Angeles Espinosa Dubai 20 MAR 2012 – 12:43 CET
Internacional.elpais.
Violence does not give relief to Yemen . Despite the presidential referendum last month endorsed the start of the post was Saleh , groups allied to Al Qaeda are taking advantage of the weakness of the new Government and the Army division to gain ground, especially in the south. The murder of an American on Sunday and the kidnapping of a Swiss only four days before the tip of the iceberg. The instability also exacerbates the already precarious economic situation in Yemen and the UN has warned that a quarter of the population lives in conditions of “emergency food”.
“The problem is the weakness of the government and the division of the Army,” explained Western diplomatic sources in Sanaa. General Ali Mohsen has refused to send troops to the south until you do the same Republican Guard. This elite corps is under the command of Ahmed Saleh, son of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Neither Ahmed nor Ali Mohsen, who sided with the opposition to Saleh during the revolt last year, want to leave the capital, where they concentrated their forces. So the new president, Mansour Hadi Abdrabbo, has no troops to fight Al Qaeda.
Hence, Hadi has resorted to aviation to try to recover the town of Jaar, the last of Al Qaeda allies have taken in the province of Abyan. It also appears that the U.S. and France are helping out from the sea following the terrorists used boats for Kud assault on the barracks in which 185 soldiers killed earlier this month. However, analysts agree that while fails to send the troops will not be able to dislodge Al Qaeda.
Hardly a day passes without the Supporters of Shariah, as they are called Yemeni militants allied to al Qaeda, announced a new attack. Are gradually extending their operations to the north and, in a development that worries the chancelleries of Europe, are no longer limited to attack military targets but have begun to act against foreign civilians. The authorities have extended the warning to Sana’a and greater scrutiny of Western embassies in the capital.
“This looks bad,” one European diplomat confident after accounting for increased violence in the city. “They go back to hear gunfire at night,” he says by phone.
Hadi and other politicians have complained about interference Saleh, that continues as General Secretary of General People’s Council (which also owns party Hadi and one of the members of the Government of National Unity). Perceived as a violation of the covenant that guaranteed him immunity in exchange for his withdrawal from politics. However, for observers that does not justify the way of acting President. After dismissing Tarek, one of Saleh’s nephews, as head of the Presidential Guard, Hadi retracted two days, giving the image that can not withstand the pressures.
Has also been unable to stop armed gangs in the cities. It is not criminal groups but tribal militias who obey one or the other side. Although analysts recognize the difficulty to take them apart without breaking the balance, suggest that there must be a way to co-opt their leaders to return to their regions and to eliminate weapons of the street. For now, their violence is not indiscriminate but the result of tribal feuds, but poses a risk of insecurity.
Still, of all the dangers facing Yemen, the more severe the silent threat of hunger. According to the World Food Programme (WFP) five million Yemeni (22% of the total population) are in a state of “severe food insecurity”, twice in 2009. Another five million are facing a “moderate food insecurity.” Data is a preview of the report to the agency and UNICEF are developing with the help of Yemeni statistics center to be unveiled next month.
“A quarter of the Yemeni population urgently needs food aid,” warned the WFP representative in that country, Lubna Alaman. The agency assists and 3.6 million Yemenis affected by rising prices and conflict in the north and south of the country that have moved from home to 670,000 people.
Even before the revolt to oust from power Saleh, Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, suffered high rates of malnutrition and pockets of famine. The conflict that sparked the outcry it close to the edge by paralyzing the economy since early 2011. That crisis was added to the general rise in food prices worldwide. Some families began to skip meals. Last December, Unicef warned that the level of malnutrition among children was close to Somalia.
Neither the WFP nor UNICEF have the funds they need to address this crisis. Its spokesmen warn that although it is silent famine may plunge the country before any other force. Hunger not only prevents the country forward but that added to the chaos, it becomes a breeding ground for extremists subscriber.
Posted on March 22, 2012
0