SANA’A, June 10 — The Yemen Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS) and its branch at the Saba News Agency protested Saturday for agency improvements after being liable to sabotages on May 23, 2011, after military confrontations in its vicinity.

Mansour Al-Jaradi, head of the YJS branch in Saba News Agency, said the syndicate issued a statement calling for the military committee to evacuate all remaining military forces from the agency compound.

The statement called for a check on the financial procedures of the past year, stressing the need for a joint committee from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Information, in addition to the participation by the Syndicate Committee.

Moreover, the statement said the government must  provide agency affiliates with a makeshift compound until the main one is restored.

Al-Jaradi said the halt of the agency work has a negative impact on journalists, indicating that more than 50 journalists and workers are without jobs.

He said the government is not doing its job.

Ahmed Al-Jabr, Saba News Agency manager, said the government is slow to take action. So, the journalists will stage protests in an attempt to solve their problems. Also, there will be a meeting with the minsters of information and finance, as well as the prime minister.

Hamza Al-Hadrmi, an employee in the agency, said, “Now we (journalists) are jobless, and we have not received our salaries to this day. It is a complete farce that politics contributes to halting Saba News Agency.”

Tarik Al-Shami, Saba News Agency’s head, said professional procedures have been finalized to rehabilitate the agency compound, and soon, the procedures will be referred to the finance ministry for endorsement. Thus, the government will put out a tender to repair the agency complex.

Al-Shami added that the journalists have been granted compulsory leave due to the circumstances the agency went through, saying employee salaries have not been cut. He said that Saba News Agency will be the first institution to be repaired.