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Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 September 1999 Issue No. 445
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Focus Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A phantom is haunting Yemen
By Sherine Bahaa
With Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh about to launch his re-election campaign, a series of explosions rocked the impoverished country on Friday and Saturday. This was a clear reminder to Saleh that his coming term -- as his victory is nearly certain -- will not be an easy one.
Three explosions erupted with only short intervals in between. The strongest blast ripped through a supermarket near several foreign embassies in the capital Sana'a shortly after midnight Friday. Local sources and eyewitnesses said at least nine people were killed. The state television reported that six people had died, but the Interior Ministry insisted that only two were killed, including the owner of the supermarket.
Another blast was reported outside a bank in the southern city of Aden the same day without causing injury or damage. A similar explosion also took place in the southern town of Zinjibar, near Aden.
Yemeni authorities insisted that the bombings in Sana'a were carried out for criminal reasons and had nothing to do with the ongoing confrontation between the government and suspected Islamist militants. The government said the supermarket's owner had had disputes with his partners and that it was investigating this as the possible reason behind the explosion.
However, a London-based Islamist militant wanted by the Yemeni authorities claimed that the extremist Aden-Abyan Islamic Army was responsible for the explosion. Abu Hamza El-Masri, who runs an Islamist information centre, Supporters of Shari'a, said that Aden-Abyan Islamic Army militants had blown up the supermarket in revenge for death sentences issued last month against two of the group's members, including their leader, Zein Al-Abideen Al-Mehdar. The two were responsible for the kidnapping of 14 tourists in Yemen late last year. Yemeni authorities intervened to save the hostages and four tourists were killed.
A strong blast ripped through a supermarket near several foreign embassies in the capital Sana'a on Friday (photo: AFP)
El-Masri also claimed that the explosion was aimed at the British Embassy, which is 300 metres from the supermarket, in response to its participation in the nearly daily attacks against Iraqi targets in the no-fly zones. "They aimed to protest against the continued detention of the group's members, and against the killing of civilians in Iraq by Western warplanes," El-Masri said.
This is not the first time that the Yemeni government has rejected claims by militant Islamist groups of their responsibility for acts of violence. The Aden-Abyan army previously claimed responsibility for the crash of a military aircraft in August which killed 17 people. The government, however, dismissed the claim, blaming a technical fault.
The same group also said it was behind a grenade attack which killed seven people in a traditional market-place in Sana'a a few hours after the death sentences were passed against the Aden-Abyan militants. Authorities then said that the attack was sparked by a dispute over the sale of a watch and that it was an act carried out by a mentally disturbed person. Thirteen men are now standing trial for that incident.
The escalation of violence in Yemen comes at a time when the country is preparing itself for presidential elections on 26 September. Saleh's victory is certain after the parliament excluded the main opposition candidate of the Socialist Party in a special session held last month. According to Yemeni law, a candidate for the presidency has to get the backing of at least 10 per cent of the 301 parliament members before competing in a public referendum. The Socialist Party boycotted the latest parliament elections; therefore, it did not have any representatives in parliament. The main candidate running against Saleh is a member of his own party, the General Peoples' Congress. Saleh also enjoys the support of the second largest party in Yemen, the Islamist Islah.
Violent incidents also threaten Yemen's tourism income which has already deteriorated sharply following scores of tourist kidnapping incidents. "Tourists feel insecure in a country where weapons are everywhere," said one observer.
According to Interior Ministry figures, there are as many as 60 million firearms in Yemen, an average of three for every man, woman and child among the country's 16 million people.
On Monday, the Yemeni government banned the carrying of weapons in Sana'a. "Carrying a weapon in the cities is forbidden, even if the weapon is licensed," state television announced one day after the latest explosions. Illegal guns, mainly Kalashnikov automatic rifles, are openly carried in Yemen.
Yemeni authorities have launched a campaign against carrying weapons in cities every year since 1995. They have all failed, mainly because so many official organisations hand out permits allowing people to bypass the law.
