France, Japan and Spain sharply curtailed operations of their embassies in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a on Monday after the United States and Britain closed down their facilitiets entirely. France’s decision to close their embassy to all public visits and the moves by Japan and Spain to restrict access were also triggered by reports that began circulating of a planned attack by Yemeni-based elements loyal to al Qaeda. A recent statement released by the group read: "We call on all Muslims … to throw out all unbelievers from the Arabian Peninsula by killing crusaders who work in embassies or elsewhere … [in] a total war on all crusaders in the Peninsula of [Prophet] Muhammad." This statement comes in the wake of the failed Christmas Day attack on board a Detroit-bound airplane, which was the brainchild of Yemeni militants. Since that incident, Yemen has emerged as a country of growing strategic importance to the West in its battle against al Qaeda extremism, with experts predicting increased Western attention to the country and its struggles in the upcoming months. Until recently, most attention to al Qaeda has focused on the group’s South Asian affiliates in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In related news, on Monday Yemeni authorities released a statement claiming to have killed two militants associated with al Qaeda in a government crackdown.
For a photo portfolio of Yemen and its refugee problems, see the Fall issue of World Policy Journal.
The leader of the military junta in Myanmar announced that the country will hold elections this year, its first in 20 years. In an open letter, General Than Shwe said that the current government’s road map is “designed for [the] emergence of a peaceful, modern, and developed nation” that will “transition to democracy.” Than’s letter went onto say that “plans are under way to hold elections in a systematic way this year. In that regard, the entire people have to make correct choices, then.” Myanmar last held elections in 1990, but the results of that effort were dismissed by the country’s military, whose generals have remained in power ever since. Following the release of Than’s letter, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that “planning for these elections must be a priority, and how it is monitored is something to be discussed and analyzed.” She added that “what’s important is getting some confidence that these will be free, fair, and credible elections. Otherwise, the Burmese leadership and the results of the election will not have international legitimacy.”
A spate of violence in central Somalia and a piracy attack offshore on Monday refocused international eyes on the tenuous stability of the East African nation. The pirates hijacked a British cargo ship off the Gulf of Aden. The carrier, which was transporting automobiles to Saudi Arabia, has now been rerouted to Somalia. Meanwhile, fighting broke out in an area of central Somalia between rival Islamic factions, leaving at least 30 dead so far. One of the warring factions, al Shabaab, is a Somali militia that controls a large amount of territory in the central and southern regions of the country. Al Shabaab has declared itself an opponent of the Western-backed Transitional Federal Authority, the nascent government in Mogadishu that controls very little land within Somalia itself, but retains the support of the United Nations. This weekend’s fighting highlights the emergence of Islamist factions in Somalia that may be in a position to challenge the authority of al Shabaab in its strongholds.
A substantial oil spill that took place in northwest China last Wednesday has now reportedly spread to a tributary of the Yellow River, threatening to pollute one of China’s largest water sources. BBC News reports that the oil spill occurred when a construction accident caused a leak in a fuel pipeline monitored by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), a state-owned company. Some 40,000 gallons of diesel oil spilled into the Chishui and spread to the Wei, a tributary of the Yellow River. While more than 700 emergency workers battle the spill, attempting to prevent further water contamination, state officials warn people to stay clear of river water. At the moment, a water shortage is not a threat since underground aquifers serve as back up supplies for river water. However, if the pollution continues to spread, up to 140 million residents, including factory workers and farmers may face water shortages. For more information on water problems, see the latest issue of World Policy Journal on Water Wars.