The recent events in the south of Yemen have disclosed part of the crisis between the opposition parties, represented in Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) and the ruling party, General People Congress (GPC) especially following the media fuss and statements distributed by both parties.

Al-Dhal'e, Aden and Lahj events witnessed last week have been a means for exchanging accusations between the JMP and GPC and the situation is alarming, unless the two parties sit for dialogue that could get the country out of the congestions and deteriorating economic situation.

In its Wednesday meeting, the parliament called on government to safeguard the public and private property as well as work to reinforce stability and peace, and to refer these behind riots and sabotage to prosecution.

It also called for holding a special meeting for discussing the events described as harmful to the Yemeni national unity.

Meanwhile, JMP followers staged a sit-in on Wednesday in the capital Sana'a and the demonstrators issued a release in which they denounced the illegal arrests and hunting of dozens of JMP political and field leaderships as well as the activists of the Democratic Peaceful Protest Movement in the Southern Provinces.

The release also warned against the official tendencies followed by the authorities and aiming to clone the excuses and pretexts in an effort to terrorize political activists. It also demanded the immediate release of all political detainees and laid the blame on the ruling party's policies.

Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP) was the severest in its statement as it called on all its elements and activists not to resort to violence as this will give the security authorities the right to attack citizens and terrorize them.

In return, the National Defense Council led by President Saleh held an emergency meeting by the end of the last week to discuss the three-day events of Al-Dhale' and Radfan areas and directed the concerned authorizes to conduct quick investigations into the circumstances of the incidents and to refer those behind the sabotage events to judiciary to receive fair and deterring punishment.

Early this week, Saleh ordered the formation of fact-finding committees to investigate the events in some southern provinces.

In a statement distributed last Thursday, Interior Ministry denied the allegation that speak of some citizens killed and warned that security authorities will take the required measures against those who are law and constitution violators.

According to JMP sources, over 250 citizens, including high-ranking leaders in YSP and other opposition parties, have been detained over the recent events, and pointed out that dozens were killed and injured during the events witnessed in Al-Dhale, Karish, Radfan and Lahj.

The clashes started after Republican Guards Camp located in Ibb's Yarim City declined to recruit hundreds of youth belonging to these areas. Upon their arrival in their cities, they started demonstrations developing later to armed clashes with security forces.

Riot areas are witnessing relative calmness while security forces have been distributed in an unannounced state of emergency. These areas witnessed several protest earlier this year under several pretexts including that of pensioners.

The different demonstrations raised slogans opposing the ruling party and sometimes the national unity. Some GPC headquarters have been targeted by the angry demonstrators. Further, a group of citizens were carrying a donkey in stark criticism of the ruling party's symbol, the horse.  

In a statement released on Thursday, the GPC general secretariat denounced the recent events and described them as 'evil' and stressed that it aims to force the country into sedition, hinting they exploited the democratic climate to work counter to law and constitution in a manner that harms the national unity and social peace.

It also described the events as secessionist tendencies and desperate attempts to revive spite and catastrophic events of January 1986 and summer war of 1994, noting that they are driven by some forces that lost their interests and declined to believe in the democratic practices.