Post by Ruqaya
I met up with al-Ghariba (who sometimes posts on this blog) who used to be my neighbor before the war and we thought we'd go out and take some photos of al-Hasaba before things got cleaned up.
We took photos in and around bait al-Ahmar, the house of the tribal sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, we even got to go inside and get photos from the back garden. We got photos of the Yemenia building, all tall and burnt and then al-Ghariba suggested some photos from the back streets where the aqdam live - this is where we came unstuck.
There are a lot of sandbag walls when you go around in the areas between the big house of al-Ahmar to the bus station and the clock intersection. One street is blocked off by a bus shell filled with these sandbags, and al-Ahmar troops mind these areas and it is all OK to take photos even with them in it. Then as we exited onto the clock intersection near the bus station, some Najda Police stopped us and wanted to take our cameras. Oh no!
Al-Ghariba refused but the policeman got bothered and the remainder of them sitting around chewing qat got up, so we both surrendered our memory cards before we lost our whole cameras and phones too.
ALhamdulillahi Rabbil-alameen that these harsh policemen (who are part of the attacks on al-Hasaba and provoke the tribe fighters into breaking the ceasefire) did not ask for our IDs. I don't think al-Ghariba would have been in a good position being non-Yemeni. Well sister, at least your lahjah is coming along!
Friendly advice from an al-Hasaba resident: Do not take photos in areas with regime forces! or anywhere near them. if you want to take photos inside al-Hasaba do it near bait al-Ahmar!
And when walking by regime forces act as normal as posible and go about your business other than photo taking!
Friday 16 September 2011
Thursday 8 September 2011
On the Streets
Post by Admin
Walking the streets of Sana'a one can get a feel when things are getting bad. The usual bus chatter increases and heats up. But what we have on the streets and in the skies is something more telling - troop build-ups, extra armored vehicles, new road blocks, and the ever present thud of not to distant bombing.
State media recently reported Shaikh Sadeq Al-Ahmar to have ordered civilian evacuation of al-Hasaba. This is NOT true and life continues, though after the report aired on Saba-TV, the market on the street disappeared a few days.
Fortifications in the suburb have increased, one street is blocked off by a bus body filled with sand bags, and exchanges of gunfire can be heard especially at night.
Petrol prices have risen a little after decreasing to 3000 from 10,000. But everyday items of food are getting harder and harder to afford and some people have taken the step to drink tea with only half the sugar! Now that is a rare thing!
The Change Square sit in is as strong as ever and the tents have undergone renovations such as being put up on stilts to avoid the rain run-off. English translations of coalition signs and handouts remains awful at best. Protesters are still marching around town shouting slogans and chanting the downfall of the regime, and at the end of it, one can only wonder where it is all going.
School and university terms are planned to start on 17 September. It is unclear how term will start at Sana'a and Science and Technology universities with main entrances still blocked off by tents and an uncertain security situation. Almost all schools have had high numbers of unenrolments, especially high end private schools.
Walking the streets of Sana'a one can get a feel when things are getting bad. The usual bus chatter increases and heats up. But what we have on the streets and in the skies is something more telling - troop build-ups, extra armored vehicles, new road blocks, and the ever present thud of not to distant bombing.
State media recently reported Shaikh Sadeq Al-Ahmar to have ordered civilian evacuation of al-Hasaba. This is NOT true and life continues, though after the report aired on Saba-TV, the market on the street disappeared a few days.
Fortifications in the suburb have increased, one street is blocked off by a bus body filled with sand bags, and exchanges of gunfire can be heard especially at night.
Petrol prices have risen a little after decreasing to 3000 from 10,000. But everyday items of food are getting harder and harder to afford and some people have taken the step to drink tea with only half the sugar! Now that is a rare thing!
The Change Square sit in is as strong as ever and the tents have undergone renovations such as being put up on stilts to avoid the rain run-off. English translations of coalition signs and handouts remains awful at best. Protesters are still marching around town shouting slogans and chanting the downfall of the regime, and at the end of it, one can only wonder where it is all going.
School and university terms are planned to start on 17 September. It is unclear how term will start at Sana'a and Science and Technology universities with main entrances still blocked off by tents and an uncertain security situation. Almost all schools have had high numbers of unenrolments, especially high end private schools.
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