The “Afash” Congress… From the Mire of Treason to the Embrace of Aggression

Last updated Aug 12, 2025

In Yemen’s political history, the rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh — spanning from 1978 to 2011 — stands out as one of the darkest eras: three decades of subservience to foreign powers in exchange for clinging to the presidential seat, even at the cost of selling land, looting resources, and compromising national sovereignty.

Anyone studying the trajectory of the General People’s Congress (GPC) from its founding to the present will realize that it was never merely a political party, but a reflection of the personality of a single ruler — the traitor Afash — who turned the party into a tool for cementing his grip over the country through a network of tribal loyalties, narrow interests, and complete dependence on foreign patrons.

When the September 21 Revolution ushered in a new national reality based on independence and sovereignty, the true face of the Afash faction was exposed. They openly sold the land and honor of Yemen, joining the American-Saudi-Zionist coalition, and became part of the political, media, and military machinery waging war on the Yemeni people.

In contrast, the national wing of the GPC emerged as a principled political current that refused foreign dependency and rejected joining the aggression camp despite immense pressure and temptations. This wing — composed of leaders and grassroots members committed to sovereignty — chose to be a partner in defending Yemen, working alongside other national forces in the battle for liberation and independence.

This patriotic faction endured heavy burdens: attempts to split its ranks, offers of money and positions from Saudi and Emirati powers, and relentless political pressure. Yet it remained steadfast, understanding that today’s struggle is not about political power, but an existential battle between a free national project and a colonial-Zionist one.

Through its participation in state administration and its role in strengthening the internal front, this current contributed to consolidating Yemen’s resilience and foiling plans to topple Sana’a and return Yemen to Saudi, Emirati, and American subservience.

An Inheritance of 33 Years of Corruption and Dependency

For more than three decades, Yemen under the traitor Afash was a state with a captive decision-making process, governed through alliances rooted in personal interests.

The Yemeni economy was systematically plundered: oil and gas resources were sold in secret deals at throwaway prices; ports like Aden and Mokha were leased or handed over to foreign companies in exchange for massive kickbacks to the ruling family.

Foreign debt ballooned, the public sector collapsed, unemployment reached catastrophic levels — all while the ruling clan amassed wealth and influence.

Security agencies acted as instruments of repression against any dissenting voice, while the country’s gates were thrown open to U.S. and Saudi oversight under the banner of “security cooperation.”

Early Normalization with the Israeli Enemy

Despite populist rhetoric and slogans of solidarity with resistance movements and the Palestinian people in international forums, Afash was secretly weaving relations with the Zionist entity.

Covert meetings took place between Yemeni officials and Israeli figures in European capitals, and undisclosed correspondence was reported in foreign intelligence briefings.

Even maritime trade agreements included indirect facilitation for ships linked to Israel.

On more than one occasion, the Afash regime attempted to broker Arab peace initiatives that bypassed Palestinian national constants — as part of its U.S.-assigned role in “softening” Yemen’s stance.

Absolute Subservience to Washington and Riyadh

Under Afash, Yemen’s sovereign decision-making was reduced to an annex of the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a and the palaces of the Al Saud.

U.S. bases received on-the-ground facilitation in Yemeni territory, and American drones began combat operations from Yemeni airspace with the blessing of the presidential palace.

Yemen’s security apparatus assisted in U.S.-led manhunts and assassinations of Yemeni citizens following September 11, 2001, in full alignment with the American war agenda.

2011… The Beginning of the End and the Fall of the Mask

With the eruption of the February 2011 Revolution, Afash’s paper-built regime crumbled — the army split, tribes defected, and the people took to the streets demanding the fall of the regime.

But the U.S.-Saudi deal known as the “Gulf Initiative” rescued the Afash loyalists, granting them immunity from prosecution in the greatest betrayal of the martyrs’ blood. From that moment, the Afash faction began plotting to regain power — even if it meant allying with Yemen’s enemies.

2015… Openly Joining the Aggression

When their attempts to topple the September 21 Revolution from within failed, the Afash faction rushed into the arms of the Saudi-Emirati coalition, which was executing the U.S.-Zionist plan to destroy Yemen.

They opened doors and corridors for the invaders, provided intelligence, and ran media campaigns justifying the bombing of cities and the starvation of the population.

They openly invited American and Saudi warplanes to strike Yemeni military institutions and incited for a comprehensive blockade to deprive millions of Yemenis of food and medicine.

The National Congress… In the Trench of Resistance

On the other side, the national wing of the GPC — committed to sovereignty and independence — stood firmly with the homeland. It rejected all forms of foreign dependency and affirmed that the battle against the coalition of aggression is an extension of the Arab nation’s struggle against the U.S.-Zionist project.

It helped shape a unified political stance linking the defense of Sana’a to the defense of Jerusalem and supported the army and popular committees across all battlefronts.

This national faction became a model, proving that party affiliation must serve the higher interest of the nation — not the other way around.

Recycling Treason and Attempts at Infiltration

Today, the coalition of aggression seeks to rebrand the Afash loyalists through political projects and dubious alliances with Riyadh- and Abu Dhabi-aligned forces, aiming to fracture the internal front and weaken Yemen’s firm stance on Palestine.

Yet the revolutionary awareness forged by the September 21 Revolution, and the public perception of the Afash faction as an instrument of treason, remain a solid barrier against such schemes.

September 21 Revolution Reversed the Equation

Distinguishing between the loyal national GPC and the treacherous Afash faction is not a mere partisan matter — it is a strategic necessity to protect the gains of the September 21 Revolution and ensure Yemen never returns to the era of subservience and betrayal.

Between an Afash wing that sold Yemen to its enemies and a patriotic wing that holds fast to principles, the Yemeni people stand today fully aware of who betrayed them and who stood with them.

History records that the Afash Congress has always been a tool in the hands of Yemen’s enemies, and that its 33 years of rule laid the groundwork for dependency, poverty, and fragmentation. In contrast, the national, resistant GPC proves that the people’s choice is liberation and sovereignty — and that standing with Palestine is not a seasonal slogan, but a principled political and moral stance, now manifested in Yemen’s support for the Palestinian resistance and its confrontation of the U.S.-Zionist project on all fronts.

Documented Annex… The Afash Treason Archive

Hidden Normalization with the Zionist Entity

1995 – Secret meeting in Amman: Reported by Haaretz as a meeting between an official Yemeni delegation and Zionist officials in Jordan’s capital following the Oslo Accords, to establish undisclosed lines of communication.
2000 – LNG deal: The Afash government struck a deal to export Yemeni LNG via Yemen LNG company, in which an intermediary was linked to Israeli firms — enabling part of Yemen’s gas to reach ports under Israeli administration.
2004 – European-mediated contacts: French intelligence reported contacts between Afash associates and Israeli businessmen discussing investments in Red Sea ports.

Alignment with the U.S. Agenda

2002 – U.S. drone operations begin: Saleh officially authorized U.S. drone use over Yemen, with the first strike in November 2002 targeting a car in Ma’rib, killing six Yemenis including Abu Ali Al-Harithi.
2009 – Security pact with Washington: Afash’s regime signed a memorandum granting undeclared U.S. military presence at certain Yemeni bases, in exchange for funds under the pretext of “counterterrorism” — used to buy tribal loyalties.

Subservience to Saudi Arabia and the UAE

2000 – Border treaty with Saudi Arabia: Through the Jeddah Agreement, Afash ceded vast Yemeni territories to Saudi Arabia in return for financial aid and personal deals.
2008 – Port leasing to the UAE: Afash allowed Dubai Ports World to manage Aden Port in a questionable deal that crippled its operations and deprived Yemen of vital revenue.
2009 – Military facilitation: Wikileaks revealed Afash gave Saudi Arabia the green light to carry out airstrikes inside Yemen against Ansar Allah, boasting to the U.S. ambassador: “We’ll say the bombs are American, but we’re the ones dropping them.”

Supporting Blockade Plans Against the Resistance

2002 – Backing the Arab Peace Initiative: Without officially rejecting it, Saleh supported Saudi Arabia’s plan for full normalization with Israel in exchange for withdrawal to 1967 borders — seen by many as a betrayal of Palestinian principles.
2004–2010 – Crackdown on Palestinian activists: Yemeni Interior Ministry documents revealed direct orders to deport Palestinian activists at U.S. and Saudi request, some linked to resistance factions.

Laying the Groundwork for the 2015 Aggression

2011 – Gulf Initiative: Afash struck a political deal with Saudi Arabia and the U.S., granting his circle immunity in exchange for formally handing power to Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi — while keeping state levers under Afash control, enabling later infiltration.
2013 – UN-sponsored National Dialogue Conferences: Afash loyalists used the dialogue to push for federalism plans dividing Yemen into regions — a U.S.-Saudi project aimed at fragmenting Yemen’s geography for easier control.

The Afash faction has, from the very beginning, been a functional instrument in the hands of the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and even the Zionist enemy — squandering sovereignty, looting resources, and allying with foreign powers against Yemen itself.

Its current alignment with the aggression is simply the natural extension of a tarnished record spanning more than three decades.