Remembrances

One on of our trips to Yemen we carried with us a variety of camping supplies including a hand-crank lantern, a hand pump desalinator, and a pair of toy goggles.

After collecting our bags, Yemeni customs insisted that we open them. They pointed to the lantern and asked what's this? My husband Tweet's response, This is because there is no electricity in Yemen. The customs official looked slighly irritated and then pointed to the desalinator which looked pretty scary since it was a surplus Army stuff. Tweet responded, This is because you have no water in Yemen. Again the official looked irritated and pointed at the goggles. My husband started to say, This is because . . . The customs official threw up his arms and said Go, Go, Go!

Today we passed a store that sells beautiful swords, daggers and small pistols. Tweet reminded me of our trip and said, So this is because there is no government in Yemen, this is because there is no security in Yemen and this is because . . . Go, Go, Go! :)

In all seriousness, we hope those days of humor and understanding return to Yemen and Yemenis again soon.

Civil War Rages in Yemen - Who?

As I mentioned previously we lived in Yemen and learned some things about the people. In this civil war, which I suppose history books will note began on May 23, there are two main sides:

• the President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his supporters (members from his tribe which is based in Sanhan, an area near the capital city of Sana'a); and
• the Al-Ahmars, sons of the real figure behind the presidential throne since 1979, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmar whose tribal base is the populous governorate of Amran (north of Sana'a).

The President and Al-Ahmar belong to the same tribal confederation. They each have adherents from the same tribal confederation. (Please CNN and others stop calling them a tribe; it's a confederation - many tribal groupings.)
This is the most simplistic way to describe the current civil war, which is a power play between these two groups.

Yemen's Civil War

News reports continue to describe Yemen on the brink of civil war. That's somewhat mind boggling. The president and his key advisers just sustained an attack at a mosque in the presidential compound. In any event for those still not convinced that Yemen is in a civil war, please check the Oxford or Merriam Webster dictionaries for a definition of civil war. It's likely it will say that a civil war is when two groups of citizens of the same country are fighting each other.

Before Qatar There Was Yemen

We've lived in Yemen: It's a beautiful country with wonderful people. Today its people are experiencing fear, anguish, and tears. We feel for the people at this time and hope for the best.