SANAA, Yemen (AP) - The U.S.-backed president of Yemen suffered a devastating political blow on Sunday when his own powerful tribe demanded his resignation, joining religious leaders, young people and the country’s traditional opposition in calls for an end to his three decades in power.
Massive crowds flooded cities and towns around the impoverished and volatile nation, screaming in grief and anger as they mourned dozens of protesters killed Friday when President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s security forces opened fire from rooftops on a demonstration in the capital.
Saleh appeared to be trying to hold on, firing his entire Cabinet ahead of what one government official said was a planned mass resignation, but making no mention of stepping down himself. Yemen’s ambassador to the United Nations and its human rights minister had announced their resignations earlier in the day.
Many said he would now be forced to choose between stepping down and confronting demonstrators with even deadlier force.
“We’re talking a new set of dynamics that are driving the conflict into either the resignation of Saleh or a very serious clash between the two sides,” said Ibrahim Sharqieh, deputy director of the Brookings Doha Center. “The U.S. should work now on an orderly transition in Yemen and press Saleh to find an arrangement that doesn’t allow chaos.” Sharqieh said from Washington that it was far from clear what would replace Saleh if he goes. Options could include a military-run transitional government and an adminstration of traditional political opposition parties.
Saleh and his weak government have faced down many serious challenges, often forging tricky alliances with restive tribes to delicately extend power beyond the capital. Most recently, he has battled an on-and-off, seven-year armed rebellion in the north, a secessionist movement in the south, and an al-Qaida offshoot that is of great concern to the U.S.
“The U.S. just cannot afford losing Yemen,” Sharqieh said.
Analysis: "President Saleh's grip on power in Yemen has been slipping steadily for the past month. However, this most recent blow seems to be the most significant. In a country that values traditional tribal relationships, Saleh has now lost the support of his own home team. The only significant political institution still behind Saleh is the military, and even that relationship is fragile and weak. From this point, Saleh has only two feasible options to retain power: crack down on dissent with widespread and substantial government-sanctioned violence, or attempt to offer even greater concessions to the opposition. Expect to see the initial workings of one of these options exercised in the next few days, but do not expect either to work for long."
Read the Full Article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/powerful_yemen_tribe_calls_on_president_to_step_down_after_bloody_crackdown_on_protests/2011/03/20/ABZt3qz_story.html?wprss=rss_world
Sunday, March 20, 2011
US, Allies Strike at Targets in Libya
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. and British ships and submarines launched the first phase of a missile assault on Libyan air defenses Saturday and a senior American defense official said it was believed substantial damage was inflicted.
In the strikes, 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired at more than 20 coastal targets to clear the way for air patrols to ground Libya's air force. While U.S. defense officials cautioned that it was too early to fully gauge the impact of the onslaught, the official said that given the precision targeting of the Navy's cruise missiles, they felt that Libya's air defenses suffered a good deal of damage.
In announcing the mission during a visit to Brazil, President Barack Obama said he was reluctant to resort to force but was convinced it was necessary to save the lives of civilians. He reiterated that he would not send American ground troops to Libya.
"We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy," he said in Brasilia.
It was clear the U.S. intended to limit its role in the Libya intervention, focusing first on disabling or otherwise silencing Libyan air defenses, and then leaving it to European and perhaps Arab countries to enforce a no-fly zone over the North African nation.
Gortney told reporters the cruise missile assault was the "leading edge" of a coalition campaign dubbed Operation Odyssey Dawn. Its aim: prevent Moammar Gadhafi's forces from inflicting more violence on civilians -- particularly in and around the rebel stronghold of Benghazi -- and degrading the Libyan military's ability to contest a no-fly zone.
A chief target of Saturday's cruise missile attack was Libya's SA-5 surface-to-air missiles, which are considered a moderate threat to some allied aircraft. Libya's overall air defenses are based on older Soviet technology but Gortney called them capable and a potential threat to allied aircraft.
Analysis: "The international community has backed up UN Resolution 1973 with military action. The current mission profile calls for allied forces to disable Gaddafi's air defense capabilities, allowing allied warplanes to fly unimpeded in enforcing the no-fly zone. This move itself is not a death sentence for Gaddafi's regime, but it does not look good for him. In my opinion, the international community and the allied nations spearheading this offensive are not about to pass UN 1973, only to let Gaddafi retake the country or concede to reforms. The only hope for Gaddafi seems to be some sort of ceasefire agreement where he keeps some degree of political power, but surrenders his armed forces or partial control thereof."
Read the Full Article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_us_libya
In the strikes, 112 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired at more than 20 coastal targets to clear the way for air patrols to ground Libya's air force. While U.S. defense officials cautioned that it was too early to fully gauge the impact of the onslaught, the official said that given the precision targeting of the Navy's cruise missiles, they felt that Libya's air defenses suffered a good deal of damage.
In announcing the mission during a visit to Brazil, President Barack Obama said he was reluctant to resort to force but was convinced it was necessary to save the lives of civilians. He reiterated that he would not send American ground troops to Libya.
"We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy," he said in Brasilia.
It was clear the U.S. intended to limit its role in the Libya intervention, focusing first on disabling or otherwise silencing Libyan air defenses, and then leaving it to European and perhaps Arab countries to enforce a no-fly zone over the North African nation.
Gortney told reporters the cruise missile assault was the "leading edge" of a coalition campaign dubbed Operation Odyssey Dawn. Its aim: prevent Moammar Gadhafi's forces from inflicting more violence on civilians -- particularly in and around the rebel stronghold of Benghazi -- and degrading the Libyan military's ability to contest a no-fly zone.
A chief target of Saturday's cruise missile attack was Libya's SA-5 surface-to-air missiles, which are considered a moderate threat to some allied aircraft. Libya's overall air defenses are based on older Soviet technology but Gortney called them capable and a potential threat to allied aircraft.
Analysis: "The international community has backed up UN Resolution 1973 with military action. The current mission profile calls for allied forces to disable Gaddafi's air defense capabilities, allowing allied warplanes to fly unimpeded in enforcing the no-fly zone. This move itself is not a death sentence for Gaddafi's regime, but it does not look good for him. In my opinion, the international community and the allied nations spearheading this offensive are not about to pass UN 1973, only to let Gaddafi retake the country or concede to reforms. The only hope for Gaddafi seems to be some sort of ceasefire agreement where he keeps some degree of political power, but surrenders his armed forces or partial control thereof."
Read the Full Article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_us_libya
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)