Security situation drags political transition in Yemen

SANAA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Security disorders including deadly suicide bombings add to other factors casting a cloud over the democratic transition in Yemen which has been facing a range of problems including militancy, collapsing economy and persistent political unrest.
After months of mass protests against the former regime in 2011, the Yemeni parties signed a West-backed power-transfer deal, whose implementation is going ahead slowly despite the close supervision from the countries sponsoring it.
Observers said the current security deterioration along with clear disagreements among the political forces and funds shortages must affect the transition process and dialogue in particular.
They argued that the Yemeni authorities always talk about strict security measures, hunts and victories on militants, but bombings trigger doubts and questions about the credibility and seriousness of the concerned systems.
Abdul Ghani al-Maweri, a political analyst and writer, said the impact of security disorders will not be that big, but it will affect the overall situation in Yemen in one way or another.
"At least, the impact can be in delayed transition outcomes and change after the popular uprising which has continued since early 2011," he said.
"The bombings by al-Qaida on Wednesday and previous ones did not only expose the weak authorities, but also the serious commitment of the parties to the largely backed transition," he said.
Meanwhile, there are fears al-Qaida may step up its attacks to target populated areas if deadly bombings go uninvestigated.
"In the case such bombings against soldiers go uninvestigated, the impact will further aggravate to the extent of losing the important things which have been achieved so far," al-Maweri added.
Abdul Salam Muhammad, head of ABAAD center for strategic studies, criticized all steps taken toward the peaceful democratic transition, because they have not included immediate measures to uproot the real unrest causes.
"The power-transfer deal has not ensured an immediate departure of former president and his relatives, mainly those holding senior military and security posts, to address insecurity in a better way, " he said.
The security stability should be given maximum priority because it is the main factor for the success of reconciliation and development, he added. "For this, the transition and dialogue in particular are being threatened by the persistent unrest and security disorders".
Mansour al-Sorori, a journalist, said the army could defeat militants in the south and the security authorities should learn from that victory because their responsibility is to defeat sleeper cells in all cities.
The Yemeni army drove al-Qaida militants from their strongholds and killed hundreds of them including senior leaders in the south under an offensive backed by the US in the past few months.
"It is unacceptable that soldiers or cadets become easy targets inside the capital. There is something unusual enabling al-Qaida bombers to infiltrate into key places to kill soldiers," he said.
Though we are talking about political reconciliation under the West-backed deal, political disagreements are continuing and they can lead to important facts about alarming security disorders in Yemen, al-Sorori said.
No party can destroy the transition process, but insecurity remains a real concern in the short run and the long run, he said, adding, "What is happening now will at least delay the transition success and might lead to extension of the two-year transition period".
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2012-07/12/c_131712086.htm