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
