Massive Crowd in Sanaa Protests Saudi Strikes in Yemen

Thousands of people took to the streets of Sanaa, Friday, to protest against Saudi intervention in Yemen and the Saudi-led airstrikes that have seen hundreds killed and thousands left injured in recent months. Protesters held rifles and flags and chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United State and Israel.

Yemeni Child Bride Dies of Internal Bleeding on Wedding Night — Activist

ARAB NEWS: • Local authorities tried to cover up incident
 • Yemen ignored campaign to ban child marriages

SANAA: An eight-year-old Yemeni girl died of internal bleeding on her wedding night after marrying a man five times her age, a social activist and two local residents said, in a case that has caused an outcry and revived debate about child brides.

Arwa Othman, head of Yemen House of Folklore and a leading rights campaigner, said the girl, identified only as Rawan, was married to a 40-year-old man late last week in the town of Meedi in Hajah province in northwestern Yemen.

“On the wedding night ... she suffered from bleeding and uterine rupture which caused her death,” Othman told Reuters. “They took her to a clinic but the medics couldn’t save her life.”

Othman said authorities had not taken any action against the girl’s family or her husband. » | Reuters | Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Anti-Islam Film: German and UK Embassies in Sudan Attacked
BBC: Protesters angered by a film mocking Islam have attacked the German and British embassies in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Demonstrators started fires and tore down the German flag, raising an Islamist banner in its place.

Protests are taking place across the Middle East and North Africa.

In Cairo, police firing tear gas pushed about 500 protesters back from the US embassy. There were also clashes in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. » | Friday, September 14, 2012

Protesters Storm US Embassy in Yemen over Anti-Islam Film
THE GUARDIAN: No casualties reported in the attack in Sana'a, which happened a day after the US ambassador to Libya was killed in Benghazi

Arab outrage triggered by an anti-Islamic film made in California has spread to Yemen, where protesters attacked the US embassy in Sana'a.

The Yemeni government said on Thursday that there had been no casualties as a result of the storming of the embassy compound and vowed to protect all foreign embassies in the capital.

The protesters succeeded in breaching security at the outer perimeter of the embassy, breaking into the compound and burning the US flag, but they were unable to gain entry to the embassy buildings.

The incident came a day after the killing of the US ambassador to Libya,Chris Stevens, and three other Americans in an armed assault on the US consulate in Benghazi, and a demonstration at the US embassy in Cairo, where protesters managed to take down the Stars and Stripes before being evicted.

In all three countries the ostensible reason for the demonstrations was fury at a virulently Islamaphobic video, which appeared online in July but only drew a mass audience in the past week after Christian and Muslim radicals started to publicise it. The maker of the film, Innocence of Muslims, which crudely denigrates the prophet Muhammad, called himself Sam Bacile and claimed to be Israeli American, but that appears to be an alias. » | Julian Borger | Thursday, September 13, 2012

Unrest in Yemen Seen as Opening to Qaeda Branch
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — Counterterrorism operations in Yemen have ground to a halt, allowing Al Qaeda’s deadliest branch outside of Pakistan to operate more freely inside the country and to increase plotting for possible attacks against Europe and the United States, American diplomats, intelligence analysts and counterterrorism officials say.

In the political tumult surrounding Yemen’s embattled president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, many Yemeni troops have abandoned their posts or have been summoned to the capital, Sana, to help support the tottering government, the officials said. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group’s affiliate, has stepped in to fill this power vacuum, and Yemeni security forces have come under increased attacks in recent weeks.

A small but steadily growing stream of Qaeda fighters and lower-level commanders from other parts of the world, including Pakistan, are making their way to Yemen to join the fight there, although American intelligence officials are divided on whether the political crisis in Yemen is drawing more insurgents than would be traveling there under normal conditions. » | Eric Schmitt | Moonday, April 04, 2011

Arabellion: Zehntausende Demonstranten im Jemen und in Syrien
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Im Jemen und in Syrien haben zehntausende Demonstranten nach dem Freitagsgebet demokratische Reformen gefordert. Jemens Präsident Salih erklärte am Freitag abermals seine Rücktritts-bereitschaft, schloss aber Gespräche mit der Opposition aus. In Jordanien wurden 30 Demonstranten verletzt.

Zehntausende Demonstranten im Jemen und in Syrien haben nach dem Freitagsgebet demokratische Reformen gefordert. In Jemens Hauptstadt Sanaa herrschte Hochspannung, nachdem vor Wochenfrist bei Protesten regimetreue Heckenschützen 53 Demonstranten getötet und über 240 verletzt hatten. Ähnlich war die Lage auch in Syrien - dort waren in dieser Woche Dutzende Menschen von Sicherheitskräften getötet worden.

In Jordanien wurden in der Nacht zum Freitag 30 Menschen bei einem Protest für mehr Demokratie verletzt. Vor mehreren Tausend Anhängern signalisierte Jemens Präsident Ali Abdullah Salih am Freitag seine Rücktrittsbereitschaft, schloss aber zugleich einen Dialog mit der Opposition kategorisch aus. Der angedeutete Rückzug von der Macht blieb allerdings nebulös. „Ich bin bereit, die Macht abzugeben, aber nur in sichere Hände“, sagte Salih. Diese sicheren Hände müssten vom Volk gewählt sein. Der Opposition traue er nicht, sagte er, da diese eine „kleine Minderheit von Drogenhändlern“ sei. » | dpa | Freitag, 25. März 2011

Inside Story – Is a Civil War Looming in Yemen?
There have been mixed messages from President Ali Abdullah Saleh. On the one hand, he has offered to step down by the start of next year, on the other, he's warning of "grave repercussions" over any dissent. He has dispatched his foreign minister to Saudi Arabia to seek mediation, but the demonstrators still out in the capital Sanaa and across the country remain defiant and galvanised with military generals offering them protection. 
But the defense minister has declared the army is sticking by the president and tanks have manouvered to guard the presidential palace. 
Inside Story presenter Laura Kyle is joined by guests: Mohamed Qubaty, a former adviser to the Yemeni prime minister; Joseph Kechichian, columnist for Gulf News newspaper and Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University

General wechselt die Seiten: Militärputsch gegen Jemens Präsidenten
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Im Jemen haben sich die Kommandeure der wichtigsten Armeeeinheiten gegen Staatspräsident Salih gestellt und damit einen Militärputsch eingeleitet. In den Straßen von Sanaa kam es bereits zu Verbrüderungsszenen von Soldaten und Demonstranten wie beim Sturz Husni Mubarak in Kairo.

Führende Generäle habe sich im Jemen gegen Staatspräsident Ali Abdullah Salih gestellt und damit einen Militärputsch eingeleitet. Am Montag hat Generalmajor Ali Muhsin al Ahmar, ein Halbbruder des Präsidenten und Kommandeur der wichtigen Ersten Division, erklärt, seine Truppen schützten nun die Demonstranten gegen die Angriffe der Einheiten den Präsidenten. Er kenne die Emotionen der Offiziere und unterstütze daher die Revolution der Jugend, sagte er. » | Von Rainer Hermann | Montag, 21. März 2011

Related »

THE TIMES: Yemen: coup fears as military defects – Three of Yemen’s most senior army commanders defected and pledged the support for anti-government protesters today, raising concerns of a military coup against an increasingly isolated President Ali Abdullah Saleh » | Iona Craig, Sanaa | Monday, March 21, 2011 [£]

Yémen, Bahreïn, Syrie: La révolte persiste
leJDD.fr: Alors que la situation en Libye pourrait très prochainement basculer, les mouvements de révolte se poursuivent dans d’autres pays du monde arabe. Au Yémen, la répression se fait sanglante: une cinquantaine de personnes ont été tuées par les forces de l’ordre.

Il y a deux jours à peine, la contre-offensive sanglante menée par le colonel Kadhafi en Libye augurait de sombres perspectives pour le printemps des révolutions arabes. Commencé en Tunisie, poursuivi en Egypte, le mouvement s’est étendu à de nombreux pays, des rives de la Méditerranée jusqu’au Golfe persique. L'hypothèse d’une victoire du dictateur libyen menaçait l’avenir des révoltes menées dans d’autres pays, au premier rang desquels, Bahreïn et le Yémen. Après l’adoption d’une résolution de l’ONU sur le cas libyen jeudi, les manifestants n’ont pas cédé face à la répression.

Le président yéménite, Ali Abdallah Saleh, a proclamé vendredi l’état d’urgence. Les forces de l’ordre ont tiré sur la foule qui manifestait dans la capitale, Sanaa, pour exiger le départ du dirigeant au pouvoir depuis 32 ans. Bilan: 46 morts, au moins, et 400 blessés. Le président des Etats-Unis, Barack Obama, a fermement condamné ces violences. "J’appelle le président Saleh à tenir sa promesse d'autoriser les manifestations à se dérouler pacifiquement", a-t-il ajouté. » | Adrien Gaboulaud (avec agences) - leJDD.fr | Vendredi 18 Mars 2011

Yemen Deports 4 Journalists
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Armed Yemeni security forces raided an apartment shared by four Western journalists on Monday and deported them because of their coverage of a gathering uprising against the country's longtime ruler, one of the reporters said.

The journalists, two Americans and two Britons in their 20s, contribute to publications including The Daily Telegraph, the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.

"They came into our apartment this morning and they told us all to come to the immigration office," said Oliver Holmes, 24, a Briton. "They sat us down and said, 'You're being deported."'

In the car on the way to immigration, the journalists were allowed to make phone calls. But their phones and passports were confiscated for hours while they were held at the immigration office and then as they packed up their apartment under the gaze of armed agents.

One of the agents told Holmes they were being kicked out because of their coverage of the uprising, which was inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. » | Monday, March 14, 2011

Pitched Street Battle in Yemeni Capital
Two more people have been killed and scores injured in the latest anti-government protests in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, bringing the number of deaths to more than 30 in just two months.
 According to medical sources, the latest violence erupted when police fired live rounds and tear gas.
 Claims that riot police are using excessive force and suspected prohibited nerve gas have been denied by General Yahya Saleh, the head of the Yemeni security forces.
 Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports from a makeshift clinic set up by protesters near University Square, the scene of ongoing protests. (Mar 14, 2011)

White House Chides Yemen, Bahrain Governments for Violence
REUTERS: The White House chided U.S. allies Yemen and Bahrain on Sunday for violence used against protesters in those countries and urged both to exercise restraint.

"We urge the governments of these countries to show restraint, and to respect the universal rights of their people," the White House said in a statement.

"We urge the government of Bahrain to pursue a peaceful and meaningful dialogue with the opposition rather than resorting to the use of force."

One person died and scores were hurt on Sunday when Yemeni police fired live rounds and tear gas at protesters in Sanaa demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule, according to medical sources. >>> Reuters | WASHINGTON | Sunday, March 13, 2011

Related material here and here

Yemen Protests Continue Despite Clashes

REUTERS: One dead as Yemen police open fire on protesters: One person died and scores were hurt on Sunday when Yemeni police fired live rounds and tear gas at protesters in Sanaa demanding an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 32-year rule, medical sources said. >>> Mohamed Sudam | SANAA | Sunday, March 13, 2011

Cleric Urges Islamic Rule in Yemen
THE NEW YORK TIMES: SANA, Yemen — As thousands of demonstrators for and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh took to the streets on Tuesday, a cleric accused by the United States of having links to Al Qaeda joined the protesters for the first time to call for the replacement of the government with an Islamic state.

The call by the cleric, Sheik Abdul Majid al-Zindani, seemed a marked contrast to the upheaval that brought down the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt and threatens the rulers of Libya, Bahrain, Oman and, to this point, Yemen, where uprisings have been seen as secular and inspired by democratic goals.

Mr. Zindani’s appearance coincided with an unusual display of anti-American sentiment by Mr. Saleh, who accused Washington and Israel of fomenting unrest to destabilize the Arab world — an accusation that seemed more remarkable because the United States has been Mr. Saleh’s most powerful Western backer during his three decades in power.

“From Tunis to the Sultanate of Oman,” Mr. Saleh said, the wave of protest is “managed by Tel Aviv and under the supervision of Washington,” he said. >>> Laura Kasinof | Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Major Yemen Tribal Figure Joins Protests
Yemen's ruling party is brushing off the resignation of a leading tribal figure from the president's party. Hussein Abdallah al Ahmar leads a family which runs a financial empire and has huge political influence. His resignation is the latest in a series of defections from the president's ruling party and inner circle. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra has more from the Yemeni capital, Sanaa

Thousands in Yemen Protests
Leading Yemeni tribal figure resigns from ruling party during a rally of tens of thousands in Amran. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports

Yemen Bomb Plot: Protests After Woman Arrested
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A female engineering student has been arrested in Yemen on suspicion of posting the packages containing bombs found on two cargo jets in Dubai and Britain.

Women protest outside the university in Sana'a where Hanan al Samawi is studying medicine. Photo: The Sunday Telegraph
The 22-year-old woman, named locally as Hanan al Samawi, was traced through a phone number left with a cargo company. Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, said the information that identified her was provided by the US and the United Arab Emirates.

She was arrested at a house in a poor area in the west of Sana'a, where she is studying medicine at the university. Her mother was also arrested, but is not a prime suspect according to her lawyer.

A group of women gathered outside the university carrying banners, some of them written in English, saying the arrested women is being used as a scapegoat.

The bomb intercepted in Britain on its way to America was designed to explode in mid-air and may have been targeted at the UK.

David Cameron said he believed the device was constructed to detonate while the aircraft was in flight.

He said a plot to blow it up over British soil could not be ruled out.

The Prime Minister's dramatic intervention came as the investigation into the plot was centring on one of al-Qaeda's most senior commanders.

US and British security officials believe Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born figurehead of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) was behind the foiled attack in which two ink cartridge bombs, posted in Yemen, were intercepted in Britain and Dubai on the way to America.

Al-Awlaki, who is in hiding in Yemen, is regarded by the CIA and MI6 as the driving force behind the transformation of AQAP from a regional group into an international terrorist organisation.

Fears of more plots emerged after investigators in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital, said they were examining 24 other suspect packages. Read on and comment >>> Sean Rayment, Patrick Hennessy and David Barrett | Sunday, October 31, 2010

Yémen : Manif contre la fixation de l’âge du mariage
20MINUTES.ch: Plusieurs milliers de femmes ont manifesté dimanche devant le Parlement à Sanaa à l'appel des milieux islamistes et conservateurs contre un projet de loi fixant l'âge minimum du mariage au Yémen.

La loi, qui fixe à 17 ans l'âge du mariage pour les filles et à 18 ans pour les garçons, est très controversée. Photo : 20Minutes.ch
Le rassemblement a pris l'allure d'une démonstration de force contre cette loi controversée, fixant à 17 ans l'âge du mariage pour les filles et à 18 ans pour les garçons. Les manifestantes ont été amenées par bus entiers de Sanaa et des localités environnantes.

Certaines des manifestantes, dont plupart portaient le voile intégral, brandissaient un exemplaire du Coran et des banderoles proclamant «Ne bannissez pas ce qui a été autorisé par Allah», «Non aux manipulations des droits des femmes» ou encore «le Coran et la sunna (la tradition du prophète Mahomet) au dessus des traités contraires à notre religion».

Selon les islamistes, l'âge du mariage n'a pas à être fixé car l'islam ne l'a pas fait pas et le prophète Mahomet s'est marié avec Aïcha alors qu'elle n'avait que neuf ans.

Le mariage des femmes-enfants est largement pratiqué au Yémen, pays à structure tribale et où l'islamisme constitue une force non négligeable. >>> afp | Dimanche 21 Mars 2010

Angst vor möglichem Terroranschlag in Sanaa: Botschaften der USA und Grossbritannien bleiben vorerst geschlossen
NZZ ONLINE: Die USA und Grossbritannien fürchten sich vor einem möglichen Terroranschlag in der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Sanaa. Mehrere Botschaften blieben am Montag geschlossen. Derweil kann Jemen einen Erfolg in der Terror-Bekämpfung vorweisen.

Die Gefahr eines Terroranschlags in Jemen ist dieser Tage besonders gross. Die Terrororganisation Kaida hat angekündigt, einen grösseren Anschlag auf die jemenitische Hauptstadt verüben zu wollen. Damit wollen die Extremisten die Bombardements der letzten Tage auf ihre Stellungen rächen. Kaida-Kämpfer getötet >>> hoh. | Montag, 04. Januar 2010

Yemen: Desecrator Faces Apostasy Charges
YEMEN POST: A Yemeni charged with ripping up and treading on the Quran will face court on apostasy charges after he was found guilty of desecration.

Judicial source said Wednesday investigations with Abdullah Al-Baidhani have been completed and he is expected to appear in court soon.

However, the source said that prosecutors are investigating the mob who destroyed the three-storey house of the desecrator and burned his two cars after Al-Baidhani tore up the Quran and insulted it before the people in Al-Hasaba area, Sana'a. >>> Yemen Post Staff | Wednesday, April 29, 2009