Yemen Southerners Risk Death. Again.

South Yemeni continue to demand a separate government and control of their own Fate, to the extent  the Goddess of Fate and Necessity allows any o us to control his own fate.

Please remember that five million persons in Yemen have no food.  New York Times, 30 Sep 12 .

The United Sates and Saudi Arabia engineered a "settlement" of Yemen protests that allowed the dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, immunity from all the death and suffering he caused, and allowed him to flee to Canada with billions of dollars of Yemeni money, which the people of JYemen desperately need.  For Saleh's current activities see U.N. Yemen envoy says former president's camp undermining talks.

I am a staunch supporter of the Southern Separatists.

As a a general principal I support the right of all people to chart their own destiny, including those in the United States.

Persons who oppose power are moved by emotion more than by intellect:  it is not rational to invite early death at the hands of those who have the power to kill you.

And we would still be ruled by Kings Who Rule by Divine Right if not for brave, emotional people.  The emotional people who made the revolution in the English colonies in North America were strongly in favor if freedom, except for women, blacks, those who lived on the land when they arrived, children, and white men who were propertyless.  It has taken a couple of centuries for disenfranchised people to secure their freedom, and the United States Constitution is the most brilliant political creation perhaps since Plato.  For the first time in History the notion that a people could rule themselves became a reality.

See here for lists of active separatist movements worldwide.  I wish them godspeed and wisdom.

See here, here, and here for more on Yemen in this blog.  This blog also contains a lament about drone strikes in Yemen.

Yemen Post Newspaper Logo

LOCAL
Last updated: 07:31:44 PM GMT(+03) Sunday, 01, December, 2013

Southern secessionists return to the streets
 Yemen Post Staff Calling on the Yemeni government to exert restraint in its dealing with southern secessionists, Amnesty International urged on Saturday President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi not to engage the security forces as fresh protests roll out. 

“Yemen must ensure security forces refrain from using excessive force during protests planned this Saturday or risk further bloodshed, Amnesty International wrote in a statement.
Haraki leaders (Southern Secessionist Movement) announced upon Mohammed Ali Ahmed’s exit from the National Dialogue Conference early this week that it would return to the streets and demand that the rights of its people be honoured. 

Since Saturday, November 30th marks the 46th anniversary of former South Yemen independence from British occupation, the central government anticipated large demonstrations across all southern provinces. 

“Protests in Yemen have always been dangerous for activists, with police routinely shooting and killing peaceful demonstrators. However, given the disagreements over the future of the south of Yemen and the charged symbolism of the date, we are particularly worried about what could happen on Saturday.” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.  

“The authorities must ensure the police respect people’s right to demonstrate freely and peacefully . Even if some elements use violence, the police response must be limited to using the minimum force necessary to counter threats. Firearms may only be used in self-defence or defence of others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury,” he added. 

Although the central government has always denied using disproportionate force when dealing with matters related to public order and security, rights groups have systematically beg to differ, arguing that Sana’a had carried on the former regime heavy hand policy. 

Amnesty International referred as an example of government abuse to February 21st, 2013 when security forces opened fire onto peaceful protesters in Khormaksar, a district of Aden (former capital of South Yemen). Four people reportedly died that day and scores were injured. 

“Yemen has a duty to uphold the right to peaceful assembly and to protect those exercising this right,” said Philip Luther. “The authorities must ensure prompt, independent and impartial investigations when security forces attack peaceful protesters, in violation of international human rights standards.”

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Images of Southern Separatist demonstrations in South Yemen in the last week: