Armies of Liberation

Jane Novak's blog about Yemen

Yemen Govt Doing Little to Harvest Rainwater

Filed under: Ministries, Sana'a, Water, Yemen, disasters, non-oil resources — by Jane Novak at 8:39 pm on Tuesday, August 10, 2010

There are good plans to address many urgent issues in Yemen but they are not implemented fully. Power centers within the government thwart reforms to protect their profits. In other cases, coordination among semi-autonomous ministries is nearly impossible to achieve.
IRIN

SANAA, 10 August 2010 (IRIN) – Despite record rainfall in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other areas this summer, very little is being done to harvest this water to mitigate water shortages, experts say. In May at least seven people were killed in what officials described as the worst flooding to hit Sanaa in a decade. Flooding has brought large parts of the city to a standstill on a number of occasions. Attempts by the government to harvest rainwater are very limited, according to Ramon Scoble, a consultant for Germany’s Technical Cooperation Committee (GTZ). (Read on …)

70% of Salt in Yemen not Iodized

Filed under: Medical, Ministries, non-oil resources, poverty/ hunger — by Jane Novak at 4:20 pm on Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The issue of non-iodized salt has come up before and its a change that could positively impact the nation.

Yemen Post: 70 per cent of salt at the Yemeni markets is non-iodized, a study by the UNICEF Nutrition Program has said. (Read on …)

Corruption kills, Vol. 128: $1.8 million in vaccines withdrawn as fraudulent

Filed under: Corruption, Medical, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 6:35 am on Saturday, June 26, 2010

So what happened? The Health Ministry stole the real vaccines for resale in private pharmacies or never bought them in first place? Its very hard to donate anything to Yemen; monetary donations disappear by the sixth journal entry and even well intentioned physical donations (like to the victims of the Hadramout flood) are diverted for resale. Corruption in the Heatlh Ministry has an immediate lethal impact, just ask anyone with diabetes.

Yemen Observer: The Supreme National Association for Combating Corruption (SNACC) council approved Tuesday the withdrawal of an amount of fraudulent vaccine. The vaccines, which were to help prevent children’s illness such as the flu and malaria, were tampered with and then distributed on May 31 in eight governorates. After receiving reports that the vaccines were not in presentable containers, the authority approved their withdrawal from the markets.

The decision came after the SNACC reviewed reports from field teams sent to a number of governorates in response to the shipment of 400,000 doses of vaccines sent to the Ministry of Health stores on May 5, 2010.

The reports assured that the amounts were distributed to the Capital Secretariat, Sana’a, Taiz, Hajjah, Ibb, Dhamar, Amran and al-Mahwait governorates, noting that some of amounts were closer to damage of the powder.

According to the documents, the amounts of the vaccines sent to Yemen are approximately 611 doses costing $1,847,260. Sources say that the Ministry of Health bears 40 percent of the cost of the shipment.

Minister of Information Delays Visas for Foreign Journalists, Requires Loyalty Pledge for Yemeni Reporters for Satellite Channels

Filed under: Media, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:05 am on Friday, June 25, 2010

No wonder no body knows what the heck is actually going on, via News Yemen:

وزارة الإعلام ترفض منح الصحافة موافقة الدخول لليمن وتطلب من المراسلين التوقيع على تعهد The Ministry of Information press refuses to grant approval to enter Yemen and ask reporters to sign a pledge
22/06/2010 22/06/2010
خاص-نيوزيمن: Particular – NewsYemen:

علم نيوزيمن من مصادر مطلعة رفض وزارة الإعلام في الآونة الأخيرة منح عدد من القنوات الفضائية والصحفيين الأجانب موافقة دخول إلى اليمن لعمل تقارير صحافية. Learned from informed sources NewsYemen rejected the Ministry of Information recently granted a number of satellite channels and foreign journalists to enter the consent of Yemen to the work of media reports.
واشتكى العديد من الصحفيين الأجانب من تلكؤ الوزارة في منحهم الموافقة والتي على أساسها يحصلون على تأشيرة من السفارات اليمنية في الخارج. And many complained that foreign journalists from the reluctance of the ministry to give them the approval and on which get a visa from the embassies in Yemen and abroad. (Read on …)

Ghalib al Gamish to Investigate the Assault on PSO HQ in Aden

Filed under: Counter-terror, Ministries, Yemen, attacks, prisons, state jihaddists — by Jane Novak at 11:14 pm on Thursday, June 24, 2010

Update: Apparently the security had no bullets. Yemen Times:

Last Saturday, armed people attacked the Political Security office in Al-Tawahi district, Aden governorate. They killed 13 people, including seven soldiers, four women and a child.

“What happened is a scandal,” private sources reported told the Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper. «Armed people attacked the Political Security office in Aden where the security guards could not stop them. They exceeded all the security barriers and entered the security office building without being shot at even once. In the end they departed the place chanting joyfully in a triumphant tone.”

The sources told the newspaper said that there are signs that the attackers were not confronted by the guards who had no guns. According to the locals in Al-Tawahi district, all people who were suspected to be working for political security secretly disappeared during the attack.

OP: That’s hysterical, al Gamish to investigate. Either al Gamish planned it or the arrests and subsequent jailbreak were the result of infighting like occurred with Hamza al Qaiti after all the mortars missed in 2008. There was quite a verbal sparring match between the two in which al Qaiti said he was betrayed by al Gamish. Then he got killed in a shoot-out (like al Fawaz al-Reibi and the Egyptian Dwieder). Head of the PSO, Al Gamish was promoted (or at least got a second position) after the 2006 jail break. He’s been around for decades. The PSO is largely subverted by al-Qaeda but then again, al-Qaeda is also largely subverted by the PSO and sometimes (some of them) act as mercenaries. It was Al-Gamish, along with Saleh who negotiated directly with Abu al Feida on behalf of al-Qa’ida back in 2006. Quite a favorable deal it was for both sides. Al Feida had nothing but praise for the way the Yemeni regime handles the brothers.

Yemen Post: Minister of information , Mr . Hasan Al-lowzi has conformed that Yemen is a partner for the international society in all plans and operations that aim to face terrorism and it is fighting its individuals , Al-thawranet reported.

He said also , responding the question of Al-arabia channel in terms of the armed attack of Al-Qaida in Yemen that aimed political security office in Aden , ” There is a supreme committee presided by General Ghaleb Alqamesh , chief of political security system and the deputy of interior minister , interrogating this event to know every thing about it” .

He clarified that this terroristic work was unexpected for a city that has settlement and security as Aden that he conformed it as a secured city and all its visitors recognize that .

He said ” Today we go to Aden and pass in its streets without escorts and arms , and what happened was unexpected for a city that really distinguished to have a strong security because it is totally forbidden to bear arms in Aden” .

And in terms of security situation in Yemen and efforts paid to face terrorism , Al-lowzi pointed out that there is a fight , country and people are fighting against terrorism works especially Al-Qaida , and war will not be ceased until the specific and marked purposes in security plans to be achieved .

Minister of information also said ” Yemen is fighting really against terrorism , and it is a partner for the international society at facing it and there are threats should be taken to consideration and to be on the alert in the all governorates .

Dengue Outbreak Worsens in Yemen

Filed under: Medical, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:20 pm on Saturday, June 19, 2010

Update 8/11 SABA: Around 9,065 suspected dengue fever cases were registered in several provinces in the country, according to a report discussed on Tuesday by the cabinet.The report of the health minister confirmed 1,798 affected cases with the fever, recommending to continue the routine check up on mosquito that transmits the diseases.

Original Post: The Health Ministry routinely ignores or denies outbreaks of disease, too busy stealing donated medicine for sale in private pharmacies, I guess. Al Sahwa

Sahwa Net- Saudi doctors told Sahwa Net the measured followed up in Yemen to combat Dengue Fever are unproductive and merely a waste of money. They said awareness campaigns should be intensified about mosquito breeding grounds and nessessary procedures to early diagnoses of Dengue Fever must be taken. A Yemeni official medical report has revealed on Monday the increase of Dengue Fever inflicted cases in Shabwa governorate, pointing out that the cases discovered mounted to 131 and that more that there are more than 1100 suspected cases of Dengue fever. (Read on …)

Yemen has no political prisoners, Justice Minister claims despite thousands in jail

Filed under: Judicial, Ministries, Trials, hostages, prisons — by Jane Novak at 2:21 pm on Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Oh yes and its a democracy too! The local elections were stupendous, the media is free and the anti-corruption efforts are zooming right along. They lie and lie and lie some more. The problem with reform efforts in Yemen is that no one in the Saleh administration will acknowledge basic realities. Illegal, retaliatory and arbitrary arrests are among the main drivers of instability and civil unrest. Political prisoners include journalists, children and activists as well as persons officially designated as “hostages” by the state, a particularly abhorrent practice of imprisoning an individual in order to pressure a wanted family member. The comments came at a “Friends of Yemen” technical meeting, held in the hopes of instigating judicial reform, but if the state insists the judiciary is perfect, then there’s nothing to discuss.

SABA: No political prisoner in Yemeni jails, says minister

No political prisoner in Yemeni jails, Minister of Justice Ghazi al-Aghbari re-confirmed on Wednesday. In his meeting with the technical team of Yemen Friends Group over justice and security, the minister said that there are only detainees on charges of committing crimes and outlaw acts based on the 1992 law of punishments.

He pointed out to the outlaw elements that blocked roads, looting and burning public and private possessions under pretext of asking rights and freedom of expression, saying no law in the world authorizes to do such crimes.

The minister reviewed needs of Yemen that might friends of Yemen could support in field of judicial reforms in the country.

Opposition’s Call to National Dialog Treasonous: Majawar

Filed under: JMP, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:37 am on Tuesday, April 27, 2010

One of the opposition leaders asked if Majawar was the Prime Minister of the government or the GPC, but the two are so well blended there’s little difference anymore. This speech took place at the government induced rally, where civil servants and students were forced to attend or face punitive actions.

WaPo SANAA (Reuters) – The Yemeni government accused the country’s opposition party of allying with armed elements fighting the state in the north and south, reducing prospects for national dialogue in a fractious country.

Separately, the government put 18 southern separatists on trial on Sunday on charges of incitement and threatening national unity, a move that could further increase tensions a day after four others were sentenced to jail terms of 10 years.

“Those who call themselves the opposition … have entered into suspicious alliances with groups outside of the system, the law and the constitution,” Yemeni Prime Minister Ali Megawar told a pro-government rally on Saturday.

“Your cheers are a condemnation of those who take up arms in the southern provinces,” he told the protesters, making a similar reference to northern Shi’ite rebels….

Updated List of President Saleh’s Relatives in Key Yemeni Military, Political and Economic Positions

Filed under: Military, Ministries, Parliament, Presidency, Yemen, land disputes — by Jane Novak at 9:07 am on Tuesday, February 23, 2010

President Saleh has a lot of in-laws from his four wives. Many of these are also major land “owners” having confiscated public and private land. My 2006 list is of presidential relatives is here and includes economic holdings and stakes in corporations. For example, the head of Yemenia airlines is President Saleh’s son-in-law. Aden Press:

Below is a list of some of Saleh’s relatives that control key positions in the Republic of Yemen:

1. Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh – President’s son, Commander of the Republican Guard and Special Forces.
2. Yahya Mohammed Abdullah Saleh – nephew of President, Staff of the Central Security as a successor to his father.
3. Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh – nephew of President, Saleh’s personal Guard Commander.
4. Ammar Mohammed Abdullah Saleh – nephew of President, the official in charge of national security. (Read on …)

Yemen Arrests Arms Dealer and Government Mediator Faris Manna

Filed under: Crime, Diplomacy, Ministries, Proliferation, Saada War, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 11:28 am on Thursday, January 28, 2010

Faris is also the brother of the governor of Sa’ada. Faris Manna was one of Yemen’s primary weapons traders for some years before he was appointed to the government mediation committee tasked with negotiating with the Houthi rebels. Apparently what he negotiated was a weapons deal.

When some aspect of the Defense Ministry imported a ship load of Chinese weapons, destined for the Houthi rebels, Faris was placed on a black list of arms dealers. Does the arrest demonstrate Western pressure having an effect or is it another ploy by the Saleh regime? I have never yet seen a high ranking Yemeni official held accountable for any crimes.

al Masdar Online: After surrounding his home in Sana’a
الأمن يعتقل رئيس لجنة الوساطة بصعدة الشيخ فارس مناع Security arrested the Chairman of the Mediation Committee Saada Sheikh Faris Manna
المصدر أونلاين- خاص Source Online – Special

علم “المصدر أونلاين” من مصادر مؤكدة إن الشيخ فارس مناع شقيق محافظ صعدة ورئيس لجنة الوساطة السابق بين السلطة والحوثيين قد اعتقل اليوم الخميس من منزلـه في أمانة العاصمـة. Aware of “online source” from confirmed sources that Sheikh Faris Manna brother of the governor of Saada, Chairman of the Mediation Committee between the Authority and the former Huthi was arrested on Thursday from his home in the capital. (Read on …)

Yemeni Government Subverted by Al Qaeda, al Houthi

Filed under: Al-Qaeda, Counter-terror, Diplomacy, Donors, UN, Media, Ministries, Saada War, Yemen, state jihaddists — by Jane Novak at 11:35 am on Monday, January 11, 2010

Member of Parliament and rebel spokesman Yahya al Houthi, translated by the Iranian Press TV, alleges al Qaeda infiltration into key Yemeni ministries (media and intelligence). But its not news. I’d like to add to the list the Political Security, National Security, aspects of the military as well as the certain passport and tourism offices as additional Yemeni government institutions subverted by al Qaeda.

A Yemeni Parliamentarian says al-Qaeda enjoys strong support from the government of President Ali Abdullah Salih and runs key ministries in his cabinet.

Exiled Yemeni lawmaker Yahya al-Houthi — who is the brother of the Shia leader, Abdul-Malek — accused the government of allowing hundreds of al-Qaeda militants into the country.

He said members of al-Qaeda are in charge of many key ministries in the Salih administration including ministries for media and intelligence. (Read on …)

Journalists Against Corruption Document YR 1.5 Trillion in Corruption

Filed under: Civil Rights, Civil Society, Corruption, Media, Ministries, Yemen, govt budget — by Jane Novak at 11:31 am on Monday, January 11, 2010

I lost the link! I think its from the Yemen Times, I have to check it.

Governmental offices’ corruption cases are totaling to more that YR1.5 trillion in illegal transfering, equivalent to the current state’s budget, said a first draft report by Yemen Journalists Against Corruption (Yemen JAC), in collaboration with the Journalists Without Chains Organization.

The report registered 126 corruption cases last year. The oil sector, registering 19 cases, was at the top of the list, with more than YR700 billion in corrupt deals. Aden Oil Refinery Company illegally bought oil products worth YR300 billion alone without announcing bids. “This contradicts the Bid Act by which all companies should abide,” said Nabeel Abdurab, one member of Yemen (JAC). (Read on …)

News Yemen Press Release After Website Destroyed by Minstry of Telecommunication

Filed under: Civil Rights, Civil Society, Communications, Media, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 10:29 am on Tuesday, December 8, 2009

After it lost YR40 million

News Yemen calls press freedom advocates to support it against attack
News Yemen website has set up an old webpage for limited usage after the web experienced a horrible piracy last November 28th. The webpage will be available temporary.

News Yemen apologizes for being unable to post more news stories but coverage of the consequences of the piracy and robbery against the web and efforts the web staff and its partners are exerting to solve technical and material problems.
On Saturday, the website Editor-in-Chief, Nabil al-Sofi, received a promise from the Minister of Telecommunication, Kamal al-Jebri, in a meeting on Saturday to provide all necessary information on the web hacker and to ask for assistance of international experts. Al-Jebri confirmed that anyone from the ministry proved involved in the attack on News Yemen would be punished.

According to the hosting company, based in the United States, the ID of the hacker was for Yaser al-Emad, the director of the Internet Department in the Ministry of Telecommunication, but the minister al-Jebri said the government respects the performance of newsyemen. (Read on …)

MP’s Urge Withdrawing Confidence from Mujawar’s Govt

Filed under: Ministries, Parliament, Political Opposition, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 11:16 am on Saturday, November 7, 2009

Now that they voted themselves another two years in office, they are getting a bit more outspoken. Actually theres some members of Parliament including GPC members who see the disaster unwinding but they have little power to do anything, considering they all take their orders from Saleh. Firing the heads of all the ministries and replacing them with neutral technocrats might have a good effect but it would be limited by the hyper-politicization of everything in Yemen and by the fact that the real power isn’t in the ministries either.

Yemen Post: MPs have urged to withdraw the confidence from the government, with MPs describing the current cabinet led by Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar as corrupt and ‘ reckless’. (Read on …)

Corruption the Central Issue in Yemen

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries, Parliament, Political Parties, Presidency, Reform — by Jane Novak at 1:09 am on Thursday, September 3, 2009

A spot on report: Corruption, the government cannot survive without it. The Houthi rebellion, Southern uprising and al Qaeda’s increasing infiltration are all rooted in corruption. The Yemeni regime is structurally reliant on corruption. Its a mafia more than a government.

SANAA, Sept 2 (Reuters) – A Yemeni tank unit fighting rebels is said to have run out of ammunition after its commander stole his men’s wages, telling them to make money selling spent shell casings instead — so they blasted away at anything that moved.

True or not, Yemenis readily believe the tale.

Corruption is rampant in Yemen, whether defined as the abuse of public office for private gain, or in the form of patronage, the diversion of state resources to seek political quiescence.

Its tentacles stretch from top to bottom of the government, with powerful tribes and the military-security establishment among the main beneficiaries, according to a 94-page assessment by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Efforts to fight the scourge, notably the creation of a Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC) in 2007, have made little headway, Yemeni and foreign experts say. (Read on …)

The Prison Called Yemen, Redux: Mr. Bashraheel

Filed under: Media, Ministries, South Yemen, Targeting — by Jane Novak at 11:37 am on Tuesday, August 18, 2009

تواصلا للانتهاكات التي تتعرض لها صحيفة “الأيام” وناشراها رفض المسئولون في مصلحة الهجرة بعدن طلب تجديد جواز سفر تقدم به الأستاذ هشام باشراحيل رئيس تحرير صحيفة “الأيام” إليهم يطلب فيه تجديد جواز سفره الذي انتهت صلاحيته في شهر يونيو من هذا العام .
ورفض المسئولون في إدارة الهجرة والجوازات التجديد بناءً على أوامر صدرت إليهم من مدير أمن محافظة عدن العميد عبد الله عبده قيران .
ويأتي رفض التجديد تواصلا لحملة استهداف شخصية لآل باشراحيل لا تستند إلى أي نص قانوني، حيث أصدر رئيس مصلحة الهجرة والجوازات والجنسية بتاريخ 12 مايو 2009 قرارا يقضي بمنع كلا من هشام باشراحيل رئيس تحرير صحيفة “الأيام” ونجله هاني باشراحيل رئيس تحرير صحيفة “الأيام الرياضي” من مغادرة البلاد والقبض عليهما في حال ما إذا حاولوا ذلك عبر المنافذ الرسمية للبلد.
(Read on …)

Yemen’s Ministry of Health Reins in Intl NGO’s and Asks for 7% Cut

Filed under: Medical, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 9:46 am on Thursday, August 6, 2009

I have a lot of posts entitled “Corruption Kills” and these normally deal with the Health Ministry and stolen donated equipment, counterfeit drugs sold in stores owned by Ministry officials, the shortage of dialysis machines (there was some shipment that was cancelled) and rural outbreaks entirely ignored by the ministry, so the fact that they are shaking down the NGO’s now is not surprising. The religious incitement against medical workers in Sa’ada is spread from mosques run by pro-government hard core Salafis associated with General Ali Mohsen. The following article is from the Yemen Times:

SANA’A, Aug. 2 — The Ministry of Public Health and Population met with international NGOs working in Yemen’s health sector last week to introduce them to the new terms and conditions aimed to accelerate the achievement of Yemen’s Millennium Development Goals.
(Read on …)

Yemen Rounds Up 101 Usual Suspects

Filed under: Crime, Ministries, Tribes, hostages, security timeline — by Jane Novak at 9:54 am on Thursday, July 30, 2009

These are not accused of being complicit in the kidnapping of the nine foreigners in June, six of whom are still missing. Yemen Post

Yemeni Interior Ministry announced that 101 suspects were arrested in Yemeni governorates in connection with kidnapping Yemeni and foreign people during the middle of last year till July 2009.
Interior Ministry said that arrests aimed to catch outlaws to bring them to justice, ”most of the suspects handed down in Yemeni courts in different cases related to broken laws” Interior Ministry explained.
101 suspects were arrested in different governorates, including 50 in the capital, 8 Aden, 7 Taiz, 8 Hadramout, 9 Hodeida, 3 Abyan, and 10 in Dhmar governorate. (Read on …)

Yemen’s disinformation, lies and spin on every topic continues

Filed under: Media, Ministries, South Yemen, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 12:44 am on Friday, July 3, 2009

All they do is lie. Its really a very Stalinistic regime- they lie big lies. From the ruling party’s website- no one was hurt in Dhalie:

Almotamar.net – Yemeni official information source has on Thursday (6/25) denied Al-Jazeera TV channel and other media instruments reports on occurrence of killed or wounded in the massive demonstration supporting the unity in Al-Dhalie governorate on Wednesday. The march was organised by political, social and cultural activities in the governorate in loyalty to the unity and in condemnation of the voices calling for separation, sedition and sowing feelings of hatred among the sons of the one homeland.

On the other hand the source condemned the attack on Al-Jazeera TV channel team while it was heading for Dhalie to cover the march in support of the unity, at the hands of anarchic outlaw elements.

Enviornmental Disaster in Yemen

Filed under: Enviornmental, Investment, Ministries, Oil — by Jane Novak at 9:45 pm on Thursday, July 2, 2009

The criminalization of the state leads to incompetence and lack of oversight in all areas. I think the Yemeni “government” gave up trying to provide basic services a while ago and now its just wack-a-mole (reactive decision making).

Dead shrimp are one thing, but theres whole villages that have been sickened by enviornmental contaminaton of the extractive industries and other pollution. And the Health Ministry is so inept that its criminal. From SABA:

GAMSR warns of crude oil leaking in Shabwa

ADEN ,July 01 (Saba) – The General Authority for Marine Science Research (GAMSR) has warned of crude oil leaking due to negligence of the companies working in Balhaf, near Bir-Ali area ,in the eastern governorate of Shabwa which causes death of shrimp and various fish.

Deputy Chairman of GAMSR Saleh Awadh told Saba that this phenomenon discovered late of last June has caused death of many shrimp in Bir-Ali which is known of shrimp existence in trade quantities.

A technical research team led by Awadh headed to the mentioned area, he made it clear to study the situation.

Accordingly, the team reported to the authorities in Shabwa governorate and the government to take necessary measures and to put an end for this phenomenon which appears as oil spots at the sea, Awadh added.

He indicated that the search team did not reach a scientific result yet after examining a shrimp as they were found rotten, warning of environmental pollution in the area.

Eight Million Yemenis Abroad? USD 1 Billion in Remittances

Filed under: Demographics, Donors, UN, India, Ministries, Saudi Arabia, USA, Yemen-Statistics — by Jane Novak at 9:05 pm on Thursday, July 2, 2009

Whoa, last time we checked, it was 2 million abroad. What did they do- give out six million bogus passports in the last two years? (The statistical anomaly is not unusual- during the 2006 elections, there were more registered male voters than men. The official unemployment statistics are pretty funny too.) And now the plan is to establish a monitoring system on Yemeni expats… Does Yemen really need 62 embassies; they’re such money pits. There were those big and repeated announcements in 2005 that the regime was going to close some embassies as money saving measures, Romania I think it was, but it never happened. From the Yemen Observer:

Yemen plans to conduct comprehensive surveys for Yemeni expatriates that would focus on their numbers, jobs, families and activities, and their remittances to their homeland. (Read on …)

Rebels Release 25 Soldiers

Filed under: Military, Ministries, Saada War — by Jane Novak at 4:37 pm on Saturday, June 27, 2009

The rebels in Yemeni prison were supposed to be released with the last negotiated truce, and the two truces before that. Their families have been holding weekly sit-ins to try to get their relatives back. I have a copy of the presidential order directing their release.

From Al Sahwa: The media office of al-Houthi rebels has affirmed that 25 soldiers were released on Thursday. The office said that the soldiers were repatriated to a mediation committee. In a statement, the office accused the authorities of holding repels , torturing and harassing them.

Meanwhile Interior Ministry accuses the rebels of drug dealing….

Mujawar Orders Information Minister to Order Printers to Print

Filed under: Civil Rights, Media, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 9:06 am on Saturday, June 27, 2009

Lets see if Mujawar can get his orders implemented and if the Ministry of Information recognizes his authority. Government journalists to get a raise. Meanwhile the non-governmental media has been crippled.

Mujawar order to transform journalists’ inspiration into action SANA’A, June 25 (Saba) – Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Mujawar on Thursday ordered the relevant authorities to implement the March 10 cabinet decision on the journalists job description as soon as possible.

The project calls for job description and classification at the media institutions including the Yemen News Agency Saba, the General Radio and Television Corporation and the military media institutions.

The PM’s order comes in reply to notes sent by the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate in which the government was urged to transform the idea into a concrete action as well as providing necessary funds for the media sector within the next year’s budget.

Mujawar also ordered to give back money cut from the budget allocated for the journalists and approve salary increases ordered previously.

He also called on the Ministry of Public Health and Population to care of the journalists and their families through enabling them to get special treatment at the public hospitals.

The PM also called on the Communication Ministry to provide free internet services for the journalists, asking them to go after many Arab countries.

He also ordered the Information Ministry to continue publishing national newspapers at the al-Thawra Printings according to contracts signed with papers.

Information Ministry has 142 Offices and 2 Gardens

Filed under: Civil Rights, Media, Ministries, govt budget — by Jane Novak at 6:36 pm on Wednesday, June 24, 2009

What is that? One office for every newspaper that they want to drive out of business?

Yemen Post

As Ministry of Information has recently been transformed to a new site, President Ali Abdullah Saleh paid a short visit to the new ministry building earlier this week. News about the visit has two different sides.

The state-run news agency “Saba” reported that the President congratulated the ministry employees for the new building, and urged members of various media organs, audio, visual and print media, to improve and upgrade the information content and provide a meaningful messages that help the country towards progress and advancement adding that he inspected the various facilities of the ministry, the ongoing work as well as the work plan of the various institutions and organs of the ministry, however informed sources said that the President’s visit had a completely different aim.

Sources at the Ministry of Information said that during his visit to the ministry building, the President directed the ministry leadership to vacate the new building of the Ministry.
“Due to the huge size of the building compared with the small staff number of the ministry, President directed that the ministry should be moved again to the previous building giving no more details about any other body that might receive the building instead ” the source said.
The new six-store building of the Ministry of Information was inaugurated in March 19 2009 at a total cost of YR1, 899,984,000.

The building contains 142 offices; set In 264.43 square meters .It includes a kindergarten for the employees’ children, a hall for events, activities and workshops, in addition to two gardens, inside and outside car parks for more than 300 cars.

Yemen to Establish Internet at 4000 Mosques

Filed under: A-INFRASTRUCTURE, Communications, Ministries, Religious, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:39 am on Saturday, June 20, 2009

As the government is shutting news sites and monitoring web cafes, it is also contracting for wireless internet in 4000 mosques.They want to attract youths. But I wonder why they didn’t start with the schools first? The Star

THE Yemen Government has engaged the services of a local company in Kulim, Kedah, to set up web portals and wireless lin-kage at 4,000 mosques in its country.

NFAB Holdings Services (M) Sdn Bhd’s proposal has been submitted to the Grand Mufti Council of Yemen and it has, in principle, agreed to implement it.

NFAB managing director Dr Nurul Faisal Abu Bakar said the programme could benefit the mosques in the northern African country as it could attract youths to participate in religious activities organised by its respective mosques. (Read on …)

State Report on Women

Filed under: Demographics, Employment, Medical, Ministries, Parliament, Women's Issues, poverty/ hunger — by Jane Novak at 7:40 am on Saturday, June 13, 2009

Some women in Yemen believe they are subordinate to men. Some don’t. One time one of the “hard Muslims” as he called himself, told me that women have only half a brain. So I asked him if he ever met a smart woman and a stupid man, was it possible a woman’s half brain could be larger than a small brained man? He didn’t have an answer for that or the question, why would God give women talents if not to use them? He just started ranting he loved Osama bin Laden and offered to send me a book

State report on women issued
SANA’A, June 11 (Saba)-
Woman National Committee (WNC) issued its recent state report on challenges facing women, empowering her and future tendencies to promote her in different fields, political, economic, cultural and social.

Granting the two sexes equal opportunities to get work based on equity in all issues included in the report.

Women limited and weak political participation, women parliamentarian representation, enacting with quota demand, woman lower participation in the work, illiteracy spread, increasing mortality percentage among woman and false conceptions on woman’s issues are the main issues the report talked about. (Read on …)

Massive Fraud at State-Owned Cement Factory In Yemen

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries, Transportation — by Jane Novak at 10:15 am on Sunday, May 31, 2009

Its very, very good, and they all deserve commendation, but will anyone go to jail?

Inquiry into Cement Plants Frauds
SANA’A, May 31 (Saba) – A widening investigation into an enormous graft involving hundreds of billions of Riyals at the state-owned cement plant is underway, head of the Supreme National Anti-Corruption Commission has said. (Read on …)

Lawzi Tries Propaganda: 22 New Newspaper Licenses

Filed under: Civil Rights, Media, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:59 am on Sunday, May 31, 2009

Probably every one of the 22 newly licensed papers is pro-regime and Tawwakol Karaman (WJWC) didn’t get her license yet. I would love to be wrong, really I would.

Al Qaeda can publish magazines and statements on the internet, but not civil society. Whats up with that? Everybody is blocked in Yemen except al Qaeda? The newspapers are inciting hatred but not Wahishi? Such garbage.

Zawya Yemen granted licenses for 22 new newspapers including 14 local newspapers, three newspapers for civil organizations and five for political parties in accordance with legal procedures, said Deputy Minister of Information Mohammed Shaher. Shaher said that there were further requests for issuing newspapers which are under studying by the ministry.

Currently around eight newspapers in Yemen were banned by the information ministry from printing and are accused of inciting hatred and indiscrimination in the country after covering what is happening in the southern governorates. Many local and international organizations have demanded that Yemeni government stop violating the rights of newspapers and freedom of the press.

Previously, Minister of information Hassan al-Lawzi said in a press conference that all Yemeni newspapers must take into consideration the national principles and the common interest of the nation when they are dealing with their press coverage.

The Newspapers Confiscated Themselves!!!

Filed under: Media, Ministries, political violence — by Jane Novak at 6:52 am on Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The news editions “willingly disappeared”, just like the southern protesters shot themselves, al-Khaiwani beat himself up to damage the reputation of the security forces, and in 2005, the fuel riots were prompted by “saboteurs in military uniforms” (thats actually what they said). Its like the country is run by a six year old bully who lies constantly and badly.

Govt. denies banning newspapers, accuses TV channels of harming Yemen’s unity
26/05/2009
SANA’A, NewsYemen : Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi, who is also the government’s spokesman, has denied any decision taken by the Ministry of Information to suspend newspapers and said it only issues an administrative measure against some media who have violated press law.

In his press conference on Tuesday, al-Lawzi told reporters that some newspapers willingly disappeared for some individual conditions and troubles with printers.
But al-Lawzi said the ministry admitted that the Ministry of Information had warned the government and private printers to carry responsibility for any violation of press law.

Newspapers’ chief editors say they still have fears to get their newspapers confiscated after printing. They also said that owners of printers, private and public, still refuse to print newspapers which the Information Ministry has suspended.

Owners of printers want a clear permission from the ministry to print such newspapers to avoid legal problem with the ministry, said the newspapers’ editors.

Al-Lawzi has also said some TV channels unprofessionally intervene in Yemen’s internal affairs and violate the national sovereignty of Yemen. “Some TV channels host people and put pressure on them to talk against the Yemeni Unity and we have the evidence,” said al-Lawzi.

Corruption: The Oil Ministry

Filed under: Ministries, Oil — by Jane Novak at 9:40 am on Monday, May 18, 2009

Its the same game in every ministry and exceeds billions in total.

Yemen Post

In what observers describe to be timid observations, official reports released by the Central Administration for Control and Auditing (COCA) revealed financial violations and infringements at the Ministry of Oil and Minerals at hundreds of millions of US dollars.

The ministry, upon which the country’s economy is built, is accused for excessive expenses. The same reports noted that there had been repeated and excessive expenses, reaching in 2006 alone over $26 million (some YR 5 billions).

This figure made up about 49 percent of the ministry’s overall revenues collected in the same year which mounted to $53 million. Further, the ministry is working to use the revenues collected from oil companies in return for using the pipeline and other oil facilities for its own expenses.

According to the reports, the ministry collected over $39 million and kept it in its bank accounts for covering its expenses. As to bonuses, the ministry spent about $2 million in overstated bonuses for its employees and also spent about YR 452 million for the same end.

The reports mentioned as well that $55,000 was spent for no clear reasons and it was not included under any item in the budget and $37 million was spent on buying a power generator and furniture for the Minister’s house.

This comes at times the country is facing unprecedented drop in oil revenues due to the collapse of oil prices worldwide and the depletion of several oil wells and the rampage of corruption.

Neopotism: The Health Ministry

Filed under: Biographies, Medical, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 8:40 am on Monday, May 18, 2009

Of all the corrupt ministries, the Health Ministry is the most disgusting because it has such an immediate negative impact on the lives of all Yemenis. Thousands and thousands die because of the subversion of this arm of the state into a criminal enterprsie that preys on the public.

In comment on the article “Yemen on the Brink of War” pls know the following: the Yemeni Health Minister’s wife is the sister of the husband of the the President’s sister-in law.

Donors Dissatisfied with Reform Implementation

Filed under: Corruption, Donors, UN, GCC, Ministries, Yemen, govt budget, poverty/ hunger — by Jane Novak at 11:11 am on Sunday, April 26, 2009

Yemen is unable to absorb donor aid in a constructive and transparent manner. A large percentage of aid, grants and loans- beyond the 5.5 bil- have also not been utilized or were diverted. Yemen Post

SANA’A // More than two years after a donors conference in London pledged US$5.5 billion (Dh20bn) to help Yemen, just over $375 million has been disbursed. The challenge now, according to a top World Bank official, is obviously translating those pledges into action.

“We made significant pledges of financial and other assistance in London, but the challenge is now one of implementation, of ensuring that these pledges translate into actual action on the ground, and that the activities we finance are true priorities for the country,” said Daniela Gressani, the World Bank’s regional vice president for Middle East and North Africa. Almost half of the pledges – $2.5bn – came from Gulf states.

Nabil Shaiban, Yemen’s general director of international co-operation at the ministry of planning and international co-operation, said the delay in using the funds was because of the time needed to meet donors’ requirements for allocating the money. (Read on …)

Iran Pays 60 Million to Yemen’s Energy Ministry

Filed under: A-INFRASTRUCTURE, Corruption, Electric, Iran, Ministries, Yemen, govt budget — by Jane Novak at 10:54 am on Sunday, April 26, 2009

A funky little story about the Marib gas power station project, but not so odd following the scandal surrounding nuclear project and the later Latin Node. No mention of exactly where the 60 mill is at the moment.

Sahwa Net – An Iranian company ( the Persian ) have reimbursed the Yemeni Electricity and Energy Ministry $ 60 million for violating the agreement terms signed with Yemen’s ministry , according to well-informed sources. The sources said that the Iranian firm bought transformers with bad quality, violating the agreement of Marib Gas Power Station Project.

More at the Yemen Post: apparently it was well known that the Iranian firm substituted an Indian generator instead of the agreed upon Sieman’s. (Read on …)

2700 Yemeni Government Officials Fail to Submit Disclosure Form

Filed under: Corruption, Economic, Judicial, Local gov, Ministries, Parliament, Reform, Yemen, poverty/ hunger, theft: land other — by Jane Novak at 10:26 am on Sunday, April 26, 2009

The SNACC is going to bring it to the President’s attention. There is no information if there are irregularities in the forms submitted. Also Parliament is asking for prosecution of officials who stole YR72 billion in 2007 through corruption

Yemen Observer: The Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC) is taking legal procedures to refer 3 ministers, 8 governors, and 40 ambassadors to the judiciary, pursuant to article 24 of the second chapter of Anti-Corruption Law, according to SNACC member Ahmed Qurhesh. (Read on …)

Recent attacks and threats on journalists and editors in Yemen

Filed under: Civil Rights, Ministries, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:21 pm on Friday, April 10, 2009

Nice, a list. There’s so many attacks lately I lost track…

Recent attacks and threats on journalists and editors in Yemen
Yemen, Politics, 4/6/2009, Arabic News

The organization ARTICLE 19 said last Monday it is monitoring with great concern the most recent pattern of threats and attacks on journalists in Yemen.

“No journalist should be arrested or attacked because of his/her work and opinion,” says Dr. Agnès Callamard, ARTICLE 19 Executive Director. “Authorities should immediately investigate these incidents and provide effective protection to journalists under threat.”

Some of the recent incidents include:

- Managing Editor of Mareb Press, Mohammad Salhi, was abducted on 19 March 2009 by security officers and imprisoned for eight hours before his release. Salhi was arrested for allegedly trying to take photos of the scene where four South Korean tourists were killed and three others wounded in a terrorist attack in the city of Shibam on 14 March – On 23 March Abdel Malek Shrai, journalist for the independent Al-Ayyam daily, was attacked during his coverage of the murder story of the general director of Khdair governorate. He was beaten up, slandered and banned from writing about the case – Mohammad Shar’abi, an editor at the independent Al Diyar newspaper, has received life threatening messages because of his critical writings and opinions. On 24 March his house in Taiz governorate was bombed. Shar’abi had also been attacked before when unknown assailants shot at his house in November 2008 while his family and children were inside – Associated Press correspondent Ahmad Al Haj has also received threatening messages on his mobile phone from a private unknown caller who described him as an agent and mercenary – In addition, independent journalists in Yemen are being prosecuted for simply doing their job. There are six legal cases against the Nasserite newspaper, Al Wahdawi, for publishing stories related to corruption and investigative material

The one positive note in this negative atmosphere is a speech delivered at the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate General Assembly in mid March by Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh in which he instructed the government to grant licenses to satellite broadcasting channels and to allow the transmission of private radios to any party who requests it.

US Co. Pleads Guilty to Paying Son of Yemeni President Over $1,000,000

Filed under: Business, Corruption, Media, Ministries, Presidency, Yemen   · — by Jane Novak at 3:27 pm on Wednesday, April 8, 2009

They don’t name the son but it could be Ahmed Saleh, the son of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the heir apparent to Saleh’s throne. He is also the commander of the Special Forces and the Republican Guard which directs the mechanized units including artillary, the new tanks and rockets. Payments also went to the ministry of telecommunication and other Yemeni officials.

US Department of Justice

Latin Node Inc., Pleads Guilty to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Violation and Agrees to Pay $2 Million Criminal Fine

WASHINGTON – Latin Node Inc. (Latinode), a privately held Florida corporation, pleaded guilty today to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with improper payments in Honduras and Yemen, Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division announced.

At a hearing before U.S. District Judge Paul Courtney Huck in the Southern District of Florida, Latinode pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging a criminal violation of the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions. As part of the plea agreement, Latinode agreed to pay a $2 million fine during a three-year period.

According to court documents, Latinode provided wholesale telecommunications services using Internet protocol technology countries throughout the world, including Honduras and Yemen…

In addition, from approximately July 2005 to April 2006, court documents show that Latinode made 17 payments totaling approximately $1,150,654 either directly to Yemeni officials or to a third-party consultant with the knowledge that some or all of the money would be passed on to Yemeni officials in exchange for favorable interconnection rates in Yemen. Each of those payments was made from Latinode’s Miami bank account. According to court documents, company e-mails indicate that the intended payment recipients included, but were not limited to, the son of the Yemeni president; the vice president of operations at TeleYemen, the Yemeni government-owned telecommunications company; other officials of TeleYemen; and officials from the Yemeni Ministry of Telecommunications.

Yemen Portal: Faster, Stronger Hits One Million Articles

Filed under: Media, Ministries, Targeting — by Jane Novak at 8:29 pm on Monday, March 16, 2009

الأخوة أعضاء يمن بورتال الأعزاء،

تحية طيبة أهديها إليكم بعد طول غياب ويسعدني إبلاغكم بأن المحرك “يمن بورتال نت” قد تجاوز عقبة أخرى وانتهى من التحديث الجذري للبنية التحتية له حيث انتقل إلى سيرفر جديد ذو سعة وسرعة كبيرتين وبالتالي فإن تصفحه سيكون أسرع وأسهل من الآن فصاعداً.

كما يسعدني إبلاغكم بأن عدد المواد المخزنة في قاعدة بيانات المحرك قد وصل مؤخراً إلى مليون مادة. وإليكم البيان المرفق الذي يحتوي على التفاصيل وأتمنى أن يقوم أصحاب المواقع والمدونون منكم بنشره دعماً منكم للمحرك الذي ما يزال مع الأسف محجوباً في اليمن إلا أنه من الممكن محاولة فتحه عبر الرابط المؤمن

https://yemenportal.net

متأملاً استجابتكم في نشر المرفق مع تمنياتي لكم بالتوفيق والنجاح.
(Read on …)

Yemen Outlaws Promoting Thought

Filed under: Ministries, Political Opposition, Religious, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:33 am on Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The new mosque law outlaws propagating thoughts that are contrary to Sharia. At the same time it outlaws inciting against any party, group or sect. The law was passed before the postponement of the elections, and was probably intended to make it difficult for Islah preachers to promote their candidates. I like the way they package it as reform. On a related note, Saudi Wahabbi preachers organized a training course with Yemeni preachers. Needless to say, the Saudis don’t have the best record for freedom of religion with their Shiite population either.

The law on Press and Publication outlaws written words based on the outcome they produce such as promoting sectarian or regional strife and undermining unity.

Government approves mosques’ law
SANA’A, March, 03 (Saba)- The government approved in its weekly meeting held on Tuesday mosques’ law and directed concerned officials to issue it.

The law aims at reviving the mosque belief, educational and guidance message and protecting the freedom of mosques, security and stability in them. It also aims at good management of mosques, building, maintaining them and equipping them for performing Islamic rituals.

The law seeks to enhance process of taking care of mosques and religious and historical monuments and protecting their cultural and civilized heritage. It also seeks to organize religious address and its role in serving the religion and the homeland, besides promoting performance of the workers in the mosques and improving their living conditions.

The 31 item of the draft law defines duties of preachers, guiders and all mosques’ workers. It stressed on their commitments to good call for worshiping God and makings mosques away of partisan conflicts.

While item 32 included prohibitions implemented on all mosques’ workers. These prohibitions are propagating to thoughts contradicting Islamic Share’a and its principles. Using mosques for propagating or inciting against any party, group or sect is also among prohibitions.

Mystery Illness Rumored Caused by Radiation

Filed under: Medical, Ministries, Oil — by Jane Novak at 1:37 pm on Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Yemen media in the past has erroneously reported small pox, e-bola and a variety of outbreaks that had much more standard diagnoses when investigated. However the Ministry of Health is little help in these cases.

Yemen Post: Medical sources have said that an alien disease spread among oil company workers in the province of Aden’s Albraiqa district.

A seven case in this month so far was recorded on Thursday.

The disease affects the skin and specific parts of the body, the medical sources said, adding the likelihood of the alien appearance of this disease related to radioactive chemicals.

Myiasis Outbreak in Yemen Worsens after Field Teams Stop Work

Filed under: Agriculture, Medical, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 9:24 am on Friday, December 26, 2008

The administration is utterly dysfunctional.

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Dec 23 — As the spread of myiasis, a condition where animal or human tissue is infested with fly larvae or maggots, in the Mahwit governorate rapidly accelerates, field teams from the General Department for Animal Resources (GDAR) have ceased working towards combating this potentially fatal disease.

The teams stopped work three weeks ago because, according to Ahmed Al-Hasibi, director of the Animal Wealth Administration in Mahwit governorate, “the vector is out of control, it is a fly in the air.”

However, two teams in Bani Sa’ad, one in Al-Khabt and another in Milhan are still working towards eradicating the disease.

“At the moment, GDAR field teams have stopped fighting the epidemic. Because they have not received their salaries from the Ministry of Agriculture since the 3rd December, they have decided to quit,” Al-Hasibi said. (Read on …)

Yemeni Women’s Political Participation Statistics

Filed under: Local gov, Ministries, Parliament, Political Parties, Women's Issues — by Jane Novak at 9:07 am on Friday, December 26, 2008

The Reality of Female Participation in Public Institutions

Yemen Times

Despite the presence of women in elections, their contribution in decision-making is still weak. In the legislative field, there is a single seat for women in the entire parliament, from a total of 301. In the Shura Council, women occupy only 2 of 111 seats. On the level of the executive authority, only 2 of 33 ministries are directed by women. There are 39 women deputy ministers and assistants compared with 1210 men in similar positions. Out of 44490 general directors in Yemen, only 168 of them are women. In the diplomatic field, women represent a mere 10 percent of all diplomats, and in the judiciary field they represent 7 percent.

Female participation in the parliamentary elections of 1993 was low as they represented only 18 percent of the total voters. In 1997, this level of participation increased to 27 percent, and by the 2003 elections, the level of women participation increased to 42 percent of the total voters.

Interestingly, it is true that the number of women candidates decreases whenever the number of women voters increases. In the 1993 elections, women candidates represented 1.3 percent, yet in 1997 the percentage of women candidates was down to 1.4. This trend has continued, as in the 2003 elections the ratio of women candidates was only .8 percent.

The GPC attains the highest ratio of women votes, such as in the 2003 elections where it captured 60 percent of the female vote – 43 percent of the total votes for that party. The Islah party received 22 percent of the female vote, which represented 40 percent of the total votes for that party. Only 5 percent of female votes went to the socialist party, which represented 39 percent of the total votes that the party attained. The Nasserite party gained 2 percent of the women’s votes, which represented 39 percent of the party’s total.

Voting for parties is not based entirely on their programs. It is right that women in the Yemeni society have a negative view of the extremist religious powers and their rigid stance toward women. However, votes are also affected by other issues. The presence of women in these parties affects the distribution of votes. For example, women represent 31 percent of GPC members, which may account for its popularity among women voters. In the GPC’s General Committee, women represent 12.8 percent of its members, and 9.1 percent of its Permanent Committee.

In the Islah Shura Council, women represent 9.1 percent, and in its General Secretariat they represent 6.3 percent of the total members. Women represent 9.01 percent of the total members in the Socialist Party’s Central Committee, and 10.52 percent in the General Secretariat.

Corruption Efforts Lack Enforcement, Yemen

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 6:57 pm on Sunday, December 7, 2008

Only half of the finacial disclosure statements were received, there’s still 5000 outstanding.

Yemen Times
SANA’A, Dec. 3 — Forty-nine complaints against various government bodies have been forwarded to the Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption in the third quarter of this year. Only one of the complaints was transferred to persecution while 19 were dismissed as irrelevant to the authority’s field of work. (Read on …)

Former Oil Minister Apptd Yemeni Ambassador to Canada

Filed under: Diplomacy, Ministries, Oil — by Jane Novak at 6:52 pm on Sunday, November 30, 2008

Republican decree appoints Yemen ambassador to Canada

[04 December 2008]

SANA’A, Dec. 04 (Saba) – Republican decree No. 288 for the year 2008 issued on Thursday appointing Khaled Mahfoudh Bahah ambassador of Yemen to Canada.

Local Administration Minister al-Hilal Resigns

Filed under: Local gov, Ministries, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:21 pm on Wednesday, November 19, 2008

messy messy

Yemen Post

Minister of Local Administration Abdul Kadir Hilal handed Saturday his resignation to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, being the second resigning minister in the new government over the last couple of months. (Read on …)

10,000 Land Parcels Stolen in Aden Alone

Filed under: Ministries, South Yemen, land disputes, theft: land other — by Jane Novak at 11:12 pm on Sunday, November 2, 2008

The concentration of economic power and political power is accompanied by the concentration of land “ownership”, possession would be a better word.

Yemen Post

State Officials Responsible for Land Theft; Weaker Citizens Suffer and Stay Hopeless

Last week, hundreds marched in protest to the organized theft of lands that takes place by state officials and high-ranking security and military officers. Locals in many governorates claim that their lands were looted, and because they are weak they cannot do nothing to get their property back.

In a letter handed to the governor of Shabwa Ali Hassan Al-Ahmadi, protesters voiced their rejection for the theft of lands and stressed they will spare no effort, blood and money to safeguard their lands.

Similarly, earlier this year, hundreds of people protested against the policy of looting lands in Aden and Lahj provinces. Former Member of Parliament Saleh Harbi accused 15 top military leaders and heads of the local authorities in Aden and Lahj of manipulating lands, pointing out that President Saleh knows those officials well and knows what they are doing.

The looting of lands is a crisis that has been spreading throughout the country since 1994. Economists consider this practice by government officials as a negative spot on the side of the country, which is supposed to attract internal and external investment.

According to government officials in Aden, 10,200 pieces of lands including lands belonging to overseas investors were looted by executive officials in the southern region of Yemen.

In parliament session, MP Sakhr Al-Wajeeh urged the government to hold back measures being taken by the Land and States Authority in giving the Military Economic Corporation a piece of land in Dar Saad of Aden, and keep the lands in the ownership of their legal owners.

Lately, Justice and Endorsements Committee in the parliament revealed a report accusing the Office of Endorsement in Aden of land looting. The committee also accused endorsement employees of robbing the endorsement’s registry documents.

The Yemeni Parliament also pointed to the governments’ weakness as it failed to protect investors from the frequent aggression on their properties, especially in Aden and Sana’a. The chief of Lands and Estates Authority Office in Aden, Yahya Ba Dwaid, admitted that some legal failures led to the crisis of land in Aden, which in result affected social peace in the governorate.

German development agency GTZ’s advisor, Gabrielle Hermann whose agency is now working with the Yemeni Court of Commerce to find faster solutions to people’s cases going through court procedures, said that most of the cases in courts were that of land looting. “Despite the fact that I obtained a court order reinforcing my rights to the land I bought in the capital, several men including President Saleh’s relatives still claim they are the owners of it “ said 46 year old Ali Hassan Al-Ezani, who bought a land in the capital more than 10 years ago.

Further, a number of citizens in Sana’a claim that their lands were taken away by authorities, saying that the land will be used for public parks, while they later realized that they were used to build private villas and houses for high ranking officials.

According to official estimates, conflicts over lands between the owners and looters result in 1,500 death cases every year; let alone the number of those injured in clashes.

A study conducted by the National Democratic Initiative revealed that 80 percent of revenge killings are motivated by disputes over lands.

However, land problems in Aden date back to the times of political conflicts when socialists were in power, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. Citizens during that time were denied the rights to possess lands.

WJWC Denounces Closing 21 Radio Stations

Filed under: Media, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 11:48 am on Monday, October 20, 2008

This whole Stalinist thing is going a bit far.

Women Journalist without Chains Organization denounced the outrageous aggression against private radio stations in Hadramout governorate. On October 1st, 2008, apparatuses in Tarim district, Hadramout governorate, closed down 21 radio stations after they had confiscated their broadcasting equipments under the pretext that these stations are not licensed by Ministry of Information.

While the organization shows solidarity with owners of these radio stations and their editors, it considers that closedown of the stations is an outrageous aggression against freedom of expression in Yemen. It also confirms that Ministry of Information confiscates, in its act against the stations, a constitutional right which guaranteed, for all Yemenis, the right to practice freedom of expression through all audio, visual and written means. The organization maintains that Ministry of Information aggresses the rights of individuals, parties and organizations to possess audio and visual mass media as well as confiscates the rights of Yemenis to obtain the information and circulate it.

WJWC calls on all advocates of freedom of opinion and expression to show solidarity with these radio stations. It further appeals to all the international organizations concerned with human rights and freedom of expression to exert pressure on the Yemeni government to fulfill its international commitments with regard to human rights and freedom of expression, end the siege imposed on the right to possess private audio-visual mass media, stop official violations against freedom of expression and people’s right to have access and circulate the information.

21 Private Radio Stations in Hadramout Closed

Filed under: Media, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 6:48 pm on Friday, October 10, 2008

SANA’A,
NewsYemen

Yemeni Ministry of Information reportedly closed 21 private FM radio stations in Hadramout October 1st and confiscated equipments and said they are not licensed by the ministry to work.

The Women Journalists Without Chains has condemned the closure and expressed solidarity with stations that it said were working according to constitution. The ministry restricts right of Yemeni people to get information, said the organization.

Head of the Information Ministry’s office in Hadramout, Ibrahim al-Junaid, said the closure came out of fears that such stations might broadcast ideas that encourage violence and terror. “Every group want to have radio stations…this violates constitution and law as such stations are unlicensed”, said al-Junaid.

Prison Conditions

Filed under: Civil Rights, Ministries, prisons — by Jane Novak at 11:37 am on Saturday, September 13, 2008

HR Minister doing good stuff.

YT

SANA’A, Sept. 4 — Human rights’ violations, lack of medical care and insufficient nutrition plague the Central Prison in Sana’a city, the House of Social Guidance and Dar Al-Amal for female juveniles. This is according to a revealing report, released last week by the Minister of Human Rights Dr. Huda Al-Ban, who visited the prisons between June and July 2007. (Read on …)

1650 Officials Not Submit Financial Disclosure

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries, Reform, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 11:17 am on Saturday, September 13, 2008

SNACC looms prosecuting 1650 Yemeni officials

SANA’A, Sep. 13 (Saba)- The Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC) loomed on Saturday prosecuting 1650 Yemeni officials who didn’t deliver their financial disclosures yet.

Member of NSACC Mohammed al-Matari said that the number of financial disclosures received by the national commission reached to 5200 financial disclosures.

The al-Matari pointed out that the SNACC had sent legal notes to officials in some government bodies whom exceeded the legal limit for the delivery of financial disclosures.

“The SNACC is going to take a legal action against those officials”, said al-Matari.

Justice Takes a Holiday

Filed under: Judicial, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 4:19 pm on Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Not that things are much better when the courts are in session

Zawya

10 August 2008
Judiciary activities at all court levels have ceased following the judges’ annual leave which will continue to the end of October. Some case delays may continue up to December, because some judges go on pilgrimage trips. The long judges’ leave will affect the suspects, detainees at courts and prosecutions as well as the newly litigated cases, because they cannot be referred to courts, charged or acquitted.

Lawyer Abdulghani Ali al-Kahzan, said that the leave delays all cases, including those which have only one session to conclude, with the suspects most probably to be released. He added that some judges’ transfers are carried out during the leave, leading to extending the trial’s period, for even the ones need only one session to conclude, because the new judge needs to reconsider the case. The prosecution also experiences similar conditions.

The justice ministry should reconsider the Tho-alqaida month’s annual compulsory leave. He added that the actual annual working period of the judiciary is only half a year.

In a related issue, 264 judges and prosecutors were transferred last week. Appeal judges transfers were carried out by the supreme judiciary court and the ministry of justice last month.

Only 30 Unhappy People in the South: Defense Minister

Filed under: Biographies, Military, Ministries, Russia, South Yemen, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 4:07 pm on Tuesday, August 12, 2008

26 Sept

Defence Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed concluded a successful several-day visit to Russia.
During his visit to Moscow, the Defence Minister held talks with a number of Russian officials on the aspects of cooperation relations between the two countries, particularly in fields of military and Combating and preventing terrorism.
Ahmed also met at Yemen’s embassy in Moscow with Yemeni undergraduates studying in Russian military academies in which he delivered a speech focusing on a number of the national issues and the latest developments witnessed in the homeland, especially the rebellion movement in some districts of Saada governorate.
He confirmed that his country’s government had dealt with the al-Houthi rebellion in accordance with the interests of the country.
For the concern situations in some southern provinces, Defence Minister Mohammed Ahmed considered them “an expression of less than 20 or 30 persons only”.

4000 Houses, 26 Mosques and 116 Schools Destroyed in Sa’ada War

Filed under: Biographies, Civil Rights, Military, Ministries, Saada War, Yemen, prisons — by Jane Novak at 7:05 pm on Saturday, August 9, 2008

These figures of property damage in Sa’ada were first released in July 2007, so the totals are certainly much higher now after the fifth war. In the mean time, prominent activists including al-Khaiwani remain in jail. Another is Mohammed al-Miftah, who is on a hunger strike after being disappeared by the Interior Ministry.

Sahwa Net – The head of Al-Haq Party’s shoura council Mohammad Miftah has been going on a hunger strike since two months. Miftah who was kidnapped by gunmen belonging to the Interior Ministry on May 21, 2008, said he would not suspend the hunger strike until he is released…It is worth noting that the authorities suspect that Miftah belongs to the al-Houthi movement in Saada.

This is the same Miftah who Amnesty International called a prisoner of conscience. A Zaidi cleric Mohamed Miftah was released in May 2006 apparently after receiving presidential pardons. He had been serving an eight-year prison term.

And Ali Mohsen surfaces…

Mareb Press: The governmental committee assigned to evaluate and count the damages caused by the rebellion in Sa’ada province returned today to the Sa’ada, chaired by the Minister of Local Administration, Abdul Qadeer Hilal, and the Deputy of Prime Minister for Security and Stability affairs, Rashad al-Alimi, Minister of Defense, Mohammed Ahmed, and commander of the Eastern North region, Ali Muhsen al-Ahmer.

The committee will visit military and security units in the province to inspect the condition of soldiers.
Meanwhile, the cabinet studied yesterday the initial report on counting the damages caused by the armed rebellion in Sa’ada province, prepared by the committee chaired by Abdul Qader Hilal, Minister of Local Administration.

The cabinet directed the committee to carry out field visits to Bani Hushiesh district in Sana’a province to evaluate and count damages caused by the rebellion and including its findings in the report to be raised to the government.

A total of 4141 houses, and 88 farms were damaged in Northern Province of Sa’ada during the war between the Al Houthi rebels and the government troops, said a primary official report on Tuesday. The report which was carried by the state-run news agency Saba said some 201 public installations including 116 schools, 36 health utilities, and 26 mosques were also either wholly of partially damaged.

Source: IRIN

A recently formed government committee has faced problems assessing damage to buildings and property in conflict-hit Saada Governorate, northern Yemen.

Committee members had to return to the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, after being intercepted in Mashor village Saada Governorate, by pro-government tribes who said they, not the al-Houthi rebels, should have priority when it came to government assistance. The pro-government tribes did not want the committee to start assessing the damage in “pro-al-Houthi villages”, demanding instead that the government give them priority assistance as a reward for fighting on the government side.

However, a few days later, on 6 August, the committee went back to another part of Saada Governorate on the orders of the Cabinet, to try and complete its assessment.

Minister of Local Administration Abdul-Qader Hilal, who chairs the committee, said: “We will work in accordance with the president’s orders and the state’s strategy to promote peace and reconstruct Saada.”

An interim report by the committee, which was set up on 22 July, said 4,141 houses and 88 farms (including 24 poultry farms) had been damaged in the past two months alone, due to the fighting. It also said 201 public buildings were damaged, including 116 schools, 36 health centres and 26 mosques in the same period.It is unclear to what extent a ceasefire in mid-July – following a deal between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and representatives of the rebel leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi – was holding. Local media have reported continuing sporadic clashes between the two sides.

Meanwhile, local media reports indicate that some army leaders were reportedly not happy when Saleh tried to end the fighting before they could defeat the rebels.

Rebel allegations

A statement by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s information office on 3 August said some army leaders were trying to violate the ceasefire deal: unidentified army officers had set up four military checkpoints on the main road to Har Sufian, a pro-al-Houthi area in Amran Governorate. It said there were other violations, which had resulted in the killing of a number of citizens.

In November 2007, a government committee said 3,375 properties had been damaged in five of Saada’s 15 districts, but the assessment was cut short by the fighting.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands displaced during the clashes in Saada Governorate since 2004. According to the 2004 population census, Saada Governorate has 81,568 houses and a population of some 700,000.

Surprise! Prison Visits

Filed under: Ministries, Yemen, prisons — by Jane Novak at 7:21 pm on Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Good for her! A surprise visit to the prisons is just whats needed. They wont be able to kick her out or beat her up like they do with the MP’s who visit.

Yemen Observer:
The Minister of Human Rights Huda al-Ban today began a surprise visit to inspect prisons in Ibb and Taiz governorates in order to view the conditions of the prisoners and prisons facilities.

Close sources reported that the Minister will check on the duration of imprisonment and will set free some penniless ones who have served the majority of their terms and were indebted with large fines. The Ministry will pay the sums to creditors for them, from the fund set by the Vice-President for this purpose.

The same source added that the minister will check prison conditions from the point of view of cleanliness, food and treatment of prisoners, since cells are houses of correction and reformatory aimed to rehabilitate prisoners into the community. In case the minister finds that any of the cells she visits do not meet the required conditions, she will report them to the cabinet including binding recommendations for the concerned ministries to reform them. The report will also include recommendations for punishing jailors who violate the laws that organize and deal with cells and respect for human rights.

The Ministry of Human Rights has released 155 prisoners, 10 of them women, from four governorates to help celebrate May 22. The Ministry paid more than YR 8 million as debts to creditors. Financial aid was offered to other needy prisoners as well.

1000 Officials Disobey the Law

Filed under: Corruption, GPC, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 4:54 pm on Thursday, July 10, 2008

SNACC to refer 1000 officials to prosecution

[05 July 2008]

SANA’A, July 05 (Saba) – The Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC) threatened 1000 governmental officials to be referred to the public prosecution due to not submitting their financial disclosures to the authority.

The head of the Financial Disclosure Sector at the SNACC Mohammad al-Matari said that the authority sent last week messages to 1000 officials in more than 12 ministries indicating to their financial disclosures’ delay, the GPC-run almoatamr.net stated Saturday.

In strongly worded messages, the authority gave a week for those officials to submit their financial disclosures, otherwise it will refer them to the prosecution on charge of refusing implementing the Financial Disclosures Law.

Worth mentioning, SNACC received till the middle of last June 2400 financial disclosures for officials from various government bodies.

Minister of Expatriate Affairs Resigns in Protest

Filed under: Corruption, Elections, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 5:47 pm on Friday, May 30, 2008

Yemen Post

Ten days before announcing the new ministerial reshuffle, Minister of Expatriates Affairs Saleh Sumi’ee resigned from his post in protest against the constant demands by the head of investigation sector at the Anti-corruption committee to pay the due sums for the Yemeni community schools in the Horn of Africa.

Sumi’ee hinted that the head of the education center for community schools Abdul Bari Al-Dhamari embezzled YR 45 million over the years 1998 to 2002 at the leniency of Finance and Expatriates’ Affairs ministries. (Read on …)

8700 Cases of Corruption Among Ministries: SNACC

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries — by Jane Novak at 5:35 pm on Friday, May 30, 2008

Good report by the SNACC. It would be nice if there was any judicial enforcement to back up the investigations. YO

The first comprehensive investigation into corruption in Yemen has revealed 8709 corruption cases in the past 3 years. Astonishingly, 3932 of these occurred in 2007 alone. The offenders were the Ministries of Education, Health and Population, and Labour, Works and Roads. The most corrupt governorates were Ibb, Aden, al-Muhrah, and al-Muhwaid. (Read on …)

Dengue Fever Outbreak in Shabwa

Filed under: Medical, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 4:33 pm on Friday, May 30, 2008

Health Ministry, little help

Over 500 persons effected by dengue in Shabwa
[30 May 2008]
SHABWA, May 30 (Saba)
- A medical source said on Friday more than 500 persons have been affected by a dengue fever outbreak in Shabwa province, south-east of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. (Read on …)

Corruption Cases SNACC: Construction, Education

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries, Reform, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 7:29 pm on Saturday, May 10, 2008

Yemen Observer

The Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption (SNACC) announced last week that it is finishing investigations on six corruption cases, dysfunctions and financial violations of about YR 20 billion, said Dr. Bilqis Abu Usba’a in a recent report issued by SNACC. This report comes every three months and is submitted to the president and the Parliament as a disclosure of these cases. These cases are among 141 claims that SNACC received since the authority’s establishment last year.

The authority received 78 of these claims in the period from January to the end of March 2008. The authority’s report enlisted the major tasks that they undertook at the first quarter of this year, disclosing that most of the claims are allegations that are not competitive to the corruption concepts, and they are of a procedural judicial type. It said that 16 of these are of an administrative nature which the authority has no legal authorization to undertake.

Regarding the cases that are computable with corruption, the report confirmed that six of them are about to finish, while the others are still under investigation and follow up.

The cases, according to the report that are about to be completed, include Taiz-al-Turba road rehabilitation project, where the authority discovered financial violations amounting to YR 117 million out of the total agreed amount of YR 971 million

The scholarship trustee money of the higher education is also on of the authority’s discoveries, where the their investigations disclosed that there are accumulated trustee money in more than 27 countries, amounting to YR16,081,146,000 during the period 2001-2007.

The investigations on this case showed that there 2053 unauthorized applications, exerting pressure on the ministry and preventing application of equal opportunities, despite the president’s directions not to accept any illegal applications.

The report added that SNACC met with the minister and the relevant officials at the higher education, and agreed to summon the cultural attaches in order to settle the trustee money and to submit them to the prosecution, pursuant to the law.

The two sides agreed that an open meeting will be held for the relevant officials to come to a long term strategy that reconsiders scholarships situations.

The third case concerned the investigations over the Cairo fortress restoration, which disclosed YR3,559,698,000 violations in 2002, amounting to ten times of the project’s original cost reaching an amount of YR118 million.

The violations come under article 30 of the corruption law, notwithstanding the tender laws and the financial systems, on the procedures of the project’s implementation stages.

According to the periodic report the project was contracted in 2002 according to the then prevailing prices, which exceed those of 2007 prices, yet there were no technical designs, specifications, certain amounts in addition to entire absence of engineering observance to the project. This is in addition to granting the contractor reimbursement prices and technical specifications price differences in addition to undeserving transport and risk allowance costs.

The report stated that the authority stopped paying any extra sums to the contractor, and appointed an investigation team to assess the so far accomplished works to settle the real contractor’s accounts. The authority also asked COCA to conduct an audit.

The fourth case concerned the Thamar university staff ‘s claim over fraud in the faculty of engineering’s tender, however the authority addressed the prosecution to proceed on the case which is filed before them. It wrote to the Higher Education Ministry in order to return to work the staff members, who were transferred and replaced by others for filing the case, to their posts and to pay them back all their dues.

The fifth case was over the discovery of the authority that the Expatriate Ministry did not settle their trustee money for support of the East African community schools’ accounts for 1999-2007.

The authority according to the report asked the expatriate ministry to provide the payment documents of 1999-2007, however the ministry did not respond despite the repeated addressing.

In the authority’s report to the president and the Parliament, the authority said that they received 1060 financial disclosure reports at the first quarter of this year raising the total to 1219 during the period of September 2007 up to last March.

Law 30 from 2006 of the Financial Disclosure Act is applicable to all higher officials, higher administrative posts and higher financial posts. It also included the first quarter’s issues, cases being discussed, the resolutions, meetings and activities.

Law 39 from 2006 for anti-corruption stipulates that SNACC should submit unified quarterly reports to the president and the Parliament.

Endowment Lands Stolen Too, Dialog to Resume: al-Hittar

Filed under: Ministries, Religious, Yemen, land disputes — by Jane Novak at 5:11 pm on Saturday, May 10, 2008

YO

Hamoud al-Hitar
Judge Hamoud al-Hitar, Endowment Minister, said that he will resign if he fails in protecting the endowment lands and property against those who commit transgressions against them. He also said that he enjoys the president’s support at facing the endowment trespassers, whatever influence or authority they have.

Al- Hitar added that none are superior to the law, considering the parliament’s approval of the endowment law and the formation of the supreme endowment council as a big support for the endowment property protection. (Read on …)

Statement of al-Wasat

Filed under: Media, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 7:25 am on Thursday, May 8, 2008

MINISTER OF INFORMATION DEFIES JUSTICE

In compliance with the policy of violating the laws and in defiance to the court rulings, the ministry of information has ordered to prohibit the printing of Alwasat newspaper. This unlawful and illegal action confirms the intentions of the Minister of Information to disrupt the implementation of the existing laws and create impediments against the freedoms of speech and freedom the press.

Alwasat is shocked by the disobedience of the minister of information to execute the court’s orders, which demonstrates his acrimony against liberties, and thus shows the incredibility of the government related to its constitutional and international commitments to respect the laws and defend the liberties and freedom of press. It is contemptuous that the government has given the false impression to the donors and international community, of abiding to the laws and respecting the rulings of the judiciary, while one of its ministers is violating all the laws and showing irreverence to the judiciary.

We call on all national and international bodies, defending the freedom of press, to condemn the despicable actions of the government and one of its members, calling the regime to have the audacity to announce that the country is besieged under an undeclared state of emergency , where the constitution and freedoms are put aside and only the personal desires and wishes of are ruling the country.

The minister of information, through his disdainful actions is showing the real face of the authoritarian rule of the country.

SANA’A, NewsYemen

Al-Wasat independent weekly reported on Wednesday that the Ministry of Information has prevented all printers in the capital Sana’a from printing the paper challenging the rule of the court against the ministry.

“The Ministry of Information aggressive steps against al-Wasat are ongoing. It is a clear challenge against the verdict of the West Sana’a Court”.

Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) has denounced the new step of Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi and considered it “obstinacy” against judiciary.

First deputy chairman of YJS Saeed Thabet has called al-Lawzi to respect justice as he represents the executive authority. “We want the ministry to be a good example of respecting the judiciary,” said Thabet.

Editor of al-Wasat Jamal Amer said “the minister is challenging justice”. “Information Minister’s measure has destroyed positive step taken by judge as if the ministry is consistent to defame the country”, said Amer.

Some leaders in the Ministry of Information told NY they are not satisfied with the minister’s measure against al-Wasat.

The West Sana’a Court issued last Saturday a verdict against the Minister of Information’s decision for revoking the al-Wasat license. The court also fined the Ministry of Information YR 50,000 in favor of al-Wasat as legal fees.

The Minister al-Lawzi accused the paper of “undermining the country’s highest interests through harming national unity and warm relations with brotherly countries”.

al-Wasat Reinstated

Filed under: Media, Ministries, Trials, Yemen, Yemen-Democracy — by Jane Novak at 10:22 am on Saturday, May 3, 2008

yay!!!

SANA’A, NewsYemen

The West Sana’a Court terminated on Saturday the decision of Ministry of Information to cancel the license of al-Wasat independent weekly and fined Minister of Information YR 50,000 ($250).

The Ministry of Information decided a month ago to cancel the license of al-Wasat claiming the paper published materials against the national unity and Yemeni’s ties with some countries. The Ministry has claimed the Law of Press and Publication allows it to take such a decision, but the editor of al-Wasat Jamal and Amer along with Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) and press freedom advocates have struggled against the decision which they said “has not legal base”.

Information Minister lacks jurisdiction: court

Sana’a, Yemen – A Yemeni court on Saturday annulled a decree by Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi to close one of the country’s top opposition newspapers. The minister had issued a decree cancelling the licence of the al- Wasat weekly on April 5, citing violations against “national unity.”

The decree had said the withdrawal of the paper’s licence was “due to its publication of materials prohibited by the law and against the national unity.”

But now Chief judge of the West Sana’a Court Muhammad al-Qadhi said the minister “lacked jurisdiction to cancel the newspaper’s licence.” (Read on …)

Cabinet Reshuffle

Filed under: Ministries, Presidency, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:14 pm on Friday, May 2, 2008

Unbelievable! President Saleh fired the civil service minister, the guy who actually implemented reforms and devised bio-metric ID’s, fired the 60,000 double dippers and ghost workers, and lots more.

The Fisheries Minister had to go. There’s so much corruption and “elite capture of donor funds” in the Fisheries Ministry. Can I hope? No, not after the al-Jawf election being overturned.

The (former) governor of Saada is very hard core, yes? And now he’s the interior minister?

May 22 Sana’a, Yemen – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered a cabinet reshuffle Monday, appointing six new ministers as part of government reforms promised after a wave of violent protests in the south of the Arab state, state media reported. The portfolios affected by the reshuffle were oil, interior, electricity, civil services, expatriate affairs and fisheries, the official Saba news agency said.

Saleh named Yemen’s ambassador to France, Ameer Aidarous, as oil minister to replace Khaled Bahah, who has held the post since 2006.

Mutahar al-Masri, governor of the restive north-western Saada province, where government forces have been fighting Shiite rebels since 2004, was appointed interior minister. (Read on …)

Corruption Widespread

Filed under: Biographies, Corruption, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 7:09 pm on Friday, May 2, 2008

Anti-Corruption Parliamentarians May Face Charges For Uncovering Corruption

And what do these percentages mean? How much of the ministry’s budget is lost to corruption?

Yemen Online

YEMEN: Oil, military and security “most corrupted” areas – says report
Sana’a, April 29, 2008 (Yemenonline.info) – Yemen’s Parliamentarians Against Corruption (YEMEN PAC) recently issued a report demonstrating that corruption is widespread in the areas of oil, military and security.

According to the report corruption is spread the most in the fields of oil, military and security.

“Corruption spreads in the oil, military and security areas by 87.2%, 61.8% and 60.9% respectively,” said the report.

A government source firmly denied the content of the report on the multitude of corruption in government sectors.

According to the report, corruption spreads in the areas of health, diplomacy, fisheries and agriculture by 53.6%, 48.1%, 35.4% and 33.6% respectively.

Doha-based Al-Jazeera kept broadcasting excerpts from the report during all its business news briefs on Monday.

The source asserted the government’s right to prosecute those who prepared the report for harming and libeling the country by allegedly providing false information about its institutions.

“The government may also demand lifting diplomatic immunity of those parliamentarians,” the source concluded.

News Yemen

Good for the bio section
(Read on …)

Minister Attacked in Papers

Filed under: GPC, Local gov, Ministries, South Yemen, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:08 am on Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Yemen Online

Sana’a, April 19, 2008 – Several government funded weeklies are launching a media campaign against Minister of local Administration, Abdulqader Hilal accusing him of corruption and leaking information to the opposition.

These newspapers reported that some government officials are working to prosecute minister Hilal for corruption charges and for leaking information to the opposition Joint Meeting Party (JMP).

The papers did not said what sort of information Hilal revealed to the opposition parties.

According to the newspapers Hilal is financing the so-called separation movement in the south.

Taiz-based A-Gomhoria government daily published an “alleged” interview with minister Hilal several days ago in which the paper “on behalf’s of Hilal” attacked political parties in the country.

The newspaper published and apology after Hilal denied that he did the interview and explained that the text of the interview was sent to the newspaper by a reporter working for the defense ministry-funded 26 September weekly.

A source close to minister Hilal expressed surprise over the media campaign government-funded media outlets are launching against Hilal. The source said that in protest minister Hilal is staying at home these days.

Minister Hilal enjoys good reputation and popularity mainly amidst people of the south. He served as southern Hadramawt governor before he assumes his current position as the minister of local administration.

16 Billion YR Lost Overseas, Woops

Filed under: Corruption, GPC, Ministries, Reform, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:53 am on Friday, April 18, 2008

Kudos to the SNACA for addressing the issue. Where did the money go? That’s a lot of money.

al-Motamar

Almotamar.net – The Supreme National Anti-Corruption Authority (SNACA) gave Yemeni cultural attaches in Yemeni embassies in 46 countries a 2-month time to settle funds in their charge before it takes measures against them and holds them accountable according to its authorities under the law.

The member of the SNACA, the head of information sector Yassin Abdeh Saeed the funds under care of the cultural attaches in 46 countries that since 2001 have not been settled amount to YR 16 billion, 81 million and 142 thousand, affirming the Authority’s follow-up of this issue with the ministry of higher education.

In this regard the SNACA official praised the cooperation shown by the Yemeni minister of higher education Dr Saleh Basura in this issue and issues of failures of which Mr Saeed the minister opposes them.

Al-Qirby Trip to US Postponed

Filed under: GPC, Ministries, USA, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:32 pm on Monday, April 14, 2008

frosty

Al-Sahwa:

April 13, 2008 – Well-informed sources told Alsahwa.net that Washington cancelled a visit of the Yemen’s foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, to Washington which was set to be in mid-April, indicating that this step was taken as Yemen rejected extraditing an FBI wanted, Jamal al-Badawi, suspected of bombing the USS Cole destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden.

This step followed a visit made by the FBI director Robert Mueller in which he met president Saleh and discussed terror issues.

A spokesman of the U.S. embassy to Yemen had told Alsahwa.net that the FBI director asked Saleh to extradite al-Badawi in order to prosecute him in a U.S. court.

The source pointed out that Mueller further discussed with Saleh issues of combating terrorism and updates of the investigations on the attacks which targeted the U.S. embassy on March 18 and the housing compound of Hadda on April 6.

“Mueller informed Yemen’s officials that U.S. ordered its non-essential staff and their families to leave Yemen due to those attacks which targeted the embassy and American oilmen” added the source.

Official sources said that al-Qirbi would visit Washington in mid-April and would meet the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in order to discuss mutual relations and how to enhance bilateral cooperation in various areas along with the Middle East prominent issues.

Yemen Observer

The Yemeni Foreign Minister said that he asked for a postponement of his mid April visit to the United States. In a special release to the Yemen Observer, the minister said that the visit was delayed by the Yemeni side because of incomplete arrangements for the visit.

The minister confirmed that the postponement is neither linked to Washington’s demand to extradite criminal suspects such as al-badawi, recent bombings in Sana’a or unrest in the south, nor the FBI’s manager’s visit. He asserted that the visit agenda will not change. It will consist mainly of the issue of bilateral relations, development and cooperation in political, economic and development fields, and regional developments such as terrorism and Iraq.

Al-Qirbi denied any crisis or tension in Yemeni-American relations, yet he pointed out that it is just a difference in opinion, over the al-Badawi case, the first suspect in the USS Cole’s attack to be charged, explaining that it is a constitutionally settled issue from the Yemeni side.

Yemeni media had published news of Washington canceling the foreign minister’s visit of mid April because of the Yemeni refusal of al-Badawi’s extradition, linking it to the FBI’s manager Robert Mueller’s unscheduled visit, in which he discussed terror issues with president Saleh, however, the foreign minister denied it.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy spokesperson said in a press release, “the Yemeni government told us that it postponed the foreign minister’s visit for contradictory schedule reasons.”

Media sources quoted the American Embassy as saying that the FBI manager Robert Mueller, asked during his meeting with president Saleh that al-Badawi should be detained in order that he would be tried in an American court over the American USS Cole attack.

Mueller’s visit was followed by evacuation instructions given to unessential US Embassy officials and their families, with the first group leaving Sana’a on Sunday morning.

Many observers described the American measures as unnecessary, adding that it is a sort of an American pressure on Yemen.

Political analyst, Saeed Thabit, thinks that the measure is unjustified because such things happen to the Americans all over the world. He says that this comes within the context of pressuring Yemen to provide more logistical and military facilities for America’s ‘war on terror,’ conscious of the geopolitical position of and its volatile neighbours.

Journalist Hamoud Munasar described the American step as unnecessary and unjustified, pointing out that Yemen has experienced worse conditions in the past without causing the Americans to take such measures.

Thabit expects a crisis to ensue if Washington continues pressuring Yemen regarding the extradition issue.

Thabit owed the sensitivity of the extradition of the Yemenis to be tried in America to two factors: one concerning the Yemeni constitution which prohibits extraditing Yemeni citizens to be tried in any foreign country, and the other one is regarding the unnecessary security disturbance to be entailed by such a step.

The Americans should consider a bargain in which Yemeni nationals incarcerated in America, including Mohammed Ali al-Moaid and Mohammed Zaid to Yemen, together with the Guantanamo detainees, are returned to Yemen in return for a Yemeni pledge to try anyone who is proved to be involved in violent or illegal actions.

Yemen recently witnessed terrorist actions against American interests, including the March 19 attack, that resulted in killing a soldier and the injury of tens of a neighboring girl’s school’s students, in addition to the blasts that hit American hunt employees’ resident complex in Sana’a on April 6.

International Condemnation of Al-Wasat’s Closure

Filed under: Civil Rights, Media, Ministries, South Yemen, Targeting, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:53 am on Tuesday, April 8, 2008

CPJ

Yemeni government cancels license of independent weekly

New York, April 7, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an order by the Yemeni government this weekend to cancel the license of the independent weekly newspaper Al-Wasat.

On Saturday, Yemeni Information Minister Hassan al-Lawzi ordered the newspaper’s license terminated because the paper had damaged relations with Saudi Arabia, and violated technical provisions of the press law, according to local journalists and official press accounts.

A Yemeni government spokesman who asked that his name not be used told CPJ that the Information Ministry revoked Al-Wasat’s license because the paper had “published articles threatening national unity, and spreading messages that promote violence and hate. Yemen supports the freedom of the press that adheres to professional standards and practices.”

“Contrary to the government’s lofty statements in support of a free press such shameful acts of censorship have regrettably become the norm in Yemen,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “We call on the Yemeni authorities to reverse this flagrant measure immediately.” (Read on …)

New al-Ahmar Alliance with Saleh

Filed under: Islah, LNG, Ministries, Tribes, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:02 am on Monday, April 7, 2008

A gas tender, a Parlimentary speakership and a Minstry, the boyz sold their postions cheap. Yes, dissappointing.

Yemen Times

These challenges facing the tribally-backed regime have pushed Saleh not to forward concrete actions, but revamp cracks in his tribal coalitions with Al-Ahmar family. Suddenly, the president was able to normalize his relationship with the sons of Al-Ahmar, extending a gas tender to Hamid, appointing another as vice speaker of Parliament and another as deputy minister of sports and youth. Hussein, who set up the tribal National Solidarity Council to irritate the regime, has been seen on TV with the president in some events.

This attests to Saleh’s allegations that these vocal and critical “boys” want their share of the cake and nothing more. Yes, this is the question. This restructuring of the tribal coalition is meant to challenge disturbances in Sa’ada and in the southern provinces. It is a coalition against the public’s demands. People were naively fooled when they believed that the sons of Sheikh al-Ahmar would side by the public and their pains.

Saleh has tried to develop a loose coalition with the tribe and Al-Ahmar family in particular but found it difficult, and therefore preferred to compromise with the new young leaders of Hashid. Such a technique might serve to extend the hold up of his regime, which is going through hard times, but will not rein in the outrageous people who felt disappointed in the man who promised to improve their living standards in the 2006 elections and now tells them to drink “sea water,” a gesture of recklessness.

At the same time, the protesters demanding separation are serving the regime’s interests, for the people are not in favor of separation. The solution to our problems which are embroiling the country into turmoil is not splitting again into south and north. The country cannot simply split into north and south. It would rather mean complete disintegration and fragmentation of the whole country, which means a bleak future for everybody, without exception.

Now, as the country is on the edge of a precipice, concrete solutions are urgently needed before it is too late and everything falls apart.

Just Out and Out Lies, Over and Over, About Everything

Filed under: Ministries, Saada War, South Yemen, Yemen, prisons — by Jane Novak at 2:50 pm on Sunday, April 6, 2008

No political detainees in Yemen jails, Minister says

[06 April 2008]
SANA’A, April 06 (Saba) – Justice Minister Ghazi Shaef al-Aghbari affirmed that all jailed persons in Yemen’s prisons have been convicted, refusing that there are political detainees in connection with saying or writing opinion.

At a meeting with German’s Human Rights Commissioner Günther Noke, al-Aghbari added that prisoners have all legal guarantees before prosecution and they will be released as they are acquitted.

He said that Yemen is always keen on improving legislations to meet with international human rights pacts, pointing out that the security systems do their job according to constitutional rules ensuring freedom for all people in the country.

He notified that the death penalty is used only against convicted people above eighteen years old.

At the meeting, the two sides discussed means to develop the bilateral relations in areas such as judiciary, legislatives and human rights.

Magazine Released

Filed under: Media, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:01 am on Monday, March 24, 2008

yay! that’s good news:

SANA’A,

The Ministry of Information released on Sunday the independent Abwab magazine after five day suspension at the Sana’a International Airport.

The first issue of Abwab magazine was suspended at the airport twice. It was first preventing from being distributed by Yemeni security two weeks ago because the airport security has claimed the magazine published “inappropriate” picture of president Saleh.

The government has again hold up “Abwab” and prevented its owner from distributing it for local readers because it has been printed in Dubai.

The undersecretary of the Ministry of Information Mohammad Shaher told the official daily al-Syasiah that the magazine had violated the publishing law as it had been printed in Dubai, not in a local printer. Shaher has also claimed the license of publishing was given to Nabil al-Sufi not to Yemeni Media Group as the magazine mentioned.

The editor and publisher of Abwab Nabil al-Sufi has denied claims of Shaher and depicted the suspension as “immoral blockade of the magazine”.

Al-Aimi doing a very poor job indeed

Filed under: Ministries, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:03 am on Monday, March 24, 2008

- Parliament questions Interior Minister over rampant corruption and poor performance in security agencies

Interior Minister Rashad Al-Alimi is due to appear before Parliament on Wednesday to be questioned about spread of corruption and poor performance in different security agencies affiliated with his Ministry, the weekly reported, adding that Parliament members want to interrogate the official over the repeated incidents of citizen kidnapping in the various governorate. Al-Alimi was summoned by Parliament for questioning over the repeated incidents of citizen kidnapping amid absence and ineffective role of relevant security authorities, which, according to MPs, are not committed to applying the concerned security laws. Parliament also put part of the blame on the poor performance of judicial bodies.

According to the weekly, many MPs from opposition caucuses and independents called for selecting a new parliamentary committee to be concerned with defense and security issues after the standing committee failed to play its required role and dropped responsibility in dealing with such critical issues that seem to threaten social peace and stability.

The NUPO mouthpiece went on to say that many MPs lashed out at the interior minister for not responding to previous Parliament’s summoning amid the worsening phenomenon of kidnapping, coupled with poor performance by the relevant security agencies. Parliament’s last week meetings discussed several heated issues, mainly price hikes of basic foodstuffs, child trafficking, poor security performance and repeated incidents of citizen kidnapping.

Al-Hittar Requests Netherlands Ban Film

Filed under: Ministries, Other Countries, Religious, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 7:58 pm on Wednesday, March 12, 2008

SANA’A, NewsYemen

Minister of Endowments and Religious Guidance Hamoud al-Hitar has formally demanded the Dutch government ban a film against the Holy Quran a Dutch member of the Parliament intends to release, said Saba.

The official news agency said al-Hitar talked on the issue with Netherlands ambassador of Netherlands Harry Buikema in a meeting on Wednesday, calling for exerting international efforts must be coordinated to prevent defaming religions and religious symbols to avoid tense situations.

Wilders said in an interview with Guardian the film is to be aired in the coming months. He said he has been warned that he may have to leave the Netherlands for his own safety.

Customs Authority Interview

Filed under: Business, Corruption, Ministries, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 8:49 am on Sunday, March 9, 2008

CA chairman: Blacklist for violators of customs law due to be issued soon

SANA’A- March 07 (Saba)- Chairman of the Customs Authority (CA) Ali al-Zabidi has revealed that the authority is preparing a blacklist for traders who breach customs law.

In an interview with Saba, al-Zabidi said that solutions to tackle issues of customs need safe measures and care for employee of the authority.

Saba: what are the key reforms taken in Customs Authority during two years ago?

Al-Zabidi: The reforms focused on two domains, one on legislation and the second on administration. The authority worked to review laws associated with customs tariff and correct some customs measures.

Regarding the administrative reforms, the authority has conducted a study over
restructuring the authority, held several training courses for employees, appointed skilled personnel and rehabilitated certain customs outlets in some regions like in Mukalla, and Taiz airport as well as set up new customs centers after agreement with neighboring countries within joint cooperation.

The authority also has supplied these centers with up-to-date customs systems. (Read on …)

Corruption Commission May Bring Charges

Filed under: Corruption, GPC, Ministries, Presidency, Reform, Yemen, govt budget — by Jane Novak at 10:36 am on Thursday, March 6, 2008

Update:

Through looking at the other side of the corruption cycle, the different levels of governance have varying degrees of involvement in corruption, ranging from the baselines to middle and high-level officials. However, the recent formation of the Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption has raised hopes in the sincerity of government’s efforts towards enhancing transparency and battling corruption.

However, spectators indicate that the anti-corruption commission will have limited success in any anti-corruption reforms, quoting that the commission has distributed over 3000 applications for the disclosure of net wealth to high ranking government officials, while less than 300 officials cooperated with the commission and disclosed their net worth. Challengingly, a source who requested to remain anonymous indicated that the president himself refused a request from the commission to take the lead and disclose his own net worth in order to influence other officials, but the presidential office turned that request down.

It is obvious that the anti-corruption commission will be facing a serious challenge if it is to succeed in its anti-corruption mission; however, the hope relies within the support of the international community and donor organizations such as the World Bank and USAID.

Original Post: The article doesnt mention how many declaration forms were sent out, I think its around 2000. Its a good system. As with everything else, the key will be enforcement. Publishing the names in the newspaper is not enforcement; legal action is. The state cannot be above the law, but it is.

al-Motamar

Almotamar.net – The Supreme National Anti-Corruption Authority (SNACA) in Yemen has on Wednesday threatened to refer all those who are lagging behind in delivering their financial declarations to prosecution to be accounted on heir properties and to be tried on charges of corruption cases in case they did not deliver those declarations as soon as possible.

Head of financial declaration sector at the SNACA Mohammed al-Matari told almotamar.net that the authority would in the next three weeks prepare statements of the names of those who failed to present their financial declarations and sending them to prosecution and trial.

The SNACA has earlier defined a date for all those involves in financial declarations in 60 days from receiving the form but many of those included have delayed in committing to that and that impedes the authority work. Al-Matari said the number of those who delivered their financial declarations from ministers, directors general and government officials is so far 592 persons, indicating to almotamar.net that all the ministers have handed over their declarations while many of directors general still have not delivered their declarations.

This measure comes at a time the authority has revealed that of investigations carried out by officials at the authority in 54 cases of corruption.

Head of Oversight Authority Implicated in Smuggling Banned Pesticides

Filed under: Agriculture, Medical, Ministries, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 10:33 am on Thursday, March 6, 2008

Government officials are also involved in drug smuggling, gun running, child trafficking. Its not just plain old State Capture, the state has been captured by criminal gangs. And this is why the water plan never gets implemented.

Yemen Times

SANA’A, March 4 — The Committee of Agriculture and Irrigation in the Yemeni Parliament disclosed last week the implication that officials in the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation and Hodeidah governorate allowed banned pesticides to enter the country illegally through Hodeidah port.

The cargo consists of five 20 20-foot containers which contain 58,500 kiloliters of pesticides, going to Daghsan corporation warehouses in Sana’a city.

In its report, the committee said that the cargo of chemicals and poisons constitute a very dangerous risk to people’s lives, and can cause damage to the environment, plants and soil.

The committee asked for everyone who participated in letting the cargo enter Yemen to be handed over to the court for prosecution to be punished according to the Constitution and law. The report affirmed applying the punishments stipulated in law 25 for the year 1999 regarding the circulation of pesticides, on the importer Saleh Ahmed Daghsan.

The people involved in releasing the cargo of pesticides are Mohammed Ahmed Daghsan, the representative of Bin Daghsan corporation, Abdullah Shamlan, the head of the Oversight and Inspection Department in the General Department for Plants Protection. Ali Muhriz, the head of the registration department in the General Department for Plants Protection, Yassen Al-Naqeeb, the head of the Department of Oversight in the General Authority for Plants protection, and finally Omer Abdullah Al-Muqbli, a security officer for the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.

According to a report issued by Parliament in June 2007, the pesticides were released from Hodeidah port’s customs department and moved to Daghsan Corporation warehouses. “However, the pesticides were supposed to be stored at Ministry of Agriculture warehouses, but they were fully packed with other goods,” the report added.

Parliament member (MP) Moqtar Sadeq Abu Rass, who is also on the Agriculture Committee, stated that the container locks were broken by Daghsan corporation. “Daghasn broke the locks and sold the pesticides, so when the Ministry of Agriculture went to claim the cargo, they found that half of it had been sold and distributed in Taiz and Al-Dhale’e governorates,” said Abu Rass.

The committee expressed its regret that the public prosecution hasn’t notified the committee about the steps it has taken concerning the matter, despite transferring the issue to the public prosecutor on February 14, 2007. “The prosecution refuses to inform us about what they have done about the issue so far. It never informs us about anything under the pretext that the judiciary is independent,” added Abu Rass.

On his part, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mansour Al-Hawshabi confessed before Parliament the ministry’s inability to tackle pesticides smugglers, and requested the cooperation of all official authorities and people in restricting this dangerous epidemic.

During the February 26 Parliament session, Al-Hawshabi said that pesticides smuggling is ongoing and complained to the MPs that the prosecution hasn’t adjudicated in the smuggling cases that have been transferred to it from the ministry in the past. He mentioned that the ministry seized a 21-ton cargo of pesticides in Jabal Al-Nar in Taiz, and another 12 containers in Aden from an importer accused of importing a previous cargo of poisonous pesticides. He said that these issues have been transferred to the public prosecution, which hasn’t made any decision on them yet.

Al-Hawshabi added, “The problem isn’t in seizing these poisons; the stores of the ministry are full of them and using them will cause a catastrophe for the environment. What we need is to enforce the importers to get them back to their country of origin.”

Parliament neither advocated cooperating with nor to punishing the ministry. It didn’t excuse the ministry from responsibility, but suggested publishing a black list of smugglers’ names through the mass media. Moreover, the MPs asked that the officials who facilitated the passing of the banned cargo through Haradh strait be taken off the job and transferred to prosecution to be held accountable for their actions.

Two recent studies conducted at the University of Aden found that 118 kinds of pesticides are used in Yemen, mostly by qat farmers.

According to one study conducted by Abdul-Rahman Alawi bin Yehia, a researcher in the Environmental Studies and Sciences Center at the university, Yemen imports these pesticides under 555 trade names, and most of them are very dangerous.

Another study conducted by pharmacy students at the university stated that these pesticides cause chronic diseases such as cancer, behavioral changes, and liver and kidney diseases.

Yemenite Students Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Filed under: Education, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 11:43 am on Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Yemenite Students Between a Rock and a Hard Place
written by Mohamed Tawfik Al-Mansouri Ph. D

The dilemma of Yemenite students has been starting and ongoing for decades. It is that have committed these vices and crimes by the tyrants’ regime with his dark, undeveloped and backward mentality. The branches of state security and military as well as civil institutions implemented these vices and crimes. Their aim and objective is to manipulate, destruct and drain the brain in order to monopolize the power and governance. They also intend to exploit and manage the national wealth randomly, obscurely and violently.

This tragedy is old and still ongoing. What has changed is there are new tools and implementations, which they used against students as well as citizens.

The strategies and mechanisms, as well as tactics used include violent oppression, as well as various forms of psychological warfare, including economic, political and social. This is done both openly and in secret. Therefore, their seasoning and poisons change as they continue to destroy the spirit and flesh.

Before and after the era of the Yemenite Imams, custody of education was banned and denied and no more modern schools or universities were built. However, in the modern-day of Republic, they have been opening the educational institutions and establishments. But, they have also been converting these important organizations into military barracks, combings and security organizations. They were managed by oppression, murder, violence, terrorism and crimes. This results in producing the same or worse qualities as before.

Both of the regimes have justified and explained their conduct to preserve the religion and law. Although, the truth is to prevent and prohibit understanding, and the giving of citizens their civil rights, as well as claiming on the urbanization. Therefore, they have been destroying the mind, which is their main purpose.
For instance, in the republican era of the 1970’s, the methods and styles of killing, murdering and assassinating evolved and increased. They practiced numerous crimes, including detention and house arrest, pursuit, harassment and killing. As a result of that, students emigrated, were killed or imprisoned, become disabled or committed suicide, or lost their mental health. The regime claimed that all of these things have been done to protect the religion, which is originally lost and damaged.

The regime still believes that science and knowledge are dangerous things and their first enemy, so they fabricate and prepared the accusations for liberals, intellectuals and cadres. For example, they accuse them that they are the ally of global socialism on Arab and Islamic systems, so they accuse them of national and humanitarian treason, in addition they accused them of religious treason, therefore, they consulted the religious people to have the permission of killing them. Then, they judged them and killed them due to the yuppies protocols of darkness. They killed them, aiming to stop the wheel of development and the preservation of the minority interests and their selfishness and aggressive authority.

The situation has not improved at the end of the 1970’s, 1980’s or after the theoretical unifying the country, which was announced on May 22, 1990. So, they used the students as black sheep in civil wars or wars against the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. Their aim was to eliminate them because they carried the light and education as well as that they are from the Al-Hojaria region or Taiz or central regions. By doing so, they protect the army because most of the army is from Zaidiyyah tribes. This act is the omnipotent proof of their racism, crime and brutality.

This dilemma of students’ problems involves racial and sectarian nature inherent in the mind of the obscurantist. Their future plans for the students is for calamity because the students’ sin that they are the lovers of science, knowledge and life with its virtues, and because they are prophets and messengers of civilization, justice and equality.

The quantity and quality of scholarship is distributed for associates and affiliates, far from the standard of honest competition, rates and skills. What remains is distributed to the students to eliminate them from the country for a period of up to four or five years, in order to lose their productive and active age. Then, they return after graduation to the dark judgments of being baath, socialist, nationalist or islamist or imperialist or other accusations for leaving the country or facing the death. These accusations, which are trumped up and fabricated , are used to ban the educated from being involved in the system. They eliminate them of participation in decision-making. Despite that, the state soldiers, army units and rulers have relations and cooperation with the Russians, the Arabs and the Americans among others. In addition, the state does not possess or consider of real developmental programmes.

The problems of removing the salaries and scholarships of the students is a deliberated case and also part of terrible, frightening, and brutal corruption, which is widespread in the state’s institutions and appears not only at schools, ministries, institutions of education but also in the Ministry of Finance, Foreign Affairs, embassies and other government’s organs apparatuses associated with mentioned organizations.

A bribe is necessary in the regime and is a part of its behaviour and doctrine. The exploitation of positions is easy and natural, so the regime gains money and it protects only its individual interests. It also assaults the rights by looting and banditry, where salaries, scholarships and fees of students are deposited in foreign banks for three months and their benefits go for gangs in the diplomatic corps in embassies. It also cuts off a small amount e.g. two dollars from each student. They explain that the exchange rates of the dollar against the riyal are in change. This is disgraced work, because the salaries of students sent reinforcements to the embassies of the full amount, and the announced information to students according to a law of Education and Higher Education Ministries under the issue of foreign mission said to payment of scholarships in American Dollars and in advance.

We also see the corruption and inequality that there are students that have four salaries and they are delegated from more than one ministry. On the other hand, we observe students drop proceedings under the omission or defect in the computer, the case omissions and imbalance lasts for three or four years.

The policy of cutting off students’ or the staff salaries is a statement that is taken from the proverb hunger you dog he follows you. Further more, before you became attacked you should start your attack in order to stop them of asking and struggling for their civil rights and providing the equality and equitable distribution of wealth for all, as well as stopping students from participation in decision-making. Hence, full surrounding is a duty under the principle attacked before they are preparing for confrontation.

The objective of starvation also is a psychological preparation to create new conditions to extort students and use them for inhuman jobs. In addition, to sell them in the local, regional and international slave market. The Yemenite modern system based on begging and trading land, honour and rights. They sell themselves and he who sells himself is easy for him to sell others under the slogans of parties or tribes or national and international cooperation.

Sales and piracy reached even for children, the God’s loved, and the sale of the governor for himself, his groups and citizens are done in different ways according to their laws they legalize everything, so, there are spiritual, physical and psychological sale. They are specialist and expert in this field, moreover; they have implementations. The most important thing for them is money.

Their ignorance and stupidity make them blind to see the wealth in the land and people, and they do not know how to manage them to benefit from its’ eggs, milks, fruits and brains. So they sell the expensive things to earn the cheaper, which is the money, which they spend it for their selfish purpose. By this behaviour, attitude and mentality all is lost.

Recently, they cut off and banned the students from their scholarships as well as jobs and privileges and they distributed and gave only for those who want to give. They kill students by their hands as well as across international criminal mafias. Hence, many students have disappeared or lived without any human emotional feelings. The condition of students is a tragedy in abroad and inside the country. They are in between a rock and a hard place. Where does your train drive and lead science, the homeland and us?

The followed solutions by the corrupt regime are a palliative for a short time by sending delegates from the ministries for disguising. Nobody gains anything from the followed procedures of solving the dilemma of student except the delegates, who benefit from travel allowance, the leeway and spend their objectives. Finally, they declare through their false media that the problem is solved and they eliminate corruption and spoilers. Although the solutions must begin at home and no need for traveling, the delegates from the ministries are the useless people of knowledge and science and are gainless and deadly.

I am neither pessimistic nor optimistic, but pessoptimist, and when the train starts working for the establishment the state of institutions and law my optimism will achieve the optimum and maximum.

There is nothing good comes by the unfair and corrupt as well as their institutions. For instance, in the embassies there are diplomats, who are murderers and the government protect them, they are fugitive from other tribes, because the revenge is a legal things in the state. In addition, embassies is full of sorts of whom are blind, prostitutes and thieves, who believe in the doctrine of vice. This is the same-called technocrat from the ruling and those who are illegal investments internationally and dealing with other nations Mafiosi. They fled laundering and criminals in the eyes of the world and even mafias. They become with their nations money in a history and in dilemma. Certainly, the end such these groups are the dustbin of history.

Problems after graduation are harsher and worse than before graduation. Some of absolvents had harm and hard life, so few of them immigrate and most of them accept inappropriate jobs, which are not related to their level of education, morality and ethics. When the absolvents morally fall, they become psychologically able to do anything and become acceptable be the authority too, unless he will be thrown into unknown determination to face million harmful obstacles as well as brutal and wild characters.
To homeland, students, scientists and citizens the almighty God says “help one another in goodness and piety, and do not help one another in sin and aggression”. We do not have any choice except fighting and struggling. Both ways are the best thing for the emancipation of where we are, and God and humanitarian law gives us the rights to proceed.

Brother, sons and, friend, student, professor’s partners, farmers and workers we should in solidarity working together to better ourselves and homeland. My brother student in life and path you need only to demand full rights for yourself as human beings and citizens. If your only demand for salary and scholarship it is what the corrupt authority wants, and it is not going to give you it or deliberate and debate with you of it. So, demand your full rights to get a part of it. Finally, you must hitch you wagon to a star, stand up with the voice of the people, which is the voice of God and strike while the iron is hot.

Brother, student and teacher this is your case and it is in your hands to absorb and understand it. If you believe in what it contents then, you should spread and distribute it to all Yemenite students in the World as well as to students’ unions, federations and associations of Arab World and the globe. In addition to international human rights organizations. This is the first step in the journey of a thousand miles.

Al-Hittar Ready to Cut Ties with Denmark

Filed under: Donors, UN, Ministries, Religious, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:12 pm on Monday, March 3, 2008

Earth Times:

Sana’a, Yemen – A Yemeni minister said on Thursday his country could cut diplomatic ties with Denmark if Danish newspapers continue to publish cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed in a manner deemed offensive to Islam. “If the Danish government does not stop those extremists who are hurting our prophet Mohammed, we will go beyond cutting economic ties, to cutting diplomatic ties,” Minister of Endowments and Religious Guidance Hamoud al-Hitar said. (Read on …)

Yemen’s Past Due USD 7.5 Million Electricity Bill

Filed under: Electric, Ministries, Other Countries, Yemen, govt budget — by Jane Novak at 11:23 pm on Sunday, February 24, 2008

Its just going to get worse as oil revenue continues to decrease. From the Yemen Observer

News of a British company’s intention to cut off the electricity supply to some governorates was denied by Dr. Mustafa Buhran, Minister of Electricity and Energy. The Minister confirmed that the published news goes back to a previous dispute, and was obtained by a newspaper correspondent who either negligently published it, or published it with the intention of creating public unrest.

The Minister declined to speak about the agreement’s details, yet he mentioned that the agreement regarding electricity lease contracts was signed by the previous government, adding that the issue of debts had been dealt with.

Sources from the electricity corporation spoke of contracts with a temporary, off-shore electricity company for the sum of $3.5 million per month, to deal with current shortages.

Media news said that the British electricity-generating company had threatened the Yemeni electricity ministry with disconnecting the supply to six cities if they did not pay the outstanding amount owing of $7.5 million. Reports spoke of a British company by the name of Jericho, that has been supplying parts of Aden governorate, Hodeidah, Hadramout, Amran, Taiz and Sayoun with electricity according to a contract between the company and the ministry for the past year.

Sources attributed the company’s measures to the Yemeni corporation’s failure to pay the sum of YR1.5 billion ($7.5 million) for electricity supply for the months of December and January.

Some reports disclosed that the Yemeni Ministry of Electricity and Energy and its corporation are suffering hard times, as evidenced by their failure to pay the British company, which sells huge amounts of electricity used in lighting and operating industrial plants in the previously mentioned areas.

Critics of the electricity ministry said that it could have supplied these cities with power by building two generating stations at the cost of $60 million, instead of paying that same amount to the British company for a one year supply.

Yemen suffers a 30 percent deficit in electricity supply, due to the expansion of urban areas in addition to the demand for energy from rural areas and projects. It signed a contract with the British company in mid-2006 to supply the six areas with power.

Dr. Buhran told the Parliament that the Ministry’s revenues do not cover the cost of electricity production, because the revenue rate is less than 25 percent of the cost. “The government pays a subsidy to cover this deficit,” the Minister said.

Only GONGOs not NGOs Allowed

Filed under: Civil Society, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:43 am on Thursday, February 21, 2008

Politicized Ministry Rejects Legal License Application

almotamar.net – An official source at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour said Thursday that the ministry did not finalise procedures of license application for the establishment of the so-called ” Change Organisation for Defending Human Rights and Freedoms ” applied by the member of parliament Hamad Saif Hashid.

The same source told almotamar.net that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour actually rejected a request for giving license to the organistion because it lost its right to license because of its violation of legal conditions and criteria for such organisations and its name does not represent but a devised movement, no more.

On the other hand the source praised the organisations that follow the law for private societies and organisations in Yemen and they seek to enter the process of civil society through rightful and correct ways without violating the basics and criteria.

Second Phase of Wages Still Not Implemented: Oil Sector

Filed under: Civil Unrest, Ministries, Oil, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:33 am on Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I have to say I’d like to hear the Civil Service Minister’s side of this story. Previously the implementation of the wages strategy to different sectors was held up pending the implentation of important reforms removing ghost workers and double dippers etc. Both the education and health sectors had similiar issues; in which case the protests are directed at the wrong ministry.

SANA’A, NewsYemen

Employees of the Yemeni Oil Company started a sit-in Saturday morning demanding that the ministries of oil and civil service should quickly improve their situation.

They protested the delay of Civil Service Ministry to apply the second stage of Salary Strategy to oil sector employees and paying them the professional allowance.

Head of Oil Syndicate Mohammad Noaman told NY that “the sit-in came after many promises from the ministries of oil and minerals to give oil employees the new salary increase and professional allowance”, accusing Civil Service Ministry of obstructing the second stage of Salary Strategy and Oil Ministry of ignoring the demands of its employees and their situations. Noaman said: “the sit-ins will continue until our requests are met.”

An official source in the Ministry of Oil and Minerals said they have been ordered not make statements to media on the sit-in, but the Public Relations in the ministry told NY: “the protestors are just few employees and work at the company is not affected”. He asked NY not to make “clamor” over this issue.

Parliament Investigates, the Media Reports

Filed under: Agriculture, Corruption, Ministries, Reform, Yemen, Yemen-Corruption — by Jane Novak at 9:15 am on Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Another hugely corrupt deal. Privatization is an important process for economic growth. It hasn’t gone very well at all. However, this report is very good actually in that the Parliament is investigating corruption and the media is reporting it. That’s the way it is supposed to work. Corruption is countered by transparency and accountability.

On this specific issue, the Ministry of Agriculture is an obstacle to the implementation of the water strategy, with about 90% of water used for agriculture and the vast bulk of that used in qat production. The ministries are not coordinating; some are profit centers for associated individuals while others are pushing to sustain Yemen’s viability into the future. Another example is the Health Ministry whose employees own many of the shops that sell the smuggled pharmaceuticals.

Yemen Post

A report by Agriculture, Irrigation and Fish Wealth Committee at Parliament revealed gross violations by the Supreme Committee for Privatization while selling the General Corporation for increasing genetically improved seeds as the real value was estimated at YR 1.8 billion while it was sold for YR 78.5 million with a difference of YR 1.3 billion.

The report demanded the Public Money Prosecution to act against some Ministry of Agriculture affiliates and Hadramout Deputy Governor for Wadi and Desert Affairs under corruption charges.

The corporation which was established in 1998 as a public company at a capital of YR 75 million and stretches over 6303 m2 was sold to Yemeni businessman Mohammed Al-Hadad.

In 2005, Hathramout members of parliament submitted a complaint to parliament demanding restoration of the corporation and abrogation of the selling operation; however, no action has been taken since then.

Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation is one of the ministries famous for rampant corruption especially in the Provinces Development Authority as is the case with Eastern Provinces Development Authority whose officials were accused of plundering YR 400 million together with $ 20 million under Desertification Fighting Program.

The officials of the authority now own villas and real estates in Sana’a whose total value reaches millions of dollars.

More from the Yemen Observer

The committee for agriculture, irrigation and fisheries in the Parliament has discovered a corrupt deal worth YR1,800,000,000 involving the General Company for Seed Production in Sayoun. (Read on …)

The Yemeni Diaspora in Mogadishu?

Filed under: Ministries, Somalia, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:37 pm on Thursday, February 14, 2008

One dead in grenade attack.

MOGADISHU, Feb 14 (Reuters) – Yemen’s ambassador to Somalia survived a grenade attack on Thursday while attending a ceremony held by members of the Yemeni diaspora in Mogadishu, an aide to the envoy said.

Unidentified gunmen hurled a grenade at a school in the Bulo Hubey neighbourhood in south Mogadishu where the party took place, killing one of the guests and wounding two others.

However, Yemeni envoy Ali Masud was quickly escorted away by government troops before he was due to deliver a speech. (Read on …)

27,000 Double Dippers Fired

Filed under: Donors, UN, Employment, Ministries, Reform, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:37 pm on Thursday, February 7, 2008

Good stuff!!!

Yemen Post

About 27,900 of duplicates and public employees receiving money while not working have been canceled from salary payrolls over the last period, according to Minister of Civil Service and Insurances Khalid Hamoud Al-Soufi.

Al-Soufi added that they are in the final stages for removing other 31,000 public servants from payrolls for not doing fingerprinting and photo identification system, noting they have already completed granting employee cards to all servants at the level of ministries’ offices, the capital, and 12 provinces out of 19 provinces.

He pointed out that his ministry has prepared all technical measures to implement the system in other governorates within 15 days. The system is due to be completed in all public and civil service units by the end of the current month.

Meanwhile, Al-Soufi told official media that fingerprinting and photo identification system is running well in army and security sectors, hinting the leaders of these units are cooperative, stating that none will be exempted whatever his post is. He expected to finish these measures by next September.

There are ten thousands of duplicate, counterfeit and absentees in military and security sectors and some work in both military and civil sectors at the same time.

Yemeni public servant still suffers under the current circumstances because of his low income and salary.

Wheat Price Manipulated

Filed under: Business, Civil Unrest, Ministries, Yemen, poverty/ hunger — by Jane Novak at 8:23 pm on Monday, February 4, 2008

Ramadan 2006, same thing. The horders signed pledges not to do that anymore. The lack of inter-ministerial cooperation hindered any stronger measures.

Yemen Observer

More than seventy Yemeni trucks carrying huge amounts of Australian wheat were found on their way to warehouses located on the outskirts of Sana’a. These shipments were meant to monopolize Yemen’s wheat market, according to an informed security source.

This happened following recent reports released predicting an increase in wheat prices on the international markets. Wheat prices climbed to a record high of more than $10 per bushel on December 12, 2008, as strong demand had depleted the world supply. International reports also said that wheat railroad rates had increased from 2 to 6 percent per bushel on January 18, 2008.

However, the official website of the GPC ruling party stated that the hoarding of wheat stores were perfectly planned to trigger a market scarcity. It also spoke of a mafia organization that was allegedly monopolizing some important food commodities in order to create price hikes. These higher prices increase citizens’ sufferings as well as the state’s burden, acting to destabilize wheat price control procedures. According to the source, these are politically motivated measures.

“There are indications that there are intentional efforts to create unprecedented, politically motivated scarcities in wheat and cement,” said Gamil al-Jadabi, a reporter from Almotamar.net.
(Read on …)

Financial Statements

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries, Reform, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 2:20 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Its a very good law in theory, putting it into practice is facing some difficulty; however a benchmark is always a good thing.

Yemeni minister refuses to submit financial disclosure to SNACC

[16 January 2008]
SANA’A, (Saba)- A member of Supreme National Authority for Compacting Corruption (SNACC), the head of Financial Disclosure Sector Mohammad al-Matari said on Wednesday that SNACC has received 262 disclosures of Yemeni officials.

Al-Matari clarified that one minister has not submitted his financial disclosure till now although he received a formal apply from the authority.

Al- Matari pointed out that Defense Ministry is the 1st official body that submitted more financial disclosures of its personal to SNACC.

Al-Matari re-called all ministry deputies and assistants and general managers in all governmental bodies to submit quickly their financial disclosures according law No. 30 for the year 2006.

He also called the ministries had not submitted lists of the names of their employees included on the low to complete the legal procedures for enabling the authority to receive the 2nd stage of
the financial disclosures.

The law compels everyone of the governmental high-rank employees to submit their financial disclosures over their possessions, their wives’ and sons’ in the country orr abroad to the SNACC that will inspect and follow up these disclosures.Saba

Port Workers, Teachers, Laborers Strike

Filed under: Civil Society, Civil Unrest, Economic, Employment, Ministries, Reform, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:33 am on Monday, January 7, 2008

Are they ever all going to get together?

al-Sahwa

January 5, 2008-Workers of Aden Refinery Company stroke Saturday, demanding the second stage of wages strategy and professional allowances.

The two-hour strike caused paralyzing of ships supply in the port and stopping of work in all the company’s joints including its branches.

January 5, 2008 – Chairman of the Yemeni Teacher Association, Ahmed al-Rabahi, has affirmed that YTA is preparing to arrange an all-out strike in the coming days because the government evades meet the teachers’ their just demands; ;professional allowances, annual bonuses and ending all deductions and illegal levies that hit teachers under any various causes.

On the other hand, Aden’s public schools are keeping on a comprehensive strike for the fifth day.

Schools witnessed a large vacuum in which majority of students, especially high schools’ students, did not attend expressing solidarity with their teachers.

The Secretary General of the YTA in Aden had confirmed earlier that the strike came in response to non-implementation of teachers demands.

Yemen Times
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Hadhramout workers go on Strike

Following calls by the labor association of Hadhramout, numbers of workers and civil servants have wore the red batches on their arms in protest for ignoring their demands for the implementation of laws 69/2005 and law 239/2005 for civil services, which includes a significant payrise which they were promised that will be implemented before the end of 2007.

Corruption Commission Facing Obstruction

Filed under: Donors, UN, Ministries, Parliament, Reform, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:30 am on Monday, January 7, 2008

Yemen Times

SNACC demands cooperation from top officials

The supereme national authority for combating corruption (SNACC) has demanded that top officials within the government to submit the total net worth disclosure statements in accordance to law number 30/2007. SNACC has received only 167 disclosure statement, while over 2,000 disclosure templates has been sent to various government agencies.

Expired Consumer Goods Seized

Filed under: Business, Crime, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 11:52 pm on Sunday, December 30, 2007

Who bought these items and did they knowingly contract to import expired items?

HODEIDAH, NewsYemen

The Public Authority for Controlling Specifications and Quality could seize a quantity of expired foods and harmful cosmetics cost as much as YR 61 million at Hodeidah port.

The authority could seize in the past few days 3000 packets of mango, 552 packets of cosmetics, 1793 packets of chocolates, 5400 bags of flour, 2835 packets of cleaning materials, all are expired and harmful for human, an informed source at PASQC tld NewsYemen.

The source said the seized materials would be spoiled or sent back to the source country according to law.

Nuclear Commission

Filed under: Electric, Ministries, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 9:51 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2007

SABA

Plan to protect Yemen from radiations not to be implemented yet

[15 December 2007]

SANA’A, Dec. 15 (Saba) – The Customs Authority’s head Ali al-Zabidi has called on the National Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) to implement its part in the agreement the two bodies signed at the beginning of 2007 on carrying out a plan to protect the country from the risks of radiation sources that may enter the Yemeni lands illegally.

He told Saba that the plan, which was scheduled to be implemented in collaboration with the NAEC, security authorities and coastguards, aimed at setting up updated apparatuses able to control strictly
land, marine and air outlets and to prevent any attempts of smuggling nuclear and radioactive materials.

Under the agreement, the NAEC should provide the authority with modern apparatuses and training the authority’s cadre on the use of them to thwart any smuggling of radioactive materials into the
Yemeni lands, but the agreement has not implemented yet, al-Zabidi said.

Gen. Yahya Saleh: Yemeni Terrorists Regularly Wear Women’s Clothing

Filed under: Al-Qaeda, Counter-terror, Ministries, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:40 pm on Sunday, December 23, 2007

almotamar.net – Yemen’s Interior Ministry announced last week its need for the recruitment of new 450 Yemeni girls as policewomen the security field.

The Yemeni Interior Ministry demand comes after it managed to recruit three thousand Yemeni girls in this field in the past three years. They have been able to prove the need of the society for them beside security men though the action was fac3ed with strong rejection by Yemeni Islamic political parties and a number of tribes that used to view the woman presence in the armed forces as a shame.

General Yahya Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, chief of general staff at the central security said a group of the policewomen had been employed in combating terror forces and that helped arrest terrorists disguised in woman’s clothes. General Yahya Saleh affirmed in a press statement it was discovered that some terrorists put on woman’s clothes and hide themselves in areas where there majority of women and they use women for protecting themselves. He added that male offices in the force cannot search women due to traditions.

Woman police in Yemen have achieved many successes and managed to fight all forms of terror. Women commandos have been able to foil many terrorist operations intended to be carried out by wearing woman’s clothes and managed to discover some women working for transporting explosives to terrorist groups, including the Houthi group.

Sa’ada Arms Market Explosion

Filed under: Ministries, Proliferation, Saada War, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 12:00 am on Thursday, December 20, 2007

Sana’a, Yemen – At least four people were killed and nine others injured after a powerful explosion rocked an arms market in the northern Yemeni region of Saada Thursday, witnesses said.

Witnesses said the explosion was caused by a cannon shell mishandled by a man trying to sell it at the al-Talh arms market in Saada, some 230 kilometres north of the capital Sana’a.

Al-Talh is the largest arms market in this poor country located at the south-western tip of the Arabian peninsula. Weapons are bought and sold openly in 12 markets and about 300 light weapon shops across the country. (Read on …)

Crime Drops After Weapons Ban

Filed under: Ministries, Proliferation, Security Forces, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:46 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Yemen Observer

Arms-related crimes have decreased by 60 percent and arms in Yemen have decreased by 80 percent in the past two months due to the campaign to ban the carrying of arms that began on August 23, said Deputy Minister of Interior, Brigadier Mohammed Abdullah al-Qusi last week.

Al-Qusi renewed his call to all citizens to cooperate with security forces and report on any violations of this ban in all governorate capitals. He also praised other groups that are helping to enforce the ban such as the military police and other units.

“According to statistics, we see that the number of arms carried in major cities is decreasing week by week which reflects the level of awareness that citizens have reached in realizing the importance of the ban,” said al-Qusi.

Since the inception of the ban until November 1st, the number of arms confiscated has been more that 45,000. (Read on …)

26 Bags of Banned Pesticides and 10,000 Dead Sheep in Yemeni Waters

Filed under: Enviornmental, Fisheries, Ministries, Security Forces, Water, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 9:16 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Ecological disaster already, fish washing up on shore.

HODEIDAH, NewsYemen

Reliable sources in Hodeidah said that Yemeni Coast Guards have found, two miles off Al-Salif port, 26 bags contain poisonous materials threw out in the Yemeni territorial waters near Camaran island by an unknown trade ship last Wednesday.

The coast guards along with teams from the ministries of fisheries, environment and maritime science are looking for more bags might be thrown out and washed by wind to somewhere else, said the sources. They said that many fish and other sea livings were found dead on shores near Al-Salif port.

Official bodies do not talk about this fearing a horrible environmental crisis may happen due to such materials if searching teams could not find them and get them out, said the sources.

Sources pointed that each bag contains 400 gram of such dangerous materials.

This incident came few hours after Yemeni Coast Guards lifted up bodies of ten thousand livestock hurled by a ship coming from the African Horn to water off Hodeidah coasts, according to official sources that did not identify the ship.

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Dec. 16 — 10,000 livestock have sunk in the red see as a result of a U.A.E ship turned over. Likewise, another boat, belonging to Yemeni traders, carrying a huge quantity of pesticides made the same problem in the red see. Livestock and pesticides endangered the Red Sea resources, confirmed Yaha Al-kynaei, Chairman of the Yemen Authority for Developing Yemeni Islands. (Read on …)

Huge Corruption Losses, Public Funds Court

Filed under: Corruption, Ministries, Reform, Trials, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 4:53 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2007

9 mil returned to the treasury

http://www.yobserver.com/local-news/10013429.html

“The Court of Public Money has retrieved $9,801,000 for the State Treasury from corruption cases in 2006 and 2007,” said Mr. Ali al-’Awash, the General Attorney of the Court of Public Money. The number of corruption cases addressed by the public money prosecution from the beginning of 2006 until the middle of 2007 amounted to 2,296.

There were 1,416 cases in 2006 in which the court was able to retrieve the amount of YR 1,279,063,382 as well as $1,023,400. The 880 cases that the court dealt with in the first half of 2007 retrieved an amount of YR 425,816,605, as well as $168,000. Mr. al-Awash said that although the courts dealing with the prosecution of public money were limited in terms of resources and money, they proved their effectiveness in contributing to the fight against corruption.

At a forum held last week in honor of the International Day of Fighting Corruption al-Awash said that the responsibility of fighting corruption requires a real and effective partnership and cooperation amongst all the parties concerned.

In the same way, the Head of the National Supreme Anti-Corruption Authority, Mr. Ahmed al-Anesi, said that the authority is studying several cases of corruption; administrative, fiscal and investigational, and when they reach verdicts these cases will be referred to the concerned sides and the individuals involved will be revealed.

News Yemen

Huge funds returned from corruption cases in 2006 and 2007
09/12/2007

SANA’A, NewsYemen

The National Supreme Anti-Corruption Authority (NSACA) and the legislative and executive authorities have agreed that billions of rials lost due to corruption in the last few years.

Celebrating the World Corruption Day, December 09, they have confirmed the need to combine efforts and ensure partnership between NSACA and eight government and private institutions that are concerned about
Corruption.

Head of NSACA, Ahmad al-Ansi said this day was a good occasion to bring partners in fighting corruption all together to discuss corruption as a public issue, not
the issue of a specific organization.

Al-Ansi called for activating the role of both legislative and executive authorities and developing the supervising bodies as well as society in general to eradicate corruption that damages national economy and hampers development.

We need to prevent corruption before happening, prevention is better than cure, said al-Ansi.

There were 1416 cases raised to the Public Funds Prosecution in 2006, said the lawyer at the Court of Public Funds Ali al-Awash.

Al-Awash said the court could restore over YR 1.279 billion and $1023400 to the Public Fund.

Early in 2007, the court looked at 88 cases of corruption and it could bring back more than YR 425 million and USD 168000, he added.

The head of High Judicial Council Esam al-Samawi said the council has tackled a number of corruption cases and that it has applied effective accountability and
extended inspection campaigns to protect the public funds.

We work together hand by hand with the National Supreme Anti-corruption Authority o fight this threat against our country so that Yemeni people can live
decent life, said deputy speaker of the Parliament Yahya al-Raee.

Head of the Central Organization for Controlling and Auditing (COCA) Abdullah al-Sanafi gave figures showing cases of corruption the COCA has found out in
the last two years.

On this occasion, the UNDP office in Sana’a has confirmed its readiness to help the judicial system and ministry of finance in Yemen prepare and manage transparent budgets in addition to building the capacities of civil society organizations.

Yemen Observer

The Public Funds Court, presided by Judge Abdul Razzaq al-Akehali, continued its examination of 16 different cases that ranged from embezzling and theft to usurpation, all of which involve the misuse of national public funds.

One of the adjourned cases has seen 22 employees from the Ministry of Health stand trial. The case concerned the quadruple cerebro-spinal fever vaccine case in which pilfered funds totaled YR129 million. Another case dealt with the aircraft fuel supply directorate at Sana’a Airport in which financial damages amounted to $613,126 in addition to an embezzled amount of YR2, 141,126. The case was adjourned to gather more evidence.

The same court postponed case No. 31/2005 that involved counterfeit official papers, appointment decrees and employment papers for 1,491 pseudo-employees at Al-Jawf Health Bureau in 2002. The 14 defendants had allegedly usurped the ‘imaginary’ employees’ salaries that added up to YR20, 172,573. The hearing was adjourned in order to collect payrolls bearing the defendants’ signatures.

Another adjourned case dealt with the repair and renovation of the Sam Al-Yemen ship. The Yemeni Economic Corporation (YEC), owner of the vessel, filed the case against the repairs contractor. The YEC’s loss amounted to $800,000. The case was deferred in order to collect further evidence.

Judge Ali al-Omaisi presided over another 12 embezzlement and usurpation cases including four for writing bad cheques addressed to the Tax Authority, two zakah evasions and various thefts in public departments.

In total, the court passed seven verdicts last week. Four cases were ruled to be referred to specialized courts, three others included embezzlements, the circulation of counterfeit money and the theft of public funds.

Illegal Fees for Civil Service Job Applications

Filed under: Corruption, Employment, GPC, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:22 pm on Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Yemen Observer

IBB – A number of candidates for jobs in the Ibb health bureau claim to have been blackmailed by officials after submitting their CV’s and other files for the purpose of employment.

The total number of the candidates to be taken on by the office this year is 239. They say they were asked to pay YR 5,000 for each file. The candidates complained about the blackmail to the governor of the province, Ali bin Ali al-Qaissi, last Monday 25th November. The governor has formed a committee to look into the accusations

The committee found officials guilty while they were receiving the files of the candidates last Monday. The committee also received hundreds of complaints from new job seekers against the office of the civil service in the governorate. They accused the civil service of tampering with their dossiers.

Malaria Cases Decline

Filed under: Donors, UN, Medical, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 8:54 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Malaria cases decrease to 800,000 yearly, says Official

[04 December 2007]
SANA’A, Dec. 04 (Saba)- Malaria cases decreased from 2,500,000 to 800,000 cases annually, Minister of Public Health and Population Abdul-Kareem Rase said on Tuesday.

In his speech in opening session of the annual regional meeting for the Middle East and North Africa of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Rase said that the decrease reflected strong cooperation between the ministry and the fund who supports efforts of the ministry to combat these diseases in the country.

Taiz Teachers Transfered for Protesting

Filed under: Civil Rights, Education, GPC, Ministries, Targeting, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:02 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Just like after the elections, punitive measures follow the expression of civil rights, demonstrating that the state bureaucracies, which should be apolitical, are rather an arm of the ruling party.

Al-Sahwa: November 26, 2007 – National Committee for Rights and Freedoms (HOOD) denounced transfer of 20 teachers from their schools in the wake of their participation in a protest held in Taiz province.

HOOD’s member, Twafiq al-Shoaibi, said that such arbitraries are illegal and lawless, aiming to deprive those teachers from their rights.

Hadramout Teachers Rep Fired by University Head

HADRAMOUT, Nov. 18 — Teaching staff at Hadramout University of Science and Technology have begun raising warnings, demanding the university administration meet their demands, which include applying the Law of Yemeni Universities at their university. They further demand administrative and academic reforms at the university.

The problem began Aug. 29 when the administrative board of the university’s teaching staff syndicate released a statement claiming 16 rights and demands by teaching staff. However, university Rector Ahmad Omar Bamashmous did not respond to their demands.

After their statement’s release, the teaching staff syndicate said it would escalate the situation through a partial strike. This dissatisfied Bamashmous, who considered such action an assault against the university.

Moreover, the protestors say their demands are not about money; rather, they simply demand reforming the academic and administrative board.

In an effort to resolve the problem, Bamashmous accused the syndicate of escalating the political situation in that region, alleging that they are related to protestors in Yemen’s southern governorates.

The problem worsened when Bamashmous called for the university council meeting, at which he removed the syndicate’s legally-elected representative.

However, the syndicate claimed the meeting was illegitimate, demanding the meeting’s minutes be cancelled. Despite the intervention of the governor, Bamashmous refused to meet the syndicate’s demands, for which the syndicate threatens to escalate the situation they remain unmet.

Social Affairs Minister Disqualifies 40.000 Social Security Recipients

Filed under: Ministries, Reform, Yemen, smuggling — by Jane Novak at 8:53 am on Wednesday, November 28, 2007

That’s very good, and proposals to combat child smuggling. She’s going to run into conflict from the officials who are making the money from selling kids.

Al-Motamar

almotamar.net – The minister of social affairs and labour Dr Amat al-Razzaq Humd said Monday her ministry has deleted 40 thousand cases not deserving cases from statements of social security along with drawing up a new mechanism depending on differentiation between the deserving through the computer.

The announcement came while the minister was on Monday reviewing measures of her ministry taken for solving the problem of Yemeni children smuggling at meeting of the Children Parliament.

The minister referred to proposed legal amendments being considered by the parliament including incrimination of smuggling children from Yemen and rising the age of the juvenile to 18 years. She also talked about formation of joint committee grouping her ministry and the ministries of interior and defence and local authorities in the border governorates.

The minister of social affairs and labour also praised the UNICEF organisation role in bringing closer the Yemeni and Saudi viewpoints on children smuggling resulted in holding many meetings of Yemeni-Saudi committees that agreed on preparing a study including statistics by a neutral expert and two representatives from each of the two countries.

It is to be mentioned that the government ha taken some treatments for the problem of children smuggling among them the building of centres for the rehabilitation of the returning children and expansion in cases of social security in the border governorates, amounting to one million cases in various governorates of the country.

Defense Ministry Demands Execution of Three Journalists

Filed under: Media, Military, Ministries, Saada War, Targeting, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 10:07 am on Monday, November 26, 2007

They wrote an article documenting 9000 Salifi Hashid tribesmen fighting in Saada, some were killed by friendly fire. And members of the Abyan-Aden Islamic Army training those fighters. Doesn’t the regime realize that by over-reacting like this, they are giving credibility to the allegations?

Yemen Times

SANA’A, Nov. 25 — Editor-in-Chief of Al-Share’ Weekly Nayef Hassan, the paper’s managing editor Nabeel Subei and Mahmoud Taha, a reporter, appeared on Saturday before Chief Judge of the State Security Penal Court Ridhwan Al-Namer at the first hearing for a lawsuit filed against the newspaper by the Defense Ministry.

At the hearing, the press members demanded that the court adjourn the hearing so that they can appoint a lawyer to defend them. The judge then accepted their request and adjourned the trial until December 8.

The three journalists were summoned last Wednesday to appear before the court after the prosecution investigated them regarding the lawsuit by the Defense Ministry against them for publishing a story about voluntary fighters who support the army in the Sa’ada fighting. The indictment demanded that the three pressmen be executed under new legal provisions.

Referring Al-Share’ Weekly to State Security Court provoked protests at domestic and international levels because the court specializes in terrorism and not in publication or press issues. (Read on …)

More on the Confescated Nuclear Medicine Device

Filed under: Medical, Ministries, Yemen — by Jane Novak at 9:59 am on Monday, November 26, 2007

Squabbling ministries again. Where are they now, the 2 million dollar device and the bank guarentee? (Earlier posting here.) The Energy Minister sent soldiers to block the nuclear medicine team from entering the premises. The Atomic Energy department refused to stamp the paper. Its quite a multifaceted device.

SANA’A, Nov. 24 — In an illegal action, the director of the National Center for Cancer Swellings confiscated the bank guarantee of the company which implemented a project to set up a linear accelerator to treat cancerous tumors. The device, valued at $2.660, was confiscated under the pretext that the time limit given for setting up the plant had expired. The device was supposed to be set up last September, according to the contract signed by the center and Al-Masiyah Company for Trading and Information Technology.

Previously, Dr. Nadeem Mohammed Sa’eed, director of the National Center for Cancer Swellings, who is also in charge of the National Committee for Atomic Energy headed by Minister of Electricity and Power, Mustafa Bahran, accused Bahran of hindering the plant and sending soldiers belonging to the committee to the center to prevent the company’s engineers from entering the plant site. He also confirmed that Al-Masiyah committed to abide by the contract agreed upon, and in case the company takes the matter to court, it will win the case and be compensated.

Mohammed Ateeq, manager for Al-Masiyah, considered the confiscation of the bank guarantee illegal, because the time limit for the plant is nine months from the date of receiving the work site, not from the date of signing the contract, as stipulated in the eighth clause of the contract signed with the Center. The Center refused to give the site to the company, hindering it until the date of submission expired. The National Committee for Atomic Energy also refused to stamp the documents and proposed amendments to the room designed for the linear accelerator, submitted to the company in mid-March. He further affirmed that the company resorted to a lawsuit in an attempt to seek justice and compensation for the company’s losses.

Ateeq also noted that the company committed itself to abide by all the articles written in the contract according to the ministers’ council resolution No. 262 of 2006. But the National Center for Cancer Swellings and the National Committee for Atomic Energy were in dispute with each other, resulting in hindering the plant and implementing it in the determined period.

Well this is reassuring, kinda: EPA: One of the benefits of accelerators is that, unlike radioactive sources, they only produce radiation when they are operated. However, radioactive waste is produced during their operation. This waste is generally short-lived; decaying in less than one year and may be stored at laboratories or production facilities until it is no longer radioactive. An extremely small fraction of the waste can remain radioactive for more than one year.

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