President Al-Alimi’s Address on 36th National Day of Republic of Yemen, May 22

  Aden

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

My fellow great Yemeni people at home and abroad,

Heroes of our armed and security forces,

On my behalf, and on behalf of my brothers, the members of the Presidential Leadership Council and the government, I extend my congratulations to you all on the occasion of this glorious day, on which our Yemeni people proclaimed the birth of their greatest political and civilizational achievement — the birth of the Yemeni Republic, the project of the modern state, political pluralism, and the peaceful transfer of power.

On this national occasion, the anniversary of May 22, I do not speak to you in the language of traditional celebration, nor in the rhetoric of political victory, but rather with a sense of responsibility toward a great people exhausted by wars, injustices, and long years of suffering, division, and institutional collapse.

I speak to you at a pivotal moment in Yemen’s modern history, one that requires from all of us the courage to speak the truth rather than evade it, and the courage of fairness rather than denial. It is also a moment that calls on us to build the future instead of remaining prisoners of the wounds and conflicts of the past.

For successive generations of our people, Yemeni unity represented a great dream and a noble national and humanitarian project, embraced sincerely and faithfully by the people of both the South and the North as a path toward a state of institutions, justice, partnership, and equal citizenship.

But the undeniable truth is that this project was later subjected to serious distortions that produced deep grievances, beginning with exclusion and marginalization, and extending to the undermining of the national partnership upon which unity was originally founded.

Therefore, it is the duty of the state — and our moral and national duty before it is a political one — to affirm that achieving justice for the Southern Issue, redressing grievances, and addressing the consequences of the past will remain an irreversible commitment.

This also includes ensuring a fair partnership in power and wealth, and enabling all Yemenis, under normal conditions, to freely express their aspirations and determine their political, economic, and cultural future.

Because we believe in this with conviction and responsibility, we have never viewed the Southern Issue as a security problem, but rather as the essence of any just settlement and one of the key foundations for building lasting peace and a stable state.

Fellow Citizens,

This great occasion comes at a time when the southern and eastern governorates have witnessed a dangerous security and political turning point that nearly threatened the legal standing of the state and undermined the foundations of national and regional security.

Thanks be to Allah, through firmness and wisdom, and with sincere assistance from our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we were able to spare our country from the paths of strife and fragmentation.

We also succeeded in preserving the unity of the nation and maintaining the cohesion of the domestic front in the face of the Houthi coup threat backed by the Iranian regime and allied with terrorist organizations.

The leadership of the state, its official institutions, and political components, with the support of all segments of our people — women and men alike — demonstrated strong national resolve and a high sense of responsibility. By the grace of Allah, we succeeded within a short period in containing the repercussions of the crisis, consolidating stability, activating state institutions, and forming a new government to continue national obligations, recovery programs, economic reforms, and the provision of citizens’ essential needs.

Great Yemeni people,

We have repeatedly declared that resolving the Southern Issue within the framework of the state represents a fundamental pillar of national cohesion and a prerequisite for resilience, the continuation of the liberation battle, and the achievement of comprehensive and lasting peace.

Unfortunately, there are those who have failed to learn from the bitter lessons of the past and have not realized the value of diversity, the importance of integration, and the necessity of respecting the balance of interests, the standards of legitimacy, and the realities on the ground.

Just as we rejected the logic of domination that used the slogan of unity to justify exclusion and violence, we also reject using the Southern Issue as a pretext for armed rebellion against the institutions of the legitimate state and the principles of political partnership.

Throughout the past period, we were keen to ensure that the discourse of the state remained free from the language of victory and defeat, and that we collectively rejected rhetoric of vindictiveness and revenge. There is no victor in civil conflicts, and no winner in disputes among partners who share the same goal and destiny. We must all move forward and deal with the new reality with its opportunities and challenges.

Based on our constitutional responsibility to preserve national unity, strengthen social peace, and consolidate the values of tolerance and partnership, we direct the competent authorities, each within its jurisdiction, to take the necessary legal measures to review and drop arrest warrants and prosecutions related to the recent events in certain southern governorates.

These measures apply to political and civilian figures who have not been proven to be involved in terrorist crimes, acts of violence, corruption cases, gross human rights violations, or actions that threaten the security and legal standing of the state.

This step is intended to ensure that the Republic of Yemen remains a homeland that accommodates all its citizens and an open door for all who return to the path of the state and the rule of law.

We also renew our call for the prompt return of all weapons, ammunition, and military equipment seized during the recent events, and for their handover to the competent state institutions.

This is a necessary step to enhance security and stability and to consolidate the state’s exclusive control over arms in accordance with the constitution and the law.

Dear Citizens,

A full decade has passed since the liberation of the interim capital, Aden, and the subsequent liberation of other governorates. The previous period was filled with inspiring victories against the Houthi militia and extremist and terrorist groups.

However, it was also burdened by internal division and clear shortcomings in building a model that fulfills the aspirations of our people.

Accordingly, we have reassessed our strategic approach to leading the state and decided to move forward with a comprehensive national vision based on the following principles:

First: Our priority is to continue sincere efforts to restore state institutions and consolidate the republican system throughout Yemeni territory. This also includes ending the coup of the Houthi terrorist militias by all available means, based on the three references: the Gulf Initiative and its Executive Mechanism, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and international legitimacy resolutions, particularly Resolution 2216.

Second: Focusing on building state institutions in the liberated governorates, completing economic reform programs, strengthening governance mechanisms, and combating corruption.

Third: Maintaining a firm commitment to a just solution for the Southern Issue through peaceful dialogue and ensuring its representation in any future political settlement process.

Fourth: Strengthening relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and elevating them from a close alliance to a comprehensive strategic partnership, as well as pursuing Yemen’s gradual integration into the Gulf system.

Fifth: Proceeding with the unification of security and military decision-making, intensifying efforts to combat terrorism, smuggling, and organized crime, and drying up their sources of funding.

Sixth: Enhancing the role of local authorities and empowering them with their full powers in close coordination and integration with the central government and higher state institutions.

Dear Citizens,

The past years have taught us a harsh lesson: nations collapse when trust among their people weakens, when institutions erode, and when narrow opportunistic projects and personal interests prevail over the concept of an inclusive state.

The most dangerous thing that can happen to any nation is to become accustomed to the absence of the state. When the state collapses, justice collapses, rights are lost, force replaces the law, factions replace the nation, and fear and despair replace hope.

What we need today is not broad slogans, but a collective awareness that the destiny of Yemenis is one, that the collapse of the state will spare no one, and that the chaos of militias, once unleashed, does not distinguish between one citizen and another, or between one region and another.

Therefore, we must all rise above our internal differences, recognize the scale of the challenges and conspiracies targeting our homeland and national cause, and avoid once again deviating from our greater objectives.

In pursuit of these goals, we may be compelled to take difficult but necessary measures, and we may need a great deal of patience in order to achieve even greater gains.

During this week, the government began implementing bold financial and structural reforms aimed at reconstruction and self-reliance, while taking into consideration the interests of low-income citizens. It aimed at mobilizing sufficient resources for the state budget in order to meet payroll obligations and provide essential public services.

We have also directed efforts toward achieving governmental excellence in vital sectors, particularly transport and telecommunications, while enhancing security vigilance, accelerating military integration, and strengthening defense capabilities.

We will always strive to ensure that the interim capital, Aden, and the liberated governorates serve as the starting point for reconstruction. A model for recovery, and a bulwark against the forces of terrorism and sabotage that seek to obstruct this project and undermine security and stability.

Great Yemeni people,

Amid the suffering caused by the Houthi terrorist militias backed by the Iranian regime, our humanitarian duty toward our people remains above all considerations. Our moral responsibility requires us to seize every opportunity to ease the suffering of citizens and restore hope to families exhausted by war, loss, and long waiting.

It was in this spirit that the recent agreement for the release of 1,750 detainees, abductees, and forcibly disappeared persons came as an important humanitarian step, demonstrating what can be achieved when the interests of the people prevail over all other considerations.

The state and the government made responsible concessions in order to ensure the success of this file, believing that the suffering of Yemenis should not remain hostage to war, and that reuniting families and returning fathers and sons to their loved ones is a victory for human dignity before it is a political achievement.

As we congratulate these families on their moments of joy after years of painful separation, we also express our sincere appreciation for the dedicated role played by our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We also appreciate the role of our regional and international partners, and all parties that contributed sincerely and responsibly to the completion of this humanitarian agreement.

In this context, we reaffirm our full commitment to continue working toward the release of all detainees, abductees, and forcibly disappeared persons held in the prisons of the Houthi terrorist militias and to close this humanitarian file comprehensively.

The state we aspire to build is not a state of revenge, but a state of justice and fairness that safeguards human dignity and protects the rights to freedom, life, and security.

Brothers and sisters,

Through its recent crimes in the interim  capital, Aden, terrorism sought to restore fear among the people, undermine confidence in state institutions, and destroy any hope for recovery and stability. But we promise you that it will fail miserably, thanks to the vigilance of our security services, which have foiled many criminal plots, dismantled terrorist cells, and referred them to the judiciary to receive their rightful punishment.

Aden, which stood for life under the harshest circumstances, will remain a city of peace, coexistence, civility, and human dignity. The liberated governorates, despite all challenges, will remain a space for hope, reconstruction, diversity, and collective work.

The recent period has witnessed important developments upon which we can build, whether in terms of enhancing institutional coordination, unifying security and military decision-making, improving the performance of local authorities, or strengthening the readiness of state institutions at all levels.

Today, we stand before a historic opportunity that may not come again. After years of waiting, exhaustion, and complications, there is now unprecedented regional and international awareness that Yemen’s stability is not only a Yemeni interest, but also a necessity for the security of the region and the world.

Our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have played a pivotal role in achieving these transformations through their steadfast support for Yemen, its state, and its people.

They have also made sincere efforts to end the war, improve the economy and public services, and advance reforms and promising partnerships.

Great Yemeni people,

Our country has endured moments more difficult than these, and Yemenis prevailed when they held firmly to the project of the state and placed the interests of the people above narrow considerations.

We are confident that our great people, through their patience, awareness, and determination, are once again capable of overcoming every hardship and shaping a future worthy of their sacrifices.

Let this anniversary become a new milestone for restoring trust, renewing our pledge, unifying efforts, and opening a new chapter founded on justice, partnership, the civil state, peace, and development.

Mercy and eternal glory to our righteous martyrs,

A speedy recovery to our wounded heroes,

Freedom for the detainees and abductees,

Long live the Republic of Yemen as a renewed civil state.

 

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.