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Showing posts from November, 2014

An English girl in Yemen pt 3 - tanks and guns

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My blogs about my trip to Yemen have so far sought to describe the beauty, the warmth and the friendship of the place which many refer to as the cradle of civilisation.  Indeed many in the Middle East trace their ancestry back to the country which is home to the most welcoming and hospitable of any people in the world. But as Ive hinted, there is a darker side to Yemen and in recent weeks, the security situation has deteriorated still further and it would now be even more dangerous for a westerner to travel there, particularly through Sanaa, which in September, was taken by the Houthis - a Shia group which during the summer led protests against rising fuel prices and a lack of representation in the Yemeni government.  Clashes continue between the Houthis, the Government and Sunni Al Qaeda militants who are fighting back against the Houthis takeover. So far the trouble has been focused around Sanaa and the North but it is moving towards the south, with the capture of Al