Yemeni Protesters Condemn GCC Deal, Demand Trial of Saleh

Thousands gathered in Sana’a and Taiz to call on former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to be prosecuted for ordering violence against demonstrators. Protesters chanted slogans against the recently brokered Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) deal that gave Saleh amnesty in return for stepping down, and many in the streets have slammed the deal as falling short of their expectations. Meanwhile, the United Nations, along with six world powers, proposed a plan to unite Yemen’s armed forces, which are currently in the midst of a ceasefire. The plan would seek to unite forces still loyal to Saleh with armed supporters of the opposition.

Concurrently, a Canadian court accepted the appeal for refugee status of Abdelwahab Zabeba, a former staff member of the Yemeni embassy to the U.S. Zabeba went to Canada in 2009 after being labeled as an enemy of Saleh, and was one of the first government figures to leave the regime.

In a meeting with senior British officials, Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman asserted that Yemen may descend into a civil war if the West continues to support the current transition and refuses to take legal action against Saleh, who has been given ninety days to step down after signing the GCC deal. Karman was critical of this time period, and told British Foreign Minister William Hague, “Three months is a long time. It means, enter Yemen to civil war. And I warn you because you are silent, you encourage him by your silence to do that.”

IRIN news agency of the UNOCHA published an analysis piece in which it argues that Yemen faces numerous challenges in its current transition period. The economy, which was weak before protests against Saleh began in February, has since lost US$17 Billion and according to an economist at Sana’a University, “it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for the new cabinet to make progress without the [financial] support of the international community.” Additionally, the article lists ongoing youth protests against the GCC deal and a fractured armed forces as continuing forces for instability.