Analyzing the Yemeni Uprising, And Violence Continues

Fighting broke out in Sana’a on Monday for the first time since President Ali Abdullah Saleh left the country for medical treatment in June. Opposition sources reported six people were killed, including a family of five during shelling by Saleh’s Republican Guard. In a separate incident, protesters marched outside the home of Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour to protest censorship and harassment by the authorities.

Olga Aymerich, writing for Open Democracy, analyzed the apparent hijacking of the revolution by former Yemeni elites. She described the recent shifts from an inclusive to an exclusive patronage network managed by Saleh. When the U.S. increased counter-terrorism funding to Yemen, the networks shifted again toward the security apparatus lead by Saleh’s relatives. She described the current situation in Yemen as one in which the former elites are attempting to regain their influence at the expense of the youth, who began the uprising. Aymerich believes this could lead to profound instability and worsen the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Also, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that Yemen will need extended humanitarian assistance because the stagnant political situation is leading to further economic deterioration.