Friday, May 11, 2012

Yemen's Unrest Continues


Yemenis Choose Jihad Over Iranian Support -- The Guardian

The 'Guevara of south Yemen' describes how activists fighting for independence have become pawns in a larger power struggle.

Jemajem is a young, dark-eyed militant leader who bears the self-important nom de guerre of "the Guevara of south Yemen". Based in the impoverished port of Aden, he belongs to the Hirak group of activists, who have been calling for south Yemen to be allowed to secede from the north for half a decade.

It's not hard to see why he thinks an independent future for the south would be better than its current situation. Sadness and poverty settled on Aden many decades ago. The streets are littered with piles of rotting fish and festering rubbish, while haggard men sit on pavements chewing qat to stave off the boredom of unemployment. Cliffs of volcanic rock are crowded with migrants' illegal shacks made of breeze blocks and corrugated iron.

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My Comment: Tribalism, corruption, religious intolerance .... and now .... foreign interference. A perfect recipe for Yemen to remain a backwater nation for years (if not decades) to come.

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