Pubdate: Sat, 26 May 2007
Source: Yemen Observer (Yemen)
Copyright: 2007 Yemen Observer
Contact: http://www.yobserver.com/contactus/contactus.php?issue=86
Website: http://www.yobserver.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3136
Author: Abdul-Aziz Oudah

DRUGS FUNDING REBELS,SAYS AL-ALIMI

There may be a relationship between the rebel movement in Sa'ada and 
drug traffickers, said Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, 
Rashad al-Alimi on Thursday. Therefore, a part of the proceeds 
produced by the drug trade in Yemen, which has been active in the 
past few years, may be going to finance the terrorist operations of 
the rebels in Sa'ada, he said.It is pretty much impossible to get 
response from any of the rebels about these claims, as a total media 
blackout around the area has prevented the press from going to Sa'ada 
or doing any reporting there.

Armed followers of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi have been battling with 
government forces in the north since January, and hundreds of people 
have been killed in the fighting.  "The security agencies have 
definite information that has confirmed that the rebels in Sa'ada 
take quantities of drugs during fighting with the governmental 
forces," said al-Alimi at a press conference held in Thursday, May 
24. The Minister said that the reason for the increasing drug trade 
in Yemen and the smuggling of such things to the neighboring 
countries in the last few months is that the rebels control some 
border areas with Saudi Arabia. Therefore, they do not find 
difficulties in smuggling and trafficking these drugs to the 
neighboring countries.

Al-Alimi claimed that the security situation in Sa'ada was completely 
under the governmental forces' control, except in three districts: 
Ghamer, Qataber and Razeh. However, the army could break into these 
districts and dominate them, except for one fortress, where some 
rebels are. Those rebels have taken hundreds of unarmed citizens and 
deployed them as human shields around the fortress. He also said that 
the rebels include no more than 1,600 people, including 880 people 
who were recently released according to orders by President Ali 
Abdullah Saleh as part of the general amnesty for those involved in 
the first war with these rebels. The minister said that military 
operations in Sa'ada were suspended to celebrate the Day of Yemeni 
Unification and to give religious scholars the chance to discuss this 
issue with the rebels.

The government awaits the rebels' reaction.In related news, al-Alimi 
said that the security forces defused five bombs planted by some the 
elements of the rebels in Sana'a on May 21 after the explosion of one 
bomb in the sailah in Old Sana'a. These explosives were found in 
cardboard boxes in places frequented by children, women and the 
public, he said.As for the rumored external interference in these 
events, al-Alimi said that one of the most important pieces of 
evidence of Iranian involvement in support of the rebel movement in 
the Sa'ada is that one rebel possessed a document from the Iranian 
embassy regarding the establishment of an Islamic state in Yemen on 
the Iranian model.

The rebel, Mohammad al-Dailami, was carrying the document when he was 
arrested in Sana'a and subsequently sentenced to death. This document 
shows al-Dailami's agreement with the Charge D'affaires of the 
Iranian ambassador in Sana'a.The agreement also says that the 
cooperation will begin by establishing private associations that will 
receive the Iranian support. Al-Alimi said that a group of Iranians 
has been arrested for their alleged involvement in the drug trade, 
and that it is likely that they have links to the leadership of the 
rebellion.He said that Yemen told Iran that their official media, 
such as al-Alam Channel and Tehran Radio, have been supporting the 
al-Houthi rebels. Also, some of the leaders of the rebels are guests 
of religious groups in Iran.

He accused the Iranian intelligence services of arranging 
demonstrations against Yemen in front of the Yemeni embassy in 
Tehran, while the Yemeni government refused to allow civic 
organizations to do demonstrations against the Iranian interference 
in Yemen for the sake of the relations with Iran as an Islamic state. 
Al-Alimi asked Iran to clarify its position publicly and explicitly 
toward the rebels of Sa'ada as Libya has done. Libya has sent an 
envoy with a message condemning the rebel movement. Al-Alimi said 
that large numbers of Yemenis went to Libya and received monetary 
sums under various names, and Yahya al-Houthi received financial 
support from Libya, which was used to support the insurgency in 
Sa'ada. He called upon Libya to harness these moneys in the service 
of development in Yemen.

Al-Alimi said that the Yemeni government appreciates Libya's stance 
of refusing to interfere in the internal affairs of Yemen and has 
demanded that practical steps necessary to prove this commitment be 
taken. He denied the existence of any Arab mediation in the conflict 
in Sa'ada, and also he denied the involvement of any other Yemeni 
elements in this conflict. But he added that he had information about 
the presence of non-Yemeni doctors and nurses working to treat rebels 
in al-Naq'ah near the Yemeni-Saudi border.

Al-Alimi said that the government has closed the weapons markets 
nationwide, and collected a large quantity of weapons. This project 
costs tens of billions of rials, and has received the support of some 
Gulf States.Field committees have been formed to collect weapons from 
traders and sheiks, and local communities. He said that after six 
months the government will have confiscated all weapons.

The government is inviting the members of the Shura Council and the 
Parliament to cooperate to end this scourge on Yemeni society. 
Al-Alimi said that next July the Interior Ministry would begin 
implementation of the last stage of the security plan, which will 
ensure security along the highways. In other news, he said that 
750,000 refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania are 
currently living in Yemen.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman