Yemen's 'Death to America' rebels bring calm to northern Yemen
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By Adam Baron | 29.10.2012 08:27 am
Barely a decade ago, the Old City of Saada was tentatively placed on the
list to become a <
http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/World+Heritage+Sites>
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once an impeccably preserved relic of medieval
Arabia, the ancient settlement is now largely in ruins. Centuries-old homes
lie wrecked, their mud brick construction crumbling. Bullet holes pock-mark
the walls of ancient mosques.
For many here, the irreplaceable loss of one of
<
http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Yemen> Yemen's most prominent
historical sites exemplifies the senseless destruction wrought upon the
region during years of clashes between government forces and the Houthis, a
Zaydi Shi'a rebel group that has battled Yemeni troops and allied tribal
fighters since 2004.
While a tentative calm has been restored in recent months, the violence
continues to cast a pall over this rugged mountain town, which now lies
under the effective control of the rebels. Once forced to operate largely
from secluded mountain hideaways, the Houthis' dominance is now
unquestionable in the provincial capital of Saada. The government managed to
maintain control of the city throughout most of the years of fighting, but
in the power vacuum that emerged as former
<
http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Ali+Abdullah+Saleh> President Ali
Abdullah Saleh struggled to hold on to power in 2011, the Houthis were able
to wrest control from government hands.
Now signs bearing the group's slogan, "God is Great, Death to America, Death
to <
http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Israel> Israel, Damn the Jews,
Power to Islam," pepper the streets alongside tributes to fighters killed
during the years of conflict. While government troops continue to man their
posts, armed Houthis run checkpoints undisturbed, controlling the vast
majority of Saada and parts of adjacent provinces.
Life has seemingly returned to normal now. Markets in the province bustle
and newly constructed hotels welcome guests. But the group's bellicose
anti-American rhetoric and unrestrained criticism of the US government's
policies in Yemen worry Western diplomats. Houthi leaders have sharply
criticized members of Yemen's current government for their cooperation with
the <
http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/United+States> United States,
capitalizing on rising anti-American sentiment in the country.
"We're not against a relationship based on mutual benefits and respect,"
says Saleh Habra, the head of the Houthi's political bureau. "But we must
reject America's policies, which are meant to create chaos in Yemen and the
region."
Many residents expressed enthusiastic approval of Houthi governance, saying
the rebels' rule has lead to security and stability. And as the frequent
sight of construction attests, some here are confident enough about the
current calm to invest, pouring money into infrastructure projects in the
impoverished province.
"We've seen so many difficult years," says Abu Ahmed, a businessman in Saada
overseeing construction work at his new soap factory. "But now, Saada is at
peace, and we can actually imagine a better future."
Still, reminders of the past are ever-present. The war resulted in hundreds
of millions of dollars in damages and bombed out buildings dot both the city
of Saada and surrounding villages. Few families here were untouched - over
20,000 people were killed in the fighting and tens of thousands of Yemenis
were displaced. And while Houthi leaders claim overwhelming popular support
in Saada, the group's rise has not been without opposition.
Tensions between the Houthis and local salafis, an austere branch of Sunni
Islam, erupted in months of fierce clashes last fall; a violent
confrontation between supporters of the Houthis and backers of a rival Zaydi
cleric left one dead earlier this month. Yemeni politicians and tribal
leaders have watched the Houthis' rise with trepidation, characterizing them
as a destabilizing presence operating against the best interests of the
country.
Houthi leaders say they are committed to maintaining the peace. But the
group remains heavily armed, appearing ready for any coming confrontation.
Despite the current break in violence in Saada, friction between the Houthis
and numerous local actors - from Sunni Islamists to political and tribal
adversaries who aligned with the government against them - remain
unresolved. And while many here optimistically put faith in the current
calm, others confided that, as long as the situation stays tense, there's
ample reason to fear that it will be short lived.
Sporadic clashes between supporters and opponents of the Houthis in tribal
areas between Saada and <
http://www.csmonitor.com/tags/topic/Sana%27a>
Sanaa have left many Yemenis anxious about a resumption of large-scale
fighting, which would likely derail Yemen's tenuous post-Saleh transition
and throwing much of the nation into chaos.
"There may be peace now," said Ali al-Quhom, a Houthi representative in
Saada, "but those who fought us in the past still want war."
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Received on Mon Oct 29 2012 - 19:07:04 EDT
