Humanitarian needs – Mainstream „fake news“ – Yemen’s Central Bank disaster – Sequenzing of peace – Land mines – Trump and Yemen – Pentagon and journalism (German) – Heavy fighting at Taiz and other places – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche/ UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp13b Finanzen / Finances
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
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
23.11.2016 – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (** A H)
2017 Humanitarian Needs Overview
NEEDS & KEY FIGURES
An estimated 18.8 million people in Yemen need some kind of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 10.3 million who are in acute need. Escalating conflict since March 2015 has created a vast protection crisis in which millions face risks to their safety and basic rights, and are struggling to survive.
KEY HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
Impact of the crisis
More than 19 months of conflict have devastated Yemen, leaving 18.8 million people in need of humanitarian and protection assistance – including 10.3 million who are in acute need. The conflict is rapidly pushing the country towards social, economic and institutional collapse.
Conflict and chronic vulnerabilities
Even before March 25, 2015, when the conflict in Yemen escalated, the country faced enormous levels of humanitarian need, with 15.9 million people requiring some kind of humanitarian or protection assistance in late 2014. These needs stemmed from years of poverty, under-development, environmental decline, intermittent conflict, and weak rule of law – including widespread violations of human rights.
The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance rose consistently from 2012 to 2014, while real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita – already the lowest in the Arab world – fell by just under 50 per cent from 590 USD to 326 USD per capita between 2012 and 2015 and by almost 35 per cent in 2015 alone. Since the escalation of conflict, government authorities estimate that GDP per capita has contracted by about 35 per cent and that inflation has risen by 30 per cent. The impact has squeezed the coping mechanisms of vulnerable families even further, leaving more people in need of humanitarian assistance.
More than 19 months of conflict have exacerbated chronic vulnerabilities leaving an estimated 18.8 million people in need of humanitarian and protection assistance – a nearly 20 per cent increase since late 2014. This includes 10.3 million people in acute need, who urgently require immediate, life-saving assistance in at least one sector. Due to the conflict, which has caused a pervasive protection crisis, forced displacement, severe economic decline, and the collapse of basic services and institutions, humanitarian needs have risen sharply in all sectors. This chapter addresses these underlying factors and their impact on the overall humanitarian situation; sectorspecific needs analyses appear in Part 2 of the HNO.
Widespread protection crisis
The conduct of hostilities has been brutal. As of 25 October 2016, health facilities had reported almost 44,000 casualties (including nearly 7,100 deaths) – an average of 75 people killed or injured every day. These figures significantly undercount the true extent of casualties given diminished reporting capacity of health facilities after 19 months of war and many people’s inability to access healthcare at all. UN Member States, UN organizations, humanitarian partners and human rights organizations, have outlined serious concerns regarding the conduct of the conflict, in which violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law have been committed by all parties to the conflict.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/2017-humanitarian-needs-overview and full report: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/YEMEN%202017%20HNO_Final.pdf
and the original UNOCHA site: http://ochayemen.org/hno-2017/#resources (suffering from web-design overkill, hard to use)
23.11.2016 – Amnesty International (** B K)
Yemen: Hospitals and medical workers under attack by anti-Huthi forces in Ta’iz
Anti-Huthi forces in Yemen’s southern city of Ta’iz are leading a campaign of harassment and intimidation against hospital staff and are endangering civilians by stationing fighters and military positions near medical facilities, said Amnesty International today.
During a visit to Ta’iz earlier this month, the organization’s researchers interviewed 15 doctors, and other hospital staff, who described how members of anti-Huthi armed forces regularly harassed, detained or even threatened to kill them over the past six months.
“There is compelling evidence to suggest that anti-Huthi forces have waged a campaign of fear and intimidation against medical professionals in Ta’iz. By positioning fighters and military positions near medical facilities they have compromised the safety of hospitals and flouted their obligation to protect civilians under international law,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“There can be no excuse for harassing medical staff or preventing doctors from carrying out their life-saving work. Attacks targeting health professionals or medical facilities are prohibited by international humanitarian law and can constitute war crimes.”
Anti-Huthi forces, also known as Popular Resistance Forces, are allied with Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition.
Hospitals shut down
In at least three cases hospitals were shut down because of threats against staff. In the latest incident, on Monday 21 November, one faction of anti-Huthi forces raided and shut down al-Thawra hospital, the biggest public hospital in Ta’iz, apparently in retaliation for hospital staff providing emergency medical treatment to three injured Huthi fighters.
According to eyewitnesses three armed men stormed an office at the hospital and threatened to kill medical staff if it was not shut down immediately. They also tried to drag the two surviving Huthi fighters – one of whom is a minor- out of the hospital’s intensive care and recovery units, but were prevented by medical staff. The third Huthi fighter had died while receiving treatment. The hospital is now only partially functioning, providing only limited emergency services and dialysis, despite a renewal in heavy fighting since the first week of November.
Several of the doctors told Amnesty International that the lawlessness that has engulfed Ta’iz has created a security vacuum exposing them to greater risks from anti-Huthi forces who are trying to exert control at the hospitals.
One administrative staff member described the anti-Huthi forces as “the de facto authority”. He said that they often came to the hospital asking for fighters with war wounds to be treated. Doctors told Amnesty International that if anti-Huthi fighters were turned away due to lack of capacity at the hospital in some cases they turned violent or abusive. In other cases, medical staff said that doctors were forced to carry out their work at gunpoint.
Staff at al-Thawra hospital told Amnesty International that fighters set up defensive positions, including by parking tanks around the hospital compound ignoring pleas by staff and local authorities not to do so. This has put hospital buildings, staff and patients at serious risk amid retaliatory fire from Huthi forces. taff at al-Thawra hospital told Amnesty International that fighters set up defensive positions, including by parking tanks around the hospital compound ignoring pleas by staff and local authorities not to do so. This has put hospital buildings, staff and patients at serious risk amid retaliatory fire from Huthi forces.
“There are dozens of armed men in the hospital. Am I running a hospital or a battalion?… The armed men will create any problem with you outside the hospital if you refuse them.”
By positioning fighters and military vehicles in and around medical facilities in Ta’iz, anti-Huthi forces are endangering civilians and hospital staff, flouting a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law,” said Philip Luther.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/11/yemen-hospitals-and-medical-workers-under-attack-by-anti-huthi-forces-in-taiz/ = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-hospitals-and-medical-workers-under-attack-anti-huthi-forces-ta-iz and by Middle East Eye: http://www.middleeasteye.net/fr/news/anti-houthi-fighters-yemen-s-taiz-committing-abuses-against-medical-workers-amnesty-1889993254and by Press TV Iran: http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/11/23/494780/Amnesty-Yemen-Hadi-Houthi-Saudi-Arabia and by Sputnik News: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611231047750582-yemen-saudi-coalition/ and by Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-taiz-idUSKBN13I1QS and by Salon: http://www.salon.com/2016/11/23/u-s-allied-rebels-terrorizing-hospitals-and-doctors-in-yemen-amnesty-international-says/
My comment: Compare this to daily Saudi / pro-Hadi propaganda about Taiz…
Comment by Judith Brown: Now this is a new phenomena described by Amnesty. There are lots of nasty militias in Taiz now including foreign extremist militias that are called Sa'alik Brigades. Then there are the Islah militias and the militias under the control of Abu Abass that includes local resistance and Salafists. I have heard that the Sa'alik Brigades are killing civilians. Who is paying these fighters to kill ordinary Yemeni civilians?
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154935797053641
22.11.2016 – Atlantic Council (** A K P)
The Sequencing of Peace in Yemen
Prior to the beginning of peace talks in Kuwait in April, all parties had accepted in principle that a cessation of hostilities would be followed by Houthi withdrawals from seized territory, a transitional government, and finally an elected all-inclusive government. The devil has been both in the details and in the lack of clear step-by-step sequencing, purportedly left for the parties to work out in direct negotiations with one another—something unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Left to their own devices, the warring parties do not seem capable or willing to work out a detailed agreement. A stepped up US role in pressuring, cajoling, and mediating the parties to the conflict is critical if this conflict is to be brought to a political end. In order for this to succeed, first the Houthis can be promised strong representation in government as well as promises of rebuilding infrastructure in their area in the north. And Saudi's should be made to understand that US support has its limits.
The following is a suggested sequencing of steps in deescalating, though this is certainly only one of several possible scenarios:
Saudi-Led Air Strikes End
Houthis Stop Shelling Ta’iz
A Ceasefire is Announced
Blockade on Yemen is Lifted
Houthis withdraw from Hodeidah and Ta’iz
Humanitarian Aid is Allowed into all Regions of Yemen
Transitional Government is Formed
Houthis Relinquish Weapons
UN Peacekeeping Force in Sanaa
Election Date Announced– by Nabeel Khoury
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/the-sequencing-of-peace-in-yemen
My comment: This is sound in many points. It is remarkable that the other not demands that just one warring party (Houthis; and in some demands also “Saleh forces”, what in reality is the greater part of the regular Yemeni army) should render its heavy weapons, thus being delivered to the (not existing) mercy of its foes. This demand, fixed in NN Security Council resolution 2216 and part of all previous UN and US peace plans, is one of the main obstacles to peace.
The critical points in the authors proposals are:
1) The US is a warring party and to my opinion unable to function as a peace broker. The best for any peace would be the US just keeps out (that also would include no more arms supply to any of the warring parties) and gives the role of peace broker to others (UN, Switzerland, Oman, Algeria, Uruguay…).
2) There is no logic why just the Houthis should surrender heavy weapons. There are many other (anti-Houthi) militia in Yemen. Why they should not do the same??? This proposal just is not neutral and not balanced. 2) Why the Houthis should withdraw from Hodeidah? This city is the only harbour for Houthi-held Yemen, it is city far away from any war zone and fighting. A withdrawal of the Houthis does not make any sense.
3) Yes, a special solution for Taiz is needed. But why just the Houthis should withdraw? That is not balanced. Why all the other anti-Houthi militia shall stay there and hold the city? ALL militia must withdraw from Taiz. Among those whom the author wants to stay in Taiz also is Al Qaida, which is fighting against the Houthis alongside with the so-called “Resistance” militia of Islah party, look at https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/79932507149177241. And instead of all that, an UN peacekeeping force also is needed for Taiz.
4) If any Yemeni forces (Houthi and anti-Houthi) have to withdraw from certain places, how could it be that any non-Yemeni forces of foreign warring parties – apart from UN peace keepers – might stay in Yemen? As part of any peaceful solution, also Saudi, Emirati, US, Sudanese and other Saudi coalition forces must withdraw from Yemeni soil. 5) In the south Hadi is accepted just nominally. Neither the Hirak separatists, nor the so-called “resistance” militia, now fighting against the Houthis, will have the idea they would be represented by Hadi and his government. They must become part of the solution also.
5) And, what about Al Qaida? They can try to obstruct all peace regulations and to pull benefit out of Houthis’ and other militia’s and foreign forces’ retreat. And they can severely attack the politicians of the new united government – and the UN peacekeeping forces as well.
3.11.2016 – Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies (*** B E H P)
Yemen without a functioning central bank: the loss of basic economic stabilization and accelerating famine
The Yemeni government’s decision in September to relocate the central bank and replace its governor has left the country without an institution capable of providing basic economic stabilization.
While all the belligerent parties to Yemen’s armed conflict have sought to leverage economic factors, the incapacitation of the central bank may represent an unprecedented escalation in this regard; the international community must act to ensure the starvation of millions of people is not employed as a tactic of this war.
The Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) had, until recently, been among the only state institutions to operate effectively at a national capacity throughout the last five years of political upheaval and armed conflict.
Through these actions the CBY preserved baseline economic stability and prevented one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises from becoming far worse. Such interventions were, however, predicated upon two factors that no longer apply: (1) the CBY having access to foreign currency reserves to finance operations, and (2) a tacit agreement between the main warring parties to respect the central bank’s neutrality and not to interfere in its operations.
Since the CBY's incapacitation there has been a marked deterioration in the country's humanitarian situation. It is absolutely essential that all the parties to the conflict, as well as local, regional and international stakeholders, coordinate efforts to empower the CBY to resume its functions as quickly as possible, irrespective of its location.
The crucial roles of the central bank
The Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) is the only state institution – apart from the Ministry of Health – that has continued to operate effectively at a nation-wide capacity through the last five years of political upheaval and armed conflict. Indeed, since President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi fled Yemen for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in March 2015, the CBY in Sana’a has essentially been in charge of macroeconomic policy; the last official national budget was enacted in 2014, which, in the absence of a Parliament to convene and ratify a new budget, the CBY has rolled over into 2015 and 2016.
The CBY has also been a major financer of government budget deficits in recent years. Between 2009 and 2013 the Yemeni government consistently overspent revenues, with budget deficits ranging between 4.6% and 8.3% of gross domestic product; these were financed through a combination of external loans and grants, domestic bonds and loans from the central bank. The latter led to the government owing the CBY $3.5 billion by December 2014, or roughly 10% of GDP for that year.
Maintaining public services
The CBY has helped maintain basic public services across the country through continued financial coordination with local governing councils, even as the central government’s sovereignty has receded since 2011.
Paying both sides
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) is the largest public employer in Yemen, with more than 400,000 Yemenis on its payroll. Due to the conflict, units of the Yemeni army have split between the warring sides, with both the Houthis and Saleh, as well as the internationally recognized government, relying heavily on these professional soldiers for their respective military forces. The CBY has continued to provide salaries to all employees who were registered with the Ministry of Defense as of 2014, thus soldiers fighting on both sides of the front lines have been receiving their pay from the central bank.
This arrangement has favored the Houthis, however, who added thousands of their militiamen to the MoD’s roster after they took control of the capital and government ministries in September 2014.
Preserving the Yemeni rial
Liquidity crisis
Yemen is overwhelmingly a cash economy, and in early June this year the CBY began anticipating a liquidity crisis for the domestic currency – meaning that it foresaw itself having insufficient physical banknotes to facilitate normal transactions. Due in large part to the financial blockade on Yemen that prevented the country’s commercial banks from interacting with foreign institutions, traders and wealthy Yemenis had grown increasingly reluctant to let the banks hold their money. As a result, large sums of domestic banknotes were being pulled out of the banking system and held privately, or circulated on the country’s black market. The CBY was not able to print new banknotes because the internationally recognized government was denying the central bank access to the printers, which are located in Russia.
Basic commodities and foreign currency
In 2013 Yemeni imports tallied $10.8 billion, or 32% of GDP, illustrating the country’s general dependence on foreign goods, with the crucial component being that almost nine tenths of the country’s foodstuffs come from abroad. The CBY’s flexibility in keeping the market supplied with foreign currency to purchase these imports has declined, however, relative to CBY’s decreasing stock of foreign currency, thus the central bank’s general strategy has been to target its reserves usage toward covering basic commodities and a minimum of fuel imports.
CBY contingency planning
In January 2016 the CBY issued a report to the internationally recognized government with the heading "extremely urgent, extremely important and confidential", detailing the status of its exchange reserves and laying out three plausible scenarios going forward: (1) continue current policies of supporting the rial and imports until foreign currency reserves are expended; (2) reduce foreign currency spending through reducing import financing, and (3) maintaining reserves through ending lines of credit for imports and floating the Yemeni rial.
Undermining the CBY
President Hadi’s cabinet began to publicly attack the CBY’s credibility earlier this year, however, alleging that Bin Humam was acting as a Houthi partisan.
Over the past two months, the Sana’a Center has conducted dozens of interviews and meetings in the Gulf region, Europe and the United States with high level diplomats, government officials, and member of the international financial community working on the situation in Yemen. The following two points were mentioned in every instance: (1) that the reallocation of CBY was a mistake, and (2) that the claims against Bin Human were baseless.
Various Western officials also stated that President Hadi had reneged on a commitment to consult with them before he made any decision to relocate the central bank. These same officials stated that their governments had wanted to condemn Hadi’s decree after it was made, but had refrained from doing so as it would have put them in the uncomfortable position of condemning an action taken by a government they had both recognized and publicly supported until that point.
Yemen without a functioning central bank
Bin Human and the board of governors in Sana’a respected Hadi’s decree and stepped down. The new governor, Monasser Al Quaiti – Hadi’s former finance minister – and his newly appointed board then officially assumed charge of central bank operations. Prior to the central bank's transfer, however, the institutional expertise, information archives and financial reserves necessary for it to become operational in the new location had not been secured.
As of this paper being published, the Aden-based CBY had announced no plans to relocate any the some 800 well-trained and seasoned staff from the former CBY headquarters in Sana'a, nor offered details as to how it planned to recruit properly qualified new staff to work in Aden. Among the obstacles in this regard is the poor security situation in Aden – epitomized by a car bomb attack on the central bank location there at the end of October – which has prompted the internationally recognized government itself to continue operating largely from Riyadh. The new CBY administration has also announced no plans to transfer the Sana'a-based CBY's vast archives of documents – such as public sector payrolls and balance sheets of assets and obligations – much of which exists in paper form only.
It is this overwhelming lack of clarity surrounding the newly appointed governor and the Aden-based CBY that is souring the trust of Yemeni commercial banks, businesses, traders and the general public, as well as international financial institutions and foreign lenders – all the more so in light of the trust the previous governor had garnered over years of service, and how vehemently and personally he had been attacked by the current CBY administration and Hadi’s cabinet.
Exacerbating the humanitarian crisis
The undermining of the central bank, and thus the country’s commercial bank system, will have negative repercussions on almost all logistical aspects of humanitarian aid delivery in Yemen. Should the CBY fail to meet the country’s international debt servicing obligations, future loans and funding will also be put at risk.
Looking ahead
Serious policy discussions should avoid, however, entertaining scenarios in which the new CBY administration in Aden has the central bank up and running again without coordinating with the staff and administration of the former headquarters in Sana’a.
At the same time, the CBY in Sana’a is no longer functioning as a central bank, and current Houthi posturing about unilaterally establishing their own central bank is not plausible. The Houthis may have the physical building and paper records of the CBY, but no bank they establish would have the legitimacy to carry out major overseas transactions, open international accounts, print money, or perform most of the other prerequisites necessary for a central bank to operate successfully. Even attempting to establish such an entity would have disastrous consequences, given the confusion and mistrust it would create in Yemen’s financial system and the knock-on effects this would have for the economy and humanitarian situation, especially areas of the country under Houthi control.
The only realistic option for Yemen to have a properly functioning central bank running in the near term is for there to be cooperation and coordination between staff at the CBY’s previous and current headquarters. A necessary first step towards this goal is the reinstatement of the agreement between the warring parties to respect the neutrality of the central bank and to not interfere in its operations.
It must be recognized by all stakeholders in Yemen, however, that in the event there is no intervention to help reinstate central bank functions and current trajectories are allowed to play out into the foreseeable near-to-mid term, worst-case scenarios for the humanitarian crisis will be unbounded – by Mansour Rageh, Amal Nasser, and Farea Al-Muslimi
(This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence)
http://sanaacenter.org/publications/item/55-yemen-without-a-functioning-central-bank.html = https://www.opendemocracy.net/arab-awakening/mansour-rageh-amal-nasser-farea-al-muslimi/yemen-without-functioning-central-bank-los
Comment by Judith Brown: This was so rash and unintelligent - so many had said for months how amazingly well yemen's Central Bank had been functioning despite the devastation - but Hadi chose to ignore world opinion and make life even worse for Yemenis. Whilst he sits in his mansion in Riyadh.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154933609393641
22.11.2016 – Handicap International (** B K)
Landminenbericht 2016: Deutlich mehr Unfälle mit Minen
Der heute veröffentlichte Bericht Landmine-Monitor 2016 enthüllt für das Berichtsjahr 2015 einen Anstieg der Unfälle mit Landminen und explosiven Kriegsresten um 75% im Vergleich zum Vorjahr. Im Berichtszeitraum wurden mindestens 6.461 Menschen getötet oder verletzt - die Dunkelziffer liegt noch deutlich höher. Besonders viele Unfälle gab es in den aktuellen Konfliktgebieten Afghanistan, Libyen, Syrien, Ukraine und Jemen.
Der Landmine-Monitor zeigt, dass sich die Anzahl der neuen Unfälle mit industriell hergestellten sowie improvisierten Anti-Personen-Minen und explosiven Kriegsresten innerhalb von einem Jahr fast verdoppelt hat:
Die große Mehrheit der Opfer von Unfällen mit Landminen oder explosiven Kriegsresten stammten aus der Zivilbevölkerung: 2015 waren es 78 Prozent, davon 38 Prozent Kinder. 74 Prozent aller berichteten Unfälle wurden in Afghanistan (1.310), Libyen (1.004), Jemen (988), Syrien (864) und der Ukraine (589) registriert.
www.presseportal.de/pm/16206/3490422
22.11.2016 – International Campaign to Ban Landmines (** B K)
Landmine Monitor 2016
Landmine report finds global casualties at 10-year high while clearance funding hits 10-year low; but progress toward a mine-free world continues
HRW has reported numerous instances of antipersonnel mine use by Ansar Allah, also called Houthis, and their allied forces loyal to former President Ali Abduallah Saleh in 2015 and 2016. Another NSAG, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, also appears to be using antipersonnel mines. Areas in and near the city of Taizz in Taizz governorate that Houthis and allied forces occupied from March 2015 until March 2016 were subsequently discovered to have been mined, including with PPM- 2 mines manufactured in the former East Germany.
Houthi officials denied using antipersonnel mines in Taizz. A September response by Yemen’s foreign ministry affirmed Yemen’s commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty and said that when the conflict ends a committee will be created to investigate the landmine use in Taizz.
In November 2015, HRW reported numerous casualties from landmines, including PPM-2 and Hungarian-made GYATA-64 antipersonnel mines that Houthi forces laid before retreating from Abyan governorate and Aden governorate in July 2015.31 New use of landmines by Houthi forces was also reported in Marib and Lahj governorates, but the areas remain inaccessible to independent researchers.
In September 2015, the Mine Ban Treaty’s Cooperative Compliance Committee requested to meet with Yemen to discuss continuing mine use. According to the committee’s report, Yemen replied that due to the difficult circumstances faced by the government “it is not able to conduct an investigation for the moment on these new allegations and that due to the lack of adequate information it was unable to attend the meeting.”
Officials reported in May 2016 that large stocks of antipersonnel and antivehicle mines had been recovered from the port city of Mukalla in Hadramout governorate that were allegedly used by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula until it was forced out in April 2016. The governor of Hadramout told a regional media outlet that Al-Qaeda forces extensively mined the Dhabah oil terminal.
There has been no evidence to suggest that members of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition have used landmines in their military operations in Yemen.
http://reliefweb.int/report/world/landmine-monitor-2016 and in full:
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Landmine-Monitor-2016-web.pdf
21.11.2016 – The Week (** A P)
End the war in Yemen, Mr. Trump
What will Donald Trump do with American foreign policy? It's impossible to know, especially in regards to the Middle East.
But if Trump does want to bring some positive change to U.S. foreign policy, he should seek to end the war in Yemen.
The U.S. role in the war is substantial.
So what should Trump do?
First, he should try an aggressive push to get Saudi Arabia to drop its support for Hadi and reduce their expectations for shaping and controlling a post-war government in Yemen. If the Saudis do not want to do that, the U.S. can and should cease all military support operations for Saudi Arabia in the war zone.
Trump's advisers may come back and explain that giving the Saudis a cold shoulder is a problem. Maybe they'll say that while Saudi Arabia may fund ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, it's still a check on Iran in the region. Maybe they'll say that while the Saudis may fund mosques in Europe that are so radical refugees from the Middle East are afraid to attend them, they will keep the price of oil low and cripple Russia if we ask nicely.
If that is the case, it's a perfect opportunity for Trump to consider dramatically revising the terms of the special relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Make a deal, Mr. Trump – by Michael Brendan Dougherty
http://theweek.com/articles/663273/end-war-yemen-mr-trump
and
22.11.2016 – The American Conservative (** A P)
Trump and the War on Yemen
Halting U.S. support for the atrocious Saudi-led war would be a smart move and a welcome change, and I hope it happens. The Saudi-led coalition depends on U.S. weapons and refueling to carry on their campaign, and they would be hard-pressed to continue without that assistance.
If there is one thing that seems to unite Trump and his various advisers, it is hostility to Iran. The Saudis and their allies have sold the war on Yemen as an intervention against supposed Iranian “expansionism,” and they have many people in the U.S. willing to repeat that lie. Iran’s role in Yemen is and remains negligible, but Iran hawks here in the U.S. don’t let the facts get in the way of alarmist propaganda.
If Trump saw U.S. backing for the war as a bad deal, perhaps he could be persuaded to cut off the Saudis and their allies anyway, but there doesn’t appear to be anyone in Trump’s circle that views it this way.
On top of that, Trump’s transition team is loadedwith people with ties to the defense industry, and those are the businesses that stand to benefit from continued arms sales to the Saudis and other coalition members.
Trump’s election inadvertently exposed the absurdity of U.S. support for the war in that his victory caused at least one former Saudi official to call on him not to rip up the nuclear deal. Of course, the official justification for backing their war on Yemen was to placate the Saudis and their allies because of their supposed dissatisfaction with the deal, but this never made much sense. It has always seemed more likely that the Saudis and the other Gulf states feigned concern over the deal to extract more support from Washington, and in this they were entirely successful. Maybe if Trump recognized how the U.S. is being scammed by bad clients he would withdraw the support Obama provided, but it seems more likely that halting the war on Yemen will be an even lower priority for the new administration than it was for Obama – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/trump-and-the-war-on-yemen/
23.11.2016 – Rutherford Institute (** B P)
In Sachen Falschmeldungen ist die US-Regierung der größte Übeltäter
Lasst uns mal über Fake News-Geschichten reden, sollen wir?
Dann gibt es da die hinterhältigeren News-Storys, die von einem der größten Verbreiter von Fake News in Umlauf gebracht werden: Der US-Regierung.
Inmitten des plötzlichen Schlagzeilen-Schlaganfalls der Medien wegen Fake News hört man wenig über die Rolle der Regierung beim Produzieren, Einpflanzen und Verbreiten propagandalastiger Fake News – oft mit Hilfe der Konzernmedien – denn so funktioniert das Spiel nicht.
Warum?
Weil die de-facto-Herrschenden nicht wollen, dass wir die Regierungsbotschaften oder ihre Mittäter in den Konzernmedien anzweifeln. Sie wollen nicht, dass wir bei Informationen aus dem Internet urteilsfähig werden. Sie wollen nur, dass wir gegenüber unabhängigen und alternativen Nachrichtenquellen misstrauisch sind und dass wir, wenn es um Nachrichten geht, nur ihnen vertrauen – und ihren Konzernkollegen.
Die New York Times hat doch tatsächlich vorgeschlagen, dass Facebook und Google sich selbst zu den Schiedsrichtern über die Wahrheit im Internet ernennen, damit sie das herausfiltern, was offensichtlich falsch ist, Spam oder Klickköder sind.
Das würde nicht nur einen gefährlichen Präzedenzfall für eine totale Zensur durch Konzerne schaffen, von denen man weiß, dass sie mit der Regierung mauscheln. Es ist auch ein geschickter Taschenspielertrick, um die Aufmerksamkeit von dem abzulenken, worüber wir tatsächlich reden sollten: Die Tatsache, dass die Regierung gefährlich außer Kontrolle geraten ist, während die sogenannten Massenmedien, die eigentlich als Bollwerk gegen Regierungspropaganda arbeiten sollten, zu einem Lautsprecher des weltgrößten Konzerns geworden sind – der US-Regierung.
Der altgediente Journalist Carl Bernstein, der zusammen mit Bob Woodward den Watergate-Skandal aufdeckte, berichtete 1977 in einem Aufsatz „The CIA and the Media“ für den Rolling Stone:
„Mehr als 400 amerikanische Journalisten … haben in den letzten 25 Jahren heimlich Aufträge der Central Intelligence Agency ausgeführt … Es gab Zusammenarbeit, Gefälligkeiten und Gemeinsamkeiten. Journalisten erledigten eine ganze Reihe versteckter Dienste … Reporter teilten ihre Notizblöcke mit der CIA. Redakteure teilten ihre Mitarbeiter. Einige der Journalisten waren Pulitzer Preisträger, geachtete Reporter … In vielen Fällen, CIA-Dokumente zeigen das, wurden Journalisten angeheuert um Aufträge der CIA auszuführen, mit der Zustimmung des Managements der führenden amerikanischen Nachrichtenorganisationen.“
In ihrem Artikel „Wie die Regierung versucht unser Denken zu kontrollieren“ weist die Washington Post darauf hin: „Seit jeher ist es für Regierungsagenturen üblich, die unscharfe Grenze zwischen Propaganda und der Information der Öffentlichkeit zu überschreiten.“
Ob wir über den Kalten Krieg reden, über den Vietnamkrieg, den Golfkrieg, die Invasion des Irak aufgrund absoluter Lügen, oder gegen den sogenannten Krieg gegen Terror, Privatsphäre und Whistleblower, all das wird durch Propaganda angetrieben, die von der einen Konzernmaschine (der Konzern-kontrollierten Regierung) ausgespuckt wird und dem amerikanischen Volk durch eine weitere Konzernmaschine (den Konzern-kontrollierten Medien) in den Rachen gestopft wird.
„Zum ersten Mal in der Menschheitsgeschichte gibt es eine abgestimmte Strategie, um die globale Wahrnehmung zu manipulieren. Und die Massenmedien arbeiten als willige Helfer daran mit, sie versagen und leisten weder Widerstand noch decken sie das auf.“ So schreibt der Investigativjournalist Nick Davies. „Die unfassbare Leichtigkeit, mit der diese Maschinerie ihre Arbeit erledigen kann, enthüllt eine schauerliche strukturelle Schwäche, die heute die Produktion unserer Nachrichten befallen hat.“
Aber Moment!
Wenn die Massenmedien – auch bekannt als Mainstreammedien, Konzernmedien oder Establishmentmedien – nur das wiederholen, was man ihnen vorsetzt, wer sind dann die Drahtzieher in der Regierung, die für diese Propaganda zuständig sind?
Davies erklärt es:
Das Pentagon hat jetzt ‚Informations-Operationen‘ zu seiner fünften ‚Kernkompetenz‘ erklärt, neben den Streitkräften zu Land, in der Luft, zu Wasser und den Spezialkräften. Seit Oktober 2006 hat jede Brigade, Division und jedes Corps im US-Militär seine eigene ‚PsyOp‘-Abteilung, die für die örtlichen Medien Meldungen produziert. Diese militärische Aktivität ist mit der Kampagne ‚öffentliche Diplomatie‘ des Außenministeriums verbunden, dazu gehört die Förderung von Radiosendern und Nachrichtenwebseiten.
Die als Journalismus verkleidete Propaganda ist das, was der Journalist John Pilger meint, wenn er sagt: „Die unsichtbare Regierung … die echte herrschende Macht im Land.“
Wie ich in meinem Buch „Battlefield America: The War on the American People“ deutlich mache: wir haben keine Vierte Gewalt mehr.
Nicht wenn die „Nachrichten“, die wir erhalten, ständig von Regierungsagenturen erfunden, manipuliert und in Auftrag gegeben werden. Nicht wenn sechs Konzerne 90% der Medien in Amerika kontrollieren. Und nicht wenn, wie Davies bedauert, „Nachrichtenorganisationen, die sonst die Wahrheit aufdecken würden, selbst Teil des Missbrauchs sind und schweigen, in komischen Parodien aus Falschberichten schwelgen und die entstehenden Skandale vor ihren Lesern verbergen wie ein viktorianisches Kindermädchen, das den Kindern nach einem Straßenunfall die Augen zuhält.“
Also Schluss mit dem Händeringen, dem herzzerreißenden und moralisch beleidigtem Gerede der Medien über Falschnachrichten, sie sind zu Propagandisten für die durch die amerikanische Regierung geschaffene falsche Realität geworden – von John W. Whitehead
and the English version:
21.11.2016 – Rutherford Institute (** B P)
When It Comes to Fake News, the U.S. Government Is the Biggest Culprit
Let’s talk about fake news stories, shall we?
Then there’s the more devious kind of news stories circulated by one of the biggest propagators of fake news: the U.S. government.
In the midst of the media’s sudden headline-blaring apoplexy over fake news, you won’t hear much about the government’s role in producing, planting and peddling propaganda-driven fake news—often with the help of the corporate news media—because that’s not how the game works.
Why?
Because the powers-that-be don’t want us skeptical of the government’s message or its corporate accomplices in the mainstream media. They don’t want us to be more discerning when it comes to what information we digest online. They just want us to be leery of independent or alternative news sources while trusting them—and their corporate colleagues—to vet the news for us.
Indeed, the New York Times has suggested that Facebook and Google appoint themselves the arbiters of truth on the internet in order to screen out what is blatantly false, spam or click-baity.
Not only would this establish a dangerous precedent for all-out censorship by corporate entities known for colluding with the government but it’s also a slick sleight-of-hand maneuver that diverts attention from what we should really be talking about: the fact that the government has grown dangerously out-of-control, all the while the so-called mainstream news media, which is supposed to act as a bulwark against government propaganda, has instead become the mouthpiece of the world’s largest corporation—the U.S. government.
As veteran journalist Carl Bernstein, who along with Bob Woodward blew the lid off the Watergate scandal, reported in his expansive 1977 Rolling Stone piece, “The CIA and the Media”:
“More than 400 American journalists … in the past twenty‑five years have secretly carried out assignments for the Central Intelligence Agency... There was cooperation, accommodation and overlap. Journalists provided a full range of clandestine services... Reporters shared their notebooks with the CIA. Editors shared their staffs. Some of the journalists were Pulitzer Prize winners, distinguished reporters... In many instances, CIA documents show, journalists were engaged to perform tasks for the CIA with the consent of the managements of America’s leading news organizations.”
In its article, “How the American government is trying to control what you think,” the Washington Post points out “Government agencies historically have made a habit of crossing the blurry line between informing the public and propagandizing.”
Thus, whether you’re talking about the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the government’s invasion of Iraq based upon absolute fabrications, or the government’s so-called war on terror, privacy and whistleblowers, it’s being driven by propaganda churned out by one corporate machine (the corporate-controlled government) and fed to the American people by way of yet another corporate machine (the corporate-controlled media).
“For the first time in human history, there is a concerted strategy to manipulate global perception. And the mass media are operating as its compliant assistants, failing both to resist it and to expose it,” writes investigative journalist Nick Davies. “The sheer ease with which this machinery has been able to do its work reflects a creeping structural weakness which now afflicts the production of our news.”
But wait.
If the mass media—aka the mainstream media or the corporate or establishment media—is merely repeating what is being fed to it, who are the masterminds within the government responsible for this propaganda?
Davies explains:
The Pentagon has now designated “information operations” as its fifth “core competency” alongside land, sea, air and special forces. Since October 2006, every brigade, division and corps in the US military has had its own "psyop" element producing output for local media. This military activity is linked to the State Department's campaign of "public diplomacy" which includes funding radio stations and news websites.
This use of propaganda disguised as journalism is what journalist John Pilger refers to as “invisible government… the true ruling power of our country.”
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, we no longer have a Fourth Estate.
Not when the “news” we receive is routinely manufactured, manipulated and made-to-order by government agents. Not when six corporations control 90% of the media in America. And not when, as Davies laments, “news organizations which might otherwise have exposed the truth were themselves part of the abuse, and so they kept silent, indulging in a comic parody of misreporting, hiding the emerging scandal from their readers like a Victorian nanny covering the children’s eyes from an accident in the street.” – by John W. Whitehead
and on the same subject:
18.11.2016 – Daily Bell (** B P)
Enter Fake News as Replacement for Conspiracy Theory? / Is "Fake News" The New 'Conspiracy Theory'?
Barack Obama on fake news: ‘We have problems’ if we can’t tell the difference The US president denounced the spate of misinformation across social media platforms, including Facebook, suggesting American politics can be affected. -Guardian
Is fake news the new “conspiracy theory.” We’ve read that it may be, and it seems likely to us.
That’s because “conspiracy theory” has seemingly lost credibility as a way of dismissing anti-mainstream critiques, and it can be argued that “fake news” is being substituted.
We recently wrote about the decline and fall of “conspiracy theory” as an effective denigration of Deep State critiques. You can see the article here.
This make sense to us because the CIA was apparently responsible for disseminating the initial “conspiracy theory” meme, and “fake news” could certainly have been developed to take its place.
Secondly, as reportedly some 50 percent of Americans now believe in so-called “conspiracies,” it’s very obvious a elite replacement was needed.
Some caveats: Regarding this second point, it’s very likely that many more than 50 percent of Americans believe in conspiracy theories. And the substitution of “fake news” is a very unappealing alternative.
Our mission is to cover elite memes – propaganda that scares people into giving more control to the government – and having Obama comment on “fake news” is part of a standard meme reinforcement.
The “fake news” meme is all over search-engine news and prominent people like Obama are speaking out about the meme and basically endorsing it.
But it all strikes us as rather desperate.
Conspiracy Theory is far less prone to analysis than “fake news.” It has persisted so long and been so successful because it is difficult to quantify a “conspiracy” and thus the dismissal cannot be either confirmed or denied.
“Fake news” however, lends itself to fact-checking. One may not wish for a variety of reasons to delve into “conspiracy theory,” but if someone is told he or she is espousing fake news, the resultant irritation may move that person to further research
http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/enter-fake-news-as-replacement-for-conspiracy-theory/ = http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-22/fake-news-new-conspiracy-theory and on this subject, also: http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/11/23/establishments-fight-against-fake-news-is-a-covert-war-on-free-speech/
And it is quite absurd that one of the great spreaders of “fake news”, Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat, claims: “Stop Facebook, Social Media Fake News”: http://english.aawsat.com/2016/11/article55362677/stop-facebook-social-media-fake-news. What a joke.
15.10.2016 – Durchgeknallt (** B K P)
Gesetz des Krieges: Journalisten als Feinde – #WirVasallen
Das aktuelle militärische Diktat aus dem Pentagon aber heißt Law of War, ein 1176 Seiten dickes Kriegshandbuch.
Natürlich steht es mir frei, zu Hause zu bleiben und allabendlich vor der Glotze meinen Blutdruck in die Höhe zu ärgern. Dafür wird sich kein Drohnenpilot oder Special Forces Einsatzleiter interessieren. Aber die Kollegen, die in aller Welt über Kriege und Krisen berichten? Die stehen auf der Abschussliste.
Der Wortlaut des Kriegshandbuches sei „gefährlich“ (so Reporter ohne Grenzen), weil er „zu viel Freiraum für Interpretationen offen lässt.“ Zum Beispiel (Englische Zitate):
„Im Allgemeinen sind Journalisten Zivilisten,“ erkennt das Handbuch, „aber, wie andere Zivilisten, können auch zivile Journalisten, die feindliche Handlungen gegen einen Staat begehen, von diesem Staat nach einem fairen Prozess bestraft werden.“
Umständlich formuliert. Aber die Botschaft ist klar: „Berichten über militärische Operationen kann dem Sammeln von Informationen oder sogar der Spionage sehr nahe stehen.“
Dass „Sammeln von Information“ zum Grundhandwerk des Journalismus gehört, scheint die Pentagon-Planer nicht zu kümmern. Das sollte uns angesichts der gegenwärtig üblichen Nachplappern-Berichterstattung nicht erstaunen. Wehren sollten wir uns trotzdem.
Denn sollten US-Militärs mal feststellen, dass es sich um Spionage handelt, wird es schlimm: „Ein Journalist, der als Spion handelt kann Sicherheitsmaßnahmen unterworfen und bei Gefangennahme bestraft werden.“ (so das Handbuch mit dem ominösen Titel Gesetz des Krieges).
Da bleibt viel Spielraum für Interpretation. Auch ohne diese neuen Regeln hatten es Journalisten schwer, die nicht Konform waren mit der Sichtweise des Pentagon.
Seltsamerweise gab es in Deutschland kaum Reaktionen auf das gefährliche Dokument. Vielleicht weil Russia Today darüber berichtete? Wird es dadurch gleich zu russischer Propaganda? Jedenfalls ignorieren die „Leitmedien“ das Thema. Das geschieht nicht nur aus Nachlässigkeit. Es hat vor allem mit der bewussten Auswahl der Themen zu tun. Die „Leitmedien“ bestimmen, was überhaupt thematisiert wird.
Warum wurde das Gesetz des Krieges aus dem Pentagon ignoriert? Passte es etwa nicht ins Sommerloch? Dabei gab es doch Quellen genug mit kraftvollen Stellungnahmen:
„Es ist lächerlich,“ kommentierte etwa die New York Times das neue Konvolut aus dem Pentagon, „die ungenaue Wortwahl kann von Offizieren missbraucht werden, um Journalisten der Zensur zu unterwerfen oder sie abzuschießen.“
Geradezu wütend reagierte der Akademiker Francis Boyle von der Universität Illinois: „Dieses Kriegshandbuch stellt uns auf eine Ebene mit den Nazis.“ Der Rechtsgelehrte hat an Gesetzestexten über Bio-Waffen und Terrorismus gearbeitet und war einst im Vorstand von Amnesty International. Das neue Handbuch „liest sich, als hätte Hitlers Kriegsminister es geschrieben.“
Gerade Zweideutigkeit und Willkür aber sind gewollt. Denn das Handbuch setzt verdächtige Journalisten in die Kategorie „unprivilegierte Krieger.“ Unter Bush hieß das noch „gesetzwidrige Krieger“ und umfasste alle, die er ohne Verfahren nach Guantanamo verfrachten ließ. Jetzt wird das Wort „gesetzwidrig“ ersetzt, denn es könnte dazu führen, dass sich jemand an Gesetze wie die Genfer Konvention erinnert. Wer aber „unprivilegiert“ ist, gilt nicht einmal als Kriegsgefangener. Er ist also rechtlos.
Das Pentagon alleine entscheidet also, wer Journalist ist und wer Spion oder gar Terrorist.
Das Ziel ist eindeutig. Gerhard Kromschröder hat das in seinem Buch Ach, der Journalismus. Glanz und Elend eines Berufsstandes, (Wien, 2006, s. 98) treffend gesagt:
„Wir werden… zum verlängerten Arm der Militärmaschine degradiert, wir sollen ihnen helfen, den Krieg zu gewinnen.“ – von Walter Tauber
Mein Kommentar: Diesen Beitrag kannte ich bisher nicht, wird hier nachgeholt. Sehr realistische Betrachtung dessen, was uns medial erwartet (oder was wir medial längst haben). Als gute Ergänzung drei Artikel aus den USA über „faked news“, siehe cp9.
cp2 Allgemein / General
23.11.2016 – SBS (* B H K)
Comment: When it comes to Yemen, our indifference is deadly
What little news we do hear of the situation focuses on statistics and death tolls, far removed from the very real and raw anguish of the people who have been left broken by this war. People such as Saddam - a middle-aged widower I met earlier this year whose experiences characterise the largely untold story of Yemeni suffering.
This ruthless conflict has visited upon Saddam trauma that has changed his life forever. During recent fighting in his home town of Taiz, Saddam’s house was shelled while he and his family were sheltering inside. His wife and only daughter were severely injured in the bombardment and, unable to escape, forced to endure a slow and painful death. Saddam had desperately wanted to take them to the hospital, but he would have had to carry them on a donkey amidst sniper bullets and shelling. And so he waited for a lull in the combat. A lull that, heartbreakingly, came too late.
A year earlier, Saddam lost his job as a janitor at one of the leading schools in the city, after it was forced to close its doors due to the fighting. With employment opportunities close to zero, he soon found himself roaming the streets to put food on the table. “Yes, I have become a beggar,” he told me defiantly. “I roam the streets together with my sons begging for money, and looking for food leftovers; sometimes in garbage containers.
“This conflict has taken everything away from us. I have lost everything, my dignity included. There is nothing left of who I used to be.”
Saddam’s experiences are, unfortunately, not exceptional. Thousands of Yemenis have similar painful stories to tell.
We can’t afford to become immune to human suffering.
It is not only weapons that kill. Indifference can be just as deadly – By Rima Kamal, Communication Co-ordinator and Spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/11/23/comment-when-it-comes-yemen-our-indifference-deadly
22.11.2016 – Jason Staple Programm (not rated B K P)
Audio: Scott Horton Talks Yemen
I’ve had a lot of questions about Yemen lately. It’s not in the news very often, and after you listen to this episode, you’ll know why.
Would you believe me if I told you we were fighting with and provided material support to ISIS in Yemen? I know that sounds crazy given all the patriotic talk from our wayward leaders in Washington, but it’s true. Right now the U.S. is working with the Saudi government to help the Islamic State defeat a rival faction in Yemen.
When you hear this episode, you’re going to get sick to your stomach, and it’s going to reaffirm what many of you thought about our government and our reasons for being in the middle east.
Big thanks to Scott Horton for sharing his knowledge with us. You can find his new site here:
https://www.libertarianinstitute.org/
http://www.jasonstapleton.com/scott-horton-talks-yemen/
22.11.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A K)
21-months under blockade Yemeni fighters arming themselves From the US-backed Saudis who leave most advanced weapons&escape( Nov21,southKSA (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/801063554644316160
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/801062666542481408
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/801062666538254336
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/801062656899567616
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/801053866993123329
My comment: Where the Houthis get new weapons from…
21.11.2016 – Press TV Iran (A K PH)
Film: Saudi Arabia seeks total control of Yemen: Activist
Kim Sharif, director of Human Rights for Yemen, says Saudi Arabia seeks “total control” of Yemen in order to exploit the country’s national resources and to enslave its people.
“There was never any specific goal other than wanting to control Yemen and colonize it as they were doing it by proxy in the past, proxy regimes that they were placing in governance and controlling them through Riyadh.” the activist told Press TV.
She also stated the “evil powers” who are aiding and abetting Saudi Arabia in its crimes against Yemen, are the ones who ought to be held ultimately responsible for the carnage and mayhem that are taking place in the impoverished Arab country.
The activist further noted the United States is playing a “diabolical game” in Yemen, adding that it is clearly behind this war by "providing logistics, intelligence and weapons to Saudi Arabia."
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/11/21/494585/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-war-US-ceasefire-UN-war-crimes
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
23.11.2016 – Hakim Almasmari (A H)
Photo; Price of war... #Yemen child is crying after he fails to sell candy just to buy food for his hungry orphaned sisters waiting at home.
https://twitter.com/HakimAlmasmari/status/801464152111726592
23.11.2016 – UNICEF (A H)
UNICEF airlifted over 25 tons of medical supplies enough to treat 7,500 people in cholera-affected provinces. #Yemen (photo)
https://twitter.com/unicef_yemen/status/801112470152572930
23.11.2016 – Saba Net (A H)
Director of Health Ministry denies receiving support to combat cholera
Director of Combating Diseases at the Health Ministry, Dr. Abdul Hakim al-Kuhlani, denied media reports that the ministry received six million USD for combating cholera in Yemen.
"The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have called for allocating 22 million USD, but the international community has yet to respond.. and all what both organizations received were no more than a million and 900 thousands USD..and all that money were still at the hands of those organizations and the ministry has received nothing yet," al-Kuhlanitold Saba on Tuesday.
He stressed on the importance of the rapid response by the donors countries to provide support to Yemen.
He said cholera cases have reached 96 confirmed cases, 4,527 suspected cases, eight of which cases have confirmed died from cholera, and 61 persons have died with suspected cholera.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447547.htm
My comment: How important cholera is for the “international community”? US $ 22 and 6 million is the equivalent of 158 or 43 minutes of Saudi aerial war all arounf the clock, for more than 600 days now. That’s it.
22.11.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini (A H)
Imagine that ppl in the 21st century living in this kind of house, called in Hodeidah "Usha" where a 5-member family living inside (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/801142110355423232 and https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/801143781185691648
22.11.2016 – BBC (* A H)
Yemen faces 'significant' cholera outbreak, says UN
The UN says it is seriously concerned about a "significant outbreak" of cholera in Yemen. The World Health Organisation has recorded almost 5,500 suspected cases across the war-torn country.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-38067031 and film: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/un-warns-of-cholera-outbreak-in-yemen/vp-AAkC21G
22.11.2016 – International Red Cross (* A H K)
Yemen: Desperate situation for civilians trapped by intense fighting in Taiz
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is alarmed by the situation in the city of Taiz following days of intensive fighting.
"Sniper fire and indiscriminate shelling has trapped civilians. Dead bodies are in the streets and people are unable to attend to their most basic needs. The situation is desperate," said the head of the ICRC in Yemen, Alexandre Faite.
The wave of civilian suffering brought about by the latest fighting comes on top of months of severe restrictions on people's day-to day-lives including their freedom of movement and their access to basic commodities such as food and water.
"Taiz has been cut off from the outside world for more than a year now. In parts of the governorate, people have not had access to power or running water throughout this time," said Mr. Faite.
The main hospitals in Taiz have reported receiving an average of 200 wounded over the past 72 hours. Many patients are suffering from blast injuries. Many have had to have limbs amputated.
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/yemen-desperate-situation-civilians-trapped-intense-fighting-taiz = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-desperate-situation-civilians-trapped-intense-fighting-taiz
22.11.2016 – Living in Yemen on the edge (A H)
This man picks up plastic bottles and brings them to the recycling centre. He digs in the garbage, searches inch by each the streets around him. He does it for a living. Every day. And finds always less. The sidewalk collects his tears (photo)
22.11.2016 – Judith Brown (B H)
Water delivery in Yemen -- most of this paid for by weAlthy Yemenis who are getting poorer as the days go by (photo)
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154933645698641
22.11.2016 – Living in Yemen on the edge (B H)
A boy stands on a pile of rubbish at landfill site on the outskirts of #Sanaa. Mohamed al-Sayaghi @reuterspictures (photo)
21.–22.11.2016 – Fatik Al-Rodaini / Bin Jayash (A H)
Lovely pix taken by @monareliefye during food distribution in al-Turiba area of Hodeidah.Of course most women there wearing the same (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/801095246100709377
Thank you @monareliefye @Fatikr for ur hard work and effort to reach to places no 1 dared to reach to. Photos taken in Alhodeidah
https://twitter.com/BinJayash/status/800826417911054336
Thank u god for the food aid being dilevered by @monarelief in our village. Pic taken in al-Mekhraf area of Hayess in Hodeidah
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/801119495569936384
Pix taken during @monarelief's mission in distributing food in Bait al-Raei village of Hodeidah in western #Yemen @monareliefye
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/801136536410587137
20.11.2016 – Doctors Without Borders (B H)
@MSF has provided healthcare to 1000s in #Yemen. We thank our donors for supporting our lifesaving work (photos)
https://twitter.com/msf_yemen/status/800327780504399872
21.11.2016 – UNICEF Yemen (A H)
A child in Aljawf is being screened for malnutrition. Most parents can't afford bringing their sick children to health facilities (photo)
https://twitter.com/unicef_yemen/status/800724883973894146
21.11.2016 – Yemen Updates (A H)
Two of thousands of children recruited by Houthis to fight in Taiz. The injured is being treated and the other is taken care of (photo)
https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/800716999815004160
My comment: That’s terrible. But cases like this should not used for propaganda of any warring party. At Taiz also, both sides recruit children.
21.11.2016 – National Yemen (* B H K)
Yemen’s Conflict Puts Higher Education in Sa’ada Governorate on the Line of Collapose
Sa’ada College is the only higher education institute in Sa’ada Governorate. The college had been operating with a modest infrastructure, providing undergraduate education to more than 5,200 students from inside and outside the governorate. However, the college was turned into a pile of twisted metal and broken concrete slabs during the ongoing conflict in Yemen since March 2015.
The College has to close its doors for one year and a half due to lack of accommodation and fears of attacks. The undamaged building of some primary and secondary schools in the governorate are now used as alternative and temporary study halls. However, the space is not enough for everyone. Some students have to sit on the ground, out of fear to miss another year of their academic journey.
The issue is more complicated for science majors. All labs in the college were destroyed, including four computer labs used by around 400 students of computer science.
Moreover, the college also faces significant challenges. The shortage of financial resources is impeding the college from resuming its services
While education is an essential human right, the ongoing conflict has caused significant damage to the country’s education system.
As the conflict continues unabated in Yemen, there is an urgent need to assist the country to establish and provide the minimum proper environment for continued education – by Fuad Hazaea
Comment by Judith Brown: Terrible news. No education = join a militia. There's no other work for the uneducated.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154936598223641
10.11.2016 – World Food Programme, Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (A H)
Yemen – Conflict: ETC Situation Report #14, Reporting period 30/09/16 to 10/11/16
The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) finalised the establishment of an ETC back-up Internet connectivity hub for Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Ibb.
Under the leadership of the World Food Programme (WFP), ETC Yemen is working on enhancing the Internet connectivity services at the Diplomatic Transit Facility (DTF) in Sana’a.
An assessment report on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) requirements for the Hadda United Nations (UN) compound has been drafted and recommendations for deployment made.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-conflict-etc-situation-report-14-reporting-period-300916-101116 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/2016%20-%2011%20-%2017%20-%20Yemen%20-%20ETC%20SitRep%20_14.pdf
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
23.11.2016 – Almasdar Online (A)
Houthis refuse taking journalist to hospital despite health deterioration
Family of journalist Imran Abdul Khaliq, who is being abducted along with others by the Houthis, stated that their son is suffering from back pain caused by the torture done to him by the Houthi militants.
Abdul Karim Abdul Khaliq, Imran's brother, said in a press release that his brother's health condition is deteriorating because of the bad hygienic condition and the malnutrition of the Political Security Department prison, where he is held.
Imran pointed out that the prison administration did not permit taking him to a hospital for treatment. In his press release, Imran held the Houthi group fully responsible for his brother's health complications.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/86571
23.11.2016 – Almasdar Online (A)
One dead, others wounded in clashes between Houthi militias and gunmen
Local sources said that one person at least was killed and others injured on Sunday when the clashes flared up between Houthis and Saleh forces from one side, and the people of Muthakhera district, southwest of Ibb governorate, on the other side.
The sources stated to Almasdaronline that The clashes broke between the people of Al Ashaob area with the Houthi militias, after the Houthis have sat up security checkpoints along the road that links between Muthakhera district and Taiz governorate.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/86572
22.11.2016 – Saba Net (A P)
Ansarullah, Joint Meeting Parties discuss bilateral efforts to fight US-Saudi barbaric aggression
The political council of Ansarullah and Joint Meeting Parties held a meeting on Tuesday here in the capital Sanaa.
The meeting discussed means to develop ways and enhance bilateral works to confront and fight the US-backed Saudi-led barbaric aggression.
The officials also reviewed the latest developments on the political, security and military levels, as well as the aggression continuing siege and ways to break it.
The representative officials were members of Ansarullah's political council, Fadhl Abu Talib and Salim al-Maghalis. And Mohamed al-Zubairy, the assistant secretary general of the Baath Arab Socialist Party, secretary general of the Popular Forces Union Party Nabil al-Wazir, and secretary general of al-Haq party Hasan Zayd.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447419.htm
22.11.2016 – Yamanyoon / Al Masirah TV (A K P)
Film: Yemeni Tribes Declare General Mobilization
Hashid tribes of Yemen declared general mobilization yesterday against the US-backed Saudi coalition for its perpetration of war crimes against Yemeni civilians.
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=54952&lang=en and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IsN-oBWvIc
21.11.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A K P)
Yemen most powerful tribe of Hashed stand with all tribesmen&army to defend&defeat US-backed Saudi invaders. (Nov21. Amran Saudi border) (Photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/800915954251091968 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/800915397016895489 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/800915218536742912
14.11.2016 – Karima Al-Hadaa (B)
Armament business thrives in #Sanaa. No thanks to Houthies (photo)
https://twitter.com/karimaalhadaa/status/798232846796279810
Comment by Judith Brown: I never saw anything like this in the capital when I was there - in fact guns were banned in Sanaa.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154936585103641
My comment: Houthis’ fault? There is war, lots of weapons had been dropped by the Saudis over Yemen for arming their militia – and often they were found by someone else. No thanks to Saudis.
2016 – New News (* B P)
[Speeches of Houthi leader]
http://newnewss.net/?p=1197 and http://newnewss.net/?p=1080 and more linked
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
23.11.2016 – Gulf News (A P)
UN bodies urged to relocate offices to Aden
Yemen’s prime minister has urged international aid organisations to shift their main offices from Al Houthi-held Sana’a to the southern city of Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen.
At a meeting with Rashid Khalikov, assistant secretary-seneral for humanitarian partnerships with the Middle East and Central Asia, Ahmad Obaid Bin Daghar said on Tuesday relocating the main offices of UN bodies would encourage other humanitarian aid organisations to follow suit and would accelerate aid distribution, adding that his government would also ask foreign ambassadors to relocate to Aden.
Security has improved considerably in Aden since government forces deployed thousands of soldiers in all districts and purged armed groups who used to wreak havoc in Yemen’s second city.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/un-bodies-urged-to-relocate-offices-to-aden-1.1934250
My comment: What he urges is just a clear political support for the Hadi government. Why the aid organisations should do that? And that this “would accelerate aid distribution” – how?? This really is a bullshit statement: Might be it would accelerate in the South, but slow down aid distribution in the North. So what? – and, another joke: “Security has improved considerably in Aden”: Well, ask the colonel who had an encounter with Al Qaida at Aden (look at cp6).
22.11.2016 – Daily Mail (A T)
ISIS release sickening video game-style first person shooter footage of Yemeni Colonel's assassination
Islamic State has released chilling video game-style footage of the assassination of a Yemeni colonel, who was gunned down by masked killers.
Airport security Col. Abd Al-Rahim Al-Dale'i was executed by ISIS militants as he climbed into a car in war-torn Aden, a port city in the south of Yemen.
Although no group initially claimed responsibility, Islamic State later released the first person footage of the callous attack (graphic photos)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3962018/ISIS-release-video-game-style-person-footage-Yemeni-Colonel-Abd-Al-Rahim-Al-Dale-s-assassination.html and also at https://twitter.com/Terror_Monitor/status/801094479289561089 and https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/801114007390162944
Comment by Rawya Ali AL Kumaim: This happens only in the southern "liberated" areas like Aden where Hadi and his government don't dare to go because AQAP has taken control of the "state's" affairs. Northern forces that are committed to fight the Saudi aggression abhor assassinations for being a cowardly act.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154936537043641
22.11.2016 – Al Arabiya (A K P)
After truce, Hadi makes changes in Yemen military
President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi issued several military changes in Yemen, including the appointment of a new Deputy Chief of General Staff after the truce ended on Monday due to Houthi violations.
The president appointed Major General Ahmed Saif al-Yafei Deputy Chief of General Staff, Brigadier General Saleh Mohammed as first commander of the military district in Hadhramaut.
The changes came in response to criticism of military leaders failing to push forward against the Houthi militias, mainly in Marib – which has seen months-long clashes between Houthis and Yemeni forces backed by the Arab coalition.
Clashes in Hadhramaut
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2016/11/21/Yemen-ceasefire-ends-without-extension.html
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / look at cp1
23.11.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Washington: Our Proposal for Yemen could be Amended
U.S. diplomatic sources asserted on Tuesday that the U.S. does not oppose revising the proposal of Secretary of State John Kerry about an agreement to end the war in Yemen.
U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Mathew Tueller told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Kerry’s plan is not engraved on a stone, but could be amended except the hierarchy of the steps it includes.”
Last week, Tueller and U.S. Assistant Secretary Tim King had visited Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and handed him a letter sent from Kerry clarifying the U.S. Secretary of State’s comments about an agreement to stop hostilities in Yemen and to reach a durable settlement to the conflict, saying that Kerry had only made the deal with the Houthis.
Tueller said on Tuesday that the proposal on Yemen was not “a peace agreement” but a chance for warring parties to return to the negotiation table. He said taking the lightest security measures would allow the government to safely return to Sana’a from where ministers could resume their work without fearing Houthi militias or others.
Asked about the Yemeni government’s attachment to the three references as a condition to solve the country’s crisis, Tueller said those references could serve as a document for a road-map used in later stages to solve Yemen’s ongoing problems. “Talks with U.N. Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed are based on the three references using constructive and operational methods.”
The Yemeni PM added that his government would call on all diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited to Yemen to operate from Aden – by Arafat Madabish
http://english.aawsat.com/2016/11/article55362658/washington-proposal-yemen-amended
My comment: Tueller “said taking the lightest security measures would allow the government to safely return to Sana’a from where ministers could resume their work without fearing Houthi militias or others.” This sentence shows that the US still works on giving one side – the Hadi government, that is the proxies of US proxies – supremacy over the other by pressing the Houthi / Saleh side to concede this supremacy by continued senseless demoralizing “peace” plans and void “negotiations”. This way, peace simply does not work. The US is a warring party in Yemen and because of that it is totally inappropriate as a peace broker. The best thing US can do if it really wants to achieve peace is keeping hands off (what of course includes an immediate stop of all support to any warring party: arms sales, refueling jets, personal in command center etc.).
22.11.2016 – Reuters (* B K P)
Houthi missile arsenal holds a key to future Yemen peace
A U.N. peace plan for Yemen seeks to deprive the country's armed Houthi movement of its missile arsenal which Yemeni security sources say includes scores and maybe even hundreds of Soviet-era ballistic missiles pointed at their foes in Saudi Arabia.
But whether the Iran-allied group will abandon the missiles hidden in mountainous ravines which have given them regional clout despite 20 months of punishing war is an open question.
Retaining them could fortify the Houthis in a permanently armed enclave like fellow Iran-allied groups Hamas and Hezbollah - deepening the regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran and unnerving key shipping lanes such as the Gulf of Aden through which most of the world's oil is transported.
Western and regional powers have long worried that complex internal rivalries and an active al Qaeda branch could push Yemen toward chaos - fears which largely materialized last year.
While Iran has strongly denied aiding the Houthis, Saudi concerns that the Houthis are the proxies of their regional arch-rival sparked their intervention.
But the Houthis may feel ceding Yemen's most powerful weapons to neutral officers and becoming a political party as envisioned by the U.N. plan may leave them vulnerable to attack.
"When the Houthis seized (the capital) Sanaa, they assumed total control of state institutions, key posts in the army and all the missiles," a senior Yemeni security official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
"Relinquishing the security apparatus will be the most important step toward what the country needs most - putting the state back together," the official added.
Seized by the Houthis from army stores after their takeover, Yemen's missiles were amassed over the course of decades in legal acquisitions from the Soviet Union and North Korea.
The Houthis have upgraded some missiles to maximize their range, and their technical savvy in local manufacture of smaller rockets and several deadly launches may suggest foreign help, military analysts say.
But expanding of the conflict seaward may seek to convince Saudi Arabia and its ally the United States that the Houthis refuse to cede their still-dominant political position inside Yemen despite the drawn-out and bloody conflict.
"It appears to be their way of saying, 'look over here, we're capable of internationalizing this conflict - take our position seriously,'" another diplomat said – by Noah Browning
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-missiles-analysis-idUSKBN13H1UU = https://in.news.yahoo.com/houthi-missile-arsenal-holds-key-future-yemen-peace-071113241.html
My comment: This story skillfully warms up the propaganda stories of Iranian influence and of the Houthis posing a threat to international shipping for the reason to use this for the propaganda bias to describe the Houthi arms arsenal as a greater problem for peace in Yemen and generally – just sweeping under the carpet that compared to the Saudi arms arsenal the Houthis’ just is like an ant compared to an elephant – and that the internationalization of the Yemeni conflict just started by Saudi interference and US support for the Saudis. Thus, what is the greatest obstacle to peace and the most problematic arms arsenal in the region?
22.11.2016 – Al Araby (* B K P)
Concessions are crucial to peace in Yemen
The Saudi-allied Yemen government seems unwilling to drop one single item of the UN Security Council Resolutions, the Gulf Initiative and National Dialogue Conference outcomes. Indeed the exiled government has many justifications for this:
"We want a comprehensive and lasting peace that is grounded on ending the coup and resuming the political process through discussing the bill and holding elections," president Hadi stated in a meeting with Yemeni government officials in Riyadh earlier this month.
This statement is a strong indicator that the legitimate government is insisting on not offering any political concessions, a matter which will complicate the mission of the UN in Yemen.
The UN has endeavored to persuade the warring sides of the practicality of this tool for peace, which could guide Yemen out of the dark tunnel. However, neither of the two sides is in a hurry to resolve the crisis.
Both are seeking the lion's share in any peace agreement, and this will inevitably take its toll on the continuity of the outcome of this unsettled conflict. It is worrying that this proposal may turn into another failed peace effort.
Why is this peace plan contentious?
Though the plan underlines the withdrawal of the Houthi group from cities and the handover of heavy weapons, the legitimate government still has a dubious view of its effectiveness. It is a crisis of trust that has led these agreements to collapse repeatedly.
In essence, this peace proposal does not appear to favour the Houthi group. It stipulated an end of their seizure of cities as well as disarming them. If it is properly implemented, this would pave the way for peace prevalence.
Concessions or opportunity seizing?
The Houthis and the former president have shown their readiness to stop the war and resume the political process. This signals a positive development after 20 months of war.
The Houthis' latest reaction to the UN plan could be counted as a concession, provided they are willing to keep their word. It may also prove the Houthi group and its allies intend to bow little in order to wipe out Hadi's role through this peace proposal.
Politicians' attempts to save face
Yemen's politicians are seemingly unmoved by the prospect of razing the entire nation, for their predominant concern appears to be to save face. This retaliation-controlled mindset has brought the country to where it stands today. The power race will not end, but the prioritisation of the people's interests is crucial – by Khalid Al-Karimi
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2016/11/22/concessions-are-crucial-to-peace-in-yemen
My comment: See article from Atlantic Council in cp1. There is no balance in any peace plan that just ask the Houthis and Saleh forces (those are the regular Yemeni army!!) to withdraw, and not other militia as well.
21.11.2016 – Voice of America (A P)
US Pursuing Yemen Peace After Fragile Truce Expires
The United States "is working very hard" to have the cessation of hostilities remain in place after a fragile cease-fire in Yemen expired Monday.
“I think it's definitely something the Secretary [of State John Kerry] is still pursuing. And I would tell you that he had a conversation this morning with the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well as Foreign Minister [Adel] al-Jubeir about this issue," said State Department spokesman John Kirby on Monday.
Meanwhile, coinciding with the decision to change the commander of Hadhramaut, gunmen dressed in al-Qaeda clothing attacked on Monday the military forces in the area. The gunmen were reportedly captured, however their identities were not revealed.
http://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-cease-fire-john-kerry-saudi-arabia/3606600.html
My comment: As long as the US supports and arms one side of the war, statements like this are little more than hypocrisy.
18.11.2016 – UN Department of Public Information (A P)
Near Verbatim Transcript of the Press Conference by Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General, 18 November 2016
Question: In Yemen, Sir, there was meant to be ceasefire going into effect yesterday. There are some disputes on whether Hadi will be part of it. What is your understanding and do you have any hope for a real cessation?
DSG: The situation in Yemen is deeply troubling. We are working very hard to start a serious political process. We thought we had made a qualitatively important step forward with the talks in Kuwait. Unfortunately the mistrust between the parties is very deep, and the fighting is going on to a tragic degree. We have had an enormous destruction of the country. We don’t have the exact figures of people dead, it is difficult to estimate, but it is over 8,000, huge numbers of the wounded, and the infrastructure destroyed in an already poor country. When this war broke out, I said to myself that I hoped we can finish it soon. My experience is that it is harder and harder to end conflicts the longer they go on. I wish the Security Council could have concluded a binding resolution in 2012, when Kofi Annan proposed a formula of a transitional governing body. But the world missed that opportunity. At that time, by the way, ISIS did not even exist. In the case of Yemen – I think the last I saw from New York before I left, was that the Houthis had accepted going to the talks on the basis that our mediator suggested. I saw another report that President Hadi did not accept this. We are working very closely with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region who can influence the situation. We have discovered stronger and stronger views that this has to come to an end. But we have to bring them back to the negotiations table. For the time being, we are not able to say that both sides accept it.
http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/00F5D30B8E75E674C125806F00586B65?OpenDocument = http://reliefweb.int/report/world/near-verbatim-transcript-press-conference-jan-eliasson-deputy-secretary-general-18
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
23.11.2016 – Ali AlAhmed (A P)
.@cia backed @M_Naif_Alsaud blocks women meeting in oil center #Qatif to discuss ending male guardianship of women (photos)
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/801428806875619328
23.11.2016 – Hind Suliman (A P)
Trial of 13 Saudi women charged for protesting & burning photos of minister of interior in #buraydah ttp://www.alhayat.com/m/story/18685121
https://twitter.com/HindSuliman/status/801426198580645888
23.11.2016 – Financial Times (* A E P)
Honeymoon is over for new Saudi leader as reform pain kicks in
The kingdom is on the brink of its first non-oil sector recession in three decades
“The economy is bad, where are the jobs?” he says. “All my friends are cursing the government.”
His generation’s travails highlight the peril of reform for Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who, just a few months ago, was hailed as a vibrant contrast to Saudi Arabia’s previous generations of gerontocracy. The powerful prince has spearheaded plans for economic diversification as the kingdom grapples with low oil prices. His vigour for bold reform was matched by his determination to check Iran’s regional influence by launching an air campaign against the Islamic republic’s proxies in the war in Yemen.
But under the 31-year-old’s stewardship, the Middle East’s largest economy has plunged to the brink of its first non-oil sector recession for three decades. Unpaid government invoices have savaged business confidence; cuts to public sector workers’ benefits have hit consumer spending; and Saudi Arabia’s expensive intervention in Yemen has cost lives and triggered international opprobrium.
“The honeymoon is indeed over,” says one fund manager. “There has not been one bit of good news for the government — from the economy to the disaster in Yemen.”
The domestic grumbling is ramping up pressure on Prince Mohammed as he oversees a highly ambitious reform programme intended to wean the kingdom off its dependence on oil and develop the private sector to create jobs for young Saudis – by Simeon Kerr
https://www.ft.com/content/6526fbfe-b090-11e6-a37c-f4a01f1b0fa1
21.11.2016 – Huffington Post (* B H P)
Saudi Arabian Artist Fights To Make Her Country Treat Women Like Adults
The country’s male guardianship laws stop women from traveling, marrying or leaving prison without a man’s permission.
Women in Saudi Arabia are ramping up an online campaign against their country’s guardianship laws ― a repressive system that bars women from traveling abroad, marrying or leaving prison without permission from a male guardian.
Saudi women have difficulty pursuing various tasks without their guardians’ permission, including renting apartments, studying abroad or filing legal claims. A damning Human Rights Watch report released in July described the system as “the most significant impediment to women’s rights in the country.”
A woman’s father or husband is typically her guardian, but a brother or a son can also take the role.
Close to 15,000 people have now signed an online petition started in Septembercalling for an end to the guardianship laws. Saudi women’s rights activists have also launched the hashtag #IAmMyOwnGuardian, which people are using to discuss and condemn the laws – by Sara Elkamel
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saudi-arabia-artist-male-guardianship_us_582b2a5be4b060adb5704ad5 and see also https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/26/saudi-arabia-protest-petition-end-guardianship-law-women
Comment by Judith Brown: Well this article really raises an important topic. My view is that women in Saudi Arabia will be liberated when I big enough mass of women crave for social change and their own liberation. Many Saudi women I know accept the trade off of lack of responsibilities for giving up their personal freedom. There have of course always been Saudi women who deeply wanted change - and some Saudi men. But it has to reach a critical mass. I wonder if that time is approaching.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154931509818641
17.11.2016 – Raoul Wallenberg Center (A P)
Freeing Raif Badawi
Raif Badawi has been languishing in a Saudi prison since his first arrest in 2012.
His "crime"? Establishing an online forum and exercising his right to freedom of expression.
Sentenced in 2014 to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes, Badawi was administered the first 50 lashes in January 2015, with subsequent floggings being postponed. We have recently received information from a reliable source that his lashings are soon to resume.
Raif Badawi's imprisonment and torture constitute a standing violation of Saudi Arabia's own domestic law and Sharia law, as well as its international obligations.
[Tweet and post on Facebook:]
Call on @Kingsalman of #SaudiArabia to do the right thing: release Raif Badawi to his wife and children in Canada. #FreeRaif
Read More:
Why Canada has Standing to Seek Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi's Freedom
(while the article addresses Canada, many points raised are compelling regardless of county)
Raif Badawi Foundation for Freedom
http://www.raoulwallenbergcentre.org/news/2016/11/17/freeing-raif-badawi
cp9 USA
Siehe / look at cp1
22.11.2016 – Press TV Iran (* B K P)
US party to Saudi war on Yemen: Analyst
Medea Benjamin, with the CODEPINK, told Press TV’s Top 5 that the American authorities are supporting the Saudi airstrikes on Yemen, while they are hypocritically calling for cessation of hostility between the warring sides.
Benjamin noted that the United States’ inaction to stop Saudi war on Yemen “shows the hypocrisy of John Kerry, US Secretary of State, trying to negotiate a ceasefire when the US is actually a party to the war on the side of Saudi Arabia.”
She also said, “If the US really wants to stop it, it could declare a halt in our weaponry sales to Saudi Arabia and say, we stop refueling Saudi planes, stop their maintenance and impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia.”
She added that “there was a voting in Congress, [and] only 27 senators agreed that we should stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia.”
According to the analyst, “The Obama administration says it has pulled out some of its advisers and is not supporting the Saudis in terms of targeting,” but “they have to do a lot more to really prove that the US was getting itself out of the war.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think the world’s attention is focused on Yemen, which is why the US and the Saudis have been able to get away with this constant bombardment for the last 20 months,” she argued.
She further noted that the US is not paying attention to the increased media focus on Yemen because there is not any real effort by America “to say the Saudis enough is enough.” (with film)
http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/11/22/494746/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-US-Benjamin and in film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QqPNZe5rfg
21.11.2016 – The Hill (* A E P)
Trump registered eight companies in Saudi Arabia during campaign: report
President-elect Donald Trump registered eight companies during his presidential campaign that appear to be tied to hotel interests in Saudi Arabia, according to a report in The Washington Post.
Trump registered the companies in August 2015, shortly after launching his presidential bid, according to The Post.
The companies were registered under names such as THC Jeddah Hotel and DT Jeddah Technical Services, according to financial disclosure filings.
The names of the companies registered appeared similar in pattern to how Trump named other companies connected to hotel deals registered in foreign cities, according to the Post – by Rebecca Savransky
20.11.2016 – RT (* A P)
Ron Paul reveals hit list of alleged ‘fake news’ journalists
ormer congressman Ron Paul revealed a list of “fake news” journalists he claims are responsible for “bogus wars” and lies about Hillary Clinton’s chances of winning the election. Journalists from CNN, the New York Times, and the Guardian are included.
“This list contains the culprits who told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and lied us into multiple bogus wars,”according to a report on his website, Ron Paul Liberty Report. Paul claims the list is sourced and “holds a lot more water”than a list previously released by Melissa Zimdars, who is described on Paul’s website as “a leftist feminist professor.”
“These are the news sources that told us ‘if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,’” he said. “They told us that Hillary Clinton had a 98% of winning the election. They tell us in a never-ending loop that ‘The economy is in great shape!’”
Paul’s list includes the full names of the “fake news” journalists as well as the publications they write for, with what appears to be hyperlinks to where the allegations are sourced from. In most cases, this is WikiLeaks, but none of the hyperlinks are working at present, leaving the exact sources of the list unknown.
CNN is Paul’s biggest alleged culprit, with nine entries, followed by the NY Times and MSNBC, with six each. The NY Times has recently come under fire from President-elect Donald Trump, who accuses them of being “totally wrong” on news regarding his transition team, while describing them as “failing.”
https://www.rt.com/usa/367557-ron-paul-fake-news/
19.11.2016 – Ron Paul (* A P)
REVEALED: The Real Fake News List
We've seen the make-shift "fake news" list created by a leftist feminist professor. Well, another fake news list has been revealed and this one holds a lot more water.
This list contains the culprits who told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and lied us into multiple bogus wars. These are the news sources that told us "if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor." They told us that Hillary Clinton had a 98% of winning the election. They tell us in a never-ending loop that "The economy is in great shape!"
This is the real Fake News List (and it's sourced) – by Chris Rossini
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/revealed-the-real-fake-news-list
21.11.2016 – Global Research (* A P)
“Fake News” on Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Ukraine, Yemen: Support Global Research’s Battle against Media Disinformation
A smear campaign is currently underway accusing the alternative and independent online media of producing “Fake News”.
Our analysis confirms that the corporate media rather than the alternative media are routinely involved in distorting the facts and turning realities upside down.
They are the unspoken architects of “Fake News”.
They deny Israeli war crimes against Palestinians,
they fail to mention that the US, Britain, France, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are providing covert support to both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS-Daesh),
they disregard the fact that two Neo-Nazi parties are part of the Ukrainian government coalition,
they accuse the Syrian government of killing their own people.
In the words of Mark Taliano:
“The War on Syria is not a “civil” war; the “uprising” was not “democratic”; Assad does not “starve his own people”; Assad does not “bomb his own people”, and, of course, there are no “moderate” terrorists.”
The US and its allies are directly or indirectly involved in several illegal wars: Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. These acts of military aggression are casually upheld by the mainstream media as “humanitarian wars” under the doctrine of “Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
In turn, the ongoing US-led bombing raids against Syria and Iraq resulting in countless civilian deaths are portrayed by the MSM as a “counter-terrorism campaign” against the Islamic State, which just so happens to be financed by America’s closest allies, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
23.11.2016 – The Guardian (A P)
'We shouldn’t be selling arms to Saudi Arabia that might be used in Yemen'
Stephen Twigg, chair of the UK’s international development select committee, speaks exclusively about the SDGs, trade versus aid, and the refugee crisis
One witness from Oxfam used the phrase “the paradox of aid” and made the point that, while the UK has a fine record of delivering humanitarian aid in many cases, the trouble in Yemen is that a significant part of that aid is relieving a situation that is a consequence of an armed conflict, where we are arming one side of that conflict. There needs to be an independent United Nations investigation of alleged violations of international humanitarian law by both sides. In the meantime we shouldn’t be selling arms to Saudi Arabia that might be used in Yemen – by Rachel Banning-Lover
22.11.2016 – Portsmouth News (A K P)
Portsmouth-based HMS Daring protecting popular shipping lane off Yemen coast
HMS Daring is on a dangerous mission off the coast of war-torn Yemen protecting one of the world’s busiest shipping routes from terrorists. The ship is operating as part of Combined Task Force 150 and will use its Royal Navy and Royal Marines boarding teams to conduct counter piracy, counter-terrorism and counter-smuggling operations. Its main effort is to disrupt terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and Al Shabab and deter piracy and other unlawful activities at sea in an area spanning from the Suez Canal, through the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and into the Gulf of Oman. Commander Philip Dennis, the commanding officer, said: ‘We’re proud to be helping keep ships in the region safe but it only represents a fraction of what the Royal Navy does.’
My comment: What a nice piece of “patriotic” (or better: whitewashing imperialism) local-based piece of propaganda.
21.11.2016 Telesur (* C)
Starvation Is an Imperial Resource for Britain
Britain has long history of starving people to death in the name of its Empire.
Starvation was a conscious resource for Britain’s colonial projects. It is still being used as a weapon today. Over half of Yemen’s population, 28 million people, are short of food. All the while Britain “advises” it’s junior partner, the Saudis, where their airstrikes should hit. It comes as little surprise that the agricultural industry in Yemen is being deliberately targeted.
Let’s take a look at Britain’s long history of starving people to death in the name of its Empire:
cp13a Flüchtlinge / Refugees
23.11.2016 – Hiraan Online (A H)
Fear of cholera outbreak prompts Somaliland to turn away Yemen refugees
Somaliland had ordered its immigration officials to stop processing refugees arriving from Yemen after it had already stopped a group Somali returnees and Yemenis fleeing from the conflict.
Hiiraan Online learned that the government intervened in stopping the refugees to contain the potential outbreak of cholera which health authorities have documented in Yemen.
The governor noted that they are working with international NGOs to find solutions for the problem.
Since the onset of the civil unrest in Yemen, Somaliland has seen similar waves of refugees arriving almost daily.
22.11.2016 – Doctors Without Borders (A H)
.@MSF: Seham is internally displaced. She lives with her family in an abandoned construction building for the last 20 months (photo)
https://twitter.com/msf_yemen/status/801060868851015680
21.11.2016 – Your Ability (B H)
This family lives in street, today we visited them and we have given them some clothes,it's really tragic,many people living streets (photo)
https://twitter.com/YourAbility_org/status/800821910284038144
31.10.2016 – Danish Refugee Council (A H)
Map: Mixed Migration in the Horn of Africa & Yemen Region, October 2016
http://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/mixed-migration-horn-africa-yemen-region-october-2016 = http://regionalmms.org/monthlymaps/RMMS%20Mixed%20Migration%20Monthly%20Map%20October%202016.pdf = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/RMMS%20Mixed%20Migration%20Monthly%20Map%20October%202016.pdf
cp13b Finanzen / Finances
Siehe / look at cp1
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / look at cp6
23.11.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A T)
This Qaeda/ISIS terrorist bragging, boasting about cutting human heads In Taiz central Yemen, where US-backed Saudis help! (graphic photo)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/801365328567664640 and look also at YPR 230.
22.11.2016 – The Star, Kenya (A T)
ATPU arrest two Kenyans, two Tanzanians en route to Yemen to join ISIS
The Anti-Terror Police Unit has arrested two Tanzanians and two Kenyans said to have been travelling to Yemen to join the terror group ISIS.
22.11.2016 – Elisabeth Kendall (A T)
Roadside bomb is preferred #AQAP M.O currently. 3 claimed y'day: 2 vs Houthis in Ibb, 1 vs Security Belt forces in Abyan + 2 over w/e
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/801025398545018880
22.11.2016 – Anadolu (A T)
Drone strike kills Qaeda suspect in central Yemen
An al-Qaeda suspect was killed in a drone strike in central Yemen on Monday, according to a local security source.
The airstrike targeted a car carrying Al-Abi, a senior al-Qaeda leader, in the central Al-Bayda’ province, killing him on the spot, the source told Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.
There was no comment from the militant group on the report.
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/drone-strike-kills-qaeda-suspect-in-central-yemen/690495
cp15 Propaganda
23.11.2016 – Arab News (A P)
Houthis killed 9,646 civilians, including 903 children: Report
Yemen’s Houthi rebels and supporters of deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh were responsible for the killings of 9,646 civilians — 8,146 men, 597 women and 903 children — from Jan. 1, 2015 to Sept. 30, 2016 in 16 Yemeni provinces.
This has been revealed by the Yemeni alliance that monitors human rights violations in Yemen (Yemeni Observer) in a new report.
The alliance reported that a total of 9,646 civilians were killed — 8,146 men, 597 women and 903 children — in 17 Yemeni provinces. It said 24,320 civilians sustained injuries — 18,521 men, 3,092 women and 2,707 children.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1014361/middle-east#
Comment by Judith Brown: Wow this is grade 1 propaganda. All of the deaths and destruction occurring in Yemen blamed on the Houthis. Whereas Saudi Arabia is painted as perfect. Hmmm....
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154936513483641
My comment: Quite new to me that all these air raids are flown by the HAF (Houthi Air Force) fighter jets.
22.11.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Ceasefire in Yemen is Not Extended Due to 726 Rebel Violations
The Yemeni army’s forces yesterday announced a large-scale military operation on various fronts in order to liberate areas that are under the control of Houthi militias and those loyal to the ousted president Saleh. The announcement was made after a ceasefire that lasted for 48 hours in Yemen came to an end after the rebels committed 726 violations inside Yemen and on the border with Saudi Arabia, according to the adviser to the Saudi Defence minister’s office and the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Ahmad Asiri.
In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Brigadier General Ahmad Asiri said that the rebels did not attend the Pacification and Coordination Commission’s meeting in south Dhahran to record violations that were committed during the seventh ceasefire that ended yesterday afternoon. He added that the rebels “did not assist the international community or themselves to reach a settlement. Rather, they will find the answer with the coalition on the ground”. He stressed that the rebels continue to fire on the Saudi border and that the Saudi armed forces are carrying out their duty by responding to the attacks and monitoring the source of them on Yemeni land in order to destroy it.
Asiri added that “the international community and everyone are anxious that there is a commitment to the truce, but there is a party that does not want to commit to it. This is the seventh time that they are proving to the international community that they do not have the desire or commitment to reach a political solution, and our position has not changed”.
My comment: “Yemeni army” = “president” Hadi’s army and militia. When the ceasefire ended, Asiri just stated ca. 180 ceasefire violations by the Houthi / Saleh side. His new figure looks like whether the auction has started. I just offer 754 Saudi / Hadi violations. You do not believe this? Why then believe Asiri’s 726? And that is really great: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs is operating with a quite different figure - this even more shows that all these figures are just propaganda inventions; the Saudis at least should agree to one figure only, would look better :-)
23.11.2016 - Anadolu (A P)
Yemen’s Houthis violated truce 260 times: Saudi embassy
Yemen’s Shia Houthi group and their allies violated a recent 48-hour truce more than 260 times, according to a Wednesday statement issued by Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Ankara.
"The Houthi militia doesn’t care about the future of Yemen or about the humanitarian crisis the country is facing," the embassy declared in its statement.
"It only understands the language of violence," it added.
"The Houthi militia’s truce violations… are a continuation of its ongoing efforts to undermine Yemen’s legitimate government," the statement read.
The embassy went on to assert that the Houthis and their allies were carrying out "brutal and cruel" actions in Yemen that violated international conventions and charters.
"According to the [Saudi-led, anti-Houthi] Arab coalition in Yemen, Houthi rebels and their allies violated the truce 260 times, 205 of which occurred inside Yemeni territory while 55 came in the form of attacks on the Saudi cities of Jazan and Najran," the embassy noted.
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/yemen-s-houthis-violated-truce-260-times-saudi-embassy/691870
22.11.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet reiterated on Monday its strong condemnation of attacks perpetrated by Yemen’s Houthi militias against holy sites in the Kingdom.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh on Monday.
In a statement issued following the meeting, the Cabinet reiterated its support for the outcome of the extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states, which was held earlier this month in Mecca.
The Cabinet stressed that the Kingdom would never be lenient to protect the two holy mosques.
It added that the OIC foreign affairs ministers have underscored the importance of stopping the hideous practices of Houthi militias and their supporters. It also described launching a ballistic missile towards Mecca as a flagrant provocation of Muslim feelings.
Meanwhile, well-informed diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that six Islamic countries were drafting a letter that would be sent by the OIC to the United Nations to call for criminalizing Houthis’ attack against holy mosques in Mecca.
The sources added that the OIC executive committee, which is formed of Egypt, Turkey and Gambia, would coordinate with the Organization’s secretariat general and the representatives of the OIC foreign ministers, which include Uzbekistan, Kuwait and the Ivory Coast, to supervise the drafting of the letter to the U.N. – by Sa'ed Al-Abyadh
http://english.aawsat.com/2016/11/article55362596/6-islamic-states-present-attack-mecca-case-u-n
My comment: There was no attack at Mecca. Saudi Arabia infiltrates even the OIC with its odd sectarian propaganda.
22.11.2016 – Saudi Gazette (A P)
US intense interest in Yemen!
THE sudden surge of American interest in the Yemen conflict raises serious questions. I have taken part in many discussions last week about Kerry’s surprise visit to Oman to meet with a Houthi delegation.
Here are some of these questions and my answers:
If it was only the Houthis were engaged in last week’s meeting, why all the secrecy? My bet is Iran was there. This is explainable, since it is the troublemaker in Yemen, as well as in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. To resolve the Yemeni problem, you need to talk to them, not to the Houthis and Saleh.
If the Iranian masters are not in agreement, the Arab agents will keep breaking their promises and failing their commitments.
The Houthis are allied with ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh. How come Kerry has met only with them?
It was a crude recognition of reality. The Houthis are the ones in the driver’s seat.
The Yemeni government was not invited, notified or consulted. Why Kerry chose to ignore them?
Since the Yemeni government has resisted the US-UN proposal, Kerry may have decided to enforce it on them. This is the American way. It backfired on him, because President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi refused to sign on, and the Arab Alliance supported him.
America is an ally and partner in the Decisive Storm. Why the change of heart?
The Obama Administration has never been a partner in any alliance against Iran — Not in Iraq, not in Syria, not in Lebanon and not in Yemen. They were initially against the Storm, but had to play catch-up after its start. Most of their help consists of expensive services, paid in cash. Like any war merchants, they made a fortune of sold equipment, spare parts and other logistics.
US heart has always been with the Houthis.
The UN-US legitimized all the above by dealing with the rebels as a de-facto rulers. And if it wasn’t for the Arab Alliance’s support of Hadi, Yemen would have been delivered to Iran, the same way Iraq had been. And Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states would have been surrounded with the Farsi Empire north, south and east. The nuclear deal with Iran, then, would have been completed.
We are back to worse than square one. Iran wins, Yemen and Arabs lose.
This means either everyone accepts, or another war erupts. Either way, US, Britain, Israel and Iran rule our world. And they get richer selling arms to all sides. Forget about it! – by Dr. Khaled M. Batarfi
http://saudigazette.com.sa/opinion/us-intense-interest-yemen/ = https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/11/24/OPINION-Why-this-surge-of-US-interest-in-Yemen.html
My comment: A nice piece of propaganda fully showing the Saudi anti-Iranian paranoia. And the US is getting bashed seriously as well. Enjoy it. There is so much absurdity in this article, might be the best of it: “US heart has always been with the Houthis”.
21.11.2016 – Huffington Post (* A P)
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION FALLS VICTIM TO “UNETHICAL REPORT” BY A LONDON-BASED SAUDI PAPER
Sunday, 20 November 2016, was a normal day at Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a well-financed daily newspaper supervised by the Royal family of Saudi Arabia. Like every new issue, the constant topics were a heavy dose of propaganda polishing the image of the despotic Saudi regime and an equal amount of attacks on countries and governments Saudi considers as enemies, particularly Iraq. But the Sunday issue was different in a very particular way. The leading story was a false statement deliberately attributed to a very respectable international organization, the World Health Organization (WHO).
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat claimed that WHO Spokesperson Gregory Hartl warns against “the rise of increasing out of wedlock pregnancies as a result of the Shia pilgrimage to Karbala (Iraq) to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein,” Grandson of Prophet Muhammad. Al-Sharq Al-Awsat went further to falsely cite a non-existing WHO press release claiming that last year 169 Iraqi women became illegitimately pregnant because of the gathering that is hard to control and involving pilgrims from Iran and other countries — again attributing the statement to Mr. Hartl. The rumor about a WHO warning was concocted by an electronic website on Thursday 17 November 2016 and it was categorically denied by the WHO on its website on the next day, but Al-Sharq Al-Awsat went with the salacious material as a leading story anyway, without regard to the truth, common decency, or the feelings of several hundred millions of Shia Muslims.
The WHO issued another press release condemning the use of its name in the “unethical report” of a story it already denied two days earlier and threatened to consider taking legal action against the perpetrators – by Abbas Kadhim
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/58332dd3e4b0eaa5f14d4896?timestamp=1479750439337
My comment: Take notice of the fact that Asharq Al-Awsat English is a main source for Saudi view on the Yemen war, which evidently is as far away from the facts as the article treated here.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
23.11.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
23-11-2016
Targeting and bombing civilians by the warplanes of Saudi Arabia and its alliance
Casualties and damage (full list)
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=728668160616885&id=551288185021551
23.11.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
#Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 Hornet during a mid-air refueling from an #RSAF A330 MRTT — #OpRestoreHope (photo)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/801454395854569472
My comment: Kuwaitis also bombing Yemen, Saudis refueling.
23.11.2016 – Hussam Al-Sanabani (A K PH)
Film: Saudi citizens nowadays videos are 4 their own jet fighters bombardment in Najran skirts.
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/801461336211419136
23.11.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
warplanes aggression targeting Marib province, Serwah district
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=55033&lang=en
23.11.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi war fighter jets wage strikes on Taiz
Saudi aggression war jets launched a series of strikes on Taiz province overnight, an official told Saba on Wednesday.
The series of strikes hit Han mountain in al-Dhabab area and the air defense base, as well as other air raids targeted Urish valley in Usifarah area.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447536.htm
23.11.2016 – Newsfront (* A K)
Jemen: Zwölf Zivilisten kamen durch Luftangriff der arabischen Koalition ums Leben
Zwölf Zivilisten wurden im Nordwesten von Jemen durch einen Luftangriff der arabischen Koalition, geführt von Saudi-Arabien, getötet, berichtet Reuters unter Berufung auf die Anwohner.
Der Vorfall ereignete sich in der Hiran Region im Nordwesten der Provinz Hadji, die sich unter der Kontrolle Huthis befindet. Der Luftangriff hat einen Bus getroffen, 12 Menschen wurden auf ihrem Weg zum lokalen Markt getötet. Der Vertreter der Koalition hat diese Informationen noch nicht kommentiert.
23.11.2016 – Reuters (* A K)
YEMEN: Twelve civilians killed in Saudi-led air strike on a pickup truck – Residents
Twelve Yemeni civilians were killed by a Saudi-led air strike while riding in a pickup truck in the country's northwest early on Wednesday, residents said.
Locals said the passengers were shoppers heading to a local market in the Hiran area of northwest Hajja province, which is controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN13I0J7
and
23.11.2016 – Mers Ad News (A K PH)
Saudi air strike kill 12 Yemeni civilians in Hajjah province
The Saudi Arabian air strike killed 12 and 6 injured from Yemeni civilians ,today Wednesday, in Hajjah north of Yemen ,a local source told Marsd News
The source added to Marsd News, the Saudi strike bombed their car when they were driving in Aqawah district Haran, which located north Hajjah province
http://www.mersadnews.net/archives/33824 and Saba Net: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447537.htm
and
photos: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1606343196328335
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1172954986128472&id=881240811966559
and films:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdUjJ-bTtFs
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/saudi-airstrike-kills-yemeni-civilians-816273475796
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ARAMbofOQ
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1888616
22.11.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (* A K PH)
16 Yemeni civilians Killed [and injured] now by US-backed Saudi War criminals in this popular market Rabu market in Abs west Yemen (photos, graphic)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/800980262985154561 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/800980262985154561
and
22.11.2016 – Yemen Today TV / Al Masirah TV (* A K PH)
Film: Airline Saudi aggression kills and injures 13 civilians in a market in the Directorate of Abs in Hajjah 22-11 – 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLIy_racEso and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRh5I9Qu32c = https://www.facebook.com/881240811966559/videos/1172863229470981/
22.11.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)
A diesel truck is what #Saudi #UAE strike n alrrabooa market #Hajah #Yemen 4 killed 9 injured (photos)
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/801329374905724928
23.11.2016 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
Government forces: Arab Coalition airstrikes kill 30 Houthis
The government forces in Hajja governorate announced on Monday that 30 militants of the Houthi group and Saleh forces were killed eastern Midi city of Hajjah Governorate.
The Fifth Military Region Media Center of the government forces posted in on Facebook that these militants were killed by airstrikes of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition fighters that targeted Houthi groups.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/86573
22.11.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
US-Saudi air strikes hit Marib struck Serwah district of Marib province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447408.htm
22.11.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
21-11-2016
Targeting and bombing civilians by the warplanes of Saudi Arabia and its alliance
Casualties and damage (full list):
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=727753954041639&id=551288185021551
22.11.2016 – Saudi War crimes (A K PH)
4 fierce air strikes targeting Hodeida International Airport
21.–22.11.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)
12 #Saudi air strikes targeted several areas in Hudidah city #Yemen Jets still hovering till now .
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/800801572481597440
21.-22.11.2016 – Sanaa at night (A K)
Sky over #Sanaa filled with warplanes
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1605833949712593
#Saudi warplanes are over the capital #Sanaa now
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/800831088272744448
22.11.2016 – Al Masirah TV (* B K)
Film: Effects of Saudi aerial raids at Saada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLUY-vupmOc
18.11.2016 – Drone Base Updates (* A K)
Drone Bases Updates
Sharurah, Saudi Arabia
A satellite image from October 31, 2016 shows that multiple strike drones have been deployed to Sharurah Regional Airport in Najran Province, Saudi Arabia, near the border with Yemen. The image, which was accessed on Google Earth, shows three Chinese-made CAIG Wing Loong (also known as Pterodactyl) medium-altitude long-endurance surveillance and strike drones. The image also shows multiple manned aircraft and, as well as new construction to accommodate the increased military presence. The drones likely belong to the Saudi military, although the United Arab Emirates also flies the Wing Loong and is suspected of operating drones from Saudi air bases. The number of Wing Loong drones in the image suggests that the Chinese-made drones are playing a larger role in the Saudi-led air campaign over Yemen than previously believed.
Additional aircraft parking aprons have been added on both ends of the taxiway. AH-60 Apache attack helicopters and UH-60 Black Hawks are also reportedly deployed to the base. Adjoining the military portion of the airfield, a host of temporary shelters have been added and four multi-story buildings are under construction. Sharurah Regional Airport is a mixed civil-military facility.
Reports that Saudi Arabia planned to acquire Wing Loong drones go back to April 2014 and as recently as September 2016. A July 2015 satellite image of Jazan Regional Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia appeared to show a single Wing Loong deployed there for operations over Yemen. As of August 2016, however, the aircraft and support equipment have been removed from Jazan. In September 2016, images circulated on social media that appeared to show a downed Wing Loong drone in western Yemen – By Dan Gettinger
http://dronecenter.bard.edu/drone-bases-updates/
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
23.11.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Asir, Jizan: Army destroy Saudi military vehicle, kill 4 Saudi soldiers
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447549.htm
23.11.2016 – Fars News (A K PH)
Ma'rib: Saudi Mercenaries Killed in Yemen's Rocket Attacks on Key Military Camp
The Yemeni army missile units pounded enemy's strategic military camp in Ma'rib province with Katyusha rockets, killing and injuring several Saudi mercenaries.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950903001250 and Sana News http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447534.htm and film https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/801518441475801089
23.11.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Mercenaries' military vehicle loaded with ammunition bombed in Marib
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447551.htm
22.11.2016 – AFP (* A K)
Renewed clashes in Yemen kill more than 40
Renewed clashes between Yemeni government forces and rebels killed more than 40 people Tuesday, military officials said, a day after a fragile 48-hour ceasefire expired without halting the violence.
Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi repelled an attack by Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies on the western outskirts of Taez city, the officials said.
The attack that began late Monday targeted the Al-Dhabab area, which provides pro-Hadi forces with their only access to the flashpoint city of 300,000 people that is surrounded by insurgents.
Warplanes from the Saudi-led Arab coalition took part in operations to repel the attack, officials said.
Military officials also reported heavy artillery fire in an eastern suburb of Taez as pro-Hadi forces pressed a campaign to wrest back control of a presidential palace, police headquarters and an air defence base from the Huthis.
Eleven rebel fighters and five pro-government soldiers were killed in the clashes around the southwestern city, they said.
In northwest Yemen, fighting around the coastal town of Midi cost the lives of 18 rebels and four soldiers, a loyalist commander on the ground, Abdel Ghani Chebli, told AFP.
Rebel sniper fire on Monday night killed three soldiers as the Huthis tried to advance on Midi's harbour, which is controlled by pro-Hadi forces.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/renewed-clashes-in-yemen-kill-more-than-40/article/480170 and by Al Araby: https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/11/22/taiz-residents-locked-in-city-as-yemen-fighting-resumes
Comment by Judith Brown: Following the Amnesty report about the attacks on Taiz hospitals this is another report about Taiz, this time with a more pro-Hadi outlook, but it still gives some idea of the horror of living inside Taiz today. Yet still not newsworthy.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154935804783641
22.11.2016 – Reuters (* A K)
Intense fighting traps Yemenis in Taiz, bodies in streets: ICRC
Civilians in the southwestern Yemeni city of Taiz are trapped by intense fighting, with dead bodies lying in the streets and 200 people wounded in the past three days, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.
Houthi fighters and government forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition are battling for control of Taiz, the country's third largest city with an estimated pre-war population of 300,000.
"Sniper fire and indiscriminate shelling has trapped civilians. Dead bodies are in the streets and people are unable to attend to their most basic needs. The situation is desperate," Alexandre Faite, head of the ICRC in Yemen, said in a statement.
Some 200 people have been wounded over the past 72 hours, the aid agency said. "Many patients are suffering from blast injuries. Many have had to have limbs amputated," it said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-redcross-idUSKBN13H1RC
and from the Saudi / Hadi side:
22.11.2016 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
Man, wife killed and children injured by Houthi bombing in Taiz
A local source in Taiz city, southwestern Yemen, said that two civilians were killed and others wounded on Tuesday by the Houthi militants and Saleh forces bombing launched on Al-Dhabab area western Taiz city.
The source told Almasderonline that Nashwan Alnmeen and his wife were killed and their children were seriously injured when a tank shell fired by Houthi militants stationing in Al Rabeyi sites hit their house.
On the other hand, the Saudi-led Arab Coalition fighters have launched four airstrikes on Houthi rebels sites in the western battlefront, killing some elements and destroying a tank in Al-Rabeyi area.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/86583
and from the Houthi/Saleh side:
23.11.2016 – Almasdar Online (A K PH)
Over 25 Saudi-backed fighters killed during Houthi advance in west Yemen
Several Saudi-backed fighters were killed this morning after the Houthi forces, alongside the Yemeni Republican Guard, carried out a successful assault inside Ta'iz City.
"More than 25 Saudi-American Coalition militants were killed by the Yemeni Army and local committees in Ta'iz today," Yemen-based Al-Masirah TV reported this morning – by Leith Fadel
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/25-saudi-backed-fighters-killed-houthi-advance-west-yemen/ and Fars News: http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950902001543
Comment by Judith Brown: This is a slightly misleading article [Fars News] referring to the 'Syrian' army - I guess they mean Yemeni army whom I refer to as the Houthi-Saleh alliance as it is more exact. The 'mercenaries' described here are I assume the newly noted foreign fighters plus extremist local fighters known as the Sa'alik Brigades that remind me of the militias in East Aleppo allegedly under the pay of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and USA. These are probably the ones who are threatening hospitals and hospital staff in Taiz according to Amnesty International. The news gets worse every day from Taiz
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154935822253641
and film:
23.11.2016 - War News (* A K PH)
Film: Yemen War 2016 - Popular Committees in Heavy Urban Clashes in Battle of Taiz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh_y7jxia1c
My comment: "Popular Committees" = Houthis.
22.11.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Over 100 US-Saudi-paid mercenaries killed in Taiz
More than 100 US-Saudi-paid mercenaries have been killed over the past two days in fierce battles launched by the national army and popular forces in Jahmaliya district in central Taiz
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447417.htm
22.11.2016 – Saba Net / Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Big numbers of mercenaries killed in Medi desert
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447511.htm and http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=54950&lang=en
22.11.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Saudi Military Vehicle Demolished in Asir
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=54965&lang=en
22.11.2016 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
The Fifth Military Region Media Center of the government forces posted in on Facebook that the fighters also destroyed a military vehicle carrying 8 Houthis elements, a tanks, two armored military vehicles, and Howitzer cannon west of Hardh city.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/86573
22.11.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Two Saudi Troop Carriers Targeted in Najran
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=54959&lang=en
but as reported from Najran:
22.11.2016 – Xinhua (A K)
One killed, seven injured in projectile attack in Saudi city Najran
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday a fresh projectile attack from Yemen killed a man and injured seven others in the Saudi city Najran, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The attack targeted a shopping mall in the border town by Houthi militias, the report said.
The Saudi civil defense confirmed that the deceased was a Yemeni national, while the seven injured are Saudi residents.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-11/23/c_135850687.htm
22.11.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Rocketry forces devastate enemy Saudi military bases in Najran
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news447412.htm
21.11.2016 – Press TV Iran (A K PH)
Yemeni army forces, allied fighters seize two Saudi bases in Najran
Yemeni army forces and allied fighters from Popular Committees have taken control of two military bases in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border region of Najran in retaliation for Riyadh’s military campaign against their country.
The Yemeni forces took control of the bases in the mountainous northern part of the region, located 844 kilometers south of the capital, Riyadh, on Monday afternoon, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.
Shortly afterwards, Yemeni soldiers and Popular Committees fighters fired a number of Katyusha rockets at a gathering of Saudi forces at Najran Regional Airport. There was no immediate report on the extent of damage inflicted and the number of casualties among Saudi forces.
Abu Hamdan and al-Sadis military bases in the same Saudi region also came under missile attacks by Yemeni forces.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-231-yemen-war-mosaic-231
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-231: / Yemen War Mosaic 1-231:
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 / and http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
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