Amid more reports of al-Qaeda-related activities in Yemen’ southern region, hundreds of anti-government protesters once again took to the streets on Sunday to express their disappointment toward the coalition government.
Frustrated at the slow pace of reforms and officials’ perceived inability to rectify Yemen’s economic, political and security trajectory, Yemenis have been left feeling let down by politicians, prompting the need to demonstrate.
While protesters have no intention in re-igniting 2011 uprising they do want however to remind officials that ultimately their actions and leadership will be challenged by the very people they serve.
This time protesters called on the government to uphold its duty of care and protection by decrying Yemen ever increasing security black-hole and lawlessness. Demonstrators marched toward the ministry of finance where they gathered and urged the authorities to show clear leadership when addressing threats to national security.
Anxious to see Yemen complete its institutional transformation, Yemenis have growing increasingly wary of targeted attack against military officials and now politicians. Only last armed men planned to assassinate the head of Yemen’s constitution-drafting committee, Ismail al-Wazir as he was travelling through the capital, Sana’a with his convoy.
While al-Wazir managed to escape unscathed the reality of the threat Yemen faces profoundly affected Yemenis, as they felt very much at the mercy of dissident groups, sitting ducks of sort before chaos.
Luai al-Shami, a spokesman for the February 11 movement, which organized Sunday's protest was quoted by the Associated Press, “The protest aims at bringing down the government and forming a cabinet of national unity.”