Collecting signaturesYemeni people to ask Qadhafi for compensation [Archives:2004/788/Local News]

A number of tribesmen and social people in some Yemeni provinces are collecting signatures (perhaps as many as 200,000) to ask the Libyan leader Moammar Qadhafi for compensation for damage to their areas from hundreds of thousands of mines.
Some resources pointed out that those people belonging to Taiz, Ibb, al-Dhale'e, al-Baida'a have recently formed a tribal committee. This committee is finalizing a complaint that will be proposed to international organizations showing them the great damages.
Al-Mustaqbal Lebanon newspaper published the news on Nov. 3 that “hectares the agricultural lands and pastures became danger zones, and they are consequently deserted lands since the 1970s when the conflict between the two parts of Yemen was taking place. The Libyan system was accused then of supporting the National Front with millions of mines.
“Tens people and much more animals are still killed. Besides, there are hundreds of injuries and the majority of them are handicapped though the official authorities don't have any idea about this thing. The tribesmen don't expect any response or reaction by the official authorities for political reasons especially in the current Arab situation.”
The tribesmen justify their demand with the overt support and releases said by Libyan officials at that time in which they declared their support for the confrontation with mines equaling in number the population of the northern part before the reunification in 1990.
The tribesmen see that it is a suitable time to announce their demands which they consider them lawful especially after the new Libyan orientation and their efforts to close all files of the past, such as paying compensation French people, Americans and Germans. The citizens of the middle areas of Yemen are considered much more affected by these dangers.
The resources don't mention the total compensations they ask and whether the Libyan authorities received the demand or not.
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