26. September: Suche nach den Opfern. Luftangriff der saudischen Koalition auf ein Wohnhaus in Al Tahl, Provinz Saada: 11 Tote, davon 7 Kinder. Siehe cp16b
Digging for victims, Al Tahl. See cp16b
Film: Starving Yemen – Central Bank – British pilots for Saudi Arabia – Obama’s legacy – Yemen and Obama doctrine – Yemen: Humanitarian catastrophe – US, UK parties in Yemen war? – Saudi women – Saudi aerial war – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche/ UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp13c Zentralbank / Central Bank
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp16a Luftangriff der saudischen Koalition auf Wohnhaus in Ibb / Saudi coalition air raid at residential home at Ibb
cp16b Luftangriff der saudischen Koalition auf Wohnhaus in Al Talh / Saudi coalition air raid at residential home at Al Talh
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
Schlimmste saudische Luftangriffe cp 16a, cp16b / Worst saudi air raids cp16a, cp16b
26.9.2016 – BBC / Journeyman Pictures on Twitter (** B H K)
Film: Starving Yemen
Yemen is on the brink of famine. BBC Arabic reveals exclusive footage of the growing humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where 2 million people are malnourished and over 325,000 children are at risk of starvation.
“If you don't die from an airstrike you die from being ill or starvation. And the hardest way to die is from starvation”, laments Dr Ashwaq Muharram. The war in Yemen has pushed a country which traditionally suffers from a shortage of food to the brink. The city of Hodeida was once prosperous, but airstrikes and conflict on the ground have isolated people in the surrounding villages and forced the closure of hundreds of hospitals. Furthermore, the Saudi-led coalition has blockaded Yemen's ports to prevent the Houthis rearming, resulting in a shortage of supplies, medicine and fuel. Without access to food or healthcare, millions are at risk. Children are those most affected. "I never imagined I would ever see a child like this in Yemen. It scares me that this may be the beginning of famine", says Dr. Muharram. As she watches over her emaciated son, one mother cries, “Although he's alive it's as though he's no longer here.” The extent of this looming disaster is yet to be seen, but what is clear is that if the situation continues, Yemen could lose an entire generation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi-JYm6maI0
26.9.2016 – Euromoney (** A E P)
Central bank becomes Yemen’s latest battleground
Hadi has accused his opponents, the Iran-allied Houthis, of taking advantage of their control of Sana’a to loot the central bank, and fund their war effort. His government has said $4 billion of public reserves have been squandered in this way. For that reason, over the summer, Hadi called for international banks to deny the central bank access to the reserves it holds abroad. The Houthi Political Council swiftly condemned the decision, saying changes to the central bank board, and plans to move the bank to Aden, were void.
Hadi’s decision to assert more direct control over the central bank has concerned some observers. Amal Nasser, a Yemeni economist, tells Euromoney: "The significance of the matter lies now in the uncertainty of the new bank's willingness to serve (pay wages and provide guarantees) all Yemeni, meaning also including those who live in Houthi-held areas. Those areas are highly populated and are already witnessing a severe humanitarian crisis."
A Sana’a-based employee of the central bank, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, says he worries about the central bank’s ability to keep functioning properly from Aden.
Though Ahmed bin Daghar, Hadi’s prime minister, had said earlier in September that procedures for moving Yemen’s central bank "into a neutral area" were being finalised, the central bank employee said on September 21 that employees had been left in the dark, and were still waiting to hear whether they would be able to keep working for the bank, and do so from Sana’a.
Abdul Malik’s rejection of the move seemed to raise the prospect of two central banks operating in parallel, as is the case in war-torn Libya. So far Mohamed Awad Bin Humam, the Yemeni central bank governor whom Hadi replaced and Malik confirmed, has not spoken publicly about the developments.
Nasser reads that silence as acceptance of his removal from office. Marwa Alnasaa, the IMF’s representative in Yemen, agrees with Nasser that the CBY had so far remained neutral – by Olivier Holmey
http://www.euromoney.com/Article/3588563/Central-bank-becomes-Yemens-latest-battleground.html?p=2
?.9.2016 – BAE Systems (** A K)
Typhoon Pilot (Job Number: 00036479)
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join BAE Systems as a Typhoon Pilot based in Saudi Arabia.
Skills and Experience
You should possess:
A minimum of 1500 hours flying experience on fast jet aircraft.
extensive previous instructional experience.
Have previously completed at least one tour at TOCU. C to I Typhoon including all aspects of syllabii upto IPUG
You will be responsible to the Flying Wing Commander for flying instructional missions for cadets in accordance with appropriate Royal Saudi Air Force training syllabi.
Expatriate Employee Benefits
In return for the required high levels of commitment and hard work you will receive a competitive salary, rent free accommodation, and access to free recreation facilities, all available within Company secured accommodation. A full health care scheme is provided within Saudi Arabia. In addition a generous leave and travel allowance makes this an opportunity not to be missed.
Saudi National Employee Benefits
In return for the required high levels of commitment and hard work, you will receive a competitive salary and benefits package, including a generous leave and travel allowance and a full health care scheme
BAE Systems
At BAE Systems, we serve the needs of our customers by delivering a wide range of advanced defence, aerospace, and security solutions that provide a technological and performance edge. We work together with local partners to develop, engineer, manufacture and support the innovations that sustain economies, increase defence sovereignty and safeguard commercial interests. With some 88,000 employees in six continents, our story is about talented people who are relentlessly committed to creating solutions that protect and strengthen nations, commerce, communities, and people. That’s work that inspires us. That’s BAE Systems.
All appointments in Saudi Arabia are subject to receipt of all necessary Government and/or Customer approvals.
http://www.saudicareers.co.uk/vacancy/
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Blatant is the UK govt's role in the Saudi war on Yemen : BAE Systems advertises for Typhoon jet fighter pilots.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/780148878276452352
Comment: BAE Systems recruit pilots to be based in Saudi Arabia on a UK website. You'll help destroy #Yemen but there's "free recreation facilities".
https://twitter.com/EmpireExposed/status/780173040588034048
Comment by Jamila Hanan: Can a company be charged with war crimes does anyone know? Just I'm thinking about BAE involvement in #Yemen
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/780413137950498816
Comment: Incredible, but true. British interference in Yemeni killing, privately managed. And everything will be GOVERNMENT APPROVED.
see also:
28.7.2016 – BAE Systems (A E K)
2016 Half Year Results
BAE Systems Corporate Blog
Today we have announced the Group’s interim financial results and confirmed that we have performed well in the first half of 2016, in line with our expectation and the guidance we set out at our full-year results in February.
Headline figures include:
Sales increased by more than £200m to £8.7bn mainly due to exchange translation
Underlying EBITA increased by 6% to £849m, or 3% on a constant currency basis
Underlying EPS increased by 2% to 17.4 pence
Despite economic and political uncertainties, governments in our major markets continue to prioritise national security, with strong demand for our capabilities.
In the US, we are seeing encouraging signs of a return to growth in defence budgets and improved prospects for our core franchises.
Our good programme execution is underpinned by the quality of our technology and engineering capability – by Ian King
http://www.baesystems.com/en/blog/2016-half-year-results
Comment: Cynism at its best.
26.9.2016 – The American Conservative (** A K P)
Obama’s Horrible Legacy in Yemen
The Obama administration started its support for the Saudi-led war in the name of “reassuring” the Gulf clients, and so there seems to be nothing that the coalition does to Yemen that can put that support at risk. When the goal of a policy is simply to placate other governments regardless of what those governments do with the assistance, it becomes impossible to stop the support without angering those governments and thus defeating the purpose of the policy of “reassurance.” Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom in Washington has been that Obama has been too hard on the Saudis and other Gulf clients, so the next president is likely to indulge them even more and criticize them less than the very limited criticism Obama has offered. In the case of Clinton and Kaine, we have every reason to expect this.
Last week’s Senate debate on the latest arms sale was dispiriting but instructive in showing the lengths to which supporters of the war on Yemen would go to frame the conflict in pro-Saudi terms. According to the warped view of the Saudis’ allies in the Senate, the aggressive war on Yemen has been reinvented as a defensive war against Yemeni “aggression.”
U.S. support for this war is a black mark on Obama’s record. It is arguably the worst thing he has done overseas, and enabling the coalition bombing campaign and supporting its blockade are among the worst things the U.S. has done to another part of the world in my lifetime. The candidate who once claimed to oppose “rash” and “dumb” wars will leave office after helping to fuel one of the most reckless and most foolish wars of the last twenty years. Thanks to Obama’s indulgence of the Saudis, millions of Yemenis are on the brink of famine, and many have already perished because the Saudi-led blockade has deprived them of necessary food and medicine. Yemen will be living with the consequences of Obama’s “reassurance” for decades after he leaves office, and his legacy there will be that he helped Yemen’s wealthier neighbors wreck an entire country so that despotic rulers might whine a little less about being neglected by Washington – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/obamas-horrible-legacy-in-yemen/
23.9.2016 – The Atlantic (** B P)
Yemen: The Graveyard of the Obama Doctrine
The human costs of facilitating Saudi Arabia’s proxy war
Earlier this year, The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published “The Obama Doctrine,” in which the president described a Middle East populated by unreliable “free-rider” allies constantly drawing the United States into their petty rivalries, fueled by avarice, tribalism, and sectarianism.
At times, the Obama administration’s support for the Saudis has thrown diplomatic efforts to end the war into confusion. In August, Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Jeddah to meet with officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain, and the United Nations. Some Yemenis were cautiously optimistic that Kerry—who says the war in Yemen does not have a military solution—would use his leverage with Riyadh to push for an easing of airstrikes. Instead, he left them with a vague “roadmap” for peace that offered the Houthis certain concessions, angering some in Riyadh, but did little to pressure the Saudis to implement the plan.
Farea al-Muslimi, a Beirut-based Yemeni political analyst and cofounder of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, said underwhelming diplomatic efforts by the United States like this have left Yemenis feeling like a beleaguered afterthought.“ “But there is simply no interest or concern” from the United States, al-Muslimi said.
The once-improbable now seems imminent: unless the Obama administration ends refueling and logistical support for the Saudis, it appears all but certain to hand off the war in Yemen to his successor.
The Pentagon’s view of the Saudi war in Yemen is mixed.
The Saudis’ long-term plan for Yemen also remains unclear. Speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, officials from both the State and Defense Departments questioned how well the Saudis had thought through their war in Yemen, and how skilled they were at executing airstrikes while avoiding unnecessary collateral damage.
At the UN, Power has had to publicly stand behind an unrealistic and one-sided resolution drafted by the Saudis, introduced by the British and passed last April with U.S. support. The text calls for the Houthis to essentially retreat and lay down their arms—a non-starter, but one that the administration still considers the basis for negotiations.
Obama has said little about the war in Yemen. With mere months left in his presidency, there is scarce indication that he will. Increasingly skeptical of America’s ability to shape events on the ground in the Middle East, Obama sees little incentive to overturn the status quo, even if that means supporting the apparently reckless military forays of a government he disdains.
A U.S. official who briefs the White House on regional national security matters summed up the Obama administration’s prevailing attitude. Yemen was already a “complete shit show” before the war, he argued, echoing Obama’s use of a phrase he is said to use privately to describe Libya. The Houthis are a nasty militia who deserve no favors and Yemen would be a “shit show” whatever the United States does. So why further degrade a sometimes-unpleasant, but necessary relationship with the Saudis to produce the same end result? – by Samuel Oakford and Peter Salisbury
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/09/yemen-saudi-arabia-obama-riyadh/501365/
21.9.2016 – Oxfam (** B H)
Krieg im Jemen: Dem Land droht eine humanitäre Katastrophe
Der Jemen steht nach eineinhalb Jahren Krieg am Rand einer humanitären Katastrophe: Arbeitslosigkeit, Verschuldung und steigende Lebensmittelpreise rauben den Menschen die Mittel, ihr Überleben zu sichern. Kriminalität und soziale Unruhen nehmen zu.
Der neue Oxfam-Bericht „Picking up the Pieces“ fordert mehr internationale Anstrengungen für eine Friedenslösung und eine deutliche Aufstockung der humanitären Hilfsleistungen.
Oxfams Befragung von mehr als 1.000 Menschen, die vor den Kämpfen in andere Landesteile fliehen mussten, ergab:
Drei Viertel der Befragten wurden von Luftangriffen in die Flucht getrieben; die Wohnhäuser von 20 Prozent wurden durch Kriegseinwirkung zerstört.
Fast zwei Drittel gaben an, enge Familienangehörige seien getötet oder verletzt worden.
Fast die Hälfte aller Familien kümmert sich um unbegleitete Kinder.
Wer in seinen Heimatort zurückkehrt, findet dort zerstörte Schulen, Fabriken und Krankenhäuser vor. Nichtdetonierte Granaten, Minen und Bomben stellen eine ständige Gefahr dar.
Die Wirtschaft liegt am Boden: Ein Viertel aller Unternehmen musste schließen, 70 Prozent der Arbeitskräfte wurden entlassen. Der Konflikt verursachte bislang Zerstörungen in Höhe von sieben Milliarden US-Dollar und ökonomische Verluste in Höhe von 12 Milliarden US-Dollar.
Der Verlust an Einkommen und die hohe Inflation lassen die Finanzmittel zusammenschmelzen, mit denen sich die Menschen bislang über Wasser gehalten haben. Aus Mangel an ökonomischer Perspektive schließen sich viele Männer bewaffneten Gruppen an. Die von Oxfam Befragten berichten dabei auch von Zwangsrekrutierungen junger Männer und auch mancher Kinder.
Die Spannungen zwischen lokalen Gemeinschaften und innerhalb von Familien sowie Kriminalität und soziale Unruhen nehmen zu.
https://www.oxfam.de/ueber-uns/aktuelles/2016-09-21-krieg-jemen-land-droht-humanitaere-katastrophe
Kommentar: Die humanitäre Katastrophe droht nicht, sie ist längst da. Die Zahl der Toten ist als viel zu niedrig angegeben.
21.9.2016 – Oxfam (** B H)
Picking Up the Pieces: What Yemenis need to rebuild their lives in a country torn apart by conflict
When Oxfam spoke to more than 1000 people living in the midst of Yemen’s conflict, almost everyone wanted the very basics every human being desires – to live in peace, at home, with an income that meets the needs of their family. But 18 months of war has created a country in crisis. The economy has been shattered, with one in four companies now closed and 70 percent of the workforce laid off.1 Violent clashes and deadly air strikes have killed and injured thousands of men, women and children and forced over three million people from their homes. Half the population does not have enough food to eat. In some areas, the delivery of food has been deliberately obstructed. All sides in the conflict have committed violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) – including parties being armed by influential Western governments. Close to one in five people Oxfam spoke to said their homes had been destroyed, and two-thirds had been displaced for ten months or longer. Almost two-thirds of the people Oxfam spoke with said that close family members had died or had been injured as a result of the conflict, and nearly half the families were looking after unaccompanied children.
For those who try to return home, many find unexploded ordinance and destroyed schools, factories and health centres. Many told Oxfam they had no prospect of going home. Individual interviews and focus group discussions revealed a sense that the country was heading for collapse. The majority of respondents said criminality had increased, and violence against and exploitation of women were on the rise. People are living in overcrowded accommodation, forced into debt and poorly paid work in order to survive. Some try to make a living by selling fuel on black markets, gathering plastic waste to sell, or selling firewood or qat (a mild herbal stimulant popular in Yemen). As hope for successful and inclusive peace talks fades, the situation on the ground is getting worse. The loss of income sources and rampant inflation is eroding what little money host communities and those displaced have maintained to survive. Children and young men have been coerced into joining armed groups; tensions between communities and within families are growing and girls are forced into early marriage. A journalist from Amran told Oxfam that when the family does not have enough food, fathers will often force their daughters into marriage. However, there are some reasons for hope. Driven by the severe pressures of conflict, women are increasingly seeking out opportunities to earn a living, with some men supportive of their ambition. In many places, markets are still functioning for families with cash.
While Oxfam has reached almost 900,000 people with aid since the start of the crisis, much more needs to be done to meet basic daily needs, and ensure people’s safety and protection in an accountable way. Communities that are hosting displaced people need aid as much as those that have fled and all must be consulted and participate in the delivery of assistance to ensure it reaches families in need (including socially marginalized groups). Beyond that, people urgently need support to get back to work, earn an income and build their self-reliance. Even when the conflict truly ends, it will take years for the country to pick up the pieces. By starting now, we can improve lives in the short and medium term and reduce the impact of a perpetual crisis foisted on Yemen and its people. The following recommendations outline how Yemeni, regional, international and humanitarian actors can support these efforts.
22.9.2016 – Just Security (** B K P)
Are the U.S. and U.K. parties to the Saudi-led armed conflict against the Houthis in Yemen?
A key question is whether supporting States, like the United States and the United Kingdom, avoid becoming a “party” to the armed conflict (and thus being bound by international humanitarian law) by providing assistance that stops short of engaging in direct combat. What type of support will render an assisting State a party to this conflict?
I. Current scope of U.S. and U.K. support
II. Approaches for determining whether a State is a party to a pre-existing non-international armed conflict (NIAC)
In a context such as this particular conflict in Yemen, in which the U.S. and U.K. are not directly engaged in fighting, the traditional 2-pronged test to find them party to a non-international armed conflict (a certain intensity of fighting and level of non-state armed group organization) won’t be met as there are no direct hostilities between them and the Houthis. Nevertheless, as I set out in earlier posts at Just Security in 2015 (see here, andhere), two approaches can assist in determining, from the facts, whether a country has become a party to a pre-existing NIAC for the purposes of applying international humanitarian law (IHL): (1) the “support-based approach”; and (2) the concept of “co-belligerency” under the international law of neutrality.
The “support-based approach” is particularly relevant because “modern armed conflicts are increasingly being fought through coalitions and alliances of several states and/or international organisations whose involvement in the hostilities may vary…” Under this approach, a State will be considered a party to a pre-existing NIAC when the following four conditions are met:
Ferraro explains that indirect forms of support such as the provision of weapons or financial support would not meet the test. Instead, there must be a “close link” between the action of the supporting forces and the harm caused to the enemy by specific military operations. For instance, “transporting the supported state’s armed forces to the front line or providing planes for refuelling jet fighters involved in aerial operations carried out by the supported state” would make the intervening State a party to the armed conflict.
Setting up ad hoc joint military mechanisms or signing an agreement designed to enhance cooperation between the … forces and the armed forces of the territorial state in respect of the pre-existing conflict would certainly tend to suggest some form of support and therefore the existence of the required nexus.”
The concept of co-belligerency under the international law of neutrality (designed to apply in international armed conflict) might also serve as a source of guidance to determine whether a supporting State is party to a pre-existing NIAC. Under the law of neutrality, a State will become a co-belligerent when, in association, cooperation, assistance or common cause with another belligerent it participates in hostilities to a significant extent or it systematically or substantially violates its neutrality duties of impartiality and non-participation in the conflict.
III. An obligation to ensure respect for IHL
While becoming a party to the conflict is what triggers the application of IHL, it is important to recall that even non-parties to armed conflict have general obligations when it comes to their support activities.
In fact, the IHL-related provisions of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) can be considered a derivative of this common article 1 obligation.
If the U.S., U.K., and possibly others are contributing to the conflict such that they are parties to it even without engaging in direct combat, then they are equally bound by IHL. For these parties, the IHL rule requiring that all feasible precautions be taken to avoid and minimize incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects is especially relevant. In addition, whether or not the U.S., U.K., or other supporting countries are considered parties to the armed conflict alongside the coalition, their influence is certainly clear, as is their corollary duty to ensure respect for IHL – by Nathalie Weizmann
https://www.justsecurity.org/33095/u-s-u-k-parties-saudi-led-armed-conflict-houthis-yemen/ and see also https://www.justsecurity.org/33058/us-russia-pact-syria-international-law/: what matters for the relations to Russia also matters for other countries like Saudi-Arabia
cp2 Allgemein / General
26.9.2016 – Afrah Nasser (* B K P)
Frequently Asked Questions about Yemen War
Q1. Why don't we hear much about the war in Yemen in the media? is it because Yemen war is overshadowed by Syria war?
A. Yemenis are stranded and can't escape the war to Europe.
B. Unlike the war in Syria, the Saudis are a direct actor in Yemen war and this tremendously impacts the lack of reporting or the non-reporting about Yemen war. Last year, Wikileaks released thousands of diplomatic cables from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minstry, which includes documents showing how Saudi Arabia is buying media silence. Understandably, the oil-rich country, one of the world's top economic powers, Saudi Arabia has cash that can buy anything and anyone. The problem is, Saudi is at war with not any country but the POOREST Arab country, Yemen - which gives you an idea about the inequality in power in this war.
C. The misconception that the war in Yemen is based on sectarian lines, as some reporters speak of Iran's role in Yemen war and how the war in Yemen is a proxy war and all that.. then, one reduces the bloodshed in Yemen to a mere Sunnis killing Shi'ites rhetorics. Whoever made you believe that is only doing a lazy journalism. Sectarianism is not the key driver of Yemen war, a super complicated political and economic power struggle is what drove this war to break out from the very beginning. There are many different internal and external actors in Yemen war with many different political agendas - some actors can find a cross-match point where secterian and politica motives meet.
Q2. How is the press freedom in Yemen today?
The press in Yemen is in crisis, as everything else is in crisis in the country.
Q3. How is the situation for women's rights in Yemen today?
Horrible. So far 10 thousand people have been killed in Yemen war, which includes women and children as they are the most vulnerable victims in this war.
Q4. Has the Arab Spring achieved anything for Yemen?
Both yes and no – by Afrah Nasser
http://afrahnasser.blogspot.de/2016/09/frequently-asked-questions-about-yemen.html
26.9.2016 – Press TV Iran (* A K PH)
10 killed in Saudi airstrikes in Yemen's Sa'ada
Saudi warplanes targeted a residential area in the Sahar district. 8 others were also injured. Saudi fighter jets also pounded Sa’ada’s Qatabir district. Earlier in the day, Saudi forces launched two airstrikes in Nihm district, in the province of Sana'a. A market was also targeted in the Maswar district in the western province of Amran. In retaliation, an attack by the army's artillery unit killed four Saudi soldiers in Jizan province inside Saudi Arabia. Catherine Shakdam in interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd0Nk29Lu1U
26.9.2016 – Huffington Post (* A P)
Syria, Yemen And How Double Standards Block The Path to Peace
The Americans are supplying weapons and intelligence in support of the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war that’s involved similar attacks on humanitarian workers, particularly hospitals and clinics.
Moscow is unlikely to feel under much pressure to change its approach in Syria as long as Washington doesn’t change its approach to Yemen
And it’s not just the Americans backing the Saudis.
The hypocrisy and double standards of the major powers and their allies - be they the Syrian or Saudi governments - are more than just words though.
They also directly undermine attempts to bring an end to the fighting and suffering of civilians that all parties claim to want - as I’ve argued before in the context of Ukraine.
With both sides effectively saying “do as I say, not as I do” and, in
As the siege of Syria’s second city Aleppo intensifies again and the Saudi campaign in Yemen grinds on, there is an urgent need for the main powers to get back round the table and at least agree to stop fuelling the conflicts – by Alistair Burnett
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/alistair-burnett/syria-yemen-and-how-doubl_b_12160092.html
26.9.2016 – Near Eastern Outlook (B K P)
Yemen Resistance Shatters Saudi Arabia Territorial Integrity
If Saudi Arabia continues to exude control and political confidence from behind the billions of dollars its large coffers have offered its elite by way of immunity, the kingdom never planned for Yemen Resistance to rise a colossus against its theocracy … and yet it did.
Yemenis today are no longer playing by Western powers’ rules. “We have been sold to the insanity and hysteric imperialism of al-Saud by those very Western capitals which vowed to promote our freedom and civil liberties,” noted Dr Hassan al-Wazeer, a retired geopolitical analyst, and former presidential advisor.
He added, “We have been betrayed … our motherland was breached, our waterways have been occupied, our skies have been invaded, our people held ransom so that our wealth, our pride, our future could be sold to Riyadh, and returned to the control of Western imperialism. But Yemen was never in its history breached. Yemen cannot be breached! Yemen’s future will not be forfeited, and our people will fight until our blood is spent entirely.”
Indeed, Yemen has yet to be conquered.
Yemen in fact has done some conquering of its own – or rather it is its lands Yemen went to reclaim from under the feet of Arabia’s most vicious theocracy: Wahhabist Saudi Arabia.
Hidden by an obedient media, certain truths about Yemen’s war have yet to surface. Yemen its need to be said, asserted and clamoured is winning this atrocious genocidal war of attrition – by Catherine Shakdam
http://journal-neo.org/2016/09/26/yemen-resistance-shatters-saudi-arabia-territorial-integrity-2/
Comment: For my opinion, a simplifying view. Yemen is split into many factions which all are enemies of each other. There is no unified Yemeni resistance.
25.9.2016 – Noch Info (* B K P)
Der vergessene Krieg im Jemen!
Seit einem Jahr wird im Jemen gemordet und keiner schaut hin.
Es verhungern Millionen Kinder und Frauen und es schaut keiner hin.
Seit einem Jahr bombardiert eine von Saudi-Arabien geführte Koalition den Jemen mit dem Ziel, die Huthi-Rebellen zurückzudrängen und den gestürzten Präsidenten Hadi wiedereinzusetzen. Der Krieg ist gekennzeichnet von massiven Kriegsverbrechen der Saudis. Westliche Staaten beteiligen sich aktiv an diesen Verbrechen.
Als eine der wenigen internationalen Journalisten im Jemen, berichtet [1] Iona Craig fürThe Intercept vor Ort und malt das düstere Bild eines erbarmungslosen Krieges gegen die jemenitische Zivilbevölkerung. Saudi-arabische Kampfjets würden in erster Linie dicht besiedelte Wohngegenden, Marktplätze und zivile Infrastruktur angreifen.
Es gibt keine verlässlichen Angaben zu Opferstatistiken.
Die Wahrheit über den Krieg im Jemen wurde auf den Kopf gestellt. Der Krieg und die Vertreibung des Präsidenten im Jemen sind nicht die Folge des “Huthi-Staatsstreichs”, sondern das Gegenteil. Hadi wurde vertrieben, weil er mit Unterstützung der Saudis und der USA die Abmachung über die Teilung der Macht rückgängig machen und den Jemen wieder allein und autoritär regieren wollte.
Die Huthis und ihre Verbündeten stellen einen repräsentativen Querschnitt durch die jemenitische Gesellschaft und die darin herrschenden Mehrheitsverhältnisse dar. Zu dem Huthi-Bündnis gegen Hadi, das im Jemen selbst entstanden ist, gehören sowohl schiitische als auch sunnitische Muslime.
Während das saudische Königshaus den Jemen schon immer als untergeordnete Provinz und Teil seiner Einflusssphäre betrachtet hat, wollen die USA auch weiterhin die Meerenge Bab Al-Mandab den Golf von Aden und die Sokotra-Inseln kontrollieren. Der Bab al-Mandab ist ein wichtiges strategisches Nadelöhr für den internationalen Seehandel und den Öltransport.
http://noch.info/2016/09/der-vergessene-krieg-im-jemen/
Kommentar: recht guter Überblicksartikel.
24.9.2016 – ZDF Logo Tivi (B K)
Hungersnot im Jemen [für Kinder erklärt]
Seit 2014 herrscht im Jemen Krieg. Den Menschen dort fehlt es an Lebensmitteln und sauberem Trinkwasser.
http://www.tivi.de/fernsehen/logo/artikel/46007/index.html und Film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVqOSSm0QWQ
25.9.2016 – Lawfareblog (* A P)
Saudi Arabia: Why We Need This Flawed Ally
The West's relationship with its Saudi ally is one of the world's most troubling alliances. Saudi Arabia's conservative culture rejects many Western ideals, and many observers see the Kingdom as a hotbed of support for extremism. Michael Stephens of RUSI and Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottawa examine the foundations of the U.S.-Saudi alliance and argue that the partnership remains vital even though many of the assumptions that undergird the relationship are in flux.
critics of the partnership with Saudi Arabia often confuse the costs of tactical disagreements – which are many – and the benefits of strategic alignment. Viewed through this lens, it is a necessary, if difficult arrangement. Indeed the alternatives are worse: a collapsed or enemy Saudi Arabia would be much more damaging to U.S. interests, and it would not be more democratic.
The West’s cost-benefit calculus underlying the relationship with the Kingdom is underpinned by three basic assumptions. It is useful to think in those terms: the more these assumptions are found to be faulty, the stronger the case against the partnership becomes.
The first assumption is that the Kingdom is stable.
The second assumption is the understanding that the Kingdom holds a strong preference for maintaining the regional status quo. Riyadh has historically refrained from starting wars or engineering major changes in the regional order, preferring to back friendly regimes with cash and to use its diplomatic weight quietly behind the scenes.
Riyadh’s growing propensity for regional activism begs the question as to whether nations in the West who arm, train, and protect Saudi Arabia’s interests should go along with it.
The third assumption states that, for all its flaws, the House of Saud remains the optimal regime from the point of view of U.S. interests. Saudi Arabia holds the world’s largest oil reserves, providing it with significant leverage on oil markets. It is also the spiritual center of the world’s fastest growing religion and, with the collapse of Iraq.
In the short- to mid-term, this would be extremely damaging to the international economy, while in the longer term, any successor regime would likely be less, and possibly far less, cooperative on a range of critical issues, especially oil prices, counterterrorism, and regional security.
These three assumptions have clearly come under strain. Yet despite growing questions about their validity, they still stand: they are shaky, especially the second assumption, but they continue to provide a rationale justifying the partnership.
The United States – or any other Western state – does not have much leverage on Saudi Arabia and its strategic choices at present. But to shun the Saudis at a time when they are trying to assert themselves as regional leaders would be highly destabilising to the Middle East’s increasingly fragile regional order.
Realistically the best – or least bad – option is to maintain engagement with Saudi Arabia.
In sum, it is better to be close to Saudi Arabia when it makes decisions unpalatable to the West, and thus to have the opportunity to understand its rationale and perhaps shape its actions. To be more distant would bring a certain moral gratification, but would only provoke further Saudi actions counter to U.S. interests – by Michael Stephens, Thomas Juneau
https://www.lawfareblog.com/saudi-arabia-why-we-need-flawed-ally
Comment: A lesson in geopolitical realpolitik. Human lifes do not matter – at least when they are not Western.
25.9.2016 – Press TV Iran (* B P)
UK, US ignoring war crimes of their allies: Scholar
Britain, the US and their allies have taken a selective approach to the issue of human rights to protect their interests, an American scholar says, citing Saudi Arabia and Israel’s immunity to punishment as an example.
Stephen Zunes, a California-based international relations scholar, made the comments one day after the UK blocked efforts by the European Union (EU) to launch an independent international inquiry into Saudi Arabia’s war of aggression in Yemen.
“This is unfortunately typical of a number of Western nations when it comes to the investigations of war crimes,” Zunes told Press TV on Sunday.
He said the UK’s move in blocking the EU investigation “demonstrated that despite all the pontificating about human rights by these major powers, it is more of a political issue for them,” he noted.
Zunes said the selective behavior demonstrated by Washington, London and their allies reveals the underlying political theme that shapes the West’s perception of human rights in other nations.
“They will highlight and sometimes even exaggerate crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses by countries they perceive as enemy but deny, minimize and cover up for such crimes by governments they consider to be allies,” the analyst explained.
“It is important to have a single measurement for international humanitarian law,” Zunes suggested. “The very nature of law is that it should apply to everyone equally, regardless of a government’s ideology or foreign relations,” the scholar concluded.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/09/25/486387/US-UK-Saudi-Israel-war-crimes-Palestine-Zunes
23.9.2016 – Talk Radio Europe (* B K)
Audio: Dr. RS Karim Interview with Pippa Jones on Talk Radio Europe
https://soundcloud.com/rs-karim/drkarim
23.9.2016 – Critical Threats (* A K P)
Gulf of Aden Security Review
[Events day by day, from Sept. 2e3 on backwards]
http://www.criticalthreats.org/yemen/gulf-aden-security-review
12.2006 – Croatian Medical Journal (* B H K)
Impact of War on Children and Imperative to End War
War affects children in all the ways it affects adults, but also in different ways. First, children are dependent on the care, empathy, and attention of adults who love them. Their attachments are frequently disrupted in times of war, due to the loss of parents, extreme preoccupation of parents in protecting and finding subsistence for the family, and emotional unavailability of depressed or distracted parents. The child may be in substitute care with someone who cares for him or her only slightly – relatives or an orphanage. A certain proportion of war-affected children lose all adult protection – “unaccompanied children,” as they are known in refugee situations.
Second, impacts in childhood may adversely affect the life trajectory of children far more than adults. Consider children who lose the opportunity for education during war, children who are forced to move into refugee or displaced person camps, where they wait for years in miserable circumstances for normal life to resume, if it ever does. Consider a child disabled in war; they may, in addition to loss of a limb, sight, or cognitive capacity, lose the opportunity of schooling and of a social life. A girl who is raped may be marginalized by her society and lose the opportunity for marriage. Long after the war has ended, these lives will never attain the potential they had before the impact of war.
Listing the impacts of war on children is a sadly straightforward task: – by Joanna Santa Barbara
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2080482/
23.9.2016 – New York Times (* A K P)
Rising Toll on Civilians in Yemen Raises Alarm
United Nations human rights officials expressed alarm on Friday at a sharp rise in civilian casualties in Yemen since peace talks collapsed last month, the great majority of them inflicted in airstrikes by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
At least 329 civilians have been killed, and at least 426 have been injured since the beginning of August. Fighting resumed after Aug. 6, when talks collapsed
The toll was reported as Saudi Arabia and Arab allies waged a diplomatic campaign at the United Nations Human Rights Council to stave off an international investigation into the conduct of hostilities and possible war crimes.
Heavy Saudi pressure on Western governments and businesses succeeded in stalling a similar initiative in the Council last year; diplomats say the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, has again lobbied against an independent international inquiry. They add that growing awareness of the bloodshed has made it harder for the United States and Britain, Saudi Arabia’s major suppliers of arms and munitions, to look away – By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
9.2016 – BBC (* A H)
Film: Starving people in Yemen
https://twitter.com/Hider208/status/779824532140023808
Comment by Stephen Snyder: This is one result of the Saudi blockade. Hunger has become starvation for Yemen's poor.
https://twitter.com/StephenProducer/status/779837468648607744
26.9.2016 – WHO (A H)
There have been growing concerns over the potential closure of the National Oncology Centre in Sana'a due to very limited resources
https://twitter.com/WHOYemen/status/780485643579318273
26.9.2016 – Al Arabiya (* A H)
Aid reaches starving families in Yemen’s Hudaydah
A convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrived Monday at Yemen’s western province of Hudaydah, where there is widespread starvation among the population.
Mona Relief, a Yemeni aid organization run by volunteers, told Al Arabiya English that convoys began delivering aid to 200 families in the al-Tuhita area in Hudaydah on Sunday, providing urgently needed basic supplies.
The aid comes after shocking images of malnourished mothers and their emaciated childrenemerged earlier this month.
“Al-Tuhita in al-Hudaydah has registered the largest number of malnutrition cases,” Dr. Riaz S. Karim, co-founder of Mona relief, told Al Arabiya English.
Every family is given a package of 50kg wheat, 10kg rice, 10kg sugar and cooking oil enough to last a month.
“Our campaign in Hudaydah started yesterday targeting 200 families there, and it will continue for a month. We are planning to target almost 5,000 families living there,” Fatik al-Rodaini, founder of the humanitarian organization, said – by Rua’a Alameri
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/09/26/Aid-reaches-starving-families-in-Yemen-s-Hudaydah.html and photos: https://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/photo-gallery/2016/09/26/Starving-families-receive-aid-in-Yemen-s-Hudaydah-.html
Comment: This is a remarkable and fine article – at a Saudi website!
25.9.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini / MONA Relief (* A H)
Million thanks to @monarelief's director in Hodeidah province Shukria al-Hamdani, her ground crew, and volunteers.
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/780196720403767296
Footage taken during @monarelief's food distribution in Hodeida today. God bless donors
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/780106580197007361
Most beneficianaies in this village, are fishermen, but they cant go fishing fearing to be killed by Saudi rockets if they go fishing (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/780190057948930048
Here is what we have seen today in al-Tuhita area of Hodeidah, children there suffering all kind of skin diseases #Yemen @monarelief
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/780110690623291392
Despite the sorrow and pain they live in, but they have hope, so they smile. Pic taken today in al-Tuhita of Hodeidah by @monarelief
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/780186947545341952
25.9.2016 – 7 Days UAE (A H)
UAE donates Dhs22m to provide food assistance in Yemen
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has praised the UAE after it contributed Dhs22 million ($6 million) to provide food assistance to more than 100,000 people in Yemen.
Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Ertharin Cousin, WFP Executive Director, signed an agreement on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meetings in New York.
The WFP will use the UAE’s contribution to buy 7,000 metric tonnes of staple food-stuff including wheat, pulses, vegetable oil and sugar, as well as wheat soya blend, a special product to prevent and treat malnutrition among children under the age of five and pregnant and nursing mothers.
http://7days.ae/uae-donates-dhs22m-provide-food-assistance-yemen/93253
Comment: They back the Yemen blockade at the same time, first causing the famine they now try to fight against by donations. $ 6 million that is one roll for every Yemeni. Thanks.
25.9.2016 – Reuters (* B H)
Film: Malnutrition grows in war-ravaged Yemen
More than half of Yemen's people suffer from malnutrition, according to the United Nations, as the ongoing civil war disrupts the country's main industry, fishing. Diane Hodges reports.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/malnutrition-grows-war-ravaged-yemen-013550128.html
Comment: It's more famine than malnutrition by now.
25.9.2016 – The Times (not rated H)
Yemen’s starving children should shock us to action like Ethiopia did
Dawn. And as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Korem it lights up a biblical famine, now, in the 20th century. This place, say workers here, is the closest thing to hell on earth. Thousands of wasted people are coming here for help. Many find only death . . . Fifteen thousand children here now, suffering, confused, lost. Death is all around, a child or an adult dies every 20 minutes. Korem, an insignificant town, has become a place of grief.”
These words, spoken by BBC journalist Michael Buerk in a report on – by Kevin Pringle [subscribers only]
25.9.2016 – Hisham Al-Omeisy (A H)
A mother of 8 blinded by dust of airstrike killed husband "All I remember was screaming names of my children"
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/780042101144875008
25.9.2016 – BBC (A H)
Film: Because lack of medicine 4Years old #Yemen-i child Shoaib has passed away after suffering from fever & diarrhea
https://www.facebook.com/Classy.Yemeni/posts/902604603203055
25.9.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A H)
More pix of .@monarelief's mission today n #Hodeidah western #Yemen where 1000000s ppl starving to death. Plz share
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/780080078906589184
25.9.2016 – Dr. Karim (* A H)
''This is the Tuhita Are in Al Hodeidah, @monarelief on site now distributing much needed critical aid''
These people are being killed, slowly, each passing moment by an apocalypict siege on #Yemen.
Hunger is a silent, corrosive killer. It drives you insane, it consumes every single cell of your body. It bangs your brain and stomach.
Hunger is turning into famine in Yemen and the siege the strangling arm (graphic photos of starving people)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1118225798230449
23.9.2016 – British Red Cross (* B H)
Yemen: new maternity clinic saves lives
Since an obstetrician, midwife and two nurses started work at a Yemen health clinic, 1,854 pregnant women have received life-saving healthcare.
The British Red Cross works with our partners, the Yemen Red Crescent Society and German Red Cross, to provide a wide range of reproductive and other health services at the clinic. These include support for safe childbirth, emergency caesarean sections and care for premature or low-birth-weight babies.
Michael Van Koesveld, Yemen country manager for the British Red Cross, said: “This health centre provides the only health services women during pregnancy and birth in the city of Hajja in northern Yemen.
“Unfortunately, government and other health services in this area – even those provided by other international charities – have been forced to close as a result of of Yemen’s serious conflict.
“At the same time, the population has increased because people have fled to Hajja to escape the fighting.
“All clinic services are provided free of charge, including emergency procedures, and it serves any mothers or babies who need medical care.”
The number of patients using the maternal health services has increased steadily from 342 in May to 532 in August.
http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/News/2016/September/Yemen-new-maternity-clinic-saves-lives
23.9.2016 – Care (* B H)
Jemen: Zerstörte Wirtschaft bedroht Familien
Der Jemen leidet nicht nur unter einer Eskalation der Gewalt, sondern auch unter der massiv eingeschränkten Wirtschaft. Wenn Sie irgendjemanden im Jemen fragen: „Wie hat sich Ihr Leben durch den Krieg verändert?“, wird die Antwort kaum die dauernde Gewalt durch Luftschläge, Raketen oder Gewehrfeuer hervorheben, sondern in etwa so lauten: „Alles ist unfassbar teuer geworden. Ich kann keine Arbeit mehr finden, um für meine Familie zu sorgen.“
Eine solche Antwort gab auch Aziza aus Sa’dah, Mutter von vier Kindern. Ihr Ehemann besaß eine Farm, die das Auskommen der Familie sicherstellte. Der Krieg machte dem ein Ende: Flakfeuer riss die obere Etage des Hauses weg, während sich die Familie im Erdgeschoss zusammenkauerte. Sie fürchteten die Luftschläge und Geschosse, die auf ihr Dorf herab donnerten. Doch nicht nur der Lärm hielt sie des Nachts wach – auch das fehlende Einkommen. So zogen sie nach Amran in eine sicherere Gegend, aber auch dort fand Azizas Mann keine Arbeit.
Zur schlechten Arbeitsmarktlage kommt erschwerend hinzu, dass eine Knappheit von Kraftstoff und Nahrungsmitteln die Preise in die Höhe trieb. „Ein Kilo Mehl kostet nun 2 000 Rial (ca. 7 Euro)! Früher waren es einmal 400 Rial (ca. 1,40 Euro)“, sagt Ameenh.
23.9.2016 – Care (* B H)
Yemen crisis: “It was raining rockets”
“It was 7am and I was having breakfast with my mother-in law and four of my daughters,” said Hammama, recounting what began as a seemingly ordinary day in Yemen. Only things are not ordinary in Yemen, and on that day, extraordinary events changed Hammama’s life forever.
“We heard the aircraft hovering low overhead and airstrikes in the surrounding area, but that was a sound we had gotten used to. We didn’t think we would be a target.
Then all of a sudden, we felt a violent explosion as a bomb hit part of our home. The entire house shook. Shattered glass sliced the leg of my 7-year-old daughter and the scalp of my teenage daughter.
My husband, son and 10-year-old daughter were asleep in another room where the airstrike hit directly. They must have died instantly.
We fled the house with only the clothes on our backs. It was raining rockets, but we continued to run.
We ran with my injured daughters until we reached a hospital where we stayed for several days and now we are here in Amran, away from our village and our home.
My husband was the sole provider for our family. Now we have nothing.”
This is a common story for families from Sa’dah – by Holly Frew
Please donate now to help families like Hammama’s and Houda’s:
http://www.careinternational.org.uk/stories/yemen-crisis-it-was-raining-rockets
Comment by Judith Brown: Such a distressing personal account of what it is like to be living under Saudi aerial bombardment.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154738465208641
23.9.2016 – US Agency for International Development (A H)
Yemen Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #16 Fiscal Year (FY) 2016
USG HUMANITARIAN FUNDING FOR THE YEMEN RESPONSE IN FY 2016
Map: Active USG Humanitarian Programs in Yemen (Last Updated 09/23/16)
Comment: USAID not just gives humanitarian help – it also is a regime change assistance agency.
23.9.2016 – UN Children's Fund (A H)
UNICEF Yemen Crisis Humanitarian Situation Report (August 2016)
Hostilities escalated dramatically across the country after the suspension of the UN-backed peace talks in Kuwait
The Humanitarian Country Team has finalized the revision of the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016. UNICEF’s programme targets are being reviewed and will be updated taking into consideration the growing humanitarian needs and enhanced implementation capacities in the field.
Situation in Taiz governorate and particularly in Taiz city, remains worrying
Humanitarian access and operations were highly affected during August. Due to closure of the airspace, the Sana’a International Airport was closed on 8 August causing delays for the delivery of humanitarian supply and deployment of staff.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Yemen is not getting enough international attention and the required financial support.
With only 26 per cent of Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) requirements funded as of mid-August, the Yemen Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) agreed to review its 2016 HRP by reducing its funding requirements to US$1.6 billion to reach 12.6 million people with life-saving and protection services, focusing on the most urgent programmes.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-crisis-humanitarian-situation-report-august-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNICEF%20Yemen%20Humanitarian%20SitRep%20-August%202016.pdf
23.9.2016 – World Food Programme (A H)
Map: Yemen: Emergency Dashboard, September 2016
http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ep/wfp287154.pdf = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/wfp287154.pdf
23.9.2016 – Buzzfeed (* B H)
Yemen’s Children Are Starving To Death
A third of all the country’s children under five are acutely malnourished.
Yemen is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis, and the country’s children are bearing the brunt of the tragedy.
Nearly 1.5 million children there are acutely malnourished, according to international aid organizations. Save the Children estimated that a third of all children under five in Yemen fall into this category. Of those, about 370,000 are said to be suffering from severe acute malnutrition — it means they are 10 times more likely to die than malnourished children because their immune system has been dramatically weakened.
As that figure continues to rise, images like this are emerging from the country, where a civil war broke out last year.
Despite some international attention, the situation has continued to deteriorate. The conflict has pushed the country to the brink of famine; in many remote villages, mothers themselves are too malnourished to feed their children.
Majed Ayyash, a 21-month-old child who suffered from severe malnutrition, is one of the fortunate ones in the country’s capital, Sanaa, because his family managed to get him to a hospital.
But even when families manage to get their children medical help, the remaining doctors and nurses are forced to work with limited supplies and almost no equipment. A number of medical facilities in the country have been frequently targeted by airstrikes.
Footage obtained by Save the Children — the UK-based humanitarian group has operated in the country since 1963 and supports 160 facilities there — and provided to BuzzFeed News shows children on ventilators, struggling even as they receive treatment in a Sanaa hospital – by Rose Troup Buchanan (with photos)
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
26.9.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Saleh demands direct talks with Saudi
Yemen’s ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday denied any alliance between himself and Iran, claiming Saudi used this as an excuse to intervene in the country.
Speaking on his channel Yemen Today to mark the 54th anniversary of the 26 September revolution, he called for direct dialogue between himself and Saudi Arabia in order to achieve a new deal while attacking the government Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and renouncing its legitimacy. He added that, prior to the outbreak of the unrest in the country, he had rejected a Saudi offer to form an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Islah party and the Hadi government.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160926-saleh-demands-direct-talks-with-saudi/
26.9.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (A)
explosion at wedding party in #Ibb, journalist Fuad Rajeh writes:
Father detonated bomb at daughter's wedding party killing self, family & 5 others & injuring many in Yemen's Ibb city Monday, news site said
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1119529124766783
25.9.2016 – Saba Net (A P)
SPC President speaks to the nation on 54th Revolution Anniversary
President of the Supreme Political Council Saleh Al-Sammad affirmed on Sunday keenness of the Republic of Yemen and its permanent stand for peace.
In his speech on the occasion of the 54th Anniversary of the Yemeni Revolution of 26 September, he offered a new initiative for peace, reviewing the heroic path of the Yemeni people and the Yemeni revolution as well as the hindrances and challenges faced during the past five decades, in addition to the direct causes of the aggression and siege on Yemen.
Al-Sammad revealed circumstances of the latest economic plot against Yemen and that the USA is standing behind targeting the Central Bank of Yemen and the Yemeni economy in the context of the US-Zionist project to turn the region and its people apart.
He called on the UN and other states concerned with peace to pressure the Saudi regime to seize this opportunity for peace if it has the decision of war and to stop the killings against its soldiers who are killed daily.
Al-Sammad affirmed the formation of the government will definitely take place and that it was delayed for technical reasons, not due to political reasons or external or internal pressures.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441471.htm
23.9.2016 – Amnesty International (* B P)
Yemen: Huthi armed group must end crackdown on human rights defenders and NGOs
The Huthi armed group must allow human rights and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to operate freely in the areas of Yemen under their effective control, Amnesty International said today.
Amnesty International has spoken to 13 different NGOs in Sana’a, 12 of which are currently closed, who told researchers that over the past six months, they and other organizations have come under increased scrutiny and pressure from the Huthi armed group, which has raided and closed down at least 27 NGOs in Sana’a. Organizations which have continued to operate are in many cases exercising self-censorship and face constraints due to harassment and intimidation of their staff.
According to activists and NGO staff that were interviewed by Amnesty International throughout the months of May to November, the Huthi armed group has justified these measures by characterising NGOs as “foreign agents” of the West, “America” and international organizations. Out of the 27 NGOs raided and closed down, at least six weretargeted as they has a perceived affiliation with al-Islah, a Sunni Islamist political party.
According to activists and NGO staff, restrictions on NGOs form part of a wider campaign against activists or groups that are perceived to be opposed to the Huthis. The year 2015has also seen the arbitrary detention of scores of journalists, activists and political figures in the al-Islah leadership, which Amnesty International documented in May 2015.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-huthi-armed-group-must-end-crackdown-human-rights-defenders-and-ngos-enarfr and in full: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde31/2931/2015/en/ = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MDE3129312015ENGLISH.pdf
Comment: Islah party definitely is anti-Houthi and affiliated to the Hadi government: that of course is a problem in war times.
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
26.9.2016 – Xinhua (A T)
Yemeni forces kill major al-Qaida leader
Yemeni army troops killed a prominent Al-Qaida leader in the country's southern province of Abyan on Monday, a security official told Xinhua.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-09/26/c_135715231.htm
Comment by Judith Brown: Oh so confusing - this time the Yemeni forces are those paid by Saudi Arabia - a new Yemen army meant to be loyal to Hadi but I guess most of them work for the army simply because there is no other work.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154747054883641
25.9.2016 – Shapban (A P)
leaders of #Yemen's southern resistance say #Saudi, #UAE occupied the south
https://twitter.com/shapban/status/780113038787608576 and source: https://twitter.com/husain2015y/status/780097679485464576
24.9.2016 – Shapban (A P)
Hadi 2 return to Aden amid reports he's replacing Aden Governor with pro-#UAE cleric Bin Burick who is suspected of massacres on northerners
https://twitter.com/shapban/status/779597293335015424
24.9.2016 – Amar Basha (A)
Saudi militia in #Taiz exhumed the graves of my Grandma and other 34 members of Al Basha family. Is this the new #Yemen?!
https://twitter.com/ammar_basha/status/779763056956018688
Comment: These are Saudi backed mercenaries in Taiz Aided by Islah Led by AQAP This is why #Yemen-is RESIST. Their extremism leaves no stone unturned
https://twitter.com/Arabellastory/status/780043421570433024
Comment by Hisham al-Omeisy: Extremists enforced dress codes, gender segregation, sectarianism..now new level of creepy attacking dead!
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/779774934499360769
23.9.2016 – The Brics Post (A P)
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid Bin Daghr and seven ministers from his cabinet arrived in the country’s temporary capital of Aden on Thursday, asserting that their return was “final”.
Their arrival comes amid a pan-Arab effort to strengthen the government’s hold on provinces in the south of the country.
http://thebricspost.com/yemeni-pm-cabinet-to-aden-as-war-rages/#.V-frrPCLSUl
22.9.2016 – Middle East Eye (* A K P)
Fatwa forbids work of female activists in Yemen's Taiz
Some women have reduced their involvement, others are working in secret, fearing retaliation against female volunteers
Naseem al-Odaini, an activist in Taiz, has been monitoring Houthi violations in the war-torn Yemeni city since April 2015, using her phone and notebooks to take photos and document civilian casualties.
Working with more than 20 women and men volunteers within the initiative "Love it," she helps reveal violations to the world through social media and various media outlets.
Three months ago, however, noted Islamic scholar Abdullah al-Odaini issued a fatwa (religious ruling), forbidding female and male activists from working together, arguing that Islam prohibits the free mixing of women and men.
The fatwa has created resentment and fear among activists, who reply that they too are supporters of the anti-Houthi Popular Resistance, the same as Abdullah al-Odaini, who is also a member of the Yemeni parliament and imam of Taiz's al-Noor mosque.
"We are working hard to let the world know about the suffering of Taiz civilians,” activist Naseem al-Odaini told Middle East Eye. “We thought all Taiz residents were focusing on helping each other, so we were shocked to hear this fatwa from an imam who is also a supporter of the Popular Resistance.” – by Nasser Al-Sakkaf
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/fatwa-forbids-work-female-activists-taiz-112812818
Comment by Judith Brown: I think this fatwa says something of the new Wahhabi influence in Taiz, where religiously conservative groups have formed militias - Islah and the militias headed by the Salafist Abu Abbas. Taiz was always a place where women were seen as powerful, forming the negotiators in business deals as they were considered to be good at business dealings. Under the old Imam in North Yemen only Taiz had schools for girls, in the other cities they had no educational opportunities. When I worked in Sanaa men and women worked together without any sense of taboo. But now in Taiz this article describes new restrictions on the way women and men work together. Women have struggled in Yemen for their rights and now their rights are being eroded. Another interesting point is that the 'human rights activists' in Taiz are very polemic. They collect information on the violations of the Houthis, but not of the other fighting groups nor of the aerial bombardment of Saudi Arabia.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154741765158641
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
27.9.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Coalition Tells Yemen Insurgents: No Border Ceasefire
In a new maneuver, rebels controlling the Yemeni capital Sana’a have suggested “a border ceasefire” with Saudi Arabia, if the Arab Coalition halts its airstrikes against the insurgents.
However, the Saudi-led coalition on Monday rejected the proposal, which was made by the head of the so-called Supreme Political Council.
Coalition spokesperson Major General Ahmed Asiri said: “If Houthis want to have a ceasefire they know what they have to do,” referring to the peace initiative proposed last month by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Kerry’s initiative calls on rebels to withdraw from seized areas including Sana’a, which they have held since 2014.
27.9.2016 – AFP (A P)
Coalition prefers final Yemen settlement
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in support of Yemen’s government would prefer a broad political settlement to a ceasefire, its spokesman said on Monday.
“I think now it’s not a question of talking about a ceasefire,” Major General Ahmed Assiri told reporters.
Late on Sunday a Houthi rebel leader, Saleh Al Sammad, proposed a truce on the country’s border with Saudi Arabia in exchange for a halt to Saudi-led air strikes on his forces.
Assiri said the coalition welcomes “any effort to have a genuine political settlement” under a peace initiative proposed last month by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
This is preferable to a “short ceasefire without any control, without any observation”, he said, adding that “the Saudi border is not and will not be the subject of any discussion.”
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/coalition-prefers-final-yemen-settlement-short-truce = http://gulftoday.ae/portal/7b9f8fc1-6f3c-466a-9ed3-a19d1927956d.aspx = https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/09/26/Yemen-militia-leader-offers-border-truce-with-Saudi-Arabia.html and Arab News: http://www.arabnews.com/node/990396/saudi-arabia
26.9.2016 – KUNA (A P)
Kuwait Ready to Host Fresh Intra-Yemeni Talks – Deputy FM
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah said Monday his country is ready to receive the Yemeni stakeholders if they are willing to reach deal and break the political stalemate.
“The State of Kuwait has always been supportive of all efforts aiming to resolve the Yemeni crisis peacefully, including the efforts of the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he affirmed.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2535452&language=en
26.9.2016 – Pars Today (A P)
Ehemaliger jemenitischer Präsident fordert direkte Gespräche mit Saudi-Arabien
In einer Rede am Sonntag anlässlich des Jahrestags der Revolution vom 26. September des vergangenen Jahres sagte Saleh in Sanaa: Wie mehrfach in der Vergangenheit laden wir auch diesmal Saudi-Arabien zu direkten Gesprächen ein.
26.9.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Saleh demands direct talks with Saudi
Yemen’s ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday speaking on his channel Yemen Today to mark the 54th anniversary of the 26 September revolution, he called for direct dialogue between himself and Saudi Arabia in order to achieve a new deal while attacking the government Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and renouncing its legitimacy.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160926-saleh-demands-direct-talks-with-saudi/
26.9.2016 – Blasting News (* A P)
Britische Regierung blockiert Untersuchung über Saudi Arabien
Im Krieg der Saudis im Jemen liegen die Interessen der Waffenlobby vorn.
Die britische Regierung blockiert den Vorstoß der Europäischen Union einer Untersuchung der Aggression Saudi Arabiens im Jemen.
Der Anstoß dafür am vergangenen Freitag kam von den Niederlanden, an den Menschenrechtsrat der UNO, der derzeit – man glaubt es kaum – unter dem Vorsitz Saudi Arabiens steht. Die Niederlande versuchte in Genf zu erreichen, dass die UNO Kriegsverbrechen untersuche, die offenbar von #Saudi Arabien im #Jemenbegangen wurden.
Nach Berichten des The Guardian, am letzten Sonntag, weigerte sich allerdings die britische Regierung das zuzulassen, mit Verweis auf ihre Waffenverkäufe nach Saudi Arabien.
Dadurch wurde der Aufruf der UNO erheblich abgeschwächt und lief auf ein „überblicken und informieren, über die Situation im Jemen“ hinaus – von Michael Kleemann
26.9.2016 – The Guardian (* A P)
UK supports call for independent UN human rights mission to Yemen
The draft resolution, sponsored by the Netherlands, requests the commissioner “to dispatch a mission, with assistance from relevant experts, to monitor and report on the situation of human rights in Yemen, on violations and abuses thereof since September 2014, and to collect and preserve information in order to establish the facts and circumstances of such violations and abuses”.
The Dutch draft resolution calls on the inquiry team to provide an oral update of its findings to the next meeting of the human rights council and then to report in writing to the council at the session after that. The 47 members of the human rights council will vote on the motion on Thursday or Friday, but there is likely to be horse trading behind closed doors before the vote.
The resolution has the support of 22 EU member states including France, Germany, Italy and Slovakia.
John Fisher, advocacy director at Human Rights Watch in Geneva, said the EU-sponsored resolution “stops short of a full international independent inquiry, but should be supported since it provides for international scrutiny reporting to the UN human rights commissioner. It is a key test of the UK’s commitment to human rights and its claim to have a seat on the human rights council that they continue to support this resolution.” – by Patrick Wintour
Comment: There was earlier reporting on this Dutch resolution and the reactions of the UK government. See also cp10. Important is the following:
Comments by Hisham Al-Omeisy: Misleading headline. UK supports a toothless mission that will submit oral rep in Mar & written in Jun 2017!
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/780420452506341377
Independent inquiry into #Yemen war crimes dumbed down to a monitoring mission after UK blocked Netherlands proposal
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/780415437079212032
25.9.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Hadi Accepts 72-Hour Ceasefire in Yemen
Yemen’s Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi asserted that President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi had met with U.S. and U.N. officials this week and had agreed in principle to a 72-hour ceasefire.
In an interview with Reuters conducted in New York, al-Mekhlafi said: “He (Hadi) asked that the ceasefire be taken advantage of by lifting the unjust siege of Taiz and for food to enter simultaneously.”
http://english.aawsat.com/2016/09/article55359056/hadi-accepts-72-hour-ceasefire-yemen
Comment: And, stop of Saudi coalition air strikes??
25.9.2016 – Reuters (* A P)
Houthi official in Yemen offers border truce, amnesty
A top official in Yemen's armed Houthi movement on Sunday offered to stop attacks on Saudi Arabia and an amnesty for Yemeni fighters opposing the group if the kingdom stopped air strikes and lifted a near blockade on the country.
The move falls short of demands by Yemen's government and their backers in Saudi Arabia, but offers rare hope for a pause to 18 months of fighting which has killed at least 10,000 people and pushed impoverished Yemen toward famine.
"(In exchange for) stopping the aggression against our country by land, sea and air, stopping the air strikes and lifting the siege imposed on our country, in return (we will)stop combat operations on the border," Saleh al-Samad, the chief of a Houthi-backed political council, said in a speech.
Samad said the group was prepared to pardon its foes.
"(We call) all fighters on the side of the aggression on the various fronts to respond to a general amnesty and come back into the national fold," he said – by Mohammed Ghobari
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN11V0SL and AFP: http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-rebel-leader-proposes-border-truce-saudi and Yemeni source: https://www.facebook.com/Classy.Yemeni/posts/902832599846922
Comment by Judith Brown: Well it's a headline that in fact means very little. It is just more negotiations - that might or might not come to something. More likely not.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154747037533641
Comment: Strange wording: Saleh al-Samad, the chief of a Houthi-backed political council is the president of the Highest Political Council, the government in Houthi / Saleh held part of Yemen. He is no “Houthi official” and no “chief”. Still more strange is the wording by AFP:
26.9.2016 – AFP (A P)
Yemen rebel leader proposes border truce with Saudi
A leader of Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels […] then, suddenly appears a name:
Sammad called on … And then, without explaining anything more:
Sammad, whose body is not recognised by the international community … [what a nonsense should this be? I hope, every human has a body with head, 2 arms, 2 legs: in Sammad’s case his body “is not recognised by the international community”???]
http://www.france24.com/en/20160926-yemen-rebel-leader-proposes-border-truce-with-saudi
25.9.2016 – WAM (A P)
Arab League Secretary-General meets UN Yemen Envoy
Mr. Aboul-Gheit reiterated the Arab League's consistent stance that any settlement in Yemen must be on the lines of the National Dialogue outputs, the Gulf initiative and the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
http://www.wam.ae/en/news/international/1395300345291.html
Comment: You cannot continue a political process which had failed just not taking into account that there had been a war in the meantime. National Dialogue outputs and the Gulf initiative are more than dead, the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions are totally one-sided, based on Saudi interests, and an obstacle to peace.
24.9.2016 – Reuters (A P)
Yemen plans U.N. complaint over Iran weapons transfers: minister
Yemen plans to complain to the U.N. Security Council over what it says are Iran's weapon transfers to Houthi allies fighting the internationally recognized Yemeni government, the foreign minister said on Saturday.
In an interview with Reuters, Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi also said he hoped a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire would take effect "early next week."
"There are new weapons coming from Iran," Mekhlafi said in New York where he was attending the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders.
"It is impossible to hide that weapons-smuggling is still taking place from Iran. Some of these weapons have been found on the Saudi-Yemeni border and they are Iranian weapons," he said.
Mekhlafi said his government was in the process of filing a complaint to the Security Council, with evidence including documents and pictures.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-assembly-yemen-security-idUSKCN11V016
Comment: Yemen = Hadi government. There are (a few) weapons which came from Iran. As more than 1000 times more weapons are bought by the Saudis and their allies and nobody in Hadi’s government ever complained about this, this complaint against the Iranians now would be ridiculous.
Comment: Well, then your terrible, inhumane, million-killing siege is worth zero! Absolutely delusional.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1118107591575603
23.9.2016 – TRT (A K)
Jemen: 180 Zivilisten im August getötet
Im Jemen sind bei Gefechten im August 180 Zivilsten getötet und weitere 268 Zivilisten verletzt worden.
Das teilte die Sprecherin des UN-Hochkommissariats für Menschenrechte, für Menschenrechte, Cecile Pouilly in einer schriftlichen Erklärung mit. Nachdem die aufgenommenen Friedensgespräche am 06. August im Jemen ausgesetzt wurden, sei die Z
http://www.trt.net.tr/deutsch/welt/2016/09/24/jemen-180-zivilisten-im-august-getotet-576109
23.9.2016 – Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Cécile Pouilly (A K)
Geneva
We note with deep concern the sharp increase in civilian casualties since the suspension of peace talks, with 180 people killed and 268 injured in August. This represents a 40 per cent increase compared to the civilian casualties the previous month, with 60 killed and 123 injured.
There has been an increased number of attacks against protected civilian objects, with at least 41 incidents affecting educational and health facilities, markets, places of worship, airports and civilian homes in August.
In the light of the high civilian casualty numbers and the terrible suffering of the civilian population, we urge all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including their obligation to respect the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. We reiterate our call for the setting up of an international and independent investigative body.
In total, 3,980 civilians have been killed and 6,909 injured between 26 March 2015 and 22 September 2016.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20568&LangID=E
Comment: Blab la bal. And again downsizing the figure of the victims of war (also a special way to whitewash Saudi / US war crimes) down to a figure not changed at all since month. The UN itself already had spoken of at least than 10.000 killed people. Ten times more would be more probable.
23.9.2016 – Reuters (A K P)
U.N. condemns Yemen house attack, increased attacks on civilians
The United Nations has condemned airstrikes by an Arab coalition that killed 26 people in Western Yemen on Wednesday and said attacks on civilian facilities in the Arab World's poorest country have increased since July.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement condemning the attack, said dozens of people, including children and women, had been killed and injured.
"We note with deep concern the sharp increase in civilian casualties since the suspension of peace talks," said Cecile Pouilly in a statement. "We reiterate our call for the setting up of an international and independent investigative body." – by Mohammed Ghobari,
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN11S178 and statement: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2016-09-22/statement-attributable-spokesman-secretary-general-yemen
Comment: Just words.
23.9.2016 – Amnesty International and other NGOs (* A K P)
Yemen: Joint NGO Letter: Urgent Need for International Inquiry on Yemen
We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations, write to urge you to support the High Commissioner’s call for an international, independent investigation into civilian deaths and injuries in Yemen, a call repeatedlymade by national, regional and international civil society organizations.
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition continues to commit violations of international human rights and humanitarian law with impunit
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented more than 70 unlawful coalition airstrikes, some of which may amount to war crimes, that have killed at least 913 civilians and deliberately targeted civilian objects
The Houthi armed group and forces allied to it, including army forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have also committed numerous violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law,
Despite mounting violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen, no state party has conducted credible investigations that meet international standards.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde31/4878/2016/en/ = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-joint-ngo-letter-urgent-need-international-inquiry-yemen
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
22.9.2016 – Alwaght (A P)
Iran President Slams Saudi Regime over ‘Divisive’ Policies
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani fiercely criticized Saudi regime’s “divisive” policies in the crisis-torn West Asia region.
http://alwaght.com/en/News/68548
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
27.9.2016 – Die Presse (A E P)
Saudi-Arabien kürzt Gehälter von zwei Drittel der Bevölkerung
Der Ölpreisverfall wird spürbar: Die Beamten in Saudi-Arabien bekommen weniger Gehalt, der Jahresurlaub wird auf 30 Tage begrenzt.
26.9.2016 – Bloomberg (* A E P)
Saudi Arabia’s Monarch Scraps Bonuses, Cuts Minister Salaries
Salaries of Saudi ministers cut by 20%, Shoura members by 15%
Saudi government decides to curb allowances for state workers
Saudi Arabia canceled bonus payments for state employees and cut ministers’ salaries by 20 percent, its latest steps to rein in a budget deficit that ballooned amid the oil price slump.
The government also curbed allowances for state employees and pared salaries of members of the Shura Council, which advises the monarchy, by 15 percent, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. It cited a statement after the weekly cabinet meeting and royal decrees. The decision affects bonus payments for the lunar year that ends this month, the agency said.
Under Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the world’s biggest oil exporter is seeking to tame a budget shortfall that expanded to 16 percent of gross domestic product last year, the highest among the world’s 20 biggest economies. The government has delayed payments owed to contractors and started cutting fuel subsidies as it tries to manage lower oil prices.
“Spending on wages soared as oil prices boomed,” Simon Williams, HSBC Holdings Plc’s London-based chief economist for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, said in response to e-mailed questions. With the deficit set to run above 10 percent of GDP for a second year in succession, “that era is over; wage spending has to be cut.” – by Glen Carey
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-26/saudi-arabia-cancels-bonus-payment-for-state-employees-spa-says and Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-economy-idUSKCN11W1VS
26.9.2016 – Huffington Post (* B P)
Oppression In The Hijaz – How Al-Saud Stole Islam’s Pilgrimage And Capitalized A Faith
Wahhabism has taken a sledgehammer to Islam.
Ever since the House of Saud claimed for itself the title of Custodian of the two Holy Mosques: Mecca and Medina, pilgrims have seen their rights and to a great extent their faith, hijacked by Wahhabism – a violent and ascetic interpretation of Islam.
Wahhabism has taken a sledgehammer to Islam by laying waste its historical heritage, branding communities under the label of apostasy to together exert control and claim righteousness.
Many religious scholars have argued Wahhabism to stand in negation of Islamic principles.
“Ninety-eight percent of Islamic heritage has been destroyed at the hands of Wahhabism. No longer will we tolerate this cultural genocide. No more will we permit the peaceful message of Islam to be hijacked, and our history annihilated at the hands of Wahhabi terrorists,”said the Baqee Organization in exclusive comments.
Parallel to Wahhabi-inspired radicals’ vicious campaign against the world religious heritage, Saudi Arabia has vetoed millions of Muslims out of their pilgrimage – essentially violating an entire religious community’s most basic human rights, and most paramount religious duty.
Beyond a simple case of religious oppression, Saudi Arabia has overseen the destruction of most of Mecca’s 1000-year-old historical landmarks, single-handedly redacting History to claim a truth which is a fabrication.
Money and politics, more than faith, might lie at the core of the matter.
Today, Saudi Arabia is aggressively looking to maximisz its “Islamic” revenue as to bridge its increasing deficit and finance its transformation of Islam landscape into a Vegas-looking-type grand capitalist complex.
In this dystopian religious reality, Muslims are no longer entitled to their faith – rather they must abide by Wahhabism’s intrinsic extremism and bow in submissive acceptance to an increasingly vindictive Wahhabi clergy.
For those who dare still hold true to such principles as compassion, justice, pluralism and tolerance, the Hajj has simply been closed – by Catherine Shakdam
26.9.2016 – The Dawn (* B P)
The writing on the wall for Saudi Arabia
It would seem that after more than a year of slaughter and wanton destruction, some people in the West have discovered their conscience, and have begun asking questions about their governments’ complicity in the Saudi-led carnage in which the UAE has been a junior partner.
But despite all the money spent on buying influence in Washington, Congress voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill that would make it possible for the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government. Although President Obama has vetoed the bill, both houses of Congress have vowed to send it back.
Nevertheless, the vote is a sign of serious slippage in Saudi support in Washington.
Money is Riyadh’s weapon of choice when it engages with the outside world on controversial issues.
The Saudis were made aware of their declining influence in Washington when President Obama ignored their protests and signed the nuclear deal with Iran.
Nevertheless, the current oil glut and the emerging fracking industry, combined with the rapid growth of alternative energy sources, have all converged to reduce Saudi Arabia’s clout in Washington and elsewhere.
This rising crescendo of comments and criticism against a country that had long been considered a sacred cow should be a cause for concern in the House of Saud. After all, their policies are ultimately designed to keep themselves in power, and in this strategy, the US has a major role. Earlier, the country’s importance in meeting the global energy demand placed it beyond serious scrutiny. This is now changing, and the Saudis are scrambling around to find ways of dealing with new realities – by Irfan Husain
http://www.dawn.com/news/1286027
25.9.2016 – Netzfrauen (** B E K P)
Saudi Arabien kann seine Arbeiter und seine Rechnungen nicht bezahlen
Was kaum nach außen dringt: Die großen Baulöwen des Landes – darunter die der Bin-Laden-Gruppe – sind nicht durch die saudische Regierung für deren größere Bauprojekte entlohnt worden und ein Teil der Arbeiterarmee von Indern, Pakistanis, Sri-Lankesen und anderen haben keinen Lohn bekommen, manche von ihnen für bis zu zehn Monate. [Siehe auch: Wer bezahlt die Waffenexporte für Saudi Arabien? Die Saudis sind pleite!]
Die Botschaften von Indien und Pakistan haben sich an die saudische Regierung gewandt und den Lohn für ihre Arbeiter gefordert. Wirtschaftsexperten, die der saudischen Monarchie ähnlich speichelleckerisch begegnen wie die britische Regierung, weisen ständig darauf hin, dass die Behörden durch den Einbruch der Ölpreise überrannt worden seien. Sie ziehen es vor, nicht das zu erwähnen, was den Rest der Welt fassungslos macht: den verlustreichen und sinnlosen Krieg, den Mohamed bin Salman, stellvertretender Kronprinz und Verteidigungsminister, führt.
Ein Land mit 16 Prozent der weltweit nachgewiesenen Ölreserven, dessen Ölgesellschaft Aramco mehr als 1 Mrd. $ pro Tag erwirtschaftet und nun ein Haushaltsdefizit von 100 Mrd. $ verbucht, kann seine Rechnungen nicht bezahlen.
Die saudische Regierung selbst versagt völlig in dieser Krise. Die ‚Arab News‘ teilen mit, dass 31 000 Saudis und andere Arbeiter beim Arbeitsministerium Beschwerde wegen nicht ausgezahlter Löhne eingereicht haben. Einmal lieferten das indische Konsulat und im Ausland lebende Inder den Arbeitern Lebensmittel, damit sie nicht verhungern – von Robert Fisk
and English version, already presented earlier:
8.9.2016 – The Independent
Saudi Arabia cannot pay its workers or bills – yet continues to fund a war in Yemen
25.9.2016 – Bloomberg (A E)
Saudi Arabia Injects $5.3 Billion in Bank System Amid Crunch
Funds are in the form of time deposits, central bank says
Central bank also introducing 7-day, 28-day repo agreements
Saudi Arabia’s central bank stepped up efforts to support lenders in the Arab world’s biggest economy as they grapple with the effects of low oil prices.
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, as the central bank is known, said it decided to give banks about 20 billion riyals ($5.3 billion) in the form of time deposits “on behalf of government entities.” It’s also introducing seven-day and 28-day repurchase agreements, as part of its “supportive monetary policy.”
The plunge in oil prices over the past two years forced the government to draw down on its deposits in the banking system, squeezing domestic liquidity. That’s pushed up the three-month Saudi Interbank Offered Rate, a key benchmark used for pricing loans, to the highest level since 2009. The central bank was said to have offered lenders 15 billion riyals in short-term loans in June to help ease liquidity constraints – by Alaa Shaahine and Stefania Bianchi
24.9.2016 – The Economist (* B P)
The real game of thrones
The crown prince stands between the king and his favoured successor
In the past year King Salman’s own much younger son, also a Muhammad, aged only 31, has burst onto the scene as minister of defence and deputy crown prince, tasked with weaning the kingdom off oil. Overshadowing his older cousin, he has hogged the limelight, promising a string of drastic reforms. King Salman seemed to be grooming him to be his immediate successor.
Crown Prince Muhammad is unlikely to take the mooted demotion lying down. He has been in tough spots before.
As the kingdom undergoes an economic shake-up, no one is sure who will lead it.
23.9.2016 – Hayder al-Khoeia (A P)
Film: My comment to @RTUKnews: Saudis pass good intel on terrorist threats to UK but also export the extremist ideology that produces terrorism.
https://twitter.com/Hayder_alKhoei/status/779251504179978240/video/1
23.9.2016 – Wall Street Journal (* B E P)
Kingdom Comedown: Falling Oil Prices Shock Saudi Middle Class
Lower revenue hurts economy, prompting government to withdraw some benefits; as cost of living rises, consumers cut back on spending
A sharp drop in the price of oil, Saudi Arabia’s main revenue source, has forced the government to withdraw some benefits this year—raising the cost of living in the kingdom and hurting its middle class, a part of society long insulated from such problems.
Saudi Arabia heads into next week’s meeting of major oil producers in a tight spot. With a slowing economy and shrinking foreign reserves, the kingdom is coming under pressure to take steps that support the price of oil, as it did this month with an accord it struck with Russia.
Saudi Arabia has previously refused to sign any deal that exempts arch-rival Iran.
As its people start feeling the pain, that could change.
The kingdom is grappling with major job losses among its construction workers—many from poorer countries—as some previously state-backed construction companies suffer from drying up government funding.
Those spending cuts are now hitting the Saudi working middle class.
Saudi consumers in major cities, the majority of them employed by the government, have become more conscious about their spending in recent months.
To boost state finances, Saudi Arabia cut fuel, electricity and water subsidies in December, after posting a record budget deficit last year. It also plans to cut the amount of money it spends on public wages and raise more non-oil revenue by introducing taxes.
But in response to these moves, inflation more than doubled from last year to about 4% now, crimping consumers even more.
The political stakes for managing this slowdown are high. Saudi Arabia survived the Arab Spring unrest that toppled several autocratic leaders across the region and forced some others to change, largely by offering cash handouts and more government jobs to placate its people. About two thirds of Saudi workers are employed by government related entities – by AHMED AL OMRAN and NIKHIL LOHADE
http://www.wsj.com/articles/kingdom-comedown-falling-oil-prices-shock-saudi-middle-class-1474623003
24.9.2016 – Storify (* B H)
#StopEnslavingSaudiWomen
Compilation of tweets from the #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen campaign. Selected tweets are intended to bring the voices of Saudi women to an English audience and to provide information about the Saudi Male Guardianship system. Please share widely to support Saudi women in their fight for human rights – by Lenz Kimberly
https://storify.com/lenz_kimberly/stopenslavingsaudiwomen
22.9.2016 – Middle East Eye (** B H P)
Saudi women take to Twitter to demand end to guardianship rules
An open letter to the Saudi king is the latest sign of growing demands from Saudi women for basic rights and end to male controls
The guardianship system, as it stands now, treats women, in effect, as legal minors. That rule was put into place based on the Quranic interpretation that states that guardians should protect and care for their women.
While many men are supportive and protective, some guardians abuse their power and treat women as second-class citizens in their homes.
Adult Saudi women are often not able to easily decide on key parts of their life without permission: enrol at a university, accept a job, receive medical treatment, renew a passport, or travel. There are countless other restrictions.
The strong words from the grand mufti did not sway many Saudi women who took to the Twittersphere to oppose what they considered to be a narrow and archaic view. It was emphasised that these were mature women asking for their basic rights.
The Arabic versions of these hashtags, #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen, #IAmMyOwnGuardian and #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship have gone viral with a new online petition soliciting support from Saudis, men and women.
A formal letter started to circulate on Twitter, addressing the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud directly, and skipping any red tape or middlemen. Written in Arabic by Saudi women, it contained several recommendations and requests asking for the king to grant them the right to control parts of their lives that have long required a male guardian’s permission.
Many Saudi women who are unhappy with their guardians have taken extreme approaches to flee their situation. In some cases, they have escaped the country entirely, leaving everyone and everything they love behind.
Twitter has become the virtual meet-up place in which Saudi women who oppose - or support - the system have come together to amplify their voices. In other words, that camel is going into overdrive and Saudi women are driving, even if it's only in cyberspace – by Jasmine Bager
http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/camel-room-saudi-women-driving-debate-end-guardianship-rule-317043821 and Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship&src=typd
and see also https://www.hrw.org/the-day-in-human-rights/2016/09/24 (presented YPR 170 already)
cp9 USA
Siehe / See cp1
26.9.2016 – Return of Kings (* A P)
Why Is Hillary Clinton Silent About Saudi Arabia’s Illegal Invasion Of Yemen?
In Riyadh’s paranoid world, every Shia sect (the Houthis are Shias) is an Iranian proxy, out to subvert and destroy the Wahabi kingdom of Ibn Saud. This is the obsession that keeps them awake at night, and the one that has caused them to pour billions into supporting terrorist “rebels” in Syria in an effort to install a religiously correct leader in Damascus. It would be sad, if the results were not so murderous.
Not satisfied with causing death and carnage in Syria, Riyadh has been begging the United States for more and more weapons. And the United States has been obliging.
It’s not like the President doesn’t know what’s going on. He does. As he enunciated what Jeffrey Goldberg called the “Obama Doctrine,” the President pointed out how senseless it was for the United States to allow itself to be pulled into Mideast wars. His essential point was that the sects and nations of the region have to learn to live together, and that constant outside interference does not advance this purpose.
But high ideals are one thing; implementation is another. In practice, the US has done just about everything it could to undermine “democratic institutions” in the Middle East. In the real world, the US funds Sunni terrorist lunatics to fight in Syria.
But of course, all of this passes without comment by the mainstream press.
In practice, the President seems unable to exert the kind of moral courage that would allow him to stand up to regional players like Saudi Arabia and tell them no. – by Quintus Curtius [185 comments]
26.9.2016 – Al Monitor (A P)
Did US approach Iran about Yemen?
When Iran’s supreme leader cited on Sept. 18 what he described as US attempts to engage in talks with his country on regional issues, it appeared to be a confirmation of Sept. 14 media reports that Washington had approached Tehran via Oman suggesting that US-Iranian-Russian talks begin to discuss the crisis in Yemen.
A senior Iranian diplomat approached by Al-Monitor about the Sept. 14 reports wholly dismissed them. On Sept. 18, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi reiterated that denial – by Ali Hashem
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/09/us-secret-letter-iran-engagement-yemen.html
26.9.2016 – The Hill (* A P)
Dem urges support for UN human rights resolution on Yemen
A Democratic congressman is urging the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to support a resolution that would call for an independent investigation into human rights abuses in Yemen.
“The repeated killing of civilians by the Saudi coalition, done with U.S. assistance, violates not just our moral conscience but degrades our reputation and standing in the world,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) wrote to Ambassador Samantha Power on Monday.
“As the Human Rights Council negotiates a resolution this week on Yemen, I urge you to lend your support to an independent, international investigation in Yemen.”
The council is set debate a resolution that would call for an independent mission to monitor and report on human rights abuses and violations in Yemen – by Rebecca Kheel
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/297790-dem-urges-support-for-un-human-rights-resolution-on-yemen
Comment by Judith Brown: Why are their s many calls for action but nothing ever happens?
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154746848818641
24.9.2016 – Telepolis (* A P)
Obama verhindert, dass Terroropferangehörige Saudi-Arabien verklagen
Kongress könnte Veto des Präsidenten überstimmen
Nachdem 28 vorher geheim gehaltene Seiten des offiziellen Berichts zu den Terroranschlägen vom 11. September 2001 veröffentlicht wurden, die Hinweise auf eine mögliche Mitfinanzierung durch hochgestellte Persönlichkeiten aus Saudi-Arabien enthalten, verabschiedete der US-Senat den Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) der Privatklagen von US-Bürgern gegen ausländische Staaten erlaubt. Voraussetzung für eine Klage ist, dass solche Staaten begründet verdächtigt werden, an der Planung, Durchführung oder Finanzierung von Terroranschlägen beteiligt gewesen zu sein. Die US-Regierungen kann solcher Klagen der Gesetzesnovelle nach nur dann unterbinden, wenn sie vor Gericht eigene ernsthafte Lösungsanstrengungen nachweist.
Das Repräsentantenhaus stimmte JASTA am 9. September zu - trotzdem kann das Gesetz vorerst nicht in Kraft treten, weil Präsident Obama am Freitag ein Veto dagegen eingelegt hat. Obama begründete dieses Veto damit, dass das Gesetz den nationalen Interessen der USA schade, weil es dazu führen werde, dass andere Länder ähnliche Gesetze erlassen und dann die USA und deren Vertreter verklagen könnten. Terry Strada, die Witwe eines bei den 9/11-Anschlägen ums Leben gekommenen Mannes, die sich für die Klagemöglichkeit einsetzt, hatte auf dieses bereits in der Vergangenheit vorgebrachte Argument entgegnet: "Wenn wir keine Terroristen finanzieren und keine Leute umbringen, dann haben wir daraus auch nichts zu befürchten." – von Peter Mühlbauer
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/49/49510/1.html
24.9.2016 - Tagesschau (* A P)
Obama blockiert 9/11-Klagen gegen Riad
Seit den Anschlägen vom 11. September 2001 gibt es immer wieder Vorwürfe, Saudi-Arabien habe den Attentätern geholfen – immerhin kamen 15 von 19 von ihnen von dort. Ein neues US-Gesetz soll nun Entschädigungsklagen gegen das Land ermöglichen. Doch Obama hat sein Veto eingelegt.
US-Präsident Barack Obama hat sein Veto gegen ein Gesetz eingelegt, das Klagen von Angehörigen der Opfer der Anschläge vom 11. September 2001 gegen Saudi-Arabien ermöglicht hätte. Das Weiße Haus erklärte, Obama äußere sein „tiefes Mitgefühl“ mit den Opfern der Anschläge, betrachte das Gesetz aber als „schädlich für die nationalen Interessen der USA“.
Die Entscheidung des scheidenden Präsidenten löste vielfach Kritik aus. Nach dem Senat hatte Anfang September auch das Repräsentantenhaus in Washington dem Gesetz zugestimmt, das Angehörigen der Opfer der Terroranschläge ermöglichen sollte, eine Entschädigungsklage gegen andere Staaten einzureichen. Es richtet sich vor allem gegen Saudi-Arabien: Da 15 der 19 Attentäter vom 11. September 2001 aus dem Königreich stammten, waren seit den Anschlägen immer wieder Vorwürfe laut geworden, die Attentäter hätten Hilfe von Saudi-Arabien erhalten.
http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/klagen-gegen-saudi-arabien-101.html
26.9.2016 – Flipboard (* A P)
How the 9/11 Families Could Force the First-Ever Override of an Obama Veto
“We are outraged and dismayed at the President’s veto of JASTA and the unconvincing and unsupportable reasons that he offers as explanation,” the group 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism, which has been a leading proponent of the bill, said in a statement.
“I'm confident our members of Congress will remain steadfast, vote for the override, and enact JASTA,” Terry Strada, the chair of the family group, told The Daily Beast. Strada’s husband, Tom, was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center.
The bill is opposed by lawmakers and government officials in an array of countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, Pakistan, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bangladesh, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Sudan. And many of those countries, like France and the United Kingdom, face no imminent threat of lawsuit in a U.S. federal court – by Shane Harris and Nancy A. Youssef
25.9.2016 – Philly.com (* A P)
If 9/11 plaintiffs prevail, Saudis could face up to $100 billion in damages
If, as expected, the House and Senate vote to override President Obama's veto of a bill that would make it easier to sue the government of Saudi Arabia for acts of terrorism, the families and victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks will be handed a powerful new legal tool.
And if the plaintiffs prevail, the Saudis could face damages of up to $100 billion.
That might explain why the Saudis have been lobbying on Capitol Hill intensively ever since the House unanimously passed the measure on Sept. 19, following a unanimous vote in the Senate on May 17. Support for the measure is high, on both sides of the aisle, and both houses of Congress are expected to override the president's veto this week, the first such vote in the Obama presidency.
In his veto message, the president said he opposed the measure because it would expose American officials and military personnel to lawsuits abroad and complicate relations with U.S. allies, a claim denied by backers of the legislation.
The bill would amend the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which since 1976 has established broad immunity for foreign governments against lawsuits by U.S. citizens – by Chris Mondics
24.9.2016 – RT (* A P T)
Obama vetoes bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia
President Barack Obama has vetoed the legislation that would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. The bill passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate and was met with widespread public support.
Known as “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act” or JASTA, the bill creates an exemption to the doctrine of sovereign immunity established by a 1976 law, thus allowing US citizens to sue foreign countries for terrorism that kills Americans on US soil.
Fifteen out of 19 men who hijacked commercial airliners and used them as missiles to target the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 were subjects of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Two were from the United Arab Emirates. Fifteen out of 19 men who hijacked commercial airliners and used them as missiles to target the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 were subjects of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Two were from the United Arab Emirates.
https://www.rt.com/usa/360450-obama-veto-saudi-sue/
23.9.2016 – The Guardian (* A P)
Obama's veto of 9/11 bill aimed at Saudi Arabia sets up standoff with Congress
The bill, which would have allowed families to sue, sailed through both chambers of Congress and lawmakers are expected to override president’s move
Obama cited the potential for the popular bipartisan bill to backfire against the US, its diplomats and military personnel.
Congress was expected to move rapidly to try to override the veto, which requires a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate. A successful override would be the first of Obama’s presidency. With lawmakers eager to return home to campaign ahead of the November election, a vote could come as early as Tuesday.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell’s office said the Senate would take up the override “as soon as practicable in this work period”.
Obama, in a statement accompanying his veto message, said he had “deep sympathy” for the 9/11 families and their desire to see justice for their relatives. But he said the bill would be “detrimental to US national interests” and could lead to lawsuits against the US or American officials for actions taken by groups armed, trained or supported by the US.
“If any of these litigants were to win judgments – based on foreign domestic laws as applied by foreign courts – they would begin to look to the assets of the US. government held abroad to satisfy those judgments, with potentially serious financial consequences for the United States,” Obama said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/23/obama-veto-bill-911-families-sue-saudi-arabia and more articles: Vice news: https://news.vice.com/article/barack-obama-9-11-families-sue-saudi-arabia-justice-against-state-sponsors-of-terrorism-act-veto?utm_source=vicenewstwitter and AFP: https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-vetoes-bill-allowing-9-11-victims-sue-202923035.html and Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/lawmakers-vow-to-override-obamas-veto-of-sept-11-bill/2016/09/24/ac7c4cd8-8233-11e6-9578-558cc125c7ba_story.html
Comment: Obama really has strange arguments for his veto.
21.9.2016 – Washington Post (* A K P)
Saudi Arabia is facing unprecedented scrutiny from Congress
A series of bills before Congress this month is the surest sign yet that Saudi Arabia can no longer claim the privileged status it has held largely unchallenged for decades in Washington.
As the fight over terrorism escalates, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are taking aim at the longtime U.S. ally with a double-header of legislative rebukes to the Kingdom over its alleged ties to extremists and military campaigns in Yemen. The first came Wednesday, when the Senate voted on a resolution to restrict arms sales to Saudi Arabia until it stops targeting civilians in Yemen. Congress is also preparing to override an expected presidential veto this week of a bill to let the families of Sept. 11 victims sue Saudi Arabia over alleged ties to the terrorists who carried out the attack.
While the two measures will not both get through Congress – there is wide support for the Sept. 11 bill, but senators voted down Wednesday’s attempt to stop the arms sale – experts say the current scrutiny of the U.S.-Saudi relationship is unprecedented.
“We haven’t seen this much anti-Saudi activity on the Hill in a quarter of a century,” said Bruce Riedel, director of the Brookings Institution’s Intelligence Project and an expert on Saudi Arabia. “Criticism of Saudi Arabia has come out of the closet, and I don’t think it’s going to go back in.”
As the United States struggles to respond to acts of global terrorism in the name of Islam, the cracks in its partnership with Saudi Arabia have increasingly been on display – by Karoun Demirjian
22.9.2016 – The American Conservative (* A P)
McCain and Corker Need a Geography Lesson
Supporters of the Saudi arms sale made many bad arguments yesterday before the vote, but this may have been the most laughable mistake:
McCain and Corker’s error would almost be funny if it didn’t reflect their poor understanding of the region and the conflict they want the U.S. to continue fueling. Corker is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, so one would think he would have better familiarity with the geography of a part of the world where he wants the U.S. to be so involved. McCain is famously treated as a foreign policy “expert” despite a long record of horrible judgments, so his screw-up is even more ridiculous. Their error is significant not only for betraying their ignorance about basic geography, but also for showing how desperate they are to make Iran a major player in the conflict when its role is actually limited and not very significant.
It’s hard to see why anyone should take McCain and Corker’s views on the conflict seriously when they can’t even be trusted to read a map correctly – by Daniel Larison
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/mccain-and-corker-need-a-geography-lesson/ relating to http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-09-21/senators-struggle-with-geography-to-support-saudi-arabias-yemen-intervention
Comment by Judith Brown: It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. UN senators are voting for selling arms to Saudi, whilst saying it is to defend the Straights of Hormuz, which is nowhere near Yemen. So Yemeni people killed because of US ignorance. Its more than sad.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154744164698641
26.9.2016 – Tom Dispatch / The Nation (** B K P)
The Obama Administration Has Brokered More Weapons Sales Than Any Other Administration Since World War II
The world may be in turmoil, but the American arms industry is cashing in.
So here’s a question that’s puzzled me for years (and I’m something of an arms wonk): Why do other major US exports—from Hollywood movies to Midwestern grain shipments to Boeing airliners—garner regular coverage while trends in weapons exports remain in relative obscurity? Are we ashamed of standing essentially alone as the world’s number one arms dealer, or is our Weapons “R” Us role such a commonplace that we take it for granted, like death or taxes?
The numbers should stagger anyone. According to the latest figures available from the Congressional Research Service, the United States was credited with more than half the value of all global arms transfer agreements in 2014, the most recent year for which full statistics are available.
Arms deals are a way of life in Washington. From the president on down, significant parts of the government are intent on ensuring that American arms will flood the global market and companies like Lockheed and Boeing will live the good life. From the president on his trips abroad to visit allied world leaders to the secretaries of state and defense to the staffs of US embassies, American officials regularly act as salespeople for the arms firms. And the Pentagon is their enabler. From brokering, facilitating, and literally banking the money from arms deals to transferring weapons to favored allies on the taxpayers’ dime, it is in essence the world’s largest arms dealer.
In a typical sale, the US government is involved every step of the way.
And the pressure for yet more of the same is always intense, in part because the weapons makers are careful to spread their production facilities to as many states and localities as possible. In this way, they ensure that endless support for government promotion of major arms sales becomes part and parcel of domestic politics.
Though seldom thought of this way, the US political system is also a global arms distribution system of the first order. In this context, the Obama administration has proven itself a good friend to arms exporting firms. During President Obama’s first six years in office, Washington entered into agreements to sell more than $190 billion in weaponry worldwide—more, that is, than any US administration since World War II.
One place where, with a helping hand from the Obama administration and the Pentagon, the arms industry has been doing a lot better of late is the Middle East.
The most damaging deals, if not the most lucrative, have been the sales of bombs and missiles to the Saudis for their brutal war in Yemen.
There is, however, unlikely to be a genuine public debate about the value of the arms business and Washington’s place in it if it isn’t even considered a subject worthy of more than an occasional media story. In the meantime, the United States continues to hold onto the number one role in the global arms trade, the White House does its part, the Pentagon greases the wheels, and the dollars roll in to profit-hungry US weapons contractors – by William D. Hartung
http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/176169/tomgram%3A_william_hartung,_how_to_arm_a_%22volatile%22_planet = https://www.thenation.com/article/the-obama-administration-has-sold-more-weapons-than-any-other-administration-since-world-war-ii/
24.9.2016 – Telepolis (* B K T)Drohnen-Opfer: Alle sind gleich, manche sind gleicher
Während die Familie eines italienischen Opfers eine Entschädigung in Millionenhöhe erhält, gehen nicht-europäische und -amerikanische Opfer in der Regel leer aus
In der vergangenen Woche gab die US-Regierung bekannt, der Familie des Drohnen-Opfers Giovanni Lo Porto eine Entschädigungssumme von insgesamt 1,2 Millionen Dollar zahlen zu wollen. Der 37-jährige Lo Porto, ein italienischer Entwicklungshelfer, wurde im vergangenen Jahr durch einen Drohnen-Angriff in der pakistanischen Region Waziristan getötet. Opfer des damaligen Angriffs wurde auch der 73-jährige US-Amerikaner Warren Weinstein.
Lo Porto und Weinstein wurden zum damaligen Zeitpunkt von Al-Qaida nahestehenden Kämpfern als Geiseln festgehalten. Ob die Familie Weinsteins ebenfalls in irgendeine Art und Weise finanziell entschädigt wird, ist zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt nicht klar.
Selbiges betrifft allerdings auch die zahlreichen anderen Drohnen-Opfer, die weiterhin unerwähnt bleiben. In den allermeisten Fällen sind diese keine Europäer oder US-Amerikaner, sondern Afghanen, Pakistaner, Somalier oder Jemeniten. Auch in anderen Staaten, etwa in Syrien, im Irak oder in Libyen, gehört der Drohnen-Krieg des Weißen Hauses mittlerweile zum Alltag – von Emran Feroz
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/49/49502/1.html
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
26.9.2016 – Luftpost von The Intercept (** B P T)
Was geht in der Menwith Hill Station vor?
Diese NSA-Basis in Großbritannien sammelt Daten für die von der US-Regierung veranlassten gezielten Tötungen
Edward Snowden hat der Website The Intercept Dokumente überlassen, aus denen hervorgeht, dass die NSA vom Menwith Hill in Großbritannien aus die Zielpersonen in aller Welt aufspürt, die von US-Soldaten oder US-Drohnen ausgeschaltet werden sollen.
Jetzt sind The Intercept jedoch bisher streng geheime Dokumente zugespielt worden, die einen bisher verwehrten Blick auf die Aktivitäten in der mit Stacheldraht umzäunten Menwith Hill Station erlauben. Die Dokumente geben zum ersten Mal darüber Aufschluss, dass die NSA die britische Basis bisher verwendet hat, um "eine bedeutende Anzahl von Gefangennahmen oder gezielten Tötungen" im Mittleren Osten und Nordafrika zu ermöglichen – mit Hilfe einer weitreichenden Überwachungstechnologie, die täglich Daten aus mehr als 300 Millionen E-Mails und Telefonaten abgreifen kann.
Aus den Dokumenten geht hervor, dass es der NSA im Lauf des letzten Jahrzehnts gelungen ist, mit bahnbrechenden neuen Spionage-Programmen von Menwith Hill aus die Position von Terrorverdächtigen aufzuspüren, die in den entlegensten Weltgegenden über das Internet kommunizieren.
Die Enthüllungen über den Menwith Hill werfen neue Fragen über das Ausmaß der britischen Mitschuld am US-Drohnenkrieg und anderen Aktionen zur Tötung von Zielpersonen auf, die häufig gegen das Völkerrecht verstoßen oder Kriegsverbrechen sind. Mehrere aufeinanderfolgende britische Regierungen haben öffentlich bestätigt, dass alle von Menwith Hill ausgehenden Aktivitäten mit "Kenntnis und Zustimmung" britischer Offizieller stattfinden.
Die neuesten Enthüllungen seien "nur ein weiteres Beispiel für die inakzeptable Geheimhaltung, welche die britische Beteiligung an dem US-Programm der 'gezielten Tötungen' umgibt", erklärte Kat Craig (s. dazu hier) die juristische Vertreterin der in London ansässigen Menschenrechtsorganisation Reprieve gegenüber The Intercept – von Ryan Gallagher
http://www.luftpost-kl.de/luftpost-archiv/LP_16/LP13016_260916.pdf = https://principiis-obsta.blogspot.de/2016/09/was-geht-in-der-menwith-hill-station.html
English version, The Intercept, Sept. 6: https://theintercept.com/2016/09/06/nsa-menwith-hill-targeted-killing-surveillance/
25.9.2016 – Liam Murphy (A P)
Jeremy Corbyn speaking about the crisis in Yemen. Also calls for a UN inquiry, and says UK should halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia
https://twitter.com/Liam1971/status/780092830396145664
26.9.2016 – The Guardian (* A P)
UK supports call for independent UN human rights mission to Yemen
Shift in government policy comes as abuse accusations mount against both Saudi-led coalition and Iran-backed Houthi rebels
The UK has put its name to a call at the UN this week to set up an independent mission to report on human rights abuses in Yemen.
The proposal, which marks a shift in British policy, is due to be voted on at the UN human rights council in Geneva this week and has been welcomed by human rights campaigners, even if it stops short of what some had been seeking.
The wording of the draft resolution suggests the UK for the first time accepts the need for international experts to monitor human rights abuses in Yemen, and to report on them to the UN human rights commissioner. The resolution is also substantially tougher than rival proposals put forward for debate at the human rights council by Arab states.
The draft resolution, sponsored by the Netherlands, requests the commissioner “to dispatch a mission, with assistance from relevant experts, to monitor and report on the situation of human rights in Yemen, on violations and abuses thereof since September 2014, and to collect and preserve information in order to establish the facts and circumstances of such violations and abuses” – by Patrick Wintour
Comments by Hisham Al-Omeisy: Misleading headline. UK supports a toothless mission that will submit oral rep in Mar & written in Jun 2017!
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/780420452506341377
Independent inquiry into #Yemen war crimes dumbed down to a monitoring mission after UK blocked Netherlands proposal
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/780415437079212032
26.9.2016 – Sputnik News (* A P)
Profits Over Human Rights': UK Slammed After Blocking Yemen Investigation
The UK has been accused of blocking efforts to establish an independent investigation into alleged Saudi Arabian breaches of international law in Yemen, with critics telling Sputnik that London is putting “arms company profits ahead of human rights.”
A number of human rights groups have taken aim at Theresa May's government after a Dutch proposal for the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to set up an international investigation into the conflict in Yemen was replaced by a watered-down replacement. The UK refused to support the Netherlands' proposal for an independent investigation into alleged crimes in Yemen, with the plans replaced by a UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) mission, which was far below what human rights groups were calling for.
https://sputniknews.com/europe/20160926/1045709330/uk-block-investigation-yemen.html
25.9.2016 – The Independent (* A P)
Boris Johnson criticised by human rights groups after blocking inquiry into war crimes in Yemen
'Blocking attempts to create an international inquiry is a betrayal of the people of Yemen who have suffered so much during this conflict'
Boris Johnson rejected calls for Britain to support the international inquiry last week.
He insisted that the Government is "using a very, very wide variety of information sources about what is happening to acquaint ourselves with the details" about the war in Yemen, where a Saudi Arabia-led coalition is accused of committing war crimes.
“Blocking attempts to create an international inquiry is a betrayal of the people of Yemen who have suffered so much during this conflict,” Polly Truscott of Amnesty International said.
“It’s shocking. The UK ought to be standing up for justice and accountability, not acting as a cheerleader for arms companies.”
Two senior MPs have since urged Mr Johnson to back the independent probe, saying the matter was urgent in light of the country's growing death toll – by Samuel Osborne
Comment by Judith Brown: And he is condemned by me - you can't even enter Yemen without seeing evidence of war crimes. That's why they don't want it to happen, so that the obnoxious arms companies and government can plead ignorance. Bring on Jeremy Corbyn.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154747012698641
25.9.2016 – BBC (A P)
Johnson: 'Russian actions in Syria could be war crime'
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has suggested that Russia could be guilty of a war crime if it deliberately targeted an aid convoy near Aleppo in an attack which killed at least 20 civilians.
He was speaking to Andrew Marr ahead of an urgent UN Security Council session to discuss the escalating military campaign in Syria's second city.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37465810
Comment: It is highly uncertain whether really Russia had attacked this convoy. But even if they did: Johnson is a hypocrite in his worst form: Russia bombing civilians = war crime. Saudi Arabia bombing civilians in Yemen: Nothing.
And the same hypocrisy is shown by Tobias Ellwood:
25.9.2016 – UK UN (A P)
We were proud to take a stand with #NotATarget movement. #Syria @Tobias_Ellwood and @UKUN_NewYork diplomats outside of @UN
https://twitter.com/UKUN_NewYork/status/779341858585665536
Comment by Jamila Hanan: Let's just pretend UK MP @Tobias_Ellwood isn't Saudi's greatest defender of #Yemen war crimes.
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/779555853452083200
25.9.2016 – The Guardian (* A P)
UK accused of blocking UN inquiry into claim of war crimes in Yemen
Britain has blocked European Union efforts to establish an independent international inquiry into the war in Yemen, prompting dismay among human rights groups.
The Netherlands had hoped to garner broad support for its proposal that the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva set up an inquiry to examine civilian deaths in Yemen, where the Saudi Arabia-led coalition is accused of committing war crimes.
Instead, with the UK refusing to give its backing, the Netherlands’ proposal for an international inquiry – submitted on Friday by Slovakia on behalf of the EU – was replaced with a much weaker one that the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) dispatch a mission “with assistance from relevant experts, to monitor and report on the situation ... in Yemen”. This falls far short of what human rights groups and the OHCHR had wanted.
“Blocking attempts to create an international inquiry is a betrayal of the people of Yemen who have suffered so much during this conflict,” said Polly Truscott of Amnesty International. “It’s shocking. The UK ought to be standing up for justice and accountability, not acting as a cheerleader for arms companies.” – by Jamie Doward
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/24/yemen-britain-human-rights-inquiry
Comment by Judith Brown: Shocking I am so ashamed of my government.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154746852618641
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
24.9.2016 – Deutschlandradio Kultur (* B P)
"Lückenpresse" - was in den Medien fehlt
Ulrich Teusch im Gespräch mit Christian Rabhansl
Die "Mainstream-Medien" ließen wichtige Meldungen unter den Tisch fallen. Das sagt der Medienkritiker Ulrich Teusch. Was er am aktuellen Journalismus bemängelt, schreibt er in seinem Buch "Lückenpresse".
"Ich missbillige ausdrücklich den Begriff 'Lügenpresse'", stellt er klar. Aber Teusch beklagt eine "Lückenpresse", in der zumindest Mainstream-Medien manch wichtige Meldung unter den Tisch fallen ließen und in der er doppelte Bewertungsstandards ausmacht, je nachdem, über wen gerade berichtet werde.
Er beobachte immer wieder, dass die politische Berichterstattung einem Narrativ folge: "Wenn alle Meldungen, die in dieses Narrativ passen, gute Chancen haben verbreitet zu werden – und alle Meldungen, die diesem narrativ nicht so entsprechen, gute Chancen haben zur Lücke zu werden, dann ist da etwas faul." Ein solches Narrativ - etwa pro oder contra Putin - sei für Politiker möglicherweise eine gute Sache. "Aus journalistischer Perspektive halte ich es für absolut inakzeptabel." (mit Audio-Interview)
23.9.2016 – Propagandaschau (* A P)
Lehrbuch-Propaganda des ZDF über den Krieg im Jemen
Die Irreführung über die wahren Hintergründe des Krieges und geheucheltes Mitleid mit den Opfern, für deren Elend man als Kriegspropagandist unmittelbar mitverantwortlich ist, waren die Hauptmerkmale eines von der BBC übernommenen Berichts über das Leid der jemenitischen Zivilisten – vorwiegend Kinder. Erneut benutzte Kleber den Syrienkrieg als Vorwand, um die fehlende Berichterstattung zu entschuldigen. Angesichts uferloser Berichte über Fußball und andere Themen, die in den sogenannten „Nachrichten“ bestenfalls als Kurzmitteilung Berechtigung haben, eine weitere Verhöhnung der Zuschauer.
Doch damit nicht genug. Nach Kleber handele es sich um einen „Stellvertreterkrieg“ zwischen Saudi-Arabien und dem Iran „wie in Syrien“. Tatsächlich gibt es weder belastbare Informationen über Waffenlieferungen des Iran an die jemenitischen Houthis, noch über iranische Soldaten im Land. Alles was diesbezüglich verbreitet wurde, muss als Propaganda aus saudischen Quellen betrachtet werden. Bei Kleber handelt es sich gar um einen Krieg des „Iran gegen Saudi-Arabien“, in dem „die Not der Bevölkerung instrumentalisiert“ wird. Letzteres muss man sich angesichts der Syrienpropaganda von ARD und ZDF auf der Zunge zergehen lassen!
Es ist einmal mehr vorsätzliche Desinformation, Kriegspropaganda, Elendsporno und Emotionalisierung, ohne dass auch nur das Geringste erklärt würde. Keine korrekten Hintergründe, keine Fakten, keine Lösungsansätze, sondern emotionale Überwältigung der Zuschauer. Nicht mit dem Ziel, etwas gegen dieses Leid zu tun, sondern mit Feindbildung hinsichtlich des Irans und mit der eingewebten Botschaft: wir Deutsche können ja doch nichts machen, aber immerhin haben wir jetzt ein bisschen Mitleid gezeigt und das muss doch erst mal reichen.
Kommentar: Nicht Zitierfähiges geändert. In der Sache hat der Autor 100 % recht.
23.9.2016 – Bundestag (D)
Zayna aus dem Jemen hofft auf Frieden zu Hause
Als die 1989 geborene Zayna Rabea im Jemen aufwuchs, herrschte Frieden im Land. Die heute 27-Jährige Jemenitin machte Abitur und begann Deutsch zu lernen. Das Interesse für Deutschland und die deutsche Sprache lässt sie ein Germanistikstudium an der Universität in der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Sanaa aufnehmen. Später macht sie an der Deutsch-Jordanischen Hochschule in Amman noch den Master im Bereich Deutsch als Fremdsprache.
[Jetzt] genießt Zayna Rabea die Zeit hier in Berlin – nach einer sehr komplizierten und nervenaufreibenden Anreise
http://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2016/kw38-ips-jemen/442018
Kommentar: Ihre Erklärung für den Krieg ist freilich falsch. Weder sind die Huthis „Stellvertreter“ des Iran in diesem Krieg. Auch die Saudis sind nicht einfach „Stellvertreter der USA, ging doch die Initiative nicht von den USA saus, sondern von den Saudis selbst.
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
25.9.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Iraq does not recognise Houthi council in Yemen: Foreign Minister
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said late Saturday his country does not recognise a Houthi governing council in war-torn Yemen.
Al-Jaafari met with his Yemeni counterpart Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York for talks on bilateral relations between the two countries.
During the talks, al-Jaafari reiterated Iraq’s rejection of foreign interference in Yemen’s affairs, according to the official Saba news agency.
The Iraqi government “does not recognize the political council formed by the Houthis and [former president Ali Abdullah] Saleh” to run Yemen’s affairs, Saba quoted al-Jaafari as saying.
Comment: “rejection of foreign interference in Yemen’s affairs”: the most heavy interference certainly are Saudi air raids.
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / See cp9 USA
26.9.2016 – Breitbart (* B K)
The Houthi rebels in Yemen receive Iranian arms shipments via a “sister state” as well as two African countries, the Saudi Alwatan newspaper reported.
Even though the paper refrains from naming the countries, Saudi sources believe the Arab state is Oman, which maintains good relations with both Riyadh and Tehran, and even offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi leadership.
The paper claimed that the arms are smuggled on oil tankers travelling between Oman and Yemen under the auspices of Yemeni and Lebanese merchants who work in tandem with associates of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis’ ally. Among them is a major alcohol merchant.
The paper reported that most of the smuggling takes place by sea, using export permits for cattle and agricultural supplies – by Ali Waked
http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/09/26/saudi-paper-iran-smuggles-weapons-to-yemens-houthi-rebels-via-sister-state/ and the original link: http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Politics/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=278542&CategoryID=1
Comment: Fact or fiction? Sounds very doubtful. Sometimes ago Saudi media claimed weapons would have been smuggled to Houthi Yemen through Hadramauth by trucks with Omani plaques. More proffs are still missing.
Comment by Judith Brown: Well is there any truth in this? The Saudis would say this wouldn't they whether or not it is based on fact. But the Houthis are getting weapons from somewhere - and quite a lot from Saudi sources via the Yemen army that is meant to be on the side of Hadi if what I hear from sources in Yemen is correct.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154747045668641
9.2016 – Dochouse (A)
Film Shadow World. Inside the global arms trade
Dir: Johan Grimonprez
United States / Denmark / Belgium / 2016 / 94mins
WINNER: BEST DOCUMENTARY, EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL, 2016
“Grimonprez’s superb, gut-punching exploration of the global arms trade is the sort of catalyst to energize politically-minded viewers... deserves wide exposure at home and abroad.” - Variety
Directed by Johan Grimonprez and based on Andrew Feinstein's globally acclaimed book The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, this explosive new film reveals the murky world of international arms trade.
Stitching together archive footage and expert interviews, the film reveals a hidden world where governments and intelligence agencies operate at the whim of huge weapons manufacturers. And where bribes and corruption determine the economic and foreign policies of some of the biggest countries in the world, often with devastating effects.
This extraordinary film ultimately reveals the real cost of war, the way the arms trade drives it and how the weapons are now being turned against the citizens of liberal democracies. (with trailor)
http://dochouse.org/cinema/screenings/shadow-world
cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees
26.9.2016 – AFP (* A H)
Yemen deports 220 African migrants: officials
Yemeni authorities on Monday deported at least 220 African illegal immigrants, mainly Ethiopians, from the southern port city of Aden, security officials said.
The migrants had been rounded up over the past two weeks and were put on a ship bound for Somalia, from where they apparently came, an official in Aden said.
The boat left from the port at Aden's refinery.
Hundreds of illegal migrants have arrived in south Yemen over the past few weeks despite the ongoing war that has ravaged the country.
In Shabwa province, east of Aden, authorities have arrested more than 500 African migrants over the past two weeks, security chief Awad al-Dahboul said.
http://www.france24.com/en/20160926-yemen-deports-220-african-migrants-officials = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-deports-220-african-migrants-officials
26.9.2016 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (A H)
Map: Yemen: In-Country Stocks and Pipeline (as of 19 September 2016)
https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/system/files/documents/files/shelter_nfi_cccm_cluster-_stocks_and_pipelines-_19_september_2016-_full.pdf = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/shelter_nfi_cccm_cluster-_stocks_and_pipelines-_19_september_2016-_full.pdf
26.9.2016 – Norwegian Refugee Council, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (A H)
Millions at risk as Yemen’s displacement crisis continues
As the displacement crisis in Yemen continues, humanitarian organisations and UN agencies working with IDPs, returnees and host communities in Yemen call on the donor community to better respond to the ongoing shelter crisis. Currently the Shelter/NFI/CCCM Cluster remains only 7% funded, which impacts upon the overall response capacity of the cluster and leaves countless vulnerable people without support. Host communities have so far been generous in accepting displaced people, but there are indications that tensions are rising as an increasingly severe financial crisis is felt across the country. Extra resources are urgently needed to ensure that those affected by displacement have access to adequate shelter and do not resort to more desperate coping mechanisms.
Yemen is currently experiencing an unprecedented crisis of displacement. Since the conflict escalated in March 2015, more people fled their homes than in any other country in the world during the same period. Yemen hosts over one quarter of the world’s population of people internally displaced by conflict in 2015.
Figures from August 2016 indicate that there are currently 2.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Yemen – around eight per cent of the country’s population. This figure represents a population larger than the entire city of Hamburg, twice the size of Birmingham, and almost three times the size of Amsterdam. More than four fifths of Yemen’s IDPs (approximately 1.8 million people) have been displaced for twelve months or more.
In addition, almost 1 million people are identified as ‘returnees’. However, returnees often face new challenges – some of them return to houses completely destroyed, or find that their homes are littered with unexploded ordinance or other explosive devices. Often, the only option they have is to move yet again.
Recently, severe flooding and landslides have presented new challenges
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/millions-risk-yemen-s-displacement-crisis-continues and in full: https://www.sheltercluster.org/sites/default/files/docs/201608_briefingnote_shelter_nfi_cccm_cluster.pdf = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/201608_briefingnote_shelter_nfi_cccm_cluster.pdf
Comment by Judith Brown: The displacement of Yemenis is at epidemic proportion - and if the Central Bank can no longer function, then how can aid agencies and individuals get money into Yemen so that it can survive?
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154747458593641
26.9.2016 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (A H)
Republic of Yemen Fact Sheet August 2016
The Shelter / NFI / CCCM Cluster remains only 8% funded till date even though Shelter is one of the top three needs expressed by internally displaced persons (IDPs) (Ref. Task Force Population Movement). Unfortunately donors’ attention for shelter, NFI and CCCM related issues remains extremely limited. The overview below aims to put forward strategic and time critical activities that will serve the most vulnerable, crisis‐affected, displaced population in immediate terms. The estimated cost of these critical activities is $11,528,300 USD and it will target 50,195 most vulnerable households (351,365 individuals).
1) Finding alternative shelter solutions for IDP currently living in schools and facing high pressure from the host community to vacate the premises. Financial requirements for piloting projects taking into account the most pressing cases are as follows: Rehabilitation / extension / renting 5 alternative buildings to relocate approximately 150 displaced households currently sheltered in schools : $150,000 USD. This activity is prioritised by Taizz (142 schools occupied by IDP) and Ibb (50 schools occupied by IDP)
2) Providing winterisation assistance to the most vulnerable affected population. The winterisation plan runs from October 2016 to March 2017 and aims at providing basic non‐food items (such as blankets and clothes) and upgrading / repair of shelter. 38,365 most vulnerable households are likely to be prone to cold weather and they need urgent winterisation assistance. The total cost for winterisation assistance is estimated at $8,440,300 USD. The top priority governorates for this activity are Dhamar,
Amran and Sana’a given the harsh weather condition during the winter season.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/republic-yemen-fact-sheet-august-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/shelter_nfi_cccm_cluster_factsheet_for_august_2016_-_15_septmeber_2016-_v2.pdf
26.9.2016 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (A H)
Map: Yemen: Collective Centers and Settlements hosting IDPs (as of 31 August 2016)
26.9.2016 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (A H)
Map: Yemen: Shelter/CCCM/NFI Cluster 3Ws (Who Does What Where) for August 2016
http://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-sheltercccmnfi-cluster-3ws-who-does-what-where-august-2016
23.9.2016 – International Organization for Migration (A H)
Yemen Crisis: IOM Regional Response - Situation Report, 1 - 31 August 2016
Since the beginning of the crisis, over 950,000 IDPs and conflict-affected persons have benefitted from IOM’s WASH activities in Yemen.
During the reporting period, IOM provided transportation and post-arrival assistance to 305 Ethiopians including four accompanied children returning to Ethiopia from Obock, Djibouti. Since the beginning of the crisis, nearly 2,000 Ethiopians have returned from Yemen having transited through Djibouti.
In August, 2,735 migrants in Aden, Al Hudaydah, and Sana’a received daily food assistance from IOM. Since the beginning of the crisis, IOM has provided 12,260 migrants with daily food assistance.
The 10th Task Force on Population Movement (TFPM) report identifies a population of concern, in connection with the ongoing conflict, of nearly 3.2 million individuals. This is composed of over 2.2 million IDPs who remain in a situation of displacement across 21 governorates, mainly in Taizz, Hajjah, and Sana’a, and nearly 950,000 returnees in 19 governorates, mainly in Aden, Amanat Al Asimah and Taizz.
Since the beginning of August 2016, the security situation in Ethiopia, specifically in the Amhara and Oromiya Regional States, has deteriorated following various demonstrations. Consequently, travel restrictions were placed, resulting in delays in evacuating Ethiopian migrants from Yemen via Djibouti.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-crisis-iom-regional-response-situation-report-1-31-august-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/IOM%20Yemen%20Crisis%20Sitrep%20August%202016%20%23%2048.pdf
Map: Yemen Crisis Response: Movements and Arrival Assistance (As of 31 August 2016)
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/IOM_Yemen_Crisis_Response_Map_20160831.pdf
cp13c Zentralbank / Central Bank
Siehe / See cp1
26.9.2016 – Press TV Iran (A E P)
Film: Yemenis inject cash to central bank at request of Ansarullah leader
The government of former Yemeni president says it has relocated the financial responsibilities of the central bank to a new headquarters in the coastal city of Aden. However, thousands of Yemenis have rushed to post offices at the request of the Ansarullah movement’s leader to inject cash into another institution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d31EcgSYSM
24.9.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Yemen’s Central Bank moves to Aden. So what’s next?
In Sana’a, the Houthis and Saleh have been using the Central Bank to fund their war expenses. In August, the president of the Houthi revolutionary committee announced a pledge of 1 billion Yemeni riyals (just under $4 million) to restore Saleh’s Republican Guard. The Houthis have also recently stolen $1.2 million of public funds to start a radio station after they broke into the Central Bank’s headquarters. This is despite the fact that, in May, the Central Bank stated that it will allow for $100 million a month to finance the Houthi-Saleh side to the war.
Politically speaking, Mohamed bin Hammam, the former governor of the Central Bank was seen as an ally to the Houthis. In August, the Hadi government openly announced its mistrust toward the former governor, accusing him of turning a blind eye to the Houthi and Saleh induced corruption in the bank. Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdel Salam slammed the government’s decision to dismiss Hammam, along with the decision to relocate the bank earlier this week, perpetuating sentiments of the bank being subjected to Houthi and Saleh corruption if it remained in Sana’a. This is making it harder for aid to get to the Yemeni people and even making creditors and donors reluctant to pay sums of money into the bank.
Having the Central Bank situated in the temporary capital means there will be a significant amount of autonomy for Aden. The Adeni authorities will most likely receive a priority for financing and pay, including civil servants many of whom have not yet received their salaries.
It will also affect the separatism debate. On the one hand, taking the Central Bank out of Sana’a could calm separatist views, as one of the main grievances for southerners was that the Yemeni government was centralised in Sana’a under Saleh who purposely marginalised southerners. On the other hand, the bank’s move could also mean separatist perceptions could be heightened as it poses an opportunity for southern Yemen to institutionally prepare itself for autonomy – by Diana Alghoul
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160924-yemens-central-bank-moves-to-aden-so-whats-next/
Comment: Repeating Hadi government’s viewpoint. Look at former YPRs and comments there.
24.9.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Yemen’s Central Bank is Technically Ready to Function in Aden
The Yemeni government has taken all measures to guarantee the technical functioning of the Central Bank after moving it to Aden away from the control of the Houthi militias and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, government sources said.
The sources hinted in remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that the Houthis would not be able to cut communication lines and stop the bank’s server, which is located in the capital Sana’a, from functioning.
The provisional capital of the country has full control over the internet in the liberated provinces and is able to manage the server of governorates which are run by Houthis, said the sources.
They stressed that the central bank began on Thursday to give salaries to civil servants.
Hafez Ghanem, the Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa, welcomed all measures aimed at reaching economic stability in Yemen.
Arab central bank governors have also said they supported the move by Yemen’s government to relocate the Central Bank to Aden – by Mohammed Ali Mohsen
Comment: The bank just must be relocated, which would be more than difficult to realize.
Comment: So, all is flourishing in the South: government has returnt for 'good' (after so many attempts we lost count) and Central Bank is ready to be in full swing in the new Capital.
Wonderful news to start the Yemeni week with the new chapter of Hadi's show.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1117369874982708
23.9.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A E P)
Yemen wide-nation donation campaign for Central Bank started Friday in Saada north.To foil US-backed Saudi conspiracy to starve Yemenis (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/779392477384015872
25.9.2016 – Almshhadalyemeni (** A E P)
[My article on the Yemeni Central bank from Sep. 19 now in Arabic]
http://www.almshhadalyemeni.com/14574
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
24.9.2016 – Reuters (A T)
Four al Qaeda members killed in suspected U.S. drone strike: officials
Four members of al Qaeda's Yemen branch, including a local commander, were killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike on a vehicle traveling east of the capital Sanaa, two local officials said on Saturday.
They said the attack in Marib province, controlled by forces loyal to exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, occurred late on Friday. A local commander of the militant Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), known as Abu Khaled al-Sanaani, was killed along with three associates, they said – by Sami Aboudi
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-alqaeda-idUSKCN11U06E
Comment by Judith Brown: This is the problem the world should be attending to - the spread of extremist Sunni militias, spawned by the spread of Wahhabism and money from Saudi Arabia. Killing ordinary Yemeni families increases the risk of the growth of al Qaeda and similar groups.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154740339888641
cp15 Propaganda
26.9.2016 – Daily Star (A P)
Putin accused of firing NUCLEAR style missiles in Syria that can horribly kill hundreds
VLADIMIR Putin has been accused of using nuke style weapons in war-torn Syria which crushes his enemies' lungs, sinuses, ears and intestines in an instant (with film, photos) – by Patrick Knox
Comment: I am upset-its hopeless.. how low can people go! This is #Yemen being bombed by Saudi and Obama then they say its #RUSSIA #Breaking #Syria
https://twitter.com/MiddleEastOne/status/780513487353180160
Comments by Dr. Karim: Epic media-led deception @Daily_Star
https://twitter.com/StopDestroYemen/status/780534598212157440
1. admit near nuclear weapons use 2. lied re its whereabout Aim: push for their interests Fact: No iota of humanity
https://twitter.com/StopDestroYemen/status/780534047994945540
Thanks God @Daily_Star was busted w/the clear Yemeni-accent/talk in the posted video
https://twitter.com/StopDestroYemen/status/780535820096856064
Why would the @Daily_Star cut the original video https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=OTE_Eshm2xw … to mask its origin and put its false claim at the expense of Yemen?
https://twitter.com/StopDestroYemen/status/780578845531500545 and video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTE_Eshm2xw
26.9.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
President Hadi Lauds Saudi Exertion on Restoring Legitimacy to Yemen
Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi expressed deep gratitude and appreciation for efforts exerted by Gulf Arab countries to salvage the situation in Yemen and restore constitutional legitimacy to the war-torn country.
President Hadi especially extoled all exertions of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz for Yemen.
According to the Saudi state news agency SPA, President Hadi during the 71th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, said that the great efforts exerted by Arab bodies such as the King Salman Relief Center and Humanitarian Action, along with other relief institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, to support the humanitarian needs and relief activities, in Yemen, are highly valued.
http://www.scoopnest.com/user/aawsat_eng/780101092927569921
Comment: praising the Saudis and UAE is a main task of “president” Hadi.
26.9.2016 – Arab Times (A P)
Al-Houthi and the Ousted … Declared Bankrupt
The decision of the legitimate Yemeni government to relocate the Central Bank from Sanaa to Aden – the temporary capital city of Yemen, reveals the extent of the rebels’ lack of conviction that they are the authority in Yemen for the past two years. All they did in this regard was lie to themselves, not to the world which did not change its support for the legitimate government.
The relocation of the Central Bank has deprived the rebel team of its source of loot which continued for about two years to fund the war imposed by Al-Houthi team and the lust of the ousted leader to rule the Yemenis. This has caused them loads of miseries, starting from the famine which millions of Yemenis are suffering from in a country that, from the start, has been in dire need of international aid in order to grow the weary economy.
Paradoxically, this agent continues to strive towards executing the Mullah’s expansionism scheme with the money of Yemenis, demanding that they donate to the Central Bank
The funds spent by Al-Houthi on the war in Yemen or his rocket attacks on Saudi Arabia’s border with about 63,000 shells since 2009 would have been used as a huge contribution to development that would have prevented millions of Yemenis from suffering the evil of hunger, unemployment and impoverishment – by Ahmed Al-Jarallah – Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/al-houthi-ousted-declared-bankrupt/ = http://nationalyemen.com/2016/09/26/al-houthi-and-the-ousted-declared-bankrupt/
Comment: Really a very crazy piece of propaganda. “Iran’s invasion of the southern flank of the Arabian Gulf”: There never has been seen any Iranian soldier or fighter in Yemen. Saudi and UAE soldiers came to invade, actually. Central Bank = Houthis’ “source of loot”: see earlier comments, articles on the Central Bank. – “funds spent by Al-Houthi on the war in Yemen”: the Saudi aerial war against Yemen costs $ 200 million a day. We now are in the 550. day. How much the Houthis might have spent on weapons and warfare from the very beginning of the war? $ 2 billion = 10 days of Saudi aerial war? So what? What really “would have prevented millions of Yemenis from suffering the evil of hunger, unemployment and impoverishment? The Saudi $ 110 billion spent up to now for their aerial war – combined with their blockade – would have helped to make Yemen a better country – but actually, they were used to create a great deal of all this “evil of hunger, unemployment and impoverishment”.
26.9.2016 – Nicolas Agostini (A P)
Interesting PR exercises today on the margins of #HRC33 (at 12 and 3pm). Don't know whether to laugh or cry... (image)
https://twitter.com/Nico_Agostini/status/780292340820930560
25.9.2016 – Arab News (* A P)
King Salman: An epitome of hope
A towering figure and accomplished statesman Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman is a visionary, a great philanthropist, and above all an epitome of hope for the Kingdom and the whole Middle East region.
King Salman, who succeeded his brother late King Abdullah upon his death on Jan. 23, 2015, is a stalwart among world’s statesmen, whose contributions to the Saudi nation, to the peace and security of the Middle East region and to the world at large have no parallels.
Arabia is becoming more prosperous besides being a significant donor of foreign aid.
Saudi Arabia, under King Salman, is striving to ensure peace and security in the region.
The king has left no stone unturned to reinstate a legitimate government in Yemen, to ensure peace in Syria and to fight the menace of terrorism on regional and global level.
He has been intimately engaged in the affairs of the Arab countries and helping all needy segments of society and nations across the world – by Ghazanfar Ali Khan
http://www.arabnews.com/node/988456/saudi-arabia
Comment: If you really want to read something ridiculous, read this here.
24.9.2016 – Hisham Al-Omeisy (A P)
Pro Saudi & #Yemen gov't "child defenders" attempt to distort reality & exploit #ChildSoldiers issue is nauseating (cartoon)
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/779708652320067584
Comment: nice cartoon at the main Saudi propaganda issue related to chilfrends’ rights’ violations.
23.9.2016 – WAM (A P)
UAE FM meets Yemeni President in New York
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi received H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE, on Thursday, to discuss developments in Yemen, including the humanitarian and economic situation and challenges facing efforts to push the political process forward.
During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, they reaffirmed the common positions of their two countries and stressed the need for continued coordination of positions that would support the political process in Yemen.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed renewed the UAE's commitment to its firm position of backing constitutional legitimacy in Yemen and the efforts aimed at securing respect for the country's sovereignty and independence as well as rejecting interference in its internal affairs.
President Hadi expressed his appreciation for the UAE's continuous and generous political and humanitarian support for his country and people.
http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395300283099.html
23.9.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Al-Hudaydah Residents: Rebels behind Attack on Al-Hunoud District
Eyewitnesses confirmed on Thursday that the air strike that hit al-Hunoud district in al-Hudaydah province in Yemen leaving several killed and wounded was not launched by Coalition jets, but rather from the Houthi rebels’ air defense.
Sources said that “the targeted residential district is located far from the Presidential Palace in the city of al-Hudaydah, where Coalition jets had launched an air strike targeting a meeting of leading Houthi officials, including the head of the so-called High Revolutionary Committee, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi.”
The sources also said that the air strike that targeted al-Hunoud district came more than hour following the strike that hit the Presidential Palace.
On Wednesday, at least 25 people have been killed and others wounded in an air strike in Yemen’s al-Hudaydah.
Yemeni websites quoted eyewitnesses on Thursday as saying that “the air strike was launched by the Houthi air defense in eastern al-Hudaydah.”
Information provided by Yemeni observers say that Houthi militias were involved in attacks against residential areas in al-Makha, Dhamar and other areas, Tehama Press news website published on Thursday.
Comment: Saudi propaganda getting still more ridiculous. The Houthi / Saleh side does not have an air force. And it is strange why any Houthi “air defense” should have fired one hour after the Saudi coalition jets had come to bomb the presidential palace.
Comment: This is OUTRAGEOUS. Houthis have NO airforce. Psychiatrically it is called BORDER-LINE and there is no coming back
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1116455795074116
23.9.2016 – Reuters (A P)
Yemen president vows at U.N. to 'extract Yemen from claws of Iran'
Yemen President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi vowed at the United Nations on Friday to "extract Yemen from the claws of Iran" as he accused Tehran of impeding peace by intervening in the country.
"We shall extract Yemen from the claws of Iran, we shall raise the Yemeni flag over every foot of our precious Yemeni soil and we will lay the foundation for a just federal state," Hadi said in a speech at the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders.
"We tell the whole world in very clear terms that extremism and sectarian terrorism sponsored by Iran in the region has created and will create a terrorism counter to that," Hadi said.
Hadi defended a move to appoint a new central bank governor and move the bank's headquarters from the rebel-held capital Sanaa to the southern port city of Aden, the main foothold of fighters loyal to Hadi.
"We decided to move the central bank to the interim capital, Aden, in order to save what we could save so that the bank would not reach zero reserves," Hadi said – by Yara Bayoumy and Michelle Nichols
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-assembly-yemen-idUSKCN11T1V9
Comment: Hadi as usual. It’s angry that he is given that stage. I think that Yemen needs to be extracted from 'the claws of the Saudis and of Hadi himself.
And more details:
23.9.2016 – UN News Center (A P)
With international support, a ‘new Yemen’ will emerge from catastrophic war, President tells UN
President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour told the General Assembly today that with international support, a “new Yemen” will emerge from the ruins of war.
“The destructive scheme led by Iran through its mercenaries in Yemen stands no chance of succeeding.”
Mr. Mansour said all this had led to the eruption of tension and the popular protests in the country two years ago, and then, as now, “Iran impeded all measures that we are taking” to implement UN resolutions and the initiatives set out by the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Today, we are enduring the outcome of the reckless practices of [the Houthi militias], which have turned everything upside down,” he stressed, and added that even after pressing ahead with a legitimate transition that had led, among others, to the drafting of a new federal constitution, the coup leaders stepped up their attacks against the State. “This war is not our choice. It was imposed,” he declared.
“We are not advocates of revenge. Rather we would extend our hand towards the building of a new Yemen, despite all the damage wrought by the coup enterprise. We continue to see [the coup alliance] as Yemenis and we cannot confiscate their right to a better future,” he said, stressing that he aim of the Government is to secure a better way of life for all Yemenis.
The Government has called on the rebels to demonstrate their loyalty to their homeland more than once, he said, stressing that the peaceful future the Government seeks for Yemen will not stand for militias and “sectarian gangs” exercising control over State assets or terrorizing the country and the wider region Gulf region. Armed militias must withdraw and surrender their weapons and control of agencies, and then complete the political process by endorsing the new draft constitution and moving on to elections.
Denouncing the spread of terrorism in Yemen and the regions, which he said is sponsored by Iran, President Mansour urged stepped up measures to eradicate the scourge, which continued to plague the country. The Houthi coup d’état had left a security vacuum, economic collapse and extreme poverty. The militias had recruited children, besieged cities and waged a meaningless war against the Yemeni people, whose suffering had reached unbelievable levels with regard to health, education and other services.
“We might fail to pay the salaries of people working in public service,” he said, calling for support from the “free world” and its financial institutions.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55071#.V-egN_CLSUl
23.9.2016 – Sputnik News (A P)
Peace in Yemen Impossible Until Militias Disarm - President Hadi
President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi said that there will be no end to the conflict in Yemen until the rebel Houthi militias disarm.
No peaceful solutions can compromise on the ending of the coup d'etat with all its consequences," Hadi stated. "We should first and foremost ensure the withdrawal of armed militias, surrender of weapons and control of agencies, and then complete the political process."
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160923/1045638677/yemen-peace-militias.html
Comment: He wants victory, not peace. For peace, ALL militia have to disarm and all foreign military has to leave the country.
26.9.2016 – Bahrain News Agency (A P)
No place for subversive Iranian scheme in Yemen
Yemeni President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi has addressed the people of Yemen on the 54th national anniversary of Yemen's September 26 Revolution.
President Hadi in a speech transmitted by the Yemeni News Agency said the Iranian sectarian scheme has no place among free Yemenis. He added that the struggle of heroic Yemenis in the past two years was a major setback to that conspiratorial and subversive scheme which targets the entire region.
He pointed out that the obvious hostility shown by the Houthis and their ousted ally against the national project and their rejection of the outputs of the national dialogue which conceded on a federal state and their stance against the draft constitution is similar to the position of their forerunners against the Constitution of 1948.
https://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/746896 and also http://english.aawsat.com/2016/09/article55359116/coalition-tells-yemen-insurgents-no-border-ceasefire
Comment: “the Iranian sectarian scheme”: Saudis have tried to spread Wahabism in Yemen for decades, spreading a lot of unrest by that. This menace to Zaidi Islam was the main reasing for the founding of the Houthi movement.
23.9.2016 – Bahrain News Agency (A P)
Bahrain’s commitment to supporting Yemen affirmed
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, has conveyed the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to Yemen's President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi during a meeting on the sidelines of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The minister affirmed Bahrain’s commitment to continue its participation in the Arab Coalition to support the legitimacy in Yemen until the legitimate government, led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, is able to extend state control on all the Yemeni territories, manage its affairs and carry out its mission to achieve development and prosperity for the brotherly people of Yemen.
The minister stressed that the Arab coalition’s humanitarian role would continue so as to ease the sufferings of the Yemeni people, end all foreign interferences, help implement the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanisms and enforce the outputs of the national dialogue and the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015, which will all ensure a political solution to the crisis, put an end to the sufferings of the Yemenis and preserve the country’s security, stability and unity.
http://bna.bh/portal/en/news/746467
Comment: The normal propaganda: “Legitimacy” and “legitimate government”. – “the Arab coalition’s humanitarian role”: the main role is bombing the country to blood and rubble. – “end all foreign interferences”: the main foreign interference – and the far most horrible – is the Saudi coalition’s bombing campaign. – “implement the Gulf initiative and its executive mechanisms and enforce the outputs of the national dialogue and the UN Security Council Resolution 2216”: the pre-war political process had failed already before the war, it is impossible to reanimate it after all that what had happened in the meantime. UNSC resolution is based on Saudi interests and totally one-sided, thus it is an obstacle to any peaceful solution.
22.9.2016 – Iona Craig (A P)
One thing that has changed in 18 months of civilians being killed by Saudi-led airstrikes is the spin ability of the coalition's spokesman
https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/779159129420079104
Comment: Certainly true.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
26.9.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
War jets wage raids on Sa'ada
huge damage to citizens' properties and their agricultural land.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441525.htm
26.9.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
25-9-2016
Targeting and bombing civilians by the warplanes of Saudi Arabia and its alliance
Casualties and damage (full list):
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=696174420532926&id=551288185021551
25.-26.9.2016 – Tweets Saada at night (A K)
I heard explosion while Saudi jets are flying right now over the sky of Sada'ah
https://twitter.com/DrJaiash/status/780137754688651265
25.-26.9.2016 – Tweets Sanaa at night (A K)
00:17 AM US-Saudi jets are hovering over #Sanaa
https://twitter.com/zaidalrazhi/status/780155043215540225
Alright then, Good luck... it's 12:20 am, the Saudi jets flying
https://twitter.com/SamADam24/status/780155009203834880
25.9.2016 – MSN (A K)
Film: Air strikes hit military site in Sanaa
Arab coalition air strikes hit Sanaa in Yemen on Sunday, with smoke seen rising from a military site in the northern part of the city. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).
https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/other/air-strikes-hit-military-site-in-sanaa/vp-BBwC9s9
25.9.2016 – Alalam (A K PH)
Saudi Spy Drone Shot Down by Yemeni Forces: Report
Yemeni armed forces have shot down a Saudi unmanned aerial vehicle on an espionage mission in the country’s airspace, media reports say.
The spy drone was brought down on Sunday in the west-central province of Sana’a, according to Yemen’s al-Masirah television.
It was not clear if the aircraft was operated by the Saudi military or the militants it is supporting on the battle ground against the Yemeni army and fighters of the Houthi Ansarullah movement.
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1865512 and images https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1118345044885191 and https://www.facebook.com/YemenFightsBack/posts/1284270531606165
Comment: At last. The noise, usually, is quite annoying and you know that when they leave the sky, war planes usually arrive.
Yes, our skies are pretty busy
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1118267761559586
25.9.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
U.S.-Saudi warplanes launches 7 raids on capital
U.S.-Saudi aggression's warplanes waged seven raids against the capital Sana'a early on Sunday, an official said.
The strikes targeted Sarif area east of al-Rawda city, on the road linking the capital with neighboring province of Mareb, causing large damage to citizens' houses and farms
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441388.htm
Ibb: also waged two raids on Bin Laden tourist complex few miles away city in central the city, said the official, adding that three other air raids hit Kah area in al-Sabrah district of Ibb province.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441366.htm
Saudi jets wage raids on Sa'ada, Najran
hit different civilian areas in Shada district of Sa'ada four times, causing huge damage to citizens' Property.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441379.htm
Saudi jets wage raids on Moton
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441369.htm
25.9.2016 – Legal Center (*A K PH)
24-92016
Targeting and bombing civilians by the warplanes of Saudi Arabia and its alliance
Casualties and damage (full list):
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=695658380584530&id=551288185021551
24.9.2016 – Almasirah TV (A K PH)
Saudi coalition air raid at Sharhab junction, Taiz province (film)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BLD3Eo07iQ
24–25.9.2016 – Tweets Sanaa at night (A K)
11:43PM World Time to sleep 11:43PM in #Yemen Last airstrike was hour ago, sleep now & shortly be woken by bomb or wait till after next wave
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/779783606159962114
It is very dark in Sana'a, This is the meaning when we say the Saudi jets screaming thru the sky listen pls, I just took this video
https://twitter.com/SamADam24/status/779782832650616833
Thank you for wake up call Saudi. 8:30AM and airstrike blast just ripped through Sana'a.
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/779917528248246272
Massive explosions rocking the capital Sanaa now following Saudi jets flying over the sky of the capital.
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/779757568335970304
huge explosion now in #Yemen's capital as #Saudi raids start for the morning
https://twitter.com/shapban/status/779914136314605568
2nd massive explosion now in #Yemen's capital as #Saudi warplanes bomb the city
https://twitter.com/shapban/status/779916097839591424
3rd explosion.
https://twitter.com/shapban/status/779917728647872512
24.9.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi air strikes destroy house in Serwah, kill citizen
The fighter jets targeted the house of the citizen in Habbab valley in the district, killing him and injuring others.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441253.htm
Saudi warplanes launches 12 raids on Radaa
Saudi aggression warplanes waged 12 air raids on
Radaa city and surroundings regions of Baidha province late on Friday ,a military official told Saba.
The raids destroyed communication grid in Ihraam mount in the city.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441261.htm
Saudi war jets strike on Khawlan, kill citizen
The fighter jets targeted a farm alongside public road that linking Mareb province and Khawlan, killing a citizen and damaging the farm, said the official.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441266.htm
Saudi jets wage raids on Hodayda, Kamaran Island
The raids targeted Central Security camp, he said, adding that other three air strikes hit residential areas in Kamaran Island.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441273.htm
Saudi jets launch two raids on Serwah
the hostile fighter jets targeted Wadi al-Rabe'ah area and Serwah Souk in the district.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441300.htm and film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVJz6h9kT_A
Saudi war jets injure four in Ibb
eight raids on Qa'a al-Jamea area in Assabrah district causing damage to a number of buildings.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441306.htm
Aggression kills two in Taiz
the Saudi-led aggression targeted travelers' cars in Shara'ab intersection in the northwest city of Taiz, adding that five other people were injured in the raids.
The two cars were completely destroyed
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441327.htm and film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BLD3Eo07iQ
At least 16 people were injured on Saturday in a #Saudi air raid on Magz district of Saada province, a security official said.
The Saudi-led aggression targeted al-Gerbah bridge in the district, the official added.
The Saudi warplanes targeted the bridge with two raids causing a cut off the road for some areas.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441327.htm = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1117690701617292 and film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnDN0ui9UjA
24.9.2016 – Legal Center (*A K PH)
23-9-2016
Targeting and bombing civilians by the warplanes of Saudi Arabia and its alliance
Casualties and damage (full list):
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=695072810643087&id=551288185021551
23.9.2016 – Yemen Today TV (A K PH)
Film: Saudi coalition air raids at 2 farms, Bajil, Hodeidah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNqEmR0ZzIw
23.9.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi jets kill man in Serwah
targeted a house
The house was completely destroyed
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441228.htm
Aggression hits water drilling in Serwah
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441227.htm
US drone launches raids on Serwah
two raids on Serwah district of Mareb province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441222.htm
Saudi aggression launches raids on Nehm again
huge damage to agricultural land and citizens' properties
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441221.htm
Aggression kills three, injures two in Jawf
Three people were killed on Friday in two Saudi air raids on Bedouin camps in Jawf province, a local official said.
The Saudi-led aggression targeted the camps in al-Hamedait district, the official said, adding that two other people were injured in the raids.
The raids also caused the death of 110 cattle in the targeted area.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441218.htm
Saudi aggression launches raids on Nehm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441217.htm
23.9.2016 – Doctors Without Borders (* A H K)
Yemen: “Unfortunately the airstrikes in Yemen started again”
Suzel is a Médecins Sans Frontières Australian nurse currently working in Ibb, Yemen. This latest blog is part of series that Suzel has shared.
On Monday night we could hear the planes going to Taiz, where there were more than a dozen airstrikes that night. Ibb was also bombed that night and the next morning. We received the injured people in Emergency Room and it was incredibly busy during the night, with 60 presentations. This continued into the morning.
The injuries from the airstrike in Ibb were very different from the gunshot wounds that we usually see because it was a petrol station that was hit. We had a combination of burns and shrapnel injuries. It was quite horrific, especially when we see a 13-year-old kid end up in our resuscitation room.That morning we received word that some people were still trapped under the roof of the petrol station. So the team got ready to receive them but no one came. I still don’t know if it was wrong information or if they went to another hospital, or if sadly they had died – by Suzel Wiegert
22.9.2016 – Shofoot (A K)
collateral damage if you've got the wrong neighbors. 30 yrs of hard work gone in minutes.
https://twitter.com/frogayog/status/779204416834527233
Comment by Judith Brown: This is what happens. Most people in Yemen - like in UK - have most of their families investment in their homes. So all it takes is a bomb and you have lost everything - all your assets and perhaps a big part of your family. Imagine this. Will the UN USA UK or KSA compensate?
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154740261558641
cp16a Luftangriff der saudischen Koalition auf Wohnhaus in Ibb / Saudi coalition air raid at residential home at Ibb
25.9.2016 – Reuters 24 (A K)
Neun Tote bei Luftangriffen im Jemen
Bei Luftangriffen der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Militärallianz sind im Jemen nach Berichten von Einwohnern und Sanitätern neun Menschen getötet worden. Es seien am späten Samstagabend mehrere Gebiete in der Stadt Ibb in der Mitte des Landes getroffen worden, hieß es. Unter den Toten seien drei Kinder.
http://de.reuters.com/article/jemen-angriff-idDEKCN11V0D4
25.9.2016 – Reuters (* A K)
Coalition raids kill nine in central Yemen: medical sources, residents
Arab coalition air strikes killed nine people in Houthi-controlled Ibb city in central Yemen late on Saturday, medical sources and residents in the area told Reuters.
Nine people were also wounded in the attack on several areas of the city and its outskirts, they said, adding the nine dead included three children and their parents – by Mohammed Ghobari
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN11V04U and AFP: http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-air-strike-kills-9-family-members-witnesses and Saba Net (10 killed): http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441366.htm
25.9.2015 – Sputnik News (*A K)
At least eight people are dead, nine suffered injuries as a result of the Arab Coalition's airstrike in Yemen.
"The planes of the Arab Coalitions hit a residential building in the Ibb province, resulting in the death of Mohamad Jamai, the chief of agriculture in the region of As Sabra, his wife, their three children and three neighbours with nine more people injured," the source said.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160925/1045674970/arab-coalition-yemen-kills.html
and
25.9.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
24-9-2016: The Saudi Arabia warplanes and its alliance launched one airstrike on a civilian's house.
The airstrike killed (8) civilians including (3) children and (2) women and injured (12) others.
-The airstrike also destroyed the house and damaged (14) others at#Jebla_Junction in #Ibb_city (graphic images)
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=695665840583784&id=551288185021551
and
25.9.2016 – Dr. Karim (A K)
Update: y'day night SaudiCo airstrike on residential building in Yemen's Ibb killed 12, injured 10 civilians. Names
https://twitter.com/StopDestroYemen/status/779895003489398784 and https://www.facebook.com/WeenAlEnfigarAlaan/posts/1621936824766435 (names)
and images https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1112985702125401&id=881240811966559 and https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1118180448234984 and https://twitter.com/HishamAlRadhi/status/780025797293768704 and https://www.facebook.com/WeenAlEnfigarAlaan/posts/1621936824766435
and films https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVOceymBlfI = https://www.facebook.com/881240811966559/videos/1114633231960648/ and https://www.facebook.com/881240811966559/videos/1114542521969719/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhdDckAcecU
cp16b Luftangriff der saudischen Koalition auf Wohnhaus in Al Talh / Saudi coalition air raid at residential home at Al Talh
26.9.2016 – Saba Net (* A K PH)
Saudi aggression air raid on Saada kills 8-member family, mostly children
Saudi aggression air strike on Monday morning killed eight members from one family, mostly children, in northern governorate of Saada, an official told Saba.
Three others were injured in the air attack.
The raid hit the family's home in Talh area in Sahar district.
Meanwhile, the brutal warplanes launched four airstrikes on Kutaf district and three others on Bakim.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441504.htm
26.9.2016 – Saudi Arabian Warcrimes in Yemen and others (* A K)
Awful and terrible crime committed by the Saudi American air aggression against the citizen Hussein Ahmed Said’s family in Almivaa (Almyafe) area, Al Talh, Saada province, which left 10 martyrs and wounded eight of them
Other figures: 11 killed, among them 7 children
The home of Hussain Saeedh was hit, the victims belonged to one family
photos:
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1585538635075458
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1585538088408846
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=163508174100074&set=pcb.163509197433305
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1114797665277538&id=881240811966559
films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm3GYHCx6w8 = https://twitter.com/Allahim_ad/status/780649422157910016 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlniLFXVQAU
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
26.9.2016 – Kayhan (A K PH)
Saudi Jets Slaughter Scores of Friendly Troops in Yemen Again
Saudi warplanes hit the positions of the friendly forces in central Yemen and killed a large number of militants loyal to fugitive former President Mansour Hadi, in what has come to be known as "routine" shooting and bombing of friendly troops by the Saudi air force.
Tens of pro-Hadi militias were killed in the Saudi fighter jets' air raid on their positions in Ma'rib province.
In a similar incident on August 6, scores of the militias loyal to Mansour Hadi were killed in the Saudi airstrike in al-Jawf province.
http://kayhan.ir/en/news/31672
26.9.2016 – Fars News (A K PH)
Yemeni Army Captures Key Mountain Overlooking Al-Jawf Province
The Yemeni army and popular forces seized control of strategic military positions and a mountain from the Saudi-led forces in al-Jawf province.
The Yemeni forces won back al-Kuna Mountain in the Eastern part of al-Matun region in al-Jawf province.
The captured mountain plays an important role in monitoring and controlling transportation in the Northern part of Yemen.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950705000659
Comment by Judith Brown: The news from Iran. By Yemen army the Iranian news agencies mean the part of the army loyal to Saleh. And who knows what is propaganda and what is truth. I'll keep an eye open for more evidence.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154747032478641
26.9.2016 – Press TV Iran (A K PH)
Four Saudi forces killed in Yemen retaliatory attack on Najran
The Yemeni army and popular committees have launched a retaliatory artillery attack against a Saudi military base in the kingdom’s southwestern province of Jizan, killing at least four soldiers.
According to Yemen’s al-Masirah news website, Yemeni forces fired artillery shells at the military base of Abadiyah in Jizan on Monday, killing four Saudi forces.
Also on Monday, the Yemeni artillery shells hit the Saudi military base of Bahtit in the same province.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/09/26/486475/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-military-base-Jizan
26.9.2016 – Alwaght (A K PH)
Yemen Fires Missiles inside Saudi Arabia
Yemeni army fired multiple missiles against a military position in the southern Jizan region late Sunday night.
The Rocket Battalion of the Yemeni army used its Katyusha missile launchers to target the military camp and at least 3 of the missiles hit their target, Yemen-based Al-Jabhah News Agency reported.
Some other checkpoints and installations near the camp were also hit in the missile attack.
The attack was to retaliate a Saudi airstrike in the Ibb Governate that killed 17 Yemeni civilians on Sunday morning.
http://alwaght.com/en/News/68910
as on 26.9.2016 – Wikipedia (* A B K)
Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir
The Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir is an armed conflict between troops of Saudi Arabia and Houthi insurgents in the border between both countries, at the southern edge of the regions of Najran, Jizan, and Asir. The conflict began in response to the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.
History
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_in_Najran,_Jizan_and_Asir
25.9.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army kills Saudi-paid artillery commander in Lahj
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441371.htm
Army foils attempt advance in al-Moton district
The army and popular committees repulsed on Sunday an attempt of Riyadh's hirelings to advance towards al-Moton district of Jawf province.
A military official said that the foiled attempt came towards Ham area in al-Moton under air cover of the Saudi war jets.
A number of the hirelings were killed or injured in the attempt, he added
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441406.htm
24.9.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army launches missiles on gatherings of Saudis soldiers in Asir
The army and popular committees' missile force has fired Katyusha rockets at gatherings of Saudis soldiers in Rabuah area of Asir region, a military official told Saba.
The operation launched late on Friday. The rockets hit their targets accurately, inflecting g
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441270.htm
24.9.2016 – Fars News (A K PH)
Tens of Saudi Troops Killed by Yemeni Forces in Retaliation for Hudaydah Massacre
Yemeni forces inflicted heavy casualties and losses on Saudi forces in retaliation against the Riyadh air raids that left dozens of civilians dead or injured in Hudaydah Province.
Al-Masirah television reported that the Yemeni army and popular forces launched rockets at the positions of Saudi mercenaries in the city Ta’izz, killing at least 40 troops.
The retaliatory attacks came after tens of civilians were killed and tens of others were injured in a Saudi airstrike on Yemen's Hudaydah province. The air raid was carried out on a busy marketplace in the Hawak district.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950703000364 and http://en.alalam.ir/news/1864808 (with video) and http://en.alalam.ir/news/1865197 (with video)
24.9.2016 – Reuters (A K)
Coalition forces kill Houthi general on Saudi-Yemen border: sources
A senior military officer of Yemen's Houthi movement has been killed in clashes on the border with Saudi Arabia, a source in the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-allied group said on Saturday.
Major-General Hassan Almalsi, head of Houthi special forces, was killed on Thursday while attempting to infiltrate a squad of Houthi fighters into the kingdom's southern province of Najran, the source said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-general-idUSKCN11U0KG
23.9.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army, popular forces target Saudi military locations in Najran, Jizan
The missile and artillery forces of the army and popular forces demolished on Friday Saudi military locations in Najran and Jizan.
A military source told Saba that the missile forces launched katusha rockets against groupings of Saudi soldiers in Al-Khadra location in Najran.
It pointed out that the army and popular forces artillery targeted Al-Qarn and Qa’im locations in Al-Khawbah in Jizan, causing losses in the enemy’s side
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news441239.htm
18.9.2016 – Aljazeera (A K)
Film: Yemen signs ceasefire with Houthi rebels
Government reaches deal with rebels in Al Jouf area in the country's north after several weeks of fighting.
Comment: Misleading. “Yemen” is just the Hadi government representatives. And, this truce is local only.
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
25.9.2016 – Asaharq Al-Awsat (A)
In Yemen, Houthi rebels have started a new stage of violation by forcing residents to pay 500 Yemeni Rial ($2) in support of their war against the legitimate government in the country.
The average income of a Yemeni per month currently does not exceed $1.
Houthi officials have tasked military members of the group to take the necessary measures forcing every person in Yemen to pay money in support of the war.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that a number of tribal leaders and sheikhs are used to putting pressure on Yemenis loyal to them to force people to pay an amount of money for each family member.
The officials and sheikhs were also forcing Yemeni children and teenagers to enroll in the fighting operation, the sources said, adding that the families who refuse to send their children to war should instead pay money to the rebels.
The sources added that Houthis were awarding the sheikhs who comply with their orders.
A legal activist, who was lately arrested by rebels, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthis were still sending Yemenis to prisons, as part of the terror policy adopted by the group.
“Rebels hide their crimes from the eyes of the media because they fear the reaction of legal organizations, which are documenting human rights violations committed against the Yemenis since the fall of Sana’a to the Houthis,” she said.
The legal activist said that some wives, sons and daughters went during Eid al-Adha to visit family members detained by the Houthis. However, she said, Houthis did not allow them to enter and instead insulted them.
The activist said that the detainees rejected the behavior of the Houthis. But prison officials punished them by not providing them with food and clean water for a whole day. Instead, they forced them to drink polluted water.
She said that Houthis had detained more than 30 Yemenis in the past few days, adding that more than 3,400 people have been in detention in Sana’a and its suburbs since the 2014 coup.
The activist added that Houthis are also selling the houses of opposition figures that had left the capital.
On Saturday, Houthis seized the house of Abdelwahab al-Ansi, secretary general of the Reform Party, looted its belongings before handing over the house to an official from the rebel group.
http://english.aawsat.com/2016/09/article55359056/hadi-accepts-72-hour-ceasefire-yemen
Comment: Impossible to realize what is fact and what is fiction.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-203-yemen-war-mosaic-203/
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-203: / Yemen War Mosaic 1-203:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm und / andhttp://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
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