Armies of Liberation

The Air Force wants to overthrow the president’s brother.

Al Shawa: The (pro-rev) army (led by Ali Mohsen al Ahmar) said in a statement yesterday that Mohammed Saleh al Ahmar left in a Russian cargo plane yesterday that took off from Sanaa airport, in “the process of smuggling money abroad after the protests plaguing the rest of the pillars of the family and the most recent sit-air forces to demand the dismissal of Mohamed Saleh al Ahmar, who is about to catch up with his brother Ali, God’s favor, as a result of these protests.”

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black; Ali Mohsen is another big thief and murderer.

Actually Wednesday was the fifth day but details in English:

Yemen troops demand dismissal of Air Force chief (AFP)

SANAA — Thousands of soldiers continued sit-ins Tuesday for a second day in Yemen demanding the “official” ouster of the Air Force commander they accuse of corruption, AFP correspondents and military officials said.

They are demanding the dismissal of General Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, a half brother of President Ali Abdullah Saleh who left Yemen on Sunday for the United States following a year-long uprising against his 33 years in power. (Read on …)

The Arhab thing takes a twist…

Damage not caused by shelling, four jets damaged and possible inside job, airport receiving.

National

Another military official, who also requested anonymity, said the blast on Sunday night inside the military base could be a signal of division in the air force led by Mohammed Saleh Al Ahmar, the half brother of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. (Read on …)

The electricity returned with the ever irrational Saleh as he prepares to make a televised speech to the nation.

The butcher Saleh calls for a cease fire to the violence that his loyalist forces began and are perpetuating. Well over a hundred unarmed demonstrators were killed across Yemen this week by sniper fire and shelling on the protest squares. ( The NYT and some diplos seem to blame the protesters for marching out of the square, the blood is on the hands of those with the guns, not the murder victims.) There was ample evidence to bring Saleh to the Hague on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity by 2009.

AJE : Pro-Saleh forces Friday shelled buildings in Taiz, Yemen’s second-biggest city. Heavy clashes and thuds of mortars were also heard throughout the night in Sanaa into morning Friday. One person was killed overnight after mortars hit the square in central Sanaa where protesters demanding Sale’s ouster have been camped out for months, a medical official said on condition of anonymity.

Be prepared for the coming propaganda onslaught where black is white. I guess Im going to have to fully fix the website.

The best news this week before the toxic reappearance of the revenant Saleh was new political party organization in the squares, late but important and yet another reason why the GCC plan and Obama’s call for speedy elections are counter-productive and will only re-entrench the regime. This is a related article and overview from a Yemeni perspective: Yemen’s young people are the country’s brightest hope.

In the following video, young Marib Sheikhs pledge not to attack the electricity infrastructure and deny the regime’s allegations that their attacks casued the blackouts. A delegation from Change Square went to talk to them about the issue and the state’s propaganda. Note the temple of Bilqis in the background. The structure shows inscriptions and construction from the 7th to 2nd Century BC. Yemen is among the most continually settled places in the world.

What a sad story. Power cuts resumed after the UN envoy left Yemen. Read the full story at Yemen Rights Monitor: Four children died and a fifth child was injured on Monday evening due to a fire breaking out in a house in Safya district in Sana’a casued by a candle that was used by the family as a result of the continuous power cuts in the various cities of Yemen.

You cant reach Sabaphone subscribers from a land line or via overseas calling.

Many residents believe its a pressure tactic. the JMP is also blaming the regime. Collective punishment is a usual characteristic of Saleh’s response to unrest. Others note increased rates of smuggling but this article points to a cut pipeline and roads blocked by tribesmen. It may be a lingering effect from the missile strike that killed Sheikh al Shabwani.

Gulf Times: Though Yemen’s oil exports are a modest 105,000 barrels per day, its cash-strapped government depends on the revenue to pay civil servants, its army and fund most state operations. (Read on …)

The Yemeni DOD’s 26 Sept website is down, and mine and the dozens of Yemeni news sites blocked for years (including the newly blocked al Masdar) are accessible again from within Yemen. In 2008 everything was unblocked for a week while they upgraded and expanded the censorship software. I thought this was the precursor to the regime taking down twitter and facebook, as opposed to, you know, Saleh allowing more political space. Odd 26 Sept is down when the independent sites are are. But its lovely what ever it is, for as long as it lasts. Update: 26 Sept back up and I’ll probably be re-blocked soon. But Yemen has strong traditional communications methods as a result of the lack of electricity, roads and internet, so I don’t think it will impact the protest movement even if they cut the net entirely. Update 2: The www.26sep,net is wobbling as I’m reading it, losing parts and coming up again. Really bizarre. Also the sites that were open are now closing in Yemen. Gotta be an upgrade.

Regional: Syria is waking up a tad but there’s still a lot of understandable fear. The Omani protests seem to have petered out. Libya is not looking good with the murderous lunatic Qaddafi retaking many towns. The no-fly zone is not established. Hamas harassed protesters in Gaza and confiscated cameras. With Saudi sending a thousand troops into Bahrain, and the imposition of martial law there, the democracy dominoes are shifting in the other direction. It will be up to Yemeni protesters to keep going as external momentum diminishes if thats what it comes to. But they are taking down chunks of the regime daily.