EMAIL SIGN UP!
Most Popular This Week
- Wisconsin Bill Would Treat Organic Milk, Sharp Cheddar, Brown Eggs as "Junk Food"
- Patent Filing Claims Solar Energy ‘Breakthrough’
- Climate Change's 'Evil Twin': Ocean Acidification
- Disaster Capitalism Strikes as Hedge Funds Circle Near-Bankrupt Municipalities Like Vultures
- Ignoring Bee Crisis, EPA Greenlights New 'Highly Toxic' Pesticide
- Patent Filing Claims Solar Energy ‘Breakthrough’
- Wisconsin Bill Would Treat Organic Milk, Sharp Cheddar, Brown Eggs as "Junk Food"
- Climate Change's 'Evil Twin': Ocean Acidification
- In 'March Toward Disaster,' World Hits 400 PPM Milestone
- Ignoring Bee Crisis, EPA Greenlights New 'Highly Toxic' Pesticide
Popular content
Today's Top News
Yemen's President on Brink as Army Switches Sides to Join Rebels
After Friday's massacre of 52 protesters, military is now lining up tanks to protect crowds calling for end of 32-year reign
Yemen's embattled President was hit by a wave of defections among his generals yesterday as tanks from rival factions took to the streets of the capital in a setback to his attempts to stay in power.
Yemen's embattled President was hit by a wave of defections among his generals yesterday as tanks from rival factions took to the streets of the capital in a setback to his attempts to stay in power. (AFP/Getty) The regime vowed to counter any attempts at a coup after the country's top military commander switched sides and joined the protesters calling for end to the 32-year rule of Ali Saleh.
President Saleh appeared increasingly isolated after some ambassadors, religious and tribal leaders and sections of the military all turned on him. The military defections put more than 50 per cent of the military on the side of the rebellion.
Anti-government protesters based at Sana'a University were ecstatic to hear of the general's defection. Soldiers moved freely in and out of the protest camp, drinking tea, posing for photographs and receiving kisses from demonstrators who have camped there for more than a month demanding a change in regime.
The defections appeared to be in response to the regime's decision to use increased violence to fight protests against President Saleh's rule. Rooftop-based snipers loyal to the regime killed 52 protesters on Friday, prompting the President to sack his cabinet and declare a state of emergency.
The top commander, Major General Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar, a former close ally of the President, yesterday condemned the Saleh regime and declared his support for the revolution on behalf of the military. "Repressing peaceful demonstrators in public areas around the country has led to a cycle of crises which is getting more complicated each day and pushing the country toward s civil war," he said.
The general's forces on Sunday took up positions around a protest camp at Sana'a University. Once in position, he declared that his men would now protect the anti-government protesters from further attack. The general also sent tanks to the central bank and other strategic centres.
Following the defection, the Defence Minister, Mohammad Nasser Ali, claimed that the army still backed the President. "We will not allow an attempt at a coup against democracy and constitutional legitimacy, or violation of the security of the nation and citizens," he said.
An elite military force of Republican Guards led by the President's son and one-time heir apparent deployed tanks and armoured vehicles outside the presidential palace.
However, many feel that General Ali Muhsin's defection means the end of the Saleh regime. "There is a 60 per cent chance that this will become a bloodless coup," said one Yemeni government official.
Protesters were jubilant. "The army is with us. Praise God," said one, speaking on a stage at the university camp.
One soldier loyal to General Ali Muhsin guarding the protest camp wore a sash over his uniform that read: "For a better democratic society." Another rallied thousands of protesters, chanting: "Long live Yemen and long live the people's revolution."
Muhammad Qa'id, a 32-year-old unemployed teacher, said: "We welcome Ali Muhsin and his men to the revolution. They are not joining us as the army but simply as Yemenis joining hands with their brothers in revolution."
The defection forced a hasty reappraisal of General Ali Muhsin's role. The general's portrait had hung alongside photos and cartoons of President Saleh and other ruling party officials on the side of a tent and labelled: "criminals". Protesters yesterday scrambled to remove his picture from the line-up.
"If he wants to play a major part in a new Yemen, he can," said Adel al-Sarabi, one of the student organisers of the Sana'a University sit in.
The French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppé, yesterday became the first Western leader to call publicly for the President to stand down.
"We say this to Yemen, where the situation is worsening. We estimate today that the departure of President Saleh is unavoidable," he said.
David Cameron told Parliament yesterday that he was "extremely disturbed" by what was happening in Yemen. Western countries are concerned about the unrest in Yemen given the absence of a clear alternative leader and their view of the President as a bulwark against al-Qa'ida in the Arabian peninsula.
Comments
Note: Disqus 2012 is best viewed on an up to date browser. Click here for information. Instructions for how to sign up to comment can be viewed here. Our Comment Policy can be viewed here. Please follow the guidelines. Note to Readers: Spam Filter May Capture Legitimate Comments...
19 Comments so far
Show AllThat is fantastic! Surely, Britain and USA are," "extremely disturbed" by what was happening in Yemen."
A Yemen of Yemenis, by Yemenis, for Yemenis. Be careful of who your friends are (Empires of USA, Britain). Congratulations.
Time for the Coalition of the Murdering, I mean, Willing to intervene.
We can't allow Yemen to be controlled by Yemenis!
Al Qaeda is just a fiction used to make war on various peoples. Al Qaeda was supposed to be a group of around a hundred people holed up in the mountains of Afghanistan. We pounded towns and villages across Afghanistan to kill this mythical hundred. Then we decided it was easier to get Iraq's oil, so we went there and bombed and killed. Osama bin Laden was a creature of the CIA, developed to combat the Russians. When the Russians went broke and left, we dropped him like a bad habit. I don't think so. Hate and discontent is the food and drink of the CIA and the MIC. If you get people fighting against each other, you get an excuse to move in and take over their country "for humanitarian reasons" of course. So, we're back in Afghanistan, then some of the mysterious hundred are suspected to be in Pakistan, so we bomb and kill in Pakistan. Ohhh, ohhh, there may be one in Yemen, let's bomb there! And so it goes. The only countries safe from our bombing are the dictatorships that are wealthy enough and supportive of our various wars. They are fine no matter what they do to their own people.
This reminds me of one of Thurber's fables. The wolves were out civilizing the sheep. When there were no sheep left to civilize, they decided to civilize the geese.
"And that's the way it is."
I heard on the radio in a casual voice, regarding Yemen, 'Yeah, but, there is still an al Queda problem there.'
The only power Al Quada has is given by us- we make it the people's defender against our client tyrants.
And if we had left well enough alone in Libya, their people would have gained control also as the military would have done the same thing there. How pathetic we had to go stick our bomber noses in their fight. God forbid we did anything for the people of Palestine...who need it worse. Rocks against tanks...seriously.
As soon as the West started arming the Rebels in Libya it made Civil War inevitable.
In Egypt the army became every more reluctant to fire upon unarmed crowds. Very much the same happens in Yemen.
Had those that took to the square in Egypt been armed and firing upon Egyptian Police and the Egyptian Military it much more likely it would have turned into a Civil War.
Had those protesters in Yemen been armed and killing troops it much less likely this general would have defected.
In Libya while a Ghaddafi might have no compunctions about killing unarmed Civilians he still has to issue those orders to men and generals who may choose not to obey. The constant meddling is not only counterproductive but leads to many more being killed.
The vast majority of Yemenis have arms of some sort. The protesters chose not to use them.
Also, Muhsin is hardly some conscientious general, unwilling to hurt civilians. He was one of Saleh's closets allies, and has basically been Saleh's iron fist surpressing and crushing rebellion. The reality is that he can see that Saleh is on his way out (and that at this point, Saleh is simply trying to engineer an exit on his terms), and he is trying to reposition himself into another powerful position, possibly even to become if not the next ruler, then the power behind the whoever gets into power.
At this point, many in the Yemeni regime have suddenly declared themselves to be on the side of the revolution, rats leaving the sinking ship.
But, Gadhafi did order his mercenaries to kill unarmed protesters in Tripoli, and they did kill them. Did you miss that? Those murders are what led to the defection of part of Gadhafi's military, particularly in Benghazi, which in turn led to the events of the past few weeks.
Heaven Forbid-The Israel Lobby would spank our politicians and the International Bankster Jews would freeze their sleazy bribe/lobby monied offshore golden parachute accounts...
I hope for the worm to turn somehow for the overly oppressed Palistinians, but what can you expect from an Isreli Government that is screwing the actual WW-2 Israeli holocaust survivors out of their recovered stolen money from Nazi/Swiss accounts...
It would appears as some of the snake heads (Ali Saleh likened ruling Yemen as 'dancing on the heads of snakes.') Saleh had been dancing on have decided to bite him instead lest they be cut off as his 'term' prematurely expires.
What remains to be seen is who or what takes over in Yemen, which is a highly tribal society where blood feuds are common.
A big Hurrah for the Yemenis! They simply did what was right and civil generals were humane enough to see the vast wrong in harming one's own people protesting peacably. Interesting how Yemen's dictator and Mubarek held power for around 30 years, which is when the 'Great Communicator' took power away from the people in the Untied States by bribing the Iranians to hold U.S. hostages until after the 1980 election, where Carter would indeed have been reelected unless perceived as weak cause he couldn't get the hostages released, which he was actually doing until the scumbag Reagan (now on a stamp) decided to be a terrorist instigator and offer the Iranian gov. negotiators billions in military aid as payment for risking American lives for his worthless political career. Now the Great Bullshooter is the patron saint of lying, cheating, and stealing 'Republicans'. Guess who needs a nice home-grown popular rebellion against corporate dictatorship and elitist baloney? (Hint: It's not in the Middle East)
Thanks for reminding us of "scumbag Reagan." I could not agree more. But, then came George W. Bush and his Darth Vader, Dick Cheney, who were even worse, IMO.
This one barely makes the news. Must be because they do not have enough oil.
"Look at the Sheikhs. They tell their people they defend and nurture their countries with the Arab way of life. But what have they done? The wealth of the nations has been spent on arms, on personal luxuries and investments abroad, while the masses struggle for existence. . .
Maitreya says to these rulers: “It is time for you to go. Government will be by the people and for the people. The wealth of the nation is for the nation. If the nation is deprived of its health and wealth, it
will rise up.”
Maitreya has made it clear to various Middle Eastern rulers that although they have tried to involve
the Americans, the consequences spell disaster. Even if war takes place, there will ultimately be no
sultans, emirs or sheikhs continuing to rule as they do now.
Everywhere, the politicians are frightened. The people will begin to ask questions about the billions
spent on arms, which should have been spent on the people."
- World Teacher Maitreya through an associate as reported by Share International
"Western countries are concerned about the unrest in Yemen given the absence of a clear alternative leader and their view of the President as a bulwark against al-Qa'ida in the Arabian peninsula."
Hey!
I live in a "western country", and I'm not "concerned" in the least!
Or do they mean that the land itself is "concerned"?. I had no idea dirt could BE "concerned"!
I'll go pat my front yard right now and reassure it that everything is O.K.
-matti.
And where is Yemen's no-fly zone, Obama? Oh wait, Yemen is already ruled by a pro-US puppet regime! And that is why the US is "extremely disturbed" by these protesters.
The military defections in Yemen came AFTER the international community intervened in Libya. Anyone think the Yemeni generals were emboldened by that intervention?
The Middle East is changing. Old truisms are no longer true.
GET DOWN!!! I hope our military has the good sense to do the same if and when it all comes down....