Eingebetteter MedieninhaltChildren in Yemen – Yemen tragedy and us – Pressure on Saudis? – Western hypocrisy – UK and Jemen – Cholera – US ships off Yemen – War intensifies – 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 Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp16a Saudischer Luftangriff auf Sanaa, 8.10. / Saudi air raid at Sanaa, Oct. 8
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp17a US-Schiffe vor Jemen / US ships off Yemen
cp17b Angriff auf emirat. Schiff am 1.10. / Attack at Emirati vessel, Oct. 1
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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**
*
(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
US-Schiffe auch cp17a / US ships also cp17a
11.10.2016 – New York Times (** B H K)
A Child in Yemen: ‘We Sleep Afraid, We Wake Up Afraid’
My son, Yousef, calls the bombings “fireworks.” He sinks in fear when explosions wake us up from sleep. He runs to the person closest to him to hide.
My little boy will be 3 in December, but he is already three wars old.
During one of our evening meetings, I asked my three daughters to write about what is happening around them and posted their words on Facebook. My oldest, Kholud, who is 15, wrote:
We, the children of Yemen, want to achieve our hopes: to study and play and achieve our goals. We sleep afraid, we wake up afraid and leave our homes afraid.
When the bombs are close enough, the shock waves shake the house badly, blowing open doors and windows. It feels as if the explosions are inside your ears. My son and youngest daughter — Haneen is 12 — wake up screaming, running in all directions through dark rooms.
My wife and I have agreed on a division of roles. She takes care of our little boy, who sleeps in our room. I take care of the girls in the room next door. The first words we tell them are: “You are fine. We are all fine. The blast is far from our house. Don’t panic. We are all O.K. You are O.K.”
I gather them all together and we make a group hug. If the night is particularly bad, we all sleep together.
Way back when the war started, I explained to my daughters what this is all about: who is fighting whom and why. They understand that we are not a direct target for any of the fighting parties, but could be collateral damage should we happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So we limit our movements. My children call this being “under house arrest.”
My children learned about the attack [at the funeral hall] hours later, once they had finished all their homework.
They always have questions. They asked if any of my friends had been killed.
I told them one: the mayor of Sana. They were in a state of shock. I checked their homework to keep busy. But as soon as they went to bed, an airstrike rocked our house. Two more followed. I moved from their room to the middle of the house. They sleep next to each other on the same mattress, where I can hug them all if an airstrike hits the area – ByMOHAMMED al-ASAADI
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/12/world/middleeast/yemen-children-in-a-war-zone.html?_r=0
Comment by Judith Brown: Stories told by Yemeni children. Heartbreaking. Please take a moment to read the words of these courageous children.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154792853568641
and see again:
24.8.2016 – ABC News (*** B H K)
Film: ABC Foreign Correspondent: The War on Children (Yemen)
It's a playground for international powers, but in Yemen it's children who are dying from bombs, bullets and hunger. Sophie McNeill reports from the war zone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CxiNMN5EsM
11.10.2016 – The Hindu (** B K P)
A tragedy that implicates us all
If India fails to respond to the suffering in Yemen, and all we do is pat ourselves pompously for a few air evacuations from West Asia, we fail as a moral community and a democratic nation.
Catastrophes are no longer the epic tragedies that they were earlier. There is something stereotyped about the way we look at them. They become an event in somebody else’s backyard and therefore need not disturb us. Our everydayness is not touched by the others’ starvation. As we gorge on pizza and watch BBC reports on starvation, I sometimes wonder what happened to my generation. Years ago when famine struck Biafra, in Africa, there was at least a protest, a concern, a consternation. Biafra became a metaphor and, like Sahel, created some impact. Yet today the death and starvation in Yemen hardly affect people. You watch a child withering, dying a slow death and flip the page. He does not touch us. We are able to move on without batting an eyelid. There is no anger, no pain. It is as if ‘not caring’ is an essential part of surviving the global world.
Failure of our imagination
I realise part of the problem is Yemen does not capture the imagination. Yemen seems an Arab backwater, an agricultural country, not oil rich like Saudi Arabia. The contrast itself captures the realpolitik of the situation. Saudi Arabia is the paradigm of Arab respectability and hypocrisy. It is backed by America and Europe. The West, in fact, helped create the Islamic respectability of Saudi Arabia at a time when Indian and other Islams were far more creative and plural. In this moralistic contrast, Saudi Arabia is as respectable as its banks and its oil wells while Yemen is backward, a failed country in terms of the Arab dream. To an Indian, going Saudi is to search for a fortune. Yemen hardly enters the imagination.
The structure of perception also determines the way we see a country. We look at countries in terms of success and rankings. There is a clinical and technocratic attitude here that is startling. One can see it in the UN reports on starvation. There is almost something botanical about Yemen, as if it is a failed or endangered species.
The language is antiseptic. It is as if Yemen suffers from an epidemic instead of a man-made catastrophe orchestrated by the Saudis. It is almost as if food security books measure hunger, starvation and record them like temperature, without comment.
Being obsessed with the political economy of the struggle alone will not do. To reduce Yemen to a surrogate war between Iran and the Saudis explains little. There is an ethics here which transcends politics and asks a deeper set of questions.
Years ago a Bertrand Russell could create, with great courage, a tribunal to try the U.S. for war crimes in Vietnam. A Noam Chomsky would follow suit, but today few have the courage to demand and label the U.S. and Saudi Arabia for a crime against humanity. People often blame it on disaster fatigue, observing that the world is tired of reacting to disasters, that mass death and refugee politics haunt every page of international relations. The bold clarity of the Russellian statement is missing. Even Pope Francis, one of the few great voices of our time, had only elliptical comments to make.We are in a strange situation where charity and humanitarianism are equated to conscience, where politics creates the demologies of our time, but ethics and the everydayness of citizenship have nothing to say. The standard narrative is of a civil war between Houthi rebels and the deposed President now backed by Saudi Arabia and the U.S. The very logic of the power struggle seems to permit and exonerate a slow genocide – by Shiv Visvanathan
11.10.2016 – Christian Science Monitor (** A K P)
Missile strike in Yemen: Will criticism of Saudis morph into real pressure?
Condemnation has followed the missile strike on a funeral, which killed 140 people and crossed what some say are Yemen's red lines. But how hard the US might press Saudi Arabia remains to be seen.
“This is such a dramatic escalation,” says Adam Baron, a Yemen specialist with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), contacted in Beirut. “Even within war – and particularly in the Yemeni context – there are traditionally red lines. This was a flagrant crossing of a red line.” The US is, in a lot of cases, literally refueling the planes that are being used in the bombing campaign,” says Mr. Baron. “Even though they have this leverage, you have yet to see any clear sign that the US is willing to use that leverage to pressure the Saudis.
“And there is the question of how the Saudis would respond,” he adds. “The Saudis view this as a crucial question of national security, and they view the Americans as just not understanding this threat.”
The US is, in a lot of cases, literally refueling the planes that are being used in the bombing campaign,” says Mr. Baron. “Even though they have this leverage, you have yet to see any clear sign that the US is willing to use that leverage to pressure the Saudis.
“And there is the question of how the Saudis would respond,” he adds. “The Saudis view this as a crucial question of national security, and they view the Americans as just not understanding this threat.”
But the funeral was not where anyone expected an attack.
“Cultural norms and tribal traditions are deeply respected in Yemen,” says Hisham al-Omeisy, a political analyst in Sanaa who knew several of the strike’s victims. Funerals are considered “neutral ground where even the most loathed enemies or rivals meet and are not to be touched, where custom dictates they’re to be treated with utmost respect.”
This funeral – of a well-known public figure from one of Yemen’s biggest tribes – attracted high-ranking officials, military and security chiefs, tribal leaders, and members of a wide range of political factions, including the mayor of Sanaa.
The airstrikes “not only killed folks who would’ve contributed to finding common ground,” says Mr. Omeisy. It also “pushed those who remained neutral to join a side and seek revenge for very grave insult and injury.”
Few in Sanaa believe the repeated strikes were not deliberate. Rather they were a “calculated risk” by the Saudis to remove leadership targets and weather the resulting blowback, suggests Omeisy. A number of pro-Houthi dignitaries – and perhaps even former president Saleh himself – had been expected to attend. While it may be more difficult to tell the difference between a wedding and a gathering of fighters in a rural setting, that is not true in one of the largest halls in the urban sprawl of Sanaa, says Baron of ECFR, who has attended weddings there and who lost friends in the attack.
“It is one of Yemen’s largest event halls, packed with people, and if you launch three missiles at it, there’s going to be a massive death toll,” says Baron. “It just boggles my mind that this could be cast as – quote, unquote – a ‘mistake.’ ” – ByScott Peterson
11.10.2016 – Spiked Online (** B P)
PEACEKEEPERS IN SYRIA, WARMONGERS IN YEMEN
The hypocrisy of Western interventionism is stomach-turning.
Like Syria, a deeply unpopular president is being desperately propped up by foreign powers. In fact, it’s fair to say that Yemen’s nominal president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, commands even less domestic support than Assad. That’s because Hadi owes his reign not to the activists who prompted the exit of his predecessor, President Saleh, but to the United Nations and the Saudi-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council, which effectively appointed Hadi leader as part of the so-called Yemeni transition agreement in 2011. In the words of a researcher based in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa: ‘[Hadi] has no military power, no real political power, no support base on the ground, no tribal support base. In reality, what’s he got? It’s the international community.’
So in Yemen, it’s not Russia propping up a panicked, illegitimate ruler through sheer military force; it’s the ‘international community’, with Saudi Arabia, backed by the US and the UK, leading the charge.
And what have those eager to denounce Russia in Syria had to say about their own nations’ involvement in Yemen? Have they alluded to the bombing of Guernica? Have they condemned the US-armed Saudis’ barbarism? Not exactly. In a speech earlier this summer, then foreign secretary Philip Hammond said ‘the Yemen crisis [is] high on the agenda’, but that allowing Hadi to fall ‘is simply not an option’. Kerry himself travelled to the Royal Air Base in Riyadh in January this year, nearly a year into the Saudis’ aerial bombardment of Yemen, to pledge America’s ongoing support. ‘We have made it clear that we stand with our friends in Saudi Arabia’, he said warmly. And Power, the postergirl for Western interventionism? She said that America’s military support for Saudi Arabia might reduce casualties in the long run.
In fact, although no one in Westminster or on Capitol Hill is prepared to justify the bombing of a funeral, few are prepared to condemn Saudi Arabia and question its Western support with anything like the same burning zeal with which they lambast Russia and Assad. As a Downing Street spokeswomansaidat the weekend, although the UK government is ‘shocked’ at the targeting of a funeral, there is no plan at the moment ‘to review our relations with Saudi Arabia’.
The stench of hypocrisy is overpowering. It seems that those now keen to pose as peacekeepers in Syria are all too happy to continue warmongering in Yemen – by Tim Black
11.10.2016 – UK Column (** B P)
Death In Yemen For Fun And Profit
Following the bombings, British Minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood expressed his “concern”:
I am deeply concerned by reports of an airstrike hitting a funeral hall in the Yemeni capital Sana’a yesterday. The scenes from the site are shocking.
I am raising my concerns with the Saudi Ambassador to London today and urge the Saudi-led coalition’s announced investigation into the incident to take place as a matter of urgency.
There can be no military solution to this conflict.
Saudi Arabia has a long and close relationship with Britain, and a dirty one. Successive governments havelied and covered up bribes related to arms deals, includingshutting down Serious Fraud Office investigations. Just this year, the Foreign Office was forced to retract six statements it had made in defence of Saudi atrocities in Yemen, and in defence of British arms deals.
In January for example, Philip Hammond, then Foreign Secretary said that:
… we have assessed that there has not been a breach of international humanitarian law by the [Saudi led] coalition.
By July the Foreign Office had changed that to:
We have not assessed that there has been a breach of International Humanitarian Law by the [Saudi led] coalition.
Similarly, in June, Philip Hammond once again decided that he would be definitive on the issue:
The MOD assessment is that the Saudi-led coalition is not targeting civilians.
And again, the Foreign Office was forced to retract the lie:
The MOD has not assessed that the Saudi-led coalition is targeting civilians. We have assessed that Saudi processes and procedures have been put in place to ensure respect for the principles of international humanitarian law; and that the Saudis both have been and continue to be genuinely committed to compliance with international humanitarian law.
Perhaps the most obscene aspect of all this is the insistence that countries are best suited to investigate their own behaviour when atrocities take place. TheForeign Office says:
So the British standard is to commit the atrocity, investigate yourself and give yourself a clean bill of health. That’s a great position to be in if they are allowed to get away with it – by Mike Robinson
http://www.ukcolumn.org/article/death-yemen-fun-and-profit
11.10.2016 – Global Research (** A B K)
Yemen: Imperialist Engineered Disaster. US Navy Destroyer Says It Was Fired on by Resistance Forces in Yemen
This is a genocidal war being waged with the support of Washington. It is the Obama administration that has authorized the use of American-made warplanes, bombs and other destructive weapons against the Yemeni people.
The Wall Street Journal reported on October 10 that “The U.S., a top Saudi arms supplier, approved a $1.15 billion sale of tanks and other military equipment to Riyadh in August. Citing Yemen’s high civilian casualty toll, four senators introduced a resolution on the floor of the Senate in September to block the sale, but the measure failed to garner sufficient support in a vote later that month. The U.K. government has approved for the sale of billions of dollars’ worth of British jets, bombs and missiles to the country in recent years.”
Without the diplomatic cover provided by the White House the war waged by the Saudi-GCC coalition could not have been carried out for the last 19 months. The situation in Syria has overshadowed the war in Yemen yet both are a direct result of the failed imperialist policies of the U.S.
The World Food Program (WFP), a UN agency, reported that it has reduced monthly food rations to the people of Yemen due to the lack of funds. Bettina Luescher, a spokeswoman for the WFP, said that agency needs another $145 million to complete its work by the end of 2016. (VOA)
Laerke stressed as well that “Even before the violence and the war in Yemen, the malnutrition rates of children in Yemen were the highest in the world. So you have a little bit of a perfect storm coming together there.”
The port city of Hudaydah has suffered tremendous damage making it difficult to import food and other needed supplies. “Before the war, Yemen was over 90 percent dependent on import of basic food items and medicines,” he said. “Eighty percent of those imports come through Hudaydah port. That gives you an indication of the importance of that lifeline.”
“What is particularly urgent in the port is the rehabilitation and the repair of five cranes, which were damaged in an airstrike in August 2015, so they have been partly out of commission for quite some time,” Laerke noted.
“Half of the children are stunted,” Luescher added, “meaning they are too short for their age because of chronic malnutrition. This year, the nutrition cluster estimates that there are 1.5 million [children younger than 5] who are acutely malnourished, of whom 375,000 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. There are many, many others suffering from moderate malnutrition, indicative of the gravity and severity of the situation.” – by Abayomi Azikiwe
Comment: Long article, good overview on the events of the last week and the general situation.
cp2 Allgemein / General
11.10.2016 – Voice of America (A K P)
Film: Saudi Arabia's Role Under Scrutiny After Airstrike in Yemen (Overview on events)
http://www.voanews.com/a/3545192.html
11.10.2016 – Middle East Institute (* B P)
Yemeni Factions, Saudi Arabia Escalate Aimless War
The parties to the intractable Yemen war appear further entrenched in their enmity than ever before,
Even before the strike, press leaks indicated a new cease-fire may take hold in Yemen soon, and even open anew round of negotiations, but Yemen appears closer to a permanent division than a political settlement.
Toward the end of the failed Kuwait talks in late July, the Houthi-Saleh coalition announced the formation of the Supreme Political Committee to replace the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee Saleh reportedly insisted on Houthi senior leader Saleh al-Sammad replacing Mohammed al-Houthi in the country’s top position, indicating thegrowing influence of Salehin formal government. Saleh’s increasing role in Sanaa’s government represents a shift.
However, with the creation of the Supreme Political Committee, and now the appointment of a new prime minister, Saleh is gambling on one side of the conflict instead of playing dealmaker among all. Following Hadi’s orders to move the Central Bank of Yemen to Aden, Sammad announced the appointment of Abdelaziz bin Habtour to form a new government in Sanaa.
For Saleh, the appointment of bin Habtour is particularly savory. Bin Habtour denounced the Houthi coup in 2014, was appointed governor of Aden by Hadi in December 2014, and greeted Hadi in Aden when he fled house arrest by the Houthis in Sanaa in January 2015. Now he is back in Sanaa and leading Saleh’s new government
While Saleh and the Houthis are trying to gain legitimacy for their government, Bin Dagher and the Hadi government are busy trying to demonstrate that they can govern, as shown by his decision to move the Central Bank to Aden. But the Hadi government faces constant criticism that after a year of controlling Aden, the city still has no electricity or security, much less economic viability.
While each side tries to consolidate its political position, the military situation is locked in a never-ending standoff – by Charles Schmitz
http://www.mei.edu/content/article/yemeni-factions-saudi-arabia-escalate-aimless-war
11.10.2016 – Livemint (* A K P)
Yemen shames them all
[Overview on the war]
The Saudis and their allies have routinely bombed urban targets, with little regard for civilian casualties. Human-rights agencies have repeatedly complained that the coalition pays little heed to the rules of war. This has attracted no more than the occasional murmur from the US, which has more roundly condemned similar attacks in Syria, by the air forces of dictator Bashar al-Assad and Russia. Late last week, US secretary of state John Kerry called for war-crimes investigations into the Syrian bombings. He made no such recommendation for Yemen.
But this week, Yemen finally seems to have stirred the Barack Obama administration’s conscience
The US said it was reviewing its participation in the war, and warned Saudi Arabia not to expect a “blank cheque” to conduct its campaign.
This was hardly in the same league as Kerry’s statement on Syria, and it gave the impression that the White House was merely seeking to absolve itself of responsibility for the misery being wrought on Yemen.
But war has a way of making a mockery of political calculations. On Sunday, the US navy said one of its destroyers off the coast of Yemen had been attacked by two missiles, fired from Houthi-controlled ed territory.
This marks a dangerous new turn in the war: the Houthis have not previously been known to possess such firepower
There’s every likelihood that the war in Yemen will intensify, visiting yet more tragedy upon the people—and still more shame upon all the protagonists – by Bobby Ghosh
http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/BCySQ5K4fte99xASUT44XI/Yemen-shames-them-all.html
11.10.2016 – The Telegraph (no rating B P)
We must find a way to end the bloodshed in Yemen (subscribers only)
Comment: First step: No more arms for Saudi Arabia (even without reading this article).
11.10.2016 – European Council on Foreign relations (* B P)
Even if international actors are able to avoid responsibility for Yemen’s plight, they will not be able to avoid the spillover from its collapse.
Even if international actors are able to avoid responsibility for Yemen’s plight, they will not be able to avoid the spillover from its collapse.
Indeed, the only thing keeping the country’s “two sides” together are shared enemies; in some regard, it is far more accurate to say that, rather than a “Houthi-Saudi” conflict, the larger battle racking the country is one between those who see themselves fighting the Houthis and those who see themselves fighting the Saudis.
In the north, the continued perception of the Saudi-led military coalition as the greater adversary has allowed the Houthis and their allies among Saleh’s backers to solidify their somewhat quixotic alliance, formalizing their ties with each other despite continuing underlying tensions. In the south, however, where the Houthis have largely been expelled, the common enemy is no longer there to unify and once-hushed tensions between southern separatist factions, anti-Houthi pro-unity factions and the internationally-recognized government itself have left the strategic port city of Aden—ostensibly Yemen’s temporary capital—a powder keg, even amidst continued Emirati-backed efforts to stabilize the city.
For many in the West, it’s easy to write Yemen off as a perpetual den of anarchy; even many analysts of the country frequently cast it as a Game of Thrones-esque chessboard of bloodletting and intrigue. But regardless of whether international actors are able to wall off any sense of responsibility for the collapse of the country—which, it’s worth stressing, followed the unraveling of an internationally-hailed UN-led transitional period—the fact remains that it will be impossible to wall off the spillover from Yemen.
In the medium to long term, Yemen’s lost generations represent a ticking time bomb: hundreds of thousands of children are growing up acutely malnourished, unable to attend school, growing up in a country with a moribund economy where the few easily accessible jobs come behind the barrel of a gun.
Europe thus has both a moral and a strategic imperative to act.
But going through the motions is not enough. It is imperative that diplomats incorporate parties outside of the formal peace talks—including Southern secessionists, tribal figures, local officials, militia leaders and politically independent youth, women and technocrats—into the larger process.
Above all, work must be guided by an increasingly obvious - albeit inconvenient - fact: Yemen has changed irreparably. Rather than attempting to reverse the opening of Pandora’s box, it is time to grapple with Yemen’s new reality – by Adam Baron
http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_time_to_grapple_with_yemens_new_reality7136
11.10.2016 – SWR 2 (nicht bewertet B K P)
Der "vergessene" Krieg im Jemen: Tödlicher Machtkampf
Audio: Interview mit Dr. Marie-Christine Heinze , Islam- und Politikwissenschaftlerin am Center für Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient in Bonn
11.10.2016 – Alwaght (* B P)
It is a quite harder situation when it comes to the second issue, which is the way to prosecute the crimes that even the UN Secretary General has endorsed. Currently, there are not any international courts to unconditionally deal with crimes that are committed by governments or their officials. International Court of Justice in The Hague, can only take on cases if one of the governments involved has accepted the court’s statute. However, neither of the Yemeni government nor the Saudi government have accepted the court’s statute. According to the statute of the International Court of Justice, a government can accept this court’s jurisdiction regarding the crimes that have been committed in its territory or by its citizens. So in this case the Yemeni government can have such a request from the international court. Not long ago, the Palestinian government made a similar request to the International Court of Justice regarding the events in Gaza.
Also, pursuing legal trial would have been possible if UN referred the situation to the International Court of Justice, but Riyadh’s old ally, the US, is likely to veto, therefore this issue probably will not reach court.
Consequently, despite the obvious and heinous criminal activities, prosecution of the perpetrators of these crimes is not an easy task, and perhaps, like many other crimes committed in the world, the perpetrators will not get the proper punishment for their actions.
http://alwaght.com/en/News/70505/Saudi-Crimes-in-Yemen-from-Legal-Standpoint
9.10.2016 – Telepolis (* A P)
US-Außenminister Kerry warf Syrien und Russland Kriegsverbrechen vor, weil er sie der Angriffe auf Krankenhäuser in Aleppo beschuldigte, und forderte eine entsprechende Untersuchung (USA testen Abwurf von Atombomben-Attrappen, Russland rüstet in Syrien auf). Wenn nicht gegenüber dem Verbündeten Saudi-Arabien, der autoritären Monarchie, die seit vielen Monaten einen blutigen Krieg im Jemen führt und für den Tod vieler Zivilisten verantwortlich ist, nun auch der Vorwurf eines Kriegsverbrechens erhoben und gefordert wird, den Vorfall unabhängig zu untersuchen, würde man offensichtlich von zweierlei Maß sprechen müssen.
Inzwischen hat sich offiziell die saudische Regierung geäußert, versucht aber mit der üblichen Taktik, eine Untersuchung durchführen zu wollen, Zeit zu schinden und sich herauszureden. Die Koalition würde "keine zivilen Orte bomardieren", man unternehme alle Anstrengungen, Risiken für Zivilisten zu vermeiden. Die berichtete Bombardierung sei "bedauernswert und schmerzlich". Die Koalition spricht ihr Beileid aus. Man werde sofort eine Untersuchung einleiten, die das Unabhängige" Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) mit der Unterstützung der USA ausführen soll. Damit sind die USA schon eingebettet, das Ergebnis wird bestenfalls sein, dass das Begräbnis versehentlich bombardiert wurde. Das "unabhängige" JIAT besteht aus 14 Experten aus Saudi-Arabien, Kuwait, Yemen, Katar, Bahrain und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten, also den kriegsführenden Koalitionsmitgliedern.
Ein Sprecher des Nationalen Sicherheitsrats im Weißen Haus hat inzwischen eine Stellungnahme abgegeben und erklärt: "Die US-Sicherheitskooperation mit Saudi-Arabien ist kein Blankoscheck." Man werde weiterhin "unsere ernste Sorgen über den KOnflikt im Jemen und wie er geführt wird äußern". Man werde die Unterstützung der saudisch geführten Koalition überprüfen und sei bereit, "unsere Unterstützung anzupasse, um sie besser mit den Prinzipien, Werten und Interessen der USA in Übereinstimmung zu bringen". Das klingt nicht nach größeren Veränderungen.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier vermeidet sogar auch nur die Erwähnung von Saudi Arabien in seiner Stellungnahme – von Florian Rötzer
http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/49/49647/1.html
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
11.10.2016 – Jamika hanan (B H)
Chatting to friend in #Yemen#Sanaa about risk of widespread famine taking a hold as salaries dry up,due to Saudi puppet moving central bank
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/785977940420866048 and see chat in tweets indicated below
11.10.2016 – Middle East Eye (* B H)
Babies starved of milk as Yemen slides towards famine
Hospital in Taiz sets up clinic to treat growing numbers of malnourished babies and toddlers as poor families left destitute and starving by war
According to recent United Nations figures, about 500,000 children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition, with two thirds considered so undernourished that they could die unless they receive urgent medical treatment.
The number suffering from severe acute malnutrition has doubled in the past year.
Alawi, one of nine siblings, was born in Wadi al-Moasel, southwest of Taiz city, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in Yemen’s war between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen’s exiled President Hadi.
During the past year, sustained clashes in the family’s neighbourhood resulted in Alawi’s mother being admitted to al-Modhafar hospital for treatment for psychological trauma at the same time as her son.
Meanwhile Alawi’s father, Saeed Mohsen, a construction worker, has been left jobless and destitute by the war.
As the family went hungry, it was Alawi, deprived of baby milk, who suffered most acutely, according to his older sister, Raja Mohsen.
With instances of malnutrition rising sharply, doctors at al-Modhafar hospital opened a special clinic six months ago dedicated to finding and treating local children at risk of starving to death in Taiz and surrounding areas.
Jamal al-Mohaya, a doctor in the malnutrition department, said the new clinic had so far treated 23 children, although many of the medicines it needed were in short supply.
“The children who suffer from malnutrition belong to poor families, so they do not think of going to hospital, but we started to send out teams to visit the outskirts of Taiz city and bring those children in from their homes,” he said.
Mohaya confirmed that the hospital provided the children with medicine for free. The children’s families are meant to stay nearby, although many do not have enough money to do so and return to their homes.
But he believes that many other cases of malnutrition are going undetected in rural areas that the hospital’s field teams cannot reach because of continued fighting.
Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for OCHA, the United Nations humanitarian office, told MEE that many areas of Yemen were now officially recognised as being in a state of “pre-famine”.
He said that the number of people are food insecure in the country had risen by 10 percent since June 2015 with seven million described as “severely food insecure”.
“We are highly concerned about these pre-famine conditions,” he said ba Amal Mamoon
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/babies-starved-milk-yemen-slide-towards-famine-1940251389
Comment by Judith Brown: I posted an article on this very subject a year ago, when the embargo had already led to women starved of adequate nutrition were less likely to be able to breast feed successfully, and baby milk, clean water, and methods of sterilisation of feeding equipment were not available as replacement baby feeds. Now we see the result of this as more and more babies are dying - and the luckiest are treated in hospital for severe malnutrition.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154792848508641
11.10.2016 – Reuters (* B H)
One girl under 15 married every seven seconds, says Save the Children
One girl under 15 is married every seven seconds, according to a report by Save the Children released on Tuesday, with girls as young as 10 married off - often to much older men - in countries including Afghanistan, Yemen, India and Somalia.
Early marriage not only deprives girls of education and opportunities but increases the risk of death or childbirth injuries if they have babies before their bodies are ready.
"Child marriage starts a cycle of disadvantage that denies girls the most basic rights to learn, develop and be children," said Save the Children International CEO Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
"Girls who marry too early often can't attend school, and are more likely to face domestic violence, abuse and rape. They fall pregnant and are exposed to STIs including HIV."
The report ranks countries from the best to the worst in which to be a girl, based on child marriage, schooling, teen pregnancy, maternal deaths and number of female lawmakers.
Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Mali and Somalia were ranked at the bottom of the index.
Researchers say conflict, poverty and humanitarian crises are major factors that leave girls exposed to underage marriage – By Temesghen Debesai
http://in.reuters.com/article/rights-girls-marriage-idINKCN12A2LF
Comment by Judith Brown: The big problem of war is that the rights of women and girls are not given any form of priority and marriage of a young daughter is often seen as the only way that she and her family can survive. So any progress is pushed backwards.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154792839513641
11.10.2016 – Pars Today (* A H)
WHO warnt vor Ausbruch der Cholera im Jemen
Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation, WHO, hat heute vor dem Ausbruch der Cholera in der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Sanaa gewarnt. Ein Verantwortlicher der WHO, Omar Saleh teilte auf einer Pressekonferenz in Sanaa mit, dass die Zahl der Cholera-Infizierten von fünf auf zehn gestiegen sei.
Ihm zufolge bemühen sich die Ärzte darum, die Verbreitung dieser Krankheit, wodurch bisher nur Menschen in Sanaa ums Leben gekommen sind, aufzuhalten.
http://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i16645-who_warnt_vor_ausbruch_der_cholera_im_jemen
11.10.2016 – Reuters (* A H)
More cholera cases registered in Yemen but disease not spreading: WHO
More cases of cholera have been registered in the Yemeni capital Sanaa but a WorldHealthOrganization (WHO) official said on Tuesday the epidemic was not yet spreading.
The United Nations first reported the cholera outbreak on Friday and said three cases had been confirmed in Sanaa.
But a WHO official on Tuesday said 11 cases had now been registered.
"All the suspected cases are from the same area, they are all interconnected, there is no spread of the disease," Omar Saleh told a news conference in Sanaa.
Medics were working to curb the epidemic, which has yet to claim any deaths or spread beyond the capital, he said.
Thousands of families fleeing Yemen's war are living in camps outside Sanaa, where conditions could lead to the spread of cholera, including through contaminated food or water – by Mohamed Ghobari
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-health-idUSKCN12B1DX and see also https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1132256713494024/?type=3
11.10.2016 – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (A H)
Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan - Funding Status (As of 11 October 2016)
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/YEMEN_Funding%20Snapshot_11102016_EN.pdf
Comment: Still only 47 % founded, $ 868 million still needed. That is the equivalent of 4 days and 8 hours Saudi aerial war against Yemen.
10.10.2016 – Red Cross (A H)
More than 6000 Yemenis have lost limbs and become disabled since the conflict started. Their lives will never be the same #Yemencrisis
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/785734875370270720
10.10.2016 – World Health Organization (* B H)
The silent impact of war in Yemen
13-year-old Mohannad was playing with his friend and brother in Taiz City when a mortar shell landed nearby. Suddenly, his care free days were turned into days of pain. Mohannad lost his brother in this attack. His friend was blinded and lost his leg. Mohannad suffered extensive burns and was transferred to Sana’a for surgery. All of this leaves this explosion resonating in this young boy’s mind. Previously cheerful and sociable, Mohannad became an introvert and a shadow of his former self.
To support his recovery Mohannad was referred to the mental health and psychosocial care unit at Al Jumhouri hospital in Sana’a, where he went through rehabilitation sessions to help him cope and continue a normal life. The 9 months of treatment were conducted by a team trained by WHO, made up of a primary health care doctor, a psychologist and a volunteer health worker. The treatment began with psychological first aid 2 weeks after the traumatizing event.
Psychological rehabilitation then moved on to narrative exposure therapy, where Mohannad was able to recount his story and draw the events. The team then employed eye movement and desensitization recovery, a process used to move Mohannad towards his recovery as part of his psychological debriefing.
After his care, Mohannad was able to return to school. He used his experience and the recovery mechanisms he had learnt to help his friends, who used them to start their own journey of recovery.
Mohannad’s story of represents just one in a country where many people are suffering from the psychological impact of war.
Dr Mohammed Al-Kholaidi, a mental health specialist based in Sana'a, notes the increasing numbers of patients coming to him for care. He reports seeing a population suffering from anxiety, depression, insomnia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. All of these are symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mental health and psychosocial support is a crucial component in health service delivery especially during ongoing conflict. However, with only 40 psychiatrists in the country, WHO is leading the integration of mental health and psychosocial care into the Yemen primary health care system.
http://www.emro.who.int/yem/yemen-news/the-silent-impact-of-war-in-yemen.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/silent-impact-war-yemen
10.10.2016 – UNICEF (A H)
We're treating 204 severely malnourished children in Tohaita, Hodeidah where 4 mobile teams work tirelessly to help women & children.
https://twitter.com/UNICEF_Yemen/status/785504272024739840
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
11.10.2016 - Pars Today (A K P)
Yemen training civilians for anti-Saudi battles: Army official
The Yemeni army says groups of civilians are now being trained in military camps across the country to prepare for the battleground against the Saudi military and its mercenaries.
“After the Sana’a disaster, we have to give a determined response and teach a great lesson to the Saudi invaders,” Yemeni army spokesman Sharaf told Lebanon’s al-Manar television on Monday.
The senior military official further vowed to retake the areas occupied by pro-Saudi elements, saying, “Our forces are present 20 kilometers inside the Saudi soil.”
11.10.2016 – Saba Net (A P)
Yemen welcomes UN's call to form international investigation into Saudi aggression crimes
The Supreme Political Council welcomed a call by United Nations secretary-general Ban ki-moon to form an international independent commission to carry out investigations into crimes committed by Saudi-led coalition against civilians in Yemen, including the crime of targeting funeral hall in the capital Sanaa.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news443343.htm
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
11.10.2016 – Al Araby (A E P)
Millions to be pumped into Yemen's decaying oil infrastructure
The Yemeni government will inject millions of dollars into its decaying oil fields in Hadramaut to increase production and help save the war-torn country from financial ruin.
Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghar said $30 million has been set aside for the refurbishment of oil fields and production plants in southeastern Hadramawt province, during a meeting with senior officials in the region's al-Mukalla capital.
"We are seeking to produce 70,000 barrels from the fields," Bin Daghar said.
He added that some of the money from oil revenues would go to paying government salaries.
"There are some soldiers who have not been paid for nine months. We have an obligation to pay them," Bin Daghar said.
He also said that the government ordered billions of Yemeni rials to be printed and go to thousands of public servants who are also waiting to be paid.
Oil fields in the eastern province have remained largely stagnant after government forces abandoned their posts last April when al-Qaeda took control of Mukalla.
Comment: The Saudis became more and more unwilling to pay for the Hadi government and its army. “the government ordered billions of Yemeni rials to be printed”: When the Central Bank in Sanaa tried to do so a few month ago, the Hadi government blocked this initiative inventing the propaganda story that the “Houthis” would do this to make money. Now Daghers announcement just proofs: It’s just necessary to print new banknotes to keep money flowing and to exchange the old used ones.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
11.10.2016 – Jamila Hanan (A P)
... Saudis use peace talks to buy silence + time...when everyone has forgotten it's massive killing as usual. Memories are short.
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/785843284560281601
... after every big massacre Saudi's have said they will resume peace talks and war will be over very soon....but every time it's just a lie
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/785842803385442304
10.10.2016 – UN News Centre (* A P)
Latest horrific incident in Yemen demands ‘a full inquiry,’ Ban says, urging probe into funeral bombing
Outraged by Saturday’s bombing of a funeral in Yemen, top United Nations officials are strengthening their calls for the establishment of an independent body to probe alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the war-ravaged country.
Describing the attack in Sana’a asoutrageous, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein today reiterated his urgent call for creating an international investigative body; a call that was supported bySecretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon.
“Since the beginning of this conflict in Yemen, weddings, marketplaces, hospitals, schools – and now mourners at a funeral – have been hit, resulting in massive civilian casualties and zero accountability for those responsible,” the High Commissioner said in a news release issued by his Office (OHCHR) in Geneva.
At UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban told reporters that “aerial attacks by the Saudi-led coalition have already caused immense carnage, and destroyed much of the country’s medical facilities and other vital civilian infrastructure.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55255#.V_0qKOCLSUl
Comment: Already reported YPR 211,; here all statements together in one article.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
10.10.2016 – Daily Caller (* A P)
Hillary In Leaked Email: Saudi Arabia And Qatar Are Funding ISIS
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton sent an email to her campaign chairman John Podesta in 2014, who was then-counselor to President Barack Obama, that said Saudi Arabia and Qatar are both giving financial and logistical support to the Islamic State and other extremist Sunni groups, according to a recent Wikileaks release.
Clinton sent the email on August 17, 2014 to Podesta. It was an eight-point plan to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Clinton’s email said that the United States should support Kurdish forces on the ground with U.S. military advisers and avoid the use of a conventional ground operation.
“While this military/para-military operation is moving forward, we need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region,” Clintonwrote.
The former secretary of state added: “This effort will be enhanced by the stepped up commitment in the [Kurdish Regional Government]. The Qataris and Saudis will be put in a position of balancing policy between their ongoing competition to dominate the Sunni world and the consequences of serious U.S. pressure.” – by Alex Pfeiffer
http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/10/hillary-in-leaked-email-saudi-arabia-and-qatar-are-funding-isis/ and by the Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/hillary-clinton-emails-leak-wikileaks-saudi-arabia-qatar-isis-podesta-latest-a7355466.html
Comment: In this point, Clinton is certainly right – but that did not prevent her from willingly taking Saudi money. 20% of Clintons campaign are paid by the Saudis.
31.8.2016 – Alkarama (* A P)
Saudi Arabia: A 15-year-old Boy Detained Since 2014 for Participating in Peaceful Protests
On 21 September 2014, Murtaja Algariras, 13 years old at the time, was arrested by Saudi police on his way to Bahrain. During the investigation, Murtaja was tortured to extract confessions stating his participation in "illegal gatherings". Almost two years after his arrest, Murtaja has not yet been charged and no date has been set for his trial. Concerned over his fate, Alkarama referred his case to the Special Rapporteur on Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and of Association (FPAA), requesting his intervention with the Saudi authorities.
After his arrest, Murtaja was held incommunicado and in solitary confinement for a month. He was interrogated by the Al Mabahith forces, the intelligence services of Saudi Arabia, who brutally beat him in order to force him to confess to his participation in peaceful demonstrations as well as his attendance of funerals of persons killed by the authorities during protests. Murtaja was also prevented from consulting and mandating a lawyer. Almost two years after his arrest, Murtaja has still not been charged.
Concerned over the arbitrary character of his detention and that once charged, Murtaja will face an unfair trial, Alkarama called upon the Special Rapporteur,Maina Kai, to request the Saudi authorities to immediately release Murtaja and, in case of a trial, to abstain from admitting coerced confessions into evidence and to investigate his torture allegations.
cp9 USA
11.10.2016 – Reuters (* A K P)
Pentagon hints at possible retaliation after Yemen missile fire
The Pentagon on Tuesday warned that whoever fired missiles at a U.S. Navy destroyer and an accompanying ship off the coast of Yemen over the weekend had done so "at their own peril," language that suggested preparations for possible retaliation.
Anybody who takes action, fires against U.S. Navy ships operating in international waters, does so at their own peril," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told a news briefing, noting the missiles came from territory controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
Asked whether the Pentagon was developing targets for retaliatory strikes, Davis said: "I'm not confirming that right now." – by Phil Stewart
http://news.trust.org/item/20161011161146-57crl/
Comment: See cp17 for more recording. RT: https://www.rt.com/usa/362426-pentagon-reprisal-missile-yemen/
Comment: After 19 months of#USsupport to#Saudis, how much should Yemenis retaliate? US retaliate on top of Saudis' war on Yemen?
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1132153586837670
Comment by Jamila Hanan: This is ridiculous. Clearly USA has an agenda for war here. Little story (lie?) growing into a whopper, used to go bomb #Yemen some more!
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/785988181304815616
11.10.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (B K)
#USprovided#SaudiArabiawith a list of targets to bomb in#Yemenand what to avoid.
Everything was bombed, anyhow.
While our children struggle to survive, while they succumb to bombs, famine, diseases, we realise that bombing was decided at a table by 2 countries, one headed by a Peace Nobel Laureate.
11.10.2016 – Democracy Now (* A K)
Obama Is Killing Yemen: A Yemeni Journalist Speaks Out After U.S.-Backed Bombing Strikes Funeral
NASSERARRABYEE:Well, no single Yemeni doubt that Saudi Arabia was not the one who did this crime at all, because it is not the first, it is not the last.
But let me tell you what is the—what is also the thing. The big criminal is Obama himself. This is how Yemenis see to the situation, because every Yemeni believe that Saudi Arabia would not have done that at all, would not have done a war in Yemen, without the approval of Obama. And it is very clear to everyone that Obama wanted to appease the Saudis after the Iranian nuclear deal. But, unfortunately, he appeased them by the Yemeni blood. And this is a big problem to the Americans. Obama is destroying the values and the principle of America now. Obama is leading the world to the law of jungle. Obama, unfortunately, is doing—is killing Yemen now, killing Yemen. No killer except Obama in the eyes of Yemenis now, because everybody knows Saudi Arabia and what it would do if there is not the approval of Obama.
Obama or United States, the administration of the United States, is cooperating. And this is announced. This is known to everyone. But it is not only a matter of cooperating with the refuel or with the intelligence or with the logistic things. No. But it is a will. It is Obama will to support the Saudi Wahhabi regime, which means to us is Obama now is supporting the Qaeda,ISIS, because Obama is saying he’s supporting the internationally recognized government, the exiled government based in Riyadh now. Obama should know—and I think he knows—that three members, at least—three members, at least, of this government are designated by Obama, by Treasury Department, as global terrorists. I can give you the names now.
SARAHLEAHWHITSON:The fallout to U.S. and U.N. credibility from this support for Saudi Arabia and its disastrous war in Yemen has been quite severe. Not only is the U.S. implicated in the crimes that are being carried out by the Saudi coalition in Yemen, not only has the U.N.'s credibility been tarnished by basically accepting a bribe to take Saudi Arabia off of this list of shame of worst attackers on children, but now we have the U.S. government standing behind a government, the Saudi coalition, that is carrying out the exact same kind of strikes in Yemen—an attack on a funeral—that extremist groups in Iraq,ISIS, has been carrying out in Baghdad for over a year, and, again, making it very hard for people to tell the difference about who the extremists really are. Finally, the recent vote on—at the U.N. Security Council about a resolution on Aleppo was significantly stymied because the U.S. just could not maintain condemning an attack by Russians and Syrian government forces on civilians, while it's supporting, aiding and abetting very similar attacks that its partner, its number one arms client, is carrying out in Yemen.
http://m.democracynow.org/stories/16698 = http://www.democracynow.org/2016/10/11/obama_is_killing_yemen_a_yemeni
11.10.2016 – Huffington Post (* A P)
The U.S. Is Part Of A War In Yemen, And Neither Clinton Nor Trump Will Talk About It
There’s no evidence the next president has a plan forward for the country where American ally Saudi Arabia has been slaughtering civilians.
Even after one of the deadliest attacks of the Saudi campaign — a series of airstrikes on a funeral in Sanaa, Yemen’s ancient capital, that killed more than 140 people Saturday — neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton was asked about whether the U.S. should keep aiding an ally that appears to be actively targeting civilians.
Since debate moderators won’t ask the presidential candidates about Yemen, we did. But neither campaign answered, and their public statements alone make it impossible to tell whether they would continue President Barack Obama’s policy of supporting the Saudi-led coalition’s war against the Houthi rebel group that now controls much of the western part of the country, including the capital.
“Shouldn’t this be something we’re discussing as a country?” asked Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, who lived in Yemen from 2011 to 2014. “Shouldn’t the American people be aware of the fact that the U.S. is a major part of a war in Yemen?”
Because the U.S. isn’t directly involved in the Saudi-led fight, there are no U.S. troops on the ground and both sides have committed human rights abuses, Yemen barely registers in the political consciousness of American voters. It’s hard to quantify exactly how little the electorate cares about Yemen because pollsters don’t even ask about it.
There’s no evidence Clinton would do anything to limit U.S. involvement in Yemen – by Jessica Schulberg
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-yemen_us_57fc1d20e4b0b6a4303504d3 v
11.10.2016 – New York Times (* A P)
America’s Moral Duty in Yemen
Airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition that devastated a funeral in Yemen on Saturday make it clear that the United States must end its complicity in a civil war that has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in one of the world’s poorest countries and fueled extremism. It is within President Obama’s power to do so. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf state allies depend on Washington for aircraft, munitions, training and in-flight refueling. The United States also helps Saudi Arabia guard its borders.
The administration insists its support for the coalition isn’t a “blank check.” But so far it has offered only stern words in response to an ever widening list of coalition attacks on civilians and civilian facilities that under international law are not legitimate military targets. If the Saudis refuse to halt the carnage and resume negotiations on a political settlement, Mr. Obama should end military support. Otherwise, America could be implicated in war crimes and be dragged even deeper into the conflict.
An American official told The Times that there was no evidence the coalition had deliberately tried to hit civilians and that poor intelligence and poor targeting were the likely explanation. Even if true, that is no excuse; in fact, such factors are all the more reason to stop the strikes immediately.
Yemen is near collapse, with 80 percent of the country in need of humanitarian aid. Al Qaeda’s affiliate there is becoming stronger and the population more radicalized. The longer the war goes on, the harder it will be to end – by Editorial Board
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/opinion/americas-moral-duty-in-yemen.html?smid=fb-share
11.10.2016 – Pittsburgh Post Gazette (* A P)
Abetting atrocity: U.S. support for Saudi war on Yemen must end
One argument that President Barack Obama’s administration uses to sustain America’s policy of continued support for the Saudi-led coalition is that the intelligence the United States provides its air war against Yemen enables its planes to be more precise in hitting military rather than civilian targets. What that line of argument would lead to this time is either that it isn’t an accurate description of what is occurring, or that U.S. intelligence helped the Saudis target the attack on the funeral. Neither “explanation” is acceptable to American principles.
What is likely more accurate is to refer to the fact that the United States has sold the Saudis and the other Sunni Persian Gulf Arab states the aircraft and technology that they are using to wage war against the Shiite Houthis in Yemen.
The other argument used to justify continued U.S. support of the Saudis in their intra-Islamic war is that America is placating the kingdom, based on its opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement concluded last year. The Shiite Islamic republic exchanged its nuclear program for the immediate and middle future in return for an alleviation of economic and financial international sanctions against it.
Unfortunately, at this time, Yemenis — citizens of the poorest country in the Mideast — are paying the price in blood to please the Saudis and their theocratic regime for the Iran deal.
Saturday’s slaughter makes it clear that the time is long since past when the United States should stop using U.S. companies’ arms sales and defense of the Iran deal as reasons to continue to help Saudi Sunnis slaughter Yemenis, even if they are supported to a degree by Iran – by Editorial Board
11.10.2016 – Samuel Oakford (A P)
Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham has demanded the White House 'retaliate swiftly and decisively" against Houthis for alleged failed attack (image)
https://twitter.com/samueloakford/status/785612256037916672
11.10.2016 – Sputnik News (* A K P)
Reuters: USA könnten als Mithelfer der Kriegsverbrechen im Jemen anerkannt werden
Die Administration des US-Präsidenten Barack Obama hat 2015 dem Deal über den Verkauf von Waffen an Saudi-Arabien für insgesamt 1,3 Milliarden Dollar zugestimmt – trotz der Warnungen, Washington könnte dadurch als Teilnehmer von Kriegsverbrechen auf dem Territorium Jemens anerkannt werden.
Das berichtet die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters unter Berufung auf Regierungsdokumente und Aussagen von ehemaligen und derzeitigen US-Beamten.
Nach Informationen, die die Nachrichtenagentur im E-Mail-Wechsel und aus zahlreichen Interviews von US-Beamten sammelte, hatten sich Vertreter des US-Außenministeriums vor einem Jahr unsicher gezeigt, dass saudi-arabische Militärs die Huthi angreifen könnten, ohne dabei friedliche Einwohner und die Infrastruktur im Jemen zu treffen.
Am Ende konnten amerikanische Juristen nicht entscheiden, ob die USA im Sinne internationaler Gesetze als militärischer Verbündeter der Koalition gelten können. Falls sie als solcher anerkannt werden, müsste sich Washington mit den Ermittlungen der Kriegsverbrechen beschäftigen.
In diesem Fall könnte einigen hochrangigen US-Beamten eine strafrechtliche Verfolgung drohen – jedenfalls theoretisch, so Reuters.
Laut den Dokumenten des US-Außenministeriums hatte Washington von Riad verlangt, potenzielle Schäden für die zivile Bevölkerung möglichst zu beschränken, und den Saudis eine Liste von Orten bereitgestellt, die nicht bombardiert werden dürften. Das bedeutet, dass die Amerikaner schon damals die Fähigkeit Riads, damit klarzukommen, bezweifelten. 2015, als die Opferzahl unter der Zivilbevölkerung Jemens rasant anstieg und mehrere bekannte Menschenrechtsorganisationen erklärten, Washington könnte als Riads Mithelfer bei Kriegsverbrechen anerkannt werden, haben die Juristen des US-Außenministeriums Alarm geschlagen, soll ein Beamter gegenüber Reuters gesagt haben
https://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20161011312903937-usa-mithelfer-kriegsverbrechen-jemen/
Kommentar: Englischsprachige berichte besser, s. folgender und in YPR 211.
10.10.2016 – Zerohedge (** A K P)
US May Be Guilty Of War Crimes For Supporting And Enabling Saudi Mass Killings
As the US slams Russian bombing in Aleppo, accusing Putin of "crimes against humanity" and in the process sending US-Russian relations to levels not seen since the Cold War, it quietly sells billions in weapons and equipment to Saudi Arabia, a nation which as Hillary Clinton revealed in a "private setting" to the 2014 Jewish United Fund Advance & Major Gifts Dinner, has "exported more extreme ideology than any other place on earth over the course of the last 30 years." It also happens to be one of the biggest state donors to the Clinton Foundation. Which may explain why as Reuters reported in an exclusive story today, the Obama administration went ahead with a $1.3 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia last year despite misgivings and warnings from some officials that the United States could be implicated in war crimes for supporting a Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians.
Citing government documents and the accounts of current and former officials, Reuters reveals that while the Obama administration and the Pentagon rail against Russian bombing in Syria, State Department officials have been skeptical - in private of course - of the Saudi military's ability to target Houthi militants without killing civilians and destroying "critical infrastructure" needed for Yemen to recover.
However, and this may be where Saudi funding for Hillary's campaign - according to a recent report, Saudi Arabia funded 20% of Hillary's presidential campaign - and her election came into play, government lawyers ultimately did not reach a conclusion on whether U.S. support for the campaign would make the United States a "co-belligerent" in the war under international law, Reuters said citing four current and former officials. Such a finding would have obligated Washington to investigate allegations of war crimes in Yemen and would have raised a legal risk that U.S. military personnel could be subject to prosecution, at least in theory.
What Reuters' report reveals is that instead of Russia being the war criminal, as the US has now alleged, the real aggressor would be Saudi Arabia, and the US - whose actions have enabled Saudi war crimes - would be a "co-belligerent" participant.
Exposing the selective morality of the US government, the documents, obtained by Reuters under the Freedom of Information Act, date from mid-May 2015 to February 2016, a period during which State Department officials reviewed and approved the sale of precision munitions to Saudi Arabia to replenish bombs dropped in Yemen. The documents were heavily redacted to withhold classified information and some details of meetings and discussion.
It gets better. While the US would take even the slightest opportunity to slam Russia for allegations of civilian deaths, State Department lawyers "had their hair on fire" as reports of civilian casualties in Yemen multiplied in 2015, and prominent human rights groups charged that Washington could be complicit in war crimes, one U.S. official said.
The Saudi "cooperation" with the US most certainly is not a blank check: since March 2015, Washington has authorized more than $22.2 billion in weapons sales to Riyadh, much of it yet to be delivered. That includes a $1.29 billion sale of quote-unquote precision munitions announced in November 2015 and specifically meant to replenish stocks used in Yemen.
The billions in recycled petrodollars may explain why the Pentagon and the State Department's Near East Affairs bureau leaned toward preserving good relations with Riyadh "at a time when friction was increasing because of the nuclear deal with Iran." That's the pretext: the real reason why it was critical to preserve good relations with Riyadh despite risks of being branded a war criminal, is to keep the money rolling in.
Still, not everyone was corrupt: the State Department's Office of the Legal Advisor, backed by government human rights specialists, expressed concern over U.S. complicity in possible Saudi violations of the laws of war.
Some critics say the administration’s approach has failed.
"In the law of war, you can be guilty for aiding and abetting war crimes and at some point the ... evidence is going to continue to mount and I think the administration is now in an untenable situation," said Congressman Ted Lieu, a California Democrat and former military prosecutor – by Tyler Durden
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-10-10/us-may-be-guilty-war-crimes-enabling-saudi-mass-killings-civilians and on this subject also http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-us-arms-deals-yemen-war-crimes-a7355771.html (earlier reporting in YPR 211).
11.10.2016 – Underground Reporter (* A P)
DID AMERICA ACCIDENTALLY ADMIT GUILT TO WAR CRIMES IN YEMEN?
What the newReutersreportdemonstrates is that the United States, from the beginning of its support of the Saudi campaign, was always aware the controversial actions of its ally in Yemen could be construed as war crimes — and was very much concerned about being accused of atrocities, itself.
After all — as the report points out — in one of the obtained emails an official made mention of a 2013 U.N.-backed court ruling which found“practical assistance, encouragement or moral support”is sufficient to prove liability for war crimes. There’s no need to isolate a specific event.
And the U.S. has certainly given all that, and more – by James Holbrooks
http://undergroundreporter.org/america-guilt-war-crimes-yemen/
Comment: On the Reuters report (YPR 211) also.
6.10.2016 – Just Security (* B P)
If the Saudi-Led Coalition is Committing War Crimes, the US is Aiding and Abetting Them
A few days ago, Ryan Goodman announced on Twitter that we should expect “a challenge to (some) critics of Defense Department support to Saudi Arabia.” Jay Shooster publishedthat challengeonJust Securityearlier this week, arguing that the US is not necessarily liable for aiding and abetting war crimes when the US offers targeting assistance for Saudi strikes in Yemen, and that human rights groups are hypocritical in arguing that the US is necessarily liable. Much of this argument relies on an erroneous conflation of targeting assistance and international humanitarian law (IHL) assistance. On that and other grounds, I disagree.
Like some other humanitarian organizations, Oxfam (where I work) opposes the transfer ofarmsand provision ofoperational support(such as aerial refueling) to any party to the conflict, on the grounds that this kind of support facilitates fighting, legitimizes the conflict, and relieves pressure on parties to make concessions toward a political settlement (these are policy arguments, not legal ones). Oxfam also believes, like human rights organizations, that arms should not be provided where there is an overriding risk that they will be used to commit gross violations of human rights or war crimes (the Arms Trade Treaty standard).
The problem is, when it comes to US-Saudi cooperation in Yemen, the possibility that US targeting assistance might be so limited is precluded by the circumstances and available information.
It’s unclear on what basis targeting assistance is assumed to be the same as IHL assistance, but they are not. For one thing, it’s entirely counterintuitive: if targeting assistance were limited to IHL assistance, particularly in a war that is subject to Congressional and public scrutiny, the Department of Defense would surely call it something other than targeting assistance.
Therefore, even if IHL-related targeting advice were segregated from other forms of assistance, the nature of US assistanceas a wholecalls into question the purpose of the targeting advice – by Scott Paul
https://www.justsecurity.org/33391/saudi-led-coalition-committing-war-crimes-aiding-abetting/
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
Siehe / See cp1
11.10.2016 – Jamila Hanan (A P)
Since @BorisJohnson calls for protests to airstrikes outside Russian Embassy, I call for protests outside British embassies for #Yemen
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/785897492890030080
11.10.2016 – British Government (A P)
FOI release: cross government meetings on Yemen: 3 documents
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foi-release-cross-government-meetings-on-yemen
10.10.2016 – They work for you (A P)
MPs ask the government
Roger GodsiffLabour, Birmingham, Hall Green
To ask theSecretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether theUKwill support an independent, international investigation into alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen at theHuman Rights
Tobias Ellwood The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
We are pleased that we could reach a strong consensus Yemen resolution at theHuman Rights Council. It is vital that the international community continues to be active in supporting efforts to improve the human rights situation in Yemen.
The Government is not opposing calls for an international independent investigation, but, first and foremost, we want to see the Saudis investigate allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) which are attributed to them; and for their investigations to be thorough and conclusive.Saudi Arabiahas publicly stated that it is investigating reports of alleged violations of IHL, and that any lessons learned will be acted upon.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2016-09-14.46418.h
Comment by Jamila Hanan: I believe this is a lie and previous votes at UN proved it. He has a history of lying in parliament about #Yemen
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/785832690750631936
Comment: Hanan of course is right. It’s obviously grotesque that the accused should probe his own cause. By maneuvers like this, the supporters of the Saudis just want to win time… and time… and time… until eternity.
10.10.2016 – Oxfam (* A P)
Yemen bombing: Oxfam calls on Boris Johnson to immediately halt UK arms sales
The UK should immediately halt all arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen as well as support an independent international inquiry into breaches of the rules of war, Oxfam said today.
The call comes after an airstrike on a funeral in Sanaa on Saturday left more than 140 people dead and 525 injured. The White House said yesterday that it will immediately review its support for the Saudi-led coalition.
Mark Goldring, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB said:
"The callous bombing of a funeral in Yemen over the weekend follows months of breaches of the rules of war by all sides of the conflict. Yemeni civilians are in the firing line. The UK government should comply with the law, implement its own export licensing rules, and immediately halt sending arms to Saudi Arabia until there is no risk that they will be used against civilians."
After initially denying responsibility, Saudi Arabia announced an investigation into the attack with support from US experts.
Goldring said: "There should be an immediate independent international inquiry to determine the facts. UK calls for a Saudi investigation are a diversion and will only lead to a predetermined outcome designed to justify further support to this onslaught on the people of Yemen. Those accused of a crime should not be in charge of its investigation."
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/blogs/2016/10/yemen-bombing-oxfam-calls-on-boris-johnson-to-immediately-halt-uk-arms-sales and tweet by Goldring: https://twitter.com/Mark_Goldring1/status/785863437448536071
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
10.10.2016 – Auswärtiges Amt (A P)
Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the situation in Yemen
Recent events, especially the appalling attack on a funeral gathering in Sana’a, have demonstrated in a most dramatic manner that violence always provokes counter-violence and that attacks such as this do not bring a solution in Yemen any closer.
The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be found. Such brutal attacks must not be allowed to happen again.
The many lives lost at the funeral gathering should drive home to all those in positions of political responsibility in Yemen and in the region how important it is, especially now, to look for ways of resuming the UN‑mediated talks on a ceasefire and a political settlement for Yemen.
http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2016/161010-Jemen.html?nn=479796
Comment: German version linked YPR 211. – “The perpetrators of this heinous crime must be found” is ridiculous. They are very well known. Why he does not mention the Saudi air raids???
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
11.10.2016 – Avvenire (* A P)
Bombe «italiane» allo Yemen, il giallo divieti
Sono molti i punti da chiarire nell’indagine della procura di Brescia sulle esportazioni di armi assemblate in Italia e dirette verso la coalizione saudita impegnata nella guerra dello Yemen. Nel fascicolo aperto dal procuratore Fabio Salamone, oltre alle denunce di Rete Disarmo e all’inchiesta di Avvenire, sono entrati almeno un paio di documenti ufficiali da Berlino, riguardanti la tedesca 'Rwm', la cui branca italiana da diversi anni consegna bombe all’Arabia Saudita e ad altre forze armate del Golfo. L’incartamento del Bundestag, il Parlamento tedesco, conferma l’esistenza di contratti con Riad e altri Paesi della coalizione impantanata nel conflitto contro i ribelli Houthi. Dell’alleanza militare fanno parte anche Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Emirati Arabi Uniti, Egitto, Giordania, Marocco e Sudan. La vendita di armi, secondo il capo d’accusa per il momento rivolto ad ignoti, non sarebbe lecita perché in violazione delle norme italiane che vietano l’export verso Paesi in guerra, soprattutto se le operazioni militari vengono condotte senza alcuna copertura internazionale – di Nello Scavo
http://www.avvenire.it/Cronaca/Pagine/Bombe-Yemen-il-giallo-divieti---3.aspx b
11.10.2016 – Saba Net (* A H K)
Oman donates medical supplies for the wounded of mourning hall attack in Sana’a
The Sultanate of Oman has provided medical assistance to treat the wounded of the hideous massacre committed by the Saudi-American war jets against a mourning hall in the capital Sana’a.
Director General of Medical Services at the Ministry of Interior Brigadier-General Dr. Mohsen Al-Thahiri told Saba that the Sultanate of Oman provided three trailers loaded with different medical supplies delivered through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the Ministry of Interior.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news443415.htm
11.10.2016 – MbKS (* A K PS)
Units from the #Saudi Special Forces carry out a joint exercise with the French Special Forces (film)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785843460452577281
Pictures of the ongoing joint exercise between the Saudi & the French Special Forces
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785846623033327616
Comment: Just disgusting. France training killers for Yemen.
11.10.2016 – Ye1 (* A K)
Saudi special forces are maneuvers and exercise intheCity Bmaar French
Performs modules of the ground forces, theRoyal Saudi Special Forces joint exercise withtheircounterparts fromtheFrench special forces underthename (Santol), inthecityofBmaar France.
Exercise was launched early last week and focuses its activities onthespecial forces assignments and coexistence in conditions close to reality.
It isnoteworthy that this exerciseisalready scheduled withinthejoint training programs withtheFrench side comes intheframeworkofmilitary cooperation betweenthetwo friendly countries (photos)
http://www.ye1.org/forum/threads/811079/
Comment: Translated by Google Translator
11.10.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Algerians support Saudi against US legislation, but criticise stance in Yemen
The chief editor of Algerian newspaper Al-Fajr severely criticised Saudi Arabia in Monday’s editorial. Hidda Hizam wrote, “Hajj money is used to kill sons of Yemen and Syria.” Accusing Saudi Arabia of killing of children in Yemen, she claimed that this is “part of the conspiracy” between Riyadh and the international community.
“While the Arabic and Western media condemns what is going on in Aleppo,” she added, “it turns its back on what is happening in Yemen, fearing the halt of Saudi oil money which is stained with the blood of Yemeni children.”
Hizam insisted that Saudi is not fighting Shia expansion, but in order to dominate Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, control international trade and put pressure on Iran and the oil market.
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
31.8.2016 – UPI (A K P)
GenDyn gets $39 million contract modification for foreign military bombs
Deal modifies foreign military sales contract for various bomb bodies.
General Dynamics - Ordnance and Tactical Systems has been awarded a $39 million modification to a foreign military sales contract for various bomb bodies.
The contract falls under the U.S. Army and involves sales to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, France and Iraq.
The modification calls for 162 MK82-1 bomb bodies, 7,245 MK82-6 bomb bodies and 9,664 MK84-10 bomb bodies.
Work will be performed in Texas with an estimated completion date of December 2017 – by Geoff Ziezulewicz
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
4.10.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
#Sudan Chief of Staff visits the Sudani & Emirati Forces based at Al Anad Air Base, #Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/783343296303271936
cp13c Flüchtlinge / Refugees
10.10.2016 – Schleswig-Holsteinische Landeszeitung (A H)
Aus dem Jemen nach Eckernförde: Mohammed Abotaleb hat zwei Attentate überlebt
Zwei Selbstmordattentate hat der 34-jährige Mohammed Abotaleb aus demJemenüberlebt. Zwischen ihm und den Sprengsätzen war nur eine Wand. Sie ist zum Glück stehen geblieben, als sich ein junger Mann auf der anderen Seite in die Luft sprengte. Danach war für den dreifachen Vater klar: „Das ist kein Zuhause für mich und meine Familie". Er machte sich auf den Weg nachDeutschland.
Seit Januar lebt Mohammed Abotaleb inEckernförde. Als gelernter Reiseveranstalter und studierter Volkswirt hatte er geschäftlich schon öfter in Deutschland zu tun. Ein Visum zu bekommen, war für ihn daher kein großes Problem. Nur für seine jüngste Tochter - gerade eineinhalb Jahre alt - fehlen noch immer die Papiere. Seit elf Monaten wartet er darauf, dass seine Frau und seine drei Töchter nachkommen dürfen. Doch solange sein Asylantrag nicht genehmigt ist, hat die Familie keine Chance, sich wiederzusehen. Und bis Abotaleb Rückmeldung erhält, kann es noch lange dauern, weiß er. Denn erst in diesem Monat hat der Jemenit einen Termin bekommen, um seinen Antrag zu stellen – von Jana Walther
http://www.shz.de/lokales/landeszeitung/mohammed-abotaleb-hat-zwei-attentate-ueberlebt-id14193641.html = https://www.torial.com/jana.walther/portfolio/160849
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
11.-12.10.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)
Today at night, More than 16 #Saudi air strikes targeted several places in Sadaa city
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/785942162735235072
11.10.2016 – Sanaa at daytime (A K)
South of Sana'a. @Wesamqaid got it right in tweet I quoted earlier, both airstrikes 6:05 & 6:15 in Beit Bous.
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/785866357229363200
Saudi fighter jets swooping in & out at insane speeds & low altitude over Sana'a now. Common scare tactic with chance of airstrikes.
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/785861117872660480
Speak of devil. Saudi fighter jets screaming thru Sana'a sky now. Relax, bombing #Yemen is conducive to peace
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/785858030604869632
Saudi fighter jets doing low altitude flybys in Sana'a now terrifying civilians after bombing. No one is stopping Kingdom of Terror
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/785796115782402048
11.10.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
10-10-2016
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=703627509787617&id=551288185021551
11.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
U.S.- Saudi aggression fighter jets launched 39 raids on several areas in Saddaa province and Jizan region
great damage to residents' properties and farms
warplanes and their spy drones kept flying over the province for hours
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news443321.htm
Fresh Saudi aggression airstrikes kill 10-member family in Saada
At least 10 citizens, mostly women and children, were killed and seven others wounded in a fresh air strikes by Saudi aggression fighter jets in Saada province, an official told Saba.
The strikes took place on Monday in al-Ashah area of Majz district, where they targeted two houses and killed 10-member family, mostly children and women, and injured seven others.
[already reported YPR 211, photos, film]
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news443338.htm and more photos https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/785887204807700480
cp16a Saudischer Luftangriff auf Sanaa am 8.10. / Saudi air raid at Sanaa, Oct. 8
11.10.2016 – Sophie McNeill (A K)
UN officials call for the #Saudi led Coalition to allow #Yemen's main airport to reopen
https://twitter.com/Sophiemcneill/status/785938727767986176
11.10.2016 – Newsfront (* A K)
Mehrere Bombensplitter im Jemen zeigen, dass die abgeworfenen Bomben der Streitkräfte des saudischen Königreiches aus den USA stammen. Auf Twitter und anderen Portalen wurden nun Fotos veröffentlicht, worauf man die Herkunft der Bomben eindeutig feststellen kann.
Die MK-82 ist eine explosive Bombe, die in den USA hergestellt wird und profitabel an die Saudis verkauft werden, die seit März 2015 Krieg gegen ihre südlichen Nachbarn führen. Der Strichcode „96214“ soll laut dem Portal Intercept dokumentieren, dass die Bombe aus dem Hause Raytheon stamme, dem drittgrößten Rüstungskonzern in den Vereinigten Staaten.
Weiter berichtet die Enthüllungsplattform, dass der US-Präsident Barack Obama bislang die meisten tödlichen Waffen an die Saudis während seiner Amtszeit lieferte. Darunter auch tausende MK-82 Bomben, die nun verstärkt im umkämpften Gebiet einschlagen – von Christian Lehmann
11.10.2016 – Democracy Now (* A K)
U.S.-Backed Saudi Forces Bomb Yemeni Funeral, Killing 140, Injuring 500 in Possible War Crime
We speak to Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division.
Whitson: Well, what we know so far is that the funeral was actually publicly announced on Friday, so that it’s clear that the coalition knew that there was a funeral planned at this site, which is used for weddings, funerals, parties and so forth. And we know that it has been regularly used for such public civilian gatherings, you know, over the past year.
There were two strikes that we know of on the funeral, during the funeral, one followed by a second strike, which actually ended up injuring some first responders. So, again, we saw a repeat strike, clearly indicating this was not an accident.
What we do know, as well, is that there were at least a dozen senior Houthi andGPCofficials, including military officials from the Houthi armed group, who were killed in the strike. But we also know that there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of civilians there, including children, who we know were among the dead.
We are saying it is a likely war crime, the extent to which it was foreseeable and knowable that this would result in a mass killing of civilians.
We have talked to eight eyewitnesses, and we’re continuing to talk to more, people who are documenting who was at the funeral, what happened, how the attacks took place, what the results were, the first responders who were hit in the second strike.
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/10/11/us_backed_saudi_forces_bomb_yemeni
11.10.2016 – RT (A P)
Film: Jemen: Russischer Botschafter besucht Ort der tödlichen Luftangriffe durch Saudi-Koalition
Der russische Botschafter Oleg Dremow im Jemen hat den Ort der tödlichen saudischen Luftangriffe vom 08. Oktober auf eine Trauergesellschaft in Sanaa besucht
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnQ_H1WUcls
11.10.2016 – Hisham Al Omeisy / Sophie McNeill / Moy Enne (A H K)
Horrific scenes at Sana'a hospitals with men in pain and women wailing. Saudi murderers won't even allow help for ppl it bombed
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/785723465999454209
"Saudi killed my brother, and now my injured father slowly dying bcz they shut airport & won't allow him to seek medical help abroad"
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/785722612207026176
So much frustration in #Sanaa as critically injured patients have no way of being treated outside as #Saudis keep airport closed
https://twitter.com/Sophiemcneill/status/785735388467867652
Until fixed - All western medical staff working in Saudi should go on strike immediately
https://twitter.com/Moyenne1/status/785726454411603973
11.10.2016 – Arab 24 (A H)
Film: Yemen: Funeral for those killed during an air strike on a funeral home in Sanaa.
A funeral was set for a number of Yemenis who were killed in an air strike, which had targeted a funeral hall in Sana'a governorate, where the raid caused the deaths of dozens of officials and military leaders of the Houthi and Saleh militias.
11.10.2016 – Ibrahim Khader (A K)
Just recievd news that a friend of mine has lost his father & old brother at the funeral hall. Im speechless, totally lost for words! (photos)
https://twitter.com/khaderYE/status/785874085641351168
10.10.2016 – Mohammed K. Alyahya (A K)
Updated list of injured & deceased military officials in Saturday's attack in the funeral in #Sanaa. 17 Generals killed, 12 injured. #Yemen (image)
https://twitter.com/7yhy/status/785554360302497793
10.8.2016 – BBC (* A K P)
Yemen conflict: 'Saudi-led coalition plane' hit funeral
Saudi Arabia has privately accepted one of its coalition planes bombed a funeral hall in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, the BBC has learned.
Saudi Arabia has agreed to a British request to participate in the investigation into the attack, which included a second air strike that hit rescuers.
The attack on Saturday was so horrific and of such magnitude that Britain has taken the unusual step of insisting it participate in the investigation now under way.
An official with the UK government said Britain was considering sending a team of lawyers and military investigators to monitor the Saudi-led coalition's own inquiries.
Human rights groups have called for an independent probe instead.
Saudi sources said the investigations would include an examination of data recordings, witness statements and available military intelligence.
Saudi intelligence has a number of informants on the ground in Yemen. So officers would have known that the funeral was also being attended by several senior Houthi rebels that Saudi Arabia is fighting, as well as allied tribal leaders.
What is not yet clear is whether the pilot took it on himself to release his bombs or whether he was ordered to do so by someone higher up the command chain – by Frank Gardner
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37613440
Comment: What an investigation this will be? Do the Saudis think because of the fact that Houthis and military were attending the funeral they would have had the right to bomb it??
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
11.10.2016 – Hussam Almolaiki (A K)
Dozens of shells failed in #Taiz city by Houthis shelling this morning . #Yemen (photo)
https://twitter.com/hussam25173474/status/785797370193805312
11.10.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
#Yemen's National Army supported by the #Saudi-led Coalition takes control of Al Boqaa Port & advances towards Sa'dah
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785929440232632320
Comment: Hadi army.
11.10.2016 – Janes (A K)
Saudi coalition confirms longest-range Yemeni ballistic missile attack to date
The Saudi-led coalition released a statement on 10 October saying that a ballistic missile launched from Yemen at the city of Taif had been intercepted, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The SPA reported that the missile was launched from the north of Sadah province on the evening of 9 October and that a second ballistic missile was also intercepted after it was launched from Sanaa towards the Yemeni province of Marib. The coalition has a base outside the city of Marib that is protected by Patriot air defence systems.
Yemen's SABA news agency, which is supportive of the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) and allied military forces, reported that a Burkan-1 ballistic missile has been launched against King Fahd Air Base, which is about 25 km northeast of Taif. "The rocket hit the target accurately, inflicting heavy losses in the base," it claimed.
Taif is more than 500 km from the Yemeni border, making this the longest-range ballistic missile attack recorded since Saudi Arabia and its allies launched their military intervention in Yemen in March 2015 – by Jeremy Binnie
11.10.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
Royal #Saudi Air Defense Forces have just intercepted another missile launched by #Houthis over Khamis Mushait, Asir
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785943828452827136
11.10.2016 – Terror Monitor (A K)
Saudi Arabia announced repelling ballistic missile from Yemeni territory and was intercepted in the sky of the city of Jizan without injuries (photos)
https://twitter.com/TerrorMonitorAR/status/785927399162667008 and https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785924895377133568
11.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army destroys Saudi-paid mercenaries' vehicles in Serwah
The army and popular forces destroyed three Saudi-paid mercenaries' vehicles in Marib province, killing and wounding dozens, a military official told Saba.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news443298.htm
10.10.2016 – Al Arabiya (A K PS)
Arab coalition operations kill 50 Houthis in Yemen
Saudi special forces along with the Arab coalition carried out a military operation in Yemen’s mountain tops to combat Houthi militias near the Saudi border, Al Arabiya correspondent reported on Monday.
Sources said that the targeted attacks on the mountain tops resulted in the death of at least 50 Houthi militias, and destroyed several of their artillery store of ammunition and weapons.
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785496460993368065
Comment by Amir Hosein: lol, more claims, less proofs
9.10.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
Saudi-led Coalition ADF have successfully intercepted two ballistic missiles over Ta'if, #SaudiArabia, & Ma'rib, #Yemen
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785234055914786816
Both missiles launch sites were immediately located in Sa'dah & Sana'a & destroyed by the Coalition's Air Force
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/785238332225810433
6.10.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
#Saudi-led Coalition releases footage of airstrikes targeted #Houthi/Saleh forces along the borders & their ammo storages in Sa'dah
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/784283023541809152
cp17a US-Schiffe vor Jemen / US ships off Yemen
11.10.2016 – AP (* A K)
US weighs response to Yemen rebel missile attack on ships
The U.S. is weighing what military response it should take against Yemen-based Houthi rebels, who U.S. officials say launched two missiles at American warships in the Red Sea on Sunday, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the U.S. is still investigating the unprecedented incident, including the exact location of the missile launches. Asked if the U.S. was developing targets for a possible retaliatory strike, he said he could not confirm that.
"Those things are things that we're looking at," Davis told Pentagon reporters. "We want very much to get to the bottom of what happened. We're going to find out who did this and we'll take action accordingly."
He added that "we will make sure that anybody who interferes with freedom of navigation or anybody who puts U.S. Navy ships at risk understands that they do so at their own peril."
U.S. officials believe Iranian-backed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, launched variants of the so-called Silkworm missile at the USS Mason and the USS Ponce. Both missiles fell harmlessly into the water. The Silkworm is a type of coastal defense cruise missile that Iran has been known to use.
Davis said the missiles were fired from Houthi-held territory on the Yemen coast.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-3833031/US-weighs-response-Yemen-rebel-missile-attack-ships.html and by CBS http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-mulls-retaliation-yemen-missiles-threaten-ship/
11.10.2016 – Washington Times (* A K)
Ashton Carter: Defense Dept. determined to keep U.S. warships near Yemen despite attempted attack
Washington remains “determined to preserve freedom of navigation” for American and allied warships traversing the waterways off the Yemeni coast, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told reporters Monday.
“We are very capable of taking action against anybody who takes action against our warships” operating in the region or elsewhere around the world, said Mr. Carter who was en route to a biannual symposium with defense chiefs from Central and South America.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/oct/11/ashton-carter-on-yemen-dod-determined-to-keep-us-w/ and see also http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/11/secdef-our-warships-arent-going-anywhere-despite-missile-attack-off-yemen/
Comment: The US searching for a pretense to directly interfere in the Yemen war. See reporting in YPR 211 on this incident and remind the Tonking incident.
See also
11.10.2016 – USNI (* A K)
USS Mason Fired 3 Missiles to Defend From Yemen Cruise Missiles Attack
The crew of a guided-missile destroyer fired three missiles to defend themselves and another ship after being attacked on Sunday in the Red Sea by two presumed cruise missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi-forces, USNI News has learned.
During the attack against USSMason(DDG-87), the ship’s crew fired the missiles to defend the guided-missile destroyer and nearby USSPonce (AFSB(I)-15) from two suspected cruise missiles fired from the Yemini shore, two defense officials told USNI News.
Masonlaunched two Standard Missile-2s (SM-2s) and a single Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) to intercept the two missiles that were launched about 7 P.M. local time. In addition to the missiles, the ship used its Nulka anti-ship missile decoy, the sources confirmed. Masonwas operating in international waters north of the strait of Bab el-Mandeb at the time of the attack.
According to a defense official on Monday,Mason“employed onboard defensive measures” against the first suspected cruise missile, “although it is unclear whether this led to the missile striking the water or whether it would have struck the water anyway.” The official did not specify that the defensive measure was a missile fired from the ship.
USNI News understands, as of Monday, the crew of the ship was uncertain if the suspected cruise missile was taken out by an SM-2 or went into the water on its own. In the Monday statement, the Pentagon said an investigation was ongoing.
The second missile launched from Yemen hit the water without being struck by a U.S. interceptor.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis would not confirmMasonlaunched missiles to USNI News on Monday. On Tuesday, Davis told reporters the missiles coming from Yemen might have been intended to strikePonceand that the U.S. “will take action accordingly,” in response to the findings of the ongoing investigation.
“It might be the first time the SM-2 used against an actual threat for which it was designed,” Clark said.
“It’s definitely the first time ESSM has been used… This is obliviously a huge deal.” – by Sam LaGrone
cp17b Angriff auf emiratisches Schiff am 1.10. / Attack at Emirati vessel, Oct. 1
5.10.2016 – HI Sutton (* A K)
UAE's Swift fast transport hit by missile
Main conclusions:
Portions of the video footage released of the attack was actually from a previous attack [seems to refer to a propaganda film I did not link to]. However, the missile employed is still thought to be an anti-ship missile
Houthi forces have launched multiple attacks with anti-ship missiles but this is the first recorded significant success
The impact and damage is consistent with an anti-ship missile. Significant blast from the impact left large exit holes on the other side of the bow at the same level as the entry hole (from Starboard to Port). This suggests a sea-skimming profile
The fireball immediately after the missile impact suggests a jet propelled C802 where unspent jet fuel acts as an accelerant, rather than a rocket propelled C801 or smaller anti-tank missile
It is unlikely that any Yemeni Navy C801 missiles are still serviceable
Therefore, missiles from the C802 family have been supplied to the Houthi rebels. The most likely sources in Iran.
Iran may see the supply of the missile as low risk because of the ambiguity created by Yemen’s previous operation of C801. The C802 is the same missile believed to have been used by Hezbollah during the attack on INS Hanit in 2006.
An alternative hypothesis being considered is that the missile was a C801 which could be from Yemeni Navy stocks. There is currently some debate among analysts as to whether the video shows the C802 (as suggested here) or the rocket powered C801 – by H I Sutton (many photos)
http://www.hisutton.com/HVS-2%20Swift%20hit.html
7.10.2016 – Military Edge / Patrick Megahan (A K)
UAE's Swift likely hit by C-801 missile http://www.janes.com/article/64445/analysis-uae-s-swift-likely-hit-by-c-801-missile [not found] via @IHS4DefRiskSec
https://twitter.com/Military_Edge/status/784396078426820608
If true, increased chance its a missile provided to the Yemeni military in 1995, and not Iranian-supplied
https://twitter.com/PatMegahan/status/784417081936805889
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
11.10.2016 – Reuters (* A E K)
Merchant ships off Yemen brace for more danger after attacks on navy craft
Missile attacks from Yemen on Western military craft risk spilling over into nearby busy sea lanes which could disrupt oil supplies and also other vital goods passing through the tense area, shipping and insurance sources say.
While shipping companies have yet to divert ships, there are growing worries that any further escalation could hinder oil supplies and potentially lead to higher insurance costs for shipments.
The route is among the world’s busiest and used by major shipping groups such as container line Maersk and oil tanker carriers including Norway’s Frontline and Iran’s NITC, which has benefited this year from the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran.
A ship insurance source said some ships coming into Yemeni ports were already switching off their tracking systems, which allow anyone to monitor their movements via the Internet, due to the violence in the country.
The source said war risk insurance premiums to Yemeni ports such as Hodaida in the north, already amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars of cover for every vessel.
The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence said in a report last week commercial ships in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and Gulf of Aden areas should operate “under a heightened state of alert as increasing tensions in the region escalate the potential for direct or collateral damage to vessels transiting the region”.
11.10.2016 – Seatrade Maritime (A E K)
Red Sea commercial shipping in danger of becoming ‘collateral damage’ in Yemen conflict
While an attack specifically targeting commercial shipping is considered unlikely, the threat of a merchant vessel being caught up as “collateral damage” in the escalating Yemeni conflict is real.
That’s the sobering analysis from Dryad Maritime following two recent attacks on shipping in the Bab al Mandeb Strait, a 30km wide chokepoint at the foot of the Red Sea bordered by Yemen and Horn of Africa nations Djibouti and Eritrea.
The Portsmouth-based maritime security firm has urged a “heightened state of alert” following the latest incident involving the U.S. Navy’s USS Mason.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-211-yemen-war-mosaic-211
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-211: / Yemen War Mosaic 1-211:
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/
Children in Yemen – Yemen tragedy and us – Pressure on Saudis? – Western hypocrisy – UK and Jemen – Cholera – US ships off Yemen – War intensifies – and more
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