According to early indications, the American company which is partnering with Yemen to produce *five nuclear reactors* has no experience building nuclear reactors, very low operating capital, and is headed by a Yemeni-American who attended the same US college at the same time as the Minister of Electricity who inked the deal. Its a USD 15 billion dollar deal. More to come.

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USAID

45% of Yemeni kids under age five are underweight.

Yemen is tied for the highest rate of child malnutrition globally with Afghanistan,
In contrast, 3% of kids under five in the Palestinian Territories are underweight.
Maybe the Palestinians can start collecting money for Yemeni kids.

Many people assume the highest child huinger rate is in sub-Saharan Africa, but no, Yemeni kids are the hungriest in the world.

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Good news from Yemen. President Saleh has forwarded a series of constitutional amendments to Parliament which include the following: local police (very important), local control of revenues and expenditures, direct elections for the heads of the local councils, 15% female quota fixed by law for parliamentary seats. Shorter terms for the President and Parliament, also good.

Not good, the president appoints half of the electoral commission, but that's better than all. Not good, governors are not be to directly elected from the local populations, whose needs they would understand. Currently they are appointed.

If implemented (a big if), this proposal could go a long way in a) reducing tensions in various governorates b) spurring local economies c) increasing popular participation and public accountability.

However the regime needs to lay off the journalists and let them do their job which is critical. This plan cannot succeed without a free press. Corruption cannot be controlled without a free press. Democracy cannot exist without a free press.

Thats how we will know if Saleh is serious or not, if all the bogus charges and lawsuits against journalists get dropped.

The website of the ruling party has the details. So we'll see if it gets passed and then implemented. I'm hoping it's not another case of a big announcment followed by nothing.

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And they sign their names.

However, our governments have to dry up the source of the international terrorism that exists in the Yemen regime and his traditional allies before explosion.

Those traditional allies are the terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda, the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan, and the Wahhabi movement in Yemen which led by AbdullMajid Al-Zandani (spiritual father of Osama bin Laden).

Read it all, they mention the USS Cole: more...

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A message from the Youth of Mukalla, Yemen to the Free World
via e-mail

MUKALLA IS UNDER SIEGE

WE are citizens of the city of Mukalla, Hadramout Yemen. We would like to draw your attention to what is happening in Hadramout and the southern provinces of Yemen known in the past as South Yemen or South Arabia.

Hadramout have been witnessing demonstrations and sits-in in opposition to the worse situations in the southern governorates i.e.: mistreatment, taking our lands by force, stealing our oil and fish wealth by military forces, and big officials coming from the north taking our jobs, forcing others to retire very early with a very tiny salaries, others without salaries especially soldiers, corruption, absence of security and safety, and killing in the midday.

The demonstrations have been taking place almost every other day in Mukalla and other southern provinces. Military forces open fire at the demonstrators, killing two persons in Mukalla ,two in Dhala and one Aden and many have been injuried in different areas of the south, including kidnapping of politicians and journalists.

Dozens of politicians and young men have been detained due to their participation in the demonstrations. Others have been chasing after, which forces them to leave their cities as they feel their lives is in danger should they stay with their families .

WE are the people of Mukalla as well as our brothers in the other governorates feel disappointed because the international media and press as well as the Arabic ignore their case (what is happening in the South).

WE are the youth of Hadramout claim the national and international human rights organizations, International community as well as security council to intervene to protect us from the police regime of president Salah in Sanaa to bring international teams and observers and human rights organizations to search facts and to defend the people here whose life is in danger

Youth of the city of Mukalla
18/9/2007

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Exclusive statement from General Ali Moqbel

In an effort to enlighten our readership on the true nature of the growing civil unrest in Southern Yemen, Armies of Liberation obtained an exclusive statement from Brigadier General Ali Moqbel, organizer and member of the Yemeni Retired Military Consultive Association (MCRA). In the statement, General Moqbel clarified the goal of the protests, "We demand equality in citizenship and the return of all our officers to their positions."

General Moqbel explained the purpose of the protests, "The goal of the MCRA is to return all southerners to their previous employment in the same positions, both civilians and soldiers, who were referred to retirement after the war in 1994, many of whom were termed as in excess positions."

The statement continues, "All of our achievements in the South were lost upon unity which was announced May 22, 1990. We demand compensation for all persons without exception who sustained material losses at the hands of the state during these years.

Our demands are not arising from the air as indicated when President Saleh himself frankly admitted mistakes. We have the right to these demands and to equal citizenship. If the ruling party does not correct these mistakes, then the world will know who refused the unity of May 22, 1990."

Context and timeline follows: more...

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Errrr, I dont think he's in Yemen. But if you see this guy, let me know.

Washington, Sept 14: The Bush Administration’s former chief counter-terrorism adviser, Richard Clark, has claimed that Osama bin Laden is either in Yemen or Somalia, and not in Pakistan.

Clark, who was also the chief counter-terrorism adviser to the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration, said that bin Laden was propagating a kind of propaganda to lure Washington into a sense of neutrality to enable it to strengthen itself.

"Osama bin Laden had been saying for years, ‘America wants to invade an Arab country and occupy it, an oil-rich Arab country.’ He had been saying this. This is part of his propaganda," the Daily Times quoted Clark, as saying.

"In other words, we stepped right into bin Laden’s propaganda. And, the result of that is that al Qaeda and organisations like it, offshoots of it, second-generation al Qaeda have been greatly strengthened," he added.

Photo courtesy of Hot Air

UPDATE by Rusty: Horn of Africa? Er, haven't I been saying that since, oh, 2003? Yeah, I think Clark is a nutjob, but there is something to the notion that if bin Laden is alive, he's not in the same caves occupied by the rest of the al Qaeda jerkoffs.

None of the bin Laden videos over the past three years have the same quality as those prior to that time. None of them are comparable to the other as Sahab produced videos of recent years. If you look at similar videos featuring Zawahiri, al Libi, or Gadahn, there is a similar production quality. And that quality is rather high.

Not so with bin Laden's videos which tend to be of a much lower quality, never show him interacting with other al Qaeda members, and which appear to have been taken at a different location---one without a blue screen backdrop.

As far as Clark's idiotic notion that we are doing exactly what al Qaeda wants us to do--I'm speechless. It's falsified by the fact that bin Laden has explicitly asked that we withdraw from Iraq. So, bin Laden asks us to do something--withdraw--and by not doing it we are doing exactly what he wants us to do?

This is bin Laden as diabolical genius. Every move we make is part of his grand scheme.

Well played Mr. bin Laden. Well played.

If we are in a bind in Iraq and elsewhere, so too is al Qaeda. Because on one level people like Clark are right--the Iraq war is a great recruitment tool for al Qaeda.

The problem is that people like Clark don't understand al Qaeda's goals. It's sheer ignorance. Al Qaeda's goal is not to kill or to commit acts of terror. Terrorism isn't an end, it's a means.

The short-term goal of al Qaeda is the establishment of regional Islamic states based on sharia law. Since the U.S. stands in the way of that goal, they attack us.

Yes, Iraq is a recruiting ground for Salafi radicals, but having an army is not enough. That isn't his goal. His goal is for us to withdraw so that he can then use that army to establish Taliban-like regime. As long as we stand in the way of that goal, we are winning.

Random factoids from Jane:
1) Over 25,000 migrants made the sea voyage from Somalia to Yemen in 2006. Hundreds of jihaddists made the trip in reverse, leaving from Yemen to join the ICU in Somalia last year. Weapons and funds also transited via this route. Its a two day journey in a small boat.
2) The Sudan was recently found liable in a federal court for the attack on the USS Cole. The victims' families were able to sue because the Sudan is classified as a state sponsor of terrorism by the State Department, a designation not shared by Yemen, which precluded the families from bringing a similiar suit against the Yemeni regime.

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TajAden is the Yemeni Southern opposition in exile and advocates the dissolution of the Yemeni state into its prior incarnation of North and South Yemen. The following statement is prompted by the civilian deaths in Dhalie and requests the UN supervise the withdrawal of Yemeni forces from "occupied South Yemen." Stating this in Yemen of course would get you thrown in jail, if not executed. Its an extremist position. Many in the South (as in the North) simply want a state that follows its own laws and deals with all citizens equally. Take it from me, that's not likely. I wish it was, but its not. Moderation may wane as the state employs increasingly repressive measures against the protesters (like shooting them) and fails to address the root causes of the issue. Summary of events follows.

TajAden 10th September 2007

Oh masses of our proud people in the occupied South Arabia.

On the 10th of September 2007, the large masses of our people in the capital Aden and in Dhala city as well have got out protesting peacefully against the Yemeni authorities’ forces that have arrested and abducted the southern liberal struggler leaders. The protest was for an immediate release of prisoners unconditionally in all cities of the occupied South Arabia.

In a hooligan frivolous action the Yemeni occupation forces have fired on the peaceful demonstrators in the city of Dhala, which led to the fall of 3 dead and wounded more than 10 people. Also they have prevented a peaceful strike in the city of Aden, the capital of the South. They besieged the city neighbourhoods with tens of military vehicles and tens of thousands of the Yemeni occupation’s criminals and murderers soldiers.

The Yemeni Security forces has already killed and wounded a number of demonstrators in the city of Mukalla and put many innocent people in jails without charge as they did in Aden. Also thousands of soldiers were deployed in several cities such as in Mahfad, Loader and Moodiah in Abyan governorate and cut off roads and set up barricades in the governorate of Lahj. The Authority also deployed tanks and thousands of criminal soldiers in the city of Alhabeelain and in the districts of Radfan province. This exercise of military tyranny continued in a number of cities in the governorate of Shabwah which is now under a comprehensive military siege.

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Sources report three killed and eight wounded in Al-Dahalie during a demonstration against President Saleh's regime.

Authorities prevented a sit-in in Liberation Square. I'm assuming that's the one in Aden, not Sana'a. That'a a total of eleven demonstrators killed within the last month. Details to follow. These are not professional protesters, just normal people who joined a protest to demand their rights.

Update: Demonstrations are treasonous and chanting slogans is illegal: President Saleh. Others may see demonstrations as a civil right and an important method of political participation. Its a constitutional right in Yemen. However, the Yemeni government rarely complies with the law.

Yemen Times: SANA’A, Sept. 7 - In a statement circulated to media outlets last Tuesday, the Supreme Security Committee (SSC), chaired by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, warned against any practices disfavoring national unity.

“Any practices that harm national unity and jeopardize the national ranks unity by any party, organization, group or individual, shall be firmly confronted and perpetrators shall be referred to the judiciary for high treason,” the statement said. This measure complies with the effective Yemeni constitution and laws applicable in the country, the statement claimed.

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We've been following the case of outspoken Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khawani for several weeks. After a politicized terrorism charge was thrown at him, Al-Khaiwani was then kidnapped, beaten, threatened and had his fingers broken. He recognized one of the kidnappers as one of the security officials who had previously arrested him. The kidnapping was apparently triggered by an article he wrote detailing the conditions in Yemeni prisons. The good news today is that the US issued a statement from DC noting a disturbing trend in Yemen targeting journalists and naming al-Khawani specifically. So thats a boost for the good guys.

The State Department

Press Statement
Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
September 7, 2007

Yemeni Journalists Abducted

The recent abduction of independent Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani points to a disturbing trend of intimidation and harassment of Yemen's journalist community. Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are cornerstones of democracy, and a plurality of voices strengthens democratic societies.

The United States urges the government of Yemen to take steps to protect all journalists from becoming victims of violence and intimidation. We further call on the government of Yemen to fully investigate this most recent abduction, as well as past abductions of journalists in Yemen, and to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

2007/738

Released on September 7, 2007

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Demonstrations that began in May are continuing in Yemen as the regime takes increasingly repressive and violent measure to quell dissent.

Security forces made mass arrests of demonstrators, prompting more demonstrations. A new law criminalizes slogans. A newspaper is facing terrorism charges for reporting war news in the Sa'ada War. A top member of the Yemeni Socialist Party has been "seized" by security forces.

(AP) Riot police fired bullets and used tear gas and water cannons Tuesday to disperse thousands of protesters demanding the release of more than 200 veterans and their sympathizers detained for protesting earlier this month, a police official said.

The protesters are mostly southern Yemeni veterans who lost their jobs after a defeat by northern forces in a civil war 13 years ago.

Yemen's top security body warned that "any party, movement, group or individual who stages or carries slogans that put national unity in peril, or calls for destruction of national unity, will be tried as a traitor."

Traitors face the death penalty under Yemen's constitution.

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Sources: “In a nutshell, on the 1st September 2007 multiple legal demonstrations took place in many cities, however, the Yemeni government, local authorities and security forces used live and plastic bullets, water canons and tear gas against peaceful demonstrators particularly in Aden and Mukalla . In Mukalla alone two people died suffering from wounds, more than 15 wounded and over 150 still detained in different security prisons in Mukalla with information that two of those detainees are under age until the time of writing this update.” Photos here.

This article indicates that "northern owned" public property (a contradiction of terms that makes perfect sense in Yemen) and cars were attacked.

SANA'A, NewsYemen: While authorities confirm they would prevent any protest "out of demonstrations law", leaders in the opposition Islah party said that allowing protests in Sana'a, Taiz and Ibb and preventing them in Aden and Hadramout is an example of "double standards".

"Security forces prevented for the fourth time a peaceful march in Aden asking for rights guaranteed by the constitution and law and this is a double standard way of dealing with Yemeni people" head of the executive office of Islah in Aden Ensaf Mayo said in a statement to NewsYemen.

Update: Sources: "Political Security Forces in Aden today September the 2nd 2007, at 05:30 pm, stormed into the house of Naser Alnnoba (senior organiser), Chairman of the Southerners associations for the forcibly retired military and civilian officers and employees (MCRA), broke the outer house door, rushed in, arrested him, in front of his kids and family, led him to unknown place."

Al-Noba has been leading the protests that began in May.

More from the Yemen Times

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You *have* to see this. Not only is it my first Youtube but in 2 minutes you get a good sense of how some Yemenis feel about President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

This is from August and is not the main protests that I've been writing about, but watch and see.

I have to find out from Howie why I'm not getting the picture on the link like everyone else does, but still, its great. Update: I figured it out, it was in edit. Gee, Youtube is really easy. Think the Yemeni government will block now?

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Jawa has been tracking the protests in South Yemen since May 22 when they began. The movement is growing, and the regime's response has become more violent. Today's demonstration in Aden resulted in over 300 arrests and numerous injuries according to Jawa's sources.

IHT reports on the demonstrations and mentions the persistent land theft, politicized employment, and institutionalized discrimination prevalent in the former South Yemen.

Hundreds of riot police fired bullets and tear gas Saturday to disburse thousands of retired officers and soldiers in southern Yemen who were demanding to be allowed back into the military, police and protesters said...
The Yemeni government deployed dozens of armored vehicles Saturday and sealed off several roads in the southern port city of Aden where the protest was taking place, said a police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The security measures were intended to prevent additional people from joining the demonstration. During the first protest in early August (ed-no, the first protest was in May and there was another in July), one person was reportedly killed and some 1,000 arrested when thousands of demonstrators marching toward downtown Aden clashed with police....

Over 10,000 citizens protested last week in the city of Taiz. The Yemen Times reported among their concerns were lack of water. (The city of 3.5 million gets water once every 40 days. The other 39 days, people have to buy drinking water.) more...

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Yemeni President Saleh is just so sensitive, that if you write an article that reflects badly on him, he sends some goons to cut your fingers off. That should solve the problem.

Meanwhile Saleh receives international plaudits because he holds democracy conferences and has a "reform plan" which apparently does not include the freedom of the press to investigate government corruption or in this case conditions in jails.

Alert from the CPJ:

Yemeni editor abducted, severely beaten

New York, August 27, 2007­­­—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the abduction and brutal beating of a Yemeni editor by gunmen in Sana'a today. The local journalists CPJ spoke with suspected the gunmen are part of the government's security forces.

A silver Toyota SUV carrying six gunmen wearing civilian clothing descended upon Abdel Karim al-Khaiwani, former editor of the online newspaper Al-Shoura, while he was waiting for a taxi outside the offices of the weekly newspaper Al-Nedaa in central Sana'a at around 2 p.m. local time, eyewitnesses told CPJ. The perpetrators forcibly bundled him into the vehicle and sped away, the witnesses said. The witnesses said the license plates of the vehicle were covered with black material.

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The more instability that arises from political exclusion and the lack of basic services, the more repressive the Yemeni government becomes, which leads to greater fustration and down that road is the revolution. My article:

Since Yemen's presidential election, the nation is experiencing several areas of instability. Crisis areas include the fourth recurrence of the Sa'ada war in North Yemen, popular protests in the former South Yemen, hostile tribal posturing, and the resurgence of terror attacks directed at the state. One causal factor common to all these conflicts is institutionalized inequality or state discrimination. This inequality is also the foundation of massive corruption that is destroying Yemen. With elitism so engrained and corruption so pervasive, structural reform is nearly impossible. One solution may be to dissolve the national mechanisms that function to perpetuate inequality and enable corruption, starting with Yemen's ruling party.

SAN'A, Yemen (AP)--Critics of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh could receive up to 15 years in prison under a proposed law introduced by the government and sent to parliament on Sunday.

Under the draft law, 'agitators' could also face a death penalty if their anti-government incitement causes deaths during protests.

Yemeni newspapers said the draft law also imposes severe prison sentences on journalists, writers and rights advocates who 'incite' anti-government activities including protests. These acts, according to the draft law, undermine national security and are harmful to social peace.

Did I mention they kidnapped my friend al-Khaiwani the editor?

(IHT)A Yemeni opposition editor who was accused of backing the country's Shiite rebels and recently spent a month in jail, was found badly beaten and bruised on Monday, just hours after a Yemeni journalists union reported him kidnapped....

Later Monday from his hospital bed, al-Khawinay, 38, who also suffers from heart problems, told The Associated Press that one of the kidnappers was among officers who stormed his house in June and took him to prison.

He also said that his kidnappers discussed whether to cut or just break the hand he writes with, and opted for the latter.

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We all remember my friend, journalist Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani who has been unjustly imprisoned by the luntic dictator of Yemen. Al-Khaiwani's lawyer wrote him a letter saying, "You are tried for thoughts that have not been published yet."

In Apology Letter to Al-Khaiwani from His Lawyer Khaled Al-Anesi: What Can Be Done by Lawyer in Cases Where Accused Is Convicted Until Proved Otherwise

Monday 16 July 2007 / hoodonline.org

Dear Mr. Abdulkareem Al-Khaiwani,

I believe that you are aware that sitting in the spectators seats in a just case like yours is not the right place for a lawyer who believes that his defense for your case is a defense for free expression and not a mere defense for your freedom of expression.

However, dear, I think that the simplest service I can offer in this case is not to participate in this unfair trial before a court that lacks the constitutional and legal jurisdiction and the trust of people in its rulings. It is meaningless to stand before a judge who does not have the power to decide in the lowest request such as the request of your release. It has been proved that the function of this court is to convict people and then others will grant pardon and forgiveness! If the judge accepts the lowest request by the accused, it will not be implemented unless it is approved responded to the liking of those who stand behind making such cases. Frankly speaking, I hope that this court does not investigate in any of the attacks against you, your daughter and your home as this goes beyond the role assigned to this court.

Thus, please don’t blame me if you find me sitting in the spectators seats as I will not accept to participate in an advanced ruling of convicting you at the moment of detaining you and terrifying your family and children. They will not accept to interrogate those who scattered your dignity before your children and neighbors because they are unknown even for those who try you!

Those who try you think that they are not concerned to investigate in the wounds resulted from the abuse when detaining you, terrifying your wife, your children tears or your family photos which are violated when detaining you without (arrest order) as your personal things were looted without a (looting order).

Your release does not need a defense memo or a lawyer request, but needs a moment of euphoria by the one who gave the directions to arrest you that he heard enough about the champions of detaining, beating and insulting you, preventing others to visit you and ignoring your requests and your case details to the extent that they detained you in your underwear.

The relief is from (Allah) as we think and from (their God) as they think, so you should expect it from the one who owns it and not from those who are waiting for it like yourself.

Father of Iba’a (his daughter’s name), remember that your detention is not justified and the order of inspecting your home has not reason and the order of extending your imprisonment (presently) in your (absence) if want to know what is the authority of those who try you.

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SANAA (AFP) - Yemen security forces on Tuesday seized explosives in a taxi in the southern city of Aden, a week after seven Spanish tourists and two Yemenis were killed by a suicide bomber.

The taxi driver told police that two men who hired his vehicle on Monday had left behind TNT explosives, detonators and a gallon of petrol, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Security has been tightened around government buildings and Western interests in Yemen, he added.

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This is the front page of al-Thoury newspaper in Yemen, opposition weekly of the Yemeni Socialist Party. Thats me, thats my article about prisoner of opinion, journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani. Thats al-Khaiwani's picture in the flag in the upper right. The article title is "The Voice of Yemen is in Jail."

For the English version, see World Press:

In 2004, prominent Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani wrote from jail, "I believe in democracy, freedom, equality and rights and am willing to suffer for their sake simply because I do not wish my children to suffer dictatorship and I will strive to provide them a better future."

Al-Khaiwani was released after seven months in jail. He continued to write about topics important to Yemen including corruption, nepotism and civil rights. He faced down a series of governmental harassments, censorship, threats and defamation only to be arrested last week on fabricated terrorism charges.

The politicized arrest of al-Khaiwani, one of Yemen's most respected activists, is part of a broader governmental campaign to clamp down not only on dissent, but also on information. The government's increased repression of the media comes in response to growing instability. A five-month rebellion in the North spawned a humanitarian crisis as up to 100,000 civilians in Saada governorate are internal refugees. In the South, protests and demonstrations that began in May are increasing in size and intensity. As hot spots flare across Yemen, the government blocked news Web sites, banned text message news alerts, and refused to grant new newspaper licenses or allow private ownership of broadcast media. Al-Khaiwani's arrest occurred during the sixth week of a sit-in by journalists demanding media freedom.

The CPJ condemns the sham charges:

New York, July 5, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply troubled by vague terrorism charges brought on Wednesday against the editor of an opposition news Web site. A state security court charged Abdel Karim al-Khaiwani, former editor of the online newspaper Al-Shoura, which is affiliated with the Popular Forces Union Party, with conspiring with antigovernment rebels.

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Update:
Initial reports from Jawa's sources indicate the protesters numbered well over 100,000. The protest was peaceful. Earlier regime efforts to thwart the demonstration included bribery attempts, the awarding of government positions, arrests of the movements leaders and threats of violence. Hundreds of military vehicles and tens of thousands of security forces were brought to the area. In Dahll and Abyan supporters of the Aden demonstration closed the roads from Sana'a and Hadramout. The demonstration highlighted the forced retirement of hundreds of thousands of civil and military workers after Yemen's civil war. Several prominent Southern oppositionist gave speeches addressing the broader issues of regional discrimination by northern elites, regime criminal behaivor and the looting of Southern resources.

Original Post:
Activists and human rights observers have expressed fears that a scheduled demonstration in Aden, Yemen on Saturday may turn bloody. The large scale protest is an effort to peacefully highlight the years of failure by the Yemeni government to equitably implement the unity agreements between North and South Yemen, organizers say.

The mass demonstration will take place in Al-Arood Square, recently dubbed Liberty Square, in the Khormakser area in Aden. Organizers say all attempts to resolve matters with the government have been exhausted. Their aim is to call attention to the plight of Yemeni citizens of the former South Yemen and the discrimination they have faced since Yemen's 1994 civil war.

In anticipation of the protest, the Yemeni government has made threatening statements and military units have been moved to the area. The Yemeni regime shows little regard for the lives, welfare or rights of the nations's citizens. Its military and security forces have weak command and control; top level positions are filled by the President's relatives and mid level ranks are awarded as patronage for loyalty, not skill or experience. Concerns are the government may just open fire in a Tiananmen style massacre.

Unrest has been mounting since May 22. Previous Jawa Reports below the fold: more...

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The Yemeni government has a deal with al-Qaeda. No attacks in Yemen in exchange for releases and a "hands off" approach. They also often get state jobs and money. The recent terror bombing in Yemen was al-Qaeda negotiating for more releases. The methods of release include direct negotiations, "rehabilitations", sham trials, and repetitive escapes.

The following is a very good article that explains direct negotiations. The whole thing is worth a read: AP via Yahoo. Here's a bit:

SANA'A, Yemen - Yemen is pioneering a novel approach for dealing with convicted al-Qaida operatives: Let them roam free as long as they promise to be law-abiding

For example, Ali Mohammed al-Kurdi says he sent two suicide bombers to Iraq and trained others. He was sentenced to death for his part in a hotel bombing in Yemen's port city of Aden, escaped and was re-arrested.

Fawzi al-Wajeh, a bodyguard of Osama bin Laden's, was convicted in the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker and was one of 23 al-Qaida men to escape from a Yemeni high security prison last year. He later surrendered.

Naseer Ahmed al-Bahri, another bin Laden bodyguard, fought in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Somalia. He was jailed for nearly two years without charge after returning from Afghanistan.

All three continue to idolize bin Laden and they back jihad, or holy war, against U.S. forces, whether it's in the Middle East or Afghanistan. Yet they are now back on the streets because they signed an agreement with the Yemeni government promising to obey the law.

Yemen's policy of negotiating agreements with al-Qaida operatives appears to be unique among the nations working with the United States in its anti-terror campaign. Breaking the agreement means returning to prison or causing a relative, who often acts as a guarantor, to be jailed to finish out the sentence.

The risks of direct negotiations with al-Qaeda are of course a) regional instability as the deal only calls for no attacks in Yemen, b) spread of the ideology internally as the regime perpetuates the culture of acceptance of targeting civilians in certain situations c) that the regime is not co-opting the militants but rather the militants are co-opting the regime instiutions and d) as we saw this week, that emboldened terrorists will re-negotiate with the regime using car bombs, a skill probably picked up in Iraq.

As we know, according to US officials, 90% of suicide bombings in Iraq are perpetrated by foreigners, and Yemenis and North Africans make up the largest contingents of suicide bombers. The Syrians let them cross into Iraq, but they come from Yemen. There is an established suicide bomber production line in Yemen. The bombers are young guys who get sucked into the death cult. One Yemeni newspaper tallied 1800 Yemeni men who went to Iraq and listed them by town and age (mostly 18-24). And US officials constantly castigate ... Syria.

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Six Spanish tourists and two Yemenis killed in a suicide car bomb in Marib at a 3000 year old temple. Multiple injuries also reported. The reason:

MSNBC: No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but police in Mareb said they had received information last month about a possible al-Qaida attack.Security sources said the "terrorist attack" followed an al-Qaida statement demanding the release of some of its members jailed in the Arab state and warned of unspecified actions.

Al-Qaida has an active presence in Yemen, the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, despite government efforts to fight the terror network. Al-Qaida was blamed for the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden that killed 17 American sailors and the attack on a French oil tanker that killed one person two years later.

Al-Qaeda demanding the release of its members? Who is still in jail after all the rehabilitations, escapes and negotiated releases? Yemen's policy of negotiation and appeasement breeds assertiveness. Exporting and paying jihaddis will work for only so long. Sooner or later the militants will start making demands domestically. And the way jihaddis make demands is by killing people and blowing things up.

It is quite a tragedy the tourists were killed. Yemenis are a very hospitable people and I'm sure there is a lot of sadness in Yemen as well.

Yemen's tourist industry, one potential growth sector in the extremely poor nation, also was devastated today. This act of wanton murder of innocent people will affect the future of Yemen for decades as it will the families of the victims. Yemen today is one step closer to state failure as future tourist revenues will be substantially decreased.

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Yemen children enlisted to fight the Sa'ada war apparenty are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disoder. Story here.

The ICRC has issued a statement on urgent situation of civilians impacted by the Sa'ada war in Northern Yemen that began in January:

One of the major consequences of the confrontations in the North has been the large number of persons driven from their homes in order to flee the fighting. Approximately 3,500 to 5,000 families (ed-about 8 persons per family) are staying either in Sa'ada city and its surroundings or in areas to the North close to the Saudi border. Others have taken the difficult decision to stay in their villages in order to safeguard their homes and property and are left fearing for their lives....Access to medical care has also been disturbed due to the confrontations. Medical personnel fearing for their lives were not able to reach health centres in areas where the fighting took place. In addition, exposure to wind, rain and heat further complicates the precarious living conditions of the displaced people, both for those staying with host families and for those grouped in different locations where they stay in tents provided by the ICRC/YRCS teams.

Access to food is becoming a problem in areas where movement is restricted as a result of the fighting....The ICRC, through its dialogue with the parties on both sides, underlined its concern about civilians affected by the fighting, in particular by looting of their personal belongings, restrictions on movement and difficult access to medical services.

Current estimates are nearing 100,000 internal refugees, mostly women and children, with (as noted above) no food, shelter or medical facilities.

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Complete context here. Updates here at the Yemen Times. South Yemen is exploding. The following is a statement from the Yemeni Southern Opposition in Exile, "TAJ". Note: when they use the word "occupier", they are referring to the Yemeni government.

The Executive Committee of the Southern Democratic Assembly "TAJ" has held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the serious developments and events that the occupied South has recently experienced due to the abusive practices that the Yemeni troops have been committed against the people of the South since it was fallen under the occupation in July 1994. Since 22nd May 2007 the South has been witnessed a big turn in its struggle from the peaceful to the armed struggle against the occupation. The South is witnessing a wide marches, strikes and armed conflicts due to the violence that the Yemeni troop is used against the people of the South. (TAJ) has evaluated the situation and issued the following communique:

First: - "TAJ" greets our southern active people for their heroic, wonderful attitude and for their steadfastness against the escalated aggression that has been committed by the Yemeni occupying forces. It salutes all these heroic and spirit struggles of our people. It considers their struggle and considers it as a legal and self defence acts and highly appreciates the sacrifices of our martyrs from the governorates of Shabwah, Abyan, Lahj and Hadhramout who are innocent victims murdered by the occupation

Second: - "TAJ" condemns all daily crimes of murders that were carried out by the Yemeni occupying forces against our people in particularly heinous crimes, which were occurred in Shabwah at the military point of AlAbr and at other military points- points of murder and humiliation- in the governorates of Shabwah and Abyan such as in the Naqba, Alarem and in the Mahfad.
"TAJ" strongly condemns the occupying forces for attacking people of the village of Shaeb Laheiah from Awad's kinsfolk of Altomah of Laqmoosh tribes and for the arbitrary and the illegal arrest to some people of that village and robbing their houses, clothes, food, humiliating their women and children and threatened their lives.

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Well-Known Yemeni Journalist Detained

JEDDAH, 25 June 2007 — Just two weeks after participating in a judiciary and freedom of the press conference in Kuwait, well-known Yemeni journalist and former editor in chief of the country’s Al-Shoura newspaper, Abdul Karim Al-Khiwani, was forcibly detained last Wednesday by Yemeni national security forces....

“They told me I was arrested because of CDs about the Saada war,” he told Arab News from his cell in Sanaa. The CDs were found in his house following his arrest on Wednesday when he was dragged to the police station still in his pajamas.

“They slapped my seven-year-old daughter while searching the house so hard that she fainted,” said Al-Khiwani.

He said the CDs he had are no secret and that most journalists in Yemen have them. They do not contain terrorist information. They only provide information about the conditions of civilians in Saada and the number of civilians who have died there....

Al-Khiwani thinks that this arrest, his second, is a kind of payback by the Yemeni government. He was arrested for seven months in 2004 for alleged support of the rebel movement in Saada. Al-Khiwani explained in Kuwait and also from his cell that he feels many problems come from his writing in the media about the Yemeni president’s attempts to ensure that his son will inherit the office.

Slapped his daughter so hard she lost consciousness? The actual terror supporters are in the Yemeni government. This is a fact. So they arrest this activist, beat him and his little girl, and call *him* a terrorist? No one is falling for it.

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