Amidst president Saleh’s declarations that he gave vice-president Hadi a mandate to negotiate with the Opposition the country’s transfer of power on the base of a modified GCC proposal, his armed forces were conducting military airstrikes against Arhab tribesmen this Tuesday.
According to medical officials, 7 civilians were killed in the bombing and a few hundreds injured.
Arhab which is situated a few kilometers North of Sana’a, is home to tribes loyal to the revolution. For months, the tribes which are under the direct leadership of Sheikh Sadeeq al-Ahmar, the all powerful tribal leader of the Hasheed confederation and Sheikh al-Zindani, an influential cleric and senior member of al-Islah party, have sworn to defend the roads leading to the capital, preventing government troops to route their reinforcements through their territories.
As a result, the area has been heavily bombarded for months, forcing villagers to find refuge in the mountain caves.
The government is now claiming that the tribesmen are all al-Qaeda militants, adding that Arhab is a well known terrorist hub.
And as people were dying in Arhab, hundreds of thousands were demonstrating against the regime’s new claims to negotiate, voicing their anger and frustrations onto the streets of the capital, Sana’a. The move was echoed across the country, as other towns and villages join them in their demands.
Protesters were heard chanting: “No deal, no maneuvering, the president should leave.” Because if Saleh is allowing Hadi to dialogue with his political opponents, he reserved himself the right to refute the proposal
Qahtan, the JMP’s main spokesman declared that this proposal of dialogue was just “a waste of time”.
After months of stalemate, Yemenis are growing tired of what they perceived as being another Saleh’s attempt to hold on to power no matter what.