Yemen and Yemeni News

 Country Profile
The Republic of Yemen commonly known as Yemen is a country in Middle East and is the only state in the Arabian Peninsula to have a purely Republican  form of government
Yemen is the poorest country in the Arab world as well as a haven for Islamic jihadists.Whether or not President Ali Abdullah Saleh is forced from power( ruling since 1978) the political crisis in Yemen will likely remain acute, not only because of its tribal culture and topography, but also because of its deep poverty, high illiteracy and birth rates, and deeply entrenched government corruption.Yemen is divided into twenty governorates and one Municipality.53% of the population is Sunni and 45% is Shiite. 
Capital                    Sanaa
Currency                 Yemeni Rial
Population               25 Million(estimated)
Official Language     Arabic

Government
Yemen is a Presidential Republic with a Bicameral Legislature. Under the constitution -
an elected President, 
Assembly of Representatives has 301 Members elected for a 6 year term and 
an appointed 111-member Shura Council share power. 


The President is the Head of the State elected by popular vote from at least two candidates endorsed by at least fifteen members of the Parliament. President Ali Abdullah Saleh became the first elected President in reunified Yemen in 1999 .(though he had been President of unified Yemen since 1990(North and South Yemen countries were formally united  as the Republic of Yemen on May 22, 1990) and President of North Yemen since 1978)
 He was re-elected to office in September 2006.


The Prime Minister is the Head of the Govt. appointed by the president and must be approved by two thirds of the Parliament.

  
Why Uprising in Yemen?

In Jan 2011,  19 opposition activists including Tawakil Karman, the female activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, who had called for the ousting of President Ali Abdullah Saleh were arrested.
In March 2011 more than 2,000 inmates stage a revolt at a prison in the capital and join calls by anti-government protesters for Saleh to step down.Soldiers fire rubber bullets and tear gas at students camped at a university in Sanaa. More than 90 are wounded.Saleh’s pledge to create a parliamentary system of government is rejected by the opposition.Government forces fire on protesters in Sanaa - 45 people are killed.
In June 2011 President Saleh survives an apparent assassination attempt.The US and Britain urge Saudi Arabia to persuade Saleh to formally stand down.
In Sep 2011 President Saleh returns unexpectedly after three months recovering in Saudi Arabia from an assassination attempt. He calls for a truce after five days of brutal violence in Sanaa in which 100 protesters die.Saleh calls for early elections in his first speech since returning to Yemen.

Protestors demand the immediate resignation of the current leadership, and in particular that of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

 

On February 2,2011President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced he would not run for reelection in 2013 and that he would not pass power to his son.

In a "Friday of Anger" on February18,2011 thousands of Yemenis took part in anti-government demonstrations in Taiz, Sana'a and Aden.

 

 

On a "Friday of No Return" on March 11,2011, protestors called for Saleh's ousting in Sana'a where three people were killed. More protests were held in other cities.
On  March 18,2011 protesters in Sana'a were fired upon resulting in 52 deaths and ultimately culminating in mass defections and resignations.
Anti-government protester throws stones at a police station in central Sana'a 

Government supporters throw stones at anti-government protesters in central Sana'a 

Supporters of the Yemeni government chase anti-government demonstrators in Sana'a

  

Gulf Co peration Council(GCC) Mediation

In April 2011 the Gulf Coperation council(GCC) attempted to mediate an end to the crisis, drafting several proposals for a transition of power but that was not happening as Saleh reversed course and the government announced he would not sign it.(originally to have been signed on May 1, then on May 18 and finally on May 22,2011)
In May 2011 Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar ( Head of the Hashid Tribal Federation,one of the most powerful tribes in the country)declared support for the opposition and his armed supporters came into conflict with loyalist security forces in the capital Sana'a after Saleh ordered al-Ahmar's arrest.
In June 2011 Leaders of the political opposition met on Monday with Yemen's Vice-President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi, and two other senior governing party officials and both sides described the meeting as a first step toward reconciliation.

  
President Ali Abdullah Saleh attacked and injured
In June 2011 President Ali Abdullah Saleh narrowly survived an attack on the presidential palace Friday morning when an explosion wounded him and a half-dozen other government officials - June 4,2011

President Ali Abdullah Saleh  goes to Saudi Arabia  for treatment a day after being wounded in the attack.

Protesters in Yemen Rejoice as Leader Goes to Saudi Arabia

President Ali Abdullah Saleh's  injuries would leave him unfit to perform his duties for months, throwing a new degree of uncertainty and yet to pave the way for a transition as the opposition, the US and even some governing party members are pushing for.


President Ali Abdullah Saleh's TV Speech since injury
July 2011President Ali Abdullah Saleh appeared on TV for the first time since he was injured in a bombing of his presidential compound’s mosque a month ago. The prerecorded broadcast from Saudi Arabia, where he has been recuperating since the attack, showed him speaking with difficulty.His appearance seemed aimed at bolstering those supporters and dispelling rumors that he had succumbed to his wounds.

  
Opposition forms Council
On July 16,2011 factions of the opposition announced the formation of their own 17-member transitional council.The council consists of 143 members recruited from a broad array of tribal sheiks, protest leaders, southern separatists, military commanders and former members of the governing party.

  
President Ali Abdullah Saleh's Return to Yemen after treatment for injury in Saudi Arabia
In September 2011 President Ali Abdullah Saleh made a sudden return to Yemen on Friday after almost four months in a Saudi hospital, stunning his partisans and opponents alike, leaving many wondering whether his presence here in the capital would calm or worsen the political crisis that has gripped Yemen for six months.

Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh Resigns
President Ali Abdullah Saleh(has ruled since 1978 ) has signed U.S.-backed power transfer deal mediated by Gulf Arab states in the Saudi Arabian Capital, Riyadh on Wednesday Nov 23,2011 under which he will step down after 33 years of rule and transfer his powers within 30 days to his vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi followed by early presidential elections within 90 days and in return will get immunity from prosecution.
Under the agreement, signed with opposition leaders at a ceremony hosted by Saudi King Abdullah at the royal palace in Riyadh, Saleh will immediately transfer his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. In return he will retain the title of president until a new head of state is elected.
Saudi state television broadcast live the signing ceremony.
As part of a U.S.—backed deal brokered by Yemen's Gulf neighbors, Ali Abdullah Saleh is stepping down in exchange for a blanket immunity from prosecution.


He is the 4th Arab leader toppled in the wave of  uprisings this year(2011)after longtime rulers fell in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Yemen's Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi 

named on Sunday Nov 27,2011opposition leader Mohammed Basindwa as the country's new interim prime minister.Basindwa, a foreign minister from 1993 to 1994,

is to form the new government under the deal signed in Riyadh last Wednesday when Saleh transferred his powers to his deputy to resolve the crisis.Mohammed Basindwa, a former foreign minister representing opposition parties who are to split cabinet posts with Saleh's party, told Reuters he expected the government to be agreed on Wednesday night or the following day.

Yemen Votes for New Leader to end Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule

People in Yemen are voting to elect a new president to replace veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh( ruled for the last 33 years).The vice-president Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi(U.S.-backed)  is the only candidate in the poll on Tuesday Feb 21,2012.
The Election Commission said in a statement that voting was halted in nine southern electoral districts, out of a national total of 301, because of the chaos

Yemen's Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi Sworn in as President

Yemen’s newly-elected President, Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi, was sworn in on Saturday Feb 25,2012, replacing Ali Abdullah Saleh after 33 years in power(New Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi takes oath of office in parliament after Tuesday's single candidate election)

 

  Millions Are Facing Food Crisis in Yemen

Yemen has been in turmoil since the revolt last year against Ali Abdullah Saleh , who had ruled for more than three decades. Already weak state control in outlying regions broke down as the army split into pro- and anti-Saleh factions and Al Qaeda militants occupied some areas.

The country has to import most of its food needs because of a paucity of arable land, and the rise in food and fuel prices has hit it badly.

5 million people, or 22 % of the population, can’t feed themselves or buy enough to feed themselves .There is another 5 million who are being really hard hit by high food prices and on the edge of being food insecure,” he said. “So 10 million people in this country go to bed hungry every night.”  

The number of people receiving daily food rations from the United Nations agency has risen to more than 3.8 million from 1.2 million in January 2012

13% of children were now acutely malnourished as a result of the political and economic strains of the past year, giving Yemen, which has a population of 24 million, the third-highest rate of child malnutrition in the world.