SANAA, Yemen ? Clashes erupted in the capital Tuesday between the new government?s forces and soldiers loyal to the former regime, highlighting the ongoing divisions and volatility in Yemen six months after a populist uprising ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Hours after current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi left the country to attend a conference in Saudi Arabia, elite Republican Guard soldiers under the command of Saleh?s son surrounded the Defense Ministry. Government troops quickly moved to protect the building, located in this capital?s center.
The sound of gunfire and large blasts punctuated the bustling downtown for nearly an hour before the Republican Guards were pushed back. At least three people were killed in the clashes, according to local news reports.
The assault came a week after Hadi sought to weaken the authority of Brig. Gen. Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh by transferring some of his units to a new presidential protection force. The force would also include soldiers from the elder Saleh?s key rival, Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who defected from Saleh?s government and used his troops to support opposition and youth protests last year that eventually ended Saleh?s 33-year rule in February.
?This is the usual maneuvering we have seen before over the implementation of the presidential decree with regards to military reorganization,? said Abdul Ghani Al-Iryani, a political analyst in Sanaa. ?In the tradition of tribal Yemen, a shooting war is a form of negotiation.?
Restructuring Yemen?s military, which remains deeply divided, is considered a crucial step toward helping Hadi maintain control and move Yemen forward into a new era. Neighborhoods and checkpoints across the capital are still controlled by Saleh?s or Mohsen?s soldiers ? or by tribesmen of the al-Ahmar clan, Yemen?s most influential tribal family, which is not related to Mohsen.
Tuesday?s strike was widely seen as an attempt to undermine Hadi?s authority and as a possible warning to him against following the path of post-revolution Egypt, whose new President Mohamed Morsi unexpectedly removed the top ranks of Egypt?s powerful military echelon over the weekend.
The clashes in Sanaa underscore the influence Saleh and his family continue to wield in this poor but strategic country that is home to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror network?s most ambitious affiliate. The Obama administration has warned that it would impose sanctions on any member of Yemen?s government who interfered in the country?s political transition.
Yet many Yemenis believe that the former president, who lives in the capital, is trying to use his son and other loyalists in the military and government to maintain power, possibly setting the stage for future confrontations between Yemen?s old and new guard.
?If it were not for his meddling, his son would probably choose to follow the orders of the president,? Iryani said.
Yemen has increasingly become a key front line in the fight against terrorism, with the United States deploying numerous drone strikes this year and assisting the country?s military to better fight militants.
Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=953755925f1417c14f5a65596ca93459
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