On January 16, Al-Qaida forces took over Radda, a Yemeni town 100 miles south of the capital, and captured the local prison, setting at least 150 convicts free. According to an Associated Press photographer, the al-Qaida militants who attacked Radda were equipped with rocket-propelled grenades, automatic rifles, and other arms.

Residents said that a black al-Qaida banner was flown at the top of a captured mosque. Around 200 militants invaded Radda from already captured points, according to security officials. These points included an ancient castle, mosque, and school. Some of the freed criminals were given arms and joined in the fighting, according to anonymous officials who were not allowed to speak to the media.

The officials divulged that the leader of the al-Qaida fighters was Tariq Al-Zahab, whose sister was married to Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida cleric and recruiter who was killed in a U.S. airstrike. The fighters maintained a security ring around Radda, so nobody could enter or leave.

Al-Qaida militants are taking advantage of the fact that the Yemeni government has been weakened due to an anti-regime uprising which was influenced by the Arab Spring revolts. This takeover has added to the number of towns that al-Qaida has already conquered in the mostly lawless south. After months of opposing protests, President Ali Abdullah Saleh finally ended his 33-year rule. The capture of Radda gives al-Qaida a foothold close to the capital, which is believed to contain many terrorist sleeper cells.

Thousands protested the security officials’ failure to protect the town in the provincial capital of Bayda. They blamed Saleh for the attack, as did some tribal leaders. “We are surprised by the silence of the security forces,” said one protester, Abdel-Rahman al-Rashid, who lives in Radda. “They have not moved, which only means that this is all arranged to spark chaos.”

Yemen, being the poorest nation in the Arab world, has long been in danger of splitting up along regional lines, with al-Qaida in possession of remote, guarded areas in the country’s mountainous areas. If this happens, Yemen could turn into something similar to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and become a power base for militants to plot terrorist attacks against the US and its allies.

The active al-Qaida branch in Yemen has previously been connected to terror attacks on the United States and Saudi Arabia and is considered one of the most formidable franchises of the international terror organization. The US once viewed Saleh as an ally in the fight against al-Qaida. However, the US stopped its support last summer and encouraged Saleh to resign.

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One man has ruled Yemen, like many of its neighbors in the Middle East for a very long time. At times it seems like the leaders in the region compete for who stays on the job the longest. President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen is no exception.

Like Egypt’s Mubarak and Tunisia’s Ben Ali, Yemen’s president was planning to mark yet another anniversary of his rule (33rd in his case). However that seems highly unlikely given the recent protests in that country.

The opposition in Yemen has achieved a major milestone in their fight to oust their president. They have agreed in principle to a five-point manifesto that charts the course of their country’s future. They have also made President Saleh agree to some form of unity government as a transitional phase.

Considering that the embattled president has been experiencing increased pressure in his country, with tens of thousands of protestors demanding he resign, it is understandable that he would claim to have found “common ground” with the five point demands of the opposition.

A summary of the five-point agreed to by the opposition is as follows,

1- A peaceful and smooth transition of power before the end of 2011. This point also includes the stipulation that President Saleh will not be allowed to appoint nor recommend any specific candidate, including family members of the president that currently hold high posts in the military.

2- Prohibits the exclusion of the various opposition parties and figures in the coming elections. This includes those in the south of Yemen, the youthful protestors as well as the various exiled Yemeni opposition figures currently living abroad

3- The formation of a new unity government inclusive of opposition members. The new government must give assurance to create an environment in which the next elections occur in a free and fair manner.

4- The right to assemble and protest peacefully.

5- to give financial assistance to those injured during the uprising as well as to the families that have lost loved ones.

The five-point agreement seems to be a comprehensive step in the right direction to expand the rights of the Yemeni people as well as their choices. How the process unfolds and to who power will finally rest is something the remainder of the world will certainly be anxiously awaiting to see.

One thing is certain though, the tremors of this major shake up rocking the whole of the Middle East will be felt by everyone in the months and even years to come.

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Made famous by the fact that Chandler from Friends once fled there to avoid an ex-girlfriend, Yemen is the latest Arab nation to be undergoing a revolution. The countries current dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh has ruled the nation since it was officially formed in 1990. However his career leads back much further then that, as he also served as the president of North Yemen for 12 years before the nations unified.

Saleh is another president with ties to the US, like Hosni Mubarak he has been supportive of a variety of US policies, and is still struggling with links to al-Qaeda operatives within the nation. This came to an abrupt end as Saleh made several furious statements blaming the US for the widespread protests in the Yemeni capital of Saana.

Much of the protest is concentrated at the University of Saana grounds in the capital city. Al Jazeera has reported the protests are daily now in the capital, with thousands demanding an end to the government’s reign. Yemeni protesters are frustrated with widespread corruption and nearly a third of the workforce is out of a job. More than 40 per cent of Yemen’s 23 million people live on less than two dollars a day.

The protests in Yemen have now been going on for weeks, with Saleh trying a number of tactits to end the protests in the capital. There have been reports of attacks from soliders resulting in the deaths of protestors, Saleh has tried blaming both the US and Israel for the protests, giving an impassioned speech against President Obama and has even attempted to propose a unity government.

Like Libya the future of the Yemen opposition movement will only be revealed through time – but it does seem possible that at least three large arab nations could overthrow long-standing dictators by utilizing the power of peaceful protest.

Photo Credit: Messay Shoakena – 2011 Messay

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