It seems the civil war in and around the Yemeni capital is back on. After a few months of relative calm two days of crackdowns have seen over 50 killed in Sanaa alone, and pro-regime snipers firing randomly into crowds of demonstrators.
And once again, the protest movement seems to be getting the better of the Saleh regime, as thousands of demonstrators backed by a group of defectors stormed the Republican Guards military base in Sanaa, and took it over.
Yemen’s Information Ministry defended the killings of protesters, insisting that the snipers were only killing those who “aspire to seize power,” condemning the pro-democracy demonstrators as “thieves and bandits.” Among the slain was an infant girl.
The US, which has been pounding Yemen with drone strikes on behalf of the regime, urged “all parties to exercise restraint,” saying they supported a transfer of power from long-time dictator Saleh to his deputy, Major General Hadi because it would “address the Yemeni people’s aspirations for peace and security.”
Obama urging "all parties to exercise restraint". Does that include him, and his use of drones to shore up the regime? For as long as Saleh's sons, uncles and newphews are in charge of everything that matters, there will be no end to violence. And I cannot imagine any amount of US drone attacks solve the problem of separation-minded South. There were once an independent country, and they will not want to live under the man that forcibly annexed them to Yemen, or his offspring. General Hadi may have a remote chance should there be a military coup that will sweep Saleh's regime out of power Egypt style a forge a more loose union. Otherwise, South is as good as gone, and Obama drone atttacks are only cementing the conviction that US is on the side of one of the most brutal mid east regimes. Other way out would be the return to immamate form of governance that again gives substantial role to regions, and in this era, more latitude for managing diversity of economy and local governance. What will not work is this sham democracy that creates the political culture of corruption -riddled system. The system became a parasite on the body of the nation, and keeps on feeding off it until the host is exhausted.
i just love how our govt supports murdering Yemen's citizens with drones and then tells Yemen to show restraint. This is why we are losing our bill of rights and having to live in a national security police state just like how the Germans did under Hitler prior to WWII and in the beginning because of our meddling in other countries affairs. Oh, yeah, I just love how our officials say who is going to take charge in Yemen because they will represent the aspirations of the Yemen people when all it is is a transfer of one client dictator to another client dictator; just like in Egypt. one client dictator to 12 military client dictators.