Sana'a // The government ministries are closed, police stations are empty, gunmen and thugs roam the streets and there is growing concern over who is running the country as the president recovers in a Saudi hospital from an assassination attempt.
As an estimated four million people continued the weekly pro-democracy protests yesterday in towns and cities across Yemen, many here fear that the political stalemate is causing lasting damage to the country's infrastructure and security.
Just as worrying for the protesters is that President Ali Abdullah Saleh is still exercising power from his hospital bed through his family, most notably his son, Gen Ahmed Ali Saleh, who commands Yemen's most highly trained troops.
The demonstrators yesterday directed their chants toward the country's vice president, Abdu Rabu Hadi, who was officially placed in charge in Mr Saleh's absence. The crowds called on him to implement reforms and announce the end of the Saleh regime that has ruled for more than 32 years.
But it is the 42-year-old Gen Ahmed who appears to be exercising power. He has deployed thousands of security personnel in Yemen's main cities since the attack on June 3 on Mr Saleh's presidential compound that left him, and several members of his government, injured. The attack came after days of fierce clashes with tribesmen and months of massive protests calling for Mr Saleh to stand down.
Gen Ahmed is prepared to use all necessary options if opposition forces try to take over power in his father's absence, a senior Republican Guards official told The National.
"General Ahmed is in total control and wants to ensure that when his father, President Saleh, comes back to Yemen, the situation stays the same," said the official.
Gen Ahmed is operating from the presidential palace and his father's main office in a military compound in the capital of Sana'a, leaving Mr Hadi to work from his home or his office in the defence ministry, several ruling party and government officials told the Associated Press.
The younger Saleh and his cousins have also defied pressure from the vice president to withdraw their troops from the streets of Sana'a as part of a fragile ceasefire with opposition tribesmen, AP reported.
Since the truce began a week ago, Ahmed has brought more tanks and troops to positions in the capital's Hassaba district near the home of the tribesmen's leader, Sheikh Sadeq al Ahmar, a high-ranking military officer said. "The president's son is following a policy of escalation, as if to say he is the legitimate heir of his father," the officer said.
Gen Ahmed has long been touted as the next ruler of Yemen but many were angered this week when celebrations in Sana'a to mark successful surgery on his father left more than 16 people dead and 230 injured. The celebratory gunfire lasted for five hours on Wednesday night and was blamed on Gen Ahmed.
"He (Ahmed) wanted to show Yemenis that he is powerful and has men and forces in every street. He scared the people and loyalty of the people can never come with fear," said Saleem Mutawakil, 23, a third-year university student in Sanaa.
Officials in the ruling General People Congress party said that the use of ammunition to celebrate was a sign of power from President Saleh's son and nephews, who also hold key military positions.
"Having gunmen shooting in every street of the capital is a message from the ruling family that we exist and are in power," said Zaid Thari, a political adviser to the ruling party.
As the power struggle continues and risks returning to violence, life for people in Sana'a has become increasingly more difficult and dangerous.
Crime rates have increased more than 300 per cent since early May, according to criminal attorney Mohammed Nagi Allow.
"More crimes and attacks have been reported over the last month than ever before," he said. "The ruling family are insisting on degrading the people of Yemen and treating them like slaves and not like citizens who have rights."
He added that people with guns are now ruling the streets in Sana'a as no public services exist and looting is widespread.
Courts have been closed since mid May, while businesses continue to lay off employees.
Yemenis complain that there are few services and access is greatly reduced. Electricity blackouts continue throughout the country.
"How are we supposed to live. No water, no service, no electricity. We can't survive like this," said Fatima Mahfadi, a mother of three.
The government ministries began shutting down at the beginning of June when employees complained it was not safe to work.
Wassem Saleh, who has worked at the defence ministry for six years, said he had not attended work for more than a month fearing he might be killed.
"It's chaotic now, gunmen in almost every street and thugs create checkpoints. My life is more important than my job," he said. "The government has to assure me safety if it wants me to serve it."
Yet despite the hardships, protesters yesterday gathered in almost all of Yemen's 21 provinces for the 19th consecutive on Friday.
More than 100,000 supporters of the president also gathered in Sana'a's Sabeen Square.
* With additional reporting by Associated Press
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
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- not be younger than 25 years-of-age
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his/her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30-years-old and able to support the child financially
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
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Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
