Urgent statement
by the leadership of the Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ-South Yemen) to
the International Community.
The Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ) is
peacefully striving to end the North Yemeni military occupation of South
Yemen that has been occupied since July 7th 1994. TAJ is seizing the
opportunity of our people's 38th year's celebration of independence from
the British colony in November 30th 1967 to participate in the national
celebration in South Yemen, remembrance of courageous martyrs who fought
for independence and urges Southerners to continue their struggle for
independence, freedom, and true democracy
On this occasion TAJ emphasises that the Yemeni Unification which was a
dream and main aim of Southerners is no longer valid. It is well
documented that Southerners had struggled hard, where many people were
martyred for the cause of unification. Unfortunately, after the Northern
backward military regime imposed unification by military force in July
1994 southerners gave up this hope and wish to go back to self-rule with
full autonomy.
The International Community ought to understand that the people in South
Yemen have been suffering a great deal of repression by the northern
tribal-military forces. This brutal regime has been systematically
killing, torturing, depriving Southerners from their basic human rights as
well as working towards obliterating Southerners' identity, history and
culture. This is an attempt by the Northern regime to replace ways of life
with Northern ones without any regard to the human rights laws.
Therefore TAJ is calling for rapid intervention of the international
community through its main institutions in order to pressurise the regime
of North Yemen to:
- comply with the Security Council's resolutions 924 and 931 issued at the
time of the war in 1994.
- Withdraw the tribal-military forces from cities and villages of South
Yemen without any condition.
- Return all of the South's national and private wealth plundered during
the past 11 years.
- Stop sending Northern civilians and soldiers to the capital city of the
South (Aden) as a tactic to show that people of the South support the
Northern president and the presence of their regime in the South.
- Acknowledge the right to Self-determination for the South of Yemen.
TAJ declares its condemnation of these brutal and inhumane practices of
the Northern regime and the silence of the International Community about
these breaches of human rights laws. Furthermore, we urge the UN and the
Secretary General Kofi Annan to pay attention to the concerns of South
Yemeni people with regard to their rights enshrined in the international
human rights charter, before the situation escalates and transforms into
another Somalia.
Issued by: Southern Democratic Assembly (TAJ)
Date: 30th November 2005
London; UK
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