Celebrate, worry, or a little of both?

A couple of days ago, I tweeted about my concern that the military bloodthirsty corrupt Ali Mohsen will “join” the movement. The same man who participated in the civil war of 1994 killing many innocent people, and in 2005 led the war against the Houthis which also led to numerous innocent deaths.

Today I received a text message that read: “Ali Mohsen joined the protest.” Although I was expecting this, my stomach hurt and I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, this most likely means the fall of Saleh, especially in light of the great number of resignations, which is of course great news. But before I start dancing out of joy, I am still worried that the nightmare scenario of a military coup or a joint agreement between Ali Mohsen and Islah leading to a military style Wahabi style theocracy might happen if we are not prepared to combat it. This is the exact opposite of what the majority of youth in the square want, which is a civic state which respects individual rights and freedoms.

Of course reality is that alliances are made even with enemies, but we can not accept a person with blood on his hand. A person who uses religious terminology to eradicate groups of people. This is a very bad sign of what could happen in the future if we stand back and watch the revolution being hijacked. His presence in the change will mean the future will hold no change.

The only way we can combat this is by having a clear transition plan, and a detailed strategy for the future, in order to guarantee that our rights and freedoms are protected. The battle for rights will begin, and we must be well prepared in order to secure a state that guarantees equal citizenship, women's rights, and the rule of law.