On top of Sa’da, now we have kidnappings [Archives:2006/910/Opinion]

It seems like Yemen's problems will never end, but rather become more intertwined and complex, to the point that anyone seeking to find solutions will have a cerebral hemorrhage trying to figure out where to start and when will they end. When one looks at the existing situation in the country, we have a very loose security situation, with a civil war brewing still in the suffering governorate of Sa'ada, which is getting more punitive for the poor and gentle people of Sa'ada, who have never caused problems for anyone before. The reports coming out of the governorate are not at all that encouraging and paint a terrible picture of oppression and other abuse of power by certain elements of the military and the security organs, including embezzlement, forced and illegal levies, poor schools and many other difficulties that the people of Sa'ada did nothing to really deserve.

The President of the Republic did right in replacing the Governors of the governorates where the despicable kidnappings took place and one would think that the Governors of our provinces should be able to ensure the security of all people who happen to enter their governorates or who live there. However, in Sa'ada, the people of Sa'ada have been subjected to a mind boggling messy security situation now for almost two years and it is said that the Governor there takes a lot of the responsibility for all the mayhem and even the oppression that the good folk of Sa'ada are forced to live under, yet the Governor of Sa'ada is not to be subject to any accountability for all the agony of the citizens of Sa'ada Governorate. There is a lot of blood being spilled in Sa'ada and it is precious Yemeni blood, not to mention all the misery that the people of Sa'ada have been needlessly forced to live under, as an obvious sectarian feud is allowed to engulf the entire countryside of the Governorate. The late General Abdul-Karim Al-Mansour, was once a Governor of Sa'ada and he was able to control the governorate and keep the peace there with only some forty men with him. Now we have all these forces that are hammering whole villages there, yet the war is still on and the people of Sa'ada have no one to hear their cries as the military and security forces have been given the liberty to do as they please and extort whatever they can from the people of Sa'ada. Complaints to the Governor of such abuse of power is getting nowhere and it is said that the Governor is approving of such mistreatment of generally good law abiding citizens, as the people of Sa'ada are well known for being.

But the kidnappings in Mareb and Shabwa have caused two governors to loose their jobs and they probably could not have done anything to prevent the kidnappings anyway, since tribal friction lies at the root of the problem of the kidnappings. In Sa'ada, however, the whole population of the Governorate is suffering and the Governor is not willing or ready to do anything about it. On the contrary, many people in Sa'ada are saying that he is indeed encouraging their terrible plight and has done all he could to encourage the anti-Zeidi storm that has been lately unleashed for no understandable reason whatsoever. Isn't time to look at the

Governorate of Sa'ada and wonder why the Governor cannot come up with a solution to the problems he has helped so much in instigating.

Yes, the kidnappings are indeed an unwelcome development, and will surely do irreparable damage to our all but decapitated tourist industry and every effort must be made to end this bad stain on the image of Yemen. Everyday, Yemen has been making headlines all over the world and one is shocked to find that the news outside is even more detailed than what we are getting at home.

Who are the people being kidnapped? So far almost all of them have been from the friendliest countries to Yemen, both in terms of the bilateral aid they give to Yemen and the number of tourists that have come to visit our land of peace and tranquility. One wonders if these kidnappings are really more than just for settlement of tribal disputes. One would thing also that much government neglect of the area could have a role in leaving people without access to health, education and other vital services that could do wonders in keeping people at ease and law abiding. Even the released kidnapped people have shown some sympathy for their captors as they have found deprivation a major concern worth noting by the government. If the people of Mareb, Al-Jouf, Shabwa and poor poor Sa'ada are being so deprived, then what progress have we really made in providing equal opportunities for all Yemenis to live in peace and to have access to the most basic of services?

Surely, it is time for Parliament to ask the Government serious questions about the state of the country. Kidnappings should be controlled and it is time that the tribal chiefs be asked to start showing some real genuine leadership by controlling their constituencies and bringing law and order to their domains. They can't just be given budget allocations and other gratuities from the government without having to produce the peace and stability Yemen badly needs if it is to ever have any hopes for development.

If the kidnappings do not cease immediately, we can never hope for a revival of our tourist traffic, let alone expect tourism to become a promising thriving sector. Moreover, for a country that once prided itself for its hospitality and friendly welcome to all its visitors, who come in peace, we now have a badly tarnished image that will take miracles to correct. Yes, kidnappers must be dealt with punitively, but then again, the people of Mareb and Shabwa and Al-Jouf must have access to basic services and jobs to keep the people busy, and let them feel obligated to abide by the law. But when they are getting nothing to start with except new governors, who probably will not be able to do any better than their predecessors unless, they start looking after their constituencies, in a more dignified manner than what we are seeing in the Governorate of Sa'ada, kidnappings will be just another indication of the inability of the government to keep the peace of the land.

Hassan Al-Haifi is a Yemeni political economist and journalist for more than 20 years.
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