great attitude. When Iran captures your ship again, we’ll know its not a problem. I guess the two “al-Qaeda” attacks on Amb. Torlott were no biggie either, when we all know who sent those brainwashed teenagers to bounce off the motorcade, twice.

12- he says freezing assets requires reviewing the UN report on human rights to see its conclusions; so the UK doesn’t know right now whether Saleh’s regime has engaged in human rights violations against the protesters? Uh, there’s over 500 dead, there’s video, eyewitness accounts and reports by HRW.

I had to stop when I got to “no evidence” of UK trained CT forces violating human rights, its both comical and infuriating. Now I know why my British friends are also sputtering. Its a load of propaganda. The entire population of Yemen knows it; they should include the UK in their impending boycott and demand Wilk’s expulsion when they demand Feierstein’s. Full text of the interview below for posterity’s sake:

Published:11-07-2011

Armed with his M.Phil in International Relations from St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, and around 22 years of diplomatic experience since joining the British Diplomatic Service in 1989, Ambassador Jon Wilks presents as a capable person who can understand Yemen and all its complexities. He speaks fluent Arabic which he mastered in the early nineties in Cairo, a skill that has come very handy in Yemeni qat chewing sessions with officials, diplomats, activists and Yemeni leaders. (Read on …)

I wonder if Saleh understands that jeopardizing the lives of the diplomats is a worse breech than not signing?

YP: Council adopted the following conclusions:
“The European Union is following events in Yemen with extreme concern. (Read on …)

Its unbelievable. These are the guys who were initially repeatedly proclaimed to be going on trial for the pedestrian suicide attack on then UK ambassador Tim Torlott’s convoy. (The attack was widely thought to be a false flag attack by the Yemeni government using its terrorist connections and some clueless teenager to send a message to the UK regarding support for the south.) But the defendants were eventually charged with a hodgepodge of crimes in Marib (which may or may not include the July 2007 car bomb that killed eight Spanish tourists). They were tried in a group that included Badr al Hassani who stated that he was paid by the PSO to train terrorists in Marib in hand to hand combat. The court ordered the Marib Deputy Chief of the PSO to appear in court and then the whole thing just faded away, as it often does in Yemen. Earlier reporting here .

SANA’A, May 13 (Saba) – The Specialized Criminal Division in the capital Sana’a is to start on Sunday its first hearing to consider the appeal of two al-Qaeda suspects convicted of carrying out terrorist acts.

On March 15, the Specialized Penal Court in the capital Sana’a sentenced each of Saddam Hussein al-Rimi and Rami Hermel Hans (German nationality) two years from the date of their arrest.

The court ordered them to be put under police surveillance and prevented them from traveling to any province after their release for two years, after they were convicted of committing terrorist attacks on foreign tourists, facilities and interests in Marib province during (2008-2010).

So they got a two year sentence for murdering foreign tourists, which included time served. Now they are free but not allowed to leave the country.

For more see, Yemeni al Qaeda leader: State conducts terror attacks dtd 12/3/08:

Officials earlier announced Dhayani was the recruiter and driving instructor for the suicide car bomber who murdered eight elderly Spanish tourists in Mareb in July 2007. Dhayani is Mareb under the protection of Jahm tribe and granted the interview to Mareb Press after taking several security precautions.

“I am ready to prove the reality that some attacks were planned in co-ordination and agreement of the Political Security and its agents to gain foreign support and to confirm to America that they (the Yemeni state) launch war against terrorism,” Dhayani said in the explosive interview.

Fast forward to today and we have the US government fighting tooth and nail to keep this lying, double dealing, murderous dirtbag in his post despite the fact that the US trained Yemeni counter terror forces are shooting unarmed teenagers in the head because they are demanding democracy. It is thought a more representative Yemeni government would be less liberal in granting CT permissions to the US.

Saleh trashes the GCC proposal, feels somewhat insulted by the language. He’s never going to get a better deal. He has to exit the country immediately. He’s murdering citizens right and left. Saleh has no legitimacy anymore. He’s got to go.

AJE: Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s embattled president, has rejected a plan for his exit offered by Gulf states trying to broker an end to bloody protests, in a speech broadcast on state television.

“We were born free, and we have free will, and they have to respect our wishes. We reject any coup against democracy, the constitution and our freedom,” he told supporters on Friday. (Read on …)