Yemeni Tribes, Government Agree to Temporary Truce, May 29, 2011

Yemeni Tribes, Government Agree to Temporary Truce

By AHMED AL-HAJ | AP

Arab News, May 29, 2011 01:23

SANAA:

Yemen’s government and armed tribesmen seeking President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster have agreed to a temporary cease-fire to allow for negotiations after five days of street clashes that killed at least 124 people, a mediator said Saturday.

There were no signs of goodwill from either side, however, to indicate the negotiations were being taken seriously.

The head of Yemen’s most powerful tribal federation called on the Republican Guard and other security forces to abandon Saleh and join protesters who have been calling on the ruler of nearly 33 years to step down. And the government issued an arrest warrant for the tribal leader.

In a letter to security forces, Sheik Sadeq Al-Ahmar, head of the Hashid tribal confederation, called on the army to help “get rid of this regime and be among the makers of the change that the people are calling for.” The cease-fire and negotiations come at a critical moment in Yemen’s three-month old crisis and will likely determine whether the mostly peaceful street protests calling for change give way to more battles between security forces and tribal militias like the ones that raged in the past week.

The fighting broke out Monday after government forces attempted to storm Al-Ahm،r’s compound in the heart of the capital, Sanaa. Armed tribesmen loyal to Al-Ahmar fought back, seizing a number of government buildings.

The fighting then spread outside the capital, with tribesmen capturing two military posts north of Sanaa Saturday before the sides reached a temporary cease-fire.

One mediator said Saturday the two sides will discuss terms for a withdrawal of tribal fighters from at least nine government ministries they occupied during the fighting. The truce was set to expire Saturday evening, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media. No clashes were reported Saturday afternoon.

Even as talks were supposed to get under way, however, Yemeni authorities issued an arrest warrant for Al-Ahmar and other tribal leaders.

Experts say the uprising’s future will be determined by the number of tribes and security forces that turn against Saleh. Many already have, including Al-Ahmar’s Hashid confederation, to which Saleh’s tribe belongs. Some army units have also left Saleh to back the protesters, though they have not joined the fight against his forces.

Al-Ahmar’s letter — published online and read aloud and distributed at meetings with tribal leaders — called on others to leave Saleh.

“The enemy of all these people is Saleh, who has weighed heavily upon our people for all these years and confiscated the simplest of Yemeni citizens’ rights to serve the interests of Saleh, his sons and his family,” he wrote.

He called on soldiers not to “sacrifice themselves for one individual or family” and to stand with the people in choosing “change and the dream of a better future.” It remains unclear if Al-Ahmar’s letter will have any effect. Much of Saleh’s power base is made up of childhood friends and family members he placed in high-level security posts, decreasing the chances of defection. Yemen’s powerful Republican Guard, which Al-Ahmar called on specifically, is commanded by one of Saleh’s sons and has remained loyal to the president as other military units have defected.

The week’s clashes followed a breakdown in efforts by Yemen’s Gulf Arab neighbors to negotiate an end to the crisis. The deal would have required Saleh to step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution, but he balked at signing.

The Hashid turned against Saleh two months ago, throwing its weight behind the protesters. But before this week, it had kept its well-armed fighters on the sidelines.

Shaky Truce Comes Into Effect in Yemen

May 29, 2011

Press TV, Sun May 29, 2011 3:22AM

Yemeni tribesmen loyal to the tribal leader Sadeq al-Ahmar stand guard on a street near al-Ahmar's house in the capital, Sana'a, May 28, 2011. A truce between Yemeni forces loyal to embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh and opposition tribesmen will come into effect on Sunday.

Tribal mediators said on Saturday that supporters of Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, the leader of the powerful Hashid tribal federation, have agreed to leave public buildings in the capital's al-Hasaba neighborhood, Xinhua reported.

The edifices were occupied by the armed tribesmen during the conflicts to the mediators, who would later hand them over to the government.

The agreement also calls for an end to all forms of armed presence in the district, and requires Saleh loyalists not to attack Ahmar's residence again.

Despite the deal, sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the area late on Saturday, witnesses said.

Scores of tribesmen and regime forces have been killed in clashes that erupted on Monday, following Saleh's refusal to sign a power transition deal brokered by the [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council.

Under the deal, Saleh would stand down within 30 days in return for amnesty for him and his allies.

Meanwhile, a senior tribal official has expressed doubts over Saleh's sincerity about keeping his promises, accusing regime forces of the overnight firing of shells that landed near Ahmar's residence.

Ahmar -- a former supporter of Saleh -- joined the opposition in March.

Ahmar has accused Saleh, who also comes from the Hashid tribe, of trying to spark a "civil war" in an attempt to remain in power.

MRS/MB/AKM

Yemeni government, opposition tribal chief reach cease-fire agreement

SANAA, May 28, 2011 (Xinhua) --

Yemeni government and armed tribesmen led by the opposition tribal chieftain Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar on Saturday reached a temporary truce to end pitched battles in the capital that has killed at least 127 people, tribal mediators said.

The agreement includes the hand-over of government buildings occupied by the armed tribesmen during the conflicts to the mediators, who would later hand them over to the government.

The deal stated to end all forms of military presence and to normalize the situation in the war-torn areas, according to opposition's media.

The deal also stipulated that the government forces should not attack al-Ahmar's house again, the mediators told Xinhua.

However, witnesses said that despite the cease-fire, sporadic, heavy shoot-outs were still heard in the area late on Saturday.

The pitched street fighting erupted Monday between government forces and armed tribal guards of al-Ahmar, the leader of the powerful Hashed tribes' confederation.

The gunbattles, in which al-Ahmar's fighters took over several government buildings, occurred in Hassaba district in downtown Sanaa, a day after Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to sign a deal to ease him out of power within a month.

Earlier the day, al-Ahmar called on the army and Republican Guards to give up support to President Saleh and join the protesters who have been demanding the immediate ousting of Saleh, according to al-Ahmar's speech published by opposition media outlets.

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