The Media War
It has been more than 2 months since the youth movement started in Yemen. Most people who are interested in Yemen can only rely on the media to learn about the situation here. Most people, including the majority of Yemenis, have been overwhelmed by the media coverage of the events in Yemen. They have formed their opinions and attitudes based on the information provided. Some rely on international sources, and a few on local sources of information. I would like here to challenge the media coverage of events in Yemen. I would like to call everybody to look beyond the pieces of news given by the media. If possible, I would like you to go out to the streets of Sana'a to learn more about what is happening.
The illusion of numbers:
Since the start of the demonstrations against the regime we have been hearing about the "millions" of Yemenis who are taking to the streets. Recently, since the regime started to mobilize supporters, we have also been hearing about the other "millions" that are pro regime. Lets pause for a moment to see what is behind the figures.
If we look at Al-Tagheer square (change), it is in the Ring road. Currently the sit-in area extends over a length of 2200 meters- let it be 2500 given the branches in a few side streets (based on calculations on google earth). We know that the Ring road is about 20 meters wide. If we consider that a person will need a minimum of 1 square meter, the maximum number of demonstrators on Friday is 50,000 (if we ignore the curbs and tents)... Tagheer is 50,000 people MAX
On the other hand, lets look at Al-Tahrir/Sabeen (the pro government). The length of the demonstration site is about 5000 meters. The width is 50 meters in Tahrir square(extending over 500 meters), and 65 meters in Sabeen square (extending over 900 meters). The other streets are between 18 and 25 meters wide. The estimate is 111,800 people in the whole area (based on a 1.5 square meters per person).... Tahreer is around 100,000 people MAX
In addition to the maximum capacity of the areas of demonstrations (pro and against government), lets look at the population. Sana'a has a population of 2 million. 75% are women, children, and elderly, leaving 500,000 who go to the demonstrations. Based on my own observations on Fridays, the number of worshipers has declined by a maximum of 30%. If we assume that 800,000 people attend the Friday prayers in ordinary days and 50% are "youth" then 200,000 are still going to the mosques. That is leaving 300,000 to participate in the demonstrations in Tagheer and Tahrir together!...
We did not account for the comers from outside Sana'a. These people be all estimates cannot be more than tens of thousands (Sana'a has three major roads connecting it to the other parts of the country and roads simply cannot accommodate "millions of people" who come in less than 24 hours)...
Conclusion:
There are no millions participating in the demonstrations, the majority of Yemenis are not there. and remember that 75% of Yemenis live in rural areas.....
The media war is continuing, raising tension between Yemenis. The situation is very much volatile and could lead to civil war if it continues. Yesterday I was near Al-Tagheer square area buying chickens. The seller was arguing with some people. He was telling them "ok.... go to Sabeen and get your 5000", one of these people was upset. They were close to fighting. I noticed the high level of tension in that area like no other place.
This tension is noticed everywhere. When you observe the tone of the language in facebook, for example, you would be surprised. "hypocrites, infidels, stupid, " from one side, and "traitors, extremists...." The situation is not different in many other places, especially in rural areas.
There is a tendency for the media to "exaggerate" and show how "bad things are in Yemen"... The problem is how each side is using the media, and how people are receiving this. We need to set back and think once more before we make conclusions about what is happening in Yemen. People need to rethink their positions and believe that they can still live together.
Picture of Rabat street across the Ring road 30 minutes before the Friday prayers (April 15).....
Video in 45 street, Saleh Supporters... Zanga Zanga
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