Yemen Revolution has its uniqueness just like previous Arab Spring revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and on going revolutions in Bahrain and Syria. What worked in Tunisia doesn't necessarily mean will work in Yemen and so on. Each respected country has unique situation yet our people all demand one thing, end to dictatorship governments and basic human rights. Going back to our question, let's look in depth into the three possible responses:
Yes!
Many yemenis believe Yemen peaceful revolution has succeeded. How? Going back to May 22, 1990, Yemen unification day, south and north Yemen unified the land but our revolution unified our hearts. A drop of blood in Aden is felt in Sanaa and all over Yemen. Saleh's regime ran out of deceitful reasons to divide us as a nation. Massive peaceful protests demanding end to Saleh's regime took place in 17 provinces out of 22. While the regime claims of having support, pro Saleh protest are only carried out in the capital, Sanaa. That raises another question, is the capital still under control of Saleh's regime? The answer is NO! Sanaa is divided into three parts:
- Shaikh Sadiq al-Ahmar's tribesmen control an area of Sanaa, called "Al-Hasaba"
- General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, commander of First Armored Division, controls part of the capital, near Sanaa University and next to the Youth sit-in camp, knowing as "Change Square".
- Saleh's regime still in control of Yemen government buildings, including Presidential Palace. At minimum, three provinces (Saada, Jawef and Mareb) are no longer under the control of the Yemeni government.
Some people say, most of the armed forces, especially Republican Guards, still under control of Saleh's son, Ahmed. Central Security and other special units still also under control of Saleh's nephews. Thus, Saleh's government still have full control over Yemen despite defection of General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar back on May 20th, two days after the largest massacre committed by Saleh's security forces and snipers against peaceful protesters, leaving at least 52 people dead.
Maybe!
Some people say, the revolution has partially succeeded but due to many uncertainties at this point, it could swing either way. Pointing out, if Houthis in northern Yemen and southern political movement, Harak, demand independent States, then the revolution is failure even with Saleh's ouster. Their biggest fear is the possibility of endless civil war.
Final Thought
In summary, Yemen peaceful revolution, in few days, will enter its tenth month, marking the longest peaceful revolution in history! While some people fear the outcome of our revolution and just want things to go back to what it was prior to the uprising, one thing for sure, we have reached a point where there is no return. Going back is no longer an option! Yes, there are many uncertainties, many challenges ahead of us, many issues may also arise after Saleh's ouster but we're very optimistic about the outcome. As we surprised the world of coming out to the streets peacefully, in a nation consisting of 23 million in population yet 60+ million pieces of weapons. Our people came out in massive peaceful protests demanding basic human rights and an end to decades of Saleh's corrupt regime with bare chests yet were faced with Saleh's security forces live bullets, RPG's and even Anti-aircraft artillery. The army we thought was there to protect us is being used to kill us. However, no matter what Saleh's regime uses to suppress our revolution, we strongly believe the will of our people will be victorious soon. Our unity is our strength, our strength is in our unity!
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