General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar’s Views on Yemen

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

Brigadier General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar was before he defected last April a powerful ally and close relative of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. For over 30 years, General Mohsen has been privy to the President’s decisions and political maneuvering.

The General is the President Saleh’s cousin and brother in law. In Yemen as for most of the Region, government positions rhymes with family ties.

On al- Qaeda

On several occasions, the General tried to allay the concern of the US and the Europeans that the terrorist organization, al-Qaeda would gain more control in Yemen if President Saleh was to leave the presidency.

In a recent interview with al-Hayat, Mohsen said: “Yemen would be better off and more secure, stable and united without Ali Abdullah Saleh.” He added that Saleh was using al-Qaeda as a “scarecrow” to assert his own position.  “He constantly tries to take advantage of manufactured crises at home to apply blackmail abroad. He claims to be a safety valve for Yemen and neighboring countries, but it is a lie.”

The General and other military high ranking officers have very recently accused the government of staging al-Qaeda attacks in order to retain the west political support. In a public conference Mohsen declared that President Saleh had himself strong ties with the terrorist group, adding that some of its members were actually part of his inner circle. “Everyone knows that some of these terrorist groups are present among his private guards. Just after Saleh spoke of al-Qaeda seizing control of provinces, the regime handed over Abyan to terrorist gunmen. I fear that the regime might hand over control over other provinces to terrorist groups,” he said.

Mohsen also alleged that Tarek and Ammar Saleh, the President’s nephews were responsible for enticing terrorism. “It serves their purposes” said the defected General.

The government vehemently denied the allegations, saying that President Saleh was a strong ally of the Americans in regards to the fight against terror in the region, adding that the General’s accusations were preposterous.

On the Transition of Power

Even though the Yemeni Constitution stipulates that the Vice-President has to step in once the President is rendered unable to assume his functions, it is de facto Ahmed Saleh, the once designated heir to the throne that has taken over the affairs of the country.

And if the JMP and the international community have been urging him to form a transitional government and in effect write off President Saleh, it is very unlikely that he will. A source close to the Presidential Palace said that Ahmed had banished the VP from the compound, forcing him to work from his home.

General Ali Mohsen when asked about the President’s son’s ambitions said that despite Saleh’s claims a few months ago that he would not pass on his presidency to his son, it was merely an empty promise made to calm the crowds. He added that in the light of recent events it was clear that Ahmed was positioning himself to take over.

Mohsen who is also a senior member of the al-Islah party has promised that if Saleh was to resign his political party would support the West efforts against all terrorist elements in Yemen.