The abyss of poverty in Yemen, a breeding ground for al Qaeda
Sanaa (AsiaNews) - The instability of Yemen is now a "global threat". These are the words of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the conviction of most of the international community committed to preventing the opening a new front in the war after warnings from the White House about a possible military intervention against al-Qaeda sanctuaries in the country.
The alarm of attacks against Western targets has not been lowered, however, today U.S., Britain and France, decided to reopen their embassies in Sanaa, closed for two days due to security reasons. But in addition to the heavy infiltration of Islamic terrorism, there are other factors, often intertwined, resulting in the instability of a country on the brink of a dangerous abyss.
Immigration
This is a real alarm that was launched a few months ago by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): thousands of civilians fleeing the fighting in Somalia are pouring into the coastal town of Bosaso, waiting to get YemenThroughout the country the refugees already approach two million (1.8 million), the majority coming from the Horn of Africa. Yemeni law recognizes Somali citizens political refugee status. These are welcomed and conducted to the Kharaz camp. Here, however, there are already 13 thousand people, not counting the thousands of refugees and migrants living in the suburbs of larger cities. According to data of the Yemeni Migration, Nationality and Passport Authority, in 2009 alone there were 165 thousand new refugees, swelling the ranks of an army of poor people that is already overflowing. If the pressure of migration increases, the country risks a humanitarian crisis. .
Poverty and territorial integrity
In the south the discontent of the population is mounting, a discontent that has been simmering for at least three years, when they launched protests over pensions to veterans of the civil war of 1994. Instances of protesters have been ignored by the government to create a real "Southern cause”. The frustration caused by high prices and corruption has led people to the streets, calling loudly for secession. Poverty is a historic plague in the country, to prevent financial meltdown it has in large part depended on international financing. In 2009, the government was forced to cut public spending by 50 percent.
The rebels of the north
In the northern governorate of Saada in a real civil war between the military and rebel followers of al-Hout, a Shiite preacher in the conflict with the central government run by Sunnis, has been ongoing for years. The clashes have generated a huge number of IDPs: at least 15 thousand, according to the World Food Program.
After Saudi military intervention in support of the weak Sanaa government, in December American backing also arrived. The same countries in the Horn of Africa, with the exception of Eritrea, have openly sided with Yemen. The government of President Saleh and the Arab League has accused Iran of fomenting separatist revolt. The fight in Yemen has assumed meanings that go far beyond local issues, it is also a power struggle between Sunni countries like Saudi Arabia and the Shiite nations, symbolized by the Iran of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Al-Qaeda
In this context, there is fertile ground for Al Qaeda’s message of hate and violence. Last week a study by the Center of Immigration Studies and Refugees at the University of Sanaa asked for an official investigation into the links between some refugees and terrorist groups. Academics denounce the levity of the authorities in registering all comers without adequate controls. The same Yemeni Immigration and Passport Authority admits the difficulty of the police in identifying suspects among Somali immigrants, highlighting the urgency of a more effective national immigration policy, with more ad hoc bodies to manage the problem.
.png)
11/08/2017 20:05
