In March the charity Oxfam International gave a dire warning in a press release:

Yemen is at the crossroads of humanitarian catastrophe international aid agency Oxfam said today in reaction to new figures from the World Food Programme, which showed a radical increase in the number of people facing severe hunger in the country. The new figures indicate that 45 percent of the population in Yemen do not have enough to eat - more than 10 million people, with half of these people severely food insecure and in need of urgent emergency aid.

However, mainstream media is more interested in the existence of Al Qaeda in the country, supposedly justifying the US drone war.

Yemeni Mohammed Adel Alamer tweeted in dismay:

@M7mmdAdel: 10 million Yemenis facing #famine in Yemen! The world only cares about #Qaeda and #DroneStrikes them and to hell with the 10 million

Oxfam offered more figures:

@Oxfam:.@WFP [World Food Programme] reports #Yemen food insecurity levels have doubled since 2009. Today 5 million people go hungry so often that it affects their long-term health

Yemen has had massive food security problems for years, and Al Jazeera English recently produced two videos highlighting how the ongoing political turmoil has aggravated the situation and is putting the lives of many children at risk.

British-Yemeni blogger Omar tweeted Al Jazeera's photo of a severely malnourished child:

@OmarMash: ‘The tiny bodies are still breathing' - Babies starve in Yemen's hospitals, he's a lucky one, he made to the hospital.

Severely malnourished Yemeni child, Sana'a, Yemen, April 2012. Image by Al Jazeera (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Yemeni blogger Afrah Nasser wrote a post entitled “Hunger in Yemen”:

Food crisis is increasingly becoming epidemic in Yemen. Reports of starvation and malnutrition among children in Yemen have been gripping headlines for a while. Last night [April 27], UNICEF spokesman Mr. Mohammed al-Asaadi spoke to al-Jazeera about this issue and said, “Around 1 million children are food insecure and malnourished. At least 120 thousand under-5 children may die between now and the end of 2012 if no action is taken.” […] I wonder what the government is doing exactly to tackle this issue. It's really sad that politicians in Yemen could ignore the children's plight.

Omar tweeted:

@OmarMash: The #YemenFoodCrisis is only going to increase in severity if not immediately dealt with by international donors, the Yemen government and the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council].

He added:

@OmarMash: I have a horrible feeling that in 6 months time the #YemenFoodCrisis will at its peak, only then will the world's attention be focused.

London-based Yemeni Loubna Maktary urged immediate action to be taken to save Yemen's dying children:

@LoubbyM: Children in Yemen are dying of HUNGER!!! Stop ignoring them. Yemen is not a political problem, it is a human catastrophe #YemenFoodCrisis (:

It is hoped that the food crisis will be discussed at the Friends of Yemen Conference in Riyadh on May 23. UNICEF has called for children to be kept at the centre of the conference's security and political dialogues.

To learn more about Yemen's food crisis read this Storify.

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Mai Saleh in Yemen tweeted:

@A4Mai: Take a moment and shout with us: No to the jungle law, No to the extrajudicial killings, No to the killing of innocent civilians #NoDrones

Stop drone attacks, protest sign. Image by meeshypants on Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

Talal, a British-Yemeni activist in London, urged:

@25FebFreedom: #US killing innocent civilians in #Yemen in the name of “war on terror ” #StopDrones #NoDrones for God sake in #Yemen

The campaign started on May 13, the same day that President Obama's counterterrorism adviser, John O. Brennan, met with Yemen's president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and a day after a stepped-up campaign of American airstrikes reportedly killed 11 militants.

British journalist Tom Finn, who is based in Yemen, tweeted:

@tomfinn2: Yemenis launch a #NoDrones campaign on twitter as US counterterrorism czar John Brennan arrives in Sana'a… #Yemen

Mai Saleh addressed some tweets to Brennan:

@A4Mai: Urgent message to the visiting Mr. #Brennan: Take your hands off #Yemen & take your drones off our skies for good. Yemeni Citizen #NoDrones

‏@A4Mai: Dear Mr. Brennan, Your policy has proved a failure in #Pakistan, why try it in #Yemen? It is obviously doomed to fail, sincerely #NoDrones

Yemenis condemn terrorism, and they believe the use of US drones only fuels it, as blogger Atiaf Alwazir pointed out:

‏@WomanfromYemen:B/c I'm against #terrorism & #extremism, i'm also against #drones. It's counter-productive & fuels more extremism. #NoDrones #yemen #US

@womanfromYemen: We are saying #NoDrones, b/c we don't want militants in #Yemen. Drones do not eradicate militants they intensify their presence.

French journalist Benjamin Wiacek, who is based in Yemen, tweeted

@Nefermaat: #US drones and air strikes create more extremism and resentment than improving the situation: SAY NO to DRONES !! #NoDrones

He also tweeted a link about drone strikes and the civilan casualties in Yemen which are seldom reported.

Atiaf Alwazir added:

@WomanfromYemen: For every headline you read regarding “militants” killed by drones in #Yemen, think of the civilians killed that are not reported. #NoDrones

A Yemeni journalist and poet who goes by the name Sana2 Al-Yemen tweeted her contempt:

@Sanasiino: It is a disgusting thought to know US officials across the globe are playing a video game with our people in #Yemen. #NoDrones

@Sanasiino: Decreasing #AQAP support and power would need to start with a #NoDrones policy in #Yemen

And finally, Shams in Yemen tweeted a hope many Yemenis share, that the new governemnt will put an end to US drone attacks:

@shamsalshomos: I hope #Hadi does what #Saleh never did speak and act on behalf of the welfare of his people #NoDrones in #yemen

To learn more about the campaign follow the hashtag #NoDrones and read this Storify.

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While many Twitter users admitted that there was a problem with harassment in Yemen, the percentage quoted in the newspaper divided them.

Marwan Almuraisy wanted the newspaper to apologise:

Almuraisy added in a tweet addressed to Al Hayat deputy editor Jameel Theyabi:

Abeer Al Yosofi wondered:

She said:

Cartoon about harassment by Mohammed Al Ridaei. Image from the Safe Streets campaign Facebook page.

However, other people felt the problem needed to be addressed. Lamis Al Wadeai tweeted:

Muna tweeted:

@ArabsUnite: Cant believe some in Yemen R surprised @ high % of women who experience harassment. Striving4change means acknowledging flaws in our society

Alia Eshaq tried to clarify the meaning of harassment:

Najla Al Hamadi linked to an article in the Yemen Times about an initiative to fight street harassment. She made some suggestions of her own:

A campaign against sexual harassment in Yemen called Safe Streets (Facebook) [ar] was started by activist and blogger Ghaidaa Motahar last year. The campaign made this video to raise awareness and address the issue of harassment:

Mohammed Alnehmi commented:

Al Hayat newspaper did apologise for the high percentage it had quoted, saying it was an exaggerated figure based on a regional study.

Rather than addressing the issue and providing solutions, a lot of time and effort was wasted debating and dismissing the figure, which was extremely high. Whether we like to admit it or not harassment in all its forms - stares, words or actions - is widespread. It is something that many women in Yemen's main cities, just as in other countries in the region, are subject to. The phenomenon needs to be acknowledged and addressed properly, starting by teaching proper family values and incorporating them into the educational system, designing media campaigns to address harassment, and introducing and applying laws. In this way we will be able to enjoy safe streets.

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The United States has recently expanded its campaign of drone strikes in Yemen, to widespread anger and concern.

Drone strikes against suspected Al Qaeda operatives have been launched under expanded authority allowing the CIA and military to fire based only on the targets' intelligence “signatures” or patterns of behaviour, without knowing their identity.

Yemeni-American Summer Nasser tweeted:

@SummerNasser: #Yemen: Basically, the CIA & military can fire drones even when the identity of those who are killed is not known. Approved by Pres. Obama.

US Air Force General Atomics MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Image by Flickr user james_gordon_los_angeles (CC BY-NC 2.0).

Ibrahim Mothana, a Yemeni writer and activist, commented on the drone policy:

@imothanaYemen: Expanding drones program is not in the interest of #Yemen nor the US. It will only expand an ongoing Talibanization process for tribal areas

Jeb Boone, an American journalist and former managing editor of the Yemen Times, said:

@JebBoone: Drones not only inflame anti-US and pro-AQAP sentiment, they delegitimize the #Yemen government. Troubling.

The drones have been striking targets in the south of Yemen, and researcher Atiaf Alwazir commented:

@WomanfromYemen: it's sad that too many ppl from the #North disregard/ignore the issue of the drones b/c it doesn't “affect” them. it's too far. #yemen

Jeremy Scahill, an award-winning American investigative journalist, has argued against the use of drones in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. He recently made a documentary for Al Jazeera English entitled “America's Dangerous Game”, which asks if the US is creating more enemies than it can capture or kill.

According to the organizers of the recent “Drone Summit” held in Washington on April 28-29, as many as 3,000 people, including hundreds of noncombatants, have been killed in drone strikes. This Storify collects some of the tweets from the summit regarding drone strikes and US policy in Yemen. Jeremy Scahill's speech at the summit can be seen here.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism based at City University, London, has published figures for US covert action in Yemen:

US Covert Action in Yemen 2001-2012

Total US strikes: 41 - 132
Total US drone strikes: 31 - 68
Total reported killed: 294 - 673
Civilians reported killed: 55 - 105
Children reported killed: 24

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has also collated detailed data on reported US covert actions in Yemen since 2001.

On April 30 John Brennan, chief counterterrorism advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, gave a speech entitled “The Ethics and Efficacy of the President’s Counterterrorism Strategy” in which he defended the use of drones. Activist Medea Benjamin challenged him and spoke up against drone killings in Pakistan, Yemen and other countries, as shown in this video:

In a post entitled “A brave lady Speaks out about the CIA Drone Strikes”, Yemeni blogger Afrah Nasser commended Medea Benjamin's courage and quoted her words:

“What about of the hundreds innocent people killing with our drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia? I speak out on behave of those innocent victims. They deserve an apology from you, Brennan. How many people are you willing to sacrifice? Why are you lying to the American people and not saying how many people have been killed? …. Shame on you!”

As I said in a recent blog post,“The Failed US Policy in Yemen”:

The use of drones on Yemeni soil to kill “suspected” al Qaeda leaders, the unjustified killing of a teenager and many other innocent civilians commonly referred to as “collateral damage” and the illegal detention of a journalist, has fostered more animosity towards the US. […] The US clearly needs to re-evaluate its counter-terrorism policy in Yemen by addressing the socio-economic underlying causes that produce terror, rather than focusing its aid solely in the fight against al “Qaeda” and continuing with the drone attacks which kills innocent people, alienates, angers and aggravates the general Yemeni public, giving extremists a motive to join militant groups.

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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Yemeni journalist and blogger Afrah Nasser lives in Stockholm. She wrote about visiting Rinkeby for the first time in a blog post on April 6, 2012.

I've always heard from people in Stockholm that there is an area called Rinkeby that is so full of immigrants and you can even hardly see Swedes there. So, I decided to go there, yesterday. I wanted to go and discover this mini-Non-Swedish area.

A street sign in Rinkeby. Photo by Afrah Nasser (used with permission)

Afrah noticed a difference upon arrival at the Rinkeby metro station which was shabbier than most central Stockholm metro stations like, T-Centralen. She compared photos of both stations:

My first impression when I arrived at the metro underground was, “OMG, Why the metro underground looks horrible! why there is no decoration at the metro !! Like how it is in , for example, Karlaplan (Where Swedes dress/walk like there is some kind of a fashion show)! No ads, no pretty pics on the walls like how it's the case at the average metro' walls in the city.

T-Centralen Station. Photo by Afrah Nasser (used with permission)

Rinkeby Station. Photo by Afrah Nasser (used with permission)

Many people living in Rinkeby can't find a good job outside the community because they don't have the minimum Swedish language skills. According to Tricia Wang, an American blogger and cultural sociologist who visited Rinkeby in 2008, the woman in the next photo fears her children won't have good work opportunities because of the level of English and Swedish spoken in their school.

Bakery in Rinkeby. Photo by Tricia Wang on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Vegetable market in Rinkeby. Photo by Tricia Wang on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

At the end of her visit, Afrah said:

I said goodbye to Rinkeby with a feeling that Stockholm is segregated. Sana'a, my hometown, has been always segregated as well. The rich lived at one side and the poor at the other side. The Yemenis lived in one side and the immigrants lived at the other side. So, I know what social segregation means. There is an area in Sana'a called Safia that's heavily inhibited by Somalis. We used to call is Maqadishu. I bet Rinkeby is Stockholm's Safia. This is not new for me but it was interesting to discover this side of Stockholm.

Poster in Rinkeby advertising international money transfers to Africa. Photo by Tricia Wang on flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

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In Dubai, UAE, Iyad El-Baghdadi complains:

@Iyad_elbaghdadi: God there's dust everywhere, in my eyes, in my nose, on my desk, between my fingers, in my glass, on my keyboard. And I'm sealed indoors.

From Qatar, Hannah laments:

@hshurey: I am so fed up with this dust in Doha. I can barely even remember what fresh air is!

Ahmed Al Hashemi, from Abu Dhabi, UAE, notes:

@ADHashemi: Covered in so much dust I'm gonna need a car wash to get it all off. To make matters worse its really doing a number on my eyes

And Ozair Taher, from neighbouring Dubai, UAE, adds:

@Ozair25: Dust, dust, dust, dust & D.U.S.T “We should all pray for rain seriously!” #Dubai

Rain is also on Wael Al Jaber's mind. Al Jaber, from the Saudi capital Riyadh writes:

@W_Jaber: That awkward moment when people are talking about rain but all i see is dust #RiyadhWeather

Håkon Gaarder-Larsen, a Norwegian hotelier who lives and works in Riyadh, notes:

@Haakon_G_Larsen: Funny how a week of sandstorms and dust in Riyadh makes me look forward to the polluted air in Cairo next week

And Hisham Wyne jokes:

@HishamWyne: It's not a sandstorm. It's just that the dust bunnies are breeding ferociously. They're allowed four wives each too.

Meanwhile, in Sanaa, Yemen, schools are closed because of the dust storm. Noon Arabia clarifies:

@NoonArabia: Tomorrow and after will shut down too “@WomanfromYemen: dust storm in #sanaa caused schools to shut down today #yemen”

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Friday March 18 is a a tragic day in Yemen's history, a date that is engraved in every Yemenis' memory, better known as Friday of Karamah, or the Friday of Dignity. On this date back in 2011, security forces built a wall near Change square in Sanaa, filled it with tyres and petrol and immediately after Friday prayer they set it on flames to block the protesters. This occurred as [former President Ali Abdullah] Saleh's supporters posted on rooftops, allies and houses, opened fire on the massive march and caused an unprecedented atrocious and brutal bloodshed.

Around 52 protesters were killed on that day and close to 100 were reportedly injured, according to witnesses and medical staff. It was a turning point in Yemen's revolution, which made many people, statesmen, diplomats, and soldiers defect and join the ranks of the protesters.

The tragic events of Friday of Karamah was captured through the lens of three cameramen and recounts of eyewitnesses, in a powerful documentary appropriately called “Karamah Has No Walls.” It is a collaborative work of Yemeni youth from the heart of Sanaa's Change Square, which successfully conveys to the viewer the emotions, fears and calamity of that bloody day. The documentary is beautifully directed by Yemeni female director Sara Ishaq - @yemyogini.

The two parts of the documentary are uploaded by OfficialSuhailTV [Warning: Extreme graphic content].

Part 1

Part 2

As I described the documentary in my blog post:

It is a profound humanitarian message that reflects the enormity of the plight, the magnitude of the suffering and the dimension of the sacrifices of the Yemeni revolution. It also resonates the resolute, steadfast and commitment of all Yemenis to the revolution and it's demands. Above all it is a powerful incriminating piece of evidence documenting one of the regimes' many brutal atrocities & crimes against humanity.

The month of March started with the dignity march, calling for change and freedom, turned into a massacre, and sadly ended with the GCC-brokered deal and the rest is history.

Meanwhile, Yemenis remember this day with remorse for the lives lost and what could have been achieved and was not. Yemeni neitzens commiserate on Twitter.

@SummerNasser tweeted:

#Mar18 will be put down in history: It will be the day we remember how carelessly our people were killed b/c they called for freedom. #Yemen

Yemeni photographer Abdulrahman Jaber tweeted a set of photographs that he captured through his lens on that tragic day:

@ARJaber:

18 March photos in Sanaa, pictures from the memory ..part of unforgetable memroies 18+ http://www.flickr.com/photos/someart/sets/72157627747752035/show/ #yemen

@Afrahnasser tweeted:

Today #Yemen mourns 52 ppl who were killed last year because they were defending freedom & change #Yemen

Despite the bad weather condition in Sanaa today, young and old men, women and children gathered in 60 Street to attend the commemoration of the 1st anniversary of March 18 Karama massacre day.

@yemen_updates tweeted:

Regardless of the heavy sand/dust storm in #Sanaa, dozens of thousands continue arriving at 60 St to commemorate the Karama Day. #Yemen

@ichamza cynically tweeted:

#March18th more than 50 young men were killed in cold blood and the murderers were caught b4 our eyes! but r still unknown! #Yemen

@Afrahnasser asks with remorse:

What shall we tell the 52 ppl killed after we allowed the #GCCDeal & gave ammunity to #Saleh !! #Yemen

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basendwah announced a donation of 50 million riyals for the benefit of the families of the martyrs on the anniversary of Karama Day. (video uploaded by belaquood).

The change the lives the martyrs on this day and others throughout the year of revolution readily sacrificed for has not been achieved and justice has not been served and this governmental gesture, albeit a year later, certainly is not the solution Yemenis were looking for!

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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After 33 long years of Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule, Yemen finally inaugurated today a new President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, for the transitional phase, following a whole year of protests. Hadi had assumed his position as president according to a GCC-brokered power deal which made him the sole consensus presidential candidate in the one man election, in which he won 99.8 per cent of the votes.

The inauguration ceremony was held today Monday (Feb 27th), in the Presidential Palace in Sanaa, and was attended by the Arab League head Nabil ElAraby, UN special envoy to Yemen Jamal Ben Omar, foreign diplomats, ministers, MPs and journalists. It was also televised live.

Journalist @ionacraig tweeted:

Off to the palace today to see Saleh hand over at Hadi's inauguration. What a difference a yr makes. Last there Feb. 2011 for a Saleh speech

Journalist @adammbaron tweeted the links to the two speeches delivered by Saleh and Hadi:

outgoing prez saleh's speech from today: youtube.com/watch?v=ytYf_G… incoming prez hadi's speech from today: youtube.com/watch?v=SLb7Z3… #yemen

Saleh's delivered his speech in a husky voice, understandably after 33 years of rule, he never expected this moment to come. He described the past year in Yemen as a destructive crisis and pledged his support for the new leadership, stating that Yemen's security was part and parcel of the security of the region and hence called on neighboring countries and friends to stand by it and continue the projects that were frozen in Yemen due to the revolution. He also greeted the steadfast Yemeni people and the army for standing together as one, and especially thanked the army, describing them as the safety valve of the revolution, the republic, the unity and freedom, as seen and heard in this video posted by motamarnet.

UN correspondent Casey L Coombs noticed and tweeted:

‏@Macoombs: Saleh appears & sounds frail at podium speech inaugurating new Prez Hadi #Yemen

He adds:

‏@Macoombs: Evident from rewatching #Saleh's speech at #Hadi inaug that one thing 34 years of dictatorship did not prepare him for was this moment.

Hadi delivered a shorter speech, with a hesitant pause before addressing Saleh as Brigadier without the usual 33 year title of president. He stated that today established a new basis for a peaceful transfer of power and that the people were the source of power according to the constitution. Yemen, he said, was facing a difficult and complicated crisis, and Yemenis voting in millions reflected the desire for security and stability and change for the better. He also described the past year as a crisis, and called everyone to collaborate with the new leadership to pass the transitional phase, and finally he hoped that in two years there will be a similar handover of power.

The video of his speech can be watched here.

As @abubakrabdullah pointed in his tweet:

Calling the revolution a ‘crisis' is not a good start President Hadi #Yemen

The ceremony ended with a symbolic handing of the Yemeni flag from Saleh to Hadi as tweeted by Fazli Corman, Turkey's new Ambassador to Yemen, who has also recently joined Twitter:

@FazliCorman: Former President Saleh hands over “revolutionary flag of Yemen” to the new President Hadi in Sanaa today. pic.twitter.com/I84NVMUU

Saleh hands over the flag to Hadi at the ceremony. Photograph by Turkish Ambassador to Yemen Fazli Corman, shared on Twitter

Iona Craig tweeted her summary of the inauguration scene:

‏@ionacraig: Bizarre and chaotic ceremony this morning at the palace. Noted Saleh now wearing a hearing aid.

and got the following response:

@olireports: @ionacraig Maybe that was the problem all along. A hearing aid… Couldn't hear his people.

The success of Yemen's revolution and Yemen's challenging future are certainly as uncertain as Saleh's plans. There are speculations as usual regarding his next move. Whether he plans to stay in Yemen and head the GPC ruling party as he has stated several times before, or unlikely, go into exile in Ethiopia is not confirmed yet.

While @alguneid tweeted:

Aides: #Yemen's Saleh to seek exile in Ethiopia – صالح، سيعيش في أثيويا USATODAY.com usat.ly/zg6yOp#.T0tt-O… via @USATODAY

@tomfinn2 tweeted:

Reliable gov. source says ain't true. RT @abuaardvark: Confirmed? RT @SultanAlQassemi: Yemen's Saleh will go into self exile in Ethiopia.

The military reform and the role Saleh's family will play in Yemen's politics is also another big question mark, especially after the recent interview that journalist Tom Finn had with US ambassador in Yemen, Gerelad M. Fereistein, which he tweeted last week.

@tomfinn2:
Transcript of my interview last week with Gerald M. Feierstein, US Ambassador to #Yemen. bit.ly/A8erQL

And this photo which Yemeni Facebook pages and tweeps have been circulating as tweeted by @samwaddah shows who Yemenis believe is really ruling the country.

@SamWaddah: US Ambassador in #Yemen is a real multi-tasker! Reality in Yemen! twitpic.com/8orn89

The photograph, posted below, shows the US Ambassador casting a ballot, dressed as a tribal leader and also as the commander of the armed forces.

Who really rules Yemen? Sam Waddah shares this image showing the US Ambassador to Yemen in a different light

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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One more day to go to Yemen's uncontested and unprecedented “one man” election”, which will start tomorrow, February 21, 2012, ending 33 years of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule and costing the country more than US$48 million.

Following are some of the comments of journalists covering the event:

@kasinof: just arrived in Sanaa after 2 month absence. Hadi posters everywhere, no checkpoints, few random armed tribesmen in hasaba. Feels different

@tomfinn2: The election campaign here is amazingly thorough, posters on every corner, I've even started dreaming about Hadi.. #Yemen

@kellymcevers: Good to be back in #Yemen. Bullets not flying, airport not on fire, election tomorrow. The morning is quiet over the old city.

@ionacraig: The Yemen national anthem has been playing on constant rotation outside my window for the last half hour. Thank you, I am now brainwashed.

@JamjoomCNN: Amazed to see so many pictures and posters of Hadi around Sana'a (and a lot fewer of Saleh since the last time I was here) #Yemen

@HughNaylor: Yemen: Movenpick hotel where journos register for “election” of new prez. Picture of old prez, Ali Abdullah Saleh, hangs over entry way.

@adammbaron: i'm more than willing to bet that posters of soon-to-be president hadi outnumber people in #sanaa #yemen

A YouTube video entitled “Together we will destroy it” posted by @ezatwagdi mocks the official campaign video “Together we will build it” posted by the official election campaign:

The video depicts Saleh's supporters and former opponents happily dancing together carrying signs saying “Together, on February 21, to reach power.”

The signs translate into English as follows:

Yes to a good successor of a good predecessor

God forgives what happened in the past, yes to building a new Yemen

A president for Yemen, no a president for the government

We announce our peaceful support to the quiet (literal translation of presidential candidate Hadi's name) and peaceful person

Only me and the rest are cats

Wish me luck in the elections…Hadi

A graph posted in @KatieZimmerman's article in Critical Threats poses a very important question, if assuming Yemen does get rid of Saleh's rule with the so called election, how and will it ever get rid of the Saleh's dominating family network, who still in effect rule Yemen.

Check out the graphic (http://bit.ly/zYBD9P) in my new piece http://bit.ly/zN5DUZ on #Yemen. Thanks to @TeamPraescient

Saleh Family Network

She points out:

Saleh’s government rested on a patronage network built over the course of his three-decade rule that entrenched his family and close associates in top positions throughout the government and the military. Saleh’s reach extended throughout the state’s organs, making it nearly impossible to disentangle his patronage network from the actual state. In this respect, Saleh’s Yemen was much more like Saddam Hussein’s Iraq than like Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt, in which the military retained a considerable degree of autonomy.

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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Many expected bloodshed when the revolution first started in Yemen, since it is known to be the second most armed nation in the world, yet it amazingly turned out to be the least violent this so-called Arab Spring. Despite the regime's violence, protesters refrained from using their weapons and marched peacefully demanding their rights. They faced security forces excessive violence with bare chests.

A year has passed since the revolution started, yet Yemenis disagree on the exact day, as I pointed in my blog post:

Yemen's revolution is undoubtedly the longest in the Arab Spring, yet Yemenis disagree on which day it started. Some say it started on February 3rd, when a group of activists protested in front of Sanaa University, some say February 11th, when the first sit-in tents were erected in Taiz, and others say February 20th when the first martyrs were killed in Aden and Taiz. Yet, Yemen's revolution has been mostly associated with February 11th, the downfall of Egypt's Mubarak.

This video posted by SupportYemen on YouTube shows a group of activists expressing their hopes and highlighting the demands of the revolution:

Hundreds were killed and thousands were injured, yet those responsible for their killings were granted immunity as per the power transition deal, brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council and fully supported by the United States and the United Nations.

Protesters in Taiz lit the the flame on the eve of the revolution, on February 10, 2012, in Freedom Square, marking the beginning of the celebrations with chants and fireworks as shown in this video posted by taizpress:

Yemen's Revolution impressed the world with it's massive and powerful marches. Iona Craig, a freelance journalist who was been mostly in Yemen since the revolution started, tweeted a link in which she posted a selection of powerful images she had captured throughout the year, including some of the marches.

@ionacraig: Today marks one year since daily protests began in #Yemen. A selection of pictures I took from Feb. 2011 to Feb. 2012: bit.ly/wk1TTT

This video posted by KareemoS on May 21, shows the massive crowds rallying against Saleh and his regime, chanting “the people want to overthrow the regime” - a demand that has yet to be realized.

Huge celebrations were held in Taiz on February 11, on the occasion the first anniversary of Yemen's revolution. taizpress posts the following video on YouTube showing part of the celebrations:

Yemeni activist Baraa Shiban sums up the events in Yemen over the past year in his post in Comments MiddleEast. He concludes by saying:

The last days of December witnessed a parallel revolution that paralysed many governmental sectors and led to the resignation of some senior officials. It’s worth mentioning that the employee’s strikes are still continuing as the country forges its own mini revolutions, attempting to purge the remnants of Saleh's regime, and foremost, the last scraps of tyranny in Yemen.

Thousands of Yemenis have been protesting for a year. Photograph by Iona Craig from Flickr, used with permission.

Saleh travelled to the US and will be returning to Yemen to cast his vote for his vice president for the past 18 years, whom he had selected to be his successor and was approved by the GCC as the consensus candidate in the “one man election” taking place on February 21.

This (right) is one of the posters used for the election campaign, seen on various parts of Sanaa, which speaks for itself, posted by one of the most followed groups in Facebook “We are all Taiz” [ar], with a caption asking for readers comments. After 34 years of ruling Yemen, Saleh is finally stepping down as president on election day, February 21, yet his son, nephews and brothers still control the military apparatus, and his regime is very much intact. The independent youth who have been protesting for over a year are back to square one, still in the squares, weak and fragmented, yet still holding on to the hope of building a new Yemen, based on freedom, democracy, justice and social equality.

Supportyemen posted this video which sends out this strong message:

Some take basic human rights for granted, but for us, Yemenis, they are aspirations. We march for better education, better healthcare, freedom of speech, real democracy, for justice, and for dignity!

As I admitted in my post:

Sadly, Yemen has openly become an international protectorate, with regional and international players determining it's future rather than it's own people.

Having said that, I hope very much that the power of the people wins over the people in power.

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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Yemen's Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was unanimously nominated by parliament as the only presidential candidate for Yemen's February 21 elections, has kicked off his campaign. Ironically, its motto is ‘Together to Build the New Yemen' when many Yemenis were excluded from the US/United Nations-backed power transition deal brokered by neighboring Gulf countries.

Those who welcomed the election believe that voting is a step in the right direction for Yemen, to start a “new page” and “avoid getting into war”, albeit under the same regime and using a line that was overused throughout the year of revolution in Yemen.

Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi's campaign poster

The election supporters want Hadi to gain more than 4 million votes because that's what outgoing President Saleh got in the previous election, believing that would give Hadi “more legitimacy”, although he would be president regardless of the vote as per the the GCC brokered deal implementation mechanism, since he was already handed the executive powers.

Tom Finn, a freelance journalist based in Yemen, tweeted:

@tomfinn2: Though there's only 1 candidate most Yemenis I know are pretty positive about the elections, lots of talk of ‘turning a new page'.

He then added:

@gregorydjohnsen @adammbaron A large majority won't vote but I still think there'll be a bigger turn-out than expected..

He estimated the vote turnout to be as low as 15 per cent.

This video which is part of a series posted by YeElection on behalf of the Supreme Committee for Election and Referendum to promote the electoral campaign indicates that every voter has one vote and encourages people to cast their vote, yet it fails to mention that there is also only ONE candidate.

Many neitzens have questioned the point of the election, and thought it ought to be called an appointment or selection instead - since he is the vice president anyway and it is natural for him to rule during the transitional period. They also have argued that there was no need to waste funds on the election campaign and monitors, which are pointless since the result is known beforehand.

Whether Hadi gets one vote or five million, it will not change the outcome, especially when the necessary funds could have been allocated for the relief of other more pressing issues in Yemen. They could have gone to organizations which combat hunger in Yemen and some even suggested that part of of it could have gone to the families of the martyrs and treating the injured.

Facebook pages in Arabic and English were set up by activists to reject and boycott the elections.

Journalist Brian Whitaker tweeted:

@Brian_Whit: An “election” that allows only one candidate is not a real election bit.ly/AflZtW #yemen

He points in his blog:

The “election” itself is illegal and invalid because the Yemeni constitution states very clearly that there must be more than one candidate. Even Saleh accepted that principle in two previous presidential elections (while of course ensuring that opposition candidates never stood a chance of winning).

Here are some of tweets over this very controversial subject.

@The_Wadi tweeted an article that represented both views:

What do Yemenis think of the election? “We'll vote to avoid war.” “Why are there elections if there's no competition?” bit.ly/w2r1PC

@ginnyUK, associate fellow at Chatham House, who runs Yemen Forum, tweeted a genuine concern that many have:

lack of detailed planning for post-Feb 21 military restructuring, national dialogue, constitutional reform gives pause for thought #Yemen

Yemeni @SummerNasser added:

I guess it's up to citizen journalists to write up on the 'selection' (election) in #Yemen..

And Gregory Johnsen, a PHD candidate in Near Eastern studies and close observer of Yemen, tweeted:

@Gregorydjohnsen: Yemen's one-man presidential campaign brought to you by the US and the GCC.

He replied to a tweet teasingly:

Early polls suggest Hadi the favorite RT @Yemen411 Countdown for elections in #Yemen: 15 days & 18 Hours

And replying why there weren't other candidates, he responded:

@abuaardvark Others couldn't get parliamentary support to get on ballot - GCC deal has Hadi taking over, begs the question: why an election?

Adam Baron, @adammbaron, a freelance journalist currently in Yemen, noted:

@abuaardvark @gregorydjohnsen id say b/c elex mean sharia dostooria [translation: constitutional legitamcy], but a 1 man election is actually in violation of #Yemen's constitution

And Iona Craig, @ionacraig, the Times correspondent in Yemen mockingly tweeted:

Remind me. What's the point in having an election campaign when you're the sole candidate and there's no minimum turnout requirement?

@alruwaishan added:

You can argue a lot of things, but one man running against himself being an election is not one of them. #Yemen's “election” is ridiculous.

@al_masani replied:

@alruwaishan when ali saleh was prez AT LEAST he had a candidate running against him. things went from bad to worse 1 candidate? #yemen

@Brian_Whit wondered if Saleh was planning a comeback:

Could Saleh do Putin's trick? RT @ginnyUK: who will replace Hadi as VP when Hadi becomes president? #Yemen

And @SummerNasser concluded with a very likely scenario which many Yemeni would definitely reject:

Let me just give you all a heads up. Hadi will be in place, then in the future Ahmed (Saleh's son) will take over. Mark my words. #BFEY #Yemen

Many Yemenis believe that taking part in this election is pointless since the election results are pre-determined, as was the imposed GCC deal and the immunity it granted Saleh. They doubt that it will bring about any real change in Yemen in the foreseeable future with Hadi, another military man replacing Saleh, and thus that there is no prospect of the civil state which the revolution demanded, especially with Saleh's family still controlling the military apparatus and his regime still intact.

And as @abubakrabdullah points in his post in the Guardian's live blog:

Either way, an end to clashes and the provision of regular electricity, gas and water are more eagerly anticipated in Yemen than an election right now.

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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Yemenis in New York threw a shoe in the direction of outgoing Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they say should be standing before the International Criminal Court (ICC) and not staying at Manhattan's Luxury Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The shoe did not hit Saleh but sent home the message that Yemenis are angry he is getting pampered instead of facing justice for his crimes against the Yemeni people.

On Thursday February 2, 2012, a press conference was organized in front of the Ritz Carlton, where Yemenis and Yemeni Americans standing on the sidewalk opposite the hotel expressed their anger by waving placards with slogans saying “democracies should not host dictators,” as well as photographs of people who were killed in Yemen's year-long revolution.

Amel Ahmed @iiamelii, a NYC-based freelance writer, law student and member of the Yemeni American Coalition for Change speaking to Democracy Now (video starts at “10:45) said:

Dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh is staying at this hotel, so we came out to protest the fact that our government would allow him into this country to begin with. We don’t feel that he should be here in the United States of America. We think it sends the wrong message to the Middle East, if you’re saying that you support democracy in the Middle East, and you’re anti-extremism in the Middle East, then you shouldn’t be supporting dictators. You should be supporting people on the ground who are calling for a democracy. I mean, for years, we’ve criticized the Muslim world, for turning to extremism and not sharing the same democratic values, meanwhile we have an entire generation that’s rising up and demanding democracy, and meanwhile, you’re hosting a dictator in a five-star hotel. The message is conflicting, and there should be a consistent message coming from the White House.”

Another protester rally was staged on Sunday (Feb 5), when Saleh himself exited the Ritz Carlton, confirming his debatable stay at the hotel. Protesters shouted at him, “O'Afash (an offensive name given to Saleh by Yemenis) you will be prosecuted for killing innocent people,” when Saleh provokingly waved at them and blew kisses at them as shown in this video (posted by: ahmedfathinyc) prompting a shoe to be hurled at him from a protester. Another tried to cross the police barricade but was arrested.

@SummerNasser, who was at the protest, tweeted:

@SummerNasser: SALEH CAME OUT OF THE RITZ, throwing kisses at us. one protester tried to run across the street to go after him. He got arrested!!!!!

@SummerNasser: The chants that we said were: “ICC not NYC” ; “Shame On Ritz for hosting criminals” ; Obama must choose a side, Human rights or genocide”

@SummerNasser: I can't believe I saw the man that killed thousands of my people back home. No words to describe what I was feeling. No words..

She tweeted a photograph of a sign another fellow activist, Ahlam Said, was carrying:

@SummerNasser: @AhlamS's sign for the rally today. pic.twitter.com/elI9JIU7

A sign Ahlam Said was carrying in the protest in front of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York

@AhlamS, an online organizer and daughter of Yemeni immigrants, tweeted:

While Yemenis at Guantanamo bay r being tortured w/out a trial, Saleh is livin it up at the ritz carlton. THE RITZ! #yemen

@AhlamS added:

video of #Saleh n NY waving & throwing kisses at the #Yemeni protestors. Medical treatment my @$$. He looks fine 2 me ht.ly/8Tb7e

She finally added:

@monaeltahawy picture of us with the shoe that was few feet frm hitting #Yemen's brutal dictator #Saleh ow.ly/i/rHHG

@SamWaddah expressed what the majority of Yemenis felt:

@SummerNasser @AhlamS Proud of you guys! Saleh has faced humiliation today like never before!

@wsaqaf tweeted with irony:

Protester who threw #Saleh with shoe in #NYC got arrested by police yet when Saleh threw bombs at his people, he was rewarded!

A statement issued by the Yemeni American Coalition for Change, the organizers of the rally said:

[We] are outraged and disgusted with our government's decision to grant the dictator temporary haven and diplomatic immunity….We demand with a unified voice that that these hotel chains respond to what the international community has classified as the work of war criminals.

Yemenis, especially the Yemeni-American community living in the US have been protesting against Saleh's visit to the US, which was under the pretext of seeking medical treatment. Many believe Saleh is in the US for a treat rather than a medical treatment. When the Obama administration decided in December to permit Saleh to visit the country, an official said that NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital would be providing his treatment, but the hospital has not confirmed that report.

Update: If the purpose of the visit to the US was really medical @GregoryDJohnsen suggested:

This all could have been avoided http://nyti.ms/zjvMjA Instead of bringing Salih to the US, could have brought US doctors to Salih in Saudi

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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Five times after delaying discussion on a controversial immunity law, parliament endorsed the law granting outgoing Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh total immunity from legal and judicial prosecution yesterday. The law grants Saleh complete immunity for any crimes committed during his rule, including the killing of protesters since the beginning of the popular uprising against his regime in February.

The law prior to it's amended version had also given complete immunity to everyone who served Saleh's governments throughout his rule, yet it was changed on Thursday to grant them immunity only on “politically motivated” criminal acts, thus not covering corruption charges.

Veteran activist @alguneid tweeted:

#Breaking by phone from inside parliament #Sanaa Atmosphere is so emotional. Pro and anti- Saleh MPs are so happy to get rid of Saleh #Yemen

@alguneid added:

#Breaking by phone from inside parliament #Sanaa many MPs, cried, includin PM. It's over. Saleh finished,legally& constitutionally. #Yemen

Yemeni blogger @Afrahnasser tweeted:

#Yemen's PM crying at the parliament ; requesting to grant immunity for #Saleh youtu.be/P4xNls91pRc

The video of the PM crying was posted by KareemoS and sparked different reactions:

Journalist and eyewitness @mohammedalqadhi tweeted his reaction:

I have felt i wanted to cry loudly as I saw the prime minister weeping at the parliament in appeal to take Yemen off its dilemma!

@ichamza sarcastically tweeted:

u need a bill to pass in this political scene? no need for reason or logic or any of this shit! just cry in front of Parliament! #Yemen #Waa

Yemeni Journalist and Winner of International Press Freedom Award 2011 @KhaledHammadi tweeted:

#Yemen PM #Basundowa crys in parliament asking MPs to pass immunity law draft as a tool to avoid crisis

He added:

@KhalidHammadi: #Yemen parliament approves nomination of vice-president Abdu Raboo Hadi as sole presidential candidate 4 all parties at next Feb21 election

Freelance journalist @ionacraig, who is currently in Yemen, added:

Parliament agreed today to pass amended immunity law. Just needs final sign off from VP Hadi to become law. #Yemen

She pointed the crimes that Saleh is not immune from:

@ionacraig: Immunity does NOT include UN classified: Crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, gross violations of human rights & sexual violence.

Journalist Jane Novak criticized the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plan in her blog Armies of Liberation :

Its astounding that the GCC plan legitimizes the parliament, whose terms expired in 2009, to grant immunity to Saleh but doesn’t require those who have immunity to retire. The uncontested election is a waste of time and money as the international community undermined the concept of Yemenis right to self determination by ignoring their demands entirely. Its a veneer of democracy on a totally undemocratic process. The GCC plan also empowers the existing political parties and elites to a level beyond their credibility with the public.

I also tweeted my disappointment:

@NoonArabia: How can a new era for #Yemen start with impunity?! I and many Yemenis are disappointed, so are the families of the martyrs.

@Amal_Nasser replied:

@NoonArabia new era for saleh but not for yemen. the country is not through with the misery #Saleh caused !

And @HatemRushdi replied referring to the case of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak:

Is it better or worse than the mockery of a trial we are having here? I am not too sure, maybe best to move on, maybe not

@abdullaht pragmatically tweeted:

Today Yemeni parliament approved complete immunity law for Saleh, a dark day in history of justice, but time to move on and fix country!

And as @SummerNasser wisely tweeted:

Saleh has left w/out punishment, but I'm not worried at all- b/c he's going to get his punishment from God. Whether on this earth or after.

Malcom X said “I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against.”

We have witnessed the fate of the Arab Spring despots who have fallen. Tunisia's Zine Al Abedeen Ben Ali made a swift escape to Saudi Arabia, Libyan Muammar Gaddafi faced a despicable death, Mubarak is facing a farce of a trial and Saleh today got the best deal ever given to a dictator with blood on his hands - impunity.

Yemenis have been marching in millions for months rejecting the immunity law, offered to Saleh and his regime by the GCC deal, which was eventually passed by parliament with disregard to international law and popular demand. The passing of this law was undoubtedly a black day for justice which brought an end to Saleh's 33 years of rule, however a new page whether we agree or disagree of how it was written, has been turned in Yemen's history.

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

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Middle East North Africa:

Yemen: The Amazing Life March Arrives in Sanaa
From Yemen we have the amazing story of the historic 264km Life March, which is the longest since Mahatma Gandhi's 390km long  Salt March in 1930. During the Life March, villages and towns came together to give food and drink to the thousands of people who marched for four days straight through winding mountain passes protesting the immunity that outgoing President Saleh asked for himself and his aides and family for the killing of protesters in the Yemen uprisings.

However, the march didn't seem to sway the newly formed cabinet members who approved the bill: it will now go on to parliament for it to become a law.
Yemen: Saleh Gets Away With Murder…He Gets Immunity

It is those martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the rest of Yemen to live a life of freedom and democracy, whom Yemenis feel they must never be forgotten nor should their blood go in vain.

This next video is a silent remembrance for those who died during the peaceful uprising:

Some online activists are also promoting an online campaign against a stimulating herb chewed by many Yemeni men and women for hours on end, sometimes daily. The campaign is for a day without using the leafy green plant, Qat:
Yemen: January 12, a Day Without Qat

As blogger @Afrahnasser, proposed on Twitter:

An average citizen in Yemen wastes 8 hrs in searching money for qat, another 8 hrs in chewing qat & the rest 8 hrs in sleeping @NoonArabia

The idea of the campaign is to turn those hours spent on qat into active endeavors which build up Yemen.

Sub-Saharan Africa:

Ethiopia: Swedish Journalists Found Guilty of Terrorism Charges
Swedish journalists Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson crossed from Somalia to Ethiopia illegally which caused the Ethiopian authorities to detain and put them on trial for supporting terrorist activities and crossing illegally into the territory, although the defense claims that they were performing their duty as journalists to report both sides of the conflict. This next video was used as evidence during the trial, where the journalists are seen planning their journey as journalists

Western Europe:

Spain: Fighting for the Right to a Home

Families who got into debt to buy a home and ended without jobs or income to pay for them are being helped by an organization aiming to stop families from being evicted and to give them temporary homes in foreclosed and empty houses when they aren't able to stop the banks.  The video on this post shows their success in avoiding an eviction and keeping a man and his 13 year old son off the streets.

Eastern and Central Europe:

Hungary: Memories of Barvalipe Roma Pride Summer Camp
Growing up Roma in Europe can make children feel stigmatized and rejected by their peers, causing them to hide their origins and feel ashamed of their heritage. The Barvalipe Roma Pride Summer Camp aimed to give Roma youth a chance to discover their roots by learning the language, history and cuisine of the Roma people.

East Asia:

Hong Kong: Protest Against Luxury Brand to Defend Local Identity
A luxury brand which doesn't allow for photographs to be taken of its store is not news, but when they stated that the rule only applied for local residents of Hong Kong and not tourists from Mainland China, the people of Hong Kong made their anger known through a flashmob outside the store.

Latin America:

Chile: Wildfire in Torres del Paine Shocks Netizens
The wildfire in one of Chile's top touristic spots, National Park Torres del Paine had netizens blogging and tweeting about the fire, both as experienced by those inside the park at the time of the evacuation and recorded it on video as well as from concerned people following the news and updates.

Central America: LibreBus Project Presents its Documentary
The documentary follows the activists who climbed on board a bus driving through 5 different Central American countries to spread the message of free software, the defense of freedom of speech and content sharing.

Colombia: Salsa Song Criticizes Bus Rapid Transport System
Public transportation makes it easier for people to get from one location to another without having to use their own vehicle, however, when that public transportation system is overcrowded, it can become a torture instead of a relief. The salsa song (with translated captions here) shows what it is like for people to use the popular Transmilenio System in the capital city of Bogota.

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