Covering Syria

Apologies for the dearth of posts over the past few months.

My deportation from Yemen has been quite serendipitous–I headed to Sri Lanka for a  press trip and then to Istanbul for a holiday. I always wanted to branch out from only focusing on the story in Yemen and I’ve had the chance to write about Syria and Lebanon over the past three months, which has stolen headlines from the Arabian Peninsula.

I’m now in balmy Beirut, helping Reuters out with their Syria coverage from the bureau here and drinking Gin & Tonics on rooftop bars. The smuggled Djiboutian whiskey of Yemen is now a hazy distant memory… 

If you want to keep abreast of my updates, please follow me on Twitter: @olireports

Deported — 40 killed in Sana’a

After a year and a half of reporting from Yemen, I was deported suddenly on March 14^th. Although I was accredited by the Ministry of Information (and regularly invited to official press events), the Yemeni government decided to expel me, citing the fact that my Arabic language institute sponsored my residency visa and I was not allowed to work as a journalist.

But why now?

I was deported with two other journalists—Haley Sweetland Edwards (LATimes) and Portia Walker (Washington Post), as well as author and climbing enthusiast Joshua Maricich. We had been covering the violent crackdown on protesters in the preceding days—coverage that we later found out was the real reason for our expulsion.

You can read a TIME dispatch I wrote about reporting in Yemen and my expulsion here:

Prelude to a Deportation: Covering Yemen’s Uprising

Today, at least 40 protesters were shot and killed in Sana’a. During our deportation, I remember wondering what the government was preparing for if they were kicking out half the foreign correspondent community here. With only a handful of reporters in Sana’a, I’m worried events like today will not get the attention they deserve.

I’m applying for a visa back to Yemen, but I’m not hopeful. Other journalists are being deported on arrival and journalist visas are being held up for months.

In the meantime, I’m going to delete the title of this blog. I’m heading to Sri Lanka for a week and when I get back, I’ll decide which story I want to cover next.

 

The creeping revolution

I’ve been very bad at keeping the blog updated as there has been quite a lot going on here in Yemen. The protesters have taken a lot more ground around the city and there have been some tense confrontations with the police.

Here are some recent articles/videos:

Video – The Wall Street Journal – Violent Clashes in Yemeni Capital

TIME – Violence Erupts in Yemen as Protests Intensify

Video – The Wall Street Journal – Yemeni Protesters Call For President to Step Down

The Wall Street Journal – Yemeni Protests Turn Violent

TIME – Showdown in Yemen

 

Tribes enter the mix

How do you know when things are getting serious in Yemen? When it gets tribal.

TIME – The Tribe Has Spoken: Yemen’s Powerbrokers Step In

WSJ – Yemeni President Rallies Tribal Support

Tens of Thousands

These are the numbers we are seeing now:

The Wall Street Journal – Rival Protestors Duel in Yemen

TIME – Yemen’s Big Protests: Saleh’s Opponents Get Critical Mass

Also, here’s a video package I did for the Wall Street Journal. Video work is hard and time consuming, but great fun.

 

The Baltegeya

The Baltegeya are thugs. They are surrounding the anti-government protestors and occasionally fire AK-47s at them.

Who are they? Read about them in this TIME article.

Also, here is some video I took the other night.

 

 

Back in Yemen

Caught the redeye back to Sana’a and went straight to the protests. Burning cars and lots of chanting but no violence.

But late last night two men were shot dead when pro-government supporters opened fire on the protestors. I rushed over and arrived as the ambulances got there.

Article out in Wall Street Journal today. More to come, I’m sure.

Picture below for illiterates.

Why Yemen…

Part two in the “Why Yemen” series to give some background to Yemen news – Why Yemen’s Revolution Has Failed So Far

Today calmed my nerves, slightly. The protests were large but peaceful and they ended at midday so everyone could go home and start chewing qat–the famous narcotic leaf. If the situation remains stable, I’ll be able to stay on the course.

Here’s a picture of today’s protest by Majid al Kibsi, who helped me out today.

Dilemma

Although it may seem like I’m trying to write about Yemen in as many countries as I can that aren’t Yemen, I’m not.

New article out today in TIME, written from the UK…

Fearing a Tunisia-style revolt, Yemen’s President told parliament today that he doesn’t intend to rule for life and will step down in 2013. But Yemenis are not buying it—he’s said the same in the past and still seems to be the President.

But maybe not for long. It’s up in the air at the moment. The largest protest so far is expected to take place tomorrow in the capital of Sana’a. Analysts say the situation could deteriorate drastically and put Yemen on Egypt’s tracks.

Normally, I would fly back straight away but I’ve been waiting to see if this will blow over. My dilemma is that the hostile environment course I’m supposed to be attending starts on Sunday. This is my only chance to get decent training for free, paid for by the Rory Peck Trust.

If things get violent, and the Yemeni government starts to wobble, I’m not sure how long I can stay away. However, skipping a hostile environment training to go to a hostile environment would feel incredibly irresponsible.

 

Writing about dusty Yemen in frosty New York

It’s been over a month since I last posted an entry. That means Yemen has been looking after itself, or maybe just lucky.

But now, spurred on by the uprising in Tunisia, Yemen civil society has taken to the streets over the past week and started protesting. It has certainly shaken the government, realising it can’t arrest journalists and human rights activists anymore without reprisal. You can see my story today in TIME here.

Still out of Yemen–I had Christmas in the UK and I’m now in New York, seeing my family and meeting my editors. I spent today eating donuts and bagels, frantically typing and long-distance-calling far off desert lands to try and get descriptions of the demonstrations. All while looking out my bedroom window at the falling snow in Manhattan.

If you want to read more on Yemen protests, check out Laura Kasinof’s article in CSM and Tom Finn’s in the Guardian.