Inspired by unrest in Egypt and Tunisia, the opposition has staged massive protests demanding President Saleh’s resignation but so far there is no sign of a grass-roots move for change. Iona Craig reports

As demonstrations in Egypt continue into their fifth day Yemen had its moment in the international spotlight on Thursday as around 10,000 people took to the capital’s streets. But the nature of the “protest” in Sana’a was very different to those in Tunis or Cairo.

The Yemeni effort certainly looked impressive, but on the ground it was clear that in reality these so called “protests” were political rallies. Organised by a coalition of opposition parties, members of parliament sat on chairs in neat rows as they listened to political speeches condemning Saleh and his government. There were even suggestions that people had been bussed in by opposition politicians from villages and towns outside the city.

Thursday’s speeches called for renewed national dialogue and denounced constitutional reforms proposed earlier this month — all compromises that Saleh and his ruling General People’s Congress party can afford to concede ground on. Parliamentary elections are due on 27 April, but the opposition is currently boycotting the process. If Saleh responds by giving some concessions to his political opponents he will quiet the call for his resignation, at least for now.

Ultimately the grass roots still remain indifferent to the calls for change. There is no tension on the streets and no fire in the belly of Yemenis at large to create a movement like the one we’re seeing across Egypt. It’s been two days since the large orchestrated crowds gathered in Sana’a, but there have been no spontaneous gatherings since — aside from a small gathering of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate outside the Egyptian embassy today.

If Yemen is going to see anything on the scale of Egypt’s uprising then it is likely to come from the already fractious southern separatists in Aden. In order to progress it would require support from Sana’a, Taizz and elsewhere.

There are further opposition rallies are planned for 3 February, Yemenis may claim that Tunisians inspired them and but only they can show the will to see it through. At the moment, whilst everyone else is looking at Egypt, here in Sana’a people still can’t see or even imagine a Yemen beyond Saleh. The president, who has ruled for 32 years, has his own vision for the future — his son Ahmed, currently head of the Yemen Republican Guard.

Iona Craig is a freelance journalist and an editor at The Yemen Times, Sana’a