The headquarters of the FAD overlook Sawad Hanash Cemetery in which 54
people who died on Yemen's Friday of Dignity are buried. This day,
March 18, is remembered as one of the bloodiest of Yemen's 2011
popular uprising.
Mohammed Al-Askri is from Sana’a and lives now in Sawad Hanash, a western district of the capital.
“For as long as I can remember, my house has been surrounded by soldiers,” he said.
“My ears have grown accustomed to the whistle of bullets and the blasts of explosions.”
Al-Askri lives next to the massive, walled headquarters of the First Armored Division (FAD), the largest contingent in Yemen’s military which has been commanded by General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmer for over 20 years.
For over four decades, the FAD has occupied a space of around 200,000 square meters in Sana’a. At the military base, they have conducted training and stored artillery. However, on April 11 of this year, a decree delivered by President Abdu Mansour Hadi announced —along with other sweeping changes in the structure and management of Yemen’s military—this base would be evacuated and turned into a public park.
“Maybe things will be different,” Al-Askri said. “It will be a place of safety and flowers, not fear and gunpowder.”
The space will be renamed March 21 Park, in reference to the day on which Al-Ahmer defected from the former regime, siding instead with the youth-led revolution that ousted Ali Abdullah Saleh from power.
Following his defection, violent clashes between the FAD and the Republican Guard—pro-Saleh forces, which during the revolution were commanded by Saleh’s oldest son Ahmed Saleh—erupted around this area.
Many locals from Sawad Hanash district left following violent confrontations. The neighborhood became something like a battleground.
Residents only returned following the agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council in November 2011, in which Saleh agreed to step down.
Engineer Jamal Al-Husam, 45, lives in Sawad Hanash district. He said having the base there disturbs him. He doesn’t like being this close to the army, hearing the military drills and worrying whether violence will break out again.
“My children and I hear nothing, just the shots of weapons,” he said. “We eagerly wait to see this park.”
Abdulla Al-Faek, the information assistant in the capital secretariat, said after a month or so, the military base will be vacated. As per the recent military restructure, the country has been divided into seven military regions (previously it was four) and the FAD will move outside of the capital, likely to Hodeida and Amran.
The FAD's military leadership is ready and willing to move out of the base, Al-Faek said. But some locals remain skeptical.
Al-Husam wondered aloud whether the park will actually be built. The violence of the 2011 uprising is still fresh in his mind and he is wary of empty promises.
The hill on which the military headquarters is located overlooks the capital city. Mohesn Khasroof, a retired military official, says the location was never appropriate for a military base. It is too close to people’s homes, he said.
The first planning meeting for the park was held on April 12. An executive committee has been set up and will be accepting bids from companies wanting to develop the park. Sana'a's Mayor Abdulqader Hilal said he cannot predict the total cost of the project.
This military base isn’t the only one in Sana’a.
The Republican Guards—though they have officially been disbanded, twice—and the Aviation Forces are also stationed inside the city. Hilal said that they are seeking “proper alternatives” in order to also relocate these bases.
Hashim Al-Hindi, the general manager of parks in the capital city, said this park will include a football field and volleyball and basketball courts. There will also be cafes and restaurants.
Since the early days of the revolution, one of the protestors’ demands was the removal of military bases and camps from Sana’a.
A group of revolutionary youth created an initiative on April 12 called “Our Dreams in Our Hands.” The initiative hopes to be closely involved in the development of the March 21 Park.
Al-Khatab Al-Rawhani, 28, founded the initiative and says “it is necessary that the youth take part in supervising the implementation of the project,” since the revolution itself was led by the youth.
Al-Rawhani says revolutionary groups should stop protesting and rather get involved in development programs.
Zyad Al-Jabiri, an employee in Suhail TV channel, the offices of which are in the neighborhood, said changing the headquarters of FAD into a public park bodes well for the country.
“Once we’ve replaced rockets with flowers and tears with smiles, we’ll feel certain that we’re moving in the right way, building a nation that reflects the interests of its people.”
“My ears have grown accustomed to the whistle of bullets and the blasts of explosions.”
Al-Askri lives next to the massive, walled headquarters of the First Armored Division (FAD), the largest contingent in Yemen’s military which has been commanded by General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmer for over 20 years.
For over four decades, the FAD has occupied a space of around 200,000 square meters in Sana’a. At the military base, they have conducted training and stored artillery. However, on April 11 of this year, a decree delivered by President Abdu Mansour Hadi announced —along with other sweeping changes in the structure and management of Yemen’s military—this base would be evacuated and turned into a public park.
“Maybe things will be different,” Al-Askri said. “It will be a place of safety and flowers, not fear and gunpowder.”
The space will be renamed March 21 Park, in reference to the day on which Al-Ahmer defected from the former regime, siding instead with the youth-led revolution that ousted Ali Abdullah Saleh from power.
Following his defection, violent clashes between the FAD and the Republican Guard—pro-Saleh forces, which during the revolution were commanded by Saleh’s oldest son Ahmed Saleh—erupted around this area.
Many locals from Sawad Hanash district left following violent confrontations. The neighborhood became something like a battleground.
Residents only returned following the agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council in November 2011, in which Saleh agreed to step down.
Engineer Jamal Al-Husam, 45, lives in Sawad Hanash district. He said having the base there disturbs him. He doesn’t like being this close to the army, hearing the military drills and worrying whether violence will break out again.
“My children and I hear nothing, just the shots of weapons,” he said. “We eagerly wait to see this park.”
Abdulla Al-Faek, the information assistant in the capital secretariat, said after a month or so, the military base will be vacated. As per the recent military restructure, the country has been divided into seven military regions (previously it was four) and the FAD will move outside of the capital, likely to Hodeida and Amran.
The FAD's military leadership is ready and willing to move out of the base, Al-Faek said. But some locals remain skeptical.
Al-Husam wondered aloud whether the park will actually be built. The violence of the 2011 uprising is still fresh in his mind and he is wary of empty promises.
The hill on which the military headquarters is located overlooks the capital city. Mohesn Khasroof, a retired military official, says the location was never appropriate for a military base. It is too close to people’s homes, he said.
The first planning meeting for the park was held on April 12. An executive committee has been set up and will be accepting bids from companies wanting to develop the park. Sana'a's Mayor Abdulqader Hilal said he cannot predict the total cost of the project.
This military base isn’t the only one in Sana’a.
The Republican Guards—though they have officially been disbanded, twice—and the Aviation Forces are also stationed inside the city. Hilal said that they are seeking “proper alternatives” in order to also relocate these bases.
Hashim Al-Hindi, the general manager of parks in the capital city, said this park will include a football field and volleyball and basketball courts. There will also be cafes and restaurants.
Since the early days of the revolution, one of the protestors’ demands was the removal of military bases and camps from Sana’a.
A group of revolutionary youth created an initiative on April 12 called “Our Dreams in Our Hands.” The initiative hopes to be closely involved in the development of the March 21 Park.
Al-Khatab Al-Rawhani, 28, founded the initiative and says “it is necessary that the youth take part in supervising the implementation of the project,” since the revolution itself was led by the youth.
Al-Rawhani says revolutionary groups should stop protesting and rather get involved in development programs.
Zyad Al-Jabiri, an employee in Suhail TV channel, the offices of which are in the neighborhood, said changing the headquarters of FAD into a public park bodes well for the country.
“Once we’ve replaced rockets with flowers and tears with smiles, we’ll feel certain that we’re moving in the right way, building a nation that reflects the interests of its people.”
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