Recently the Houthis marched into Sanaa and took over Yemen’s capital. The Iranian-backed militia is now pushing south.
In the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, Tariq Al Humaid claimed that Iran has plainly expressed its support for the Houthis: “Clearly and unequivocally, Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader, has confirmed Iran’s support for the Houthis, praising what he described as a unique transformation in the history of Yemen, considering that ‘ the successive victories of the group reflect careful thinking and planning’,” he wrote.
“In his remarks, Velayati said he hoped ‘that the Houthis in Yemen play the same role as Hizbollah in Lebanon’, adding that Iran considers them as ‘part of the successful movements of Islamic awakening’. What does that mean?”
He wrote that such statements are “above all provocative towards all Yemenis ... If Velayati’s statements are mere pompous rhetorics, then they are evidence of political naivety.
“If his statements have been chosen, then they are sending a specific message that reflects the extent of Iran’s involvement in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon,” he concluded.
In the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, Jamal Khashoggi expressed his view that the story of Yemen is one of epic “unity and separation”.
“In the south, people dream of secession, not unity, convinced that this is the magical solution to all their problems, from poverty to marginalising.
“They all gathered on October 14 ... and explicitly demanded secession between the north and the south and gave the north an ultimatum to gather its soldiers and staff and leave by November 30.
“Unlike the Houthis, who have opened the door to these tremendous changes in Yemen, they have no organising force.
“They lack of consensual leadership and have no military power.
“They convened under the slogan of restoring the Republic of South Yemen and its flag, without prior agreement on details or the form of regime that will govern the new republic.‘Separation first’ and the rest shall be solved ultimately.”
Should the process occur through a referendum, the South would obtain secession with an overwhelming majority, he explained.
“The unity realised in 1990 allowed neither the north nor the south to achieve prosperity,” he added.
“The regime of [president] Ali Abdullah Saleh was a developmental failure for the country, a debacle that spread towards the south, which became just another trophy for him and his men.
“Dissension over power still reigns today in Yemen. In this sense, there is nothing worth dying for in unity for the north Yemenis, as much as there is nothing worth dying for in secession for the south Yemenis,” he wrote.
He concluded that the Houthis have paved the way for secession and that the people of the south may well wake up to an independence devoid of government, national consensus and leadership.
Translated by Carla Mirza
cmirza@thenational.ae
