Disengagement … the Optimum Solution

Since the very beginning of that union, former president Saleh and Muslim Brotherhood (Reformist Party) conspired to nail the southern partner represented in the socialist party at that time, not after one or two years of union, not before 1994 war and the invasion of Adan with alliance of Abd Rabu Mansour Hady and other southern powers, but from the first moment. This is not a just talk, nor it is because of disagreements between me and any of those whom I mentioned. It is the same words Sheik Abdullah Al-Ahmar, chairman of the reformist party, the political arm of Muslim Brotherhood, used in his autobiography as he literally said: (President Ali Abdullah Saleh asked us, the group of Islamic trends and me of course, to form a party while we still members in the conference. He said to us: “Form a party as a backup to the conference. We will be one mass that never separates. We will back you up. The agreement was signed between me as a representative of the conference and the state in the north and them as representatives of the socialist party and the state in the south. I can’t disavow from the terms of the agreement. But with you as a political entity we can coordinate a strong opposition against some terms and hinder them as they are inappropriate”. And so, we established the Yemeni Gathering for Reform and the Muslim Brotherhood was its core as the brotherhood had the accurate organization and political vision in addition to ideological education.).
It is true that Yemen was politically united, and division came to an end. But this conspiracy moved the division into a deeper place, directly to the hearts. While geography was united, the people was divided. After a series of political assassinations that killed 149 political leaders, writers and journalists of the socialist party, 1994 war came to turn union into occupation. Saleh and Al-Ahmar activated their secret agreement and the reformist party played the role of opposition to some terms of the union agreement and Saleh supported them in secret. Then came the war and the socialist party and the southern army fell into the trap. With help of some southern powers that were in the north, Abd Rabu Mansour Hady entered Adan in the same armored vehicle with Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar. As a reward, he was nominated minister of defense and then vice president.
The reformist party was established for only one specific mission: to turn over the union agreement and its constitution and to seize the south geographically while exiling his people and social and political powers. Saleh and the reformist party looked at the south, and still are, as a no man’s land. It is the same Zionist look at Palestine. It is a one-function party that is to enable the north to seize the south and unfortunately, they still do so. I’m not talking about members and followers of the party. They are mere pawns on a chess board who are moved unconsciously. I’m talking about the mummies leading the party since 1990 till now. Those who were created in the dark rooms of national security system of Saleh including Colonel Mohamed Al-Yadoumy, the officer in charge of interrogating and torturing leftists and Nasserists, current chairman of the party. These leaderships will never change. They still play the same role, even if they disagreed with Saleh but they still play their role against the south.
According to the diaries of Al-Ahmar, the union for northern powers was just a trick to swallow the south. When they failed to do so smoothly through elections and bribes payed to powerful southern figures including tribal leaders and military commanders, they had no choice but to declare war, first in Emran then to the whole south until full occupation in July 7th, 1994.
I will be clear and say that the union was a conspiracy against the south more than a unification of one nation. This was in the minds of Saleh, Al-Ahmar, Al-Yadoumy, Al-Zendany, Al-Dulaimy and the Muslim Brotherhood in general. I’m not going to till you about the religious opinions against the southern army and the socialist party when al-Dulaimy permitted the killing of women, children and elderly if the southern army hid behind them. the southern army is an atheist army of Marxists and killing those women, children and elderly is a minor evil, compared with the major evil of the Marxists’ victory.
In 1990, we were one people living in two states. But now we are two peoples living in one state. On the ground, the southern people restored their lands to the borders of 1990 with their arms and support of Arab countries, seizing the opportunity of Al-Houthi coup against the legitimate authority. This increased the concerns of the region states.
It is noteworthy that there were several opportunities to correct the path of that union, but we failed to use them well. One of these opportunities was the event of February 11th, 2011 revolution just before the powers of 7/7/ ally gather again to assume control and form the so-called national unity government headed, only formally, by Basandouwa, but actually by the Muslim Brotherhood leader Hameed Al-Ahmar through forcing the appointment of Salem Ben Taleb as a director of Basandouwa office. New trends like the southern movement and Al-Houthi group never participated in that government. The southern people were exiled off, even from the national dialogue conference when Hady and the Muslim Brotherhood conspired on the tough southern leader Mohamed Ali Ahmed and Sheikh Ahmed Al-Suraima who were the most prominent southern leaders. Using Ahmed Ben Mubarak, Hady created southern representatives with no public weight and introduced them to the international society and foreign ambassadors as representatives of the south while they were unable to visit Adan because of public anger against them.
I attended the national dialogue and all dialogues and negotiations that follow in addition to shuttle visits of Hady’s chancellors and party leaders to Suada meet Abd Al-Malek Al-Houthi before entering Sanaa. I’ll not talk now about the conspiracies against the south and its cause during that stage. I talked about that several times in may articles that you can read on my web blog. One day I’ll authenticate my testimony on that stage. But what I want to say now is that everyone conspired against the southern cause, deliberately, by ignorance or by not saying the truth. They all killed the union.
The last screw in the coffin of that union was hammered by Al-Houthi group after entering Sanaa and initiating coup against the authority when they formed a theocratic, dynastic retroactive authority that belongs in its speech, practices and awareness to the medieval ages. I remember citizens of Adan and Al-Dalea who fired shotguns in the streets rejoicing Al-Houthi entering the camp of the first armored brigade loyal to General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar on September 21st, 2014. I was one of them and I was advocating politically and in the media what Al-Houthi did. I thought the southern people were facing a new era with a new authority in the north that might discuss with them about a fair solution of the southern cause, either by correcting the union path according to correct principles acceptable to them, or through disengagement, as Al-Houthi said. But the shock came when Al-Houthi assumed the same role of Saleh and the Muslim Brotherhood. They repeated the scenario of 1994 war with slight differences in details but with same outcomes which are reoccupying the south by force. This deepened the southern convection of the necessity of disengagement. After bitter experiences they trusted no political power of the north. In sum, it is the triad of Saleh, Hady/brotherhood alliance and Al-Houthi who killed the last hope the the union dream. Of course, we can never forget the responsibility of the former leadership of the socialist party during the era of Ali Salem Al-Beed and Dr. Yaseen Said Noman. But their acts were not deliberate, and this may require further research that may come later.
And now, what is the solution? The southern people know well that they have nothing to do with the conflict in the north. The victory of any party is not for their own good. If Al-Houthi achieved victory, and this is not possible, they will repeat the same scenario in the south. And if Hady, supported by the Arab Ally and in close alliance with Muslim Brotherhood, and Al-Ahmar tribe with their brigades in Mareb, Al-Gouf and Naham. Achieved victory, they will seek to restore their power in the south through alliances with brigades loyal to Hady. 1994 scenario is then repeated. The southern people understand well that this is the best time to establish their control over the south and force their political choices. It is now, while battels of Sanaa are ongoing, not tomorrow when one party is victorious. If they wait for Sanaa’s battel to end, they are waiting for their slaughter. They understand that they must quickly form a political body that includes all active powers and trusted by the region’s countries. This body has to give the impression that it is capable of controlling the south in case of disengagement. Only then they will find support for their cause and to declare their state. Leaving the situations like that, with militias controlling some places in the south and appearing like ghost gangs, especially in Adan will only lead to terrorism. In addition, some arbitrary acts against northern citizens and confiscating their legal properties may support the opinion that these parties are unable to establish and maintain a state in the south. This may lead regional and international parties to deny the recognition of the new reality of the south.
I’m with the disengagement so that stability can be established in the north and south by the end of all conspiracies and reunion of the Yemenis in the north and south as an Arab Muslim People. I’m with transferring the union again into the hearts of the people. I don’t want a political union controlled by Machiavellians. I’m with a disengagement that enables citizens in the north and south to visit each other freely and continue their family relations freely. I’m with handling a reality drawn by blood during the past two years instead of holding onto empty notions of union or death that are still in the minds of elite politicians of the north. When Khaled Al-Rouaishan, minister of culture said his famous statement “we will fight for the union”, elites of the south were shocked. Although he deleted his post, but he didn’t apologize. He didn’t say clearly to the southern people that they have their right of self-determination. “Union or Death” is a notion from a past that can no longer stay in.
I know that my initiative “#disengament_is_solution” if the southern people choose it, along with my articles, will cause me a lot of trouble. Muslim Brotherhood (the reformist party), Hady and all other Machiavellians who benefit from this weird situation (superficial union with actual disengagement) will try to maim my image through articles, statements and shares under my name. but simple, you are all invited to visit my blog with all articles written about the southern cause since 2011 till now. They are all void of statements like “Union or Death” of “We Will Fight for the Union”. It is true that I advocated – and still -the union in all these articles but I always said on condition that the southern people choose it. Several years ago, I said that if the southern people decided to disengage, I’ll support them. any wise reader can simply know my opinion if he avoids the Muslim Brotherhood and Hady’s propaganda. Wise readers can simply distinguish my political opinions about Hady on one hand and the southern cause on the other. My speech against Hady, for political reasons, was never against the southern people.
Disengagement is for the good of the north and south so that everyone can fix internal situations and face the old sectarian projects. From now on I’ll call no more for the union, not even for correcting its path, unless the southern people desired to. Any northern who talks about the union stimulates a convulsive southern reaction. I’m with the disengagement as a first option and with correcting the union’s path if the southern powers wanted to. By powers I mean those who truly embrace the southern cause, not those who are trying to benefit from it.