Sa’ada has attracted the attention of the largest news satellite channels, especially those that target Arab audience including Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya and BBC.
This was revealed in a study conducted by the Lebanese Comtrax Solutions, specialized in media monitoring, which noted coverage given to the war in Sa’ada has come closer to that of the war in Afghanistan with 5 percent.
Comtrax Solutions also mentioned that the war in Sa’ada was among the main stories telecasted by three satellite channels in their news bulletins. The British BBC came in first place as to covering the news of Sa’ada war and at 6 percent.
In the study themed “Battlefields in the Middle East during August 2009”, Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya satellite channels scored equal percentages for the coverage of Sa’ada war.
Among the subjects that were heavily covered in Yemen was the return of Sheikh Mohammed Al-Moyyad and his companion from America after being held for several years in American prisons over backing Hamas and some Islamist groups.
Positions of the three channels
According to Yemenis, the three channels kept on stressing that the war is ongoing and they displayed different positions of the war. However, all of them failed to impartially report about the war in Sa’ada particularly when no journalists or correspondents were allowed to report the warfronts.
Some observers pointed out that each channel displayed the situation in Sa’ada from the view of the governments owning these channels. Al-Arabiya, according to them, was completely against Houthis, while Al-Jazeera seemed – sometimes- to be against the government.
Some also stated that the coverage of BBC is not balanced and it is selective and this applies to the other two channels.
Sa’ada war continues
Around two months has passed since the eruption of the 6th war in Sa’ada and this time the war was fought in two main fronts: Harf Sufian and Al-Malaheedh.
Local sources from Sa’ada revealed that the army is advancing, though slowly, and added that heavy losses were incurred on the Houthis especially when the army restored to new war techniques with heavy bombardment by fighters and artillery.
However, independent sources mentioned that Houthis are showing strong resistance and this is why the army has managed not to advance quickly in Sa’ada districts or Harf Sufian district.
Khawlan Tribe demands immediate release of fellow military commander
Khawlan tribe demanded the president and state to release the commissioned military officer of the brigade 105 who was arrested by the military intelligence last month and accused of withdrawing and submitting the brigade’s arms to Houthis.
In a letter sent to President Saleh, Khawlan tribesmen, the tribe to which Colonel Mohammed Saleh Amer belongs, demanded the authorities to immediately release their fellow Amer, stressing he – along with his soldiers – were for weeks with no provisions (ammunitions, food and water) .
Last Monday, hundreds of Khawlan sheikhs and tribesmen gathered in Jehanah district, 30 km to the south east of Sana’a, asking the president to release colonel Mohammed Saleh Amer and stop the urgent military trial or to bring all the other brigades’ commanders involved in such cases to the military court.
Sheikh Hussain Ahmed Al-Qadi said, “Everybody knows the loyalty and the faithfulness of Amer to the state for more than 29 years and now we find that the state arrested him and started an urgent trial though he withdrew after a siege of 17 days.”
He added,” The state should either release our son or bring all the military commanders involved in such cases to the court.”
Al-Qadi expressed Khawlan Tribe’s full support for the state in its war against Al-Houthi followers, but at the same time he refused completely, “any humiliation for the tribe,” meaning arresting Amer and sending him for an urgent trial.
Mohammed Bin Naji Al-Ghader, the Sheikh of Sheikhs of Khawlan tribe suggested to compose a delegation of 14 sheikhs and to go to the president requesting him to release Amer and stop the urgent trial as, according to him, he withdrew due to a sever siege.
The brigade that 105 was involved in the war of Sada’a and located in Maran Mountain withdrew on August, 31st 2009 after a siege of 17 days by the Houthi militants.
According to Amer’s companions, the Houthis besieged the brigade and prevented the state from providing them with any food, medicines or water till they received orders from the supreme leadership of the army to withdraw. Immediately after the withdrawal, Amer was arrested and sent to an urgent military trial.
As he withdrew his position in Marran, Amer was accused of being lenient with Houthis especially when the Houthis allowed the brigade personnel to withdraw with their personal arms and leave the heavy arms behind.
Amer joined the Yemeni Army in 1980 and graduated from the Military College in 1987 to be appointed a battalion commander. In 2008, he was appointed a commissioned military officer for brigade 105 in Sa’ada.