Three main challenges facing the solution, Islamist party wants to gain from three fronts

By Nasser Arrabyee Yemen Observer Three big obstacles are facing the International community-supported political process to end the one-year long crisis of Yemen. The first one is the ongoing war between the government forces and militants of the Islamic party, Islah, in Taiz, Arhab and Nehm. The tribal militants claim they defend the protesters. Five soldiers were killed and 15 others injured on Thursday, December 1, 2011, in Taiz in the fighting with the tribal militants who allegedly support protesters. Five protesters at least were killed in the same confrontations. The second obstacle is the fighting between the Salafi Sunni fighters and al-Houthi Shiite fighters in the northern province of Sa’adah. The head of the Salafi, Yahya al-Hajouri, called on Wednesday for Jihad (Holy war) against al-Houthi whom he described as “unbelievers”. “The greatest deed to get closer and closer to Allah Almighty is to fight al-Houthi, Rafedha,” said al-Hajouri in a statement addressed to the Islamic Ummah. Al-Houthi and Salafis exchange accusations that the government is supporting one of them against the other. Obviously, the Islamist party, Islah, wants to achieve from three different fronts: It wants to have the lion’s share from the negotiations with the ruling party, as the leader of the opposition. And it wants to gain from the war its supporters and members are launching against the government forces and loyal tribesmen in Taiz, Arhab and Nehm. The third front from which Islah wants to gain, is the protesters in the streets whose majority belong to Islah. Inspired and instructed by Islah, the protesters keep refusing the GCC deal which was signed by Islah and the other opposition parties. The third obstacle facing the implementation of the GCC is the separation movement of the south, al-Hirak. Al Houthi and Hirak refuse the GCC deal. The international community needs to take these challenges into considerations and support the political process and encourage Yemenis to rebuild their country. Yemenis have just started to rebuild their country after about one year of wars and unrest. However, they are still facing a lot of challenges. To build is much more difficult than to destroy. The most important two decisions to rebuild the new Yemen were taken immediately after the conflicting parties signed last week a road map showing step by step how both the opposition and the ruling party would run the country until February 2014 when a civil and democratic State is fully established. The first decision was to call on Yemenis to elect a new President on February 21st, 2012 to run the country during the coming two years required for establishing the long-awaited modern State that would meet the ambitions and aspirations of all Yemenis. The second decision was to entrust an opposition leader to form a national consensus government shared equally by both the opposition and the ruling party to normalize the life after the wars and help the new elected president to establish the new State. The two important decisions were taken by the Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who has now constitutional powers to implement the Saudi-led Gulf brokered deal for transferring the power from President Ali Abdullah Saleh. According to the GCC deal and its implementation mechanism, which were signed by all conflicting parties on November 23rd, 2011 in the Saudi capital Riyadh, President Saleh will remain legitimate until a new president is elected on February 21st, 2011. The candidate of both the opposition and the ruling party in the February Presidential elections must be the current Vice President Hadi, according to the road map, which is called the implementation mechanism, which was drawn by the UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar and approved and signed by all conflicting parties in Yemen. Undoubtedly, Hadi would be the new elected President for the two years of transitional period. By then, Hadi will have his legitimacy directly from the people, not like the case now when his powers come only from the constitutional authorization of President Saleh. During next week, the unity government will be declared and its members will take the constitutional oath before Hadi. To avoid the conflict over the important ministries like the defense and oil, the opposition will make two lists with each one having 50 percent of the portfolios. And the ruling party will choose one of the lists to be occupied by its members. The UN Security Council and international community supported the agreement which came as implementation of its resolution 2014. The SC urged the two sides to stick to all steps of the road map and implement them on time. The two sides should stop violence, and whoever violates would be held accountable. The president Saleh from his side, issued a general amnesty for all Yemenis who made mistakes against the government during the 11 month of the crisis. But the Presidential amnesty does not include those who tried to assassinate him on June 3, 2011. Although the solution of the Yemeni crisis was and is supported by the whole international community, a lot of difficulties are facing the implementation of the road map. The most dangerous challenge is the security and military situation. The militants of the Islamist party, Islah, are still in sporadic confrontations with the army and security in many places like Taiz and Arhab. The separatist movement in the south and al-Houth Shiite rebels in the north and some independent youth still refuse the GCC deal. The UN envoy to Yemen, Jamal Bin Omar said Monday November 28, 2011, that the separatist movement in the south and al-Houthi in the north and the independent youth should be represented in the new interim government. The separatist movement in the south insist on separation and having their own independent state. al-Houthi group wants to establish their own Shiite state in the north at the borders with the Sunni Saudi Arabia. More than 30 Salafi people were killed last week in battles between al-Houthi Shiite fighters and Salafi fighters in the area of Dammaj, in Sa’adah, north of the country. Al-Houthi group says, the Salafi center in Damnaj was established in the early 1980s by the Yemeni and Saudi governments with the aim of abolishing the Shiite. The Dammaj Salafi school has about 12,000 students from Yemen and outside Yemen. About 11 foreign students were killed in the battles of last week in Dammaj according to the spokesman of the Salafi school, Abu Ismail.