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| Arabia |
| The Battle for Yemens Unity |
| 2009-08-24 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] Asharq Al-Awsat - Fawzi, the eldest son of Al-Zubayri, who belongs to the Al Sarih tribe, was killed two weeks ago. He was serving in Al-Firqah Division of the Yemeni Army. He was taking part in fighting in the rugged Razih Mountains where rebels seeking to restore the Imamate theocratic rule, which prevailed in the country before the1960s, were barricaded. Al-Zubaryi put the photo of his son and that of his son's friend on the windshield of his cab. Photos of martyrs can be seen on the windshields of cars driving along the streets of Yemen's central cities like Sanaa and adjacent towns. Those photos reflect the domestic problems Yemen is going through. Fawzi's father said: "As I drive my car, I feel sad for those who lost their sons in military confrontations for the sake of Yemen's unity. While at home, my sons and I feel sad for my son, Fawzi. He was here with us on leave, but when the problem created by Al-Huthist gunmen increased, he returned to the battlefront in the north. He kept in contact with us by telephone until he arrived at his post in the Razih Mountains where gunmen fighting against the state were hiding. Then his news ceased and his telephone and those of his colleagues fell silent. Three days later, the commander of the military division in Sadah informed me that my son was not feeling well and was in the hospital. Deep down, I felt that my son was martyred." The Yemeni Government did not announce the number of the army soldiers or of the tribesmen fighting alongside the Army who were killed for the sake of Yemen's unity. However, private local sources estimated the number of dead soldiers and tribesmen at several thousands. When one meets with any of those bereaved fathers, they do not complain about the hardships of life without a son or brother only, but about the hardships of life too. Centralization of the state, meager income, lack of comprehensive health, and social insurance, as well as power outages and occasional water cuts are all problems that local officials acknowledge. They make plans in hopes of arriving at urgent solutions despite the unfavorable circumstances, thanks to decline in growth rate, fast population growth, and disturbances in the northern and southern parts of the country. The cabinet ministers have traveled in several governorates and promised people that the forthcoming stage will see improvement in their living conditions on the political, economic, and social levels. |
| Posted by:Fred |