Yemenis should not lose heart

Ensuring stability in Yemen will determine the future of the country. Yemen is on the long road towards building a nation — one that will prove to be cumbersome, challenging, and occasionally, volatile. Yet it is only through such a route that all Yemenis can unite and play a part in building their future.

The recent suicide bombing in Yemen highlights the fragility of the situation. It was carried out by a militant masquerading as a Yemeni soldier, who allegedly strapped explosives under his uniform. The explosion killed more than 90 soldiers rehearsing for a military parade in the Yemeni capital Sana'a and wounded over 200 others.

Al Qaida's wing in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened further strikes if military operations against militants in the southern part of the country did not stop. Earlier, a US military training team was also ambushed.

These are fresh escalations which are alarming to say the least. It is indicative of a heightened effort by Al Qaida — as well as other militant groups — to worsen the instability in Yemen. This is surely a new stage that the country has entered — one that has many negative ramifications.

For one thing, the increase in violence means that the process of democratic rule will be derailed if at all its frequency increases. Without stability, no country will be able to engage in a process of building and constructing for the future. In addition, having Al Qaida as part of the political scene is indicative of difficult years ahead.

Hence, the only way to fight such extreme elements is to ensure the process of nation-building under a democratic rule does not stop and that all the people are an integral part of it.