Does Saleh think he can dialog with the nation the way he dialoged with al Qaeda? Al Hittar, who was head of the Ministry of Endowments, had previously engaged in Koranic dialog with al Qaeda to show them the error of their ways. The process was described as a charade by several former prisoners. Judge al Hittar extracted promises from 341 al Qaeda operatives to remain loyal to Saleh in exchange for their release from jail. Many turned to external jihad, some re-integrated with society and some became productive members of AQAP. The program was discontinued in 2005 after complaints from the US that graduates of the program were turning up in Iraq. So in Saleh’s deformed brain, this was the best man to convince the protest leaders to dialog. However, the JMP are not the protest leaders. BTW, the ministry of endowments has a lot of corruption, selling state land very cheep to elite, as well as its own private prison. Update: al Hittar says he resigned in protest of the civilian deaths and others in Ibb resigned from the GPC.
This is a brilliant comment from a Yemeni friend: “Despite regime’s repression (or perhaps because of it) protests are witnessing, day by day, increasing growth and momentum in numbers and kind and expanding from urban to rural areas. It is going to be a long process during which the ancient regime’s informal institutions are deconstructed and a new system evolves from grassroots to formal institutions.”
Saleh falling back on standard practices, deports four western journos, had stopped issuing journalistic visas weeks ago.
More lunacy: EU urges dialog
Marib governor Ahmed al Zaidi stabbed in neck outside govt building : BBC. Attack came after al Zaidi led an assault by pro-govt thus on anti-regime protesters which injured 35 al Sahwa
Small Wars Journal 5 page pdf re Saleh, AQAP and US: urges no US direct military involvement but extending government throughout nation. (A process that will only, can only, work once Saleh is gone, I might add.)
The Bakil tribe join the protests, a very big development, al Sahwa Chief of the Bakeel Ameen Al-Aokaime reached Monday the entrance of Sana’a University where hundreds of thousands of protestors demonstrate, insisting that he and his followers would not leave until the fall of Yemen’s regime. (Sheikh’s name often spelled Okaime or like that, is in Marib I believe.)
Yemen GONGO (gov’t NGO or clone) Women’s Union says unrest due to conspiracy against state, stooge site: Hour News
Yemeni Ambassador to Switzerland Abdullah al Noaman resigns his post to join the protesters, the first ambassador I believe. We’ve had judges, military men and telecasters resign but this is first ambassador etc.
Parliament confirms bullets not rubber bullets used in Aden. I would think the bullet wounds would have been enough. Nine killed, 30 wounded al Sahwa
47 killed in last four weeks of protests, News Yemen, including 31 in Aden and 6 among other provinces, a much more accurate count than 9.
SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s president has fired a government minister for failing to persuade an expanding protest movement to end its monthlong challenge to his 32-year rule over one of the most impoverished and volatile corners of the Arab world. (Read on …)