* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
After months of not seeing each other, my Yemeni friend Selma, a teacher, came over for tea. She had never appeared too affected by the country's situation, never too emotional or interested in local politics before. But that day, Selma appeared different: the unfolding events in Sana’a were too big to ignore or not to be concerned.
I listened to her and her stories on how the clashes, a sudden reality for all of us, had changed her life in a day. Selma was told that day that schools had to be closed, until further notice, due to heavy fighting in the city.
A month of protests and demonstrations had shaken the capital Sana’a and raised new concerns among many Yemenis. As many other times before, people had taken to the streets to express their discontent over several economic reforms announced by the government. As in 2011, people felt it was the time to be vocal and reactive. But this time, things took a different turn and politics played a major role in diverting interests and perhaps in derailing the long-awaited hope of Yemeni youth for big change.
In a few days, the protests turned into an open fight on the streets of Sana'a, threatening the lives of ordinary Yemenis trying to go about their normal daily lives and raising concerns about what the future might bring.
