11-01-16 - protestation post-Tunisie
11-01-16 - Le Monde -- L'onde de choc tunisienne atteint les pays arabes
L'onde de choc tunisienne atteint les pays arabes
Le Monde.fr avec AFP Le 16.01.2011 à 09h59 • Mis à jour le 16.01.2011 à 21h45
Un activiste égyptien participe à un rassemblement de soutien au soulèvement tunisien, le 15 janvier au Caire. Crédits : AP/AMR NABIL
Et si le mouvement tunisien inspirait d'autres Etats arabes ? C'est la question que posait Le Monde, samedi, évoquant l'éventualité d'un "printemps démocratique arabe", et qui semble faire son chemin dans les têtes des dirigeants et des peuples du Maghreb et du Proche-Orient.
La prudence des réactions des diplomaties de la région est particulièrement éloquente, reflétant la peur de soulèvements populaires des dirigeants arabes. Si les pays occidentaux souhaitent désormais ouvertement la démocratisation de la Tunisie, les capitales arabes restent discrètes, inquiètes du caractère spontané du mouvement ayant mis fin aux vingt-trois ans de régime policier de Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
Dans une déclaration d'une extrême prudence, la Ligue des Etats arabes a par exemple invité samedi à la fois les autorités, les partis politiques et les forces vives de Tunisie à faire preuve d'"unité" pour "maintenir les réalisations du peuple tunisien et parvenir à la paix dans le pays". Le seul à regretter ouvertement le succès du soulèvement tunisien est le leader libyen Mouammar Kadhafi : "Je suis vraiment peiné par ce qui se passe en Tunisie. A quoi cela sert-il ? A quoi bon renverser Zine El-Abidine? Ne vous a-t-il pas dit qu'il s'effacerait dans trois ans ? Soyez patients pendant trois ans et vos enfants resteront en vie", a-t-il déclaré.
Un homme s'immole par le feu en Algérie
Du côté des populations, un certain nombre d'incidents et de manifestations survenus durant le week-end montrent l'importance de l'onde de choc crée par la "Révolution du jasmin". Un Algérien de 37 ans est mort après s'être immolé par le feu, samedi, devant une mairie de la région de Tebessa, près de la frontière avec la Tunisie, où il était venu réclamer un emploi et un logement. Mohcin Bouterfif faisait partie d'un groupe d'une vingtaine de jeunes rassemblés devant la mairie pour protester contre le refus du maire de les recevoir. Il s'est aspergé d'essence et transformé en torche vivante. La victime, père d'une fillette, entendait, par ce geste désespéré, "dénoncer l'attitude de mépris affichée à son égard par les élus de cette commune". Le président de l'Assemblée populaire communale – la mairie – a été relevé de ses fonctions par le wali (préfet) de Tebessa qui s'est rendu dans la journée de samedi sur les lieux. Trois autres tentatives de suicide par le feu ont également été enregistrées en Algérie depuis mercredi, selon l'agence APS et le quotidien privé francophone El Watan.
Plusieurs suicides ont été enregistrés en Tunisie depuis le 17 décembre, date à laquelle Mohamed Bouaziz, 26 ans, un vendeur ambulant sans permis s'est immolé par le feu pour protester contre la saisie de sa marchandise, déclenchant un mois d'émeutes sans précédent en Tunisie.
Manifestations d'étudiants au Yémen
Dimanche, un millier d'étudiants yéménites ont manifesté à Sanaa, appelant les peuples arabes à se soulever contre leurs dirigeants, à l'instar des Tunisiens. Les étudiants sont sortis du campus de l'université de Sanaa et se sont dirigés vers l'ambassade de Tunisie, accompagnés par des militants des droits de l'homme. "Tunis de la liberté, Sanaa te salue mille fois", scandaient les étudiants, qui répétaient également des slogans appelant les peuples arabes à "la révolution contre les dirigeants menteurs et apeurés". "Partez avant d'être déposés", proclamait l'une des banderoles brandies par les manifestants, sans s'en prendre nommément au président yéménite Ali Abdallah Saleh, au pouvoir depuis 32 ans.
Des étudiants yéménites à Sanaa, le 16 janvier. Crédits : AP/Hani Mohammed
Sit-in devant le Parlement jordanien
En Jordanie, près de 3 000 syndicalistes, membres de partis de gauche et islamistes ont participé dimanche à un sit-in à Amman, devant le Parlement, pour protester contre l'inflation et la politique économique du gouvernement. "En Jordanie, nous souffrons des mêmes maux qui ont affecté la Tunisie, et nous devons mettre fin à l'oppression, ainsi qu'aux entraves aux libertés et à la volonté du peuple", a affirmé le chef des Frères musulmans, Hammam Said, dans un discours. Après avoir fait l'éloge des Tunisiens qui "se sont débarrassés de leur dictateur", il a souligné que le peuple jordanien "n'acceptera pas d'avoir faim". Les manifestants, qui brandissaient des drapeaux de la Jordanie et de leurs partis, se tenaient debout devant la grille du Parlement, alors que les députés étaient réunis pour discuter des prix des aliments. "Jusqu'à quand continuerons-nous à payer le prix des vols et de la corruption ?", pouvait-on lire sur une des banderoles.
Parlement jordanien, le 16 janvier. Crédits : REUTERS/ALI JAREKJI
Vu du Koweït, "une leçon pour tous les peuples de la région"
Des députés de l'opposition koweïtienne ont salué "le courage du peuple tunisien" et prévenu que de nombreux régimes étaient menacés. "Tous les régimes qui oppriment leurs peuple et luttent contre l'identité arabo-islamique connaîtront le même sort", a déclaré le député islamiste Walid Al-Tabtabaï. "C'est une leçon pour tous les peuples de la région", a estimé le député Ahmad Al-Saadoun, un vétéran de la vie parlementaire.
Le Soudan "prêt pour un soulèvement populaire"
A Khartoum, Moubarak Al-Fadil, l'un des ténors de l'opposition soudanaise, a estimé que le pays était "prêt pour un soulèvement populaire". Dimanche, des partis d'opposition ont "félicité" les Tunisiens et plaidé pour la "fin du régime totalitaire" soudanais. Ils demandent aussi la démission du ministre des finances, jugé responsable de la hausse des prix. Un groupe d'ONG arabes, le Forum de la société civile du Golfe, a par ailleurs appelé l'Arabie saoudite à ne pas laisser le président déchu, réfugié à Jeddah, s'installer sur "une terre du Golfe".
Pour la Syrie et l'Iran, un avertissement contre l'Occident
Autre son de cloche du côté de la Syrie et de l'Iran, pour qui les déboires de M. Ben Ali sonnent avant tout comme un avertissement contre l'Occident. Le quotidien syrien Al-Watan, proche du pouvoir, a affirmé dimanche que la chute du président tunisien était "une leçon" pour les régimes arabes "à la solde de l'Occident". "C'est une leçon qu'aucun régime arabe ne devrait ignorer, en particulier ceux qui mènent la même politique que celle de la Tunisie et qui comptent sur 'les amis' pour les protéger", écrit Al-Watan.
Le président du Parlement iranien, Ali Larijani, a ironisé sur les déclarations occidentales de solidarité : "Les pays qui étaient la principale raison de la tyrannie et de la pression sur les Tunisiens se montrent maintenant compatissants. Beaucoup de pays devraient maintenant retenir la leçon que les super-puissances ne les soutiendront pas en cas de difficultés."
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11-01-17 - CNN -- Yemenis protest in support of Tunisians
Yemenis protest in support of Tunisians
From Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
January 17, 2011 5:05 a.m. EST
(CNN) -- Protesters in Sanaa, Yemen, took to the streets Sunday in an act of solidarity with protesters in Tunisia whose actions led to the president of that country fleeing.
Observers put the size of the Yemen protest at between 200 and 1,000 people. The crowd marched from Sanaa University to the Tunisian Embassy.
"We were supporting what the Tunisian people did," said Tawakkol Karman, president of Woman Journalists Without Chains, a prominent human rights organization in Yemen.
What the Tunisian people did was stage protests against the government, demanding more jobs and accusing their leaders of corruption. As the protests continued, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country last week. Fouad Mebazaa, the speaker of parliament, was sworn in the following day as interim president, and new elections are due within 60 days.
The protest in Yemen raised the spectre of a domino effect, as the country itself is in the middle of debating constitutional amendments which could end presidential term limits in the country.
Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has been in office for 32 years and was last re-elected in 2006. Critics say he is looking for a way to stay in power indefinitely.
"We called on the Yemeni people to wage a revolution against their corrupt leaders," Karman said.
She added, "We gathered to salute the Tunisian people."
The protest, where people were chanting anti-government slogans, was peaceful, journalists who witnessed the event said.
Some banners read, "Yemen's government should leave before they are forced to leave." Others chanted the same slogan.
The crowd was mostly young, and many, though not all, were university students, the journalists said.
11-01-19 - Al Arabiya News -- Tunisians inspire hundreds of Yemenis to protest
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
By DUBAI (Alarabiya.net)
Hundreds of Yemeni protesters inspired by the Tunisian revolution took the streets to chant anti-government slogans in a university in Sanaa, Middle East Online reported on Wednesday.
Yemeni police fired warning shots to disperse the demonstrators in Sanaa University. No injuries were reported despite the ani-riot police resorting to gunfire. Several students were also arrested, but according to a security official the arrested students were soon released.
The police failed to break the protest and were able only to contain it at the university’s campus.
Demonstrators at the university chanted in support of Tunisia in the wake of popular protests that toppled the North African's country's iron-fisted leader, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali .
Liberty's Tunisia, Sanaa salutes you a thousand times
Protesters
"Revolution, revolution, people against the frightened leader," they shouted. "Liberty's Tunisia, Sanaa salutes you a thousand times," shouted the students. "Toppling the corrupt (leader) is a duty."
Similar protests have been ongoing on a nearly daily basis in Yemen since Friday, when Ben Ali escaped to Saudi Arabia, ending his 23 years in power.
Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has ruled 32 years. He was re-elected in September 2006 to a seven-year mandate.
A draft amendment of the constitution, under discussion in parliament despite opposition protests, could further stretch the president's tenure by allowing a life-long mandate.
11-01-20 - Al Aarabya News -- Troops, protesters clash in South Yemen witnesses
Last Updated: Thu Jan 20, 2011 18:14 pm (KSA) 15:14 pm (GMT)
Troops, protesters clash in South Yemen: witnesses
Thursday, 20 January 2011
By ADEN/SANAA (AFP)
A second night of clashes and gunbattles between the army and protesters in Yemen's main southern city of Aden left seven people wounded, three of them soldiers, witnesses and officials said.
Security forces used tear gas and gun fire to disperse the protesters who took to the streets until late Wednesday night in several Aden neighborhoods, the witnesses said.
Chanting pro-secessionist slogans, the protesters set car tyres ablaze, blocked several roads and wounded a soldier when they hurled stones at the security forces, said one witness.
In Al-Saada neighborhood, two soldiers and a civilian were wounded in gunbattles, a security official said.
During the protests, security forces arrested dozens of members of the Southern Movement, an activist, Ahmed al-Zubeiri, told AFP.
Dozens of other protesters were rounded up during similar clashes in Aden on Tuesday, witnesses said.
The main leaders of the Southern Movement, Ali Salem al-Baid, who is in exile, and Hassan Baoum -- freed by the authorities early this month -- had called for Tuesday to be a "day of rage" to protest against the government in Sanaa.
South Yemen was independent from 1967, when Britain withdrew from Aden, until the region united with the north in 1990.
The south attempted to secede in 1994, sparking a short-lived civil war that ended with it being overrun by northern troops
Many residents of south Yemen complain of discrimination by the Sanaa government in the distribution of resources, sparking frequent protests, with calls ranging from economic and social improvements to full independence.
Battles against al-Qaeda jihadists and southern separatists killed 178 members of Yemen's security forces last year, the interior ministry announced on Thursday.
A total of "1,030 members of the security forces were killed and wounded in 2010" while "defending security and stability and confronting terrorism, outlaws, and crime," a ministry statement said, giving a figure of 178 killed.
The statement referred to clashes with members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which is regrouping in the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, and the separatist Southern Movement, spearheading opposition to the government.
Sanaa is also battling a sporadic Shiite rebellion in the north of the poverty-stricken country, but the statement did not say how many security force members died in the fight.
11-01-22 - Al Arabiya News -- Thousands demand ouster of Yemen's president
Saturday, 22 January 2011
By Aden
YEMEN (AP)
Drawing inspiration from the revolt in Tunisia, thousands of Yemenis fed up with their president's 32-year rule demanded his ouster Saturday in a noisy demonstration that appeared to be the first large-scale public challenge to the strongman.
Clashes also broke out Saturday in Algeria, as opposition activists there tried to copy the tactics of their Tunisian neighbors, who forced their longtime leader to flee the country more than a week ago.
We will march the streets of Sanaa, to the heart of Sanaa and to the presidential palace. The coming days will witness an escalation
Dahaba, an Islamist lawmaker
The protests in Yemen appeared to be the first of their kind. The nation's 23 million citizens have many grievances: they are the poorest people in the Arab world, the government is widely seen as corrupt and is reviled for its alliance with the United States in fighting al-Qaida, there are few political freedoms and the country is rapidly running out of water.
Still, calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down had been a red line that few dissenters dared to test.
In a reflection of the tight grip Saleh's government and its forces have in the capital - outside the city, that control thins dramatically - Saturday's demonstration did not take place in the streets, but was confined to the grounds of the University of Sanaa.
Around 2,500 students, activists and opposition groups gathered there and chanted slogans against the president, comparing him to Tunisia's ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, whose people were similarly enraged by economic woes and government corruption.
"Get out get out, Ali. Join your friend Ben Ali," the crowds chanted.
One of the organizers, Fouad Dahaba, said the demonstration was only a beginning and they will not stop until their demands are met.
"We will march the streets of Sanaa, to the heart of Sanaa and to the presidential palace. The coming days will witness an escalation," said Dahaba, an Islamist lawmaker and head of the teachers' union.
Making good on that pledge will be difficult. Like other entrenched regimes in the Arab world, Yemen's government shows little tolerance for dissent and the security forces - bolstered by U.S. military aid intended for fighting the country's virulent al-Qaida offshoot - are quick to crack down.
Police fired tear gas at the demonstrators, whose grievances include proposed constitutional changes that would allow the president to rule for a lifetime. Around 30 protesters were detained, a security official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Since the Tunisian turmoil, Saleh has ordered income taxes slashed in half and has instructed his government to control prices. He also ordered a heavy deployment of anti-riot police and soldiers to several key areas in the capital and its surroundings to prevent any riots.
Nearly half the population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and doesn't have access to proper sanitation. Less than a tenth of the roads are paved. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes by conflict, flooding the cities.
The government is riddled with corruption, has little control outside the capital, and its main source of income - oil - could run dry in a decade.
Protests were also held in the southern port city of Aden, where calls for Saleh to step down were heard along with the more familiar slogans for southern secession. Police fired on demonstrators, injuring four, and detained 22 others in heavy clashes.
Military forces responded harshly to two similar protests a day earlier in four cities in the nearby southern province of Lahj, even firing mortar shells that killed one woman. The response forced residents to flee.
Besides the battle with al-Qaida's local franchise, which has taken root in the country's remote and lawless mountains, Yemen's government is also trying to suppress the secessionist movement and a separate on-and-off rebellion in the north.
Adding popular street unrest to that mix could present the government with a new challenge, though it has shown itself to be resilient even to the occasional al-Qaida attacks to penetrate the capital's defenses.
In Algeria, meanwhile, helmeted riot police armed with batons and shields clashed with rock- and chair-throwing protesters who tried to march in the capital in defiance of a ban on public gatherings.
At least 19 people were injured, the government said, but an opposition party official put the figure at more than 40.
Protest organizers at the democratic opposition party RCD draped a Tunisian flag next to the Algerian flag on a balcony of the party headquarters where the march was to begin in the capital, Algiers.
Riot police, backed by a helicopter and crowd-control trucks, ringed the exit to ensure marchers couldn't leave the building - and striking those who tried to come out to take part. Outside, some young men waved the national flag and chanted "Assassin Power!"
"I am a prisoner in the party's headquarters," said Said Sadi, a former presidential candidate who leads the Rally for Culture and Democracy party, said through a megaphone from a balcony window.
11-01-23 - Gulf News -- Protests erupt in Yemen, Algeria and Tunisia
Inspired by revolt in Tunisia, Yemenis demand ouster of their president in first large-scale public challenge
Dubai: Drawing inspiration from the revolt in Tunisia, thousands of Yemenis fed up with their president's 32-year rule demanded his ouster on Saturday in a noisy demonstration that appeared to be the first large-scale public challenge to the strongman.
Clashes also broke out Saturday in Algeria, as opposition activists there tried to copy the tactics of their Tunisian neighbours, who forced their longtime leader to flee the country more than a week ago.
In Tunisia, anti-government protesters marched through the capital, raising the pressure on Prime Minister Mohammad Ghannouchi to quit in the wake of the former president's ouster.
Public assemblies of more than three people are officially banned under a state of emergency that remains in place, along with a night-time curfew.
The curfew has been eased and schools and universities, which have been shut since January 10, are expected to begin re-opening this week.
First-of-a-kind Yemen protests
The protests in Yemen appeared to be the first of their kind. The nation's 23 million citizens have many grievances: they are the poorest people in the Arab world, the government is widely seen as corrupt and is reviled for its alliance with the United States in fighting Al Qaida, there are few political freedoms and the country is rapidly running out of water.
Female activist arrested
Yemeni police have arrested a female press freedom activist known to have been involved in pro-Tunisia revolt protests, rights activists, her family and a security official said on Sunday.
Tawakel Karman, who heads the rights group Women Journalists Without Chains, was stopped by plain-clothes police in a main street as she was heading home with her husband, according to rights activists who declined to be identified.
The reason for her arrest was unclear, but she is being held in Sanaa’s main prison, according to her family.
Calls for Saleh to resign
Meanwhile, calls for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down had been a red line that few dissenters dared to test.
In a reflection of the tight grip Saleh's government and its forces have in the capital, Saturday's demonstration did not take place in the streets, but was confined to the grounds of the University of Sana'a.
Around 2,500 students, activists and opposition groups gathered there and chanted slogans against the president, comparing him to Tunisia's ousted President Zine al Abidine Bin Ali, whose people were similarly enraged by economic woes and government corruption.
"Get out get out, Ali. Join your friend Bin Ali," the crowds chanted. One of the organisers, Fouad Dahaba, said the demonstration was only a beginning and they will not stop until their demands are met.
"We will march the streets of Sana'a, to the heart of Sana'a and to the presidential palace. The coming days will witness an escalation," said Dahaba, a lawmaker and head of the teachers' union.
In Algeria, meanwhile, helmeted riot police armed with batons and shields clashed with rock- and chair-throwing protesters who tried to march in the capital in defiance of a ban on public gatherings.
At least 19 people were injured, the government said, but an opposition party official put the figure at more than 40.
Protest organisers at the democratic opposition party RCD draped a Tunisian flag next to the Algerian flag on a balcony of the party headquarters where the march was to begin in the capital, Algiers.
Riot police, backed by a helicopter and crowd-control trucks, ringed the exit to ensure marchers couldn't leave the building; and striking those who tried to come out to take part. Outside, some young men waved the national flag and chanted "Assassin Power!"
There have also been numerous cases of self-immolation in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Mauritania like the one that set off the Tunisian protests.
11-01-23 - Ohio_com -- Yemenis demand president be ousted
Yemenis demand president be ousted
Thousands participate in what appears to be first public challenge to leader on large scale
By Ahmed Al-Haj
Associated Press
Published on Sunday, Jan 23, 2011
ADEN, YEMEN: Drawing inspiration from the revolt in Tunisia, thousands of Yemenis fed up with their president's 32-year rule demanded his ouster Saturday in a noisy demonstration that appeared to be the first large-scale public challenge to the strongman.
Clashes also broke out Saturday in Algeria, as opposition activists there tried to copy the tactics of their Tunisian neighbors, who forced their longtime leader to flee the country more than a week ago.
The protests in Yemen appeared to be the first of their kind. The nation's 23 million citizens have many grievances: They are the poorest people in the Arab world, the government is widely seen as corrupt and is reviled for its alliance with the United States in fighting al-Qaida, there are few political freedoms and the country is rapidly running out of water.
Still, calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down had been a red line that few dissenters dared to test.
In a reflection of the tight grip Saleh and his forces have in the capital — outside the city, that control thins dramatically — Saturday's demonstration did not take place in the streets, but was confined to the grounds of the University of San'a.
Around 2,500 students, activists and opposition groups gathered there and chanted slogans against the president, comparing him to Tunisia's ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, whose people were similarly enraged by economic woes and government corruption.
''Get out, get out, Ali. Join your friend Ben Ali,'' the crowds chanted.
One of the organizers, Fouad Dahaba, said the demonstration was only a beginning and protesters will not stop until their demands are met.
''We will march the streets of San'a, to the heart of San'a and to the presidential palace. The coming days will witness an escalation,'' said Dahaba, an Islamist lawmaker and head of the teachers' union.
Making good on that pledge will be difficult. Like other entrenched regimes in the Arab world, Yemen's government shows little tolerance for dissent and the security forces — bolstered by U.S. military aid intended for fighting the country's virulent al-Qaida offshoot — are quick to crack down.
Police fired tear gas at the demonstrators, whose grievances include proposed constitutional changes that would allow the president to rule for a lifetime. Around 30 protesters were detained, a security official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Since the Tunisian turmoil, Saleh has ordered income taxes slashed in half and has instructed his government to control prices. He also ordered a heavy deployment of anti-riot police and soldiers to several key areas in the capital and its surroundings to prevent any riots.
Nearly half the population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and doesn't have access to proper sanitation. Less than a tenth of the roads are paved. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes by conflict, flooding the cities.
The government is riddled with corruption, has little control outside the capital, and its main source of income — oil — could run dry in a decade.
Protests were also held in the southern port city of Aden, where calls for Saleh to step down were heard along with the more familiar slogans for southern secession. Police fired on demonstrators, injuring four, and detained 22 others.
11-01-24 - IOL -- Activists arrested in Yemen
Activists arrested in Yemen
January 24 2011 at 01:30am
By Mohamed Sudam and Adel Al Khader
Reuters
Protesters hold up posters of rights activist Tawakul Karman, during a protest outside the Attorny General's office, in Sanaa. Yemen has arrested Karman, who led student rallies against the government in the capital last week, sparking a new wave of protests on Sunday.
Sanaa - An anti-government protester was shot dead by police in southern Yemen and 19 opposition activists were arrested in the capital on Sunday, including a prominent woman who led rallies against the president last week.
The arrests sparked a new wave of student protests in Sanaa on Sunday, days after demonstrations against the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh broke out across Yemen, inspired in in part by the recent ouster of Tunisia's long-time ruler.
Tawakul Karman, a journalist and member of the Islamist party Islah who was a leading figure in last week's protests, was detained by police early on Sunday and charged with unlawfully organising demonstrations, her husband told Reuters.
Later in the day, police in Sanaa arrested 18 other activists, including the heads of two human rights groups, as they left a meeting to discuss Karman's arrest.
In the southern city of Aden, the site of frequent protests by separatists, a demonstrator was shot dead by police who were trying to stop a march, residents said. In a separate incident in the restive southern town of Lawdar, a suspected al-Qaeda gunmen shot dead a soldier, a local security official said.
The arrests of the activists in the capital sparked a protest of several hundred at Sanaa University. The demonstrators, chanting “release the prisoners” and holding pictures of Karman, tried to march to the state prosecutor's office, who a security source said had ordered her arrest.
But riot police carrying batons beat them back. Police also beat up two TV cameramen filming the protests and confiscated their cameras, a Reuters witness said. One was briefly arrested.
“I have no accurate information about her whereabouts,” Karman's husband Mohamed Ismail al-Nehmi said by phone. “Maybe at the central prison, maybe somewhere else, I don't know.”
In a speech aired on state television on Sunday, Saleh reiterated an offer of dialogue with opposition groups and said it was wrong to link Yemen to the events in Tunisia.
“We are a democratic country and not Tunisia which had placed mosques under surveillance and shut everyone's mouth,” he said.
In an apparent move to calm discontent, Saleh also announced plans to raise the salaries of government employees and military personnel by $47 to $234 a month - a good bonus for poorly paid soldiers and civil servants in the Arab world's poorest country. - Reuters
11-01-25 - Khaleej Times -- Yemeni president tries to defuse calls for ouster
Yemeni president tries to defuse calls for ouster
(AP)
25 January 2011
SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s president tried to defuse calls for his ouster, forcefully denying claims by opponents that he plans to install his son as his successor and raising salaries for the army.
In several days of protest, student activists and opposition groups in the Arab world’s most impoverished nation — buoyed by the example of the popular revolt in Tunisia — have boldly called for the removal of US-allied President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The protests are presenting Yemen’s ruler — in power for nearly 32 years — with a new and unpredictable challenge, adding to the threat from an al-Qaida offshoot aiming to topple him, a southern secessionist movement and an on-and-off armed rebellion in the north.
Seeing to quell the new outbursts of dissent, Saleh delivered a televised speech Sunday night describing talk of him aiming to bequeath power to his son as the “utmost rudeness” and insisting the rumors were untrue.
He also announced he was increasing salaries for the armed forces in a step apparently meant to ensure the army’s loyalty in the face of the rising challenges.
After the Tunisian turmoil, Saleh also ordered income taxes slashed in half and instructed his government to control prices. He also deployed anti-riot police and soldiers to several key areas in the capital, Sanaa, and its surroundings to prevent riots.
Still, critics of his rule have taken to the streets in three days of protests calling for him to step down. Such calls had been a red line that few dissenters dared to cross, though Saleh has been under pressure not to extend his rule either by running again or by placing his son in power.
Saleh has long been believed to be grooming his son Ahmed, who commands the republican guard and the army’s special forces, to succeed him.
“We are against succession,” Saleh stressed in Sunday’s speech to several hundred officers. “We are in favor of change ... and these are rude statements, they are the utmost rudeness.”
He accused opposition leaders of trying to take over by rallying people to the streets “while they are hiding in the basement.”
In the latest demonstrations, the main opposition groups on Monday announced a campaign to oust Saleh.
“It’s about time for the political parties to lead a mass movement against the corrupt and despotic regime,” Mohammed Abdul Malik, head of an alliance of opposition groups, told the rally in Sanaa.
The groups later said one of their leaders was kidnapped by people believed to be linked to the authorities.
They said Naef al-Qanis was beaten by unidentified people who later moved him to an unknown location.
Nearly half of Yemen’s population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and doesn’t have access to proper sanitation. Less than a tenth of the roads are paved. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes by conflict, flooding the cities.
The government is riddled with corruption, has little control outside the capital, and its main source of income — oil — could run dry in a decade.
Saleh’s current term in office expires in 2013 but proposed amendments to the constitution could let him remain in power for two additional terms of ten years.
Ali Seif Hassan, a Yemeni political analyst, said Saleh’s speech indicates he was not likely to step down. “Saleh will run again in 2013 and will run after the next time,” he said. “No Arab leader leaves power democratically to sit and write his diaries.”
11-01-27 - AFP -- des milliers de manifestants réclament le départ du président Saleh
Yémen: des milliers de manifestants réclament le départ du président Saleh
De Hammoud MOUNASSAR (AFP) – Il y a 7 heures
SANAA — Des milliers de Yéménites, inspirés par la Tunisie et l'Egypte, ont manifesté jeudi à Sanaa à l'appel de l'opposition pour réclamer le départ du président Ali Abdallah Saleh, au pouvoir depuis 32 ans.
Le président tunisien "est parti après 20 ans, 30 ans au Yémen, ça suffit", scandaient les manifestants en référence au mouvement de contestation populaire sans précédent en Tunisie qui a chassé le président Zine El Abidine Ben Ali après 23 ans au pouvoir.
La "Révolution du Jasmin" en Tunisie a provoqué une onde de choc dans plusieurs pays arabes, notamment en Egypte, théâtre cette semaine de manifestations sans précédent contre le président Hosni Moubarak, au pouvoir depuis trois décennies, qui ont fait six morts.
Mais le ministre yéménite de l'Intérieur, Motahar Rachad al-Masri, a exclu toute similitude avec la révolte tunisienne qui a conduit à la chute de Ben Ali le 14 janvier.
"Le Yémen ne ressemble pas à la Tunisie", a-t-il déclaré à l'AFP, affirmant que le Yémen "est un pays démocratique" et les manifestations sont pacifiques.
"Non au renouvellement du mandat, non à la transmission héréditaire du pouvoir", "l'heure du changement a sonné", répétaient les manifestants yéménites qui s'étaient rassemblés pendant deux heures à l'appel d'une coalition de partis de l'opposition parlementaire.
"Nous nous rassemblons aujourd'hui pour demander le départ du président Saleh et de son gouvernement corrompu", a lancé à l'adresse de la foule un député du parti islamiste Al-Islah, Abdelmalik al-Qasuss.
L'opposition a organisé quatre manifestations distinctes dans la capitale pour "disperser les forces de police", selon l'un des organisateurs.
Les forces anti-émeutes se tenaient à distance des manifestants, mais elles ont renforcé les mesures de sécurité autour du ministère de l'Intérieur et de la Banque centrale.
Le Congrès populaire général (CPG, parti au pouvoir), a organisé quatre contre-manifestations qui ont réuni des milliers de personnes dans la capitale.
"Ne faites pas tomber la démocratie et la Constitution", pouvait-on lire sur l'une des banderoles brandies par des manifestants pro-gouvernementaux.
Les manifestations se sont multipliées ces derniers jours au Yémen, un pays rongé par la pauvreté et le chômage.
Le gouvernement a annoncé cette semaine une augmentation des salaires, une mesure destinée à "prévenir des problèmes similaires à ceux de la Tunisie", selon l'analyste yéménite Mustapha Nasr, interrogé par l'AFP.
En outre, des milliers de partisans du Mouvement sudiste, un groupe séparatiste, ont manifesté dans plusieurs villes du Sud du Yémen, dont Daleh, Habilayn, Loder et Ezzan, scandant des slogans séparatistes. "Révolution, Révolution dans le Sud", "Plutôt mourir libres que d'accepter l'occupation", répétait la foule, selon des participants.
Au pouvoir depuis 1978, M. Saleh a été élu pour la première fois en 1999 au suffrage universel direct pour un mandat de sept ans. Il a été réélu pour la deuxième fois en 2006 pour un mandat qui arrive à expiration en 2013.
Un projet d'amendement de la Constitution, en discussion au Parlement malgré le refus de l'opposition, pourrait ouvrir la voie à une présidence à vie pour l'actuel chef de l'Etat.
L'opposition accuse en outre le président Saleh, 68 ans, de vouloir transmettre la présidence à son fils aîné Ahmad, chef de la garde républicaine, unité d'élite de l'armée.
Mais le chef de l'Etat s'est défendu dans un discours télévisé dimanche soir de vouloir transmettre le pouvoir à son fils. "Nous sommes une république, et je suis contre la transmission du pouvoir", a-t-il dit.
Les manifestations de jeudi s'inscrivent dans le cadre d'un programme de protestations de l'opposition, à l'approche des élections législatives prévues le 27 avril.
11-01-27 - Le Monde -- Quatrième immolation par le feu au Yémen
Quatrième immolation par le feu au Yémen
Le Monde | 27.01.2011 à 20h32
Un Yéménite de 28 ans a tenté de s'immoler par le feu mercredi soir à Aden, principale ville du sud du Yémen, ont rapporté, jeudi 27 janvier, des témoins. Cela porte à quatre le nombre de personnes qui ont tenté de s'immoler ainsi au Yémen au cours des derniers jours. L'une d'elles a succombé à ses blessures.
Mercredi soir, Fouad Sabri, employé d'une gare routière, s'est aspergé d'essence puis a craqué une allumette sur une place d'un des principaux quartiers d'Aden, ont indiqué des témoins, ajoutant que des passants sont rapidement intervenus pour éteindre le feu. M. Sabri aurait commis cet acte désespéré en raison de ses mauvaises conditions de vie, selon des habitants. Brûlé sur de larges parties du corps, il a été admis dans un hôpital d'Aden, où il a été placé dans un service de soins intensifs, a indiqué à l'AFP une source médicale.
UN HOMME MEURT DES SUITES DE SES BLESSURES
Les autorités locales ont indiqué qu'au moins trois autres tentatives d'immolation par le feu avaient eu lieu ces derniers jours dans le sud et le nord du Yémen, pays pauvre, touché par le chômage et confronté à un mouvement sécessionniste dans le Sud et à une recrudescence des opérations d'Al-Qaida.
A la suite d'une de ces tentatives, un homme de 45 ans, Awadh Saleh al-Samahi, est mort, le 20 janvier, dans un village du Hadramout, un jour après qu'il se fut immolé par le feu en présence de ses enfants pour protester contre ses difficultés économiques, a indiqué jeudi à l'AFP un responsable local.
Inspirés par la révolte tunisienne et par un mouvement de contestation en Egypte, des milliers de Yéménites ont manifesté jeudi à Sanaa (portfolio) à l'appel de l'opposition pour réclamer le départ du président Ali Abdallah Saleh, au pouvoir depuis trente-deux ans.
11-01-27 - CBC -- Yemen protests demand president's ouster
Protesters demand the release of rights activists detained during recent demonstrations in Sanaa. (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)
Tens of thousands of Yemenis demanded the president step down in nationwide protests Thursday, taking inspiration from the popular revolt in Tunisia and vowing to continue until their U.S.-backed government falls.
Yemen is the latest Arab state to be hit by mass anti-government protests, joining Tunisia and Egypt in calls for revolutionary change. The demonstrations pose a new threat to the stability of Yemen, the Arab world's most impoverished nation, which has become a haven for al-Qaeda militants.
"No delays, no delays, the time for departure has come!" shouted protesters, calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for nearly 32 years. Saleh's government is riddled with corruption, has little control outside the capital, and its main source of income — oil — could run dry in a decade.
The protesters were led by opposition members and youth activists in four parts of the capital, Sanaa. In the southern provinces of Dali and Shabwa, riot police used batons to disperse people, while thousands took to the streets in al-Hudaydah province, an al-Qaeda stronghold along the Red Sea coast.
In the southern port city of Aden, a 28-year-old unemployed man set himself on fire to protest the economic troubles in the country. The man, identified as Fouad Sabri, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, medical officials said. The act is the latest in a wave of attempts at self-immolation across the Arab world, which appear to be inspired by events in Tunisia.
A few hundred pro-government supporters held a counter-protest in Sanaa, but they were greatly outnumbered. There were no immediate reports of violence or major unrest in the capital.
The protests calmed by early evening, but organizers said there was more to come Friday.
Hakim Almasmari, editor in chief of the Yemen Post, said that the protests are the largest in over a decade.
"We estimate at least a hundred thousand protesters, even though the government is trying to make media announce less than that," he said.
"This really shows that the opposition parties are very serious about going against the president.… All chances of having dialogue with the ruling party are vanishing."
Saleh has tried to defuse simmering tensions by raising salaries for the army and by denying opponents' claims he plans to install his son as his successor.
After the Tunisian revolt, which forced that country's president to flee into exile, Saleh ordered income taxes slashed in half and instructed his government to control prices. He deployed anti-riot police and soldiers to several key areas in the capital and its surroundings to prevent riots.
That hasn't stopped critics of his rule from taking to the streets in days of protests calling for Saleh to step down, a line that few dissenters had previously dared to cross.
"We will not accept anything less than the president leaving," said independent parliamentarian Ahmed Hashid. "We'll only be happy when we hear the words 'I understand you' from the president," invoking a statement issued by Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali before he fled the country.
Nearly half of Yemen's population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and doesn't have access to proper sanitation. Less than a tenth of the roads are paved. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes by conflict, flooding the cities.
The country is enduring a rebellion in the north and a secessionist movement in the south.
Saleh's current term in office expires in 2013 but proposed amendments to the constitution could let him remain in power for two additional terms of 10 years.
11-01-27 - NY Times -- Thousands in Yemen Protest Against the Government
By NADA BAKRI and J. DAVID GOODMANJAN. 27, 2011
Protests in the restive south of the country, above, were more aggressive than in the capital. Credit Reuters
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Yemen, one of the Middle East’s most impoverished countries and a haven for Al Qaeda militants, became the latest Arab state to witness mass protests on Thursday, as thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in the capital and other regions to demand a change in government.
The scenes broadcast across the Arab world were reminiscent of demonstrations in Egypt this week and the month of protests that brought down the government in Tunisia. But as they climaxed by midday, the marches appeared to be carefully organized and mostly peaceful, though there were reports of arrests by security forces. Predictably, the protests were most aggressive in the restive south.
In Sana, at least 10,000 protesters led by opposition members and youth activists gathered at Sana University, and around 6,000 more gathered elsewhere, participants, lawmakers and activists reached by telephone said. Many carried pink banners and wore pink headbands.
The color was both a unifying symbol and an indication of the level of planning underlying the protests. Weeks ago, as the Tunisian protests were still escalating, a committee from an umbrella group of six opposition parties settled on an escalating scale of color to accompany their own plan of action, starting with purple for lawmakers to show their opposition and moving to pink for the street protests. Red, said Shawki al-Qadi, a lawmaker and opposition figure, would be the final color, though he said the opposition had not yet decided what actions would correspond with the move.
While the marches were not marked by violence, the potential for strife in the country is difficult to overstate. It is beset by a rebellion in the north and a struggle for secession in the south. In recent years, the regional Al Qaeda affiliate has turned parts of the country, a rugged, often lawless swath of southwestern Arabian Peninsula, into a refuge beyond the state’s reach. Added to the mix is a remarkably high proportion of armed citizens.
“I fear Yemen is going to be ripped apart,” said Mohammed Naji Allaw, coordinator of the National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedom, which was one of the organizers of the protests. “The situation in Yemen is a lot more dangerous than in any other Arab country.”
He said a phrase often heard these days is that Yemen faces “tatasawmal” — the Somalization of a country that witnessed a civil war in the mid-1990s.
Part of Mr. Allaw’s worries sprung from the inability of the opposition to forge a unified message. Some are calling for secession, he said, while others are looking to oust the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, through popular protests. Yet others, he said, simply wanted Mr. Saleh to undertake a series of reforms before elections in April.
Khaled Alanesi, a colleague of Mr. Allaw’s at the human rights group in Sana, said: “The opposition is afraid of what would happen if the regime falls. Afraid of the militant groups, Al Qaeda, the tribes and all the arms here.”
The government responded to the protests by sending a large number of security forces into the streets, said Nasser Arabyee, a Yemeni journalist in Sana reached by phone. “Very strict measures, antiriot forces,” he called them. But the government suggested it had not deployed large numbers of security forces.
“The Government of the Republic of Yemen strongly respects the democratic right for a peaceful assembly,” said Mohammed al-Basha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, in a statement. “We are pleased to announce that no major clashes or arrests occurred, and police presence was minimal.”
A pro-government rally, in another district of Sana, organized by Mr. Saleh’s party, attracted far fewer demonstrators, Mr. Arabyee said.
The demonstrations on Thursday followed several days of smaller protests by students and opposition groups calling for the removal of President Ali Abdallah Saleh, a strongman who has ruled this fractured country for more than 30 years and is a key ally of the United States in the fight against the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda.
In a televised speech on Sunday night, Mr. Saleh tried to defuse calls for his ouster, denying opposition claims that his son would inherit his power — as has happened in Syria and, some fear, may occur in Egypt. He said he would raise army salaries, a move that appeared designed to ensure soldiers’ loyalty. Mr. Saleh has also cut income taxes in half and ordered price controls.
The protests were the latest in a wave of unrest touched off by monthlong demonstrations in Tunisia that led to the ouster of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the authoritarian leader who ruled for 23 years and fled two weeks ago. The new Tunisian government issued an international warrant for his arrest on corruption charges Wednesday.
The antigovernment gatherings in Yemen also followed three days of violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Egypt, with the country bracing for another round of demonstrations on Friday in defiance of a government ban. Egyptian protesters have called for an end to the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak, who, like Mr. Saleh, has been an ally of the United States.
Unlike Tunisia and Egypt, relatively stable countries with substantial middle classes and broad access to the Internet, Yemen is among the poorest countries in the Middle East.
“People do have fair grievances everywhere in Yemen, but unfortunately they are being used by politicians from both sides,” the deputy finance minister, Jalal Yaqoub, told Reuters on Thursday, adding that the government “should listen to the people and enact substantial reforms.”
Yemen’s fragile stability has been of increasing concern to the United States. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a visit to Sana earlier this month, urged Mr. Saleh to open a dialogue with the opposition, saying it would help to stabilize the country. His current term expires in two years, but proposed constitutional changes could allow him to hold onto power for longer.
During her visit, Ms. Clinton was asked by a Yemeni lawmaker how the United States could lend support to Mr. Saleh’s authoritarian rule even as his country increasingly becomes a haven for militants.
“We support an inclusive government,” Mrs. Clinton said in response. “We see that Yemen is going through a transition.”
11-01-28 - Libération -- La contestation populaire gagne le Yémen
Par Jean-Pierre Perrin — 28 janvier 2011 à 00:00
La contestation populaire gagne le Yémen
Cela fait trente-deux ans que le président Ali Abdallah Saleh est au pouvoir au Yémen. Et c’est sans doute cette extrême longévité politique, de deux années supérieure à celle du président égyptien Hosni Moubarak et de neuf ans à celle du Tunisien Ben Ali, et la paralysie du système qu’elle entraîne, qui ont été le principal moteur du mouvement de contestation qui, hier, a saisi à son tour la capitale yéménite. Au total, ce sont plus de 16 000 personnes (10 000 environ réunies à l’université, 6 000 dans les rues, selon les estimations de l’agence Reuters) qui ont manifesté pacifiquement pour réclamer le départ du président yéménite. Différence notable avec la Tunisie et l’Egypte, c’est une coalition de partis de l’opposition parlementaire qui avait appelé à ces rassemblements sans précédent et qui s’inscrivent aussi dans la perspective des élections législatives du 27 avril.
«Corruption». Visiblement inspirés par les exemples tunisien et égyptien, les manifestants ont concentrés leurs slogans sur le président Saleh : «Trente ans au Yémen, ça suffit», déclinaison des slogans entendus au Caire et à Tunis. «Non au renouvellement du mandat, non à la transmission héréditaire du pouvoir»,«l’heure du changement a sonné», répétaient aussi les manifestants. «Assez joué, assez de corruption, regarde le fossé entre richesse et pauvreté», pouvait-on lire sur une banderole. Au total, pas moins de quatre manifestations distinctes avaient été organisées afin de «disperser les forces de police», selon l’un des organisateurs. Le Congrès populaire général (CPG, parti au pouvoir) a répliqué en organisant quatre contre-manifestations qui ont réuni des milliers de personnes dans la capitale.
Dans le Sud, qui fut indépendant et communiste jusqu’à son unification avec le Nord en 1990, ce sont les partisans du Mouvement sudiste, un groupe séparatiste, qui ont manifesté dans plusieurs villes. Cette fois, les slogans étaient très différents : «Révolution, révolution dans le sud», «plutôt mourir libres que d’accepter l’occupation.»
Ce qui déchaîne la colère des manifestants et de l’opposition, c’est notamment un projet d’amendement de la Constitution, en discussion au Parlement, qui pourrait ouvrir la voie à une présidence à vie pour l’actuel chef de l’Etat, âgé de 68 ans. Or, celui-ci, s’il n’a été élu pour la première fois au suffrage universel qu’en 1999, est au pouvoir depuis… 1978. De plus, l’opposition le suspecte de vouloir transmettre la présidence à son fils aîné, Ahmed, actuellement chef de la Garde républicaine (les forces d’élite de l’armée nationale) - ce que dément Ali Abdallah Saleh. Mais les revendications sociales n’étaient pas absentes dans un pays où la moitié des 23 millions d’habitants vivent avec 2 dollars par jour et où la moitié des enfants souffrent de malnutrition chronique. Le chômage serait de l’ordre de 35%.
Tribus. Pour contrer une contestation qui ne cesse depuis plusieurs semaines de monter, le chef de l’Etat a proposé de limiter à deux les mandats présidentiels. Il a aussi promis d’augmenter de façon substantielle les salaires des fonctionnaires et des militaires. Toutefois, une révolution à la tunisienne ne semble guère possible dans un pays qui est, de loin, dans une situation économique bien plus dramatique que celle des autres pays arabes, y compris l’Egypte. De plus, le Yémen vit toujours à l’heure des tribus, du clientélisme et la classe moyenne ne joue qu’un rôle marginal dans la vie du pays. «La révolution du qât [une herbe euphorisante que consomment presque tous les Yéménites, ndlr] n’est pas pour demain», soulignait hier un diplomate occidental à Sanaa. Elle apparaît d’autant moins possible que le pays doit aussi se débattre avec de graves problèmes sécuritaires : la présence d’Al-Qaeda, une insurrection chiite dans le Nord, une agitation séparatiste dans le Sud et les intrigues compliquées et parfois violentes des tribus.
11-01-29 - TSR -- violences dans la ville de Sanaa pour demander le départ du président Ali Abdallah Saleh
Yémen: violences dans la ville de Sanaa pour demander le départ du président Ali Abdallah Saleh
29.01.2011 10:44 - mise à jour: 14:46
Des heurts sont survenus samedi à Sanaa entre des dizaines de journalistes et militants appelant à la chute du président yéménite Ali Abdallah Saleh, au pouvoir depuis 32 ans, et des partisans du régime, sans faire de blessés. Des manifestants défilaient vers l'ambassade d'Egypte aux cris de "Ali, vat-en" et "La Tunisie hier, l'Egypte aujourd'hui, le Yémen demain", en référence à la chute du président Ben Ali et aux manifestations d'Egypte. Vendredi, le parti au pouvoir avait proposé à l'opposition de renouer le dialogue afin de mettre fin aux protestations hostiles au gouvernement.
11-01-31 - The Washington Post -- In Yemen, calls for revolution but many hurdles
In Yemen, calls for revolution but many hurdles
By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 31, 2011; A09
SANAA, Yemen - The pro-democracy protesters marched through the dusty streets of this Middle Eastern capital, voicing hope that the revolution unfolding in the Arab world would soon reach them.
"Yesterday, Tunisia. Today, Egypt. Tomorrow, Yemen," they shouted, trying to make their way to the Egyptian embassy.
But the small march on Saturday never reached its intended target. A line of police stopped the protesters; then a loud, unruly crowd of pro-government supporters emerged, and the two groups clashed. The protesters soon vanished, their voices muffled by pro-government chants.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen for 32 years, is clearly rattled by the anarchy unfolding in Egypt. But what has happened here also shows that Yemen's situation is distinct from its neighbors, even as many Yemenis share the same grievances and frustrations driving the upheavals in Egypt and Tunisia.
Many among the Arab world's dispossessed hope for a domino effect that could see more of the region's autocratic regimes fall, like the swift collapse of the Soviet Union. But in Yemen, activists are facing numerous obstacles, straddling political, social and economic fault lines, even as they gain courage and inspiration from the momentous events unfolding in the region.
"The situation in different Arab countries is similar, but there's a big difference in the enthusiasm of the people in the streets as well as the ability to go to the streets," said Aidroos Al Naqeeb, head of the socialist party bloc in Yemen's parliament.
"In Yemen, the living conditions are far worse than Egypt. The services are far worse than Egypt,'' Naqeeb said. The anger and resentment is also larger than Egypt. But civil society is weaker here and the culture of popular opposition is far lesser here."
Unlike Egypt and Tunisia, impoverished Yemen has a small middle class and a large uneducated and illiterate population. Social networking sites such as Facebook that helped mobilize the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia are not widely used here.
Yemen's internal security apparatus is at least as sophisticated and deeply entrenched as in Egypt; the army is staunchly loyal to Saleh, as are powerful tribes in a country where tribal allegiance is more significant than national identity. The opposition, while strong in numbers, is divided in its goals.
"There is a popular movement and a political movement in Yemen," said Khaled al-Anesi, a lawyer and human rights activist who helped organized many of the recent protests. "But there is no support from the political parties for the popular movement, which is not organized. It is still weak and in the beginning stages."
Ever since the reunification of north and south Yemen in 1990, Saleh has marginalized political opposition groups and installed relatives and allies to key political, military and internal security posts.
Still, the popular uprisings that have ousted Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali from power and propeled Egypt into chaos have shaken Saleh's weak regime, marking the latest threat to a nation grappling already with a rebellion in the north, a secessionist movement in the south and a resurgent Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda.
In a televised speech last week, the 64-year-old Saleh, a vital U.S. ally in the war on terror, denied that his son would succeed him. He also raised the salaries of soldiers, in an apparent effort to maintain their loyalty; slashed income taxes in half and ordered price controls.
Saleh was speaking in the aftermath of a rally earlier this month in which thousands of protesters took to the streets, with students and human rights activists calling for president to resign. But political opposition leaders have emphasized reform rather than regime change, alling on Saleh to honor a constitutionally mandated term limit that would end his presidency in 2013.
Many student activists and human rights activists disagree with the political opposition's tactics, arguing that attempts to share power with Saleh will never work and that they need to channel the momentum of the uprisings in the region.
"Their opinion is to take it step by step. In our opinion, there is no benefit," said Anesi. "This guy, Ali Abdullah Saleh, for him everything is a game. He tries to cheat political parties and international society. We are wasting time. We have to go to the streets. This is the best moment to demand change."
Other activists have alleged that many opposition leaders have lucrative investments and businesses that, in Yemen, are possible only through good relations with Saleh and his party.
Naqeeb conceded he and other oppositions leaders are trying to forge democratic reforms without resorting to violence. But he added that if Saleh continues to stonewall them, the situation in Yemen "will reach a point like Egypt," in a nation in which every household owns a Kalashnikov rifle.
In a meeting convened in advance of Saturday's rally, none of the organizers seemed to care that Yemeni plainclothes police had infiltrated the session and were aware of their plans. But by the time the protesters reached the police lines, their chants were being drowned out by those of pro-government supporters .
Some attacked the pro-democracy faction with knives and sticks. The policemen watched and did not stop the melee. Soon the activists fled, and the pro-government supporters then marched on through the traffic, chanting and singing.
"I like the president. We don't understand why he should leave," said Abdullah Al-Mujali, one of the supporters. "We don't want the same as what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. It is different here."
Activists including Anesi say they are determined to press forward with their calls to oust Saleh. "We have no choice," he said.
11-02-02 - Yahoo! -- Yemeni president pledges not to seek another term
Yemeni president pledges not to seek another term
By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press Wed Feb 2, 1:59 pm ET
SANAA, Yemen – Yemen's U.S.-backed president, in power for more than three decades, pledged Wednesday not to seek another term in office in an apparent attempt to defuse protests inspired by Tunisia's revolt and the turmoil in Egypt.
The concession by Ali Abdullah Saleh signaled that another autocratic Arab leader once thought immune to challenge was giving way to pent-up fury and demands for reform that have swept the region.
It came one day after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, target of nine days of protest calling for his ouster, made a similar pledge.
Yet Saleh's move posed questions about stability in a nation seen by the Obama administration as a key ally in its fight against Islamic militants. Al-Qaida's Yemeni offshoot claimed responsibility for a failed December 2009 attempt to blow up a passenger jet over the United States and an attempt last year to ship parcel bombs to the U.S. via cargo planes.
"I won't seek to extend my presidency for another term or have my son inherit it," Saleh told parliament.
But the opposition greeted his announcement with skepticism, and there were no plans to cancel mass protests scheduled for Thursday in the capital, Sanaa, and across the country.
Obama administration officials described Saleh's declaration as "positive" and "significant," but said it remained to be seen if Saleh would fulfill the pledges. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Saleh, 64, previously tried to defuse tensions in Yemen by raising army salaries. Yet tens of thousands gathered last month in demonstrations urging Saleh to step down — a red line that few had previously dared to cross.
Saleh's current term in office expires in 2013 but proposed amendments to the constitution could let him remain in power for two additional terms of 10 years.
After the Tunisian revolt, which forced that country's president to flee into exile, and protests in Egypt calling for the end of Mubarak's 30-year rule, Saleh ordered income taxes slashed in half and instructed his government to control prices. He deployed police and soldiers to key areas in Sanaa, but the protests continued.
In the parliament, Saleh called on the opposition to meet for a dialogue on political reforms and their demands.
Opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri rejected the call and expressed doubts about Saleh's pledge not to seek re-election. Al-Sabri said Saleh made a similar promise in 2006, but then failed to fulfill it, ran again and was re-elected.
"The calls for dialogue are not serious and are merely meant to be tranquilizers," al-Sabri told The Associated Press.
Yemen is the Arab world's most impoverished nation and has become a haven for al-Qaida militants. Saleh's government is riddled with corruption and has little control outside the capital. Its main source of income — oil — could run dry in a decade.
Nearly half of Yemen's population lives below the poverty line of $2 a day and doesn't have access to proper sanitation. Less than a tenth of the roads are paved. Tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes by conflict. The country is wrestling with a lingering rebellion in the north and a secessionist movement in the south.
Saleh's ruling National Congress Party has 240 seats in the 301-member parliament. The opposition consists of mainly leftist and Islamic parties. They include the Socialists, who governed south Yemen before the north and the south merged in 1990, and the fundamentalist Islamic Islah Party.
The U.S., which provides millions in military aid to Yemen, considers one of Islah's leaders, Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, to be linked to al-Qaida.
As in Egypt, where Mubarak's son, Gamal, was believed to be preparing to succeed his father, Saleh's son, Ahmed — an army brigadier and head of the presidential guard and special forces — was also believed being groomed for succession.
Yemen has been the site of numerous anti-U.S. attacks dating back to the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden harbor, which killed 17 American sailors. Radical U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, thought to be hiding in Yemen, is suspected of having inspired some attacks, including the deadly 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.
11-02-04 - Al Arabiya News -- Yemen govt supporters tighten grip on Sanaa square
Last Updated: Fri Feb 04, 2011 18:47 pm (KSA) 15:47 pm (GMT)
Yemen govt supporters tighten grip on Sanaa square
Friday, 04 February 2011
Government supporters gather in Tahrir Square during a rally in Sanaa
By SANAA (AFP)
Supporters of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh tightened their control of Sanaa's central square on Friday, after crowding out a planned opposition rally there the previous day, an AFP correspondent said.
Tents, national flags and portraits of Saleh were erected across al-Tahrir Square, which was occupied by hundreds of supporters of the ruling Popular Congress General (GPC) and patrolled by members of the security forces.
Tens of thousands of Saleh loyalists flooded the square on Thursday in a show of support for the embattled president, forcing the opposition to move its planned anti-regime rally to the University of Sanaa, about two kilometers (1.2 miles) away.
"Our supporters will continue to hold rallies and demonstrations at al-Tahrir Square until the parties of the Common Forum (a parliamentary opposition alliance) drop their extreme demands," GPC spokesman Tariq al-Shami told AFP.
Secret police were deployed in the buildings surrounding the square, which include an office of the intelligence service, a security source told AFP.
The authorities seemed intent on depriving the opposition use of the central Sanaa square, where activists have organized popular protests since mid-January, inspired by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
Despite the switch in venue, vast crowds turned out at the university on Thursday for the anti-regime rally, with one speaker vowing that protests would continue to "bring down a corrupt and tyrannical regime."
The demonstration was staged in spite of concessions announced by Saleh, who on Wednesday called for dialogue with the opposition, pledging not to stand for re-election in 2013, nor to transfer power to his son, Ahmed Saleh, who commands an elite army unit.
Elected to his current seven-year term in September 2006, Saleh renewed calls on the opposition to resume dialogue aimed at forging a government of national unity.
Clashes erupted during previous protests against Saleh, including on Jan. 29 when dozens of activists calling for his ouster battled regime supporters but Thursday's demonstrations passed off peacefully.
11-02-03 - Reuters -- Yemen Day of Rage draws tens of thousands
World | Thu Feb 3, 2011 4:50pm EST
Related: World
Yemen "Day of Rage" draws tens of thousands
SANAA | By Mohammed Ghobari and Khaled Abdullah
Tens of thousands of Yemenis squared off in peaceful protests for and against the government on Thursday during an opposition-led "Day of Rage," a day after President Ali Abdullah Saleh offered to step down in 2013.
The peaceful protests faded out by midday as planned, suggesting Yemenis outside the traditional opposition activist core had not been motivated to transform the rally into a self-sustaining, Egyptian-style mass upheaval.
Still, the opposition drew more than 20,000 people in Sanaa, the biggest crowd since a wave of demonstrations hit the Arabian Peninsula state two weeks ago, inspired by protests that toppled Tunisia's ruler and threaten Egypt's president.
"The people want regime change," anti-government protesters shouted as they gathered near Sanaa University, a main rallying point. "No to corruption, no to dictatorship!"
Saleh, in power for 30 years but eyeing the unrest spreading in the Arab world, indicated on Wednesday he would leave office when his term ends in 2013. He pledged, among a host of other political concessions, that his son would not take over the reins of government.
It was Saleh's boldest gambit yet to stave off turmoil in Yemen, an important U.S. ally against al Qaeda, as he sought to avert a showdown with protesters in the impoverished state.
U.S. President Barack Obama, in a telephone call to Saleh on Wednesday, urged the Yemeni leader to follow up on his reform measures with "concrete actions," the White House said.
Across Yemen, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets including in Taiz, where Saleh once served as military governor, and in southern towns where a separatist movement has grown increasingly active.
11-02-07 - The Atlantic -- Is Yemen Better Suited for Reform Than Egypt or Tunisia
Political change in Yemen might not be as radical, but it could be faster and more stable
As one of her first acts of 2011, Hillary Clinton traveled to Yemen--the first Secretary of State to do so since James Baker in 1990. During her visit, she explained the nature of the U.S. commitment to Yemen: It is concerned with counterterrorism, yes, but also with the health of Yemen's political system. "Over the long run, Yemen's economic and political development and its security are deeply intertwined," Clinton said. "We will support whatever agreement Yemen's political parties reach together as they negotiate electoral reform."
Two weeks later, on January 27, thousands of Yemenis flooded the streets of Sanaa, demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, political reform, and an end to the deep dysfunction of Yemen's government. It was an electric moment, coming so soon after the upheaval in Tunis that had led many to wonder if Yemen would become "The Next Tunisia." Fast-forward to this past week, and now Yemen has become the next Egypt, the latest of national dominoes teetering from popular protests - or so it might appear on the surface. In fact, Yemen's protest movement is far less revolutionary than Egypt's. But for precisely that and other important reasons, the Yemenis could be much likelier to force much-needed change with little or no bloodshed.
The protests in Tunisia and Egypt share many similarities. Both have been largely spontaneous, driven by mass frustration with the regime and gentle encouragement by activists. Lacking any charismatic leadership or sense of planning behind them, both have been the very definition of "people power," or a mass movement in the streets. Egypt's protests have been so grassroots that Michael Walid Hanna, a fellow at The Century Foundation and TheAtlantic.com contributor, lamented Thursday that the lack of opposition leaders was "really felt." With no coordinated messaging about the protests, he said, what leaders there are have seemed disconnected from the protesters in the street.
Yemen is different. In Cairo the anger on the street, the hatred for Egyptian President Mubarak, is palpable. In Yemen, there is anger, to be sure, but it is focused on specific issues within President Saleh's system of rule. Unlike in Egypt, the opposition is organized by Yemen's many dissident parties, which have practice at spreading their messages and at rallying people into the streets.
And President Saleh is not President Mubarak. While both are brutal autocrats, Saleh has actually won a competitive election that's widely considered legitimate. He also has made concessions to protesters and opposition parties before. Most importantly, Saleh has shown himself capable of bending on issues when he feels it's necessary. Unlike Mubarak, he often works within the political system to outmaneuver and outflank his opponents, rather than to simply crush them with brute force. A notable exception is the Houthi rebels in Northern Yemen: Saleh has treated those communities with appalling violence; but then, the Houthis were not leading last week's protests.
Yemen's own "Day of Rage," held this past Thursday, one week after Egypt's, turned out to be a generally polite mix of comparably sized pro- and anti-government protest groups. The Thursday protests in Sanaa--the Yemeni opposition has promised to hold a protest every Thursday until President Saleh relents to their demands--was repeated throughout the country. Some rallied for the "southern movement," part of which seeks south Yemeni secession, some protested the intrusive U.S. and Yemeni government security services, and some were simply upset over the stagnant economy. But, unlike in Egypt, neither the president's head nor the government's collapse were on protesters' agendas. Saleh, in other words, is not in any immediate danger of being strung up on a lamp post, which gives him leeway to do what he always does: try to accommodate public demands, if only in some minimal way.
Saleh's initial round of concessions--raising government and military salaries, cutting tuition at state universities, and similarly small gestures--hasn't done much to blunt the frustration of the protesters. But what do they really want? Answering that question isn't as easy as it might seem: about half the people marching on Thursday were there in support of the government. And most English-speaking Yemeni journalists are associated with opposition groups, which can make understanding the motives of regular protesters very difficult.
But just because these protests seem to be more of an old cycle of protest and concession doesn't mean they're meaningless.
In a bid to keep a lid on things as best he can, Saleh will likely continue to dole out concessions. That could be especially productive for Yemen if it prompts a national compromise over the laws governing this year's coming parliamentary election. Because he has promised not to seek reelection, Saleh can safely retool the country's restrictive electoral laws with no threat to himself.
Most importantly, the protesters in Yemen are not demanding revolutionary change. Unlike those in Tunisia and Egypt, the Yemenis, based on their more modest demands and more orderly protests, seem to want some reforms and a peaceful, eventual transition of power--something the country's government seems willing to accept
Seeing both pro- and anti-Saleh groups hold large rallies at the same time with fairly little violence is an encouraging sign that Yemen could come out of this national dispute without catastrophe. It's not a revolution, and it won't make for nearly as compelling TV as the uprising in Egypt, but it could bring important and bloodless progress to a part of the world that badly needs it.
11-02-07 - Le Monde -- Pourquoi le Yémen se soulève à son tour
LEMONDE.FR | 04.02.11 | 21h25 • Mis à jour le 07.02.11 | 10h18
Des manifestants défilent dans les rues de Sanaa, au Yémen, pour réclamer le départ du président Saleh, le 29 janvier.REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Jeudi 3 février, des dizaines de milliers de manifestants défilaient dans les rues de Sanaa, capitale du Yémen, pour réclamer le départ du président Ali Abdallah Saleh, en place depuis 1990. Pressé par une semaine de protestation, le chef de l'Etat avait pourtant renoncé mercredi à briguer un troisième mandat, tout en faisant certaines concessions à l'opposition.
L'évolution de la situation rappelle inévitablement les révoltes populaires de Tunisie et d'Egypte. Pourtant, la population de ce pays de la péninsule arabique a des raisons bien particulières de se soulever.
La situation économique et sociale au cœur de l'agitation
Le Yémen, qui compte 24 millions d'habitants, est depuis longtemps frappé par la pauvreté et le chômage. "La variable économique est centrale dans les tensions actuelles", assure ainsi François Burgat, chercheur au CNRS et ancien directeur du Centre français d'archéologie et de sciences sociales de Sanaa (CEFAS).
Selon le programme de développement des Nations unies au Yémen, plus de 45 % de la population vit actuellement en dessous du seuil de pauvreté, fixé à deux dollars par jour. Le revenu national brut (en parité de pouvoir d'achat) s'élevait en 2009 à 2 330 dollars par an et par personne, un montant comparable à celui du Cameroun.
Cette pauvreté s'explique principalement par un chômage endémique. Selon la dernière estimation datant de 2003, 35 % de la population serait sans emploi. Ces conditions sont d'autant plus mal vécues par les Yéménites qu'à l'image de ses riches voisins de la péninsule, comme le Qatar et l'Arabie saoudite, le pays dispose d'importantes ressources en énergie.
Le Yémen, qui n'est pas membre de l'OPEP, produit en effet 300 000 barils de pétrole brut par jour. Les revenus liés à cette industrie représentent 25 % du PIB et assurent 70 % des finances de l'Etat. Le pays dispose également d'importantes ressources en gaz, à hauteur de 259 milliards de m3.
Au pouvoir depuis trente-deux ans, le président Ali Abdullah Saleh, qui a réunifié le pays en 1990, a durci sa politique à partir de la guerre civile qui a opposé sudistes et nordistes, en 1994.REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Un pouvoir durci depuis 1994
Les critiques de la rue se concentrent également sur le président Ali Abdallah Saleh. Les citoyens de la seule république de la région ont été témoins depuis plus de quinze ans d'un durcissement considérable du régime. Lors de l'unification du pays en 1990, sous l'égide de l'actuel président, le pouvoir était "à l'avant-garde de l'ouverture politique dans tout le monde arabe", explique François Burgat. "L'espace démocratique était alors largement ouvert", renchérit Franck Mermier, chercheur et connaisseur des arcanes de la politique yéménite.
Le soulèvement actuel ne peut avoir lieu que grâce à la culture du débat présente dans le pays depuis l'époque, lorsque le multipartisme et une réelle liberté de la presse étaient prônés par le pouvoir. Mais une guerre civile opposant sudistes et nordistes en 1994 a marqué un tournant dans la pratique du pouvoir du président Saleh.
La République du Yémen sombre alors dans de graves dérives anti-démocratiques. La présidence interdit certains quotidiens, fait emprisonner des journalistes, tout en repoussant à plusieurs reprises les élections législatives. Ali Abdallah Saleh place également des membres de sa famille et de sa tribu d'origine à des postes-clés du gouvernement.
Le parti au pouvoir, le Congrès populaire général (CPG), prend aussi une ampleur démesurée. Ainsi, lors de l'élection présidentielle de 1999, Saleh ne fait face qu'à un seul adversaire, présenté comme indépendant mais pourtant membre de son propre parti. Sept ans plus tard, il est réélu avec 82 % des suffrages.
Dans ce contexte, auquel s'ajoutent des troubles internes (rébellion chiite au nord, mouvement séparatiste au sud, influence grandissante d'Al-Qaida dans le pays), les révoltes tunisiennes et égyptiennes ont joué le rôle de détonateur. Depuis mi-janvier, quatre personnes ont ainsi tenté de s'immoler par le feu, à l'image de Mohamed Bouazizi, dont le geste avait déclenché la révolution tunisienne de janvier.
Quelles seraient les conséquences d'un renversement?
Le départ anticipé du président Saleh entraînerait une période d'incertitude malvenue pour les pays occidentaux et notamment pour les Etats-Unis. Le Yémen, malgré son soutien à l'Irak de Saddam Hussein lors de l'invasion du Koweït en 1990, est en bons termes avec Washington. Un renforcement du poids politique de l'opposition, et notamment du parti islamiste Al-Islah, ne serait a priori pas vu d'un bon œil par les Etats-Unis.
En pratique, l'arrivée éventuelle aux affaires d'Al-Islah n'entraînerait pas les bouleversements que l'on pourrait craindre. "Une frange modérée du parti islamiste a même déjà participé à l'exercice du pouvoir jusqu'aux années 2000, au côté du président, sans que les relations du Yémen avec Washington en soient impactés", explique Franck Mermier.
Vincent Matalon
11-01-10 - CNN -- Yemeni students call for more opportunities at protest
From Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
February 10, 2011 -- Updated 1518 GMT (2318 HKT)
People protest at anti-government demonstrations on February 3. The event sparked a student protest at Sanaa University on Thursday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Students held a protest in front of Sanaa University Thursday
It was at the same site as large anti-government protests a week before
Students say they are looking for more opportunities in their country
Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- Students protested Thursday at the site of a massive anti-government demonstration a week ago, calling for more opportunities for young people.
About 100 protesters gathered outside the gates of Sanaa University for the student-led demonstration. Many Facebook groups called for Thursday's protest.
In addition to students, some human rights activists attended the protest. Local residents also turned out to express solidarity with the message to the government that they must do more to turn around the economic situation in Yemen and for those in power to work on behalf of the Yemeni people.
"I'm 27 years old, (and I) have nothing, nothing for the future," a protester named Yaser said. "I'm single, frustrated in this country. ...I don't know what exactly the future will be with this bad situation."
Yaser said he holds 15 different certificates from Sanaa University, including one that attests to his English-speaking skills, but still is unable to find a job. He is a graduate of the school's history department.
A current student studying business management, Alaa, held up a sign that simply said, "Facebook." He's part of a Facebook group that started up a week ago that calls for change and mobilizes protests. There are several such online groups.
"My message here today is to show the people that young people in Yemen are civilized in a way to prove to the world that we want change peacefully. We represent ourselves, we don't represent any political parties," Alaa said. "We gathered on Facebook. I believe Facebook is playing a huge role in all changes happening now in the Arab region."
Youth in Yemen represent a large slice of the population and the government should pay heed to them, he said.
"We represent youth -- we have different demands. Some people want their government to resign, some people don't, some people just want change. But we're all here to represent the youth in a civilized way, to demand in our way, and to encourage other people who are afraid to demonstrate and ask for their rights who also believe in change -- to go out and demonstrate with us as well," he said.
The demonstration was peaceful, and protesters carrying trash bags even began cleaning up as the crowd dispersed.
Thursday's student protest took place at the site of large anti-government and pro-government protests that attracted tens of thousands of people last week. Those protests were organized by political parties.
11-02-10 - Al Arabya News -- Qat addiction may stem Yemen protests experts
Thursday, 10 February 2011
By SANAA (Reuters)
Yemen's opposition has drawn tens of thousands of people to the streets to rally against three decades of autocratic rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but by noon the protesters quietly vanish.
Many head straight from the streets to the souk, or market, to buy bags stuffed with qat, the mild stimulant leaf that over half of Yemen's 23 million people chew daily, wiling away their afternoons in bliss, their cheeks bulging with wads of qat.
"After I chew I can't go out. When I chew qat, the whole world is mine. I feel like a king," said Mohammed al-Qadimi, a student who has attended Yemen rallies but said it would be hard to motivate himself to protest all day.
Government supporters gather in Tahrir Square during a rally in Sanaa
Yemeni activists who organized an anti-government "Day of Rage" last week drew their biggest crowds yet in rallies seen as a barometer of readiness to transform protests in this Arabian Peninsula state into an Egypt-style uprising.
Yemen is already teetering on the brink of failed statehood, and analysts say its volatile mix of domestic conflicts, entrenched poverty and an increasingly bold al-Qaeda wing could make it ripe for upheaval.
But popular revolts like those that toppled Tunisia's leader and threaten Egypt's president need momentum. The Yemen protesters' midday departures cast doubt on whether Yemenis are ready to mount a sustained revolt that would be needed to topple Saleh from the leadership of the Arab world's poorest country.
Yemenis are not known for being passive. Nationals disgruntled with their government have kidnapped foreigners and locals, ambushed security forces and occupied state buildings to extract concessions. But for many, qat time is sacrosanct.
"When we have protests, they quiet down quickly because of this Yemeni habit. Qat is a negative influence. Every afternoon people go chew qat and the protests don't last more than a few hours in the morning," journalist Samir Gibran said, as he sat chewing qat with friends. He said he only chews once a week.
Yemen, vital to the United States in its fight against al-Qaeda, faces economic conditions often worse than those that helped spur revolt in Tunisia and Egypt. Economists put unemployment at 35 percent or higher, while a third of Yemenis face chronic hunger.
Qat, Yemen's top cash crop, ravages the economy and sucks dry dwindling water resources, economists say. Saleh launched a campaign against the bitter-tasting narcotic leaf a decade ago, but the population still spends millions of dollars a day on it.
"I'm going to the souk right now to buy qat. I'll have lunch, and then I'll chew qat with friends," said Ahmed Saleh, as he left an opposition protest. "In Yemen, people protest in the morning, but in the afternoon they go to chew qat."
Saleh, hoping to avert more unrest at home while the Arab world is in turmoil, promised last week to step down when his term ends in 2013 and vowed not to pass power on to his son, the latest in a string of concessions to the opposition.
He had already tried to preserve loyalty in military and government ranks by raising wages by around $47 a month, no small sum for a country where 40 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
The concessions have not halted protests, but rallies have been sporadic and have lacked follow-through. Yemenis can bring out the numbers. They just can't seem to keep them there.
It took a month of daily protests to force Tunisia's president to flee, and hundreds of thousands of protesters continue to stage relentless demonstrations late into the night trying to push out Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak.
"Qat time is from one to two in the afternoon. It's not possible for a protester to use that time for something else. For him, qat time is the most important," said Marwan al-Qalisi, an accountant in Sanaa, his cheek bulging with qat.
Qat, which sucks up around 40 percent of Yemen's rapidly dwindling water resources, plays such a large role in the country's economy that the central bank calculates indicators both with and without qat. The plant accounts for 6 percent of Yemen's GDP and a third of its agricultural GDP.
The World Bank estimates that Yemenis spend a tenth of their income on the plant and lose about 25% of potential work hours to qat chewing.
Economists are torn about how to tackle Yemen's qat addiction, which can be a blessing as much as a curse.
In the long term, it hinders much needed growth and economic diversification. But in the short term, qat is a coping mechanism for poor Yemenis: The drought resistant plant can produce a crop within two weeks, guaranteeing farmers a return on investment and offering one out of every 7 Yemenis a job.
Some analysts say qat addiction is not a serious barrier to mass protest in Yemen, and young activists say customary qat-chewing gatherings play the same role as social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook elsewhere in the region.
"Sure we use Facebook like kids in other countries, but a lot of the protests that were organized, students planned at qat sessions. Qat has a positive role in political mobilization," Fakhr al-Azb, a 23-year old university student, said.
Most Yemeni men spend half the day chewing qat, even at work. After work, many gather on floor cushions to chew and mull over their favorite subject: Yemen's political woes.
They have plenty to work with. Yemen is struggling to suppress a southern separatist revolt that often turns violent, and to cement a shaky truce with northern Shiite rebels, all while trying to quash al Qaeda's Yemen-based arm.
But as much as Yemenis may talk about politics, they have yet to translate that into a popular movement, said Nasser Arrabyee, a political analyst and writer.
"Yemenis are known for being short of breath," he said.
While some days, Yemenis said they had to leave protests for qat breaks, at other times they blamed breathtaking television footage of Egypt protests, which glued them to their seats.
Yet Yemen's Islamist party Islah, which played a key role in organizing protests and is the country's biggest opposition group, said qat was not the reason for short protests.
"It's not the time for long protests yet. These protests were a message in the first stage. Later will come the long protests," said Mohammed al-Saadi, the party's undersecretary.
Some Yemenis remain unconvinced.
"Nothing quiets people like qat. Look at what they're doing in Egypt," said aluminum worker Ahmed al-Hazoura, as he carefully selected qat branches from a Sanaa shop. "If it wasn't for qat, everyone here would be in the streets protesting."