Darkness Descends on a Nation

The Following piece is written by a Yemeni-based journalist who writes for Foreign Policy Association, and due to serious security concerns, remains anonymous.

After weeks of escalating violence and protests against Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime, Yemen is living its darkest hour. As the streets of Sana’a are turning red, tainted with the blood of anti-government protesters, the President is addressing the nation, vowing to protect civilians from any harm.

Only a day after members of the opposition offered to resume talks with the President upon the condition that his nephews: Yehia and Ammar Saleh were removed from their posts; Saleh chose instead to unleash his thugs upon his countrymen and to use his army to crush his opponents. In a move similar to that of the Libyan dictator, Saleh has now entered the Hall of Fame of the World worst tyrant.

But if the protesters are being massacred, they are far from being defeated.  In what can only be called an act of unimaginable bravery, those men and women are determined to maintain their stand against tyranny. If the regime wanted to break their resolution by instilling fear, it only confirmed them in their belief that the regime had to go. After decades of injustice and oppression, the people of Yemen are willing to pay the price of freedom with their lives. Unarmed and unprotected they continue to chant: “Get out get out”.

Violence in the Streets of Yemen

As soon as the Friday prayer ended, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in the University campus, ready for another day of demonstration. Almost immediately the government’s Security Forces opened fire on the crowds.

Pro-government men organized a protective barrier between them and the opponents to the regime by setting some tires on fire. They then started to shower the crowds with live ammunition, teargas and stones. For a government which only days ago vowed to protect its civilians and sworn that no weapons would be allowed, their thugs were interestingly well armed and ready for the fight.

Many snipers were also spotted on houses rooftops. Those men were seen shooting at civilians, aiming for the heads and necks. President Obama has reportedly denounced such actions, asking for those responsible to be held accountable. Well, in this instance it is quite simple really, there is only one man beside the President who can order the Security Forces to commit such atrocities, and it is Yehia Saleh.

In a matter of minutes, the makeshift hospital on Tahrir, was invaded by a never-ending stream of casualties. From all corners, men were brought out on stretchers and blankets, suffering from gun wounds and other injuries. So far the death toll is believed to be as high as 40 but it will surely increase with the coming hours as the hospital is greatly unequipped and undersupplied.

Similar scenes were repeated in the city of Aden, Hodeidah, Ibb, Mareb and Amran. A nation which was believed to be fragmented is showing unwavering unity in its fight for ousting its president.

In a new development, anti-government demonstrators are said to have spread to the street of Al Zubairy, which is one of the main arteries of the capital; and they are talking about marching on to the Presidential Palace. As the crowds are swelling, the echoes of their chants are reverberated throughout the neighboring streets.

The Governor’s house of Mahweet, upon which snipers were positioned, was set on fire by the protesters in a fit a rage. Hundreds of police officers in unmarked cars and civilians clothes are now patrolling the streets and the elite forces are setting up barricades around the presidential compound and the main government buildings. Clearly those close to the President are feeling the heat….

As the night sets on Sana’a, the air is thick with the anger of a wounded nation

Pressure is mounting on the President

President Ali Abdullah Saleh has fallen victim of the very monster he helped created to assure his grip on power. Rumors are circulating that as he was ready to agree to some sort of compromise with the opposition,  members of his close family threatened him with retaliation. Most of the anger in the streets is actually not directly aimed at the President himself but rather at his two nephews Yehia Saleh and Ammar Saleh as well as his son Ahmed. Those figures have for so long been associated with corruption and injustice that they have become for many the incarnation of all that is wrong and twisted in the country. More than Saleh, himself, those three have a lot more to lose than their power……

But as the President is desperately holding to whatever is left of his power, further cracks are appearing in the edifice. Two ministers, which names are still unknown, have reportedly left the country in order to avoid the coming debacle. Since then, the President has issue a no fly-list to avoid further defections on the part of the members of his government.

If the regime is still holding some resemblance of authority within the walls of the capital, it has lost almost all its influence in the other parts of Yemen. If ever, one was waiting for a tipping point, today was it. Decades of repressed anger are now being unleashed at the government and it seems that Saleh is leaving his last days in power.

Lack of leadership within the Opposition

The opposition leaders who days ago sworn to send their armed men to protect the protesters and promised that they will not stand for more acts of violence are nowhere to be seen now that the President is attacking the crowds of civilians.

Anger is now turning as well against those who are seen to be holding the reins of power. Many Sheikhs risk losing their legitimacy as leaders and protectors of their tribe as their men are lying dead in the streets. Some people have called the opposition TV channel Suhail, condemning the Sheikhs’ cowardice.

If the opposition does not use the very small window of opportunity that it has left to remedy the situation, the country’s generation long tribal institutions might disintegrate. As I’m writing those last words, the rumors of the Yemeni revolution can be heard in the night…..