Yemen to the Rest of the World: Silence Kills!

Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world and the third to join the Arab Spring on February 11th, following the downfall of Egypt's president Hosni Mubarak. Yemen's revolution is a legitimate outcry against corruption, illiteracy, injustice, nepotism, poverty and tyranny. It is a call for a peaceful regime change, freedom and basic human rights which Yemenis have been deprived of for so long.

Yemen's revolution has been ongoing for more than seven months and has been amazingly peaceful and remains admirably so. It is worth mentioning that Yemen is known to be the second most armed country in the world, after the US, with approximately 60 million firearms in a country with a population of 23m. Despite some clashes between some tribes supporting the revolution and Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh's troops and although protesters have been facing continuous violence by the regime, the youth marching in thousands throughout the country insist to keep the protests peaceful and not a single bullet has been shot.

The regime forces have continuously and excessively used violence to crackdown on protests. Peaceful marches were attacked with live bullets, expired tear gas, cannon sewage water and batons, resulting in killings, injury, suffocation from gas, torture and arbitrary detention. The Report of the High Commissioner on OHCHR’s visit to Yemen issued on September 13, called for further investigations and a probe into human rights abuse. The report indicated that hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured since the crackdown on protesters began.

This video shows an example of how the security forces deal with peaceful marches such as the one that happened in Taiz on Thursday, September 15th. (Video posed by FreedomTaiz)

The regime forces used live bullets, water canons, and tear gas to disperse the protesters, even women were not spared from the attacks as the following video from Taiz shows. (Video posed by FreedomTaiz)

One man was killed and many were severely injured, including women, on Thursday.

Another peaceful march was recently attacked in Sanaa on Sunday, September 18th. More than 800 protesters were wounded, including 265 with live bullets, and at least 26 were killed. The death toll is expected to rise, since 96 are in a critical condition. WARNING: This video contains graphic scenestowards the end, of the injured protesters being rushed to a field hospital. (Video posted bymediacentersanaa)

The regime forces did not hesitate to use live bullets to disperse protesters. Water canons and tear gas were used as well. This video shows snipers in surrounding buildings and on roof tops aiming at protesters. (Video posted by YouthStandYEMEN)

This is one of the videos in a series showing graphic images of the injured in the field hospital.WARNING: Graphic content (Video posted by mediacentersanaa)

The prolonged revolution also caused a grave economic and humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where 45 per cent of the population already lived under the poverty line, earning less than $2 a day, costing Yemen billions of dollars monthly. Besides the loss of lives and injury of many people and a refugee crisis, the entire population has been enduring domestic gas, fuel, water crises, power outages and food shortages - a collective punishment tool by the regime to intimidate Yemenis to submission.

The Republican Guards headed by Saleh's son, Ahmed, aided by the air force continuously and almost daily shell and bombard villages in Arhab and Nehm, killing and injuring scores of innocent civilians, damaging houses, wells, fields and vineyards. Many residents fled to neighboring villages to seek refuge in mountain caves, similar to those used in the dark ages, to escape the violence. (Video posted byla7jPress)

The endless fight against the so called “Qaeda” elements in Abyan and US drone attacks caused more than 100,000 refugees to flee to Aden and live in schools as shown in this video. (Video posted byla7jPress)

The Gulf Cooperation Council's initiative in all it's modified forms did not address Yemenis aspirations. Instead, it embodied favorable terms for Saleh rather than the people and thus was widely rejected, albeit signed and approved by the formal opposition, the JMP. This move has caused a huge discontent and rift between the official opposition and the independent Youth movement.
The US and Saudi Arabia have been passively calling for a peaceful transition yet continue to support Saleh, militarily and financially, thus supporting his regime to quell the anti-government protest and allowing their crimes to continue. Each has their reasons for not being enthusiastic about the revolution. Saudi Arabia fears a successful revolution and a democracy at its doorstep and the US fears loosing an ally and long time partner in their “war against terror” and fighting AQAP, which is the US's major concern in Yemen, rather than it's democracy and the well being of its people, which in turn would reduce the Al Qaeda threat.

This video shows the Yemenis who have been marching in millions almost daily in cities across Yemen for months, persevering and enduring all forms of hardships amidst continuous violence, yet peacefully and resiliently demanding a regime change and aspiring to build a civil state in a new Yemen. (Video posted by KareemooS)

Yemenis are outraged by the world's silence and media blackout towards the human catastrophe their country is facing and turning a blind eye on the regime's crimes, which they perceive is a direct reflection of the lack of world and regional support for Yemen, mainly due to what they see as the interference of the US and Saudi Arabia. This video shows how they expressed it clearly in a silent protest on April 9th in Sanaa. (Video posted by FiredoglakeTV)

A hashtag #SupportYemen was created on Twitter and a campaign last week encouraged the use of social media to shed light on the revolution in Yemen, where mainstream media failed. @AjYemen tweeted encouraging people to use the hashtag #SupportYemen

@AJYemen
Let's get the world's attention to #Yemen, as everyone's silence kills the people of Yemen. Spread and use this hashtag #SupportYemen https://twitter.com/#!/AJYemen/status/114531563961716736

In his tweet @Yemen4Change wondered why Yemen's revolution wasn't getting any media coverage.

@Yemen4Change
OUR demands r legit, OUR protests r peaceful, OUR ppl r seeking basic human rights, why r we being forgotten by media? #SupportYemen @hrw

A group of Yemeni activists planned together another silent march, to be at the same time in different cities around the world where there is a huge Yemeni community and in cities in Yemen on September 24th from 12:00 to 2:00 pm to condemn the world's silence and the current media black-out towards Yemen's revolution under the name #SupportYemen- Silence Kills!
This video contains some of the powerful images that portray this beautiful peaceful, yet very marginalized and almost ignored revolution. (Video posted by Soso4410)

So don't be silent and Support Yemen!
This post was published in Global Voices as part of a special coverage Yemen Protests 2011. 

Yemen's Six Months Revolution

Six months of Yemenis' lives have passed by, and although Yemen's president has been gone to Saudi for treatment for a whole month now, yet the regime remains unchanged. Yes there have been some gains as Hamza Shargabi, an activist in Sanaa's Change Square and member of the Coordinating Council for the Youth Revolution of Change (CCYRC) had pointed out to my frustrated tweet "what are the political gains so far?" by  replying "we destroyed the regime, we recreated national identity, gave hope to the nation..but we haven't been able to place a new regime". Yes I do agree that the protest sit-ins in the squares of Yemen has forged a sense of unity and feelings of solidarity which brought Yemenis together as never before, dismantling clan, tribal, regional and even to some extent gender barriers and it sure did rise hopes. But I am not so sure about "destroying the regime". Although nobody is sure if "President" Saleh is dead or alive especially since he hasn't made a public appearance for over a month, reinforcing rumours of his death, yet the regime is very much alive and kicking or rather "killing".  Besides Saleh's son taking over the presidential palace, there are daily reports of the Republican Guards (a special force headed by Saleh's son, Ahmed) shelling and bombarding the beautiful city of Taiz, missile attacking Abyan fighting so called al "Qaeda" militants and the continuos shelling of the villages of Arhab with scores of deaths, injuries and refugees as a result. 

Although not much fighting is happening in Sanaa lately beside the fights for fuel,  Sanaa has had it's share of fighting for weeks, during the Hasba war between Saleh and Sheikh al Ahmar. 

Saleh's nephew, Yehya, head of the Central Security Forces dismisses the revolution all together in a New York Times interview, he says "the problem is that the rest of the world believes this is a youth revolution. How many are there in the squares? Do they represent the majority? In a democracy, does a minority rule the majority?" He adds "They should have some self respect and go home. It's been five months now and it's boring." To him I say "obviously you have been oblivious to the streets boiling with hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding the remains of your regime, your relatives and your ouster and the formation of a transitional council. You are either ignorant to count them or blind to see them, or both. I hope these two videos of refugees will entertain you!"

The prolonged political crisis in Yemen caused a humanitarian and ecomomic crisis, costing Yemen billions of dollars monthly, resulting in thousands of displaced refugees, and enduring domestic gas, fuel, water crisises, power outages and food shortages. The regime doesn't want to discuss a transitional council until the "President" is back, hoping that they would in the meantime subdue the revolution. Yet nobody knows if and when Saleh will be back amidst the conflicting reports. However somehow an "unidentified Yemeni official" and a "Western diplomat" which Reuters keeps quoting seem to be abreast with his health and what he wants for Yemen.
Yemen's protests are hijacked as Jeb Boone (a freelance reporter who has been in Yemen too long!) pointed in his latest Global Post article. The opposition seems to be divided between the independent youth who want a total change of government, trial for Saleh and his relatives, and others (mainly Joint Meeting Parties, led by Islah) who would settle for the change dictated by the GCC initiative which is endorsed by primarily Saudia Arabia, the rest of the Gulf States and the US. The independent youth are finding their own way now fighting back any internal and external interference, making their movement stronger and bigger, hoping to overturn the JMP dominance, and are adamant about leading the revolution to victory.
Although Yemen is a poor nation where most Yemenis live under 2 US$ a day and around 42% of the population live under the poverty line with an illiteracy rate of more than 40% and have been enduring immense hardship lately yet they are rich with resilience, perseverance and I have to add a lot of patience. This what has made Yemen's revolution survive six long months. I am confident and hopeful that it will reach it's aim and realize the dream of a new Yemen as long as it has these determined and hopeful youth. But until that day I will keep praying and hoping it comes soon.

One of my favorite Yemeni revolutionary songs

  

Yemen's Worst Humanitarian Crisis Ever

Yemen has been suffering since the beginning of the revolution which started more than four months ago. Protesters have been shot at constantly by security forces, republican guards and by Saleh's militia dressed in civilian clothes. A massacre after another happened with scores of deaths and injuries. On Friday March 18th, 57 people were killed in Change square in Sanaa after Friday prayer and in May 29th 52 were killed in Taiz when the Republican Guards attacked Freedom square just before dawn and burnt down the sit-in tents to the ground. According to human rights groups and medics, more than 350 people have been killed in the government crackdown since the revolution started.


Three cities in Abyan province have fallen to militants, as Saleh had constantly threatened, or perhaps one should say "promised". Militants launched surprise attacks on the cities, seizing entire neighbourhoods with "minimal resistance" and have been engaging in gunfights with government forces ever since. More than 200 people have been killed in the ongoing clashes. Medical officials at Razi Hospital in Abyan say that half of the dead were civilians. Ali Hashem, a medic at Razi Hospital, said "the government is killing residents and then they announce they killed militants. Most of those admitted to the hospital were not fighters". Besides that Abyan has been subject to US drone attacks shelling and destroying houses and killing more people as part of US's never ending war on al Qaeda, all of which forced more than 30,000 inhabitants to flee to schools in Aden creating a refugee crisis situation. While Libya and Syria have refugees across their borders, Yemen has refugees within it's borders. This month, according to the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) 100,000 estimated Yemenis were displaced from Abyan.

"Mid march tribesmen are said to have "blown up a major oil pipeline feeding crude to Yemen's main oil refinery in the southern city of Aden, causing severe fuel shortages, straining electricity output and reducing water supplies. Government officials said the pipeline bombing had also disrupted the export of some 120,000 barrels of oil per day from the country's central Mareb province, a key source of foreign currency. They estimated around $1 billion has been lost in the three months since the blast. Yemen loses around $10 million daily due to the production and export stoppage since mid-March". 
Cities in Yemen, beside the capital Sanaa have been suffering from difficult living conditions, due to constant and long hours of power outage, fuel crisis and shortage in water and food. Up to 15 death cases were reported in Hodeida last week in hospitals due to electricity cuts, including 4 newborns in incubators and 7 dialysis patients. The power outage is effecting the water supply which in turn affected farming, exports, production and the economy as a whole. Power outage also affected students who are trying to study for their final exams amidst all this chaos and have only candle light to help them. The fuels crisis has been paralyzing movement in the cities and ambulances from reaching patients amongst other things, while queues for refueling have been up to 3 km long and a waiting period extending 10-15 hours sometimes days. This video shows the length of a queue in the capital Sanaa.

Gian Carlo Cirri of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) says that "Yemen is undergoing its worst humanitarian crisis ever." Cirri, who directs WFP's Yemen mission, says "I cannot recall a time when hardship has been greater in recent Yemeni history." WFP reports there has been "a 39 percent increase in the price of wheat over just five months. Food prices are skyrocketing in Yemen".
What is happening in Yemen is a humanitarian crisis on multi levels and the world seems to be focusing on the 200-300 Qaeda militants in Yemen and ignoring the misery of the millions of people who are sufferings. The international community needs to step up it efforts and provide Yemen with humanitarian aid. This is what Yemen needs the most, not interference in it's internal politics.




Further readings:

Little food or fuel - humanitarian crisis looms in Yemen

Yemen Undergoing Its Worst Humanitarian Crisis Ever

Oxfam warns of humanitarian cost of Yemen unrest

Yemen’s economy teeters on collapse