National Dialogue Conference (NDC) members at Sana’a’s Movenpick Hotel staged multiple protests on Wednesday.
The respective demonstrations were held to condemn the killing of three Air Force officers, to protest recent nominations at the Central Organization for Control and Auditing (COCA), to demand that Raima governorate receive assistance from the government, and to demand a strategy for combating the chewing of qat.
In the first demonstration, NDC members spoke out against the targeted killing of three pilots as they were on their way to Al-Anad airbase in Yemen’s south this morning. They urged the authorities to arrest the perpetrators and to put an end to continued targeted killings.
In another demonstration, the protesters held up placards condemn the recent appointments of a chairman and two other high-ranking positions at the COCA.
Some of the placards held up by protesting NDC members read ‘Supervisory authorities are appealing to President Hadi to have the decisions reversed.’
Meanwhile, other members demanded that Raima governorate be provided with improved basic services and necessary development projects.
Separately, a small group of NDC members held a demonstration to demand a strategy to combat the practice of qat-chewing and for Yemen’s qat markets to be better organized.
They held up placards reading ‘For a strategy to combat qat’, ‘2,000 people die annually from cancer caused by qat’ and ‘Qat consumes 70 percent of the country’s water’.
Majid Fadayel, one of the young organizers of the demonstration, said their protest actions coincided with similar events which were being held outside the NDC venue, including a demonstration at the Parliament building with the same aim.
“Our main demand is to have a strategy focused on gradually combating qat by removing qat markets from within cities, thereby helping people to reduce their daily chewing,” he said.
“We also demand that the owners of qat farms be compensated, to encourage them to replace their current crop with farms for coffee and other produce.”
Speaking about the day’s protests, Fadayel said they had been organized by youths at the NDC, the same who had spearheaded protests and other efforts for change since 2011.
