YEMEN: Thousands of protesters in rally demanding the restructuring of the army and other security forces currently led by loyalists to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh

Record ID: 270935

  • Title: YEMEN: Thousands of protesters in rally demanding the restructuring of the army and other security forces currently led by loyalists to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh
  • Date: 23rd April 2012
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, ABDULWALI SALEM, SAYING: "Our presence in the square will continue until the demands of the revolution, which we went out for in February of last year, are met." WIDE OF SQUARE SANAA, YEMEN (APRIL 20, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, KHALED AL-ANSI, SAYING: "People are feeling the political solution is some sort of game intended to save Ali Abdullah Saleh, which is why people see that as long as Ali Abdullah Saleh's family and his loyalists are still in control and he behaves as though he is still president, then why should people go back to their homes?" VARIOUS AERIAL VIEWS WITH PROTESTERS DURING FRIDAY PRAYER DEMONSTRATION (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, YASSER AL-HASSANI, SAYING: "We will remain in the square until all the demands of our revolution are met. The revolution did not happen just to remove Ali Abdullah Saleh, the revolution happened to topple an entire regime. We shall remain until all remnants of the regime, family members (Saleh's family) and Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime, are gone." CROWD OF PROTESTERS UNDER SIGN WRITTEN IN ARABIC, READING: "THE FRIDAY OF TRIAL FOR A REBELLIOUS, GANGSTER FAMILY" / WIDE OF CROWD PROTESTERS WAVING FLAGS AND CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PROTESTER, ABDULRHMAN AL-NAMER, SAYING: "President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and the National Accord Government are nationally responsible and morally obligated to the revolutionaries to cleanse the country of regime remnants who are still controlling the military and security." VARIOUS OF WOMEN PROTESTERS UNDER UMBRELLAS BOY WAVING FLAG GIRLS HOLDING BANNER WITH PICTURES OF ALI ABDULLAH SALEH AND HIS FAMILY WOMEN WITH HAND PAINT READING "TRIAL FOR A REBELLIOUS, GANGSTER FAMILY" WITH WOMEN PROTESTERS IN BACKGROUND
  • Embargoed: 8th May 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Yemen, Yemen
  • Country: Yemen
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVARCI6XZTW24D4ZU3IF2OM3W6A
  • Story Text: Two months after presidential elections that aimed to end more than one year of violence, protesters in Yemen returned to Taghyeer (Change) Square in the capital -- the tented epicentre of Yemen's uprising -- demanding restructuring of the armed and security forces currently led by loyalists to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
    Thousands protested following Friday prayers (April 20) and more took to the streets on Saturday (April 21) to demand reform and putting Saleh's family on trial.
    Protesters chanted and waved the Yemeni flag in a demonstration under the banner of "Trial for a rebellious, gangster family".
    "Our presence in the square will continue until the demands of the revolution, which we went out for in February of last year, are met," protester Abdulwali Salem told Reuters.
    Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who had served as Saleh's deputy, took power in February after standing as the only candidate in a presidential election, part of a deal negotiated by Yemen's Gulf neighbours for Saleh to step down after 33 years in power.
    Under the power transfer deal, Hadi was tasked with reunifying the army, which had split during the year-long uprising against Saleh's rule, with some units openly siding with protesters.
    But many Yemenis feel little change has taken place.
    "People are feeling the political solution is some sort of game intended to save Ali Abdullah Saleh, which is why people see that as long as Ali Abdullah Saleh's family and his loyalists are still in control and he behaves as though he is still president, then why should people go back to their homes?" said protester Khaled al-Ansi.
    "The revolution did not happen just to remove Ali Abdullah Saleh, the revolution happened to topple an entire regime. We shall remain until all remnants of the regime, family members (Saleh's family) and Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime, are gone," said another protester, Yasser al-Hassani.
    Sanaa was at the forefront of massive anti-Saleh protests for almost a year. The protests often erupted into fighting between Saleh's forces on the one hand, and army deserters and protesters on the other.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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