Top generals, ambassadors and some tribes threw their support behind Yemen’s anti-government protesters on March 21 in a major blow to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, commander of the powerful 1st Armoured Division, fired the opening salvo and joined the student-led protests. Al-Ahmar, a popular military figure, had been a close ally of the president through his 32-year rule and is a member of Saleh’s tribe. The commander of the Eastern Military Region, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali Mohsen and Maj. Gen. Abdullah Ali Alewah, former minister of defence and president’s military adviser, followed suit.
The newly appointed governor of Aden, Ahmed Mohammed Al-Qa’atabi, also joined the politicians who have quit in protest against Saleh’s crackdown. On March 21, Yemen’s ambassadors to Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, the Arab League and China were among senior diplomats resigning or expressing support for the protest movement. The news of army defections sent a wave of delight among protesters across the country. However, Yemen security forces expressed full support to Saleh’s regime following a mass defection by top military leaders.