Yemeni air Force personnel continued their sit-in protest in front of Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi’s house demanding that their commander, Mohammed al-Hmar, who is outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s half brother, is removed.
On Sunday, they staged a parade in their sit-in area, in which they reiterated their demand for dismissal of their alleged corrupt boss, al-Hmar, and called on media outlets to shed light on their civil and peaceful protests, warning Hadi and Military Committee of the severe consequence of not meeting their rightful demand quickly.
“Air Force personal set an example for the whole world of how to demand your rights in a civil and peaceful manner, although they can take up arms, “said a high-ranking officer, who requested to remain anonymous.
“We will not call off our strike or lift our camping sit-in until our chief demand is met and we would not settle for anything short of our demand.” He added.
Al-Hmar refused to quit, saying he would not get out of al-Dilami air base except dead and that he would fight to the last gasp to keep his job, local media reported.
Saleh’ relatives still in control of key military institutions, including Republican Guards, Special Forces, Central Security Forces, Counterterrorism Unit, National Security and Air Force.
Under enormous pressure from within and out, Saleh has signed a deal under which he relinquished power to his long time deputy and Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, the consensus candidate for the forthcoming presidential election set to take place on February 21, in exchange for immunity from prosecution.