Starving children – Undeclared US war – Blowback from US Yemen policy – German big power policy (German) – Iran’s or Saudis’ guilt? – Fracture of Saudi Arabia–Boycott terror sponsors – 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
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
12.12.2016 – ITV (** A H)
Human cost of Yemen’s war: Malnourished babies and children struggling to survive
As the Disasters Emergency Committee launch the Yemen Crisis Appeal, Save the Children worker Alice Klein visits a health centre in Amran which is treating severely malnourished babies to witness the harrowing effects of the food shortages.
Warning: This article contains distressing images.
Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world with 18.8 million people in need of help, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it.
Until now, there have been few media reports coming out of Yemen, but a handful of hard-hitting pieces in recent weeks have alerted the public to the plight of millions of suffering people.
Like with so many wars and crises, it has been revealed that babies and children suffer first and most.
And my recent trip to Yemen to see the life saving works of Save the Children only served to confirm this heart-breaking reality.
Yemen’s people are starving and without an end to the current conflict and more international aid, what is now crisis will soon become a catastrophe.
I met Fatima, a baby so small I was convinced she was a new-born. It turned out she was actually eight-months-old.
Suffering from severe malnutrition, she weighed just two kilograms – that’s the equivalent of two bags of sugar. The doctor stripped back her blankets and clothes to examine her, revealing ribs jutting out and little limbs of skin and bone.
Some of my friends have babies of a similar age who have a full mop of shiny hair, are smiling and laughing, and learning to sit up and crawl.
By contrast, Fatima just lay there with big bulging eyes that stared out blankly into the distance without the energy to even cry.
Every room of every health centre and hospital I visited contained the same shocking scene: severely malnourished babies and children at death’s door.
But it’s not just babies who are affected by the hunger crisis in Yemen.
Traditionally the country imports 90% of its food, much of it through a port in Hodeida but this has been largely destroyed allegedly in airstrikes by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition.
Just two cranes are still functioning making unloading cargo of food, fuel and medicine a slow process while import restrictions remain.
And even when supplies get into Yemen, it takes a long time to get them out across the country, a result of attacks on infrastructure and bureaucratic impediments.
The shortfalls mean food, fuel and medicine are all vastly overpriced.
Combined with the fact Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East and millions during the past 20 months have lost their livelihoods, many families now cannot afford to eat properly.
As a result, some two million children are malnourished. And half a million of these are ‘severely malnourished’ meaning they will die unless they receive urgent help from agencies like Save the Children.
As malnutrition lowers children’s immune systems, it makes them vulnerable to other illness and disease, too.
Our teams are supporting 60 hospitals and health centres. We also send Mobile Medical Teams into remote villages to look for severe malnutrition. When we find it, we refer the babies and children to hospitals for urgent treatment and support their families to get there.
But there are many families we cannot yet reach or who cannot afford the trip to hospital.
Some are selling their belongings - such as gold jewellery, gas canisters, cars and livestock - or taking out loans to pay for their journey.
Even when families can afford to get to hospital, these are overcrowded and understaffed (because public sector workers haven’t been paid for three months).
Many are so low on medical supplies they are sending parents out to find their own medicines.
But the cost of the journey means they cannot then afford it, one mother told me.
There are likely tens of thousands more malnourished children who are not reaching health facilities and subsequently dying at home, in silence.
the Disasters Emergency Committee is launching a Yemen appeal, to raise much needed funds for Yemen and agencies like Save the Children who work there.
To donate please text SUPPORT to 70000. The full £5 will go to the DEC Yemen Crisis Appeal – by Alice Klein, Save the Children
http://www.itv.com/news/2016-12-12/human-cost-of-yemens-war-malnourished-babies-and-children-struggling-to-survive/ and, linked again: http://www.itv.com/news/2016-10-13/the-starving-children-of-toheita-yemen/
Comment by Judith Brown: What makes me angry is protecting the Western viewer from these pictures of starving Yemeni babies because they might find it distressing whilst we assist with the embargo and bombing of Yemeni infrastructure that causes these babies to starve - as if the parents aren't out of their mind with distress to see their own flesh and blood dying in front of their eyes with nothing they can do about it. What cruel people we are to allow this to happen.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155004391858641
12.12.2016 – UN Children's Fund (** A H)
Malnutrition amongst children in Yemen at an all-time high, warns UNICEF
Nearly 2.2 million children in Yemen are acutely malnourished and require urgent care. At least 462,000 children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), a drastic increase of almost 200 per cent since 2014. An additional 1.7 million children suffer from Moderate Acute Malnutrition.
The situation of severely malnourished children in Governorates such as Hodeida, Sa’ada, Taizz, Hajjah and Lahej is most critical. These five governorates put together have the highest of all SAM cases in the country. Sa’ada also has the world’s highest stunting rates amongst children with an unprecedented eight out of 10 children in some areas being chronically malnourished.
“Malnutrition in Yemen is at an all-time high and increasing,” said Dr Meritxell Relano, UNICEF Acting Representative in Yemen. “The state of health of children in the Middle East’s poorest country has never been as catastrophic as it is today.”
Even before the escalation of the conflict in March 2015, Yemen faced challenges from widespread poverty, food insecurity and a dearth of health services. Now Yemen’s health system is on the verge of collapse.
Less than a third of the country’s population has access to medical care. Less than half of health facilities are functional. Health workers have not been paid their wages for months and aid agencies are struggling to bring in lifesaving supplies because of the political deadlock between the warring parties.
At least one child dies every ten minutes in Yemen because of preventable diseases such as diarrhoea, malnutrition and respiratory tract infections.
“Violence and conflict have reversed significant gains made in the last decade in the health and nutrition of Yemeni children. Diseases such as cholera and measles have spread and, with few health facilities functional, such outbreaks are taking a heavy toll on children,” said Relano.
https://www.unicef.org/media/media_93868.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/malnutrition-amongst-children-yemen-all-time-high-warns-unicef-enar
12.12.2016 – Tom Dispatch / Juan Cole / Open Democracy (** B P)
Undeclared US war
Precisely because there are no US economic or military interests in Yemen, could it be the first arena in Washington’s endless war on terror to abandon ?
What is it about America and its twenty-first-century wars? They spread continually – there are now seven of them; they never end; and yet, if you happen to live in the United States, most of the time it would be easy enough to believe that, except for the struggle against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, there were no conflicts under way.
And then, as Rebecca Gordon, author of American Nuremberg, makes clear today, there’s the war that couldn’t be forgotten because, in essence, just about no one here noticed it in the first place. I’m speaking of the US-backed Saudi war aimed significantly at the civilian population of desperately impoverished Yemen.
It’s a conflict in which the actual American stake couldn’t be foggier and yet the Obama administration has supported it in just about every way imaginable, and it will soon be inherited by Trump and his national security crew. It could hardly be grimmer, more devastating, or more gruesome, and yet most of the time, from an American point of view, it might as well not be happening – by Tom Engelhardt
Tomgram: Rebecca Gordon, Yet Another Undeclared U.S. War
Along with a deeply divided country, the worst income inequality since at least the 1920s, and a crumbling infrastructure, Trump will inherit a 15-year-old, apparently never-ending worldwide war. While the named enemy may be a mere emotion (“terror”) or an incendiary strategy (“terrorism”), the victims couldn’t be more real, and as in all modern wars, the majorityof them are civilians.
On how many countries is US ordnance falling at the moment? Some put the total at six; others, seven. For the record, those seven would be Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and, oh yes, Yemen.
“On the brink of abyss”
The abyss
Every time it seems the crisis can’t get any worse, it does.
“Tragic conflict” in 2016
What’s it all about?
Why is Saudi Arabia, along with its allies, aided by the United States and, to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom, fighting in Yemen?
So, once again, why do the Saudis (and their Sunni Gulf State allies) care so much about the roiling internal politics and conflicts of their desperately poor neighbor to the south? It’s true that the Houthis have managed to lob some rockets into Saudi Arabia and conduct a few cross-border raids, but they hardly represent an existential threat to that country.
The Saudis firmly believe, however, that Iran represents such a threat. As Saudi diplomatic documents described in the New York Times suggest, that country has “a near obsession with Iran.” They see the hand of that Shi’a nation everywhere, and certainly everywhere that Shi’a minorities have challenged Sunni or secular rulers, including Iraq.
There seems to be little evidence that Iran supported the Houthis (who represent a minority variant of Shi’a Islam) in any serious way – at least until the Saudis got into the act. Even now, according to a report in the Washington Post, the Houthis “are not Iranian puppets.”
So to return to where we began: why exactly has Washington supported the Saudi war in Yemen so fully and with such clout? The best guess is that it’s a make-up present to Saudi Arabia, a gesture to help heal the rift that opened when the Obama administration concluded its July 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.
US boots on the ground
Compared to the horrors of Iraq and Syria, the slaughter, displacement, and starvation in Yemen may seem like small potatoes – except, of course, to the people living and dying there. But precisely because there are no US economic or military interests in Yemen, perhaps it could be the first arena in Washington’s endless war on terror to be abandoned.
Missing Congressional backbone
I wish I had the slightest hope that our newly elected Republican Congress would find its long-lost spine in the age of Donald Trump and reassert its right and duty to decide whether to commit the country to war, starting in Yemen. Today, more than ever, the world needs our system of checks and balances to work again. The alternative, unthinkable as it might be, is looming.
It’s 2016. We know where our bombs are. Isn’t it time for the US to bring them home? – by Rebecca Gordon
https://opendemocracy.net/rebecca-gordon-tom-engelhardt/undeclared-us-war = http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176220/tomgram%3A_rebecca_gordon%2C_yet_another_undeclared_u.s._war/ = http://www.juancole.com/2016/12/yemen-trump-escalate.html
11.12.2016 – National Interest (** B K P)
Blowback from America's Disastrous Policy in Yemen Will Be Profound
The cost to the Yemeni people and particularly to its young people is incalculable.
Blowback from U.S. policy in Yemen that supports Saudi Arabia’s war against the country’s Houthi rebels will be profound for both the region and, potentially, for the United States.
The cost to the Yemeni people and particularly to its young people—roughly 60 percent of Yemenis are under the age of 24—is incalculable. Vast numbers of Yemeni children are unable to attend school, child malnourishment—already high—has soared, and unemployment—also high before the war—is now endemic. It is likely that an entire generation of Yemenis, who already faced profound challenges, has been further disadvantaged and made more vulnerable by a war that is even more senseless than most.
There are two primary beneficiaries of the war in Yemen: arms manufacturers and the Yemeni-based branch of al-Qaeda, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The war has been a gift to both. U.S. and UK-based arms manufacturers are supplying Saudi Arabia and its partner, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with billions of dollars of weapons. AQAP, which was struggling before the beginning of the Saudi led campaign, is now flourishing.
So why is the United States supporting a war that has laid waste to one of the world’s poorest countries and—at least indirectly—helped enable one of al-Qaeda’s most deadly and resilient franchises? The narrative embraced by much of the media and seemingly by parts of the U.S. government is that the Houthis are acting as Iranian proxies that pose a threat to U.S. ally Saudi Arabia. For much of the last two years, almost every mention of the Houthis by the press was preceded by “the Iranian backed.” It is worth pointing out that the Houthis are fiercely independent and deeply rooted in Yemen. Doctrinally Zaidism is closer to Sunni Islam.
There have been numerous attempts to link Iran with the Houthis and many claims made about how Iran is arming the Houthis. The latest report by UK-based Conflict Armament Research suggests that Iran is supplying the Houthis with small and medium arms via dhows (small sailing vessels) that first dock in Somalia where the weapons are offloaded and are then re-shipped to Yemen. It should be noted that Somalia itself is a major market for weaponsand a transshipment point for Africa. Weapons that do not remain in Somalia are destined for places like South Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. In all of these countries, prices for small and medium arms are higher than in Yemen due to supply constraints in those countries.
The Houthis, who are allied with the best armed and trained units of the Yemeni Army, have little need for Iranian small or medium arms. Apart from the fact that Iranian made rifles are considered to be inferior by most Houthis who prefer Russian made Ak-47s and G3 rifles from Europe, Yemen is already the second most heavily armed country on the planet after the United States. Now, thanks largely to Saudi Arabia and the UAE—not Iran—Yemen is truly awash in weapons and not just small and medium arms.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have spent millions of dollars arming a disparate mix of armed groups with everything from ATGM’s to armored personnel carriers.
the United States and the United Kingdom should instead consider the ramifications of the tens of millions of dollars of weapons being supplied to armed groups in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It is all but certain that some of these weapons have already been sold on to organizations like AQAP and quite possibly al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Of possibly more consequence is the damage being done to the House of Saud and the country it rules over. The House of Saud is spending billions of dollars on a war that it cannot win. The instability in Yemen will likely last for years and will impact Saudi Arabia’s own security.
Given what looks to be president-elect Trump’s embrace a foreign policy team that views Iran as the primary threat to stability in the Middle East, it is likely that the situation in Yemen will deteriorate further – by Michael Horton, The Jamestown Foundation
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/blowback-americas-disastrous-policy-yemen-will-be-profound-18698
Comment by Judith Brown: This I see a very important article. Firstly it analyses the reports which link the Iranian arms to Yemen and is scathing. As he points out, Iran is far more likely to supply African arms dealers than Yemenis because they have more money. Secondly he points to the trade inside Yemen. Many of the arms that Saudi and its allies provide to the war effort end up in markets inside Yemen - these are better quality than those available from Iran and preferred by Yemeni fighters, and what is more they are cheaper. Good background material for understanding not only how weapons circulate (more successful than the supply of food) and how markets work in countries like Yemen at times of war.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155004424543641
12.12.2016 – German Foreign Policy (** B P)
Wege der Weltpolitik
Berlin sucht seine Stellung in Mittelost durch die Unterstützung einer von Saudi-Arabien geführten sunnitischen Militärkoalition zu stärken. Dies wurde vergangene Woche beim Besuch von Verteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen in Saudi-Arabien bekannt. Demnach soll die Bundeswehr einen Verbindungsoffizier in das Hauptquartier der im Aufbau begriffenen „Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition“ in Riad entsenden, an der sich bis zu 40 sunnitische oder sunnitisch dominierte Staaten beteiligen. Einige der Länder führen zur Zeit an der Seite Saudi-Arabiens Krieg im Jemen, um dort den Einfluss schiitischer Milizen zurückzudrängen und so die schiitische Vormacht Iran zu schwächen. Experten halten den Waffengang, der zahlreiche zivile Todesopfer fordert, für einen Testlauf der wenig erfahrenen saudischen Streitkräfte – eine Art „Bombardierungs- und Aufklärungspraktikum“ in Vorbereitung auf künftige Kriege. Berlin weitet nicht nur die Unterstützung für Saudi-Arabien aus, es verstärkt auch die Aufrüstung Jordaniens – nicht zuletzt mit modernster Spionagetechnologie. Die Militarisierung des Mittleren Ostens ist Teil der Bemühungen Berlins um eine eigenständige deutsch-europäische Weltpolitik.
Mehrere deutsche Unterstützungsmaßnahmen für die saudischen Streitkräfte sind letzte Woche am Rande des Besuchs von Verteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen in Saudi-Arabien bekannt geworden. Demnach wird die Bundeswehr künftig drei bis fünf saudische Stabsoffiziere im Jahr an ihrer Hamburger Führungsakademie ausbilden; die Maßnahme, die Berlin laut Berichten bereits im vergangenen Jahr angeboten hat, soll 2017 beginnen. Die saudischen Streitkräfte zählen ohnehin – entgegen anderslautenden Behauptungen aus Berlin – weiter zu den größten Empfängern deutschen Kriegsgeräts. Hatten sie im vergangenen Jahr mit Käufen im Wert von 270 Millionen Euro Platz sieben in der deutschen Exportrangliste eingenommen, so hat der Bundessicherheitsrat im ersten Halbjahr 2016 Ausfuhren in Höhe von fast einer halben Milliarde Euro (484 Millionen) genehmigt; damit lag Riad schon auf Platz drei. Zu den Produkten, die die saudischen Streitkräfte nun erhalten, gehören ausweislich des jüngsten Rüstungsexportberichts Hubschrauber, Bodengeräte sowie Teile für Kampfflugzeuge.
Quelle: http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/fulltext/59501
10.12.2016 – ARD (** B H)
Seit 20 Monaten tobt der Krieg
Film: Im Jemen herrscht Bürgerkrieg, in dem auch Nachbarstaaten ihre Interessen verfolgen. Tausende Menschen wurden bereits getötet, Hunderttausende sind auf der Flucht, Millionen hungern. V. Schwenck berichtet aus einer Gegend, in der Menschen Müll verbrennen, um darin Brot zu backen.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/jemen-weltspiegel-101.html
Mein Kommentar: Der Text ist verniedlichend. „Bürgerkrieg, in dem auch Nachbarstaaten ihre Interessen verfolgen“, das wird den saudischen Luftangriffen in keinster Weise gerecht.
8.12.2016 – Consortium News (*** B P)
The Need to Hold Saudi Arabia Accountable
One of Official Washington’s favorite “group thinks” is to insist that Iran is the “chief sponsor of terrorism,” but the reality is that Saudi Arabia is much guiltier and U.S. officials know it.
The problem is that a much bigger sponsor of terrorism is Saudi Arabia, with some competition from Qatar, but those two Gulf states are extremely wealthy U.S. “allies” and their hatred of Iran is shared by Israel, which possesses the most intimidating foreign lobby in Washington. So, deviation from the “Iran-chief-sponsor-of-terrorism” mantra marks you as someone who is not part of the club and never will be.
Yet, while lies may be the mother’s milk of Official Washington, there are severe costs paid by the American people and even more by the people of the Middle East who have suffered from the bloody consequences of this particular lie because it has been at the root of a series of misguided U.S. interventions, which themselves have spread widespread terror.
The U.S. government allied itself with Saudi Arabia in building the modern Islamic terrorism movement in the 1980s when the Reagan administration went in 50/50 with Saudi Arabia to finance and arm the Afghan mujahedeen – a project costing billions of dollars – to fight a merciless war against Soviet troops defending a leftist, secular regime in Kabul.
That war not only opened the gates of Kabul to the likes of Saudi jihadist Osama bin Laden and the Taliban but it created the methodology and means for the Saudis to expand their Sunni proxy wars against various Shiite “apostates” and secularists across the region.
From the “successful” Afghan experience, the Saudi intelligence agency recognized the value of using Sunni fundamentalist fanatics as the tip of the spear in wars against Middle East secularists and Shiites, including Shia Islam’s spinoffs, such as Alawites and Houthis.
The Saudis also recognized the value of influencing Official Washington, which the kingdom had tried to do by creating its own lobby based on spreading around lots of money. But that Saudi effort was blunted by Israel and its lobby, which didn’t want to share its unmatched influence over the U.S. government.
Behind the combined clout of politically influential Israel and financially powerful Saudi Arabia, the script was written for U.S. politicians, pundits and officials to recite: “Iran is the chief sponsor of terrorism.”
This dogma is repeated again and again, including by retired Generals James Mattis and Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for Defense Secretary and National Security Advisor, respectively. But the terror groups that Americans fear most, such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State, are supported by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, not by Iran.
And this reality is well known to senior U.S. officials even though it is never openly acknowledged
To better understand the Saudi role in supporting Sunni extremism, you have to recognize that the Saudi princelings get a pass on their licentious behavior by buying leniency from the religious ulema (or leaders) through financing the extreme Wahhabi teachings that justify bloody retribution on all sorts of heretics.
This reality was explained in testimony by Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called twentieth 9/11 hijacker who is serving a life sentence in a federal supermax prison in Florence,
“Ulema, essentially they are the king maker,” Moussaoui testified. “If the ulema say that you should not take power [because of some personal deviancy], you are not going to take power.”
Iran’s Guilt
But what’s the truth about Iran? While Saudi Arabia and Qatar finance Islamic State, Al Qaeda and the Taliban, there must be reasons why U.S. officials line up to profess that Iran is the “chief sponsor of terrorism.”
Well, apparently that is a reference to Iran’s support for Hezbollah, a Shiite movement in southern Lebanon that emerged as a resistance to Israeli occupation of that area in the 1980s. For years, Hezbollah has attacked Israeli targets in a tit-for-tat shadow war of assassinations and bombings that has crossed the line into terrorism by both sides. But neither Hezbollah nor Iran have been connected to any significant terror attack aimed at Americans in the past couple of decades.
Indeed, the usual citation regarding Iranian “terrorism” is the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks near Beirut airport in 1983, but that attack was not “terrorism,” at least as it is classically defined as an intentional attack on civilians with the intent of achieving a political objective. The more recent complaints about Iranian “aggression” are even more dishonest. Iran has been invited by the sovereign governments of Iraq and Syria to assist in fighting Islamic State and Al Qaeda terrorists in those countries. Under international law, there is nothing illegal about that and it surely does not constitute “aggression.”
Saudi Arabia and the State Department have also accused Iran of supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen, although the extent of that assistance is apparently negligible and whatever it is, it is vastly overwhelmed by Saudi Arabia’s massive bombardment of Yemen, a true act of aggression that has killed hundreds if not thousands of civilians and is supported by the Obama administration.
If some U.S. official did publicly pronounce the truth – that Saudi Arabia far outranks Iran as the “chief sponsor of terrorism” and that many people in the world would put the United States even higher – the truth-teller might never survive another Senate confirmation hearing, since the Israel Lobby would call in its chits and make an example of the apostate.
Which gets us to the problem of President-elect Trump naming retired Generals Mattis and Flynn to top national security posts – By Robert Parry
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/12/08/the-need-to-hold-saudi-arabia-accountable/ = http://www.mintpressnews.com/223252-2/223252/
11.12.2016 – Strategic Culture (** B P)
The Coming Fracture of Saudi Arabia
More and more power has been concentrated into Mohammad bin Salman’s hands, including control over the Defense Ministry, the Council of Economy and Development, and the Saudi government-owned Arabian-American oil company (ARAMCO).
There is a schism within the Saudi royal family that has created a real-life «Game of Thrones» within the kingdom.
Power in Saudi Arabia has generally resided with the seven sons of King Abdulaziz and Hassa bin Ahmed, which include present King Salman. These sons are commonly known as the «Sudairi Seven».
When Salman dies, many observers of secretive Saudi royal politics expect to see a succession battle that might even result in a royal civil war.
And a civil war among competing Saudi royals can easily become one between various Saudi regions. Thus, the fracturing of Libya, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen brought about by Saudi adventurism may come back to haunt the Saudis in a major way.
The first Saudi region that can be expected to take advantage of a Saudi royal family split is the Eastern Region, which is known formally as the Eastern Province and is ruled by Saud bin Nayef, a son of the late Crown Prince Nayef from the provincial capital of Dammam.
The Saudi government has never wanted to conduct a religious census of the country because it might not like the results, especially in the Eastern Province.
The next region to revolt against the monarchy would be Asir, the southwest area that borders northern Yemen, in addition to two neighboring Saudi regions. Asir is the home to a significant minority of Zaidi Muslims. The Saudi regime has been waging a genocidal campaign against the Asir Zaidis’ cousins on the Yemeni side of the border, the Houthi rebels, who are also Zaidis.
Open rebellions by Zaidis in Asir, Najran, and Jizan, along with a Shi’a rebellion in the Eastern region, may be too much for the Saudi armed forces to handle, especially if it is split along competing allegiances to rival princes and throne claimants.
Intervention in a Saudi civil war by the United States and NATO would be guaranteed to result in a costly outcome for the West in terms of body bags, sabotage of oil installations, and a multi-billion-dollar financial drain. The probability that Yemen would see the restoral of an independent South Yemen and a battle for control of northern Yemen between Houthis and remnants of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government would entail Western troops also engaging in a protracted civil war in another huge chunk of the Arabian Peninsula. Even the most-warlike members of the Donald Trump administration would likely not want to become mired in a major Arabian imbroglio.
Widespread conflict in Saudi Arabia might also result in the regions of Mecca and Medina becoming an independent entity with the primary responsibility of protecting the Islamic holy places and ensuring safe access for Muslim pilgrims. The Organization of Islamic Conference and other non-Wahhabi influenced Islamic organizations may become vehicles by which the two holy cities are governed as a «neutral zone» unaffected by Saudi turmoil and Wahhabist religious radicalism.
The real battle for control of Saudi Arabia would be mostly centered in Riyadh province, for the keys to the kingdom, or what remains of it, would be found in control of the Saudi capital city of Riyadh. In any event, a Saudi civil war would be best left to the regional actors to sort things out. Any outside intervention would certainly make matters much worse and could develop into a wider regional or world war – by Wayne Madsen
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/12/11/coming-fracture-saudi-arabia.html = http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-11/coming-fracture-saudi-arabia
10.12.2016 – Middle East Eye (** B P)
Whether Boris was serious or not, it’s time for a rethink of British policy in the Middle East
They were undiplomatic, but the UK Foreign Secretary's comments in Rome also highlight a crisis plaguing the region since the Arab uprisings
Historically, successive British governments have cherished their relations with the Saudis and have refrained from openly criticising the country. Even when British expatriates were reportedly tortured in Saudi prisons, Britain preferred to deal with these issues behind closed doors.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s recent comments about Saudi Arabia are a departure from this cherished tradition.
Boris Johnson accused the Saudis and the Iranians of “puppeteering and playing proxy wars” while Prime Minister Theresa May was an honorary guest at the GCC annual summit in Manama.
Over two days, she intermingled with Gulf leaders, praising them and promising greater cooperation in return for trade and security cooperation. In contrast,
Johnson’s comments, albeit undiplomatic and perhaps sounding a bit amateurish, point to an important crisis that has plagued the Middle East since the Arab uprisings.
Deploying religion
At the heart of this crisis are several interrelated issues. The most important one is the increasing deployment of religion in regional politics. Three ongoing conflicts in the region attest to how this is unfolding.
A Bahraini uprising that started as a peaceful protest demanding justice and democracy ended as a sectarian conflict in which protesters were framed as Iranian puppets pursuing a sectarian Shia agenda against the Sunni rulers of Bahrain.
n Syria, a similar narrative was pursued. The Syrian uprising immediately developed into a sectarian war framed as a protest of the Sunni majority against an Alawite regime.
In Yemen, a local struggle for power between various factions developed into a civil war in which Saudi Arabia led a coalition against local Houthis who are also seen as Iranian stooges, pursuing a Shia takeover of Yemen on the southern borders of Saudi Arabia.
The carrots and sticks that saved monarchs
How did all this happen? The wave of protest that swept the Arab world in 2011 sent a chilling message to Saudi Arabia. The kingdom survived several waves of previous protest in the Arab world, but 2011 was different.
While in the past many political changes resembled top-down coups, the recent mass mobilisations across the region were bottom-up protests devoid of ideological underpinnings, but with clear quest for justice, dignity and economic prosperity - all were, and still are, in short supply.
This worried the Saudis as they rushed to save monarchies even outside the rich monarchs’ club of the GCC. From Morocco to Jordan and Bahrain, the Saudis wanted to preserve the monarchy as a genre of government, framed as stable, paternalistic, and so different from the autocratic republics.
In their efforts to achieve this goal, they resorted to a mixture of carrots and sticks. They lavishly subsidised monarchs across the Arab world, supported the return of authoritarianism in Egypt and succeeded in turning ongoing protest into sectarian civil wars.
In the last project, religion was important as a tool to obscure underlying economic grievances and demands for a better life. Conflicts are no longer seen as the protest of the marginalised, disenfranchised and neglected constituencies but an eternal war between so-called true Muslims and unbelievers from within the diverse world of Islam. Sectarian proxies were sponsored, armed and deployed.
The result was a derailing of an historical moment in the Arab world that promised to end decades of dictatorship.
As the crisis in the Arab world continues to spill over beyond the region, it is time to rethink British foreign policy and the unconditional support for the remaining maharajas of the Arab world – by Madawi Al-Rasheed
11.12.2016 – Human Guardians (** A E P T)
Boycott Terrorism Sponsors: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates
Consumer Boycott
Terrorism only stops if we threaten to boycott terrorism-sponsoring countries Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. Consumer boycotts devastate their economies forcing them to stop sponsoring terrorism. Boycotts start at the earliest in December 2016.
Terrorists are finished without sponsors. No funding, no supplies, no customers and no moral support will isolate and paralyze terrorists. Making it impossible for them to carry out terrorism wars and terrorist attacks in the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, Africa and in the cities of our countries.
Terrorism Sponsors and their Goals
The five Gulf States sponsor terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere. The countries claim to be Muslim but are Wahhabi, a heretical and extremely violent sect. Turkey is a sponsor too. To what extend the July 2016 coup changed it, needs clarification. Turkey has at least to pay damages to Syria and Iraq.
The goals of the terrorism sponsors are to rule the Muslim world and its oil and gas resources. To achieve the second phase (first was Afghanistan), they are pressing for regime change in Syria and Yemen. Bombing and starving Yemen. Sponsoring terrorists Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, ISIS, Al Aqsa and others to kill.
Western Terrorism Support
The Western world supports terrorism-sponsoring countries with arms, logistical support and so on. They demand regime change in Syria. But they are mum about atrocities of rebel-terrorists and in Yemen of the atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia and allies.
What products to Boycott
Oil and gas products
Passenger transportation
Loans on the capital market
http://humanguardians.com/en/stop-terrorism-boycott-terrorism-sponsors-2/
11.12.2016 – Le Matin (** B K P)
Le jeu trouble de la monarchie saoudienne et des Etats-Unis au Yémen
La formation d’un gouvernement de salut national au Yémen le 28 novembre par les forces d’Ansar Allah et du Parti du Congrès Populaire général de l’ancien président du Yémen, Ali Abdellah Saleh, qui luttent contre une coalition arabe menée par l’Arabie Saoudite, soutenue par les Etats-Unis et l’Angleterre, va-t-elle favoriser la fin de la guerre injuste menée contre le Yémen ?
Le premier gouvernement non lié à la monarchie saoudienne
La formation de ce nouveau gouvernement, représentant un large éventail de forces politiques, de tribus, la société civile, reflète le front intérieur qui s’est formé et c’est ce qui a certainement contrarié les plans de l’Arabie Saoudite, qui a toujours fait de la division des Yéménites une pièce maitresse pour dominer son voisin, considéré comme son arrière-cour, sa chasse-gardée.
Les principales villes saoudiennes à la portée des missiles yéménites
L’Arabie saoudite veut dominer la région du Sahel pour négocier en position de force
Dans de telles conditions, la formation du gouvernement de salut national à Sanaa va–t-elle anticiper le retrait saoudien ? S’il est difficile de répondre par oui ou par non à cette question, il est néanmoins certain qu’il s’agit là d’un facteur qui va peser sur la suite des évènements, au plan militaire et au plan politique dans le cas des négociations sur la base de l’initiative Kerry. Le Secrétaire d’Etat américain est pressé de mettre fin au conflit yéménite avant l’arrivée du nouveau locataire à la Maison Blanche, estime un analyste yéménite.
"L’Arabie Saoudite ne veut pas arrêter la guerre tant qu’elle ne domine pas la région du Sahel pour pouvoir négocier en position de force, comme elle a pu assurer sa domination, dans la région de Hadramaout (pétrole) et les Emirats Arabes Unis, celle de la région d’Aden. Cette division Nord-Sud, correspond au projet de partition du Yémen en six régions (deux au Sud et quatre au Nord) qui a été approuvé par un comité présidé par Hadi lors de la Conférence du dialogue nationale en 2014, sous prétexte que le Fédéralisme serait une solution aux problèmes du Yémen.
A Hadramout, selon le journal Al Akhbar, "l’Arabie saoudite et les Emirats œuvrent à séparer la province de Hadramaout riche en pétrole, du Yémen. L’Arabie Saoudite prépare "la Conférence de Hadramaout" pour inciter les Yéménites de cette province à se détacher du Sud du Yémen, dans le cadre d’un territoire fédéral, mais ce projet est rejeté par les militants du Sud, vu qu’il sépare une des provinces pétrolières les plus riches du Sud.
Au Nord, la région de Hodeidah, qui donne directement accès sur la Mer Rouge, avec un important port commercial et de pêche est soumise elle aussi depuis plusieurs mois à des attaques et à un plan pour affamer sa population. Sa conquête est inscrite dans les objectifs tracés à l’opération dénommée : "Le cœur du Sahel" déclenchée le 23 octobre. Si Hodeidah tombe, l’Arabie Saoudite aura un second accès à la Mer Rouge) et empêchera Sanaa de recevoir des aides de l’étranger et étranglera économiquement cette région contrôlée par les forces Houthistes. En outre, le contrôle de Hodeidah, avec celui de Taez et Lahdj, permettra un accès direct au Détroit de Bab al-Mandeb.
L’Arabie saoudite et les USA veulent contrôler le détroit de Bab El Mendeb
Trump anti-interventionniste, quand Obama poursuit la guerre
Aussitôt après, le gouvernement Hadi réagit et affirme qu’il "ne céderait pas à la pression des États-Unis, et qu’il n’accepte pas le plan de paix proposé par les Nations unies, demandant sa modification". – par Houria Ait Kaci
Comment: Excellent article in French on the war against #Yemen, the new government, America's interference in the war, oil, the South
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1198533803532981
11.12.2016 – Press TV Iran (**A P)
Yemeni lawmakers approve National Salvation Government
Yemen’s recently-formed National Salvation Government wins a vote of confidence from the parliament, raising hopes that the ongoing political efforts would help restore peace to the conflict-ridden country.
During a voting session on Saturday, Yemeni lawmakers overwhelmingly endorsed the new administration that was formed by the Houthi Ansarullah movement and its allies late last month to replace the Supreme Political Council.
The government, which was sworn in on November 29, has drawn up a program focused on addressing the economic crisis exacerbated by the Saudi blockade and dealing with the kingdom’s military aggression against the impoverished nation.
Led by the former governor of Aden, Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor, the new government has pledged to help UN efforts aimed at bringing back stability to Yemen.
http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/12/11/497345/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia
My comment: As this parliament had remained as the only legitimate political body in Yemen from the pre-war area, this government simply is “legitimate”, while all others –“president” Hadi and his “government”, appointed by an expired president, without any affirmation by the parliament as required by the constitution – are not.
and
11.12.2016 – Saba Net (** A P)
National Salvation Government wins parliamentary vote of confidence
Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtour's government late Saturday won a vote of confidence from the parliament. The move was supported by the overwhelming majority.
The parliament vote session was headed by speaker Yahya al-Raiee with the attendance of the bin Habtour's cabinet members.
During the session, bin Habtour committed to the recommendations issued by the parliament regarding his government's program, including the tackling the consequences of the US-Saudi brutal aggression and all-out siege against the Yemeni people.
The recommendations also included directions to address all political, social, economical, military and security cases.
Bin Habtour promised to exert all efforts to move the country forward into developing the economy and lead the country to stability, security and unity.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news449275.htm
11.2016 – Eurasia Review (** B K P)
Yemen: Civil War And Regional Intervention – Analysis
Political dynamics on the ground in Yemen are obstructing outside forces’ efforts to bring the current conflict to a close. It seems that even Saudi Arabia, President Hadi’s primary benefactor, cannot currently compel its Yemeni allies to reach a compromise deal. Neither President Hadi nor his vice president, General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar, a powerful military commander who is a rival to both former president Saleh and the Houthis, is ready to resign or gradually transition out of power. President Hadi claims that United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 legitimizes his rule since it calls on all parties to refrain from taking any actions that undermine the legitimacy of the President of Yemen. There is some concern that even if the Saudi-led coalition abandoned the current president and vice president, it would not stop their associated militias from continuing the war.
At the same time, the status quo is problematic for the Saudi-led coalition. In late July 2016, Houthi-Saleh forces established their own alternative government, an unacceptable outcome for both the Saudis and the international community, which seek to maintain Yemen’s unity. For Houthi-Saleh forces, it seems their strategy is to survive, ensconced in the capital, in order to create facts on the ground. In the meantime, it would seem that continued Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeting civilians, combined with Yemen’s dire humanitarian crisis, is increasing international criticism of the Saudi-led military operation.
With a political settlement seemingly distant, some analysts are calling for alternative arrangements. According to Bruce Riedel, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, “de facto partition may be the only realistic option for the foreseeable future. The international community should try to persuade the warring parties to adopt an open-ended cease-fire without conditions. Then a massive surge of humanitarian relief should begin.”
Humanitarian Situation
The Coalition’s Maritime Blockade and Delivery of Emergency Aid
Yemen’s Banking Crisis
Approximately a quarter of all Yemenis’ livelihoods depend on the salary of a public sector employee. Government salaries are paid by the Central Bank, which, throughout the current conflict, had managed to stay relatively apolitical. However, after the August 2016 breakdown in peace talks, President Hadi moved the Central Bank’s operations to Aden, accusing Houthi-Saleh forces of adding thousands of militiamen to the Ministry of Defense’s payroll, which had been drawing down $100 million a month in foreign reserves.24 As of September 2016, total reserves had dwindled to $1.3 billion from about $4 billion in November 2014.
As a result of the Central Bank’s relocation, the payment of government salaries in Houthi-Saleh- controlled areas was halted, exacerbating already difficult living conditions for tens of thousands of Yemenis. Houthi-Saleh authorities had already reduced salaries for their fighters. In late September 2016, the U.S. State Department expressed concern about the “economic conditions in Yemen and recent developments associated with the Central Bank,” stressing the importance of the Central Bank serving the interests of all Yemenis.25
Transnational Terrorist Groups Operating in Yemen
U.S. Policy
Overall, the Administration, like Saudi Arabia, does not want to see Houthi fighters who receive Iranian aid rule large swaths of Yemen. Additionally, some lawmakers see Iranian support for Houthi-Saleh forces as increasing, and therefore reiterate the need to counter Iran’s regional meddling.34 However, as the civilian death toll continues to climb and the humanitarian situation devolves, some observers assert that the political costs of the Saudi-led coalition’s military campaign are becoming too high.
International Scrutiny and U.S. Policy Debates
Yemen: Recent Attacks Against U.S. Naval Vessels in the Red Sea
U.S. Foreign Assistance to Yemen – by Jeremy Sharp
This article was published by CRS as CRS Report Nov. 16, 2016 (PDF). The article has been slightly edited.
http://www.eurasiareview.com/12122016-yemen-civil-war-and-regional-intervention-analysis/
My comment: A profound overview of the Yemen war, from a US point of view, but taking a lot of points into consideration. There could be criticized the emphasis on the Iranian influence; that the US story of the attacks at the US ships is taken for granted, and others.
cp2 Allgemein / General
11.12.2016 – Tehran Times (* A E P)
Economic Expert Discloses US-Saudi Arabia Agreement on Yemen's Oil Reserves
- A senior economic expert said Washington and Riyadh had bribed the former Yemeni government to refrain from oil drilling and exploration activities, adding that Yemen has more oil reserves than the entire Persian Gulf region.
"Saudi Arabia has signed a secret agreement with the US to prevent Yemen from utilizing its oil reserves over the past 30 years," Yemeni Economist Hassan Ali al-Sanaeri told FNA on Sunday.
"The scientific research and assessments conducted by international drilling companies show that Yemen's oil reserves are more than the combined reservers of all the Persian Gulf states," he added.
Al-Sanaeri added that Yemen has abundant oil reserves in Ma'rib, al-Jawf, Shabwah and Hadhramaut regions.
He noted that a series of secret documents by Wikileaks disclosed that the Riyadh government had set up a committee presided by former Saudi Defense Minister Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz. "Former Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and the kingdom's intelligence chief were also the committee's members."
Al-Sanaeri went on to say that Saudi Arabia has tasked the committee to implement the project to dig a canal from Saudi Arabia to the Arab Sea via Hadhramaut in order to become needless of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab straits.
He reiterated that new oil reserves have been discovered in Yemen's al-Jawf province which can make Yemen as one of the biggest oil exporters in the region and the world.
Some sources have said that the Yemeni tribal leaders who have Saudi nationality have blocked oil explorations in different areas of al-Jawf province.
The Yemeni expert said that al-Jawf province can become Yemen's economic hub due to having the largest oil and gas reserves and also its fertile agricultural lands.
Al-Sanaeri said that al-Jawf province enjoys a unique status as it neighbors two oil-rich regions of Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Ma'rib province.
My comment: There already had been reporting on this subject. I just show this article here, do not dare any more comment.
11.12.2016 – Fars News (A E K)
Commander Warns of Saudi-US Coalition's Plot to Control Yemen's Oil-Rich Regions
A senior commander of Yemeni popular committees warned that the Saudi-US coalition has hatched plots to take control of the oil-rich regions in the Western coasts of Yemen.
"The US seeks to take control of the countries' wealth and capacities under the pretext of fighting against terrorism and protecting the international maritime activities," Abdullah Hassan al-Qora told FNA on Sunday.
He said that intelligence authorities have gained information saying that the Saudi-US coalition is transferring the US and Israel-made warfare equipment and their mercenaries from other Yemeni provinces to the Western parts of the war-ravaged country.
"The Saudi-US coalition is seeking to increase military attacks against the Western coasts of Yemen in addition to sending fresh forces to those areas to disintegrate the country and take control of its oil and gas resources," al-Qora said.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950921000505
10.12.2016 – Shafaqna (* B K P)
Oppression in Arabia – Why Yemen’s Resistance movement is being denied
It is not political restoration the Wahhabi Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pursues in Yemen. It is not democracy Riyadh wants to promote! How can we even entertain the possibility that such an aggression on Yemen could ever be justified when millions stand in famine and in fire?
How can we fathom that the most brutal of all regimes, a regime which has victimised its own nationals in the name of religious absolutism, could ever think outside the tyranny of its greed, and abomination of its ideology: Wahhabism?
Resistance has risen in Yemen in reaction to injustice and opposition to tyranny.
Why is it that western nations continue to deny that they have claimed for themselves: the right to political determination, and territorial sovereignty?
The Houthis of Yemen did not engineer a rebellion, they spoke liberation to the people and the people came.
A nation which stood disunited in its tribal and political makeup found common ground in its desire to breathe free from the suffocation of al-Saud.
The Houthis were only ever the spark to Yemen’s Resistance Movement … Still few in the media dare admit that Yemen’s war in one of resistance against the oppression of a foreign invader.
Too few have also admitted that Yemen’s fight sits far beyond sovereignty, geopolitics and natural resources. Yemen’s war is a war for History, a war against Islam’s traditions, a war of obliteration … A war of negation so that the tradition of another house could be risen – By Catherine Shakdam
http://en.shafaqna.com/news/40566
14.10.2016 – American Herald Tribune (* A K P)
Wanton murder – Saudi Arabia’s genocidal campaign in Yemen reaches new height
While the world remains transfix on Aleppo, arguing political agendas as civilians are caught in the crossfire, Yemen has almost completely fallen off the map – the forgotten war of a forgotten people, whose land has been ravage by wanton brutality.
Yemen you see stands a moral and political stumbling block Western powers have been unable to rationalise to their audience – how does one go about justifying genocide? And so silence has been offered where outrage should have reigned.
Yemen’s war has been muffled out … censored even, so that none would witness what horrors Saudi Arabia has committed against an entire people in the name of hegemonic imperialism. If it is adjectives you are after I would advise to look at the litany of images rights activists have posted on social media, featuring famine-ravaged children, injured civilians, and exploded civil infrastructures.
And although you may argue that wars are by definition destructive, and bloody, I would defend that even wars have rules. Wars should never become a rationale for cold-blooded murder.
And yes Yemen stands in a region of the world so remote from Western shores you may imagine yourself safe from all repercussions … But are you? Safe that is? Are you truly safe when your own governments allow for dangerous weapons of war to be sold to murderous regimes for their coffers hide dizzying wealth? Can you, in all honesty warrant political support to those regimes which advocate death on communities on account of their differences?
Yemen stands still under a humanitarian blockade. In negation of every law under the Sun, Yemen has been condemned to a slow death so that the kingdom would claim victory.
Today this insane colonial campaign against Yemen could explode dramatically tensed geopolitical dynamics and turn one local conflict into a global military struggle. America’s attack on October 13, 2016 - however tactically limited it claimed to be – could lock competing powers into a deadly embrace. If Syria is anything to go by, Yemen is setting up to be the world’s next military flashpoint – by Catherine Shakdam
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
12.12.2016 – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (* A H)
Yemen: Governorate Dashboard by Hub (as of October 2016)
[Figures, infographics, for all governments]
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-governorate-dashboard-hub-october-2016-enar-0 = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Governorate%20Dashboards_Jan-Oct%202016%20FINAL%20EN%2012-12-2016.pdf
12.12.2016 – Reprieve (* AH)
Appeal launched to aid hunger-stricken civilians in Yemen
A charity appeal has been launched to help civilians facing hunger in war-torn Yemen.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which represents 13 UK aid charities, said the country was at "breaking point" following 20 months of conflict as it announced the fundraiser.
More than seven million people in the country did not know where their next meal would come from and many children are dying from malnutrition, the organisation said.
The British Red Cross, Oxfam, Save The Children and Christian Aid are among the charities supporting the Yemen Crisis Appeal, which will be launched on major broadcasters on Tuesday.
The DEC said member charities were already reaching "millions of people" with aid but said: "Much more needs to be done to help those in dire need."
Donations to the appeal can be made by calling 0370 60 60 900 or at www.dec.org.uk
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/drone-strike-victim-asks-obama-apology-ahead-federal-court-hearing/
and by ITV
12.12.2016 – ITV (* A H)
Yemen crisis appeal launched for families facing starvation after 20 months of war
The Disasters Emergency Committee have launched a crisis appeal to help people who are facing hunger in Yemen after 20 months of conflict.
More than seven million people in the war-torn country do not know where their next meal will come from and children are dying from malnutrition, the charity said.
Yemen is already one of the poorest countries in the world and war has brought it to "breaking point".
ITV News has been reporting on the "forgotten war" and found evidence of British bombsbeing used in the conflict and also witnessed babies ravaged by starvation.
Oxfam previously warned Yemen will run out of food within months and its people are "at risk of catastrophic hunger".
After 20 months of conflict, malnutrition in Yemen is on the increase, with more than 14 million people - half the country’s population - categorised as ‘food insecure’ according to the United Nations (photos)
12.12.2016 – British Red Cross (* A H)
Yemen: the human cost of conflict
In the midst of all this, most people are just trying to keep going.
Here are a few of their stories.
This little girl and her father are living in an underground cave they dug to replace their destroyed home.
Yemen was one of the poorest countries in the Middle East before the current conflict intensified in March 2015.
Now, approximately 8 million people have lost their livelihoods, meaning that poverty and hunger are getting much worse.
Nearly 70 per cent of Yemen’s people currently need humanitarian aid.
Even before the conflict, Yemen imported 90 per cent of its food.
Yemen’s rough terrain and damaged infrastructure make it difficult to reach people in remote areas.
Now, because of the conflict, a staggering 14 million people don’t have enough to eat. This is over half of the country’s population.
The Red Cross and our partners the Yemen Red Crescent Society have helped over 2 million people. Many of them have left their homes because of the fighting.
While the situation is extremely challenging, the Red Cross and Red Crescent are still able to help.
Around 12,000 Yemen Red Crescent volunteers are working across the country providing direct services on the ground, health care to first aid.
Since May, around 20,000 people, including 5,000 mothers and babies, have received free health care at a free Red Crescent health centre in the northwest of the country.
Tragically, all other health services in that area were forced to close by the conflict.
You can help us do more by supporting the Yemen Crisis Appeal.
Give to the Yemen Crisis Appeal.
Find out more about how the Red Cross is making a difference in Yemen.
Read about how the Red Cross is providing essential insulin to diabetics in Yemen. by Diana Shaw
http://blogs.redcross.org.uk/appeals/2016/12/yemen-human-cost-conflict/
Remark: Look at cp13c, Refugees, for Red cross photo report.
11.12.2016 –Comitato Nour (* A H)
Cholera in Yemen:
Comitato Nour from Italy is trying to help people in #Yemen through a local NGO.
Here is their message and details on how to help clicking on the picture:
''CHOLERA in Yemen. ..IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME TO GET TO THESE PEOPLE BEFORE DISEASE DO !!!
FOR ONLY $ 7 YOU CAN PROVIDE SAFE DRINKABLE WATER TO A FAMILY FOR ONE MONTH !!
cholera, a diarrheal disease that spreads to human through the ingestion of contaminated food and water is ravaging Yemen, especially remote parts of the country. Majority of people are often drinking from rivers or other natural water sources that are likely to be contaminated. That’s why Comitato Nour together with HND volunteers are going to distribute chlorine tablets in Sanaa rural province so that ordinary people themselves have the means to treat immediately cases of cholera that emerge. Every stripe we are providing contains 10 tablets 67 mg each. Every family usually consume three or four stripes a month. Each stripe costs $ 2.''
https://www.facebook.com/comitatonouramaecambiailmondo/photos/a.1033453676735806.1073741829.1032002280214279/1171325949615244/?type=3&theater = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1198543320198696
11.12.2016 – Washington Post (* B H)
An unexpected result of Yemen's war: More men are cooking and cleaning
Yemen has consistently ranked among the worst countries for women and girls, and the war has only made life harder. But in pockets of the Middle East's poorest country, an unexpected social recalibration appears to be underway, aid workers say.
As the war destroys jobs and countless men join the fight, a growing number of women are providing income for their families. Often, they are working in areas that had been considered the purview of men or culturally unacceptable for women in Yemen's ultraconservative tribal society. Some are now butchers, barbers and chicken sellers, interacting socially in ways their mothers and grandmothers could never have imagined.
In a region where women historically have had much less power than men, the changes have given many Yemeni women new influence in their families and community. But they have also had a negative effect.
"Women are becoming more empowered to make decisions for the household," said Wael Ibrahim, Yemen country director for the aid agency CARE. "But many women have also reported that conflicts in their homes have risen."
Since September 2015, violence against women and girls, including rapes and domestic assaults, have risen 70 percent, according to aid officials, and child marriages have spiked. The conflict has deprived more girls and women of access to education and health care, and their involvement in civic activities has all but ended.
"Perhaps the most concerning social consequence of the war has been its impact on the rights and situation of women," said Scott Paul, senior humanitarian policy adviser for the aid agency Oxfam America. "The assault on Yemen's economy has helped break down barriers to women's participation in the workforce. Unfortunately, women have effectively been shut out of the political process."
And yet, the conflict has reshaped their role within the family.
With Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and clashes eviscerating the economy, many families are trying to make money any way they can. Thousands of men have been killed or seriously injured in the war, leaving women with greater authority in their households – by Sudarsan Raghavan
My comment: That’s a part of “Women’s Lib” women certainly could renounce.
10.12.2016 – Dr. Karim / Fatik Al-Rodaini (AH)
THE RICH SWELL WITH PRIDE, THE POOR WITH HUNGER! .@monarelief distributing food in Al Hodeidah today. Thank you our donors from Kuwait (photos)
https://twitter.com/RSKarim1/status/807705685685309440
PAIN IS REAL BUT SO IS HOPE! .@monarelief distributing food in Hamasia Village, Bait-Al- Fakeh in Al-Hodeidah today, Thx Donors from Kuwait! (photos)
https://twitter.com/RSKarim1/status/807701426206081024
https://twitter.com/RSKarim1/status/807699576354443265
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/807702694945259520
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/807708158433128453
https://twitter.com/RSKarim1/status/807702141741764608
I have just arrived in Sanaa, after a 2-day of food distribution in Hodeidah. I have seen there ppl fighting each other to get food (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/808009908327223297
10.12.2016 – Deutsche Welle (A H)
Photos: Yemen: Girl recovers from malnutrition
In war-torn Yemen, 18-year-old Saida suffered from malnutrition for years. These photos document her slow recovery.
http://www.dw.com/en/yemen-girl-recovers-from-malnutrition/g-36703013
10.12.2016 – Living in Yemen on the edge (A H)
Sharing a message received. - Contact details clicking on the picture
''Please share to help people in #Taiz - 3Yemen
This is a queue for water - people who take water from a tanker paid by charity can take 5litres a day and this is for everything - washing, cleaning, laundry, cooking and of course drinking. It is the only way poor people can get water. Water is no longer pumped direct to homes but those with money can have a tanker deliver to their own individual water tank but it is very expensive indeed now.'' (photo)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1197317480321280
10.12.2016 – Living in Yemen on the edge (A H)
Try and figure out why our elderly are out, in the street, with nothing to wear which can keep them warm and nothing to eat.
Try and figure out why there is no clean water for them to drink.
Try and figure out why each single family in Yemen has suffered so much the whole country is in pain.
Try and figure out why some glorify this war against our country.
As much as we try, we figured out one thing: our pain, our blood, our casualties, our limbs lost, nights in despair trying to keep the children calm while they are bombing around you makes someone very rich.
It all comes down to big profits. Out of #Yemen (photo)
1.12.2016 – Doctors Without Borders (* A H)
YEMEN: THE SILENT VICTIMS OF WAR
Australian pediatrician Dr Nikola Morton is on her most recent mission with Médecins Sans Frontières in Yemen. “I arrived in Yemen for a six month mission in the Médecins Sans Frontières Mother and Child hospital as a field Pediatrician. This is my fourth mission with Médecins Sans Frontières, and yet I am still surprised and heart-broken by what I have seen already.
The war here in Yemen has largely been absent from the world’s media. The people here have been suffering silently, their society and in particular the medical system, crumbling around them. Here in Taiz, most of the health facilities have been forced to close, and it is the people that suffer unable to get the medical care they so desperately need. People have been forced to flee from their homes, many living in make-shift IDP camps or in crowded houses, making them vulnerable to disease such as malaria, leishmaniasis, tuberculosis and diarrheal illnesses. Seeing such suffering as a result of this ongoing conflict is heart-breaking.
One such person is Rawia*. Rawia is 8 years old and she has presented to our facility with inability to talk and paralysis of her arm and leg.
Sadly Rawia is not the only child to suffer from difficulty accessing health care. In the room down the corridor is baby Mohammad*. He is only 4 weeks old and has suffered a brain hemorrhage due to his blood not clotting properly. He was born at home as his mother was not able to get to a health facility for his birth. Had Mohammad been born in hospital, he would have received a simple vitamin K injection that would have prevented this bleeding. Or baby Omar*, who has been brought in with neonatal tetanus, his little body going into spasm at even the lightest touch, another consequence of an unhygienic delivery at home. It is these stories that confront me every day. Stories that seem to be deemed not worthy of a headline or even a back page story. But these stories matter, these lives matter.” – by Nikola Morton
http://www.msf.org.au/article/stories-patients-staff/yemen-silent-victims-war
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
12.12.2016 – Tehran Times ( A P)
Iran will continue supporting Yemen, official says
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a special aide to Majlis speaker for international affairs, said on Sunday that Iran will continue providing Yemen with “political” and “humanitarian” supports.
“Continuing fight against terrorism, ending Saudis’ aggression and humanitarian siege on Yemen and paying attention to Yemen’s economic situation are the most important current priorities,” he wrote in his Telegram channel.
He also said the Yemeni parliament’s vote of confidence to the National Salvation Government has completed the political procedure in the country.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/409039/Iran-will-continue-supporting-Yemen-official-says and film with translation: http://blogdogcicle.blogspot.de/2016/12/yemen-saudi-update-12112016ansarullah.html
11.12.2016 – Pars Today (A P)
Saudi Yemen aggression brings loss to Riyadh: Houthi
According to reports, in a televised speech on Sunday, Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi said the people of Yemen would stand firm despite Riyadh's "threats and sanctions."
Houthi made the remarks in an address to Yemenis on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
He described Saudi Arabia as a "bad neighbor" to Yemen, saying that the Riyadh regime was a "hypocritical system."
The Ansarullah leader also praised Yemeni people's solidarity and unity against Saudi war machine, while hailing the Yemeni army and allied fighters from Popular Committees for their fighting, with all power, against the invading enemy.
http://parstoday.com/en/news/middle_east-i38167-saudi_yemen_aggression_brings_loss_to_riyadh_houthi
12.12.2016 – Almasdar Online (A P)
Saleh complains of Houthis, appeals to Kuwait's mediation with KSA
The dispute between the Houthi group and the party of former president Saleh has floated on the surface after Saleh had launched a scathing attack on the Houthi armed group by saying they remove his party's cadres from the public positions.
In a meeting with his party's representatives in the so-called "salvation government", Saleh said: "the government is a burden and not a prize, and the appointments and rotations should be made under the law and the Constitution", in a reference to the replacements of his supporters by Houthi members in the state institutions under their control.
Saleh noted that the public service is guaranteed by the Constitution, and no one, except the law, has the right remove or replace a public servant.
"Through you, government GPC ministers, I would like to address the ministers from Ansar Allah that there is no need for plots or using others' mistakes," Saleh added. Saleh also requested the State of Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council to intervene and play a role in healing the rift with Saudi Arabia.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/87078
My comment: This is from a pro-Hadi, pro Saudi media. Wait and see.
11.12.2016 – Southern Hirak (* A P)
Film: Unity enforcer: Former pres. #Saleh from North #Yemen confirming what southerners been saying about this war, it's a war against #SouthYemen
Video Clips recent spiel: Saleh sharing inner thoughts on South Yemen
Saleh uses same hateful religious rhetoric against separatists in South Yemen as he did in war of 1994... "Kill them, take their wealth to cleanse their sins". Same rhetoric Alqaeda uses against South
https://twitter.com/SouthHirak/status/808044101002260480
12.12.2016 – Saba Net (A P)
PM sends condolences to victims' families of Aden terrorist attack
Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtour sent a telegram of condolences to families of the soldiers, who had been killed on Saturday in the terrorist suicide attack that targeted their gathering at Sawlaban military camp in Aden province.
In the telegram, the prime minister expressed his sadness and showed a great sympathy for the families of the victims, holding Saudi-paid mercenary authorities there full responsible for the terrorist and cowardly attack that resulted by insecurity they created in the province.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news449352.htm
Remarks: Look at cp14 for this Daesh attack. That’s the (northern) prime minister from Sanaa.
12.12.2016 – Al Araby (A P)
Thousands of Yemenis attend Mawlid celebrations in Sanaa
Thousands of people gathered in the Yemeni capital Sanaa’s al-Sabaeen square to commemorate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad at an event organised by Houthi authorities who control the city.
Some local media outlets claimed that as many as 100,000 people participated in commemorations.
Proceedings included a televised speech by Abdul Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi group.
Al-Houthi criticised Saudi Arabia’s intervention in the country with film)
11.12.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Millions of Yemenis Celebrating now the Prophet birthday in Sanaa and all over Yemen despite 2-year long of US-backed Saudi war crimes (photos)
In highly organized & secured huge rally to celebrate Prophet birthday, Yemenis show 2day determination to defeat US-backed Saudi aggression (photos9
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807943320328687618
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807943574675423232
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807944461410070529
https://www.facebook.com/Classy.Yemeni/posts/955547614575420
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/808014450565545984
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/808014420408434688
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/808014351428886528
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/808014301835526145
https://www.facebook.com/Classy.Yemeni/posts/955564417907073
My comment: Celebrating the birthday of Mohammed the prophet by this way also is a clear demonstration against Wahabism. Wahabism rejects celebrating Mohammed’s birthday as it thinks to be “unislamic” as it would mean the celebration of a human – even if it’s Mohammed himself. Look here: http://www.arabnews.com/islam-perspective/news/683771 and Catherine Shkadam writing on behalf of this, very pathetic for my opinion: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cognitive-dissonance-in-the-kingdom-the-prophet-muhammads_us_584ea6d9e4b0016e504305da?
Comment by Hussam Al-Sanabani: Wahhabism believe that celebrating Prrophet Mohammed (PBUH) birthday is heresy but air raids on #Yemen are desirable!
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/808384947023179776
11.12.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Yemen prime minister Bin Hebtoor: We are in contacts with world,&elections will be held during 2017. Salaries will be paid (photo)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807961678948220928
11.12.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Yemen top Houthi leader calls the free world to recognize the government after parliament gave it confidence (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807949093054070784
11.12.2016 – Muscat Daily (A H P)
26 sailors stuck at Yemeni port for three months
Twenty-six sailors are stuck for the past three months aboard a vessel at the Port in Hodeidah in Yemen over a commercial dispute between cargo receiver and the supplier.
The crew is awaiting a verdict from the court for their release.
The 26 sailors include nine Sri Lankans, nine Indians, a Pakistani, an Ukrainian national and a Georgian who are currently aboard the Greek vessel Fair Appollon docked at the Port of Hodeidah.
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Oman is trying to secure the release of its nationals.
http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/26-sailors-stuck-at-Yemeni-port-for-three-months-4w0d
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp14
12.12.2016 – Xinhua (A T)
Yemeni security forces dismantle car bomb in Aden
Yemeni police forces on Monday defused an explosives-laden car that was found parked in a residential neighborhood in Aden province, two days after a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group killed 50 soldiers.
Residents of the neighborhood of Mu'alla reported to security agencies in Aden that they found a booby-trapped car, a senior official with the local government told Xinhua.
Police bomb disposal technicians arrived at the scene and defused the explosives after moving the booby-trapped vehicle to a safe place, spokesman for Aden's Police Command Abdul-Rahman Naqeeb told Xinhua.
Army forces cordoned off the area, and special anti-terror soldiers are still searching for suspected elements, the spokesman added.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-12/12/c_135899624.htm
11.12.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (A H P)
The blockade is strangling the country.
People of Socotra have taken to the streets to remind the world that they are cut off from everything.
Flights to the island are few and extremely expensive, goods reach the island once in a blue moon and the island floats on its own, forgotten by everyone (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1198163296903365
11.12.2016 – Gulf News (A P)
Hadi vows to purge Yemen of terrorists
Victims’ families to receive financial compensation after blast targeted army recruits
Yemen’s president has ordered setting up a committee to investigate a deadly attack in the port city of Aden that killed dozens of young recruits on Saturday, the state-run Saba news agency reported.
Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi asked his government on Saturday to form a committee of senior security officials to investigate security lapses that led to the attack and pay a million Yemeni riyals (Dh14,685) to the families of the perished men and another half million to the injured.
In the statement, Hadi vowed to uproot “criminal elements and their supporters” from Aden and other liberated provinces and instructed the security apparatus to be on a high alert to thwart any possible attack.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/hadi-vows-to-purge-yemen-of-terrorists-1.1943579 = http://nationalyemen.com/2016/12/11/hadi-vows-to-purge-yemen-of-terrorists/
My comment: Hadi the loudmouth. Within 1 ½ years, his “government” did not succeed in keeping Daesh and Al Qaida out of his “capital city” Aden. – And the first part of the compensation for the families of the victims you can see when looking at the photo of the victims’ honorable funeral:
11.12.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (* A P T)
This is How Saudi occupation authorities Bury their mercenaries after ISIS suicide bomber killed about 100 of them NAden south Yemen Sat (photo)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807819711853559808
My comment: On the terror attack killing these soldiers look at cp14. – This photo, once again, shows the Saudi contempt of human beings.
11.12.2016 – Nasser Arrabyee (A T)
Security chief Colonel Salem Melkat was killed along with 3guards by Qaeda/ISIS in Aden south Yemen,1 day after 100 killed by suicide bomber (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807924304583266304
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
11.12.2016 – Sputnik News (* A P)
'Hopefully Russia Will Solve Conflict in Yemen' – General
Russia adds greatly to ensuring security in Syria and the hope is that Moscow will also help resolve the Yemen deadlock, Brig. Gen.Yahya Mohamed Abdullah Saleh, head of Yemen's public organization Alliance for Progress and Development, told Sputnik.#
"Saudi Arabia is known to be a country that does not have a rich history. Hence the inferiority complex which prompts Riyadh to take revenge on countries with a rich cultural heritage," Saleh said.
"The statistics of international communities only take into account those who were killed due to the bombing. However, scores of people also die from the lack of food and medicine which has resulted from the siege, Saleh said, adding that epidemics have also added to the civilian death toll in Yemen.
In this regard, he voiced confidence that Russia will contribute to breaking the Yemen gridlock.
"Russia plays an important role in resolving the problems in the Middle East, including in Syria. The hope is that Russia will also help solve the conflict in Yemen," he said.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612111048429456-russia-saudi-arabia-yemen-genocide/
My comment: Russia, as it is no warring party in the Yemen war, evidently could do better than the US (see below).
10.12.2016 – International Political Digest (* B P)
Diplomacy Can Still Save Yemen
Because of its logistical support to the coalition, the U.S. government is also accused of aiding and abetting war crimes. Yet it is not too late to act. Working with the international community, the U.S. has the capacity to end the crisis or, at least should feel obligated to try.
The U.S. should use its influence to build a diplomatic initiative that is audacious, inclusive and comprehensive. This should start by taking the lead of a Contact Group on Yemen under the UN framework. The Group includes Iran, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the EU, and Russia.
The goal is to facilitate dialogue between the deposed Yemeni government and the Houthi forces linked to ex-President Saleh. The initial focus would be on humanitarian relief followed by an independent inquiry into alleged human rights violations and, eventually, recommendations for political settlement and peacebuilding measures.
Because the U.S. has multiple leverage points to bring parties to the table, it can succeed where the UN Special Envoy has failed.
In Yemen, the legitimacy of the Hadi government rests largely on U.S. political and diplomatic support. Finally, the U.S. government can make its military support conditional on Saudi Arabia’s decision to unilaterally end airstrikes. In turn, the Saudis will exert pressure on Hadi, while the Iranians put pressure on Saleh.
Acting through the UN creates a level-playing field. It reduces the U.S. identification with the coalition and bolsters its credibility as a mediator. It means all parties are held to the same standards of accountability. The balanced composition of the group also reassures both sides that their position will be taken into consideration.
A strong diplomatic initiative also advances regional dialogue.
We’re reaching the point of no return. If our efforts remain timid, the situation will get worse. But it can improve if the U.S. supports an immediate unilateral ceasefire followed by the constitution of a UN Contact Group on Yemen. A strong U.S.-led diplomatic initiative offers a way out of the conflict that is humane, based on law, and is sustainable – by Lela Rais
https://intpolicydigest.org/2016/12/10/diplomacy-can-still-save-yemen/
My comment: Some good ideas for a way to peace. But why always the US should play the role of peace broker? The US simply cannot do this in the Yemen conflict as long as they are a warring party. And the US simply IS in Yemen. Nearly any other state could fit better to this role, whether Russia or China. I would prefer a group of several states – let’s take Oman, Algeria, Uruguay and Switzerland, with an UN mandate.
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
12.12.2016 – The Guardian (Letters to) (* B P)
Britain pandering to Saudi confrontation
In Syria Hezbollah and some Iranian “military advisers”, not numerous, have been backing the Syrian government, which may be bad but is hardly aggression. In Yemen there have been many reports of Iranian arms smuggled to the Houthi rebels, some of them quite convincing, and there may be more intelligence, but not to be compared to Saudi actions including reported war crimes using British material. In Iraq, Iran is taking part in action against Isis in Mosul alongside the Iraqi government and the US-led coalition – by Oliver Miles
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Siehe / Look at cp1
11.12.2016 – Bloomberg (* B E P)
Saudi Reformers Risk Running Into Turbulence in Conservative Countryside
Plans for the post-oil economy play well in Riyadh. In rural Qassim province, inertia is an obstacle to change.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his handpicked team have outlined a vision of the Saudi Arabia they intend to create by 2030—a more innovative and diverse economy, no longer dependent on fossil fuels, in a society that’s perhaps less constrained by tradition.
But the capital isn’t the country. That’s been a global theme in 2016, a year that exposed the gulf between the metropolitan centers where policy is shaped, and their hinterlands. It applies in Saudi Arabia, too. For all the futuristic talk, the kingdom’s industrialization is patchy and at a relatively early stage; oil still pays for everything; and an austere version of Islam grips hard.
In cosmopolitan Jeddah, business leaders might approve of the goals of Vision 2030 yet still wonder aloud whether they’ll be met. In the heartland province of Qassim, students discussed how much change they’d be comfortable with; not too much, was the consensus, and certainly nothing that departs from Islamic values—including too much mixing of the sexes. In the southern border town of Najran, the future envisioned by Prince Mohammed feels far away, while his war in neighboring Yemen is a daily reality.
Saudi modernizers are in a hurry, but it’s not clear how much their plans resonate with the public. That’s a political risk for Prince Mohammed, who’s embarked on his attempt to transform Saudi Arabia at a time of turbulence across the Middle East.
The prince and his allies “need to convince a critical mass of conservatives, and particularly the religious establishment, of the wisdom of the modernization program,” said Paul Pillar, a professor at Georgetown University. That might involve letting the clerics exert their authority over “segments of life such as education and social mores, while the regime concentrates on economic reform.”
If such a deal can’t be struck and conservatives push back, “the young prince will face the added hazard of such resistance possibly merging with opposition within the royal family to his own rapid rise to power,” Pillar said – by Glen Carey
11.12.2016 – RT (* B P)
Cairo & Riyadh standoff – political displacement and the new axis of resistance
Just when you thought the MENA region could not churn out any more crises... This time two giants are locking horns over conflicting geopolitical ambitions, or rather, Saudi Arabia might have overstepped one boundary too many against Egypt.
With so many eyes locked in on Aleppo, much of Cairo and Riyadh’s belligerent political foreplay has gone largely unnoticed, labelled by most as unimportant in comparison to the Syrian furore.
Egypt’s growing ire towards the kingdom could lead to a tectonic political shift of such magnitude that it could spell the end of all Persian Gulf monarchies. And just like that, the ghost of President Gamal Abdel Nasser is coming back to haunt Riyadh's golden palaces.
Call it poetic justice if you like, but there is a certain irony to Saudi Arabia’s mounting arrogance, since every move it has played towards expanding its gravitas in the region has in fact diminished its relevance... and bled its coffers dry.
Yes, undeniably, the kingdom is still wealthy, but like any other nation, its core power lies in its ability to coerce others to its will. And, if Riyadh has played its chequebook like a violin, the war in Yemen and mounting dissent within the ranks of its political and military coalition have taken much wind out of Saudi Arabia’s political sails.
As it turns out, the Saudi lobby might have overestimated its traction.
It all began in April 2016, when Egypt was still keen to assuage Riyadh’s concerns over its political choices in exchange for a healthy injection of cash into its stressed economy. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s infatuation with King Salman would be short lived though, being far more motivated by money than ideology.
Saudi Arabia’s core power is tied to its wealth, not its ability to inspire nations.
But back to Egypt – by Catherine Shakdam
https://www.rt.com/op-edge/369928-egypt-saudi-arabia-tiran-sanafir
11.12.2016 – Hussam Al-Sanabani (A K PH)
Saudi era of welfare comes to end. Closing king Khaled obesity center 2 save expenditure, money to buy more arms. #Yemen is Saudi nightmare
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/808014645101559808 referring to https://twitter.com/NajranToday/status/808010204055040000
11.12.2016 – Hussam Al-Sanabani (A K PH)
44 out of 45 Saudi 4th grade students in Najran primery school were plough in religion subject. Wahhabi fundamentalist ugly teacher sample.
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/808022742364721152
11.12.2016 – Younus AlGohar (* B P)
The Wahhabi Mind-Set
Followers of the Wahhabi doctrine have a very specific, narrow worldview. In this excerpt from Younus AlGohar’s speech, he reveals some key points about their beliefs.
The goal set by the Saudi regime is neither in the favour of Islam nor in the favour of the international community. The Saudi family is under the impression that the amendments made by their so-called reformer, Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Najadi, is ‘the reformed Islam.’ The Saudi family firmly believes that Islam which had been practised for 1100 years (before the alterations made by Najadi) was wrong. Allegedly speaking, Naajdi, whom they consider to be their topmost revivalist, has renewed Islam in its purest form.
They understand that among Muslims, only those who follow their interpretation of the religion and their interpretation of the Quran are true Muslims. Those who do not follow their sectarian doctrine may however be Muslims from different sects, but they do not consider them to be ‘pure Muslims’. Those who believe and understand Muhammad Abdul Wahhab Najadi to be their revivalist call this doctrine to be ‘Madhab Wahhabiya.’
Wahhabis do not think they are promoting their sect; rather, they believe they are promoting the actual, factual and purest form of Islam which was been reformed, revived and cleansed (God forbid) by their revivalist, Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Najadi. Therefore, anybody who does not conform to their ideology is not a pure Muslim. According to them, since that person is not a pure Muslim, that person should be killed, their property should be forfeited and their women may be raped and then killed by Wahhabis – and this is their right given to them by their religion.
A MESSAGE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Today in the western sphere of the world, we have so many friends of Saudi Arabia who are aware of what Saudi Arabia is all about. Still, they have their own vested interests; their friendship is purely based on their political and imperialistic interests.
But I want to tell you: Wahhabis have modified the interpretations of some of the recollections of the Prophet Mohammad according to their own agenda; they have developed a thought-process and mind-set [based upon these misinterpretations]. They think, sooner or later, a total Renaissance of Islam will occur and Islam will be the only religion, like a superpower.
Wahhabism is Actually a Cult of Hatred and Death
This is the definition of cult in context of a religious group. There are three main points about a cult: every cult is exclusive, authoritarian and secretive.
Exclusiveness: all members have the same belief and they all think, ‘We are not just the best, we’re the only ones who follow the truth. Everybody else is wrong.’ A prime example of a group that holds such beliefs is Wahhabis. Wahhabis have introduced a more severe form of a cult.
The Wahhabi cult is a cult of death and hatred. They think that they are the only ones who know the truth and follow the truth, and that everybody else is not just wrong – they are infidels.
They think, ‘Those who are not part of our group do not have the right to live. They must be killed, their women must be taken captive and made into sex slaves, and their properties must be forfeited.’ This is what Wahhabism is – by Younus AlGohar
http://www.younusalgohar.org/stand-against-wahhabism/the-wahhabi-mind-set/
8.12.2016 – Shafaqna (* A P)
#FREETHE3 – Activists call for public to petition officials against Saudi regime
Right activists have launched a new campaign on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s imprisoned youth, calling on the public to take action by reaching their respective state representatives.
#FREETHE3 campaign was launched to speak on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s forgotten oppressed communities.
The most violent and repressive monarchy in existence Saudi Arabia has committed harrowing human rights violations against its own people in the name of religious puritanism.
In a land where all must bow to Al Saud monarchy, speaking truth is a deadly offence.
Find below the template letter that has circulated on social media:
http://en.shafaqna.com/news/40447
1.12.2016 – New York Times (* A)
Cyberattacks Strike Saudi Arabia, Harming Aviation Agency
Saudi Arabia’s aviation agency was attacked last month by an aggressive computer virus intended to disrupt high-profile government targets, officials and experts said on Thursday.
The attack, which experts say emanated from outside the country, used a version of Shamoon, malware used to target the Saudi energy sector four years ago. Similar kinds of data-clearing software were used in 2014 against the Las Vegas Sands and Sony.
The Saudi government confirmed the latest breaches on Thursday, after several cybersecurity firms noted them. Bloomberg News reported that thousands of computers were damaged at the headquarters of the General Authority of Civil Aviation starting in mid-November, “erasing critical data and bringing operations there to a halt for several days,” although operations at Saudi airports did not appear to be affected.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency, citing a government statement, reported on Thursday that the national cybersecurity department had detected what officials called a systemic attack on crucial government agencies, including in the transportation sector. The attacks were aimed at halting operations, stealing data and planting viruses, the news agency reported.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-shamoon-attack.html
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1
12.12.2016 – Reprieve (* A P)
Drone strike victim asks Obama for apology ahead of federal court hearing
A Yemeni civilian who lost two innocent relatives to a 2012 covert drone strike has written to President Obama to ask for an apology – in return for which he will drop a court case, due to be heard in Washington DC tomorrow.
Faisal bin ali Jaber lost his brother in law – a preacher who campaigned against Al Qaeda – and his nephew, a local policeman, in an August 29, 2012 strike on the village of Kashamir in Yemen.
Mr Jaber – an environmental engineer – will tomorrow (Tuesday) travel to Washington DC to attend what will be the first ever US appellate court hearing in a case brought by a civilian victim of the covert drone program.
However, Mr Jaber has written to the President to inform him that he will “happily drop the case in exchange for an apology,” and acknowledgment that his brother in law Salem and nephew Waleed “were innocents, not terrorists.”
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/drone-strike-victim-asks-obama-apology-ahead-federal-court-hearing/
11.12.2016 – Common Dreams (* A P)
Hillary Clinton, the Podesta Group and the Saudi Regime: A Fatal Ménage à Trois
If I told you that Democratic Party lobbyist Tony Podesta, whose brother John Podesta chairs Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, is a registered foreign agent on the Saudi government’s payroll, you’d probably think I was a Trump-thumping, conspiratorial nutcase. But it’s true.
The lobby firm created by both Tony and John Podesta in 1988 receives $140,000 a month from the Saudi government, a government that beheads nonviolent dissidents, uses torture to extract forced confessions, doesn’t allow women to drive, and bombs schools, hospitals and residential neighborhoods in neighboring Yemen.
John and Tony Podesta have been heavyweights in DC insider politics for decades.
The brothers seem to have no problem mixing their roles into the same pot.
The Saudis hired the Podesta Group in 2015 because it was getting hammered in the press over civilian casualties from its airstrikes in Yemen and its crackdown on political dissidents at home.
The Podesta-Clinton-Saudi connection should be seen in light of the recent media exposes revealing the taudry pay-to-play nature of the Clinton Foundation. Top on the list of foreign donors to the foundation is Saudi Arabia, which contributed between $10 million and $25 million.
What did the Saudis get for their largesse and access?
Instead of sanctioning the Saudis, Clinton did the opposite: She authorized enormous quantities of weapons to be sold to them.
The Clintons have said that if Hillary Clinton gets elected, the foundation will stop taking foreign donations. But what about no longer taking campaign contributions from people who are paid by the Saudi government to whitewash its image? – by Medea Benjamin
10.12.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (* A P)
U.S. Says Saudi Arabia Shoved into Yemen War to Defend its Territories
U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner has lauded Saudi-U.S. relations on military sales.
“On December 7th the Administration did formally notify Congress on the sale of helicopters to Saudi Arabia at a value of 3.5 billion dollars,” Toner said on Friday in response to a question on the latest weapons deal between Washington and Riyadh.
“We have a strong military sales relationship with Saudi Arabia,” he told a press briefing in Washington.
Asked by a reporter about the criticism of a human rights organization that the deal is aimed at backing Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, Toner denied it, saying “these helicopters I don’t think are anticipated to be delivered for some two to three years.”
He added that the helicopters operate in case of a natural disaster and for assistance.
Toner said he believed that Saudi Arabia is committed to some of the restrictions that the U.S. puts in weapons deals struck with other countries.
On the Yemeni crisis, the spokesperson said: “Saudi Arabia did not choose this fight. This is a result of spillover from the war in Yemen.”
“They have taken steps to defend Saudi territory,” he added – by Khater al-Khater
My comment: LOL.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
Siehe / Look at cp1
12.12.2016 – The Independent (A P)
Boris Johnson's attack on Saudi Arabia risks making UK no better than Russia, says Labour MP
The UK's close ties with Saudi Arabia means the Foreign Secretary's comments are a threat to the UK's reputation, Yemeni-born Keith Vaz said
Mr Vaz said: "Until now our foreign policy objectives in Yemen have been crystal clear - pursuing a cessation of hostilities and backing a UN-mandated intervention.
"Last week the Foreign Secretary was absolutely right to speak of his profound concern for the Yemeni people and correct to say that this conflict cannot be solved by force alone.
"However, his words also revealed an inconsistency in our foreign policy which if not addressed immediately threatens to wreck everything we're trying to accomplish.
"Please confirm that we would never be involved in any puppeteering or proxy wars anywhere in the world, including in Yemen." – by Tom Peck
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnsons-attack-on-saudi-arabia-risks-making-uk-no-better-than-russia-says-labour-mp-a7470736.html and by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/12/saudi-arabia-row-boris-johnson-yemen-conflict
My comment: Vaz seems to care just for Boris Johnson and the consistance of British foreign policy - he does not care for Yemen. - And: Mr. Ellwood’s reply is rather stupid: Russian bombs are bad bombs, our allies’ bombs are good bombs.
Comment by Judith Brown, related to Guardian article: This article is quite ridiculous. Firstly we weren't a broker at all. Secondly honest brokers are apart from the conflict and not part of it. And if this statement was so important to keep from Saudi ears why did the media keep reporting it?
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155004378733641
12.12.2016 – Paul Tyson (A P)
UK govt. line on #yemen takes another turn for the absurd as Defence Secretary Michael Fallon claims Houthis are "supported by Al Qaeda"
https://twitter.com/Tyson585/status/808279900314566656
Fallon told @bbcnickrobinson #saudi coalition is: "dealing with the Houthi Rebels who, by the way, are supported by Al Qaeda..."
https://twitter.com/Tyson585/status/808281011419234304
"...a very direct threat to this country so we have an interest in seeing...the Houthis defeated" UK Defence Secretary Fallon
https://twitter.com/Tyson585/status/808281629894594560
Called @defencehq to ask about Fallon's claim that Houthi rebels in #Yemen are supported by Al Qaeda..."we'll get back to you"
https://twitter.com/Tyson585/status/808287601321013248
Right, @DefenceHQ have got back to me on Defence Secretary Fallon's claim that Houthis in #Yemen are "supported by Al Qaeda". They say...
https://twitter.com/Tyson585/status/808375973511041026
..."nothing further to add...you've seen the Defence Secretary's words." So UK Gov position on #Yemen is Houthis are "supported by Al Qaeda"
https://twitter.com/Tyson585/status/808376464391491585
My comment: Tyson is right: This is absurd. This statement shows that someone like Fallon does not have the slightest idea of Yemen and is just relying on his own propaganda blinkers. – Absurd also is the idea British security in any way would be influenced by who is ruling in Yemen (as in Uruguay, Kirgistan, Madagaskar or wherever). – Fallon shows what Britian really is in Yemen: a warring party. For which reason ever. - Fallon by this is the perfect representative of the "post-truth" period coming now. What do I care for the facts, in case the opposite better fits to my own goals - in this case: selling more weapons to saudi-Arabia - I take the opposite. Thus: Fallon's news = "Faked news".
Comment by Jamila Hanan: Wow,clearly hasn't got a clue about what he is talking about. But let's just keep on supporting Saudi bombing campaign of #Yemen, whatever.
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/808344308797554688
Comment by Judith Brown: This man is the defence secretary for goodness sake and surely it's his job to know what is happening. But he thinks Al Qaeda are allies of the Houthis rather than their sworn enemies. I can hardly believe it. Either he is ignorant or he is trying to stoke up mischief in the minds of the uninformed British people
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155004491163641
and
12.12.2016 – The Guardian (Letters to) (* B P)
I have just watched Michael Fallon defend British support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen by saying that country has a right to try and restore the official government in that country and defeat the Houthi rebels who are “allied to al-Qaida”. Could anyone explain how this is any different from Russian actions in Syria, which attempt to restore the official government and defeat the Islamist rebels. In both cases civilians are being slaughtered and war crimes committed. Is anyone else fed up with these double standards? – by Jane Ghosh
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/11/saudi-arms-money-is-running-out
12.12.2016 – Press TV Iran (* A P)
‘UK working on new agenda of imperialism in Mideast’
Kaveh Afrasiabi, an author and political scientist from Boston, believes that the British government is trying to reinvigorate its imperial system in the Middle East by resorting to arms sales and a divide and rule policy.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is pursuing the “British new imperial policy in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf in particular acting as a ... saleswoman of arms for the British arms industry.”
He noted that Britain is resorting to the divide and rule policy through the assistance of regional authoritarian regimes like the Al Khalifah rulers in Bahrain, adding that “the British are selling millions of dollars [worth] of tear gas, water canisters, et cetera, to the Bahraini government [to be used] against peaceful protesters.”
The British government “has been selling billions of dollars [worth] of arms to nepotistic despots in the Persian Gulf region without an iota of concern about human rights,” he added.
Afrasiabi further said, “The British Foreign Office said that the Saudi bombings in Yemen are not a violation of humanitarian international law, which flies in the face of all the reports by the UN and human rights organizations.”
The British government is advocating regimes which are “funneling arms and finance to these extremist terrorists” that are “wreaking havoc and even undermining the security of Europe itself,” Afrasiabi stated (with interview in film)
http://presstv.com/Detail/2016/12/12/497531/UK-Iran-Saudi-Arabia-Persian-Gulf-Afrasiabi
11.12.2016 – Sky News (* A P)
Film: Saudi Arabia: Johnson's words on Yemen 'misconstrued'
Boris Johnson's words on Saudi Arabia's involvement in the Middle East and, especially Yemen, were misconstrued, according to Saudi Arabia's foreign affairs minister.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/saudi-arabia-johnsons-words-on-yemen-misconstrued/vp-AAlqrDG
My comment: Disappointing. A minister stripping down himself and finally the master sitting beside to him doing the rest of it. Look at this photo: https://twitter.com/JosephJo1221/status/808254060679884800
11.12.2016 – The Independent (* A P)
Boris Johnson stresses 'friendship' with Saudi Arabia after being slapped down by Downing Street over criticism
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has stressed Britain's close ties with Saudi Arabia, days after he was rebuked by Downing Street for accusing the kingdom of being behind "proxy wars".
"I'm here to emphasise the friendship that exists between the UK and Saudi Arabia, and that is something that is developing and expanding," Mr Johnson said at a joint news conference in Riyadh with Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir.
"And it's also fair to say that we believe in candour in our relationship," he added. "Now is the time for us to talk about the positive things that we are doing together."
Mr Jubeir said Riyadh was "absolutely not" getting mixed messages from Britain.
"We don't have any doubt in where Britain stands and Britain has no doubt where we stand," he added.
He said Mr Johnson's comments had been misconstrued, and Britain and Saudi Arabia had enjoyed a long strategic relationship extending over 100 years.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon also attempted to play down No 10's rebuke on Sunday morning – by Samuel Osborne
11.12.2016 – The Guardian (* A P)
Boris Johnson urged to promote human rights after Saudi Arabia gaffe
Foreign secretary, who accused UK ally of regional ‘puppeteering’ before highlighting ‘friendship’, told not to go easy for fear of causing offence
Boris Johnson is facing calls from fellow Conservatives not to brush aside human rights concerns after he used a visit to Saudi Arabia to stress the country’s links with the UK, with both countries playing down his criticism of Riyadh’s regional “puppeteering”.
The British foreign secretary used a joint press conference with his Saudi counterpart to express only generalised “deep concern” for the humanitarian situation in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been accused of widespread rights abuses.
Speaking three days after footage emerged of Johnson accusing Saudi Arabia of “twisting” Islam and using proxies to fight its battles in the Middle East, the foreign secretary said he wanted to “emphasise the friendship” between the countries.
However, one influential voice for moderate Conservatives has urged the Foreign Office not to back away on important human rights issues for fear of offending allies, such as Saudi Arabia.
The Bright Blue thinktank, which counts about 130 Tory MPs and peers among its supporters, has set up a commission to examine how human rights can better influence government policy.
At the press conference with Jubeir, Johnson said: “I should just stress as far as a Yemen is concerned, Britain supports the Saudi-led campaign to restore the legitimate government and we have continued our dialogue on the conduct of this operation, a detailed dialogue.
“Of course, we continue, like everybody in this room and around the world, to have a deep concern for the suffering of the people of Yemen.” – by Peter walker and Patrick Wintour
And you get more reasons for Johnson’s going to the knees here:
11.12.2016 – City A.M. (* A E P)
Johnson keen to emphasise UK's close ties with Saudi Arabia after critical comments on Yemen
"I'm here to emphasise the friendship that exists between the UK and Saudi Arabia, and that is something that is developing and expanding," Johnson said
In a joint news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, he said that he had deep concern for Yemeni suffering but recognised Riyadh faced a grave threat from that country's conflict, in which the kingdom is leading a coalition of Arab forces against an Iranian-allied Yemeni group.
He added: "And it's also fair to say that we believe in candour in our relationship. Now is the time for us to talk about the positive things that we are doing together."
Saudi Arabia is set to utilise the experience of leading City firms in their $2 trillion national economic transformation programme following a high level meeting in Riyadh at the end of November.
Saudi Arabia is set to utilise the experience of leading City firms in their $2 trillion national economic transformation programme following a high level meeting in Riyadh at the end of November.
Nearly 60 Saudi and British delegates participated in the Saudi British Joint Business Councils Infrastructure Planning and Financing meeting in Riyadh on 28 November.
Representatives from DLA Piper, Adam Smith International, Atkins Acuity and Carillion Saudi Arabia made well-received presentations on regulatory frameworks and relevant case studies. Panellists from HSBC, PwC and Pinsent Masons joined a wider discussion on project finance.
There was considerable interest in UK experience of PPP as Saudi Arabia embarks on Vision 2030 implementation. A number of follow-up actions were agreed and endorsed by SBJBC’s biannual meeting on 30 November – by Tracey Boles
http://www.cityam.com/255403/johnson-keen-emphasise-uks-close-ties-saudi-arabia-after
11.12.2016 – The Independent (* A P)
Theresa May accuses Iran of 'aggressive action' in the Middle East
Theresa May is to accuse Iran of "aggressive regional actions" in the Middle East, including stirring trouble in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.
The Prime Minister will say she is "clear-eyed" about the threat posed by the country and will pledge to work with Gulf States to counteract its influence.
In her speech at the Gulf Co-Operation Council, she was to say: "As we address new threats to our security, so we must also continue to confront state actors whose influence fuels instability in the region.
"So I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East; and the UK is fully committed to our strategic partnership with the Gulf and working with you to counter that threat."
The Conservative leader will accuse Iran of undermining stability in Lebanon and Iraq and will highlight how Iran has sent fighters to Syria to help prop up the Assad regime and provided support to the Houthis in Sanaa amid the conflict in Yemen.
My comment: Therese May simply playing the role of a Saudi mouthpiece, just spreading the worst of Saudi propaganda.
11.12.2016 – AFP (* A P)
Iran summons UK envoy over May’s pro-GCC remarks
Iran summoned the British ambassador on Saturday to protest against “interference” by prime minister Theresa May after she told GCC leaders she would help counter the country’s influence in the region.
Nicholas Hopton was told by a senior Iranian diplomat that “irresponsible, provocative and divisive comments by Theresa May at the [Gulf] summit are unacceptable and we reject them”, foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said, quoted by state television’s website.
“It is expected that such unacceptable remarks will not be made again.”
Addressing the GCC Summit in Bahrain, Ms May on Wednesday reaffirmed British support for traditional allies in the region and said her country would help “push back against Iran’s aggressive regional actions.”
My comment: Nobody should be astonished about that. May clearly sided in an inner-Islamic sectarian conflict. The GCC summit final document, definitely condemned Shiism – what the hell a British Prime Minister actively can take part in such actions???
10.12.2016 – The Independent (* A P)
Boris Johnson was right to criticise Saudi Arabia – but they’re not the only ones to blame
The Foreign Secretary was even-handed in apportioning blame for a series of sectarian conflicts in the Middle East, also pointing out that Iran, the great Shia rival of the Sunni Saudis, was playing its part in orchestrating strife
Many will find the failure to criticise the Saudis for their proxy-wars and human rights abuse for the sake of the arms trade distasteful.
Downing Street’s public slapping down of Johnson is partly, at least, to do with inner tensions in the Tory party. The British public, on the other hand, supports the stance of the Foreign Secretary on telling some home truths publicly to the Saudis. Indeed, they would surely welcome more ministers in the government having the courage to speak out on this matter – by Kim Sengupta
10.12.2016 – The Independent (** A P)
Theresa May is wading into a dangerous sectarian conflict in the Middle East – and she’s backing the losing side
This is a regional war but its outcome will affect an area from Pakistan to Nigeria, and it is a sectarian conflict which impacts on all the 1.6 billion Muslims in the world
The British Government’s fawning on the absolute monarchs of the Gulf, whose authority is enforced by beheadings, lashings and the torture chamber, is at once contemptible and pathetic. It is a measure of Britain’s decline as a great power that it is only in tiny, toxic, sectarian Bahrain, where Sunni rulers suppress the Shia majority, that Theresa May can expect a regal reception.
May added her own few drops of venom to the raging sectarian warfare between Sunni and Shia in the region by targeting Iran. She said she was “clear-eyed” about the Iranian threat to an audience of largely fundamentalist Sunni Gulf leaders for whom the words “Iran” and “Shia” are demonic and interchangeable.
In Bahrain, the monarchy blamed the peaceful democratic uprising during the Arab Spring in 2011 on a deep-laid Iranian plot.
Downing Street’s rebuttal of Boris Johnson’s demonstrably correct view that Saudi Arabia wages “proxy wars” in the Middle East is equally mendacious.
The humiliating and discreditable British posture in the Gulf is presumably a desperate attempt to find new allies in the run-up to Brexit. This might seem to be a good moment to do so, since the winners and losers in the wars that have engulfed Syria and Iraq over the last five years are becoming apparent. The only surprising aspect of the British initiative is that we seem, as we did in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be joining the losing side.
British officials and diplomats seem to lose their sense of what is achievable.
British high ambitions to be more influential in the Gulf will be thwarted by limited knowledge and inadequate resources – by Patrick Cockburn
Comment by Judith Brown: An excellent opinion piece by the astute Patrick Cockburn. Well worth a read. This man knows what he is talking about.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154996438573641
10.12.2016 – Living in Yemen on the edge (A P)
Theresa May Cartoon (image)
10.12.2016 – Middle East Eye (* A P)
Britain 'is back' in the Gulf region, says Boris Johnson
UK foreign secretary's comments follow his controversial remarks on Saudi and Iranian interference in neighboring countries
Britain "is back" in the Gulf region and stepping up its security commitment, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told regional policymakers on Friday.
"Britain is back East of Suez," he told the annual Manama Dialogue security forum, as his country prepares to leave the European Union after a shock referendum vote in June to quit the bloc.
"This is about building on and intensifying old friendships," Johnson said.
"Britain has been part of your story for the last 200 years, and we will be with you for the centuries to come."
He stuck close to themes touched on by Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May two days earlier at a summit with Gulf leaders, after Downing Street had to pull him back into line over comments about Britain's ally Saudi Arabia.
Johnson noted Saudi Arabia's need to secure its borders against rebel bombardments, "but I must also share my profound concern, which I'm sure is universal in this room, about the present suffering of the people of Yemen".
Johnson, who is due to visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday, added that "force alone" will not bring stability to Yemen.
May and the Gulf leaders agreed at their Bahrain summit to form a "strategic partnership" to foster defence and other ties.
"We're spending 3 billion pounds [$3.7 billion] on our military commitment in the Gulf over the next 10 years," Johnson said at the forum, organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Britain has 1,500 military personnel and seven warships in the region, he said.
"Your security is our security."
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/britain-committed-gulf-security-johnson-77499371
My comment: That’s still more from Johnson (see YPR 238, cp10). Now what does he really want to tell us? “Britain "is back" in the Gulf region”?? They obviously have nothing to do there, colonial days are over. “"Your security is our security.": What a bullshit is that? How he can link British security to the security of oriental autocratic thrones?
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Well, we will just have to kick your ass back west. Again. – Andi t is evident what Saudi media (propaganda) is making out of Johnsons ambiguous statements: https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2016/12/11/UK-Saudi-perfectly-entitled-to-restore-political-legitimacy-in-Yemen.html
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Well, we will just have to kick your ass back west. Again.
https://www.facebook.com/haykal.bafana/posts/1184316641648344
Comment by Judith Brown: Horrid two faced government.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154996405368641
Comment: Business is back. No need to worry, when he said something sensibile, Johnson was not ok.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1197181553668206
9.12.2016 – Nigel Farage in BBC (A P)
Film: It is the Saudis who have pushed Wahhabism, the extreme form of Islam.
https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/807172771516018688
My comment: When he is right, he is right. Even Farage.
Comment by Hisham Al-Omeisy: Awkward moment when you realize that country supporting extremists & terrorists have fighter jets, dropping bombs in #Yemen & backed by West
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/808205585032290306
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
Siehe cp1
12.12.2016 – Propagandaschau (* A P)
Westliche Werte – ARD und ZDF verschweigen viertägigen Besuch von der Leyens bei arabischen Freunden
Das Händeschütteln und Fraternisieren mit religiösen Fanatikern, Antidemokraten, Terrorunterstützern, Kopfabhackern und Frauenschändern durch eine deutsche Ministerin würde weite Teile der deutschen Öffentlichkeit erheblich verstören, um nicht zu sagen empören, denn es ist die gleiche […], die regelmäßig in Interviews und Talk-Shows gegen russische Nachbarn hetzt, die sämtliche Werte des „christlichen und aufgeklärten Abendlandes“ mit uns teilen.
Während man vereinzelt lesen kann, dass es bei dem Besuch vor allem um militärische Kooperation geht – die deutsche Bundeswehr soll ihren saudischen Freunden bei der Ausbildung jener Mörder behilflich sein, die derzeit im Jemen ein Land ins Elend Bomben -, findet sich immer wieder groteske Hofberichterstattung im Auftrag des „Verteidigungs“-Ministeriums, in denen zur Verhöhnung der Leser behauptet wird, es ginge bei diesen Besuchen primär um „Gesellschaftspolitik“ oder Nachhilfe in Frauenrechten.
Dazu
12.12.2016 – RT (A P)
Film: Ankunft von Verteidigungsministerin Von der Leyen in Saudi Arabien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvS1ZH2mAbE
12.12.2016 – Rationalgalerie (* A K P)
Als Gniffke mal einen Krieg vergaß
Der ARD-aktuell-Chef-Redakteur nimm Stellung ein
Stellungnahme von ARD-aktuell
zu der E-Mail der Herren F.Klinkhammer und V. Bräutigam
vom 19-11- 2016 zur Berichterstattung über den Krieg im Jemen
Sehr geehrte Herrschaften des Rundfunkrates,
in unserer Programmbeschwerde vom 19.11.2016 hatten wir kritisiert, dass die Berichterstattung von ARD-aktuell über den Krieg im Jemen „desinformativ, verfälschend, oberflächlich und einseitig“ ist. Insbesondere bemängelten wir die im Vergleich zum Syrien-Krieg zu geringe Anzahl von Berichten über den Jemen. Journalistisch vertretbare Gründe gibt es dafür nicht, der Krieg der Westlichen Wertegemeinschaft WWG unter Führung der USA und Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen wird ebenso kriegsrechtswidrig geführt wie der in Syrien, seine Zerstörungen und seine Opfer an Menschenleben sind nicht minder groß und der geostrategische Interessenkonflikt ist es ebenfalls nicht. Es verbleiben als Gründe für die unübersehbaren Informationsdefizite also nur die „regierungshörige und transatlantische Ausrichtung" der Redaktion.
Schon die Berufung darauf, dass das Auswärtige Amt Berlin Machthaber Hadi als Präsidenten des Jemen betrachtet und ARD-aktuell diese illegitime Sichtweise plakativ übernimmt, zeigt die bedenkenlose Regierungsfrömmelei der "Qualitätsjournalisten".
Der Anstalts-Insasse Dr. Gniffke versteigt sich zu der Realsatire, ARD-aktuell berichte objektiv über den Jemen-Krieg; da es keine deutschen Korrespondenten im Jemen gebe, seien häufigere Berichte nicht möglich.
Hier zeigt sich die ganze gedankliche und argumentative Armut dieser Redaktionsleitung. In Aleppo halten sich ebenfalls keine deutschen Korrespondenten auf, weil es angeblich zu gefährlich sei, hörten wir von diesem Herrn, deshalb müsste ARD-aktuell von Kollaborateuren der Terroristen die notwendigen Informationen und Filmmaterial kaufen, um über die Lage berichten zu können. In Sanaa im Jemen sind demnach solche Lumpen nicht zu finden, die mit deutschen Rundfunkgebühren geschmiert ihre schmutzigen Propagandafilmchen liefern, zur Erbauung des Fernsehpublikums übers wüste Kriegsgeschehen im Jemen? Oder ist die Schmiergeldkasse für hautnahe Terrorismusinformation infolge der Ausgaben für Aleppo schon geleert?
ARD-aktuell, der wichtigste TV-Nachrichtensender der Republik, bleibt also lieber abhängig von dem einseitigen und grottenschlechten Material der prowestlichen Agenturen?
So also werden Desinformation und Einseitigkeit organisiert und garantiert – von Volker Bräutigam, Friedhelm Klinkhammer
http://www.rationalgalerie.de/schmock/als-gniffke-mal-einen-krieg-vergass.html
11.12.2016 – Sputnik News (* A P)
Pour on the Gasoline: Berlin Reveals Plan to Train Saudi Military in Germany
The German Bundeswehr is going to train Saudi military officers in Germany, despite concerns about atrocities committed by the Saudi military in Yemen.
Despite criticism of the Saudi Arabian government and its bombing campaign in Yemen, Germany's Federal Defense Ministry has revealed plans to train Saudi officers in Germany, Germany's Tagesspiegel newspaper reports.
During an official visit to Riyadh on Thursday, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen reportedly discussed the proposal with her Saudi counterpart Mohammad bin Salman. Berlin first floated the idea of training some members of the Saudi armed forces in 2015, and it is initially planned that three to five Saudi officers will be trained by the Bundeswehr in Germany each year. The proposal has elicited criticism from opposition parties
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201612111048422206-german-bundeswehr-/
9.12.2016 – RT (* A P)
Neues Kapitel aus 1001 Heuchelei: Ursula von der Leyen und ihr Besuch in Saudi-Arabien
Auf ihrer viertägigen Reise durch arabische Länder macht Ursula von der Leyen zunächst Station beim saudischen Königshaus. Die Bundesregierung möchte die Kooperation mit Saudi-Arabien ausbauen, doch offiziell geht es hauptsächlich um saudische Reformbemühungen, Menschenrechte und Bildung.
Angesichts der äußerst fragwürdigen Reise der Ministerin an den Hof der absolutistischen Monarchie, strickt der deutsche Mainstream aktuell am Märchen der aufrechten deutschen Ministerin aus dem Abendland, die sich bei ihrer Reise für die Rechte der Frauen einsetzt und kein Blatt vor den Mund nimmt, um etwa die Prügelstrafe zu geißeln.
Kaum ein Redakteur scheint sich dabei die Frage zu stellen, warum es ausgerechnet die deutsche Verteidigungsministerin ist, die am Hofe des weltweit womöglich größten Mäzens des internationalen Terrorismus eine Audienz erhält. Dabei ist es völlig selbstverständlich, dass angesichts der äußerst angespannten internationalen Situation und der zunehmend kritischen Öffentlichkeit die militärischen Komponenten der Reise seitens der Bundesregierung und des saudischen Königshofs nicht an erster Stelle genannt werden.
https://deutsch.rt.com/meinung/44111-von-der-leyen-saudi-arabien-deutschland/
24.6.2015 – Deutscher Bundestag (* A K P)
Drucksache 18/5333
Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten Jan van Aken, Christine Buchholz, Wolfgang Gehrcke, Annette Groth, Inge Höger, Andrej Hunko, Katrin Kunert, Dr. Alexander S. Neu und der Fraktion DIE LINKE
Rüstungsexporte nach Saudi-Arabien
Saudi-Arabien ist einer der bedeutendsten Abnehmer deutscher Rüstungsgüter. Seit dem Jahr 1999 lieferten deutsche Rüstungsunternehmen Rüstungsgüter im Gesamtwert von rund 2,8 Mrd. Euro. Die saudische Luftwaffe ist mit den Kampfflugzeugen der Typen Tornado und Eurofighter/Typhoon ausgerüstet – europäische Koproduktionen mit deutschem Entwicklungs- und Produktionsanteil. Die saudische Luftwaffe bezieht Iris-T-Raketen direkt aus Deutschland. Im Königreich wird auch das Sturmgewehr G36 des Herstellers Heckler & Koch produziert. Im Jahr 2014 wurde bekannt, dass die Lürssen-Werft einen Großauftrag über die Lieferung von über 100 Patrouillenbooten und schnellen Einsatzbooten aus Saudi-Arabien erhalten hat. Wir fragen die Bundesregierung:
3. Hat die Bundesregierung seit dem 1. Januar 2014 den Export von Komponenten für solche „Storm Shadow“-Marschflugkörper genehmigt, die an SaudiArabien ausgeliefert wurden (falls ja, bitte unter Angabe der Bezeichnung der Komponente, der Stückzahl, des Jahres und Monats und des Wertes)?
4. Für den Export welcher Komponenten mit welchem Wert für Flugzeuge der Typen „Tornado“, „Eurofighter“, „F-15 Eagle“, „E-3 Sentry“ und „C-130“ nach Saudi-Arabien hat die Bundesregierung seit dem 1. Januar 2014 Genehmigungen (bitte nach Flugzeugtypen und jeweils unter Angabe des Jahres und Monats und jeweiligem Genehmigungswert aufschlüsseln)?
5. Welche genehmigungspflichtigen Zulieferungen sind im Zusammenhang mit dem Bau der Tankflugzeuge des Typs A330 MRTT seit dem 1. Januar 2014 für Saudi-Arabien erfolgt (bitte unter Angabe der Stückzahl, der genauen Bezeichnung des Gutes und des Werts)?
6. Trifft es nach Kenntnis der Bundesregierung zu, dass Saudi-Arabien im Rahmen der Paris Air Show 2015 das letzte von sechs bestellten Tankflugzeugen des Typs A330 MRTT erhalten hat?
13. Verfügt die Bundesregierung über Kenntnisse, ob nach dem 27. März 2015 deutsche Waffen oder Rüstungsgüter seitens Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen eingesetzt oder dorthin geliefert worden sind, und falls ja, wie lauten diese Kenntnisse im Einzelnen?
http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/18/053/1805333.pdf
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
10.12.2016 – The Guardian (* B P)
Survivor's guilt and loneliness: the life of an activist in exile
After playing a key role in democratic protests in Bahrain in 2011, al-Khawaja had to flee Bahrain for her own safety
Being an activist in exile involves many levels of struggle. First and foremost is the struggle of being on your own. Especially for those who have been working on the ground. You have suddenly lost your family, your community, and all your support. Hardship is easier to endure when you are going through it with others.
This solitude tends to be accompanied by survivor’s guilt. Most activists who survive when others do not, who avoid prison while others are incarcerated, and who can move freely when others cannot know this feeling very well.
One of the greatest problems I discovered is that the feeling of helplessness is worse than the feeling of fear.
There is also the need to understand that being on the outside means you cannot speak for those on the inside – by Maryam al-Khawaja
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
12.12.2016 – The Guardian (Letters to) (* B K P)
When individuals sell arms on the international market it is called gun-running; when our government sells arms it is called “protecting jobs”, or “assisting our allies”. Britain is the second biggest arms dealer in the world, with most of the weapons fuelling conflicts in the Middle East.
Areas of north Yemen are being bombed by Saudi war planes. Is this what UK citizens wish their government to be spending its energies and resources on? – by Jim McCluskey
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/11/saudi-arms-money-is-running-out
12.12.2016 – Middle East Monitor (A K PS)
Yemen military police find truck filled with Houthi spy drones
The truck was en-route to the Houthi held capital city of Yemen, Sana’a.
A Yemeni military official revealed that the military police has seized a commercial truck carrying spy drones on its way to the Houthi rebels.
The truck was caught in the province of Marib, which is largely under the influence of the Yemeni government, with Houthi presence remaining in pockets of the province. Before it was caught, the truck was en-route to the Houthi held capital city of Yemen, Sana’a.
In previous months, the Yemeni authorities have seized a number of disguised commercial trucks that contains weapons for Houthi and Saleh forces in Marib. They were stopped as they head towards Sana’a.
Some of the trucks have been smuggled through Oman to the Houthi rebels. Omani political and security officials have continuously reiterated that the Omani government has never been involved in supplying the Houthis with weapons.
It is unclear however, where this truck in particular came from.
Some of the boxes had Mandarin writing on them, though despite local suspicions, thus far, there is no proof that the contents inside the box have come from China. The military official has also refused to mention the origins of the spy drones.
Comment by Judith Brown: There has been no credible evidence offered from any source that reveals that Oman is doing anything to assist either side in this Yemen war as far as I am aware. But this makes those with an anti-Iran agenda take the view that if you aren't with us, then you must be against us.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155011505538641
12.12.2016 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
Mareb: military police seize a truck carrying spy planes to the Houthis
A military official has stated that the government forces had seized pieces of spy planes on a truck in Marib governorate, east of the capital Sana'a, coming from al Mahara governorate and on its way to the capital Sana'a.
The truck was camouflaged and carrying cars spare parts and electric generators, under which reconnaissance planes parts were hidden, according to the commander of al Meel checkpoint, Colonel Nasser Turaiq, where the truck was seized.
Turaiq added that the spy planes were on their way to the Houthi and Saleh forces.
He pointed out that the truck smuggling the planes had come from al Mahara governorate customs office, on the Omani borders, and that the military authorities are holding the driver for investigation.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/87087
12.12.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
Both @AlsalamAero & @Boeing teams did a great job on converting these two 20 years old birds. Just like brand new! — Photos by: Mark Rourke (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/808224274708361216
11.12.2016 – MbKS15 (A K)
RSAF F-15SA landed at RAF Lakenheath on Dec. 10th, 2016: - New builds: 12-1006 & 12-1010 - Retrofits: 93-0857 & 93-0899 By: FlyingAnts
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/808017552408510466
My comment: Bought from the US, brought from the US to Saudi Arabia via UK. Lakenheath: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Lakenheath
11.12.2016 – Daily Record (* B K)
Scottish bomb factory linked to another war crime in crisis-hit Yemen as West continues to look the other way
A US arms giant with a factory in Fife producing laser-guided systems for smart bombs has been linked to another alleged war crime in Yemen.
A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) says an airstrike in September that killed at least 31 civilians, including three children, was unlawful.
HRW said part of the guidance system was produced by Raytheon in the US in October 2015, according to markings on a bomb fragment.
Earlier this year, we revealed that fragments of a bomb found at the scene of another alleged war crime in Yemen were linked to Raytheon in Scotland. A code engraved on the fragment showed it was made by Raytheon and a sub-contractor called Border Precision, a firm based in Kelso before it closed down last summer.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said: “There is clear and overwhelming evidence that Raytheon have been complicit in, and profited from, war crimes – by Billy Briggs
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-bomb-factory-linked-another-9433345
10.12.2016 – MbKS15 (A K P)
#RSAF F-15SA (12-1010) landed yesterday at RAF Lakenheath on delivery to #SaudiArabia — Photos by: Ryan Droling & FlyingAnts (photo)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/807802113803882496
11.12.2016 – Possibile (* A K P)
Gentiloni faccia chiarezza sull’export di armi verso Arabia Saudita e Egitto
[Asking the Italian Foreign Minister, Gentiloni, to provide explanations for the sales and shipment of 3000 bombs to Saudi Arabia]
Ci sono degli argomenti di cui è meglio che i cittadini non si occupino. Sono gli stessi argomenti la cui crudezza è stata disinnescata dal lessico pubblico, per cui le guerre sono diventate missioni di pace, per cui le bombe sono diventate generico “materiale da armamento”, per cui i bombardamenti con i quali da mesi (per la precisione, dal marzo del 2015) l’Arabia Saudita fa stragi di civili in Yemen sono “missioni contro il terrorismo internazionale” (che è come dire: ammazziamoli tutti, là in mezzo ci saranno anche dei terroristi, no?).
E’ dietro a queste parole che si nasconde l’invio di bombe dal nostro paese, destinate all’Arabia Saudita e – come più volte documentato dalla stampa – utilizzate esattamente in Yemen, dove una guerra di cui nessuno si occupa sta causando migliaia di morti, ammazzati anche da quelle bombe. E’ una vicenda sulla quale chiediamo chiarezza da tempo. Abbiamo chiesto chiarezza all’allora presidente del Consiglio, Matteo Renzi, e abbiamo chiesto chiarezza agli allora ministri della difesa, Roberta Pinotti, e degli esteri, Paolo Gentiloni –di Stefano Catone
http://www.possibile.com/gentiloni-faccia-chiarezza-sullexport-armi-verso-arabia-saudita-egitto/
10.12.2016 – Sassari Notizie (* A K P)
Partite da Cagliari 3000 bombe
[3000 Italian bombs to Saudis. Shipment last night]
“Una carico di bombe senza precedenti ha lasciato stanotte il porto canale di Cagliari verso l’Arabia Saudita. Un’operazione secretata, coperta dallo Stato Italiano. Per portarle via dalla Sardegna hanno fatto arrivare una nave apposita. I reali sauditi quando si tratta di devastanti bombe da far schiantare sugli ospedali dello Yemen non ci pensa due volte. Questa volta, però, ha alzato il tiro. Un gigantesca nave araba la Bahri Tabuk ha attraverso i mari dall'Arabia Saudita sino a Cagliari per caricare 3000 ordigni prodotti dalla RWM tedesca in agro di Domusnovas. Un carico da 18 container issati a bordo con la supervisione di tecnici, vigilanza e vigili del fuoco. L'operazione ha avuto inizio ieri mattina e si è conclusa nella nottata quando la nave container ha preso il largo poco prima di mezzanotte. Un carico di morte senza precedenti, nonostante tutti i richiami dell'Onu a fermare questa devastante guerra dei sauditi contro la popolazione Yemenita. Un approvvigionamento gestito con codice rosso. Massima riservatezza e allerta sicurezza massima. Gli uomini della Polizia in tenuta antiterrorismo, vigili del fuoco a presidiare sin dal pomeriggio di ieri ogni manovra dentro il porto terminal di Cagliari. Le fonti più riservate in realtà segnalavano la nave in arrivo a Cagliari già dalla sera di venerdì, ma la Bahri Tabuk è rimasta in rada per ben 12 ore prima di solcare il porto canale. I canali ufficiali ma con codice secretato imponevano la presenza di forze dell'ordine a presidio del porto canale già dalle prime luce dell'alba. Porto circondato da pattugliamenti costanti di Polizia e guardia di finanza”.
La denuncia è del deputato di Unidos Mauro Pili che ha pubblicato le immagini delle operazioni del carico di morte, dello schieramento di forze dell’ordine e della nave saudita.
http://www.sassarinotizie.com/mobile/articolo.aspx?id=43288#.WE1sdvnhCUm
9.12.2016 – Unidos (* A K P)
CARICO DI MORTE, IL LUNGO GIORNO DEL PORTO CANALE DI CAGLIARI
[New naval cargo of bombs from Sardinia Italy to Saudi Arabia]
Ore 5.48, l'alba è ancora alta sul porto canale di Cagliari, quando la nave della morte solca quel tratto di mare racchiuso tra due sponde di cemento. Gigante dei mari, la Bahari Tabuk, ha solcato mezzo mondo per arrivare sin qui, nel porto container del sud Sardegna. Non è vuota, ma andrà via ancor più carica.
I codici sono secretati nel porto terminal. Nessuno deve sapere perchè una nave battente bandiera dell'Arabia Saudita ha lanciato le cime sulla sponda principale del terminal sardo. Perchè lo ha fatto alle 5.48 nonostante da almeno 14 ore fosse in rada, a non meno di 40 km dall'approdo prestabilito.
Operazioni sconosciute ai più, impossibili da incrociare. Ad ognuno il proprio compito, ma nessuno sa dell'altro. Incroci che diventano prove quando le fonti convergono. Le raccolgo una dietro l'altra, su più fronti.
Un blitz Italo - Saudita è pianificato in ogni dettaglio.
C'è di mezzo lo stato italiano. Come era prevedibile. Ci sono di mezzo due ministri, Pinotti e Gentiloni, colui che vorrebbe fare il premier al posto del fiorentino!
Sono loro che hanno trattato con gli emiri e i reali dell'Arabia Saudita.
Soldi in cambio di strumenti di morte. Morte come genocidio. Migliaia di morti, migliaia di bambini falciati da quel carico di morte.
Oggi è stata una giornata infinita, conclusasi poco fa. Con schieramenti di ogni genere di forze dell'ordine.
Tutto documentato. Ogni movimento. Ogni transito. Ogni documento. Volevano fare un'operazione nascosta, domani pubblico tutto. Ogni fotogramma di quel carico, le forze dell'ordine che dall'alba hanno presidiato la zona.
Tutto per nascondere il carico di morte che puntuale è arrivato. Quantitativi spaventosi. Prodotti in Sardegna, dalla fabbrica tedesca.
La solita alleanza dei ricchi contro i poveri – di Mauro Pili
http://www.unidos.io/carico-di-morte-il-lungo-giorno-del-porto-canale-di-cagliari-2/
cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees
12.12.2016 – The Guardian (* A H)
Surviving war in Yemen: 'I dream of going home' – in pictures
Twenty months of war have devastated Yemen, with 7 million people facing hunger, and 3 million forced to leave their homes. The ICRC is one of the organisations supporting displaced people. As the Disasters Emergency Committee launches an appeal for people in desperate need in the country, families at a camp in Dharwan, on the outskirts of Sana’a, share their stories
Photographs by Mohammed Yaseen for ICRC
Zamzam Murshed and her three children have taken up residence in her father’s tent. In the absence of her husband, the breadwinner, their living conditions are very hard
Murshed says her husband left eight months ago to take part in the fighting. ‘There has been no news of him since. I hope he is still alive,’ she says, adding: ‘My dreams are modest; I dream of a peaceful life. I dream of going back home’
As the fighting drew near, Yahia Hizam decided to leave his home to ensure the safety of his children. He is unemployed. ‘My large family is a financial burden. Our life is very difficult at the moment’
Hizam keeps busy with various outdoor jobs and physical work. ‘I keep wondering what might come,’ he says, ‘and what I can do for my children to make things easier for them’ (photos)
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2016/dec/12/surviving-war-yemen-i-dream-of-going-home-in-pictures and on twitter: https://twitter.com/RSKarim1/status/808311898928250880and https://twitter.com/RSKarim1/status/808310780982661123
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
12.12.2016 – Almasdar Online (A P T)
Yemen Islah party condemns US sanctions on Abkar and al Ahdal, based on misleading information
The Yemeni Islah party has condemned the US Treasury decision to impose sanctions on Yemeni citizens on the plea of being tied to Ansar al-Sharia.
A statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Islah party, which is part of the Yemeni government, said that taking a decision to impose sanctions on the leader in the Popular Resistance al Hassan Ali Ali Abkar and Abdullah Faisal al Ahdal is a result of the US administration's reliance on misleading information aimed at targeting the Yemeni dignitaries that "are known for being moderate, and the decision was not based on any tangible evidence."
Late last week, the US Treasury Department has added Al-Hasan Ali Ali Abkar, Abdallah Faysal Sadiq al-Ahdal and the Rahmah Charitable Organization to its list of specially designated nationals and entities on the plea of having links with Ansar al Sharia organization, a subsidiary of Al-Qaeda.
The Islah party praised al-Hasan Abkar as a national dignitary that stood against the Houthi militias and sacrificed everything in hand to support the legitimate government against the coup.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/87076
My comment: Already before the US Treasury did so, the Al Qaida connection of these figures was already stated before. The Islah Party–Muslim Brotherhood–Al Qaida links would be worth further examination.
11.12.2016 – APA (* A T)
Anschlag in Aden: Opferzahl auf 48 Tote gestiegen
Bei dem Anschlag auf eine Kaserne in der südjemenitischen Stadt Aden sind am Samstag 48 Soldaten getötet und 29 weitere verletzt worden. Ein Selbstmordattentäter sprengte sich nach Angaben der Behörden inmitten von hunderten Soldaten in die Luft, die in der Kaserne auf die Zahlung ihres Solds warteten. Die Jihadistenmiliz "Islamischer Staat" (IS) beanspruchte den Anschlag für sich. Einer ihrer "Märtyrer" habe während einer Versammlung von Soldaten in der Kaserne seinen Sprengstoffgürtel gezündet, teilte der IS über sein Sprachrohr Amaq mit.
http://derstandard.at/2000049130139/Anschlag-in-Aden-Opferzahl-auf-48-Tote-gestiegen
11.12.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A T)
Suicide attacks in #Cairo, #Istanbul and #Aden kill 25, 38 and 50, respectively, while injuring a total of 286.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/807970655853547520
10.12.2016 – Arab News (* A T)
Daesh claims Aden suicide attack that killed 50 troops
Yemen: A suicide bomber killed at least 50 Yemeni soldiers at a base in the city of Aden, a local security official said, in another major attack claimed by the Daesh group on forces of the internationally recognized government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The attacker blew himself up as the troops were waiting to collect their salaries, the government sources added, wounding around 70 others as they lined up to collect salaries at the entrance to the Sawlaban base on the outskirts of the city.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack in a message posted online.
“A martyr from the Islamic State detonated his explosives belt in Al-Sawlaban military camp in Aden during a gathering of the Yemeni army,” the Daesh-affiliated Amaq news outlet said. http://www.arabnews.com/node/1022036/middle-east and more photos https://twitter.com/ShehabAgency/status/807628059360698368 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807619747827290112 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807617571814080512
and
10.12.2016 – Aljazeera (* A T)
ISIL claims suicide blast in Yemen's Aden
[reporting as others, special:]
However, Aden al-Ghad, a local news website, said the men were not soldiers but young men registering to take part in a government offensive to break the siege of Yemen's second largest city, Taiz.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/isil-claims-suicide-blast-yemen-aden-161210174422544.html
and
10.12.2016 – BBC (* A T)
Yemen suicide bomb kills dozens in payday queue
[reporting as others, special:]
One soldier at the base, Waleed Rashed, told the Associated Press news agency that he had arrived shortly after the attack and had seen private cars take injured people to hospital, before ambulances arrived.
"I could hear the wounded soldiers screaming for help," he said
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38275293
and
10.12.2016 – International Tribunal (A T)
The terrorist suicidal who exploded himself among the soldiers of Solaban camp in Aden called"Abo Saad Aladani"..the first informations about him,affirmed he was a member of islah party in last time (photo)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/tribunalgroup4Yemen/permalink/1163743396995796/ = https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154996311878641 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/807654415473774592
10.12.2016 – Elisabeth Kendall (A T)
IS claims #Aden base bomb. Fascinating/unusual that #AQAP supporters seem to be co-celebrating. Sign of IS #Yemen & AQAP starting to merge?
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/807616213119541249
and what Southern separatist propaganda makes o fit:
10.12.2016 – Southern Movement (Hirak) (A P T)
#SouthYemen blames mosques in #Aden associated with North #Yemen #Saleh & Muslim Brotherhood use to convince, recruit & finance AQAP & ISIS
https://twitter.com/SouthHirak/status/807653150974951426
Outsed #Saleh calls on North #Yemen to fight separatist #SouthYemen. Pro-unity terrorists 1st to act by killing separatist military officers
https://twitter.com/SouthHirak/status/807630581244825600
My comment: “#Saleh & Muslim Brotherhood” are deadly enemies – how should they unite to do any actions anywhere? “finance AQAP & ISIS”: That’s the Saudis who do that. – “killing separatist military officers”: these were Hadi government soldiers on payday.
10.12.2016 – Living in Yemen on the edge (* A T)
A bomb detonated today in a mosque at a military camp on the road between Marib and Hadramawth close to Safir petroleum field.
Reports of over 20 killed (photo)
and
10.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (* A T)
At Least 27 Saudi Mercenaries Killed in Marib Governorate
The explosion of a bomb today in the mosque of Sulaban camp, controlled by Hadi forces and Al Qaida, resulted in 10 killed and 17 others injured.
The explosion occurred after the arrival of military forces from the the first military region to Marib; a transportation operation carried out by Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen for financial dues to be disbursed, source reported.
This operation was aiming for those soldiers and is planned by the “Muslim brotherhood”, as these soldiers are considered not to be loyal to General Ali Mohsen, source confirmed.
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57178&lang=en
cp15 Propaganda
12.12.2016 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Yemen Presidential Advisor Says Coup Separatist Aspirations Are a Blowback to Negotiations
The coup militias’ establishment of a parallel government in Sanaa, Yemen is a clear terminus handed over to all U.N. efforts of conjuring up a political solution for the war-torn country, a Yemeni prominent politician said. The coup’s separatist aspirations have made a strong drawback in the area of political negotiations.
U.N. Special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed had recently presented a peace road map that seemingly received insurgency militias’ cooperation and will to sit for negotiations once again.
“The government’s preparedness to partake any negotiations is moral matter, in an inevitable effort spent to end the bloodshed and root out the insurgency through means of dialogue,” advisor to Yemen’s President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Abdulaziz Muflhi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Nonetheless, any negotiation would only take place in light of three chief guidelines which are the Gulf initiative and its mechanisms, the outcome of national dialogue and U.N. Resolution 2216 along with other Security Council resolutions,” he added.
Ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Iran-aligned Houthi coup leader Abdul-Malik Badreddin– in other words, chief coup political figures- eventually need to exit Yemen’s future political platform in order for stability and security to be reinstated, Muflhi said.
“The Yemeni people staged a revolution against injustice and oppression, and therefore all these names must be left outside present and future political works,” he added.
The presidential advisor underlined that any political negotiation for resolving the Yemen crisis is bound by the aforementioned three references and turn in of paramilitary arms.
Muflhi explains that there can be no peace so long that militias take up arms outside state power.
My comment: The same again and again, not getting any better by permanently repeating it. The background of all this is that the Hadi government had rejected the last UN peace plan. The re had been enough comments to this by many, see earlier YPRs.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
12.12.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
11-12-2016
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=740191379464563&id=551288185021551 and (only less raids listed here): http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57328&lang=en
11.12.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
10-12-2016
Targeting and bombing civilians by the warplanes of Saudi Arabia and its alliance
Casualties and damage:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=739389766211391&id=551288185021551
12.12.2016 – Al Arabiya (A K PS)
Film: WATCH: Yemen-bound coalition planes’ mid-air refueling
12.12.2016 – Sanaa in the evening (A K)
New #Saudi airstrikes on the Capital Sana'a at this moment with a huge explosion heard
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1615474178748570
12.12.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi aggression airstrikes kill 2 people, wound others in Baqim
Two people were killed and others wounded in Saudi aggression airstrikes overnight on residential quarter in Baqim district of Saada
province, an official told Saba on Monday.
The hostile warplanes targeted al-Jathoah area in the district five times.
The Saudi aggression also waged 14 air raids on several areas in the district, causing huge damage to citizens' properties.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news449349.htm
12.12.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
4 citizens martyred in American-Saudi aggression airstrikes on Saada
Four citizens were martyred following a series of US-Saudi aggression air raids overnight on Shada district of Saada province, a security official told Saba on Monday.
The official said the fighter jets launched six air strikes on areas of Shada directorate, killing the four civilians and damaging their homes.
He said that the jets also launched other six raids on the areas of Al-Jathwa and Almagrem in Baqim district, dropping cluster bombs that caused considerable damage to houses and farms and other citizens' properties.
He added that the aggression warplanes also waged two raids on Malaheeth area of Al-Dhaher district and continued to fly for many hours over most areas.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news449364.htm
12.12.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi warplanes resume striking capital Sanaa, 2 martyrs
Two civilians were martyred in a Saudi aggression air raids that resumed air striking the capital Sanaa early on Monday, an officials told Saba.
The planes struck al-Hafa area east of the capital six times, damaging citizens' houses and farms, as well as causing losses in public properties.
The fighter jets continued flying intensively over Sanaa, opening sound barrier.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news449350.htm
12.12.2016 – Alalam (A K PH)
Saudi Warplanes Bomb Yemeni Capital for Hours: Media
Saudi military aircraft have reportedly pounded the Yemeni province of Sanaa for several hours in an unprecedented wave of bombardment against its southern neighbor over the past months.
In the early hours of Monday, the warplanes carried out as many as 25 back-to-back airstrikes against various districts of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, local media reported.
Taking the brunt of the attacks was the capital’s Wadi Sar District, which was struck 13 times.
There have been no immediate reports of possible casualties.
The assaults also hit Bani Matar District, the presidential palace, and the capital’s As Sabain Square, leaving two civilians dead.
Sabin Square came under attacks hours after the leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement, Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, delivered a speech to a large crowd of Yemenis there marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1896150
12.12.2016 - Yemen Today (A K PH)
Film: Saudi air strikes destroy manifestation platform
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnzbv9P5odQ
12.12.2016 – Sanaa at daytime (A K PH)
#Video #Saudi aggression returns back now 2attack ,where the celebration was held yesterday on the occasion of #ProphetMohammad birth #Yemen
https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/808271030359904256
An eyewitness from capital #Sanaa I haven't heard like these huge explosions since the beginning of the Saudi aggression against #Yemen
https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/808086288385605632
One minute before the strike i was watching the damages from yesterday Saudi criminal bombing on #Yemen. Dust covering Al-Sabaeen square (photos)
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/808245724873945088
12:10pm rush hours Saudi jet strikesAl-Sabaeen square
Jet roaring then a massive #SLC airstrike in Sana'a, #Yemen. (photos)
https://twitter.com/Anas_Shahari/status/808238537145544704
#Saudi aggression returns back now 2 attack ,where the celebration was held yesterday on the occasion of #HolyProphetMohammad birth #Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/808267632646373376
Last night's strikes were not enough so they just decided to strike again during the day! (photo)
https://twitter.com/alradhi_/status/808269467465777153
Saudi airstrikes resume & target heart of Sana'a during rush hour now. Hey world in Ivory tower NEVER talk about human rights to a #Yemen-i (photos)
more photos:
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/808253088146538496
https://twitter.com/JosephJo1221/status/808259974283542529
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1615285892100732
My comment: This heavy bombing of a place where the day before had been 100.000s of people is a clear demonstration of power: We could have killed all or many of you, if we just had done it the day before. And we are so good we did hit the platform your leaders were standing on. We can, if we want. Acting this way, simply is “terrorism” in the classical meaning of this word: “Terrorism is, in its broadest sense, the use of intentionally indiscriminate violence (terror or fear) in order to achieve a political, religious, or ideological aim.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism)
11.12.2016 – Sanaa at night (A K)
Raining MISSILES: 22 Saudi airstrikes rock #Yemen capital #Sanaa & suburbs after midnight shaking homes & waking millions in fear.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/808087789904478208
A Yemeni young lady expressing her fear of last night airstrikes in Sana'a which has been the same case for the last 21 months (look at text in image)
https://twitter.com/PoliticsYemen/status/808254042887585792
It was 2am, & the Saudis also launched dozens of sound bombs over our heads, incl those that sounded like "thunder".
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/808221094536679424
Huge explosion in #Sanaa
#Sanaa: war planes continue hovering
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1198717436847951
3 air raids on Dhafar mountain Bani Mattar west of #Sana'a.
6 air raids on #Sana'a & 14 raids in 30 minutes on Bani Hushish east of Sana'a.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1198706730182355
Airstrike on the Southern part of #Sanaa
The Saudis come at night. 1.32 am
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1198696386850056
Raining MISSILES: 22 Saudi airstrikes rock #Yemen capital #Sanaa & suburbs after midnight shaking homes & waking millions in fear.
https://twitter.com/YemenPostNews/status/808087789904478208
70 platform is burnin and Saleh mosque influenced bythe strength of the vibrations caused by the bombin of the 70field and behind the podium (photo)
https://twitter.com/786Wolf/status/808094303314702340
My comment: That looks whether the center of Sanaa had been hit – the place where there had been the celebration of Mohammed’s birthday just some hours before (look at cp5)
11.12.2016 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (A K PH)
Reports of 4 Saudi air raids on #Arhab north of #Sana'a
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1198718443514517
11.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
More than 8 Citizens Injured by Aggression Raid
Injured more than 8 citizens and burned two trucks and a car by two raids for the aggression on the junction Al Sukhna in Al Hodeidah province .
The aggression targeting civilians and their property .
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57228&lang=en
11.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Two people were killed and three others wounded in US-Saudi aggression airstrikes overnight on a residential quarter in Razih district of Saada provinc.
A local source said , the aggression targeted Saada provinc by several raids at the night .
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57240&lang=en
11.12.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)
14 #Saudi air strikes on Baqem area in #Sadaa city #Yemen
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/807969102379753472
11.12.2016 – Yemen Today TV (A K PH)
Film: Colation air raids, luster bombs at Saada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vIXvGuaXNY
10.12.2016 – Almasirah TV (A K PH)
Film: Saudi air raid at Razeh district, Saada province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z3aBFu1isY
10.12.2016 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
Taiz: Coalition Fighters bomb Houthi locations, clashes go on
The fighters of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition launched on Saturday several air raids on Houthi and Saleh forces locations in Taiz city, southwest of Yemen.
A field source told Almasdaronline that the fighters have targeted Albahlol and Alkasarah areas western the city causing a series of violent explosions.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/87052
My comment: Nice propaganda. “several air raids on Houthi and Saleh forces locations”: what does this mean in a densely populated city? Just destroying houses and killing those who live there.
10.12.2016 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)
2 #Saudi air strikes targeted 2 trucks & a car in Alsokhna road in #Hudidah city #Yemen .Reports of casualties.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/807694137340424194
10.12.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (* A K PH)
Wave of raids inc MBDA #UK-K0967 made cluster bombs were dropped by #Saudi #UAE jets on #Saada N #Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/hussainbukhaiti/status/807623998133665792
Comment by Judith Brown: UK manufactured cluster bombs dropped on Yemen by Saudi Arabia today. I guess Johnson and May think that the best thing to do is ask Saudi if they did it??? Come on UK government sit up and smell the mustard.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154996477658641
10.12.2016 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
#Yesterday 9/12/2016
Saudi Arabia warplanes threw #cluster_bombs made by #UK in #Saada .. (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=739188446231523&id=551288185021551
9.12.2016 – Almasirah TV (A K PH)
Film: 5 martyrs and 9 wounded toll crime targeting Saudi American aggression against the house of Harms in Saada Talan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-jnQkmx84Y
8.12.2016 – Almasirah TV (A K PH)
Film: Saudi air raid at Khokha, Hodeida province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3vDY2g14o
11.12.2016 – Hussain Albukhaiti (A K PH)
Pics of Aftermath of #Saudi #UAE CO cluster bombs attack on residential area n #Saada city N #Yemen on 7/Dec/2016 (photos)
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/807935493216333825
7.12.2016 – Almasirah TV (A K PH)
Film: Saudi cluster bombs kill civilians in Saada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5odKG8JHjQ
2.12.2016 – Almasirah TV (A K PH)
Film: Saudi air raids targeted trucks, Salif, Hodeidah province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XztOlPpFaHQ
11.12.2016 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
Royal #Saudi Air Force F-15C, F-15S, & Tornado taking part in Operation Restore Hope — by: Rihan & Saud (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/808210131641102336
12.2016 – Human Rights Watch (* A K)
Film: Very important reportage from HRW production Investigation in bombing water drill by saudi jets which caused 10s killed& wounded in
https://twitter.com/midoaaaaa/status/807970612232781824
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
12.12.2016 - Alalam (A K PH)
Yemeni Army Pound Pro-Saudi Mercenaries' Gatherings in Al-Jawf Province by Zalzal-I Missiles
[Successes by the Houthi / Saleh side]
http://en.alalam.ir/news/1896455
12.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Four Saudi Soldiers Killed in Najran
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57345&lang=en
12.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Missile and Artillery Bombardment Hit Saudi Military Sites
www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57351&lang=en
12.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Killed and Injured Saudi Mercenaries South of Taiz Governorate
www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57355&lang=en
12.12.2016 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army launches missiles on Riyadh's mercenaries in Jawf
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news449355.htm
11.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Katyusha Missiles Bombard Eastern Saqam in Najran
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57284&lang=en
11.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Saudi Mercenaries Fail to Progress in Taiz Governorate
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57288&lang=en
11.12.2016 – Hussam Al-Sanabani (A K PH)
#Yemen army shell direct hit at AL-Tawal Saudi access in Jizan.
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/808061474832871424
10.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Yemeni Artillery Pounds Saudi Military Site in Najran
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57163&lang=en
10.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Yemeni Shells Hit Saudi Soldiers in Asir and Jizan
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57168&lang=en
10.12.2016 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
About Four Saudi Soldiers Killed in Najran
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=57197&lang=en
10.12.2016 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
the Houthis and allied forces have exchanged fierce shelling with the government and pro-government forces in al Ala'a and Alsayahi hills, and the Houthis have also shelled the villages in Al Rabeiy with heavy weapons.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/87052
10.12.2016 – Yemen Today TV (A K PH)
Film: Victims of Saudi rocket attack at Haydan district, Saada province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VCg2doxdm0
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
10.12.2016 – Judith Brown
Film: WOW look at this. Talk about skilled ! Amazing.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10154996394478641
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-238-yemen-war-mosaic-238/
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-237: / Yemen War Mosaic 1-237:
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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