Ceasefire – Germany and Yemen war (German) – Yemen war no proxy war – USA and war in Yemen – Cholera outbreak – Refugees in the Middle East – War on Yemen: Oil and geopolitics
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
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
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
19.10.2016 – Deutsche Welle (** A P)
Der Jemen und die schwache Hoffnung auf einen Waffenstillstand
Im Jemen sollen für 72 Stunden die Waffen schweigen. Mit dem guten Willen beider Seiten könnte das zu Friedensverhandlungen führen. Ob sie Erfolg haben, ist fraglich. Die Interessensgegensätze der Akteure sind groß.
Dieser Schlag [Luftangriff der Saudis für den Angriff auf eine Trauerfeier in Sanaa] zwang die USA, den wichtigsten Partner der überwiegend aus arabischen Staaten bestehenden Koalition, zu reagieren. […] Kurz darauf forderte US-Außenminister John Kerry einen Waffenstillstand.
Anfang dieser Woche dann kündigte der Sondergesandte der Vereinten Nationen, Ismail Ould Scheich Ahmed, in New York eine Waffenpause an. Ab 23.59 Uhr Ortszeit am 19. Oktober sollen die Waffen schweigen. Die Feuerpause gelte zunächst für 72 Stunden mit der Option auf Verlängerung.
Ob sie haltbar ist, sei ungewiss, sagt Vincent Durac, Nahost-Experte an der School of Politics & International Relations in Dublin, im Gespräch mit der DW. Dafür spräche, dass der Konflikt einen Stillstand erreicht habe. Die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Koalition stehe spätestens seit dem Angriff auf den Trauerzug erheblich unter Druck. Und ihre Gegner, die Huthis, hätten eine ganze Reihe von Rückschlägen erlitten. Zwar kontrollierten sie den Norden weiterhin und würden ihre Positionen auch nicht räumen. "Aber es gibt auf beiden Seite eine Art Erschöpfung, so dass sie zu dem Schluss kommen könnten, dass ihnen eine weitere Fortsetzung des Krieges keine Vorteile mehr bringt."
Andererseits könnte das Königshaus sich angesichts der in der Bevölkerung geschürten Erwartungen auch veranlasst sehen, die Kämpfe fortzusetzen. "Es wäre sehr einfach, den Waffenstillstand gerade auf Seiten der Saudis als Ergebnis externen Drucks und damit als zeitlich begrenzten Kompromiss zu sehen", sagte Nahost-Experte Vincent Durac vom University College Dublin der DW. "Auf diese Weise könnten sie ihren Partnern, vor allen Großbritannien und den USA, signalisieren, dass sie sich der Problematik des Flächenbombardements durchaus bewusst sind." Das hieße, Saudi-Arabien führe den Krieg weiter, gebe sich aber nach außen geläutert.
Sollten sich beide Seiten aber entschließen, den Waffenstillstand zu verlängern oder gar in Verhandlungen übergehen zu lassen, sehen sie sich erheblichen diplomatischen Herausforderungen gegenüber.
Sollten sich beide Seiten auf Gespräche einigen, dürften entsprechende Forderungen auf den Verhandlungstisch kommen.
http://www.dw.com/de/der-jemen-und-die-schwache-hoffnung-auf-einen-waffenstillstand/a-36083653
English version:
19.10.2016 – Deutsche Welle (** A K P)
Fighting in the country is set to cease for the next 72 hours. But it is anyone's guess if it will lead to peace talks.
Shortly thereafter [Saudi air raid at funeral at Sanaa], US Secretary of State John Kerry called for a ceasefire.
Speaking in New York earlier this week, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced just that. The cessation of hostilities, he said, would begin shortly before midnight on October 19. The ceasefire will last for 72 hours but may be extended.
It cannot be known if the ceasefire will hold, as Vincent Durac, Middle East expert at the School of Politics & International Relations in Dublin, told DW in an interview. One aspect that may point to success is the fact that the conflict has apparently come to a standstill. The Saudi-led, US-backed coalition has been under increasing pressure, especially since the attack on the funeral procession. Their adversaries, the Houthis, have also suffered a number of setbacks. They still control northern Yemen and will not leave their positions, "but there is a certain fatigue on both sides, and that could lead each to the conclusion that continued fighting will not create new advantages," said Durac.
he House of Saud may feel obliged to keep fighting in order to meet the expectations that it has stirred domestically.
"It would be very easy to see the ceasefire, especially from the Saudi side, as a temporary compromise resulting from outside pressure," said Durac. "They could use the ceasefire as a way to signal to their partners, above all Great Britain and the United States, that they are aware of the problems created by carpet bombing."
That would mean that Saudi Arabia would continue fighting but it could present itself as enlightened to the outside world, Durac added.
Should both sides decide to extend the ceasefire, or even begin peace negotiations, they would be confronted with major diplomatic challenges
Should both sides agree to talks, such issues would no doubt be brought to the table
Solutions may be made more likely thanks to international pressure. The United Nations can hardly be interested in having yet another failed, or failing, state on its hands alongside Iraq, Syria and Libya.
http://www.dw.com/en/yemen-pinning-hopes-on-a-ceasefire/a-36092878?maca=en-Facebook-sharing
19.10.2016 – France 24 (** A K P)
Yemen, not Saudi Arabia nor Iran, lies at the heart of the solution
A ceasefire deal between warring parties in Yemen is set to go into effect Wednesday shortly before midnight. FRANCE 24’s Leela Jacinto examines whether this time, there are any peace hopes.
Yemen’s Houthi-run administration has welcomed a 72-hour, UN-brokered ceasefire scheduled to start at 23:59 local time Wednesday. The international community hopes the cessation of hostilities will allow aid to reach areas besieged by fighting and a Saudi-administered blockade of the impoverished Arab nation.
The UN's special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has voiced hopes that the 72-hour period can be extended. For most Yemenis though, they simply want an end to a 19-month war that kicked off in May 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition launched gruelling air strikes that have claimed the lives of more than 4,000 civilians, displaced around 3 million and plunged Yemen into a humanitarian crisis.
This conflict has dragged on for 19 months and past ceasefire deals have not held. Why is this happening now?
The short answer is US leverage. The US – and to a lesser extent, the UK – have pushed for this deal.
This renewed US engagement comes in the wake of two important events that occurred earlier this month.
The first was the October 8 Saudi bombing of the funeral of a tribal chief
From the US point of view, Washington is being drawn in to support an ally who has been very irresponsible in its bombing campaign. The Yemen operation is viewed, in many circles, as a personal campaign of Saudi Defence Minister Prince Muhammad bin Salman, who has been described as a brash, “inexperienced youngster”.
The October 8 funeral bombing was yet another development highlighting Washington’s unenviable position in an unpopular conflict. The US does not want a mission creep in yet another theatre of war. And so, the US really pushed for this ceasefire deal.
There have been ceasefires in the past, but they have not worked and the war has dragged on for 19 months.
As with all things, what’s needed is a political solution
From a diplomatic perspective, the tragedy of the Yemeni crisis is that it has been viewed in the regional context as a clash between Sunni Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Shiite Houthis.
The root of the problem though is an internal domestic crisis that got regionalised. And the only solution lies in resolving the domestic problem.
Hadi is not charismatic, and more important, has no support base. So, when he came to power, he turned to powerful northern neighbour, Saudi Arabia, and its western allies.
The transitional government that Hadi put in place after his inauguration did not include any Houthis, an omission that was skillfully taken up by former President Saleh, who has formed an alliance with the Houthis.
Hadi -- who we call “the internationally recognised president", which is really a euphemism for a leader merely on paper – is not even in Yemen right now. He fled to Saudi Arabia, where he lives in exile.
If his credibility was low to begin with, it’s at rock-bottom levels since he sought refuge in a country that is unleashing mayhem and a humanitarian disaster in Yemen.
For a peace deal to hold, there has to be a comprehensive power-sharing arrangement.
An all-inclusive deal must have a power-sharing arrangement with the Houthis. Hadi and the Saudis have to be convinced of this and for this, international arm-twisting is critical to get both sides to compromise.
As for Ali Abdallah Saleh, there are two choices: if he’s not in the power equation, he can’t stay in Yemen. Or his factions and family have to be part of the deal.
A deal should also include economic packages for the north, an impoverished region where the state has barely had a presence.
In another words, Yemen – and not Saudi Arabia, nor Iran – needs to be put at the heart of the solution.
http://www.france24.com/en/20161019-yemen-ceasefire-analysis-saudi-iran-houthis and film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByYXlMk1KRg
Comment: Quite reasonable, but in one matter Jacinto is missing the point: In the affair of the US vessels off the Yemeni coast, she absolutely adopts the official US (propaganda version), even calling the US reaction “moderate”.
19.10.2016 – German Foreign Policy (** B P)
Ignorierte Kriege (I)
Trotz anhaltender Kriegsverbrechen der saudischen Streitkräfte im Jemen setzt Berlin die Unterstützung für den Herrscherclan in Riad fort. Während wegen angeblicher oder tatsächlicher Kriegsverbrechen im syrischen Aleppo Forderungen nach einer Verschärfung der Russland-Sanktionen laut werden, bleibt für Saudi-Arabien sogar das Bombardement einer Trauerfeier, bei dem über 140 Zivilisten getötet wurden, ohne Folgen. Mehr als 2.400 zivile Todesopfer haben Luftangriffe der saudisch geführten Kriegskoalition im Jemen bereits gefordert, darunter Patienten in Krankenhäusern von Ärzte ohne Grenzen oder Kinder, die eine Koranschule besuchten. Eine von Riad exekutierte Seeblockade schneidet den bitter armen Jemen, der zu 80 Prozent von Lebensmittelimporten abhängig ist, von Nahrungslieferungen ab. Inzwischen sind 1,5 Millionen Kinder in dem Land unterernährt, 370.000 von ihnen schwer; sie können nur unzureichend medizinisch versorgt werden, weil Saudi-Arabien Arzneimittelfabriken bombardiert und auch die Einfuhr von Medikamenten beschränkt. In deutschen Medien wird die humanitäre Katastrophe im Jemen weitgehend beschwiegen: Riad, das sie verantwortet, ist der wichtigste Verbündete Berlins im Mittleren Osten; sein Krieg im Jemen soll mit den Rebellen der Huthi-Bewegung zugleich den Einfluss Irans zurückdrängen, er liegt damit auch im Interesse der deutschen Eliten.
Die saudischen Luftangriffe auf zivile Ziele sowie die hohe Zahl an zivilen Todesopfern hielten auch die Bundesregierung nicht davon ab, dem Krieg ausdrücklich ihre Zustimmung zu erteilen.
Im Unterschied zu den angeblichen oder tatsächlichen Kriegsverbrechen in Aleppo, die aus außenpolitischen Gründen propagandistisch ausgeschlachtet werden (german-foreign-policy.com berichtete), ignoriert Berlin die mutmaßlichen saudischen Kriegsverbrechen nach Möglichkeit. Dafür gibt es zwei Ursachen. Die eine besteht darin, dass der Herrscherclan in Riad - anders als die syrische und die russische Regierung - bislang als weitgehend loyaler Statthalter westlicher Interessen im Nahen und Mittleren Osten gilt. Die zweite Ursache liegt in der Konfliktkonstellation im Jemen. Dort ist Anfang 2015 der mit Riad verbündete, als prowestlich eingestufte Präsident Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi durch die nordjemenitische Rebellenbewegung der Huthi gestürzt worden, die ihrerseits eine gewisse - wenngleich oft übertrieben dargestellte - Nähe zu Iran aufweist und sich mit antiwestlichen Positionen hervortut. "Die Aussicht, dass Iran, die Schutzmacht der Houthis, neben der Meerenge von Hormuz auch noch die Meerenge zwischen dem Jemen und Afrika kontrollieren könnte, durch die jeden Tag Millionen Barrel Erdöl transportiert werden, erschreckt viele" im Westen, berichtete kurz nach Beginn des Krieges im März 2015 ein Nahostexperte. Riads militärischem Vorgehen gegen die Huthis und damit auch gegen Iran legt Berlin deshalb keine Steine in den Weg.
Mit Waffen belohnt
Weit davon entfernt, Konsequenzen aus Kriegsverbrechen wie der Bombardierung einer Trauerfeier in Sanaa befürchten zu müssen, wird Saudi-Arabien sogar weiter mit Rüstungsgütern aus deutscher Produktion beliefert - darunter auch Kriegsgerät, das es im Jemen einsetzt. Jüngstes Beispiel sind aktuelle Verhandlungen über die Lieferung zusätzlicher Eurofighter an die saudische Luftwaffe. german-foreign-policy.com berichtet in Kürze.
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/fulltext/59464
18.10.2016 – Slate (** B K P)
Yemen Isn’t Just a Proxy War Between Saudi Arabia and Iran
It’s as much about an old dictator trying to keep his replacement out of power.
The war in Yemen is more of an ongoing domestic power struggle that has spiraled out of control and was exacerbated by the political upheaval of the Arab Spring. When outside countries became involved militarily, Yemen was wedged into the pressure cooker of Middle East geopolitics, making it even harder to reach a modicum of peace.
Indeed, the Iranian government did work to increase its influence in Yemen after the change in Yemeni leadership in 2012 by supporting activists who were against Hadi’s government. Saudi Arabia was keenly aware of such developments, and the monarchy, fearful of Shiite Islam as it is, did not want Iran to gain any more allies in the region, especially not on its southern border. Yet Yemen analysts agree that Saudi Arabia blew the extent to which Iran supported the Houthis out of proportion. Whether that was an intentional calculation or not, it laid the groundwork for a war against an enemy that would not be as easily defeated as the Saudis had initially planned.
The breakdown of Saleh’s government paved the way for rebel movements such as the Houthis, who’d been engaged in an on-again, off-again conflict with the government for more than a decade. Islamists were another such group, though that category described everyone from al-Qaida supporters to moderate members of Yemen’s Muslim Brotherhood. The Houthis, who are best thought of as a tribal militia, were longtime rivals with the tribal militias supported by Islamist leaders, and conflict arose between the two sides in Yemen’s rural areas as soon as Saleh stepped down as president.
Hadi, lacking any traditional base of support because his power came almost solely from the U.N. and Western powers that supported him, cozied up to the Islamists. The Houthis fought this all the way to capital, which they took in September 2014, chasing out the failed and weak President Hadi.
In order to do so and to push the Islamists further south, the Houthis partnered, very critically, with their old nemesis, Saleh.
The importance of this Saleh-Houthi alliance cannot be overstated. Saleh, who is much more affable and well-liked in the north than Hadi, had old, powerful allies in the capital who felt defeated under Hadi’s presidency. Saleh’s allies overnight became fans of the Houthis because it was a way of being anti-Hadi. It was a way of getting their country back after the Arab Spring when the Islamists gained more power. As for Saleh, working with his old foes, the Houthis, was not surprising. The wily former leader had long been a master of playing all sides to benefit his rule, and the Houthis were a tool for him to slip right back into a leadership position. The Saudi bombing campaign has only helped his cause by cementing popular support for the Houthi-Saleh alliance in the capital. The U.S. support for that campaign has only increased anti-American sentiment – by Laura Kasinof
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2016/10/the_yemen_conflict_is_not_just_a_proxy_war.html = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1138915629494799
Comment: A very good article about the backgrounds of the Yemen war, very worth to be read in full.
Comment: If you have time only for an article on #Yemen today, we hope you choose this one.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1138915629494799
Comment by Judith Brown: Yes it is about an ex president trying to keep his replacement out of power. A replacement who was elected for a two year fixed term whose term expired two and a half years ago. A replacement who is even more unpopular than Saleh. A replacement who cannot stay in Yemen and on his brief visits there he has to have non-Yemeni personal bodyguards because he is so hated. A replacement that Saudi Arabia UK and USA are trying to impose of the Yemeni people.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154823931128641
18.10.2016 – War is Boring (** B K)
The Truth Is, America’s Been at War in Yemen for Years. But the enemy keeps changing
But Washington is hardly an innocuous bystander who just happened to get to close to Yemen’s current crisis. The attempted missile strikes on Masonunderscore the increasingly confused and contradictory goals in Washington and allied capitals when it comes to Yemen.
America’s interest in Yemen isn’t new. U.S. forces have repeatedly attacked Al Qaeda’s regional franchise in the small Middle East country for more than a decade now.
Washington had branded the Yemeni Al-Qaeda faction one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations on the planet.
By August 2014, the Pentagon had at least two named military operations in Yemen
All of these missions — and especially the Yukon Viking drone strikes — were aimed squarely at AQAP. Though Washington fretted over Iranian support for the Houthis, the Pentagon viewed the Shi’ite movement as a tertiary threat.
Washington insisted it was not an active participant in the Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis. Instead, American forces continued to strike mostly at AQAP.
Unfortunately for Washington, separating Riyadh’s attempt to suppress the Houthis from the campaign against AQAP and Islamic State simply isn’t working. For their part, the Houthis fail to see any difference.
On top of that, since April 2015, U.S. Air Force tankers have poured more than 40 million pounds of fuel into Riyadh’s and other coalition fighter-bombers on their way to attack Houthi positions. Until August 2016, American officials helped the Saudi-led forces to pick out targets to bomb.
On three occasions between March and April 2016, the U.S. Navy also stopped ships bound for Yemen, seizing the weapons and ammunition on board. The Pentagon claimed the shipments originated in Iran and were headed for Houthi forces.
Within 48 hours, American forces had located potential radar sites that could have been used to guide anti-ship cruise missiles, fired their own missiles and started assessing the damage, according to Pentagon statements.
Such a quick response points to systems already in position or existing information on hand from prior counterterrorism operations. Of course, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies also maintain databases of points of interest around the world for targeting and other purposes — just in case.
What seems clear is that the Pentagon is actively engaged in Yemen, has been so for some time and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. Who exactly the enemies will be — at least officially — isn’t so obvious – by JOSEPH TREVITHICK
https://warisboring.com/the-truth-is-americas-been-at-war-in-yemen-for-years-baf6932cbdfe
18.10.2016 – World Health Organization (** A H)
Cholera outbreak – WHO and partners urgently require US$ 22.35 million to save lives and reduce suffering
The World Health Organization and health partners urgently require support from the international donor community to contain the spread of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera in Yemen. A total of US$ 22.35 million is required by the Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene clusters, of which US$ 16.6 million is immediately required.
As of 17 October, a total of 340 suspected cases have been reported, of which 18 have tested positive forVibrio cholerae in Taiz, Al-Hudaydah, Aden, Al Bayda, Lahj, and Sana’a governorates. Patients are currently receiving treatment. No deaths have been reported.
More than 7.6 million people are living in the affected areas, and more than 3 million internally displaced persons are especially vulnerable to the outbreak. The health of these populations is already compromised as a result of food shortages, increased malnutrition and lack of adequate health services. Without a sustained multisector response, cases of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera are likely to increase, with up to 76 000 additional cases across 15 governorates, including 15 200 severe cases requiring admission for cholera treatment.
As a result of the ongoing conflict, two thirds of Yemenis do not have access to clean water and sanitation services are limited, especially in cities, further increasing the risk of catching cholera. This is further aggravated by a decline in the national health system’s capacity to respond to the cholera outbreak due to critical shortages in resources. As of October 2016, only 45% of all health facilities in Yemen remain functional due to shortages in health staff, medicines and medical supplies.
With the overall goal of reducing mortality and morbidity related to acute watery diarrhoea/cholera, health cluster partners aim to reach 3.8 million at-risk people through:
http://www.emro.who.int/yem/yemen-news/cholera-outbreak-in-yemen-who-and-partners-urgently-require-us-2235-million-to-save-lives-and-reduce-suffering.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cholera-outbreak-who-and-partners-urgently-require-us2235-million-save-lives-and-reduce and article by VOA: http://www.voanews.com/a/war-torn-yemen-faces-threat-of-cholera-epidemic/3556222.html
18.10.2016 – Pew Research Center (** A H K)
1. Conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen lead to millions of displaced migrants in the Middle East since 2005
Between 2005 and 2015, the number of displaced migrants3 in the Middle East grew fourfold, from about 5 million to about 23 million. Much of this rise was the result of recent conflict in three countries – Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Absolute numbers tell only part of the story of the Middle East’s displaced population. As a share of the total population, displaced persons constitute a substantial minority in Jordan (38%), Syria (39%) and Lebanon (26%).
In 2015, Syria’s displaced population was almost entirely made up of internally displaced Syrians. Between 2006 and 2011, by contrast, Iraqi refugees were the largest displaced group within Syria. Yet even at the height of sectarian violence in Iraq in 2007, displaced migrants made up only 10% of Syria’s population. (Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, fewer Iraqi refugees now live in Syria.)
Today, about one-in-ten people living in Iraq (13%) as well as Yemen (10%) are displaced migrants. Most displaced migrants in Iraq are Iraqi nationals who have been forced from their homes but are still living in that country. In Yemen, most displaced migrants are internally displaced persons as well, but a substantial number (about a quarter million or about 10%) are refugees from other countries, mostly from Somalia.
Migrants displaced within their home countries: Rapid rise in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in recent years
The number of internally displaced persons in the Middle East has grown rapidly over the past decade. In 2005, slightly more than a million people living in the Middle East had been displaced from their homes and were living in their countries of birth. By 2015, the number had climbed to about 13 million. As of 2015, nearly all internally displaced migrants in the Middle East lived in just three countries: Syria, Iraq and Yemen – BY PHILLIP CONNOR
Comment: Look at the very informative statistic figures. A balance of horror for Western (US) foreign “policy”. Afghanistan not even is in these lists
9.4.2015 – RT (*** B K P)
War on Yemen: Where oil and geopolitics mix
Everything about the war on Yemen is a smokescreen. Concealed behind the smoke is a tale of geopolitics and petro-politics that aims to control the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
The House of Saud and a military coalition that consists mostly of anachronistic monarchies are claiming to bomb Yemen as a means of saving the Yemenite people and their transition to democracy. The irony should not be lost on observers that recognize that the Saudi-led coalition — consisting of the Kingdom of Morocco, the UAE, Kuwait, Kingdom of Bahrain, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia itself — is comprised of an unhealthy mixture of backward family dictatorships and corrupt governments that essentially are the antithesis of democracy.
Just as important to note, the Saudi-led war on Yemen is a criminal act. The military attack on Yemen was not authorized by the UN Security Council. Nor can the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia justify its bombing campaign under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, because Yemen and Ansarullah (the Houthi movement) pose no threat of war to Riyadh and never had any intentions of igniting a war in the Arabian Peninsula. This is why the Kingdom’s war on Yemen is categorically a violation of the Charter of the UN and international law.
The Houthis never wanted to aggravate Saudi Arabia let alone start a war against the Kingdom. Days before the Saudi-led war on Yemen, the Houthis had stealthily sent a delegation to Riyadh to establish an understanding with the Saudis and to calm them down.
Instead of opposing the illegal war on Yemen, Washington and its allies, including Britain, have thrown their political support behind the bombing of Yemen by the malfeasant Royal Saudi Air Force
It is no coincidence that most of the victims in Yemen are civilians. This is part of a Saudi strategy of establishing rapid military dominance, which is colloquially called “shock and awe.” Ring any bells? This is a strategy taken right out of Uncle Sam’s playbook that intends to demoralize resistance and scare the opponent into surrendering.
Not eager to reveal their roles in another illegal war on another sovereign country, the US and undoubtedly several of its NATO allies have decided to keep low profiles in the attack on Yemen. This is why Washington has opted to publicly present itself as only providing logistical and intelligence support to the Saudis for the war on Yemen.
The war on Yemen, however, would not be possible without the US. Not only have countries like the US and Britain provided military hardware to Saudi Arabia, but they are providing it with bombs for the attack, refueling its warplanes, providing intelligence, and giving the Kingdom logistical support.
Does this sound like non-involvement? Can the US really be considered a non-combatant in the war?
History — and very recent history at that too — is repeating itself in Yemen.
Double standards: Remember EuroMaidan in Ukraine?
Al-Hadi’s (il)legitimacy
While there some parallels between the two, there are key differences between Ukraine and Yemen. These key differences set Yanukovich and Al-Hadi apart and are what made Yanukovich legitimate and Al-Hadi illegitimate.
Firstly, unlike President Yanukovich, Al-Hadi resigned from office. For arguments sake, however, we will not dwell on this. There are much more important points for evaluating Al-Hadi’s legitimacy.
Unlike Yanukovich, Al-Hadi’s term had actually expired. While President Yanukovich was elected into office by the Ukrainian people for his term, President Al-Hadi’s term was extended through an administrative process. To quote Reuters: “Yemen's political factions extended the president’s term by a year” on January 21, 2014. Al-Hadi was only kept in office to execute reforms, and this is the criterion for his legitimacy.
Under the above context, it has to be remembered that Al-Hadi was selected as a transitional figure. He became the president of Yemen to usher democracy and his term was extended in 2014 for this purpose. Instead, Al-Hadi dragged his feet on the democratic reforms — the fundamental basis for his legitimacy — that he was supposed to institute in Yemen. He was not fulfilling his mandate to share power and to enfranchise Yemen’s different political factions.
President Al-Hadi actually tried to concentrate power into his own hands while working to weaken Yemen’s other factions, including the Houthis, through gerrymandering by redrawing Yemen’s administrative regions.
Petro-politics & Bab-el-Mandeb Strait: Another war for control of oil?
Iran and the Houthis
Just like the case with Ukraine, all the problems in Yemen are also being blamed on a nearby country. While Russia has been blamed as the scapegoat for the plethora of problems in Ukraine, Iran has been blamed for the Saudi war on Yemen.
The Saudis are falsely depicting the Houthis as Iranian proxies or allies, because the movement is composed of Zaidi (Fiver) Shiites. The Houthis, however, are independent from Tehran and have agency as political actors; they are not Iranian proxies whatsoever.
The sectarian language that falsely depicts Yemen as a battleground between Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims is ill informed or intended to mislead people by design about the actual politics and history of Yemen. This type of sectarian language was never used when the House of Saud supported King Mohammed Al-Badr’s Zaidi imamate against the republicans or Ali Abdullah Saleh, who himself is a Zaidi Shiite, against the Houthis.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is very accurate when he points out that different regional players are turning to Tehran for help, because either Saudi Arabia will not help them or is pushing them in the direction of Iran through its foolish policies. This has been precisely the case for the Houthis. If it was not for the flawed policies of the US and Saudi Arabia, the Houthis would never have turned to Iran in the first place.
The Houthis also sent delegations to Moscow and Beijing to overcome US and Saudi efforts to isolate and weaken them internationally.
Will Yemen become Saudi Arabia’s Vietnam?
Historically, foreign intervention in Yemen has largely proven to be a disaster – by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/248269-yemen-oil-saudi-mandeb-strait/
Comment: Another good read. Another point of view from last year. Almost prophetic
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1139768062742889
cp2 Allgemein / General
19.10.2016 – Yemen Updates (A K)
Map: Excellent depiction of the existing control of land by all warring parties in #Yemen.
https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/788135540445089793
Comment by Judith Brown: This is a reasonable description of how the land of Yemen is being 'controlled' if that is an appropriate word for what is happening to Yemen in this terrible war. Please note the areas of previous Al Qaeda control, in truth it is possible for AQ fighters to morph back into the Sunni tribal militias especially in areas which are very religiously conservative and hence previous AQ operatives may be still in the area fighting under a different guise. There are also rumours and pictures of AQ fighters in southwest Saudi Arabia fighting the Houthi-Saleh alliance so particularly looking at the corridor across Jawf notionally under Hadi control it is possible for these fighters to have entered KSA. Note - the areas often described as under Houthi control are no longer strictly speaking under Houthi control since the ruling committee now has accepted 50% Saleh supporters as members and so to be pedantic it is under Houthi-Saleh rule. And I don't think that Al Qaeda ever had a strong presence in Sanaa although it is overlaid by the al Qaeda motif.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154823860068641
19.10.2016 – Yemen Updates (A E P)
@HadiPresident's decision to move the Central Bank to Aden was a bless to Houthi/Saleh. Public servants are unpaid for 2 months now.
https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/788774588134072320
19.10.2016 – France 24 (* A K P)
Film. Yemen crisis: "Yemen, not Saudi Arabia nor Iran, lies at the heart of the solution"
FRANCE 24's Leela Jacinto examines the hopes for peace in Yemen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByYXlMk1KRg
19.10.2016 – Der Standard (* B P)
USA suchen nach Notbremse im Jemen
Washington macht Druck auf Riad: nicht zuletzt aus Sorge, selbst für vermeintliche Kriegsverbrechen verantwortlich gemacht zu werden.
Die Feuerpause, von der die Rede ist, soll Donnerstag um 0 Uhr beginnen und ist auf drei Tage anberaumt – mit der Hoffnung auf Verlängerung, gab der Jemen-Vermittler der Uno, der Mauretanier Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, bekannt. Hinter ihr steht, anders als das dominierende Narrativ in Sanaa lautet, viel US-Druck – und ein saudisches Schuldeingeständnis: Der Angriff auf eine Trauergesellschaft in Sanaa mit mindestens 140 Toten und hunderten Verletzten vor zehn Tagen sei aufgrund falscher Informationen und mangelnder Aufklärung erfolgt, gab Riad bekannt und bot Entschädigung an. Davor hatte Saudi-Arabien die Verantwortung noch zurückgewiesen.
Die Frage, über die sich Juristen streiten, lautet, ob auch die USA und Großbritannien als "co-belligerent" belangt werden können, wenn Saudi-Arabien – wie von Menschenrechtlern behauptet – im Jemen Kriegsverbrechen verübt.
Nach dem Angriff auf die Trauergesellschaft gingen in Washington die Alarmglocken los: Man müsse im Licht der "US-Prinzipien, -Werte und -Interessen" seine Unterstützung für die Kampagne überdenken.
Für die Obama-Kritiker ist Jemen ein Beweis mehr, dass seine "Doktrin", so genannt in Jeffrey Goldbergs Artikel in "The Atlantic", nicht funktioniert: Sie lautet, dass er sich nicht von – ideologisch dubiosen – "Schwarzfahrern" im Nahen Osten in ihre Kriege ziehen lasse. Die USA sind aber auch im Jemen gleichzeitig drinnen und draußen – von Gudrun Harrer
http://derstandard.at/2000046100863/USA-suchen-nach-Notbremse-im-Jemen
19.10.2016 – Deutschlandfunk (* B H K)
Jemen schwierigste humanitäre Situation weltweit
Die Politologin Heinze vom Bonner Forschungsinstitut Carpo sieht den Bürgerkrieg im Jemen als schwierigste humanitäre Notlage weltweit.
Sie sagte im Deutschlandfunk, täglich stürben Kinder an Hunger, und die Krankenhäuser seien nicht mehr ausgerüstet, um helfen zu können. Eine große Hoffnung bestehe darin, dass mit dem Waffenstillstand - selbst wenn er nur zum Teil umgesetzt würde - auch Hilfe ins Land komme. Schwierig sei aber, dass in einigen Orten Akteure kämpften, die sich nicht an die Waffenruhe gebunden fühlten.
http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/politikwissenschaftlerin-heinze-jemen-schwierigste.447.de.html?drn:news_id=668467 und Audio: https://player.fm/series/interview-deutschlandfunk/jemen-blutiges-chaos-beendet-interview-marie-christine-heinze-carpo-bonn
18.10.2016 – The Wire (* B K P)
Why the World is Ignoring the War in Yemen
The suffering in Yemen will not stop unless the West stops supporting Saudi Arabia with arms and tacit consent.
This entire war has gone by without much comment. In fact, the opposite has happened as Saudi Arabia’s depleted stores of munitions have been hastily replenished by Canada, the UK and the US.
Hushed conversations have taken place at the UN Security Council about calls for a ceasefire, but there has not been an outcry since the US provided diplomatic cover to Saudi Arabia. It was only after the funeral massacre that the UK circulated a draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen. Yet, at no point has the UK even suggested an arms embargo. BAE Systems – a UK arms manufacturer – is currently in talks with the Saudi government to sign another arms deal.
Yemen has been experiencing domestic tensions since the unification of the country in 1990. Several groups within the country have felt cut out by the various deals negotiated by the elite.
After Saleh’s ousting, his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi won an uncontested election but immediately tried to smother all the political contradictions that had come to light during the mass protests across the country from 2011 to 2012. Hadi was carrying water for Saudi Arabia, which has long wanted a pliable neighbour at its southern border. Even then he had warned that the situation in Yemen was ‘worse than Afghanistan’, with the presence of the Zaidi Houthis, the AQAP, pirates in the Gulf of Aden and other groups all armed and dangerous.
The US has, for over a decade, been bombing Yemen – but mainly from its drones.
The peace talks fell apart in Kuwait, as they had fallen apart previously in Geneva. There is now almost no hope of a UN-brokered agreement unless the Saudis and their allies agree to give the Houthis and Saleh something.
The UN had put great hope in those meetings, to no avail. The Saudis demanded that the forces of the Houthis along with Saleh quit Sana’a and disarm. This was simply not going to happen. The Saudis made no strategic gains. Indeed, the Houthi-Saleh forces felt that their survival was synonymous with victory and they did not want to surrender at the negotiation table. They had tasted victory and wanted to experience it in the peace talks.
The West will continue to arm Saudi Arabia. The senseless suffering of the Yemenis will continue. There is no end in sight – by Vijay Prashad
http://thewire.in/73882/why-the-world-is-ignoring-the-war-in-yemen/
18.10.2016 – Judith Brown (* B K P)
This BBC documentary is so important that I am recirculating it. Despite this we have no charity appeal in U.K. - the cholera outbreak in Yemen gets nil coverage even though the Haiti possible (not actual) risk of cholera gets covered. We have no UN at the ready as there is in Mosul. There is no condemnation of the embargo yet there is wide coverage of the siege of Aleppo. There is no mention of war crimes by Saudi Arabia - who are allowed the judge for themselves whether they commit war crimes or not - whereas in Syria and Iraq it seems we can make a judgement ourselves concerning whether war crimes are committed and there is no suggestion that Russia or ISIS should judge for themselves whether they commit war crimes. If you haven't see this video yet please watch it. (with film)
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154820335963641
18.10.2016 – Judith Brown (* A H K)
The news of the ceasefire from USA. How much humanitarian aid can get into Yemen, when you see the difficulties in the terrain. It will take weeks to get food unloaded in Hodeida thanks to the Saudi coalition bombing of the unloading cranes at the port. It will take days or even weeks to get food across the mountains to Sanaa and Saada because of the bombing of roads and bridges and the rugged mountainous terrain. The war simply needs to stop.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154818547223641
18.10.2016 – Iraq Insider (* B K)
Film: World is turning a blind eye to Saudi war crimes in Yemen
Newsround interviews Journalist Mohammad Ali Carter from STW's International conference - 15 Years On: Time to stop the War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppuj8BND4h4
18.10.2016 – ITV (B K)
Film: A member of the Yemeni community in Cardiff has spoken about his concerns over how the civil war in his homeland is affecting his friends and family back home.
According to Ahmed Ali, a teacher now living in Cardiff, food is now in short supply as the conflict in Yemen shows no sign of a truce.
Oxfam Cymru have warned more than 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and have called on all sides in the conflict to respect international law.
17.10.2016 – Washington Post (B K P)
Four maps that explain the chaos of the Middle East
17.10.2016 – RT (B K P)
Film: Saudische Angriffe im Jemen: Kriegsverbrechen gegen Zivilisten und die Welt schweigt
Den Angriffen Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen fallen immer mehr Zivilisten zum Opfer. Doch während die "Weltgemeinschaft" derzeit Russland hart für dessen Militäraktionen in Syrien kritisiert, schweigt sie im Falle der Saudis. Der Grund: Saudi-Arabien ist ein wichtiger Verbündeter des Westens. Die Kriegsverbrechen, die es im Jemen begangen hat, soll das Königreich selbst aufklären. Das Ergebnis fiel aus wie erwartet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUbHwI1-Cw
17.10.2016 – DR.DK (B K)
Børn sulter i Mellemøstens oversete krig
ANALYSE: Hospitaler bombes, millioner er på flugt, og børn dør af sult for åbent kamera i Yemen – Af Michael S. Lund (with film: Interviewing Nasser Arrabyee)
http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/udland/boern-sulter-i-mellemoestens-oversete-krig
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
19.10.2016 – Middle East Monitor (* A H)
Waterborne diseases on the rise in Aden
There has been a rise in the number of cases of cholera in Yemen’s de facto capital city, Aden, medical sources have said.
In the past week alone, six people have died of the waterborne disease and 78 new cases have been identified, local news outlet Aden Ghad reported yesterday.
Dr Mohammed Mustafa Rajmnar, senior director of the Healthcare Office in Aden, urged locals to look out for the symptoms to ensure early diagnosis. He also called on people not to use antibiotics unless they have been prescribed by a doctor.
He also explained that the World Health Organisation has provided medical supplies to Aden to combat the growing “epidemic”.
A special hotline has been set up for those suspected to have the disease.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161019-waterborne-diseases-on-the-rise-in-aden/
Comment by Judith Brown: Even in Aden - 'liberated' last year by the Saudi coalition with assistance from Islah militias and Al Qaeda and secessionist militias - is suffering from the cholera outbreak.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154823388983641
19.10.2016 – The Peninsula Qatar (* A H)
Qatar Charity survey shows severe shortages in Yemen city
Qatar Charity (QC) has conducted a survey in the rural areas of Al Hudaydah city of Yemen to assess the needs of the people fighting for survival due to famine.
The move aims to provide food, shelter, water and health services to the citizens.
More than 15 villages and residential communities were surveyed to get first-hand information about the situation and needs of the families. The survey suggests that there is severe shortage of food and clean water.
Villagers depend on water pumps which is not enough for them. People, especially women, are forced to walk long distances to fetch drinking water on a daily basis.
Disease and epidemics have broken out due to water scarcity and lack of medicines and supplies. Children and senior citizens are vulnerable to these diseases. The area also lacks basic services such as clinics, qualified health staff and proper medical equipment.
The survey also showed that a large proportion of young people face the challenge of unemployment.
Those working cannot earn enough to cover their expenditure.
People living in these areas lack the basic needs of life such as clothes, shoes, beds and good houses.
Comment: Be aware that this is in Hadi’s “free” Yemen paradise.
19.10.2016 – Al Araby (* A H)
Breaking Bad in Yemen: Professor dealing drugs to survive
A Yemeni university professor has resorted to selling qat to put food on his family's table, as the country's ongoing conflict further compounds its economic problems.
Sociology and anthropology professor at Sanaa University, Abdallah al-Hakimi, recently admitted to his students on social media that he was now selling the drug, which is illegal in the UK, to feed his family.
Our savings have run out and the food stocks at home have completely finished. The supermarket next to us no longer lets people run a tab. So I've had to start selling qat so that my children don't go to bed without dinner," Hakimi said.
"Selling qat, albeit dishonourable, does not belittle me or you in any way; it is more honourable than violence and shedding the blood of others," he added, before apologising to his students.
Local news has also reported that philosophy professor at Sanaa University, Jamil Aoun, has started to work at a brick factory in the capital to make ends meet.
Merchants in Sanaa told The New Arab Yemen correspondent, Farouq al-Kamali, that shops all around the country have seen a significant drop in sales after civil servants received no paychecks in September.
"The delay in payments has forced me to stop selling goods on credit. My shop is now bare of products because I don't have the money to buy new goods," supermarket owner, Mohammad al-Nahari, said.
18.10.2016 – International Organization for Migration (* A H)
IOM Combats Cholera Outbreak in Yemen
Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) has officially announced eight cholera cases in Sana'a city. Three more confirmed cases of cholera were reported on 9 October 2016, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 11.
IOM Yemen’s health team has drawn up plans to control such an outbreak. It targets migrants in the three main cities (Sana’a, Aden and Hodeidah) where they commonly stranded and where IOM has facilities to provide the most vulnerable with humanitarian assistance, including emergency health care.
Staff responsibilities have been identified. Medicines, medical supplies, and WASH supplies have been procured and are ready to be distributed. Three cholera treatment centers have been set up in the three governorates for the isolation and management of infected cases.
Referral of severe cases to the public hospitals has been arranged with the health authority. An awareness raising plan has been prepared and promotional materials in different languages have been prepared, translated and printed.
During the last few days, surveillance and response efforts have been underway, led by a team from the surveillance programme of the Ministry of Health for early reporting of any suspected cases.
On 13 October 2016, more suspected cases of acute watery diarrhea were reported from other locations in the country, including Lahj and Aden in the South and Hodeidah in the West. Those new cases need be verified through laboratory tests before being confirmed.
http://www.iom.int/news/iom-combats-cholera-outbreak-yemen = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-combats-cholera-outbreak-yemen
Comment: The figures seem already to be outdated. On the cholera outbreak, see cp1 (WHO report).
19.10.2016 – Emirates News Agency (A H)
Khalifa Foundation sends more aid to Yemen's Socotra Island
The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, KF, has sent its 31st aid plane, with two tonnes of medications on board, to the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Hospital on Socotra Island, along with one tonne of mixed content stationery to be distributed to students.
The aid shipments are in implementation of directives from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The foundation said that it has been providing humanitarian, relief and development aid, including food, medication and educational assistance, to thousands of Yemeni families on Socotra Island.
http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates-international-aid/1395301470948.html
18.10.2016 – Saudi Arabia War crimes (A H)
Film: An old person eating garbage in the street
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/videos/1593135370982451/
18.10.2016 – WHO (* A H)
As of today, 340 suspected cases of #cholera have been reported in Taiz, Al-Hudaydah, Aden, Al Bayda, Lahj, & Sana’a governorates
https://twitter.com/WHOYemen/status/788381780462211076
30.9.2016 – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (* A H)
Yemen Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 16 | As of 30 September 2016
New pledges totaling more than $116 million have been committed by donors to the Yemen operation.
UNICEF supports 600,000 children to take final year school exams.
Child marriage increases as result of the economic crisis.
Humanitarian assistance delivered to 4.6 m people.
700,000 people assisted in Al Hudaydah hub since January 2016
Total population 26 m
of people targeted by assistance 12.6 m
of people targeted by health care assistance 10.7 m
of people targeted by food assistance 8.0 m
of people displaced (IDPs & returnees) 3.1 m
FUNDING
$1.6 billion requested
$751 million funding against HRP 46% funded (30 September 2016)
Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-bulletin-issue-16-30-september-2016 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Yemen%20Humanitarian%20Bulletin%20Issue%2016_30%20September%202016.pdf
30.9.2016 – Save the Children (* A H)
Yemen Humanitarian Response Situation Report September 2016
Since mid-March 2015, conflict in Yemen has spread to 21 of Yemen’s 22 governorates prompting a large-scale protection crisis and compounding an already dire humanitarian crisis brought on by years of poverty, poor governance, conflict and ongoing instability. • The total number of people in need of humanitarian assistance is 21.2 million – or 82 per cent of the population, including 9.9 million children.
• 6,787 people including 3,704 civilians have now been killed, and over 33,857 injured of whom 6,566 are civilians.
• Conflict had affected the lives of approximately 3.1 million internally displaced people and returnees including 2.2 million who remain displaced throughout the country.
• 14.1 million people (52 per cent of population) are food insecure including 7 million who are severely food insecure.
• More than 7.4 million children are in need of protection assistance.
• 19.4 million people lack clean water and sanitation, of whom 9.8 million have lost access to water due to the conflict.
• 24.3 million people (90 per cent of the population) lack access to electricity through the public grid.
• 600 Health facilities have been closed due to the conflict, leaving over 14.1 million people in need of basic healthcare – including 1.5 million children under the age of five who are acutely malnourished.
• Around 30 per cent (approx. 2.2 million) of school age children in Yemen do not have access to education. The conflict has forced at least 350,000 additional school aged children out of school, adding to the 1.8 million school aged children who were already out of school before the conflict. Although some schools have reopened, 1,000 remain closed due to insecurity, occupation by IDPs or use by armed groups. During most of the 2015/16 school year, UNICEF reported 1,600 school closures across the country.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-situation-report-september-2016 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Yem-cx-15_Yemen_External_Sitrep_Sep2016.pdf
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
19.10.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Yemeni parliament calls upon UN Security Council to issue a clear-cut decree for ending war completely &bear responsibility for genocides
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/788771686564978688
18.10.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Yemen ex-president Saleh met 2day NSanaa with some families of those killed in funeral massacre saying we all know who they wanted to kill? (photo)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/788427040663957504
Comment by Judith Brown: A meeting of Saleh in Yemen with relatives of those massacred by Saudi bombs. Now don't get me wrong. I dislike this man. I personally would not like to see him reinstated as president, but as I am not Yemeni it is not my choice. But Saleh can stay in Yemen openly, with Yemeni bodyguards. Unlike you know who - Hadi who lives in his palace in Riyadh whilst his people are killed by his hosts and friends the Saudis.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154823953318641
17.10.2016 – Yemen Updates (A P)
Russia reopens its embassy in #Sanaa.
https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/788123310076923905
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Waffenstillstand / Cease fire siehe auch / see also cp1
19.10.2016 – AFP (* A P)
Jemen: Kerry will bedingungslose Verlängerung der Feuerpause
Nach der Ankündigung einer dreitägigen Waffenruhe im Jemen wirbt US-Außenminister John Kerry bereits für eine bedingungslose Verlängerung der Feuerpause. Er erklärte gestern Abend in Washington, die USA forderten alle Beteiligten auf, die Waffenruhe vollständig umzusetzen, „sie fortzusetzen“ und eine „bedingungslose Verlängerung“ zu unterstützen. Die Waffenruhe werde „die Lieferung humanitärer Hilfe für Jemeniten im ganzen Land erleichtern“. Die Bevölkerung im Jemen sei auf die „volle Kooperation aller Seiten“ angewiesen, mahnte Kerry. Er unterstrich, „dass die friedliche Lösung dieses Konflikts Kompromisse und Verpflichtungen von jedem erfordert“. Die USA wollten ihren Beitrag leisten, um eine Verhandlungslösung herbeizuführen, die ein „dauerhaftes Ende des Konflikts“ ermögliche.
19.10.2016 – Press TV Iran (A P)
All parties must respect Yemen ceasefire: Russia, UN
Russia and the United Nations have emphasized the need for all concerned parties in Yemen to abide by a UN-brokered ceasefire, which is scheduled to take effect as of Thursday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, made the comments in a Tuesday meeting in Moscow, the TASS news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying.
The two sides also called for efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen and facilitate the resumption of negotiations on the conflict. Previous talks did not bring about any more than agreements on prisoner exchange.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/10/19/489705/Russia-UN-Yemen
19.10.2016 – UN News Centre (* A H K P)
UN relief wing and partners ready to rush in aid once pause in Yemen fighting begins
Following a month that saw civilians continuing to bear the brunt of the conflict in Yemen, a 72-hour halt to fighting set to take effect later today is welcome, but not nearly enough time, according to a senior United Nations relief official, who appealed for more predictable access to be able deliver aid to hard-to-reach communities caught up in the crisis.
“By having just access for 72 hours you interrupt your planning by diverting attention somewhere else. But if we can have those areas open at all times and we can plan differently and we can supply better,” said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, speaking to UN Radio by phone from the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.
The pause in the fighting cannot come soon enough for the people of the country and Mr. McGoldrick stressed today that one of the key priorities will be to getting aid to people in the city of Taiz, which has been hard-hit amid clashes between Government forces and Houthi rebels.
Getting that aid into Yemen continues to be a huge challenge, with one of the country’s main ports, Hodeidah, still crippled from airstrikes that damaged its huge cranes that used to offload ships.
“What that means is that many ships spend a lot of time trying to offload […] and we’ve seen reports of goods being kept on the open sea for too long and by the time they get to shore the foodstuffs have actually been spoiled,” explained Mr. McGoldrick.
The lack of food coming into Yemen is insufficient to satisfy the needs of the population, and this has led to widespread malnutrition.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55337#.WAfDn-CLSUk
19.10.2016 – Norwegian Refugee Council (A H)
Statement on Yemen Ceasefire
International humanitarian organisations operating in Yemen welcome the recent announcement by the UN’s Special Envoy to Yemen, Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, regarding the commencement of a 72-hour ceasefire on Wednesday 19 October at 23:59. We further welcome recent diplomatic efforts by the international community to support this and hope that it will pave the way for a permanent cessation of hostilities and an inclusive resolution to the conflict.
However, the recent spike in violence and heightened tensions do not bode well for the success of this ceasefire. Previous attempted ceasefires have – at best – resulted in a partial reduction in violence in only some areas. We therefore implore all parties to the conflict to abide by the terms of the ceasefire and to resume peace negotiations.
The International Non-Governmental Organisations behind this statement are Action Contre La Faim, ADRA, CARE, Danish Refugee Council, Intersos, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Save the Children, and World Relief Germany.
https://www.nrc.no/news/2016/october/statement-on-yemen-ceasefire/
19.10.2016 – Fox News (A P)
UN official: Yemen needs more than brief truce to help needy
OCHA's Jamie McGoldrick says Yemen's economy has all but collapsed, damage to a key port has hindered deliveries of food, goods and aid, only about half of hospitals are even partially operating and a cholera outbreak that began three weeks ago could spread.
With a 72-hour truce to take effect before midnight Wednesday, McGoldrick told reporters in Geneva by phone that OCHA will focus on reaching previously inaccessible "pockets" of the frontline city of Taiz during the truce.
He cited a "stalemate" in the war, lamented a shortfall in international aid funding, and said Yemen's war gets less media attention than Iraq and Syria.
19.10.2016 – Reuters (AP)
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi told state news agency Saba on Wednesday that he expected his foes would violate the truce.
"We don't expect from them today anything more than prevarication and procrastination," Hadi was quoted as saying after meeting the American and British ambassadors.
The parliament in Sanaa, in which pro-Houthi MPs hold a majority, called on Wednesday for a "full commitment" to the truce, a day after a Houthi-led political council in the capital said it would comply.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN12J1RE
19.10.2016 – Daily Star (* A P)
Yemen cease-fire to bring relief: U.N.
The United Nations is hoping a 72-hour cease-fire in Yemen due to start Wednesday will allow vital aid to reach parts of the country that have been cut off by months of fighting and are in humanitarian need.
Aid agencies may try during the cease-fire to reach families trapped in towns and villages where fighting – and a sea, air and land blockade imposed by an Arab-led coalition fighting in Yemen – has left people short of food and in need of vital medical supplies.
“Hopefully this nationwide cessation will provide humanitarian agencies and organizations the opportunity to respond in areas that have been cut off or are hard to reach in all of Yemen,” Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N.’s Yemen Humanitarian Coordinator, told Reuters.
McGoldrick said he hoped the cessation of hostilities would be extended and would herald a resumption of peace talks that collapsed in August.
This is the sixth attempt to establish a Yemen cease-fire.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Oct-19/377107-yemen-cease-fire-to-bring-relief-un.ashx and see also http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN12I2GX
19.10.2016 – Reuters (* A P)
Yemen Houthis back truce, U.N., U.S. call for aid to flow
Yemen's Houthi-run administration welcomed a 72-hour ceasefire starting on Wednesday intended to allow aid to reach areas cut off by months of fighting and in dire humanitarian need.
In its first statement on the truce, a governing council composed of the Iranian-allied Houthi group and powerful local allies demanded a Saudi-backed Arab coalition end military attacks and lift curbs on air, sea and land transport.
A ceasefire between warring factions will begin at 2359 local time (2059 GMT) on Wednesday, the United Nations said on Monday, raising hopes of an end to a war that has killed thousands of civilians and left people starving.
The council announced its "positive engagement" with the ceasefire plan, and added Yemen needed an immediate, lasting and comprehensive truce without conditions, including what it called an end to the blockade on the Yemeni people.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN12I2GX
Comment: No, this ceasefire will not bring any relief at all. For bringing relief to the country, you need free access. But there is the Saudi blockade. For bringing relief, the cranes for unloading the relief goods at Hodeidah port must work. But Saudis bombed them. For bringing relief, the relief goods must be transported to the places where the people are who need it. But the Saudis bombed the roads and many bridges. Bringing relief to those who need it would take many weeks, not 72 hours.
Comment: 72 hours to relief 19 months of war for 27 million people. It says it all.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1139638446089184
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
19.10.2016 – Noto Wahabism (A H)
35% of All #Saudi Women in jail have served sentence & wait on guardian to release!! (see image)
https://www.facebook.com/NotoWahabism/posts/998075350321047
18.10.2016 – Adam Coogle (A P)
#SaudiArabia executed a Saudi Prince Turki bin Saud bin Turki today for murder in Riyadh, confirmed officially h
https://twitter.com/cooglea/status/788427326006648832 relating on: http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=ar&newsid=1549843 (Arabic)
Addition by Nizar Nayouf: normal.He is a fifth-degree emir at the Saudi family, & the victim belonging to a very powerful tribe
https://twitter.com/nizarnayouf/status/788553383376367616
18.10.2016 – Kenneth Roth, HRW (B P)
Saudi deputy crown prince to journalists: $100K cash if you write nice things about me, pariah status if you don't.
https://twitter.com/KenRoth/status/787776252245635072
18.10.2016 – Hisham Fageeh (A P)
Film: NO WOMAN, NO DRIVE". A sarcastic song about #Saudis' ban on women driving
https://www.facebook.com/NotoWahabism/videos/998089896986259/
17.10.2016 –AliAlAhmed (A E)
It seems that #Saudi Monarchy is going to devalue the Riyal to reduce expenses & squeeze population.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/788175588989206528
cp9 USA
18.10.2016 – US State Department (A P)
Announcement of Cessation of Hostilities in Yemen
Press Statement, John Kerry, Secretary of State, Washington, DC, October 18, 2016
The United States welcomes today the announcement of a renewable 72-hour Cessation of Hostilities agreed upon by all Yemeni parties and the Saudi-led Coalition, which the UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has said will take effect on Wednesday, October 19. This cessation requires all parties to implement a full and comprehensive halt to military activities of any kind and help facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemenis across the country. It will also enable the Special Envoy to continue his consultations and renew the peace negotiations as soon as possible. We ask the parties to take all steps necessary to advance the implementation of this cessation, call on them to sustain it, and strongly encourage its unconditional renewal. We reiterate the Special Envoy’s request to “allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel to all parts of Yemen, in addition to a full and comprehensive halt to military activities of any kind." The people of Yemen are depending on the full cooperation of all parties with the Special Envoy’s request.
We note again that peaceful resolution of this conflict requires compromises and commitments by everyone. The United States, alongside the international community, is ready to provide assistance and will continue to work with all parties to conclude a negotiated settlement that will bring a permanent and lasting end to the conflict.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/10/263252.htm
Comment: The US is partisan in this war and by that it is an inadequate peace broker anyway. And: Think of the actual situation: For humanitarian help to reach those in need would take at least weeks now, not 72 hours.
18.10.2016 – ARWA Rights (A P)
Watch Senator @RandPaul tell it how it is: We r @ war w/ #YEMEN & we r @ war illegally & unconstitutionally & without permission of Congress
https://twitter.com/arwa_rights/status/788490833423196161
18.10.2016 – Tasnim News (A P)
US Activists Condemn Saudi Deadly Attack on Yemeni Civilians
A number of American activists gathered in front of the White House on Monday to express sympathy with victims of a recent deadly Saudi attack on a funeral ceremony in Yemen.
According to Tasnim dispatches, the activists from CODE PINK, a peace and social justice movement working to end US-funded wars, condemned the killing of civilians by Saudi Arabia in Sana’a, and expressed solidarity with the Yemeni people.
26.5.2015 – International Business Times (** B P)
Clinton Foundation Donors Got Weapons Deals From Hillary Clinton's State Department
The Saudi deal was one of dozens of arms sales approved by Hillary Clinton’s State Department that placed weapons in the hands of governments that had also donated money to the Clinton family philanthropic empire, an International Business Times investigation has found.
Under Clinton's leadership, the State Department approved $165 billion worth of commercial arms sales to 20 nations whose governments have given money to the Clinton Foundation, according to an IBTimes analysis of State Department and foundation data. That figure -- derived from the three full fiscal years of Clinton’s term as Secretary of State (from October 2010 to September 2012) -- represented nearly double the value of American arms sales made to the those countries and approved by the State Department during the same period of President George W. Bush’s second term.
The Clinton-led State Department also authorized $151 billion of separate Pentagon-brokered deals for 16 of the countries that donated to the Clinton Foundation, resulting in a 143 percent increase in completed sales to those nations over the same time frame during the Bush administration. These extra sales were part of a broad increase in American military exports that accompanied Obama’s arrival in the White House. The 143 percent increase in U.S. arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors compares to an 80 percent increase in such sales to all countries over the same time period.
American defense contractors also donated to the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state and in some cases made personal payments to Bill Clinton for speaking engagements. Such firms and their subsidiaries were listed as contractors in $163 billion worth of Pentagon-negotiated deals that were authorized by the Clinton State Department between 2009 and 2012.
Under federal law, foreign governments seeking State Department clearance to buy American-made arms are barred from making campaign contributions -- a prohibition aimed at preventing foreign interests from using cash to influence national security policy. But nothing prevents them from contributing to a philanthropic foundation controlled by policymakers – by David Sirota and Andrew Perez
http://www.ibtimes.com/clinton-foundation-donors-got-weapons-deals-hillary-clintons-state-department-1934187 = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1139677146085314
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
19.10.2016 – Herald Scotland (* A P)
May admits Tory Government does not know if civilians killed by Scots-made bombs in Yemen
Prime Minister Theresa May has admitted that the UK Government does not know if civilians in Yemen have been killed by missiles partially manufactured in Scotland.
Angus Robertson, the SNP's Westminster leader, asked Mrs May if she could say that no innocent civilians had been killed by the missiles.
Mrs May refused to be drawn saying that she would not comment before the results of official investigations.
Aides later confirmed that the government has pressed Saudi Arabia to properly probe all claims.
Mr Robertson said that thousands of innocent civilians had been been killed by Saudi air strikes in Yemen.
"It's beyond doubt that Saudi air forces bombing Yemen, flying planes that are made in Britain, by pilots that are trained by Britain, and they are dropping missiles that are made in Britain," he said.
He asked Mrs May: "Can you give this House an assurance that civilians have not been killed by Paveway IV bombs being dropped on Yemen which are partially manufactured in Scotland under licence by the Government, and if you don't know the answer to that question how can you possibly in good conscience continue selling them to Saudi Arabia?"
Mrs May told him that that UK ministers had urged the Saudi government to conduct thorough investigations into any incidents "before we reach a decision or a conclusion". – by Kate Devlin
and in film:
19.10.2016 – BBC (A P)
Film: PMQs Robertson asked May on arms sales to Saudi Arabia
The SNP deputy leader asks the prime minister for an assurance that Yemen civilians have not been killed by Scottish-made missiles sold to Saudi Arabia.
Angus Robertson asked Theresa May how she could continue to allow arm sales to Saudi Arabia if she could not answer his question.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-37706840?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_politics and by Sky News https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/788702052981415936 and by SNP https://twitter.com/theSNP/status/788716323870236672
19.10.2016 – RT (* A P)
Despite slaughter at Yemen funeral, Middle East minister still justifies UK-Saudi arms sales
Britain’s minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, has justified the UK’s sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, saying the Saudi-led coalition is fighting a “legitimate war” in Yemen, despite making some “mistakes.”
“We do sell arms to Saudi Arabia, this is a legitimate war that’s taking place, endorsed by the UN resolution 2216,” Ellwood told the BBC on Wednesday.
“It’s important to recognize that Saudi Arabians have made mistakes, but they have also put their hand up to it.”
Ellwood said it’s now thought the airstrike was a “deliberate error”made by an “individual.” Riyadh had ordered for the attack not to take place, he said.
The individual who “breached” procedure would now be disciplined, he added, saying that compensation would be offered to the victims.
“I went to Riyadh last week to tell them that they need to come out with a report immediately, they did that, it was released on the weekend and they put their hand up and said this was a gross breach of standard operating procedure,” Ellwood said.
“Somebody will now fall on their sword. We have disciplinary actions taking place, we also now have compensation coming to the victims.”
https://www.rt.com/uk/363334-yemen-saudi-arms-ellwood/ and see also http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/19/saudi-coalition-bombing-of-yemen-funeral-was-a-deliberate-error/
Comment: What a disgusting figure this Ellwood is.
18.10.2016 – Herald Scotland (A P)
Britain 'should be willing to suspend arms sales' over Saudi and Yemen conflict
Britain should be willing to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Yemen if the two countries fail to reach a solution in their growing conflict, a senior MP has said.
Former Labour minister Keith Vaz said positive diplomatic moves by Britain were being "undermined" by its arms sales to Saudi Arabia, with £3.3 billion of aircraft and bombs sold to the regime over the past year.
The Leicester East MP said Britain's relationship with Saudi Arabia "will have to be looked at" if it is found to have breached human rights laws in Yemen.
Comment by Tasmina Sheikh, MP: Despite two attempts by @AngusRobertson to extract assurances from PM, that no civilians killed in #Yemen by missiles made in UK - no answer
https://twitter.com/TasminaSheikh/status/788703769458532352
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
Siehe / See cp1
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
18.10.2016 – CBC (* A P)
Let's not kid ourselves, Canada is in the war business
Why the Canadian government hasn't criticized Saudi Arabia for its brutal attacks in Yemen
For the record, Stéphane Dion's office says he has so far been unable to find any evidence that the Saudi military is using lethal Canadian weapons platforms to slaughter civilians.
Hence, billions of dollars' worth of weaponized armoured vehicles manufactured in Ontario are flowing as planned to the Saudis, despite Dion's stern warning in April that:
"Should I become aware of credible information of violations related to this equipment, I will suspend or revoke the permits" that he had just signed.
"We are watching this closely," he said, "and will continue to do so."
Asked this week how Dion's monitoring has been carried out, his press secretary, Chantal Gagnon, replied: "Several ways. On the ground, you know, we have people. An embassy in Saudi Arabia."
Well, there's that, then.
But perhaps Dion should put in a call to the United Nations, where Canada is lobbying so strenuously to become a more influential player.
Meanwhile, in Canada, there is both official and political silence.
All three national political parties were on record during last year's election as supporting the sale of the Canadian armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia, if for no other reason than the jobs the project provides in southern Ontario. Since then, the NDP has spoken up about Saudi human rights violations, and the party now says the deal should be suspended so it can be reassessed.
And so enthusiastic is the Liberal government about its wealthy Arabian partner that the Canadian military is allowing General Dynamics to use a military base to test the vehicles Canada is shipping, which come equipped with heavy guns and cannon.
We do know that Canadian-made vehicles were used in the bloody repression of Bahrain's Shia population a few years ago. Whether they are deployed in Yemen is unclear, and it's a safe bet the Canadian government isn't terribly interested in finding out.
We also know that last summer, Canada quietly rewrote the rules governing the export of arms to other countries. No longer do such exports hinge on whether the recipient nation is a human rights abuser.
Instead, the Canadian rules now strive to "balance the economic and commercial interests of Canadian business" with this country's "national interest."
In other words, we've stopped pretending.
The fact is, war is business. And Canada is now fully open for it. Even if, somehow, we "become aware of credible information of violations." – By Neil Macdonald
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/saudi-arabia-arms-deal-canada-macdonald-1.3810952
18.10.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (* A K)
Last July, #Italy sent € 19 million of "arms and ammu" (most likely, aerial bombs from Cagliari) to#SaudiArabia that is bombing #Yemen (image)
18.10.2016 – Almasdar News (* A K)
Egypt leaves Saudi Coalition in Yemen: Reports
The Egyptian Air Force has reportedly withdrawn from the Saudi-led Coalition of countries attacking Yemen after a 12 month-long operation,.
According to locals in Cairo, this move by the Egyptian government comes just hours after the Egyptian Intelligence Chief met with his Syrian counterpart.
No formal announcement has been issued by the Egyptian government to corroborate these reports; however, if true, Saudi Arabia will lose a key ally in this bombing campaign against the Yemeni people.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/egypt-leaves-saudi-coalition-yemen-reports/ = http://nationalyemen.com/2016/10/18/egypt-leaves-saudi-coalition-in-yemen-reports/
Comment: Waiting for more reports!
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / See cp12
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
19.10.2016 – AAP (A)
Australian kidnapped in Yemen
An Australian man has been kidnapped in Yemen but authorities back home have few details about the incident.
http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/19/09/27/australian-kidnapped-in-yemen
Comment: There is no further information – there are Australian mercenaries in Yemen fighting for the Saudis.
cp13c Flüchtlinge / Refugees
19.10.2016 – Schleswiger Nachrichten (A H)
Der Flüchtling und Fotograf Ashraf Saleh zeigt, wie er seine neue Heimat sieht
Ashraf Saleh, 1981 im Jemen geboren, kam als Asylbewerber nach Deutschland und lebt seit Oktober 2015 in Süderbrarup. Von Beruf ist er Fotograf. Als Johannes Janßen Saleh bei der unter seiner Leitung stattfindenden Veranstaltung „Gemeinsam singen“ kennen lernte und von dessen Vorgeschichte erfuhr, stellte er Saleh seine Kamera zur Verfügung und animierte ihn, die Gemeinde aus Flüchtlingssicht zu zeigen.
30.9.2016 – Danish Refugee Council (* A H)
Mixed Migration in the Horn of Africa & Yemen Region, September 2016
Regional mixed migration summary for September 2016 covering mixed migration events, trends and data for Djibouti, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Puntland, Somalia, Somaliland and Yemen.
Internal displacement: At the end of September 2016, there were an approximate 2.2 million internally displaced persons in Yemen, around 8% of the country’s population. More than 1.8 million of these people have been displaced for twelve months or more.
Continued arrivals from the Horn of Africa: A total of at least 10,600 migrants and asylum seekers (77% Ethiopians and 23% Somalis) arrived from the Horn of Africa to Yemen via the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden in September 2016. For the second time this year, the proportion of Somali migrants and asylum seekers travelling to Yemen was sustained above the 20% mark, a trend not witnessed since 2014.
An estimated 1,662 (1,632 Ethiopians and 30 Somalis) migrants and asylum seekers arrived on the Red Sea coast of Yemen in September 2016, a 30% drop from the spike witnessed in August, but on par with average arrivals so far in 2016. Despite the overall decrease, the number of female Ethiopians increased by over 40%. The migrants arrived aboard 28 boats which departed from Obock, Djibouti landing in various towns in Ta’iz and Lahj governorates. Due to the reduction of monitoring missions along Yemen’s coast, it is likely that the actual number of arrivals from the Horn of Africa to Yemen was higher during the period.
Migrant vulnerability: This month, the majority of migrants reported an uneventful sea crossing to Yemen from Djibouti. Migrants did however report that the boats used were small and overcrowded. In one report, a smuggler was heard contacting a suspected group of human traffickers on the shore who directed the boatman to land at a specific location on the coast.
Upon arrival in Yemen, migrants continued to report attempts by armed smugglers and/or traffickers stationed along the coastline to abduct newly arrived migrants.
Based on interviews with 619 new arrivals in Yemen in September, migrants reported a total of 1,749 violations were reported in September. Of these, migrants reported 592 cases of abduction and 372 instances of interception, accounting for 34% and 21% of all violations respectively. Interviewed migrants reported that criminal groups hold abducted migrants in “dens” where they are mistreated until they can raise enough money to secure their release. Over 50 women and girls were reported to have been abducted by gangs immediately after landing in Yemen; their whereabouts are unknown.
Irregular migrants detained in Yemen:
Deportations from Yemen:
Departures from Yemen: As of 30th September 2016, the number of people fleeing Yemen to the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan) had totalled 89,621 persons (36,162 in Djibouti, 33,579 in Somalia, 13,299 in Ethiopia, and 6,581 in Sudan). Yemenis and Somalis continue to represent the largest proportion of people moving out of Yemen, accounting for 30% and 35% of movements respectively. Djibouti is the primary destination for Yemeni nationals, with 73% of those moving opting to travel to Djibouti.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/mixed-migration-horn-africa-yemen-region-september-2016 and in full: http://regionalmms.org/monthlysummary/RMMS%20Mixed%20Migration%20Monthly%20Summary%20September%202016.pdf = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/RMMS%20Mixed%20Migration%20Monthly%20Summary%20September%202016_0.pdf
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
19.10.2016 – Deutschlandfunk (A T)
Audio: Drohnen-Opfer aus dem Jemen
18.10.2016 – AFP (* A T)
Drone strike kills 8 Qaeda suspects in Yemen
A drone strike killed eight suspected members of Al-Qaeda in south Yemen late Tuesday, security sources said.
The strike hit two vehicles carrying the suspected militants in Shabwa province, killing six instantly while two died later of their wounds, the sources said.
Six other alleged jihadists escaped a second air raid that missed two more vehicles in the same convoy, they added.
Washington is the only government to operate drones over Yemen, but the United States only sporadically releases statements on its long-running bombing campaign against the country's powerful Al-Qaeda branch.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/246086/World/Region/Drone-strike-kills--Qaeda-suspects-in-Yemen.aspx = http://nationalyemen.com/2016/10/18/drone-strike-kills-8-al-qaeda-suspects-in-yemen/
Comment: As always, “suspected members of Al-Qaeda”. Everybody who is targeted, killed, injured by US dromes is labeled as a “suspected member of Al-Qaeda”.
18.10.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A K T)
Yemen Qaeda/ISIS leader Adnan Al Karawi was killed while fighting with Saudi invaders in south Saudi Arabia Najran.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/788381444972355584
Comment: Another report of Al Qaida fighting as Saudi ally in Southern Saudi Arabia.
cp15 Propaganda
19.10.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Yemen demands Iran stay out of its affairs
Yemen has called for Iran to stay out of its domestic affairs and has accused it of funding Houthi militias and forces that are loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Speaking at the 43rd OIC conference in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, Yemen’s ambassador to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Zain Qu’aiti, called on Iran to provide Yemen with “medicine instead of gunpowder” and called on OIC member states to support the “legitimate” government of Yemen’s current President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
He also pressed on the fact that the current Yemeni government is keen to end the war and recognises the legitimacy of UN Security Council resolution 2216, which demands for an immediate halt of violence in Yemen, for the Houthi and Saleh militias to withdraw from all occupied territories and reiterates support for the Hadi government.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161019-yemen-demands-iran-stay-out-of-its-affairs/
Comment: “Yemen” is just the Hadi government. Blaming Iran just now – that seems to take up the newest US propaganda against Iran, which of course is welcome to the Hadi government. See following articles.
19.10.2016 – Mosaic Magazine ( A P)
Iran’s aid to the Houthi rebels has apparently increased. . . . Iran is [evidently now] prepared to provide tie-breaking weapons that could help the Houthis breach the naval blockade that Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have imposed on Yemen. . . . It [also] appears . . . that, since the Houthis have held their own in the battles, the embargo is ineffective and Iran has [already] found other lanes for transferring weapons. . . .
For Iran, Yemen is a perfect venue for [testing its weaponry and tactics]. Iran is preparing for future engagement with the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf where [it] frequently provokes and sometimes humiliates American naval presence in the area.
Comment: And once again, propaganda distracting attention from Yemen and the Saudi war to Iran, which is mainly a bystander to this war and which has nothing to do with actually happened. The Yemen story plays in the Red Sea, and not in the Persian Gulf. And nobody asks the question what a business at all US warships should have in the Persian Gulf. The next US territory, Hawaii, is more than 12.000 km away. What about Iranian warships in sighting distance of the Californian coast?
18.10.2016 – YNet News (B K P)
Yemen’s Hezbollah: The Saudi-Israeli problem
Analysis: Saudi Arabia intervened in the war in Yemen in order to avoid having a Shia organization control a state with a shared border. If the Saudis fail to eliminate the Houthi enemy, the day will come when the Houthis start helping Hezbollah, and Israel’s problem becomes Saudi Arabia's problem as well – by Yaron Friedman
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4867379,00.html
Comment by Judith Brown: Woah there is a lot of information here that is misleading. There are it's true connections between Hezbollah and the Houthis which originated after Hezbollah defeated the Israelis in south Lebanon and a particular group of Zaidis - the precursors to the Houthis - felt under pressure from the also Zaidi president of Yemen at that time and like many in the Arab world drew inspiration and hope from that win - so it did not start as a Sunni/Zaidi conflict and the Hezbollah Houthi links were a natural development. The links with Iran and Houthis was weak really until 2014 and the support from Iran has been more rhetorical than practical throughout the war, although the involvement of USA did cause Iran to send warships to the area - very old warships. There has not been any concrete evidence of Iranian involvement and supply of weapons though of course it might happen - the Houthis have to get munitions from somewhere but the logistics are difficult from Iran. In fact the Iranians had stronger political links with the southern secessionists (who are Sunni) until 2014. This Yemen conflict was not a religious war except Salafist fighting the Houthis have made it so, and the splits within Yemen are still more tribal and geographic than along religious lines. The Saudi Zionist links are for different reasons - there is a strong alliance between KSA and Israel in this war but I think it is because they have the same political and military aims. The statements made by the Houthis are similar maybe identical to those of Hezbollah - and probably arise because of mutually supportive meetings a decade or more ago - the ones I read about were about capacity building but there may have been others - but I guess both organisations have more of a political than religious difference with Israel and both would soon drop that slogan with a satisfactory political settlement for themselves and the Palestinians.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154820542398641
Comment: Friedman’s article plays the anti-Iranian propaganda tune, from an Israeli point of view. And : Friedman seems to take it as a normal right of a state to interfere in a neighbouring country and bombing it into ruins just “to avoid having a Shia organization control a state”. For this, he argues with “Saudi Arabia doesn't want to become like Israel”, pointing to Israel’s Hezbollah problem. Well, this is a very bad idea. There are millions of Palestinian refugees who came from Israel to Lebanon, and it’s just the treatment of Palestinians and the occupation of Palestinian territories which created the hatred against Israel in Lebanon and in other parts of the Arab world. Yemen and Saudi Arabia never had such a problem with each other – thus never a Israel-Hezbollah problem which could threat Saudi Arabia in any way could come up there.
18.10.2016 – American Enterprise Institute (A P)
Five reasons the Middle East is becoming more dangerous for the US Navy
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval ships’ frequent, aggressive behavior towards the US Navy has hit new levels in the past few months, triggering several risky encounters in the Persian Gulf.
Then US navy ships in the Red Sea were targeted on Oct 8 and 12 by missiles from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a capability the group may have gained from their Iranian backers. Why have the waters in the Middle East become more dangerous recently? Here are five reasons, (hint: they all have to do with Iran):
Then US navy ships in the Red Sea were targeted on Oct 8 and 12 by missiles from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a capability the group may have gained from their Iranian backers. Why have the waters in the Middle East become more dangerous recently? Here are five reasons, (hint: they all have to do with Iran):
The IRGC wants everyone to know nothing changed after the nuclear deal.
Iranian naval forces are making large strides in weapons and surveillance. The Iranian military has a long-term strategy of increasing the zone of risk for the US Navy and Air Force to operate near Iranian territory.
The Iranian military may be making a doctrinal shift to a more offensive posture.
IRGC proxies and partners are acquiring more powerful capabilities.
Yemen’s al Houthis are not full proxies of Iran; most of their weapons and capabilities are commandeered from the remnant Yemen Army and their main ally, former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Both Lebanese Hezbollah and the IRGC, though, have been training and attempting to supply the Houthis for some time. If the missiles used in the October 8 and 12 attacks against USS Mason were not introduced by Iran, Hezbollah or the IRGC is at least likely helping with technical modifications or training.
The IRGC does not want to answer the phone.
Together we will need to pursue increased steadfastness in face of provocation, further investment in counter-A2AD capabilities and operational concepts, more sophisticated crisis management thinking, and even greater efforts to disrupt IRGC weapons shipments to its partners and proxies. This depends, of course, if the next US president still wants to contest Iran’s assertion, that the United States has no business in the region’s waters – by J. Matthew McInnis
Comment: Another propaganda peace targeting Iran when actually Yemen is the subject. The author takes it for granted that the US navy has any business “to operate near Iranian territory”.i t certainly should not, the US territory is far away (Honolulu-Tehran 12.985 km). The author takes it for granted that the US might play the role of master and police of the world, see also when he claims “even greater efforts to disrupt IRGC weapons shipments to its partners and proxies”. Stopping Iranian ships transporting whatever is just an act of piracy. The US themselves ship arms to all over the world.
18.10.2016 – The National UAE (A P)
Yemen Houthis steal tax money to fund war
Houthi rebels are pocketing the tax money collected in the provinces they control to fund their war against the government.
Civil servants throughout Yemen have not received their September salaries from the central bank and the Houthis have resorted to asking for donations from impoverished residents.
The Yemeni government moved the central bank from Houthi-held Sanaa to Aden – which is under government control – late last month, claiming the rebels had been drained the reserves.
In a speech last month, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al Houthi, even asked for money from the poorest Yemenis. But although the Houthis claim this money is going to the central bank in Aden to help pay for salaries, it is in fact funding the rebel forces fighting the internationally-recognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi – by Mohammed Al Qalisi
http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/yemen-houthis-steal-tax-money-to-fund-war
Comment: Nice propaganda in the Central Bank story. The Houthis certainly might use tax money for warfare. That’s what certainly happens in most states. The US military budget was $ 610 billion in 2013. I don’t think this amount is achieved by digging for gold in the Rocky Mountains. Of course, there also cannot be excluded that the money collected by the Houthis for supporting the Central Bank will be misused. Anyway, they certainly never would have had the idea to give this money to the separatist central Bank in Aden, but to the regular Central Bank still staying at Sanaa. And the lack of payment for the state employees and retirees is due to Hadi’s unjustifiable maneuvers trying to remove the Central Bank from Sanaa to Aden, and nothing else. See in one sentence: https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/788774588134072320
18.10.2016 – US News (A P)
Our Predictable Faceoff With Iran
The Obama administration's willingness to appease Tehran is costing us in Yemen.
We now face the ironic, yet all-too-predictable, result of years of U.S. appeasement of Iran in order to secure a global nuclear deal: U.S. military involvement in a proxy war with the Islamic Republic in Yemen.
In recent days, an exchange of missile attacks between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the United States puts the lie to President Barack Obama's argument that the nuclear deal would make war between the United States and Iran less likely. Instead, recent events justify the concerns of critics that Washington's numerous eye-popping concessions to Tehran to secure the nuclear deal, along with Washington's stubborn refusal to address Iranian provocations on the high seas, would serve to embolden Iran to pursue its regional ambitions even more aggressively than it had before.
To be sure, the United States didn't trade missile attacks with Iran directly. But Iran's fingerprints were all over the Houthi move against the U.S. military, and Tehran responded to the U.S. attack by sending two warships to the region where American ships are patrolling – By Lawrence J. Haas
Comment: One more article in the US exploiting the US-Yemeni vessels affair to distract from Yemen itself, Saudi Arabian war crimes – by blaming Iran. – The subtitle really is odd: “The Obama administration's willingness to appease Tehran is costing us in Yemen”: appease by what? Should this be a rejection of the atomic deal with Iran? – Just this subtitle would have made sense: “The Obama administration's willingness to appease Saudi-Arabia is costing us in Yemen”. Well. The main reason for the US to support the Saudi war in Yemen was just to appease the Saudis who were outraged by the US-Iran deal. And by this war, the US really loses Yemen: The Saudi bombing had fueled the hatred against the US which now is as large as it never had been before.
Comment by Judith Brown: This is not a proxy war. It is a war which began as in internal struggle between two Yemeni men who wanted to be president and Saudi Arabia was called in by the would be president that lost the support of the Yemen army. The Saudis gave a reason for the war as to combat the influence of Iran but in truth there was little influence by Iran before the war. Iran and USA are unlikely to have a direct face off over Yemen but stranger things happen in wars and international politics. Watch this space.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154820560448641
?.2016 – Saudi government (A P)
Our Vision: Saudi Arabia..the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the investment powerhouse, and the hub connecting three continents
It is my pleasure to present Saudi Arabia’s Vision for the future. It is an ambitious yet achievable blueprint, which expresses our long-term goals and expectations and reflects our country’s strengths and capabilities.
All success stories start with a vision, and successful visions are based on strong pillars.
The first pillar of our vision is our status as the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds. We recognize that Allah the Almighty has bestowed on our lands a gift more precious than oil. Our Kingdom is the Land of the Two Holy Mosques, the most sacred sites on earth, and the direction of the Kaaba (Qibla) to which more than a billion Muslims turn at prayer.
The second pillar of our vision is our determination to become a global investment powerhouse. Our nation holds strong investment capabilities, which we will harness to stimulate our economy and diversify our revenues.
The third pillar is transforming our unique strategic location into a global hub connecting three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. Our geographic position between key global waterways, makes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia an epicenter of trade and the gateway to the world.
Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Comment: Be aware: Saudi Arabia is claiming here to be the leader of the Islamic world. – Anyway, in the moment the country is fighting against a growing deficit, caused not only by the low piece of oil, but also by the high costs of the Yemen war. Then you need “visions” like this one here.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
19.10.2016 – NZZ (A K)
Luftangriffe kurz vor Beginn der neuen Waffenruhe
Flugzeuge der von Saudiarabien geführten Koalition hätten in der Hauptstadt Sanaa Angriffe auf die Huthi-Rebellen und ihre Verbündeten geflogen, berichteten Anwohner am Mittwoch. Demnach waren im Osten Sanaas bei der Bombardierung eines Militärlagers Explosionen zu hören und Rauchsäulen zu sehen. Angaben über Opfer gab es zunächst nicht.
19.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Airstrikes hit northwest of Sanaa, cut off main road to Hodeida port city
Saudi aggression launched four air raids on Al-Haimah al-Kharajih district and Manakhah of the Sanaa province overnight, a military official told Saba on Wednesday.
The jets waged two other strikes on Bartan area of Manakhah district, targeting the public road linking the capital Sanaa and Hodeida port city on the Red Sea.
Furthermore two strikes targeted Bait al- Rabeh and al-Nanar Mount of AL-Haimah al-Kharajih district.
The strikes caused heavy damage to the public road, peoples` houses and private and public properties, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444195.htm
Saudi aggression jets resume striking Sanaa-Hodeidah highway
Saudi aggression fighter jets resumed striking Manakha district in Hodeidah province late on Tuesday night, a security official told Saba.
The planes hit Naqil Mosana mountainous highway three times. The strikes cut off the road links the capital Sanaa with the Red Sea city port of Hodeidah, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444184.htm
19.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
U.S.-Saudi warplanes launch raids on Serwah
targeted al-Matar and Rahm village, causing large damage to citizens' propriety and farms
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444163.htm
19.10.2016 – Sanaa at daytime (A K)
Multiple airstrikes targeting Al-Hafa mount, #Sanaa east. pre-ceasefire syndrome
https://twitter.com/Pencilovich/status/788634984399663105
Airstrikes intensifying across #Yemen 14hours ahead of ceasefire. No signs of de-escalation or warring factions buy-in. Bombing Sana'a now.
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/788633633586282496
18.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi aggression war planes launch nine raids on Marib
nine strikes on Serwah district of Marib province early on Tuesday, an official said.
Four strikes targeted Rahab valley, al-Matar, Serwah public market and al- Makhdarh areas, as well as other five air strikes targeted the same district later on the day, the official said.
The strikes caused damage to the people's houses and farms
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444090.htm nine strikes on Serwah district of Marib province early on Tuesday, an official said.
Four strikes targeted Rahab valley, al-Matar, Serwah public market and al- Makhdarh areas, as well as other five air strikes targeted the same district later on the day, the official said.
The strikes caused damage to the people's houses and farms.
18.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
U.S.-Saudi warplanes launch raids on capital Sanaa
The strikes targeted al- hafa area in al-Sabeen district south of the capital, causing large damage to citizens' houses, public and private properties
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444178.htm
cp16a Saudischer Luftangriff auf Sanaa, 8. Oktober / Saudi air raid at Sanaa, Oct. 8
17.10.2016 – Hussam Al-Sanabani (A K)
Film: Heartbreaking hardly speaking & tears, Injured in the funeral hall in his way 2 Oman 4 medical treatment: I lost my father & my brother.
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/788147232306585600
15.10.2016 – Emirates News Agency (A K)
Arab Coalition Command accepts JIAT's findings on ceremony hall incident in Yemen
The Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has accepted the findings of an investigation launched by the Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) into the 8th October incident involving a ceremony hall in Sana'a.
The Command, in a statement, said that it has begun carrying out the necessary procedures to comply with official recommendations.
"The coalition command expresses its regret at this unintentional incident and the ensuing pain for victims' families. The incident is not in line with the coalition's objectives, namely protecting civilians and restoring safety and stability to Yemen," the Command said.
http://www.wam.ae/en/news/arab/1395301244316.html
Comment: Did you expect anything else?? The JIAT press statement already had been reported in YPR 215, see again: http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates-arab-international/1395301239962.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/jiat-issues-statement-great-hall-incident-sanaa
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
19.10.2016 – Reuters (A K)
Combat rages hours before Yemen truce due to begin
Saudi-led air strikes hit military bases in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and rival militias battled near the country's border with the kingdom on Wednesday, hours before a U.N.-mediated truce was due to take effect.
Residents said the air raids hit the sites in the early hours of the morning, the latest in a series of thousands of air strikes during a 19-month military intervention by Saudi Arabia and Arab allies into Yemen's civil war.
Despite the coalition's support, forces loyal to the internationally recognized exiled government have made few recent gains against their foes in the armed Houthi movement and army units based in Sanaa.
Yemen's pro-Houthi military said late on Tuesday that it had fired rockets at a Saudi army base and that its forces had repelled an attempt by Saudi-backed government forces to seize a strategic intersection connecting two far northerner provinces.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN12J1RE
19.10.2016 – NZZ (A K)
In der umkämpften Stadt Tais im Süden des Landes starb ein Zivilist, als die Huthis und ihre Verbündeten ein Wohngebiet beschossen. Drei Menschen wurden verletzt, wie es aus ärztlichen Kreisen hiess.
19.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army kills, wounds 20 mercenaries in Taiz
Over 25 of Saudi –paid mercenaries were killed and wounded on Wednesday when the army and popular forces repulsed an attempt of the mercenaries to advance towards Dar al-Hajar area in Magbanh district of Taiz province, a military official.
The confrontations also caused great casualties in the mercenaries' ranks and equipment, the official added.
"Ambulances were see rushing to the scene to remove the dead bodies of the mercenaries," the official told Saba.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444191.htm
19.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army shells mercenaries in Lahj
The artillery unit of the army and popular forces shelled a gathering of Saudi-paid mercenaries in Lahj province, a military official said on Wednesday.
The shelling took place late on Tuesday and targeted the target directly in al- Sakia area south of Kahbub of the same province, causing heavy casualties among the enemy
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444188.htm
19.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army's rockets kill mercenaries in Jawf
The army and popular committees' missile force fired rockets at a gathering of Saudi-paid mercenaries in east of al-Hzem city al-Jawf province, a military official told Saba on Wednesday.
The forces fired Katyusha rockets against the mercenary gathering in al- Aqaba area and al-Sabraeen in Khab and Sha'af district in the city, the rockets hit their targets accurately, killing and injuring dozens, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news444170.htm
18.10.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Dozens of mercenaries killed in Najran
A number of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and others injured with missile shelling by the army and popular forces on the mercenaries' military sites in Najran region, a military official told Saba on Tuesday.
The rocketry forces fired 40 Katyusha missiles on the gathering of mercenaries in al-Khadhra crossing of Najran, killing and wounding dozens of them.
The forces also destroyed three Saudi armored vehicles in al-Khadhra crossing point, and several others of armored vehicles in neighboring areas of al-Buqa crossing in the same area, killing scores of mercenaries.
www.sabanews.net/en/news444088.htm
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
19.10.2016 – Birdlife (D)
Biodiversity conservation in Yemen – joining forces for the future
What do conservationists do when they can’t do surveys, can’t implement grass-root activities, can’t meet with local people or government representatives to talk about environmental issues and policies? What if a country is being bombed, tanks are rolling through the streets, and it’s not even clear who the government is? Ready for later
The group already includes more than 30 people, representing several CSOs in Yemen, and is being organized and managed by Yemeni experts. Some of the most active discussions relate to increased hunting/shooting threats to the survival of the Arabian Leopard, and to the impacts of war on people and biodiversity. The network provides a cost-effective, and most critically a safe means to stay active on the ‘conservation scene’ in a country that is still suffering severely from military conflict. The group is keeping the momentum, stays informed and motivated, and is ready to continue with practical action when the situation allows it.
Their message is: “We now speak in one voice to protect our environment, despite the current political unrest”. Our message is: we are right behind you – By Sharif Jbour and Maaike Manten
http://www.birdlife.org/africa/news/biodiversity-conservation-yemen-%E2%80%93-joining-forces-future
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-215-yemen-war-mosaic-215
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-215: / Yemen War Mosaic 1-215:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm und / andhttp://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
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