Remember, it took three weeks of hell and deep uncertainty before Egypt broke Mubarak's yoke. Already, the uprising procured a promise from President Saleh to retire in 2013 and not defer to his son--but as some of us maintained, the Yemeni people are not satisfied.
Democracy Now!
Yemeni Protests Enter 2nd Week
Clashes are continuing in Yemen after over a week of protests against U.S.-backed President Ali Abdullah Saleh. On Thursday, government loyalists attacked a crowd of more than 6,000 protesters in the capital Sana’a. At least five people were wounded. According to Al Jazeera, witnesses reported seeing government forces delivering batons and stones to the pro-government side.
The people are not turning the other cheek to Saleh's thugs. Both sides are now throwing rocks at each other. Protests are gaining intensity in the capital, Sanaa, and have spread to two other cities, Taiz and Aden:
Al Jazeera:
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have taken part in anti-government demonstrations across the country, with pro-government supporters also rallying in several cities.
Three people have been killed in the demonstrations with one of the deaths taking place after a hand grenade was thrown at anti-government protesters in the city of Taiz on Friday.
Riots also flared overnight in the southern port city of Aden with protesters setting fire to a local government building and security forces killing one demonstrator, local officials said. Seventeen people were also confirmed to have been injured in those clashes...
Some context: Yemeni motivations:
1) Ali Abdullah Saleh has ruled Yemen for 32 years--rivalling Mubarak and other authoritarian presidents.
2) As the poorest Arab country, about 1/5 to 1/4 of Yemenis live on less than a dollar a day--half that of many poor Egyptians.
3) Yemenis have been unable to cope with double-digit inflation... they cannot afford wheat and other foods. Average family size exceeds 6.
"We have been living for 30 years without purpose or hope" -- preacher in Sanaa, HuffingtonPost
This was originally a very strong protest of thousands in Sanaa, the capital, strongly represented by students, but the movement is clearly spreading to Yemen's other cities. That is a critical process in revolution--to spread from the most metropolitan settings where revolt usually begins.
Although the crowds are smaller in number compared to what happens in different countries, the hostile and fearful mood setting over the last 48 hours may spark more violence," Hashem Ahelbarra, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Sanaa, said.
"The fear here is that if events reach a tipping point, armed tribes may raid the capital and this is why people are worried about bloody confrontations."
To that end, Saleh is convening with tribal chieftains to garner support, castigating the protesters as anarchists. Yemen's clerics are worried; their gambit is to promote a "transitional unity government" to hold elections in half a year, a la Egypt.
Arise, my Yemeni brothers and sisters!