By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
SANAA, Yemen– Explosions and the sounds of gunfire have become an everyday occurrence in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. Violent uprisings have the government struggling to battle opponents all over the country as fears of civil war begin to rise.
The current violence stems from a recent broken promise made by president, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh promised last week to sign an agreement, mediated by the Gulf States, to step down as the president of Yemen. On the day the agreement was to be signed Saleh instead refused, reigniting the unrest of his opposition. In the days following well over 54 people were killed in the capital.
Following the initial unrest at Saleh’s broken promise, the violence has spread beyond the capital. In the city of Zinjibar, located on Yemen’s southern coast, some 300 opposition fighters took control of the city last Sunday. In retaliation, the Yemeni military launched a jet attack, in an attempt to retake the city.
The identity of these particular opposition fighters is in question, with some alleging they are linked to al-Qaeda. The opposition Collective Forum disregards this rumor stating that Saleh uses “the spectre of al-Qaeda to frighten regional and international parties.”
The military jet attack resulted in the deaths of at least 30 individuals. The attack, called “catastrophic” by Tareq al-Fadhli, a leading tribal member, left corpses in the streets, no water or electricity, and hospitals unable to provide aid. Many of the city’s 20,000 inhabitants have already fled.
Elsewhere, in Taiz, soldiers opened fire on a protest camp killing at least 50 people. There have also been reports of soldiers setting fire to protester’s tents, and shooting tear gas and water cannons into the crowd.
The situation appears to have boiled over when Yemeni security forces attempted to take Taiz’s “Freedom Square,” where anti-government demonstrations had been taking place for days. Members of the opposition called the event a “massacre,” condemning Saleh’s actions as “crimes against humanity.”
The Yemeni opposition appears to be lead by the Ahmar family, Saleh’s tribal rivals. However, some of the youth protesters are hesitant of an Ahmar presidency. They fear that such would not bring about the kind of change they want. These youth protesters are practicing non-violence during the uprisings, condemning the violence that has already occurred.
Some military units and government officials abandoned Saleh when he began deadly crackdowns on anti-government protests in March. As of yet there have been no major conflicts between Saleh’s security forces and a breakaway military unit.
For more information, please see:
Al-Jazeera — Fighting Raises Yemen civil war fears — 31 May 2010
BBC News — Yemen unrest: UN says 50 killed in Taiz since Sunday — 31 May 2010
Al-Jazeera — Yemen jets ‘bomb al-Qaeda-held city’ — 30 May 2010
New York Times — Yemeni Military Battles Opponents on Two Fronts — 30 May 2010
New York Times — Evasions by Leader Add Chaos in Yemen — 25 May 2010
