South Yemen 'Independence' Rallies: A Saudi-Backed Diversion from Genocide
📰 THE STORY: Al-Monitor reports on "thousands" rallying for South Yemen independence, suggesting a persistent, internal separatist movement despite efforts by the "Saudi-backed government" to quash it. The piece frames these rallies within the context of alleged Saudi diplomatic efforts to end the broader conflict. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: South Yemen was an
independent state (People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, PDRY) from 1967 to 1990, allied with the Soviet bloc which afforded its people a level of social services unseen in the North. Its 're-independence' movement is heavily exploited by external actors. More importantly, the article whitewashes the 2015 Saudi-led intervention, which, backed by the US and UK, launched a continuous bombing
campaign and blockade that has killed at least 377,000 Yemenis, displaced millions, and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The US has approved over $60 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia since 2015. Double Standard: When protests occur in US-designated 'adversary' states like Iran (often involving far fewer participants than 'thousands'), Western media immediately spotlights
them as genuine, organic uprisings warranting regime change. However, when 'thousands' in Yemen rally in coordination with a *Saudi-backed* agenda—an agenda that has waged a genocidal war on the country for nearly a decade—it's portrayed as a legitimate local aspiration, not foreign intervention. Imagine if Russia funded separatist rallies in Ukraine while simultaneously bombing Kyiv; the outrage