On Oct. 12, tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Eden in the south of the country, mostly demanding secession from the north. The date is significant, for it marks the 1967 independence of South Yemen, ending several decades of British colonialism. But for nearly five decades since then, Yemen has tried to find political stability, a semblance of economic prosperity and, most importantly, its national identity.
It has been two years and nine months since a large protest in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, initiated what was quickly named the Yemeni revolution, igniting media frenzy that Yemen had officially joined the so-called Arab Spring. Depicting Yemen as a member of the Arab Spring club, as opposed to appreciating the Arab country's unique historical and political circumstances, was a media shortcut that failed to explain the vast majority of events that followed the Yemeni youth protests on Jan. 27, 2011.
One of the most significant dates of the massive protests against the 33-year rule of now deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his family's stronghold over state institutions was Feb. 3. It was then that both Sanaa and Eden stood united under one banner. It was a momentous day because both cities once served as capitals of two warring countries. The youth of Yemen were able to fleetingly bridge a gap that neither politicians nor army generals managed to close despite several agreements and years of bloody conflicts.