Yemen: Al Qaeda group seizes town with no sign of resistance from government forces

  Although President Saleh is supposed to have turned power over to his vice-president and to be only a titular president for a short while longer opposition groups see him as allowing the takeover of the town of Radaa. The opposition thinks that he is attempting to convince the western powers that he is indispensable in the fight against Al Qaeda.

     Saleh signed a deal with the GCC that he would give up power and then step down entirely in return for immunity for him, his relatives, and his cronies. The Yemen parliament went even further and granted immunity to all politicians involved in repression or corruption under his government. However, Saleh is nothing but stubborn and resourceful and the Radaa event may be part of a plot to manufacture a demand that he return to save Yemen from the militants! However, it is more likely that the militant action was made possible simply by the weakness of the forces of the central government many of whom are needed to control events in Sanaa and other main cities.
  According to reports 250 militants stormed the town. They broke into the jail and freed the prisoners including several who are thought to be Al Qaeda members. Militant groups already control several areas further south but this town is only 160 kilometers south of Sanaa the capital. The seizure makes civil war more likely. Yemen is not only threatened by Al Qaeda groups but also by strong separatist movements in the north and in the south as well. '
    The continued presence of Saleh in the country and the fact that many of his relatives and cronies are in the transitional government just makes the likelihood of civil war even greater. Protesters are still demanding that Saleh face justice rather than be given immunity from his corruption and crimes. For more see this article.