Protest Update: Sanaa, Aden and Taizz

Sanaa University president,Khalid Tamim, has been removed from his post, according to reports in Yemen.  News Yemen claims it has been trying to get a hold of him this morning for a comment (Ar.), but his phone has been turned off. 

According to some sources, Tamim has fallen out of favor for his seeming inability to control the student protesters at Sanaa University.  I daresay his removal (however it happened) will likely do little to satisfy the students. 

There has been, meanwhile, a great deal of confusion regarding the numbers in Yemen.  Jeb Boone, who works for the Yemen Times, is frustrated with what he sees as journalistic laziness in Yemen, and the resulting inflated numbers. 

This meshes with what I’ve heard about Sanaa, but not Taizz or Aden. 

In Aden today, protests by the Southern Movement turned violent.  Mareb Press is reporting (Ar.) that 4 people were injured, including one seriously, while al-Tagheer (Ar.) is reporting that one person (presumably the seriously injured man) has died.  There were also 3 cars burned.  The al-Tagheer article has photos at the bottom. 

While these protesters aren’t necessarily aligned with the ones in Sanaa and Taizz, the danger for the regime comes, I think, if some of the silent majority in the south inspired by the examples in Egypt and Tunisia decides now is the time to press for change and take to the streets as well.   That combination of increased forces in the south along with protesters in Sanaa and Taizz would all have the president as the target of their anger, and that would indeed create a trying situation.

This article from al-Tagheer (Ar.) has a good assortment of the calls being chanted in Taizz as well as some pictures.  There are calls for a Friday of rage this week in Taizz.  We’ll see.  All this is in preparation for the week of Feb. 25.