Armed tribesmen in the Yemeni capital Sanaa Islamist militants have taken control of the southern Yemeni coastal town of Shaqra, the third town to fall into their hands, tribal sources and residents said on Wednesday. President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government has lost control of some areas in the south after months of political turmoil and mass protests demanding an end to his three-decade-old rule. Islamist militants, some possibly from al Qaeda, may be exploiting a security vacuum as President Saleh and his allies fight to stay in power – or they may be pawns in that struggle. They have already seized the town of Jaar in Abyan province in March and Zinjibar, the provincial capital, in May. The tribal sources said government forces had let the militants seize Shaqra with little resistance. The militants, who the government says have ties to al Qaeda, entered the town in seven cars from another town already under their control.
The militants set up checkpoints, inspecting pedestrians and vehicles, residents said. They also took control of Shaqra’s police station and a complex of government offices. Opposition leaders said the Islamist takeover of Shaqra, one of Yemen’s main fishing centers, was a government response to their setting up of a rebel transitional council on Wednesday. Mohammed Basindwa, an opposition coalition leader, said the council aimed to "unite all the forces of the revolution and coordinate efforts to confront the totalitarian regime." Late on Tuesday, tribesmen working with President Saleh’s army arrested 10 suspected Islamist militants armed with machineguns and grenades at a checkpoint near Shaqra as they headed toward the southern port city of Aden on the main coastal road. The men were handed over to the army, which transferred them to Aden by the safer sea route, local and tribal sources said.
Yemen's opposition groups announced the formation of the National Revolution Council Wednesday, the first significant move toward forming a new government in Yemen. Salem Mohammed Bassindwa, a top opposition figure, says youth groups and political parties named 143 council members to represent the people, a rare show of unity.
"This is a revolutionary council aimed at toppling the rule of the (Saleh) family and the remnants of this regime," Bassindwa said. He clarified that it is "not an alternative to the government." The council members will elect a president and an executive body. It will also form "popular committees" in Yemeni cities, to be in charge of "protecting citizens' properties and state institutions" at time of crisis and street clashes, he said.
Mohammed Qahtan, the spokesman for the opposition Joint Meeting Parties, welcomed the powerful step on the council formation and insisted that Yemen is going in the right direction. "The national council will speed the process of change in Yemen and will end all government efforts in forcing the country to enter a phase of violence," said Qahtan. The council is expected to meet later in the week to choose a president and a 20-person executive committee to run the affairs of the "Yemeni revolution," said Qahtan. Sakhr Wajeeh, a senior opposition official and member of the council, said the doors are still open for more political figures and sides to enter in order to ensure that the council represents all the Yemeni people. "This council is key to the success of the Yemeni revolution and all parties must be involved and active in order to lead the country towards prosperity," said Wajeeh.
The Houthi Shiite rebels, who control the northern Saada province and are a strong force in Yemeni politics, were not involved in the national council; they refused to join. However, they are still in dialogue with opposition officials on receiving membership to the council.
The council will gradually work on convincing the international community to acknowledge it as a legitimate representative of the Yemeni people.
"This is step one, and if the regime does not accept peaceful transition of power, we will call on the international community to change its stance on who represents the Yemeni people," said Ahmed al-Bahri, a senior opposition Haq party official.
The conference was held at Sanaa University, just meters away from Change Square, where youth protesters have set up camps demanding a regime change. Protesters insist that Saleh's family stand trial for crimes committed against Yemenis.
Before the announcement of formation of the new council, a rumor spread that thousands of protesters would march to the presidential palace in Sanaa, prompting the pro-Saleh Republican Guard force to deploy troops, tanks and armored vehicles in the streets of the capital, alarming residents and raising fears of a military confrontation.