Who will be wanted after Al-Bashir? [Archives:2008/1177/Opinion]

By: Moneer Al-Mawri
Regular readers of writings and dialogues on the website with regard to the international arrest memorandum expected to be released against Sudanese leader Omar Al-Bashir will get surprised by the fact that Yemeni websites in or outside Yemen are not less cheerful than the Sudanese in terms of commenting on the ordeal faced by the Sudanese President and his rule.

Cheerful Yemenis never care about Al-Bashir, nor do they care about what has happened in Darfur or what is happening in the south or east of Sudan. In fact, they are concerned about crimes of the ongoing war in north Yemen, as well as potential war crimes in south Yemen. They fear that this sort of crimes may lead to releasing an international memorandum to capture Yemeni leaders, who don't enjoy political and military powers, but give orders to troops to devastate villages and annihilate women and children.

This will not happen in Yemen in the prospective future due to the following reasons:

First: The multiple internal events in Yemen and the approaching date for change from within the regime will not give the relevant international forces enough time to pave the way for international public opinion to issue an arrest memo against a legally elected statesman, according to the testimony of international powers. This may work if the statesman retains his post until the international forces learn about what he commits against his people.

Second: The Yemeni regime succeeded in imposing a complete information blackout on what has been happening in Sa'ada by preventing media personnel, be they local or foreign reporters, from approaching the governorate. On the contrary, Houthis failed to use modern video cameras to take pure photos for events that may help condemn the regime at the international level, particularly as it orders service troops to destroy citizens' homes and property, and kill women and children.

Although the available photo is of bad quality, Houthis' media instrument has focused on the destruction of tanks and burning of armored vehicles in a way priding themselves in lieu of delivering more important facts (photos for genocides) to the international public opinion.

Third: With regard to the South Part of Yemen, it seems that the regime began covering crimes committed against citizens like it did on July 7 when it held a street vendor with the military rank of a major accountable for the killing of several protesters in Aden with the intention of achieving two important objectives. Objective one is to deliver a message of intimidation to citizens of this part with the content: “Those who joint protests will not escape live bullets.”

Objective two is to acquit the authority of flagrant crimes it has so far committed against citizens in South Yemen. The street vendor, however, was labeled as a criminal because he fired randomly in the air when policemen hunted him. He did so in order to avoid killing any of the protesters, particularly as he is one of them.

Fourth: Weakness of Yemeni opposition abroad, as well as its need for the capacity to fund and recruit pressure groups to promote such a Yemeni issue in the west, and highlight human rights abuses and genocides. This pressure is attributed to notable control of the individual work and loss of trust among opposition leaders abroad, which is why they have become unable even to exploit photos published on www.youtube.com that will raise various questions if they are not adequate evidence to condemn the regime.

Fifth: Regarding the available evidence against Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir in person and members of the security cell affiliated with his regime, one can say that this evidence is strong, according to information obtained from Sudanese sources. This information is supported by documented sound and photos while other information is contained in tapes (footage without sound) leaked from the State's television during Al-Bashir's meeting with top loyal officials in his government.

It didn't appeal to the mind of Sudanese President that State's Television staff may leak video tapes and deliver them to the International Court. In Yemen, the available evidence may help in uncovering corruption cases, killing or assassination, however, they don't suffice to accuse the regime of committing mass massacres. And, when available, such evidence in Yemen doesn't go beyond the limit of personal notifications taken from leaders involved in power.

Regional and international forces often favor that these leaders remain in their positions since they constitute a precious source for information instead of losing them for the sake of prosecuting the top political leader in the state.

Sixth: Irrespective of the availability or lack of evidence, the primary motive for provoking an issue against members of the Yemeni regime still is absent. It is represented by the desire of world superpowers to topple the regime because prosecuting the top leader in the regime will eventually mean complete fall of the regime. Even if there is an international will to oust the standing fragile regime in our country, there are other means, which are more quick and feasible than waging a legal war due to last up for many years before the international community realizes its outcome.

Yemen opposition not effective:

Clearly, the Yemeni opposition's inability to crystallize an alternative to assure people about their future, and at the same time assure regional and international forces that their interests will remain in safety, still reflects the primary obstacle before sought-after change. In addition, this inability supplies the standing regime with the sort of ammunition it utilizes to fight against its opponents via making the international community fear them.

In conclusion, those, who pin a great hope in the international community or the International Justice Court to insert Yemeni President in the list of leaders wanted by the U.S. Administration for prosecution after the Sudanese leader was added to the list, should wait for a long time period. The best thing for them to do is contemplate on the famous proverb saying, “Nothing may rub your skin like your fingernail does.” This is a completed agenda with hast revenue and content in total contrast to an international court subjugated by interests of superpowers that have not even signed the agreement under which the court was established.

Source: Al-Maasdar.com
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