Yemen’s human rights atrocities fuel al Qaeda, rights group says

Human Rights Watch issued a report yesterday linking the Yemeni government’s brutality to the pronounced terror threat emanating from the al Qaeda group in Yemen, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Britain raised its terror alert level yesterday from “substantial” to “severe” indicating a terror attack is “highly likely.” No specific reason was cited by British authorities. The UK is holding a conference on Yemen January 27 to address heightened concerns about the terror threat from AQAP following the failed attempt to bomb an airliner landing in Detroit on Christmas day. A conference on Afghanistan will follow the Yemen conference.

The rights group warned western nations about allying themselves too closely with the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a chronic violator of human rights noting, “Government repression has often targeted – and alienated – Yemenis who might otherwise be supportive of government efforts against AQAP.” The Saleh regime is widely reviled in Yemen due to its corruption as well as brutality.

In its report, Seven Principles for Effective International Engagement in Yemen, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the international community to assure foreign aid to Yemen does not fund further violence against Yemeni civilians.