The Forgotten War - Sa'ana, Yeman

If you've paid any attention to Yemen, they've had a lot of problems

over the last few years. And not all of it is al-Qaeda. There's been a

tribal uprising in the north, and now Qatar is trying to mediate

between the government and the Shi'ite rebels. So it's also a

religious problem. I believe the current government is Sunni.

These rebels are Shi'ite - but they're not the same type of Shi'ite

as Iran. Iran is 12er Shi'ite (they believe in 12 Imams) and the

ones in Yemen are Zaidis, which is 5er Shi'ism. Qatar is Sunni

and Shi'ite, but I believe they are 12ers.


Saada War, Yemen — April 10, 2007

Civilians trapped in Dhahyan as it is bombed and attacked by tanks.

Diseases spreading, unburied bodies one cause.

Hospitals overcrowded with military and volunteers.

Locals plead for food and medicine.

Political arrests continue, including minors.

SA'ADA, April 8 – Tribal sources told the Yemen Times that

confrontations between the Yemeni army and Houthi loyalists

are still aflame in numerous areas of Sa'ada, particularly in

Dhahian city, as well as in Magz, Sahar, Saqeen, Haydan,

Kittaf, Baqem and Al-Safra districts. And, for the first time,

the confrontations have extended to Ghamar, a district bordering

Saudi territory.

The most significant fact of the Sa'ada war is, was and remains the

regime's collective punishment of the civilian population, including

random bombardment, arbitrary arrests and the withholding of food,

medicine and international aid. The withholding of food and

medicine to 700,000 civilians in Sa'ada is a practice the regime

sometimes openly defends, othertimes obscures as required by

"security concerns". Yemen's donors have made statements

about the humanitarian disaster in Sa'ada, calling for a resolution

that allows aid to the region, however aid organizations are still

stymied.

The EU called on the Yemeni government to do "all it can

to ensure that innocent civilians are not caught up in the

conflict"….Based on the assessment of needs and access

to victims, the EU remains ready to consider urgent

humanitarian assistance to victims, including the

worrying number of internally displaced people.

the Houthis are 5′ers not 12′ers like Iranian Shia and

the civilians have recieved very little attention

internationally, which is partially due to the media black-out.

As Global Security notes, Zaidis are "moderate" in that

"The Zaidis do not believe in the infallibility of the Imams,

nor that they receive divine guidance. Zaidis…believe it can be

held by any descendant of Ali. They also reject the Twelver

notion of a hidden Imam, and like the Ismailis believe in a

living imam, or even imams. In matters of law or fiqh, the

Zaidis are actually closest to the Sunni Shafie school."

It is my impression, and Im sure someone will correct me

if Im wrong, for which I am quite appreciative, that within

the moderate Zaidi school, the Jarudis are the most

inclined to require a Hashimi leader, within the broader

acceptability of a "just" leader.