Army of Saleh's son, 'under command of new President', and former president returns to sporting, socializing, and writing memoirs.

By Nasser Arrabyee,09/04/2012


The Yemeni  highly qualified and well-equipped army said it would always be supportive to new elected President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.

In an official statement, the Republican Guards, under the leadership of the son of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, said it would always be under the commands of the President Hadi to implement the whole deal of the transitional period.

The statement accused media loyal to defected military and tribal leaders of launching campaigns to deform the image of the Republican guards calling    the national unity government to review the media policy to serve the supreme national interests.

On his part, the former President  of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh has returned  to  his social ,cultural and sporting activities after he became a  normal citizen.

 In his modest house in the middle of the capital Sanaa, Saleh receives hundreds and sometimes thousands of his supporters and lovers and he happily goes to some important social occasions like weddings or paying tributes to those who lose dears.

On Thursday April 5,2012, for instance,Saleh attended a wedding ceremony that was held in his own village, Sanhan, where more than 40,000 tribesmen  were receiving him with traditional greeting  chants as a part of respecting the  honor guest.

In Wadi Jabara, in Sanahan, about 40 km to the east of the capital Sanaa, about thousands of gunmen were firing to the air when Saleh arrived to congratulate the three bridegrooms, sons of the tribal Sheikh Mohammed Ali Hunaish. Firing to air is a part of the traditional welcoming in such occasions.

In the cultural side, Saleh now is writing his memoirs under the title "My Story With Snakes" in a very obvious reference to his famous quotes " Ruling Yemen Is Like Dancing On The Heads Of Snakes."
In the book, Saleh will write the untold stories with the biggest " Snakes" who were with him all over his 33-year reign. 

The focus will be on the "Snakes" who tried to bite him but failed to kill him, according to some of those around Saleh,in a clear reference to those who were behind the assassination attempt on June 3,2011.

Saleh would tell the story he, as an orphan and son of a less than normal man, took power in 1978, and what was the role of his closest allies like general Ali Muhsen and tribal leader Abdullah Al Ahmar and his sons, who betrayed him at the end of the day by trying to ride the wave of the so-called Arab Spring. 

The book will be of two parts: the first part will end up with Saleh officially handing power and the flag of united Yemen to the new elected President in an unprecedented ceremony and with Saleh leaving the Presidential Palace while national anathem was being played.
 
The second part will be written only when Saleh quits as a head of his party,the People's General Congress, which was founded by Saleh in 24 of August, 1982.

For sporting activity,Saleh will return to his favorite club, Ahli Taiz Club, one of the largest and most important football clubs, which he was the honorary president in 1976 and 1977. Saleh would attend the important matches between Ahil Taiz and Shab Sanaa teams when he was the military commander of Taiz from 1975-1978. 

The statement of the Republican Guards

The office of the commander of the Republican Guards regrets for the continuation of the campaign against the "Guards". The campaign has been targeting the the Republican Guards along with the Armed Forces within the plan of those who wanted to overthrow the legitimacy and control the State and its institutions.

And we even regret more to see some of the official media whether the public or those talking in the name of the armed forces, to see them publishing lies and allegations without any respecting to the law.

The national unity government should review the media policy to make it keep abreast with  the significance of the stage and its sensitivity, to enhance the spirit of the national harmony.

With regard to the decrees taken by the supreme commander , the Republican Guards, since established, discuss the issues with the leaders of the State, in legal ways, and never discuss in media, or with partisan or political motivations.

The honor of the military law,loyalty to the constitution and law and the national legitimacy are always the determinants of our positions.

As the Guards were always supportive to the legitimacy under the leadership of marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh, founder of the modern State of Yemen, they (guards) will be also supportive to the legitimacy in the reign of the new President His Excellency marshal Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, for implementing the GCC Initiative which was made for the national compromise. 

We work within the armed forces which was and still is protecting Yemen, lands, and humans, regardless of those few who exploited their military positions for their political and ideological trends violating the national goals which govern the performance of the army.