TAIZ, Yemen ? Everyone in this restive city knows Brig Gen. Abdullah Abdu Kayran. Local politicians and businessmen seek his blessings. Higher-ranking military officials speak to him with deference. And at protests, children sing songs denouncing his alleged crimes.
Kayran is neither the governor nor the leader of a powerful tribe in Taiz. He represents something more important to the regime: As Taiz?s security chief, he preserves the authority of embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
?The real power in Taiz is Kayran,? said Bushra al-Maktari, an activist leader. ?He?s the government?s stick in Taiz. He?s a nail in Saleh?s tools of war.?
In November, Saleh signed an agreement to formally hand over power to his vice president. Yet across this impoverished Middle Eastern nation, where an al-Qaeda branch is seeking to create a safe haven, thousands of his loyalists remain entrenched in key government, military and security positions. Even if Saleh keeps his promise to leave office, his opponents fear that he could retain his grip over Yemen through local strongmen such as Kayran, creating a shadow regime.
?There is no doubt that they are acting in Saleh?s interests,? said Col. Abdusalam al-Jaberi, a member of a military committee assigned by the new transitional government to bring calm to Taiz.
The transitional government comprises both members of the ruling party and the opposition, and a jockeying for power and positions is unfolding inside national ministries, provincial governments and local councils.
In some areas, a struggle is underway to oust military and security officials loyal to Saleh, who has ruled for 33 years. Removing Kayran from this south-central city, an epicenter of Yemen?s populist uprising, has become a focal point of that effort.
On Jan. 8, local leaders in Taiz tried to fire Kayran from his position for his role in the deaths of several hundred protesters killed by his forces. But a senior Yemeni Interior Ministry official dismissed the action, and said that he was still Taiz?s security chief, underscoring the tensions between Saleh?s allies and his opponents. Taiz?s local council, the official said, had no authority to oust Kayran.
If Saleh?s allies like Kayran remain in place at the provincial and local levels, any new government would amount to an extension of Saleh?s 33-year rule. That could lead to more tensions and crackdowns on activists who are calling for the prosecution of Saleh and his sons and nephews for crimes against humanity. It would also complicate the abilities of Yemen?s next president, should elections take place next month as scheduled, to steer the country through a transitional process that many hope would herald the start of significant change in Yemen.
?This man is a criminal?
The quest to remove Kayran comes as Saleh is strongly signaling that he plans to play an influential role in Yemen, even if he leaves his post. Although he handed over some of his duties to his vice president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, Saleh continues to retain much authority. His sons and nephews still control the security forces.
Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=2fb167ac374c6bf6a5013c7ade76c8c8
world news bbc4 world news daily world news daily blog world news daily chinese world news daily europe
No comments:
Post a Comment