Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 12:33:25 +0200
New challenges in Yemen
Houthi forces have apparently refused to evacuate the Yemeni capital despite
the appointment of a national unity prime minister, writes Nasser Arrabyee
in Sanaa
* Saturday,18 October, 2014
Houthi Shiite fighters in Yemen have not withdrawn from the Yemeni capital
Sanaa despite a presidential decree to form a new government chaired by a
man they had already approved.
The country's president, Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, appointed Khaled Bahah to
form a new government on 13 October, with all the country's various groups,
including the Houthis, approving the tenure of Bahah, from Hudhrmout in the
south-east of the country, as prime minister.
On 21 September, Hadi and the country's different groups signed the Peace
and National Partnership Agreement based on the outcomes of the country's
national dialogue, being a road map for the establishment of a federal state
with six regions, two in the south and four in the north.
According to the agreement, the Houthi fighters undertook to evacuate Sanaa
and all the state institutions they had been occupying immediately after a
new prime minister was appointed. They also undertook to hand over heavy
weapons taken from military bases after the capture of Sanaa last September.
However, the Houthis seem to be reluctant to withdraw their fighters from
Sanaa where they have checkpoints everywhere including at the gates of
military and security institutions.
They may feel they will not be safe if they leave without changing some of
the country's security officials first. On 2 October, at least 51 Houthi
supporters were killed and 150 injured when an Al-Qaeda suicide bomber blew
himself up at a rally in Sanaa protesting against the designation of Ahmed
Bin Mubarak, who is loyal to the Sunni Islamist party Al-Islah, as prime
minister.
The Al-Islah Party is the political wing of the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood.
To reassure the Houthis and make them feel more secure, the leadership of
the Sanaa security forces was changed this week, with the minister of the
interior publicly calling on the security forces to cooperate with the
Houthi fighters when they entered Sanaa last September.
The head of the Sanaa police was replaced by Abdel-Razzak Al-Muayed, already
approved by the Houthis.
The Houthis have also been trying to establish themselves elsewhere in the
country and not just in the capital. On 13 October, Houthi fighters took
control of an arsenal in the coastal city of Hodeidah in the west of the
country, claiming that it had belonged to fugitive general Ali Muhsen who
they accuse of giving weapons and money to Al-Qaeda.
The issue of south Yemen has also become more complicated in the wake of the
Houthi control of Sanaa, with southern separatists wishing to emulate the
success of the Houthis in the north of the country.
However, the southern separatists do not have a united leadership, since
there are some 12 different groups all seeking separation, and they do not
have a large political party, unlike the party of ex-president Ali Abdullah
Saleh that has supported the Houthis.
On 14 October, the 51st anniversary of the October 14 Revolution against
British colonial rule in Yemen, the separatists organised demonstrations
called the "million-man demonstrations" in the southern coastal city of Aden
to demand separation from the rest of the country.
Their exiled leader, Ali Salem Al-Beidh, called on the international
community to support a referendum to decide on Yemen's future, though the
international community has thus far supported a united Yemen led by Hadi,
who is from the south, and the newly appointed prime minister.
UN special envoy to Yemen Jamal Bin Omar briefed the UN Security Council on
13 October on the latest developments in Yemen.
"I briefed the Security Council on recent and sobering developments in
Yemen," Bin Omar said. "Members of the Council are all concerned about the
dangers facing the transition."
"I told the Security Council that the transition is at risk of collapsing
and explained that the implementation of the Peace and National Partnership
Agreement is the only way forward. The agreement is based on the outcomes of
the National Dialogue Conference and provides Yemen's best hope to overcome
the current crisis."
"I welcome the appointment of the new prime minister, Khaled Bahah. Now
swift action is needed to ensure the formation of the government," he
concluded.
New challenges in Yemen
Followers of the Shia Houthi group watch a televised speech by Abdul Malik
Al-Houthi as they attend a ceremony marking Eid Al-Ghadir, a day the Shia
believe Prophet Mohamed nominated his cousin, Imam Ali, to be his successor
(photos: Reuters)
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