SANA’A, July 10 — For a year, soldier Isam Mohammed Yahiya Al-Makaleh has been missing, and there remains no traces as to his whereabouts. He belongs to the 25 Mechanized Brigade.

Sadam Al-Jawfei, a relative of Al-Makaleh's, said Al-Makaleh was fighting with the Yemeni army against Al-Qaeda last year.

"Most of the time, Al-Makaleh was assigned reconnaissance tasks in order to spot the Al-Qaeda locations prior to confrontations with the militants," Al-Jawfei said.

In June 2011, Al-Jawfei said Al-Makaleh boarded a military vehicle for a reconnaissance mission with his comrades. Al-Makaleh’s colleagues returned; but he was never seen again.

On Tuesday, Al-Makaleh's family and friends raised banners in front of the main gate of the cabinet of Sana’a, demanding to know his whereabouts and the reason for his concealment.

"We have contacted the Defense Ministry and the leadership of the 25 Mechanized Brigade in order to know the fate the abducted soldier but to no avail," Al-Jawfei said.

He said that his first thought was that Al-Makaleh was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda; however, now they believe he was not.

"We want the government head to reveal where he really is."

Al-Makaleh, 26, from Ibb governorate, is unmarried. He financially supports his eight-member family. His monthly salary was YR 32,000, but after he disappeared, it was cut, said Al-Jawfei.


Protests over doctors’ rights

Meanwhile, Freedom Square in front of the cabinet witnessed demonstrations and protests against some government officials.

Dozens of female doctors assembled at Al-Thwara Hospital in front the cabinet compound, demanding their salaries be fully paid.

They held up banners calling for the Minister of Finance to stand by them and end injustice practiced against them by the hospital authority.

Amal Ajlan, a doctor participating in the protests, said graduates of the Al-Thwara Hospital’s Higher Institute work based on contracts, and they are neither officially hired nor given full rights.

For his part, Dr. Abdulkareem Al-Khawlani, manager of the Al-Thwara Hospital, said hospital administration was doing its best to officially recruit women graduates. Their names were sent to the Civil Service Ministry.

"They were approved and their files are now at the Ministry awaiting financial backing,” Al-Khawlani said.

"We at the hospital are giving them all their rights and threatening none,” he said. “To be officially hired is the responsibility of the Finance Ministry."