Review of the fifth periodic report of Yemen

1.4The Conflict in Southern Yemen

The reunification of Yemen in 1990 did not go smoothly: the two sides clashed in 1994 in a civil war, which finally established the supremacy of the North over the South. President Abdullah Saleh, leader of the North since 1978, became the President of unified Yemen. However, the differences between the two sides have not been resolved, and the southern population regularly agitates for reforms. These very large protests focus especially on issues of expropriation, and the dismissal of officials and soldiers who had previously worked for the southern army. Peaceful rallies were held in 2006 and 2007 to demand both the restitution of private and public property and the reinstatement of those dismissed during the civil war.

At the end of civil war, the central Government took severe measures against supporters and sympathizers of the secessionist cause. Tens of thousands of officials and soldiers were dismissed and excluded from the benefits of their status. The Observatory said that of 23,000 people affected, the majority were from the military (15,000). Many were forced into early retirement, among them high-ranking officers who had worked for reunification. The President of the Republic issued a decree in 2008 allowing their reintegration into the armed forces and the granting of compensation. However, according to the veterans’ association, only 6% of retired military staff have benefited from this measure.

Having failed to achieve their goals, former military staff began forming associations in 1997, and have regularly organized peaceful demonstrations since then. However, the Government has made use of disproportionate force to quell this movement, ordering the military to fire on protesters with live ammunition, leading to the death of at least two people, and wounding others. When, in the year 2000, political parties, professional organizations and unions began to express solidarity with the former military, the authorities declared they would address the problem. However, no concrete measures were undertaken and the protests have grown and multiplied. This has developed into a wider movement among certain segments of the southern Yemeni population who feel discriminated against by the State which they feel is over-representative of former North Yemen.

From March 2008, a wave of arrests was orchestrated against leaders and activists of the southern movement by the security services. Many were arrested in Aden and Lahij. During 2008, 860 demonstrators who participated in rallies were arrested. They were held, often incommunicado, without being subject to any formal charges. Their conditions of detention were particularly inhumane and they were subjected to abuse. Finally a number of them were tried before the Special Criminal Court (also see section 3.5.2 relating to Special Courts below), and sentenced. The Government finally passed an amnesty for the detainees due to the volume of protests, after which they were released.