File: Children protesting on the streets of Yemen.
As children cry out loud, women shout through their cloaked voices and youth trample over the dictated laws, another country plunges into deep waters to come out of its darkness.Yemen.
Like all other protests in the Arab states since January, Yemen too has been grappling with it since March, but unlike countries like Tunisia and Egypt, it still hasn't been able to free itself from the rule of their president Ali Abdullah Saleh who has been in power since the last 33 years. But what makes Yemen have a different aspect of freedom from other Middle-East nations, are its conflicted regions. Yemen has a very powerful tribal base, which has been holding significant amount of power in the state of Yemen, politically. Throughout Yemen's administrative history, the tribal heads and their representatives have been a part of the government machinery, often playing a crucial role in elections as well. This time, with the public rising in huge numbers to demand constitutional changes in the country, these tribal forms have started supporting the citizens. Apart from the tribal militia, Yemen has opposition in the form of other groups as well. One of the most prominent of them is- the South Secessionist movement. This group concentrated in South Yemen has been in constant struggle with the government. Also, the government's conflict with the Houthis (zaidi Shiites) has been a major concern as well.
In the light of all these conflicts, Yemen is facing a civil war, which has been further more raged by the Jasmine revolution, having begun after a series of protests from the students of Sana'a University in the capital of Sana'a. At a time, when the people of all nations have stood up to demand amendments in their governing structures, so as to bring back political and economic stability, Yemen might fall into one of its biggest internal conflicts ever. And this might ruin the prospects of coming out victorious in this wave of jasmine.What ignites this further more is the fact that, Saleh sent his subordinates to the northern tribe of Taiz, to atack their areas. By doing this, it seemed that Saleh tried to provoke Taizis to fight back. Clearly, through such means he tried to invoke internal fights so that people could not stand together against the government. Acts such as these along with professional firing done on the people on the orders of Saleh after they were coming out from a mosque having offered their Friday prayers, clearly indicate the extent to which rulers can go to retain their supremacy.
In a nation already torn by a tyrannical rule, and doped by the extensive consumption of Qat; it seems a like a long battle lies ahead for the Yemenis. A path much more difficult than perhaps what was followed by theTunisians and the Egyptians. But what lies ahead, can be figured out, only when the people of Yemen stand together, bound by one common goal of democracy and just living. Perhaps then, Yemen will witness the victorious day freed from any sort of dictatorship.
An excellent article by NYT on the happenings in Yemen from a protestor's viewpoint.
No comments:
Post a Comment