Terrorists may delay early elections, warns Nasser Arrabyee On 21 February, a new president for Yemen will be elected in an early election agreed upon by all conflicting parties to end the one-year long political crisis. About 100,000 soldiers are expected to protect the process of early elections. However, this election may be delayed if the opposition-chaired unity government cannot stop the armed conflicts that broke out over the last few weeks in different areas of the country where government is almost absent. The most dangerous of these conflicts is centred in Al-Qaeda occupation of a city in the southeast of the country. The second most dangerous is the war between Al-Houthi Shia fighters and the Sunni Salafi fighters in the north of the country at the border of Saudi Arabia. Tens of people from both sides were killed and injured so far over the last few weeks. For Al-Qaeda, at midnight of Saturday, hundreds of Islamic extremists occupied parts of the city of Radaa in a step that showed the strength of these fighters and weakness of the authorities. They occupied first a historic mosque, Al-Amerya, and a fortress overlooking it before they stormed the central prison in the heart of the city and released 52 prisoners. The leader of the group is an Islamic and tribal leader called Tarek Ahmed Nasser Al-Dhahab, the brother-in-law of the Yemeni-American extremist cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki who was killed by an American drone with three others on 30 September 30 in the eastern province of Al-Jawf. Deputy Minister of Interior Mohamed Al-Kawsi said Tuesday the city of Radaa is surrounded by security forces but they will wait until a suitable decision is taken by the military and security committee chaired by the vice president. Earlier in the day, Al-Qaeda fighters kidnapped 11 soldiers from a check point at the outskirt of Radaa where an Al-Qaeda fighter was killed. The government was unable to do anything over these developments as it was waiting for the leaders' return from a visit to the Gulf countries where they went to seek economic and political support. The opposition prime minister, Mohamed Salem Basondaw, and eight ministers, returned to Sanaa on Tuesday. Last week, the opposition-chaired unity government approved a law draft that would grant ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and some opposition leaders who were ruling with him during his 33-year rule immunity from prosecution. The most important opposition leaders who are expected to be included in the immunity law are those who led the anti-Saleh protests during 2011. The rebel general Ali Mohsen, and the extremist cleric, Abdel-Majeed Al-Zandani, who is wanted by the US and UN on terror charges, are both among those who need immunity. Sources close to the opposition say there are 16 such politicians. One of them also is the Islamic and tribal leader Hamid Al-Ahmar, who is accused of orchestrating and mainly funding the anti-Saleh revolution. The immunity from prosecution for the leaders of the conflicting parties is an essential part of the Saudi-led and internationally supported Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) deal for the peaceful transfer of power. The deal and immunity are both rejected by the protesters in the streets, although their leaders signed the deal on 23 November and approved the immunity law earlier this month. UN envoy Jamal Bin Omar arrived in Yemen last week to help push the conflicting parties to continue implementation of the GCC deal according to its step-by-step and scheduled plan of implementation. On Wednesday, the parliament is expected to vote by consensus for the immunity law after it was delayed for one week because of the visit of the prime minister and eight ministers to the Gulf countries.
