Yemen Symposium at JMI: Complicated Scene of Conflicts, Alliances

7 Mar. 2018&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Amman - The Jordan Media Institute (JMI) organized a symposium titled &quot;Understanding Yemen: Geography, Conflict and Transformations.&quot; Speakers at the symposium said that the Yemeni scene has been witnessing further political and partisan complications, alliances, and conflicts, as well as foreign interventions.<br /> <br /> Dr. Abdullah Hamidaddin, an expert on Yemen and Saudi affairs, said the current situation in Yemen was due to the policy of the former regime, which militarized the country. He said: The state turned into a tribe; there was no project for building a state. Therefore, when the regime fell, the state collapsed.<br /> <br /> In the first session &quot;Understanding Yemen-Overview,&quot; moderated by Saed Karajah, member of the board of the JMI, Hamidaddin stressed that the humanitarian dimension did not influence the Yemeni crisis politically. He cited the Syrian case where pictures of the dead and destruction did not have a political impact at all.<br /> <br /> On southern Yemen, Hamidaddin said that there is a real project for secession. He added: Marginalizing the south has created a wish to return to the pre-unity situation. If the north insists on rejecting secession, this means that we are on the threshold of another civil war.<br /> Abdulnaser Al-Muwadea, writer and researcher in Yemeni affairs, stressed the unity of Yemen and the fact that the south cannot be separated from the north despite calls by some political and cultural elitist groups.<br /> <br /> Al-Muwadea attributed this to the fact that elitist groups in the south adopt a rhetoric marked by racism and primitiveness toward the north. They have strengthened this image amid public circles by taking advantage of the weak control of the Yemeni state over the south. This has revived talk about the project of the separatist &quot;Arab South&quot; as a parallel entity to the Yemeni state.<br /> <br /> Al-Muwadea denied the existence of an inclusive Yemeni political system despite the fact that there are elements that enhance the internal identity of the Yemenis, especially in the south.<br /> <br /> The third session on &quot;Southern Issue,&quot; moderated by former Culture Minister Sabri Rbeihat, discussed the south-north conflict and the creation of entities that can separate or merge with the state.<br /> <br /> Adnan Al-Kaf, deputy of the Aden Governorate and member of the presidential board of the Southern Transitional Council, said that the Southern Hirak (movement) in Yemen started in 2007. The first Hirak was peaceful and did not use weapons. The state cracked down on the people demanding justice and freedom. The movement was disunited despite the fact that many organizations had run it.<br /> <br /> Al-Kaf stressed that the legitimacy of the Southern Hirak derives from the people, who are the decision-makers. Also, this is derived from UN support to hold elections and have people who truly represent the south in any future negotiations.<br /> <br /> In another session on &quot;Media Coverage in Yemen,&quot; Dr. Murad Al-Azzani, a Yemeni scholar, said that the media in Yemen lacks diversity. He added: The media has become a victim of the political situation. The media is polarized and manipulated. Media outlets trade accusations when innocent people are killed.<br /> <br /> He pointed out that around 21 journalists were killed in 2011 and others were arrested and charged with treason. He said that coverage is poor, giving as an example the scarcity and inaccuracy of information about the health situation. There are no professional journalists on the ground. The news also reflects the agendas of the conflicting parties. It is inaccurate and lacks impartiality.<br /> <br /> In another session, Dr. Khaled Fattah, guest lecturer at Sweden&#39;s Lund University, said that Yemen has a particular situation as it is a state that neither falls nor becomes stable. The Western media is trying to depict the conflict as sectarian, while it has never been as such.<br /> <br /> Speaking in a session on &quot;Northern issue&quot; (Ansar Allah), Fattah added that the population is not concentrated in one region in Yemen, which made it difficult for the state to control all regions. In a session moderated by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Jabarat, Fattah said that the rigidity of political life in Yemen has led to the assassination or exile of all presidents in Yemen since 1962.<br /> <br /> Abdulmalik Al-Ejri, member of the political council of Ansar Allah, said that what is happening in Yemen is an internal affair and that no foreign party may interfere in it. He said that the movement is a Yemeni component and that it views Yemen as one whole, including its north and south. The movement took part in national dialogue. We wanted institutions to implement the outcomes of the dialogue, he said.<br /> <br /> On &quot;Development and Humanitarian Situation,&quot; Yousef Hamidaddin, an expert on Yemen, said that 60% of the Yemenis currently suffer from hunger due to policies and ideological differences in Yemen. Around 3 million Yemeni children have been out of school over the past three years.<br /> <br /> In a session moderated by Bayan Tal, adviser at JMI, Hamidaddin said that there are resources that are not fully exploited to help the Yemeni people. He indicated that the war destroyed the limited infrastructure.<br /> <br /> Dr. Basim Tweissi, dean of the JMI, said at the outset of the symposium that the JMI always tries to develop traditions for public discussions on local, regional, and international issues. The JMI is keen on organizing such seminars to listen to all views and provide a greater space for understanding for media people, researchers, and students.<br /> &nbsp;