Friday prayers protests in Sana’a: Capturing the children

The flip side

On a nightly basis now in Sana’a sporadic gunfire can be heard in pockets across the city, along with the burst of fireworks and almost continous (very irritating) fire crackers.

Setting a precedent, the first major evening of ‘celebrations’ came as Yemen state TV announced the injured President Saleh had left ICU and was making a good recovery from his injuries sustained on June 3. There was no doubt that the instant explosion throughout Sana’a was orchestrated.

But since Saleh’s first televised appearance on July 7, smaller firework displays and spontaneous celebratory moments have taken place in districts around the city every night…much to the exasperation of many of us who’ve had enough of loud explosions and the rattle of gunfire.

A few nights ago I went to one of these street parties to find around 150 local residents gathering to sing, dance and listen to speeches celebrating their nearly fallen hero, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Customary accompanying gunfire opened the event for these genuine Saleh supporters, who also welcomed the few neighbours who happily expressed their resentment for Yemen’s injured leader.

Of course retained support for a challenged leader doesn’t match the paradigm of the Arab Spring and the image of those who still back Saleh has been seriously tarnished by violent “baltagiya” (thugs) along with confirmation that many have been paid to show their enthusiasm for the three decade long ruler.

But it can’t be denied that there are still hand-on-their-heart Saleh lovers and a couple of nights ago they made me very welcome at their evening of revelry.

Although I still fail to see what there is to celebrate in Yemen at the moment. (And predictably the power went out after about ten minutes)

* Update * I should have pointed out that several people have been killed by stray bullets in the two nights of major celebration on June 8 and July 7.

Water not war…or fireworks 

Last night was, in my experience of the near five months since protests began here, one of the most bizarre and unbelievable yet in Yemen.

Bearing in mind Sana’a has witnessed heavy street battles with prolonged periods of sustained gunfire and shelling for at least 10 nights out of the past 14 in the northern district of Hasaba. When silent red flares flew across the night sky to the north late yesterday evening, local residents around where I live screamed for people to get inside their houses. The red flares have been used regularly in recent days by the Republican Guard to direct soldier and tank artillery fire.

What followed was what I, and many of my Yemeni neighbours, (I live in a pro-Saleh area I might add) believed for at least 30 minutes was the much feared of war breaking out between the al-Ahmars and Saleh’s son, Republican Guard commander Ahmed Ali. The sound of AK-47s along with 50 calibre machine gunfire shook the city as hundreds of men opened fire simultaneously and continuously across the capital for around 45 minutes. As the gunfire subsided and I hid in the stairwell of my house, the sound of fireworks could be heard in its place. Poking my head outside the door bemused and stunned residents, like me, watched in surprise and with much uncertainty a 2.5 hour-long firework display all around the city.

As one young man sat in the road, apparently ‘celebrating’ by burning tyres I shook my head in complete disbelief. In the same spot 10 days ago local residents had set up a road block complaining about the more than tripling price of water. Now, although other than the man and his tyres and random individuals wandering with guns, there were no people rejoicing, the skies were filled with signs of celebration and the air with the smell of spent ammunition, as Sana’a took delight in reports of Saleh’s recovery from surgery in Saudi Arabia, according to state TV.

I thought May 22’s surreal events were enough of a theatrical performance but last night left me speechless and for several moments terrified that the oft talked of civil war had begun.

This supposed spontaneous reaction to news from Riyadh seems unlikely, given that the money spent on bullets last night could have provided several hundred water trucks to the city’s desperate residents, as most of Sana’a slipped into its 24th hour without electricity.

Last night’s display seems to indicate even more strongly that Saleh will indeed be back soon.

Thousands of protesters marched to the Vice-President’s residence in Sana’a today calling for Saleh to “stay away” and for a transitional government to be formed.

The defected soldiers of the First Armoured Division escorted them, before stopping them 200m short of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s fortified compound, to avoid confrontation with troops protecting the VP’s house.

Demonstrators said they planned to stage a 24-hour sit-in at the site on 60 meter road in the west of the capital.

Carrying the dead: the funeral procession on Friday for those killed fighting for the al-Ahmars in Hasaba this week.

We don’t get to see the funerals of government soldiers.