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              Yemen Power Struggle Boosts al-Qaida, Grinds Economy

   by Heather Murdock

   After the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels halted hostilities this
   week, with rebels promising to partially draw down troops in the
   capital, analysts say the relative peace most likely will be temporary.

   And while the struggle is mainly between major power players now,
   locals say it quickly could turn into widespread sectarian battles.

   Walking down the street and talking on his mobile phone, 29-year-old
   Fras Shamsan, a human rights activist, said the Yemeni capital Sana'a
   is quiet after Houthi rebels all-but seized the presidency earlier in
   the week. At least 15 people were killed in fighting, and rebels now
   appear to remain in charge of the capital.

   "They are controlling everything. Even the president's house," said
   Shamsan.

   ''The Houthis most likely stopped short of taking over government, he
   said, because they can wield more power if they can control Yemeni
   President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi from behind the scenes.
   Agreements, distrust

   Houthi rebels and the government on Tuesday reached an agreement that
   calls for a drawdown of rebel troops in the capital and the release of
   a kidnapped senior aid to the president.

   But Zaid Al-Alaya'a, a senior Yemeni journalist said the public has
   little faith in such "agreements."

   "You see in the agreement something within the papers. But in reality
   it is broken immediately. Sometimes the same day of signing it," said
   Al-Alaya'a.
   Houthis vs. al-Qaida

   The Houthis have been fighting the Yemeni government since the
   mid-2000s to retain their northern Yemeni strongholds.

   In September, Houthi fighters swept into the capital and they continue
   to battle for control of other parts of Yemen. Al-Alaya'a said the
   fighting is purely a competition for power now, but it could devolve
   into a sectarian conflict.

   The Houthis are from a minority Shia sect in a majority Sunni country.
   And as the Houthis continue to fight for power, angry Sunni tribes are
   making alliances with al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the
   organization's largest branch.

   Al-Qaida's new-found popularity, Al-Alaya'a added, has nothing to do
   with anti-Western sentiment, but is a result of their attacks on the
   Houthis.

   "Al-Qaida has found a very rich gain in the Houthis. They want to turn
   [it to]: `These Houthis are expanding in the country and we do not want
   this expanding to continue and we will stand against it.'"

   Proxy war

   Besides a local struggle for power, he said, the conflict is widely
   viewed as a proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran. And
   while the capital has returned to relative quiet, he says two cars and
   several buildings were damaged today in a bomb explosion.

   Ordinary people, he asserted, do not care which group wins. "Normal
   people, ordinary citizens, they do not care who is going to rule Yemen
   as long as they provide them with food, job opportunities, water,
   hospitals, education."

   And these basic life needs are in short supply in Yemen recently. The
   United Nations says nearly half of the people in Yemen are so poor
   right now they do not know where their next meal will come from.

   On his phone as he walks through Sana'a, Shamsan said people in some
   Yemeni cities are protesting, but most people are just trying to
   survive the constant crises.

   "We can not actually do anything in this situation because everyone is
   in danger," said Shamsan.

   Hostilities may have simmered in recent days, he added, but continued
   fights in strategic places -- like supply hubs for power or cooking gas
   -- are making what already seems like an impossibly bad situation even
   worse.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/yemen-power-struggle-boosts-al-qaida-
   economy/2609475.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/yemen-power-struggle-boosts-al-qaida-economy/2609475.html