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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 11 - 17 November 1999 Issue No. 455
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Books Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Yemen bent on uprooting terror
By Ahmed BashrahilSecurity and stability, long the priority of the Yemeni government, are now recognised as essential for economic growth and for political progress by all in the country. The kidnapping of foreign tourists, an established ploy for Yemeni tribesmen to pressure the government into implementing new construction projects in their territories, or into improving road access to them, has long damaged the country's reputation abroad. The disturbing regularity of such incidents has come close to turning Yemen into a lawless society, with inevitable repercussions for the country's future. The question for the government is how to put an end to such actions on a permanent basis.
Though almost all cases of such tribal kidnappings -- with American, British, French and German diplomats and tourists among their victims -- have been settled peacefully in accordance with deeply-rooted tribal traditions in Yemen. President Ali Abdullah Saleh has described such events as "unacceptable blackmail" and "terrorist actions".
An indication of the Yemeni government's determination to prevent further events of this sort came with the execution of Zein Al-Abedeen Al-Mihdar, leader of the Islamist extremist group the Abyan-Aden Islamist Army, in the capital Sana'a on 17 October. Three Britons and an Australian died in a pitched battle between members of the Islamist group and units of the Yemeni army who were attempting a rescue. In December 1998, Al-Mihdar and his followers had kidnapped a group of 16 foreign tourists, of whom the four were members.
The present crackdown of terrorism in Yemen comes in the wake of the country's unification in May 1994. The north of the country and the formerly socialist south joined together under the leadership of President Saleh, who promised progress in social and political rights. The country now boasts over 40 newspapers and magazines, two of them in English, and many of which reflect the views of opposition groups.
Some 30 political parties have been established over the past few years, and these now have the right to contest elections together with the ruling General Popular Conference (GPC), and its strong ally, the Yemeni Rally for Reform, or Islah -- both of which were winners of the 1994 war that preceded unification, defeating the opposing, southern-based, Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP).
Among government efforts to tackle the security situation in the country were recent arms-control campaigns aiming at collecting weapons and firearms used by both tribal leaders and ordinary citizens. New laws have been issued banning the carrying of firearms in major cities and restricting arms sales and distribution.
All candidates in last September's presidential elections endorsed a policy platform committed to securing civic life, the upholding of the rule of law, and efforts to attract foreign investment and tourism by creating an environment less hostile to these goals. The candidates said that they agreed on the need to deal with the poor security conditions and the daily warfare that takes place in the country's different governorates. All sides sought to end the tradition of vendettas in Yemen and to combat the cultural and social traditions that arguably glorify the possession of weapons and many forms of extremism.
In Yemen, particularly in the northern governorates, a tribal system still prevails. Many tribes remain powerful, and members commonly arm themselves. The sheikhs of such tribes remain influential in local societies.
At the same time, the difficulties facing the country, especially financial and economic hardships and the decline in the value of the Yemeni riyal, have added new burdens to the country's generally poor population -- exacerbating tensions that already exist.
The challenge of the future is how to secure the country's economic prospects while at the same time acting to improve the security situation. Conditions are gradually improving, but for how long remains unclear. Experts on Yemeni affairs agree that a permanent improvement in security will take a long time in a society where tribal rules and customs take priority over written laws.
