UN urges Yemen government to tackle south’s issues

United Nations: The UN envoy to Yemen urged the country’s northern-based government on Thursday to take immediate measures to address the longstanding grievances of southerners, including some demanding independence.

Jamal Benomar said many Yemenis agree that resolving the southern issue holds the key to Yemen’s transition to democracy. The south and north were united in 1990, and power shifted to the north and the capital, Sana’a. Four years later, an attempt by the south to regain independence was crushed in a civil war.

Yemen has been struggling with the transition to democracy since Arab Spring protests in 2011 forced Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down after 33 years as president. A transitional government is trying to promote national reconciliation, draft a new constitution and hold elections.

Benomar praised the opening of a National Dialogue Conference on March 18 as “a major milestone” but told reporters after briefing the Security Council that many serious challenges remain.

The dialogue, which brings together politicians, religious figures and social groups from across Yemen’s political spectrum, is a key step in a power transfer plan for the conflict-torn nation at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The plan was brokered by neighbouring Gulf nations and is backed by the United States.

At the conference, aimed at mapping out the future of the impoverished Arab nation, a member of the Al Harak secessionist movement won applause when he said the people of southern Yemen want the choice of an independent state. Southerners charge that the leaders in the north have failed to govern properly, particularly in the past two years of political upheaval.

Benomar said there is unrest in the south, “a civil disobedience movement is now attracting large numbers to the streets, [and] the calls for secession have grown.”

“After nearly two decades of discrimination, repression, and unaddressed legitimate grievances, the people in the south are weary and sceptical of promises of reform,” he said.

Benomar said some Al Harak groups aren’t attending the conference while others have joined cautiously with the expectation that their concerns and demands, including for separation, will be addressed honestly and with respect. He said he has told southern leaders that dialogue is the only way to resolve differences, adding that many reaffirmed their rejection of violence and commitment to talks.

“The Yemeni government will need to undertake immediate confidence-building measures in the south to address the longstanding grievances of southerners over unlawful or illegitimate seizure of property and unjust dismissals from the military and civil service,” Benomar said.

He expressed regret that during the first week of the national dialogue there were nine reported attacks on electricity transmission lines and five on fuel pipelines. There have also been several assassination attempts in Sana’a targeting government officials and one against a delegate to the national dialogue, he said.

“Nevertheless, Yemen continues to stand as the only example in the region of a peaceful negotiated transition that is based on a comprehensive roadmap and a genuine national dialogue,” Benomar said. “Everything is open and to be determined by the will of the Yemeni people.”