Najeeb Al-Yafe’: What is the volume of geographic presence of southern mobility now?
Nasser Al-Khabji: The geographic presence of southern mobility has stretched to all Southern provinces and areas. The southern mobility exists nearly in the entire southern area and it is now expanding, even though demands and goals are different. This clearly indicates that Sana’a regime has exercised suppression, injustice and tyranny since July 7, 1994 in the south and for three decades in the north.

NY: What are the outstanding achievements of the mobility since its actual launch in 2007?
NK: Among the most outstanding achievements for the mobility is raising the South issue at the regional and international levels. The issue has also turned to be the subject of politicians, thinkers, civil society and human rights organizations as well as political parties. There have also been clear manifestations for toleration, reconciliation and solidarity between southerners as was clear in festivals and demonstrations. A lot has been extracted.

NY: What is the size of audience reacting to the issue?
NK: Despite killing, suppression and maltreatment by the regime, the audience of mobility are on the rise every day and they are resolved to achieve their objectives.

NY: How do you work for downsizing the differences among the different authorities and leaderships of mobility?
NK: There are no differences in the manner you understand them to be; we can say that there are different points of view and this comes within the mobility’s vitality and activeness. This also come within the attempts to restructure and develop work mechanisms.

NY: But what about the multiple leaders who have existed recently?
NK: Dialogues and coordination is continuous among mobility supporters. There are key principles which cannot be overlooked. There are some different points of views; however, this is a good sign and different views will lead to better ideas and give further margin of freedom.

NY: It is said that the authority apparatuses has managed to penetrate the ranks of mobility through pushing in elements who call for secession, violence and antagonizing Joint Meeting Parties and northern citizens?
NK: Everything is possible and we have seen this in reality. It is still continuous. Last year, the government instigated violent acts that led to killing innocent people in Radfan, Al-Sabihah, Al-Dhale’, Aden and Hadramout. It also motivated chaos and sabotage acts later in Al-Habileen, Al-Dhale’ and Al-Sabihah and detained the mobility leaders for over six months and they were later released without being trialed and through a political resolution.

In Abyan, security disorder is ongoing and this is taken as a pretext by the authority to justify suppression, land and public money pillage. It also works on seeding sedition and distributing arms among citizens to fight one another. However, we here assure that our struggle is a peaceful one and it is a strategic option; however, we reserve the right to defend ourselves under assaults.

NY: In a previous festival, Al-Nawbah announced that Al-Qaeda and Al-Jihad have joined the peaceful mobility, what are your comments?
NK: Southern mobility is not a political organization or party but rather a popular movement under which come all civil society organizations, political parties, societies, sheikhs, dignitaries, academics, politicians, independents and others. We all believe in the peaceful struggle for restoring our legitimate rights.

NY: Could mobility coordinate with Joint Meeting Parties on the basis that all of you are harmed and ranked as opposition?
NK: Mobility authorities have no problems with any party and coordination and dialogue are the basis for its presence and formation. However, I disagree with you about ranking mobility as opposition. Opposition’s priorities are struggling against the regime to ascend to power, but our issue is different: it is that of a country, people, identity, history and geography. Our struggle focuses on regaining the rights through open options. The regime wants to stay in power and we may coordinate with JMP once they work to instigate the citizens to remove the current regime and replace it.

NY: Why do not you assure the political forces that you can agree on common denominators, especially when all opposing forces are not assuming power?
NK: When JMP recognized the South Yemen issue, they have to struggle alongside with southerners to restore their freedom and dignity.

NY: What are your attitudes towards the forthcoming elections?
NK: We have previously announced our stances of the elections. We completely refuse them because South Yemen is under the July 7, 1994 authority. We call on all southern people to refuse and boycott them in order to deprive Sana’a regime from constancy and survival. The one who wants to live in dignity, freedom and honor should not give his vote for the ones who extort his rights and kills people.

NY: How do you view the attempts of the authority to entice some mobility leaders?
NK: Despite the different techniques used by the authority, including killing, maltreatment, distributing money for purchasing some people, it has not managed to do so. The southerners will never respond to it. I do not think that there are people who act against JMP once they recognized the South issue and struggle for its triumph. We are with those who are with us, and those who are not with us do not necessarily mean that they are against us.

NY: How can you describe what happens in Abyan, especially when some armed groups dominate certain areas?
NK: What happens in Abyan is part of state plots. The state cannot live or rule without contradictions and seeding seditions among society members. This is a tribal and military legacy for the ruling system which is incapable to come up to the civil system – that of state institutions, justice, equality, freedom and the acceptance of the other.

NY: Are you for highway robbery to force the authority to meet some legal demands?
NK: We have been and still are against any armed act or highway robbery. We refuse it; however, we, at the same time, do not accept injustice and bloodshed during peaceful demonstrations. This gives us the right to defend ourselves through the legitimate means.

NY: There has been news that there is a deal between the authority and some parties in the south to perform political assassinations, to what extents is this right and how would you deal with it?
NK: Everything is possible by a state that pays no respect for the human. There are indications of media campaigns targeting mobility leaders and some political symbols as well as distribution of arms from the military stores, especially in Radfan. These are dangerous signs and they could imply a forthcoming war on the lands of south Yemen.

NY: The state is signing new deals of weapons, how do you read this?
NK: Through the wrong practices which seek to fuel an armed conflict and use it as a justification for targeting the southern mobility, the new deals of weapons is no more than an indication for an upcoming war. We call on the regional and international community for an immediate interference to prevent the implementation of plots by the authority of July 7, 1994.

NY: What are your stances of southern leaderships assuming official posts?
NK: The southern leaderships assuming official posts are not against the south is