Who are the protesters in this case? Freedom-lovers? Or radical Muslims?
There are 2 political parties in Yemen. One is socialist and mostly controls the cities. This is the party in power and the long time president’s party. The other party is conservative and is popular in the rural country and villages. Almost everyone there is muslim (there is a small Jewish population) so it doesn’t really matter, both parties are islamic. One is islamic socialist and the other is islamic conservative. They are protesting lack of human rights, too much control over daily life by the secret police, lack of employment, higher food prices, lack of sufficient fresh water, escalating energy costs and lack of a real choice in elected politicians. Much like Egypt and Tunisia. In terms of poverty, Yemen is on the edge. Even a small rise in food prices can put most of the country into severe hardship.