Yemen in February – War at sea escalates starvation – Saudis delay medical aid – Yemen’s Republican Guard – US war on Islam – Saudi propaganda in the US – Saudis and terrorism – 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 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Küste / Theater of War: Coast
cp17b Kriegsereignisse: Sonstige / Theater of War: Other
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
6.3.2017 – Sanaa Center (** A B E H K P)
Yemen at the UN - February 2017 Review
Summary
In February, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations stated that “Yemen is facing the largest food security emergency in the world”, and estimated that the country’s domestic reserves of wheat would be completely exhausted by the end of March 2017.
The UN human rights commission raised credible reports that war crimes were committed by both the main warring sides during battles for the Red Sea port town of Mukha. These battles saw the forces backing Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi capture the town from the Houthi movement and its main ally, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The infighting that broke out in January between groups backing President Hadi continued through February in the cities of Taiz and Aden, while resource and revenue scarcities helped fuel tensions within the Houthi-Saleh alliance and between the Houthi-Saleh alliance and populations in areas they control.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula continued to exploit the chaos brought on by the conflict, the humanitarian crisis and the country’s economic collapse to improve its domestic position, and throughout February stepped up attacks against both main warring sides.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his second month on the job, visited the Gulf region and after meeting with regional governments publicly reiterated his support for the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and his efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution to the war.
At the UN
Continuing war crimes reports
Diplomatic maneuvering
On the ground
Pro-Hadi forces capture Mukha, AQAP expands attacks
Map: Zone of control in Yemen as of February 28, 2017
Infighting amongst pro-Hadi forces
In the last week of January, Salafist groups in Taiz seized control of the city’s main administrative institutions in areas outside of Houthi-Saleh control. This sparked intermittent street battles since between the Salafists and other groups, primarily Islah (the Muslim Brotherhood Party in Yemen). In the almost complete absence of government institutions capable of policing the city, areas of Taiz under government “control” have experienced severe insecurity and the rise of criminal gangs.
Meanwhile in the government-held southern city of Aden, soldiers protecting the airport, under the command of Saleh al-Omeri, shut down the facility for part of February 10 in protest of not having received their wages. The following day President Hadi sent presidential guard units to the airport to replace al-Omeri’s soldiers, resulting in a gun battle between the two when the latter refused to step down. The situation escalated when Salafist units in the area attempted to reinforce al-Omeri – both of whom receive substantial backing from the United Arab Emirates – after which an Emirati helicopter gunship opened fire on a Presidential Guard vehicle, killing multiple soldiers.
Negotiations followed, the fighting subsided and the airport officially reopened the next day with al-Omeri’s men still in control, though Yemenia Airlines continued to cancel or reroute flights to and from Aden. This incident is emblematic of the deep rifts that have developed within the military forces fighting against the Houthi-Saleh alliance, and specifically between President Hadi and the UAE. Shortly after the incident Hadi was in Riyadh, reportedly to discuss the airport battle with Saudi and Emirati government representatives.
Houthi-Saleh tensions
Throughout February disputes within the Houthi-Saleh alliance continued to prevent the appointment of a successor to Ali al-Jaifi, the head of the Republican Guard who was killed in the Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a funeral gathering in Sana’a in October 2016.
Later in the month tension also arose between the two allies in the Ibb governorate when Houthi affiliates began issuing local building permits, directly contradicting and overstepping the authority of ministry officials in Sana’a loyal to Saleh.
In Houthi-controlled Dhamar governorate, south of Sana’a, escalating local frustration and resentment against the Houthis led to armed clashes in the Utma district, with Houthis fighters being captured and killed in skirmishes in the latter half of the month. The Houthis responded to this resistance by kidnapping prominent locals who had been vocal in their opposition, and destroying the homes of others. Numerous reports suggested the Houthis were employing similar methods of repression against the local population in various areas of the Taiz governorate.
Continuing humanitarian crisis
Currency volatility and the loss of food reserves
Currency volatility was apparent last month, with the Yemeni rial falling as much as 20% in value against the US dollar in black market trading through the first half of February, before market interventions in both Sana’a and Aden helped the domestic currency to regain lost ground and stabilize. The interventions included the Houthi-Saleh authorities forbidding fuel and food importers from purchasing foreign exchange on the market for 30 days, and implement new measures against currency speculation. In parallel, the Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) governor in Aden, Monasser Al Quaiti, met with exchange companies and banks to discuss currency stabilization, assuring them that the Aden-based Central Bank was soon to receive significant foreign exchange support.
Currency stability is a critical issue for Yemen, given that previous to the conflict the country imported 90% of its basic food stuffs. Worryingly, however, was that through February Yemen’s largest bulk wheat and rice importers reported their continued inability to access import guarantees from the CBY, a primary driver of the country’s food insecurity. In an effort to help make up for the loss of these commercial food imports and stave off famine, a World Food Program chartered cargo vessel was able to dock at Hudaidah port on March 1, where it planned to offload 14,000 metric tons (mt) of wheat, before heading to Aden to offload another 6,000 mt.
Imports are being further hampered, however, by the challenges facing Yemen’s ports. Hodeidah, along the Red Sea coast, was previously one of Yemen’s busiest ports but had its offloading capacity severely curtailed by damage from Saudi-led coalition airstrikes early in the conflict. Hudaidah’s port facilities were also briefly forced to cease operations last month by the coalition, which demanded cargo ships offload in Aden instead; insecurity in the southern port city, and security and logistics challenges transporting goods around Yemen from Aden, however, continue to make it unattractive for importers.
In the later half of February, the Houthi-Saleh authorities imposed a customs duty on all commercial trucks entering Houthi-Saleh controlled governorates, effectively doubling the customs duty already paid by traders at the ports. Almost immediately there were reports from Sana’a that numerous pharmaceutical drugs had risen in price, some by as much as 35%.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of Yemen’s public sector workers – who made up one-third of Yemen’s employed workers pre-conflict – continued to go without their wages in February, as they have since August 2016, perpetuating the collapse of public services and the slide into extreme poverty for millions of people.
In brief
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had, as of March 2, received 2.3% of the USD $2.1 billion it has appealed for to implement its humanitarian response plan for Yemen in 2017.
In the month of February, 38 vessels applied for clearance from the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM); 27 requests for clearance were issued certification. A total of 413,343 metric tons (mt) of cargo was approved through the UNVIM in February, consisting of 207,906 mt of food, 73,782 mt of fuel and 131,655 mt of general cargo. This is a decrease by a total of 153,003 mt of cargo from the month before.
http://sanaacenter.org/publications/item/78-yemen-at-the-un.html
My comment: A broad summing up of Yemen in February, with facts which stayed unreported before.
6.3.2017 – Reuters (** B K)
Escalation in ship attacks pushes Yemen towards starvation
Cruise missiles, floating mines and a remote-controlled boat have been deployed to attack ships in Yemen in recent months, changing the dynamic of the two-year-old war and pushing the country closer to famine, shipping and aid officials say.
The weapons have targeted military vessels from a Saudi-led coalition which is fighting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in the impoverished state on the tip of the Arabian peninsula, part of the same regional power struggle that is fuelling Syria's war.
ncreasingly innovative maritime raids near the narrow Bab al-Mandab maritime passage, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, add to already severe difficulties getting aid and commercial supplies to a country that imports 90 percent of its food and fuel by sea.
Saudi-led air strikes close to vital ports in the Houthi-controlled north are also curbing imports, shipping sources say. Both sides deny hampering aid.
"The potential for merchant ships to be caught up in this as collateral damage is high," said Phillip Belcher, marine director with INTERTANKO, an association which represents the majority of the world's tanker fleet.
"Several of the attacks on military operated vessels have taken place in close proximity to merchant ships," he said.
With nearly 4 million barrels of oil shipped daily to Europe, the United states and Asia plus commercial goods via the waterway, the stakes are high for ships sailing through the strait and for those making stops at ports in Yemen.
SAUDI FRIGATE HIT
CRUISE MISSILES
Other incidents have included an attack on Oct. 1 on a United Arab Emirates craft with what some Western experts say appears to have been an anti-ship cruise missile. The Houthis said they attacked the ship but have made no comment on the weapons used.
The Houthis denied they were behind a series of failed missile attacks in October on the U.S. navy destroyer USS Mason, actions which drew retaliation in the form of U.S. cruise missile strikes on coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory.
Shipping industry sources say shipping firms were becoming more reluctant to deliver goods to Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port together with the neighboring port of Salif also on the Rea Sea.
Robert Mardini, regional director for the Near and Middle East with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said it had stopped using Hodeidah, which is one of the major gateways for goods into Yemen.
"Nobody wants to go to Hodeidah ... from our list of suppliers. So this is problematic," he said this week. The ICRC added it had not used the port for several weeks.
The reluctance compounds delays in aid deliveries that have been reported at Hodeidah for months. The United Nations has said both sides have been holding up aid deliveries.
The coalition denies blocking food or hitting infrastructure and says the Houthis routinely hold up aid deliveries and divert resources to the war effort, charges the Houthis deny.
Further down the coast, al-Mokha city became the focus of alarm after the U.S. government's Maritime Administration said in late January it had reason to be believe Houthi fighters had laid mines close to the mouth of the harbor. The Houthis have not commented on the allegation.
A maritime source familiar with the area said that, depending on the current, any free floating mines could be pushed into the open sea in an area close to the Bab al-Mandab – By Jonathan Saul and Katie Paul
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-maritime-analysis-idUSKBN16D16Z
My comment: “Iranian-allied Houthi”: why never “US-backed Saudi coalition”? This even would fit much better, as the US support for the Saudi coalition is extremely higher than the Iranian support for the Houthis. – Also apart from its wording this article is not balanced. The Saudi coalition blockade of Houthi-held Yemen is rather hidden within a strange narrative of both sides blocking aid deliveries. However the Houthis even would be able to block Yemeni harbours? And Saudi warships pounding the coastline are not even mentioned, and neither Saudi aerial bombing of targets at the coast, Hodeida harbor in special, nor Saudi aerial bombings of fishing and refugees boats. Thus, a report on a very important subject, badly affected by western narratives. And, therefore already the headline is quite misleading: “Escalating in bombing the harbours and pounding the coastlines escalates starvation”, would come much closer to reality. - And: Even more: the Saudi blockade, one of the main factors fueling famine (and also happening in the sea!) is not even mentioned here.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-maritime-analysis-idUSKBN16D16Z and map: http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/YEMEN-SECURITY-SALARIES/010031LB3N7/YEMEN-SECURITY-SALARIES.jpg
2.3.2017 – Save the Children (** A H K)
Saudi Arabia and allies delaying urgently needed medical aid to Yemen
Saudi Arabia and its coalition allies are delaying Save the Children’s shipments of aid for Yemen by months, despite a looming famine that threatens to grip much of the country and a healthcare system on the brink of collapse.
In just two months, the Saudi-led coalition has prevented three shipments of medical aid from arriving at the port of Hodeida.
The cargo, intended to reach 300,000 people, included essential supplies such as antibiotics, surgical equipment, medicine and equipment to support malnourished children.
With famine looming and a healthcare system approaching collapse, these shipments mean survival for hundreds of thousands of families in Yemen.
Forced to put help on hold
Late last year, a two-tonne shipment of medical supplies – for 40,000 people, including 15,000 children – was due to land in the country’s main port of Hodeida on 2 December but was held off the coast and unable to dock.
It eventually arrived at the smaller port of Aden, from where supplies often have to cross active war zones, putting them and accompanying humanitarian staff at risk.
Humanitarian response cut short
The delays have prevented 51 healthcare facilities in the region that Save the Children supports from operating fully. It also means our health teams on the ground are unable to bring assistance to locations lacking in health services.
Grant Pritchard, our Yemen country director, said:
“These delays are killing children. Our teams are dealing with outbreaks of cholera, and children suffering from diarrhoea, measles, malaria and malnutrition. With the right medicines these are all completely treatable – but the Saudi-led coalition is stopping them getting in. They are turning aid and commercial supplies into weapons of war.
He added:
“The British public has generously donated millions of pounds to a DEC appeal for Yemen, quite understandably expecting aid would reach people in need as quickly as possible. To see the Saudi-led coalition blocking shipments of humanitarian supplies is simply unforgivable. The UK Government must do more to make sure aid for Yemen gets where it needs to go.”
Prevented from getting aid where it’s needed
In August 2015, five cranes at Hodeida port were destroyed by an airstrike, preventing dozens of ships from unloading cargo quickly and forcing them to wait offshore to avoid escalating conflict.
Earlier this year, the coalition turned away four new cranes, supplied by the World Food Programme, which would have vastly improved the port’s ability to unload essential supplies.
Deteriorating conditions
In Yemen, two million children under the age of 5 are acutely malnourished and half a million are at the most extreme level and in critical danger.
More than half of the health facilities assessed in 16 of the 22 assessed governorates are closed or partially functioning due to the conflict, leaving over 14.8 million people in need of basic healthcare – including 8.1 million children.
Yemen’s fragile healthcare system will not be able to cope with the devastation famine brings without help.
With conditions set to get worse, ensuring the successful delivery of aid to malnourished children must be top of the UK Government’s agenda.
7.3.2017 – Small Wars Journal (** B K P)
The Adaptive Transformation of Yemen’s Republican Guard
In 2014, Saleh allies in the YRG (of which there were presumed to be many) once again saw common cause with Huthi leaders. Huthi influence in the YRG may have also been substantial, albeit hard to quantify. One anonymous source from 2012 claimed, perhaps fancifully, that over half of the YRG were Huthi sympathizers and 80% were Zaydis.[29]
In late summer 2014 pro-Huthi protesters cut off access to Sana’a International Airport and surrounded vital ministries downtown, while at the same time reinforcing the encirclement of the capital. On 21 September Huthi fighters entered Sana’a and immediately overran the remaining positions of the former 1st Armored Division. After seizing key installations they pressured the transitional authorities into forming a “national salvation” government under Huthi leadership. Ali al-Jaifi, commander of the former YRG, issued a statement welcoming the new government and reaffirming the neutrality of forces under his control. The Huthis named Zakaria al-Shami, a supporter from a prominent Hashemite family, as deputy chief of staff of the armed forces.[30] Other officers sympathetic to the Huthis were appointed to key commands, including in the YRG.[31]
According to documents leaked by a high-level defector, a Huthi priority was to co-opt the YRG into its own chain of command, under the leadership of Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi, brother of the group’s leader Abd al-Malik.[32] Shortly after entering the capital, the Huthis forcefully stormed several YRG positions, placing loyalists within the forces’ command structure. Hundreds of Huthi fighters were incorporated into YRG ranks as soldiers. The YRG may have lost some its independence, but the injection of experienced and loyal foot soldiers revived its capabilities.
By early 2015, the YRG-Huthi hybrid was transforming into a force composed of ideologically motivated irregular fighters working alongside operators of heavy weaponry and professionally trained commanders. Under Huthi pressure the YRG rapidly drifted toward a structure more commonly associated with Hizbullah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Shortly after seizing the capital the Huthis began transferring heavy weaponry from the YRG and 1st Armored Division to their strongholds near the border with Saudi Arabia. Alleging that SCUD missiles from YRG stockpiles had been transferred north of Sana’a and pointed toward Saudi Arabia, in March 2015 the Saudi Air Force launched a bombing campaign targeting a variety of military targets. Some of the fiercest Saudi bombing runs focused on YRG bases surrounding Sana’a.[34] In April 2015 the YRG spokesman stated that YRG units had been scattered and redeployed in light of Saudi strikes.[35] Overmatched by Saudi airpower, the YRG became even more intertwined with the Huthis, and in the following months the YRG and the Huthi “Popular Committees” took credit for joint operations along the Saudi border. On the battlefield it became virtually impossible to separate the YRG and the “Popular Committees.”
The YRG-Huthi hybrid forces have survived over a year and half of fierce Saudi bombardment.
The YRG has proven to be a resilient entity, able to adapt to volatility and adverse conditions.
The YRG-Huthi hybrid force represents the effective amalgamation of young, ideologically motivated foot soldiers on the one hand and trained operators of heavy weaponry and advanced equipment on the other hand. It has proven highly resilient to the Saudi strategy of overmatch via airpower and may no longer be separable into its constituent parts. The YRG-Huthi force is in many ways similar to the successful fighting groups emerging from the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, and as such it provides a template for the type of forces that will define the region’s operational environment for years to come – by Lucas Winter, analyst on the Middle East for the Foreign Military Studies Office (FMSO) at Fort Leavenworth, KS
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-adaptive-transformation-of-yemen%E2%80%99s-republican-guard
6.3.2017 – Fars News (** B K P)
The Politics of the Worst: America’s War on Islam Is Permanent
US airstrikes continue to hit Yemen and Syria, and it isn’t “a one-off flurry of attacks”. The Pentagon regime officials say “the war, in limitless form, will continue for at least another decade - or two”.
Yemeni officials concede that they aren’t really sure what the objective of the new US airstrikes is, though President Donald Trump makes vague reference to threats of Al-Qaeda launch attacks abroad from central Yemen. The Yemeni officials, however, say they believe the US strikes are “open-ended”.
Exactly what the US is hitting in the strikes is totally clear to everyone, with strikes mostly hitting civilian areas, where the Pentagon regime claims are Al-Qaeda camps and weapons depots. The Trump White House is making the same strategic claims in Syria, sending more troops and seeking regime change in Damascus with several negative and terrible objectives and consequences:
1- The US policy planners have adopted an explicit doctrine of Endless War on Islam. The Trump White House, despite repeatedly boasting that they have delivered crippling blows to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, are now openly declaring this to be so. With the US massing a large number of combat troops in the region, and with a nervous Europe on the verge of mental breakdown over new terrorist threats, it is clear that the Trump White House is spreading the War on Islam.
2- The military escalation in Syria and Yemen have no purpose other than its own eternal perpetuation. This war is not a means to any end but rather is the end in itself. It is also its own fuel. This endless war - justified in the name of stopping the threat of ISIL and Al-Qaeda – is the single greatest cause of that threat.
3- Admitedly, the war is designed by its very terms to be permanent, incapable of ending, since the war itself ironically ensures that there will never come a time when people stop wanting to bring violence back to the US, and the nation's most powerful political and economic factions, mainly the Military-Industrial Complex and the Pentagon regime, reap a bonanza of benefits from its continuation (think of oil, arms race, and weapons sales).
4- Ending this war is the last thing on the mind of the man who has issued an executive order to ban Muslim immigrants and refugees from ever entering the United States. Trapped in a world without accountability, Trump’s Muslim ban makes that clearer beyond declaring that the War on Islam will continue “for at least another 10-20 years”.
5- The costs are nonetheless gargantuan. The genius of Trump’s war policy is that, learning from the bankruptcy of the past 16 years, he has asked the vassals of the Middle East to pay for it. That will be accomplished by heaping all of the war burden on Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf Arab monarchies by using political, mechanized instruments to force them to pay, and by suppressing any real discussion at the United Nations and the worldwide anti-American rage that generates.
6- Trump’s military escalation is not just an illegal and moral catastrophe. It’s a failure by any measure. It is the politics of the worst. It will provoke and get the Muslim world to overreact. It will kill many more innocent civilians, increase terrorism threats and attacks in the West, increase the number of jihadist groups, and more than double the membership in ISIL and Al-Qaeda. It will also generate a massive counterterrorism bureaucracy in the broader West that has no reason to ramp up the politics of fear, Islamophobia, and Muslim ban.
7- It is a sad but immutable fact that the War Party’s direct intervention in Syria and Yemen has paradoxically elevated the stature and support for terrorists and extremists while diminishing support for the United States and its bogus anti-terror coalition. Trump lies when he claims “Muslims do hate our freedoms”. Muslims hate his policies, including his administration's controversial Muslim ban and support for Israel and for tyrannies in the Arab world.
Without question, the failed wars on Yemen and Syria offer stark examples why Trump’s desperate push to build a new Levant - under the pretext of fighting Al-Qaeda and ISIL militants – will similarly reach a dead end. The evidence so far that Trump will be more successful than Obama is not encouraging. Moreover, the talk of fighting terror and bringing democracy to Syria and Yemen is self-serving hypocrisy. The war and the subsequent occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan hasn’t brought any democracy to those countries, only terrorism, chaos and destruction.
The Trump White House and the Pentagon regime are only right in one thing: Ultimately, the terrorist group of ISIL will be contained, degraded, and defeated. In both the Syrian and Iraqi battlefields, however, it is the national armies, Iranian military advisors, Shiite-Sunni volunteer forces, and Russian airpower that are retaking territories and liberating cities and towns. It is also the Syrian, Iraqi and Yemeni peoples - and not the regime-changing US-led coalition forces - who will address the future of the region, pending final defeat of Saudis in Yemen and collapse of ISIL in Mosul and Raqqa.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13951216001632
My comment: There is no author’s name given. You might criticize this is from an Iranian source. Just tell what should be wrong about this.
2.3.2017 – 28pages.org (** B P)
Meet 70 Americans Working for Saudi Arabia Against 9/11 Justice
How much would Saudi lobbyists have to pay you to help undermine a new law that enables 9/11 families and survivors to present evidence against the kingdom for its alleged assistance to the 9/11 hijackers?
According to filings with the Department of Justice mandated by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), some of your fellow citizens have done so for as little as $5,000; others are cashing in on a much bigger scale. They’ll say they’re doing it for different, baseless reasons, but there’s no doubting the aim of their faraway masters.
The September enactment of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) was a resounding defeat for Saudi Arabia and its lobbyists in Washington. Undaunted, the kingdom and its fellow travelers in and out of the United States government immediately launched a coordinated assault on the new law.
Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham—who have urged colleagues to amend JASTA—represent only the legislative tip of the Saudi spear. Far less conspicuous is a formidable array of U.S. lobbying firms assembled by the kingdom.
McClatchyDC’s James Rosen reported last week that the armada now spans at least 17 firms—including heavy-hitters Qorvis MSLGROUP, Brownstein Hyatt and Squire Patton Boggs—collectively billing the kingdom more than $1 million every month. Many of these firms, in turn, hire additional companies and influential individuals to help carry out the kingdom’s wishes.
October Buying Spree
Two weeks after JASTA’s passage—in a stark illustration of Saudi Arabia’s determination to kill the nascent JASTA in its infancy—Qorvis went on an influence acquisition spree. In little over a month, the firm engaged approximately 70 third-party individuals to work on behalf of Saudi Arabia. By contrast, there were only five comparable registrations in all of 2015.
28Pages.org has scoured these registrations; in the spirit of transparency that inspired the law that mandates them, we present something of a who’s who among Americans aiding the kingdom in its effort to keep 9/11 families and survivors at bay.
Cataloguing scores of lobbyists, public relations professionals and other individuals engaged throughout the United States, this directory gives just a hint of the full breadth of Saudi Arabia’s anti-JASTA effort. Qorvis is, after all, just one of 17 firms employed by the kingdom.
Top Observations
Some of the agents with the lowest profiles on the internet have received some of the biggest payouts: For example, who are you, Mr/Ms Jody Tedford of Seattle, and what are you doing to earn $36,000?
Three firms appear to be playing a particularly large role subsidiary role in working against JASTA: LS2group of Des Moines, Duane Morris Government Strategies in Pittsburgh, and Vectre Corporation in Richmond.
It’s no surprise to see former government officials in the mix—but there’s even a current one—in the Nevada state assembly. The state chair of the South Dakota GOP also signed on.
https://28pages.org/2017/03/02/meet-70-americans-working-for-saudi-arabia-against-911-justice/
My comment: The Saudis heavily try to corrupt the US political system, and who really cares? Nobody, there is a Russiomania instead.
6.1.2016 – Salon (** B P T)
Saudi Arabia funds and exports Islamic extremism: The truth behind the toxic U.S. relationship with the theocratic monarchy
The little-told history of the U.S.-Saudi "special relationship" is a story of blood, oil & violent fundamentalism
“Everybody’s worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there’s a really easy way: stop participating in it.” So advised world-renowned public intellectual Noam Chomsky, one of the most cited thinkers in human history.
The counsel may sound simple and intuitive — that’s because it is. But when it comes to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. ignores it.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading sponsor of Islamic extremism. It is also a close U.S. ally. This contradiction, although responsible for a lot of human suffering, is frequently ignored. Yet it recently plunged back into the limelight with the Saudi monarchy’s largest mass execution in decades.
Journalist Abby Martin devoted an episode of her show “The Empire Files” to exploring the Saudi-U.S. relationship. The episode, aptly titled “Inside Saudi Arabia: Butchery, Slavery & History of Revolt,” displays the brutality of the monarchy in excruciating detail.
“If the Saudi kingdom were an enemy of the U.S. government, we’d be shown these images and facts every day on the mainstream media,” Martin observes.
The internal repression and human rights abuses inside Saudi Arabia is one thing. Perhaps even more troubling, however, is the monarchy’s support for violent religious extremism. It is here that Chomsky’s advice on stopping terrorism becomes so important. By continually aligning itself with the Saudi regime, the U.S. is fueling the very fire it is fighting in the so-called War on Terror.
Saudi support for extremism
Saudi Arabia is a theocratic absolute monarchy that governs based on an extreme interpretation of Sharia (Islamic law). It is so extreme, it has been widely compared to ISIS. Algerian journalist Kamel Daoud characterized Saudi Arabia in an op-ed in The New York Times as “an ISIS that has made it.”
“Black Daesh, white Daesh,” Daoud wrote, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. “The former slits throats, kills, stones, cuts off hands, destroys humanity’s common heritage and despises archaeology, women and non-Muslims. The latter is better dressed and neater but does the same things. The Islamic State; Saudi Arabia.”
“In its struggle against terrorism, the West wages war on one, but shakes hands with the other,” Daoud continued. “This is a mechanism of denial, and denial has a price: preserving the famous strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia at the risk of forgetting that the kingdom also relies on an alliance with a religious clergy that produces, legitimizes, spreads, preaches and defends Wahhabism, the ultra-puritanical form of Islam that Daesh feeds on.”
Since the November Paris attacks, in which 130 people were massacred in a series of bombings and shootings for which ISIS claimed responsibility, the West has constantly spoken of the importance of fighting extremism. At the same time, however, the U.S., U.K., France, and other Western nations have continued supporting the Saudi regime that fuels such extremism.
Saudi political dissidents like Turki al-Hamad have constantly argued this point. In a TV interview, al-Hamad insisted the religious extremism propagated by the Saudi monarchy “serves as fuel for ISIS.” “You can see [in ISIS videos] the volunteers in Syria ripping up their Saudi passports,” al-Hamad said.
“In order to stop ISIS, you must first dry up this ideology at the source. Otherwise you are cutting the grass, but leaving the roots. You have to take out the roots,” he added.
In the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks, scholar Yousaf Butt stressed that “the fountainhead of Islamic extremism that promotes and legitimizes such violence lies with the fanatical ‘Wahhabi’ strain of Islam centered in Saudi Arabia.”
“If the world wants to tamp down and eliminate such violent extremism, it must confront this primary host and facilitator,” Butt warned.
In the past few decades, the Saudi regime has spent an estimated $100 billion exporting its extremist interpretation of Islam worldwide. It infuses its fundamentalist ideology in the ostensible charity work it performs, often targeting poor Muslim communities in countries like Pakistan or places like refugee camps, where uneducated, indigent, oppressed people are more susceptible to it.
Whether elements within Saudi Arabia support ISIS is contested. Even if Saudi Arabia does not directly support or fund ISIS, however, Saudi Arabia gives legitimacy to the extremist ideology ISIS preaches.
What is not contested, on the other hand, is that Saudi elites in the business community and even segments of the royal family support extremist groups like al-Qaida. U.S. government cables leaked by WikiLeaks admit “donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.”
Yet despite its brutality and support for extremism, the U.S. considers the Saudi monarchy a “close ally.” The State Department calls Saudi Arabia “a strong partner in regional security and counterterrorism efforts, providing military, diplomatic, and financial cooperation.” It stated in September 2015 it “welcomed” the appointment of Saudi Arabia to the head of a U.N. human rights panel. “We’re close allies,” the State Department remarked.
In order to understand where this intimate relationship came from, and why it is so important to the U.S., it is important to look back at history.
Saudi Arabia is truly a country that was created through Western imperialism. Before Roosevelt met with King Ibn Saud, Saudi Arabia was a relatively weak country with little global political influence. It was Western, and principally U.S., patronage that turned Saudi Arabia into what it is today. If it is truly interested in stopping terrorism, then, the U.S. and the rest of the West will heed Chomsky’s advice. The U.S. will realize that there really is an easy way to stop terrorism: It will stop participating in it, and end its alliance with Saudi Arabia – by Ben Norton
cp2 Allgemein / General
7.3.2017 – Critical Threats (* A K T)
Map: Zones of control; US air strikes
https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/targeting-aqap-u-s-airstrikes-in-yemen
7.3.2017 – Middle East Monitor (* A P)
UAE to Saudi: Abandon Yemen’s Hadi or we will withdraw our troops
The United Arab Emirates is reported to have warned Saudi Arabia to abandon its support for Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi or it will withdraw its troops from the Saudi-led coalition, Yemen’s Hadramout News weekly reported.
The paper said tensions between Abu Dhabi and Hadi’s administration have increased, adding that all political efforts by Hadi to reconcile with the UAE have failed.
This comes as the UAE is accused of seeking to occupy the south of Yemen and exercise a unilateral policy in the area as well as suppress the goals of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia to restore legitimacy in Yemen.
The paper added that UAE media outlets have completely ignored Hadi’s recent visit to the country during which he was unable to meet with senior leaders including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed.
7.3.2017 – Sputnik News (* B K)
One Big Auschwitz': US Has Questions to Answer Over Actions in Yemen
The US is carrying out a major series of airstrikes in Yemen, allegedly in aid of destroying one of al-Qaeda's most prominent divisions - but a regional expert has said the action is aggravating the already dire humanitarian crisis in the country, and is mainly hitting civilians, turning the country into "one big Auschwitz."
many question marks hover over whether the US is truly conducting its campaign to fight terrorism in the region.
"Reprieve has a wealth of information on America's 'secret wars,' specifically referring to the drone attacks. It's said they're intended to kill terror suspects, but in the case of Yemen many civilians have been killed — these people are not terrorists. If the US is serious about fighting terrorism, they must be honest about how they're going about it. They must address the Saudi rulers and ask why they are deliberately targeting civilians. Their war crimes are being conducted with American blessing," Kim Sharif, Director of Human Rights for Yemen, told Sputnik.
Ms. Sharif said the US drone campaign was "completely ridiculous," given coalition forces are fighting alongside Daesh.
"It's difficult to tell exactly who and what they're hitting at the moment. There have been several raids in recent days, allegedly against AQAP and Daesh fighters, but there seems to be illogic afoot here. When the Russians went into Syria, several flights were sighted in Aden airport bringing Daesh fleeing Syria into Yemen. Are they importing terrorists from other places into Yemen, giving themselves the excuse to intervene in the civil war on the government's side? This is very worrying indeed," she said.
Ms. Sharif added that the bombing campaign was worsening the dire humanitarian crisis in the country.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201703071051352604-yemen-one-big-auschwitz/
6.3.2017 – RT (* B K P)
Menschenrechtsorganisation: US-Navy SEALs schossen im Jemen auf alles, auch auf Frauen und Kinder
Schwere Vorwürfe an die Adresse der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Koalition gegen die Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen erhebt Kim Sharif, Direktor von Human Rights for Yemen, im Interview mit RT. Der Terror, so Sharif, gehe von Riad aus. Er sei deren Machtinstrument.
RT: Warum feiern die westlichen Medien die US-Luftschläge, versäumen es aber, die zivilen Opfer zu erwähnen? Immerhin protestierten sie lautstark gegen die zivilen Opfer aufgrund des russischen Einsatzes in Syrien. Worin liegt der Unterschied?
Kim Sharif: Es handelt sich um absolute Heuchelei seitens der so genannten Internationalen Gemeinschaft. Es geht dabei um geopolitische Interessen, die auch auf die jemenitischen Gewässer in den südlichen Regionen des Landes abzielen. Hier sei insbesondere die Bab-el-Mandeb-Passage erwähnt, die, wie sie wissen, für die gesamte Welt von enormer Bedeutung ist. Das scheint ein Hauptmotiv für die militärische Kampagne der Saudis im Jemen zu sein. Ein UN-Report hebt hervor, dass es sich bei 60 Prozent der Opfer um Zivilisten handelt.
Die Saudis und ihre Verbündeten bombardieren mit Vorsatz zivile Ziele. So wurden zum Beispiel 800 Mal Schulen angegriffen. Warum sollte jemand Schulen angreifen? Es handelt sich ganz klar um eine Strategie, die darauf abzielt, möglichst viele Zivilsten zu töten. Damit will man das Volk dazu bringen, einen von der saudischen Koalition und deren Herren gewünschten Präsidenten zu akzeptieren. Allein der Drohnen-Einsatz ist bereits ein Eingriff in die Souveränität des Jemen und widerspricht internationalem Recht.
Die Menschen wissen, dass es sich bei diesem Al-Kaida-Geschäft um ein Produkt der USA und ihrer saudischen Marionetten im Nahen Osten handelt. Wir wissen jetzt, dass es sich bei all den Al-Kaida-Leuten, die in die Anschläge am 11. September involviert waren, um Mitglieder der saudischen Königsfamilie handelte. Richtig wäre es, Drohnen nach Riad und nicht in den Süden Jemens, wie nach Shabwah, Abyan und in andere Regionen, zu schicken. Als die Navy SEALs vor einem Monat in Shabwah landeten, schossen sie auf alles, was sich bewegt, augenscheinlich vor allem auf Frauen und Kinder. Auch ein Navy SEAL starb während der Angriffe. Das ist ein Desaster für die internationale Gemeinschaft.
Es sollte doch in ihrem eigenen Interesse sein, dies zu tun und dadurch auch ihre eigenen wirtschaftlichen Interessen zu schützen. Der Golf von Aden sollte zum Nutzen aller sein.
Sollte sich jedoch nichts an der aktuellen Situation ändern, ist es sehr wahrscheinlich, dass die Handelsroute in die Hände von Terroristen fällt. Bei diesen handelt es sich um nichts anderes als um Stellvertreter der Saudis. Sie alle haben verschiedene Namen. In Afghanistan werden sie Taliban genannt. In Somalia heißen sie Al-Shabaab. In den Staaten des Nahen und Mittleren Ostens haben sie Namen wie Al-Kaida oder IS. Sie alle gehören dem saudischen Regime.
Man sollte sich daher um das saudische Regime kümmern und nicht weiter unschuldige Zivilisten im Jemen töten. Die Bürger Jemens sind sehr aufgebracht, insbesondere auch über die Verlegung der Zentralbank von Sanaa nach Aden. Dies hat zu sehr viel Leid und Hunger geführt. Aktuell herrscht eine Hungersnot, von der Millionen Menschen betroffen sind.
https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/47311-yemen-us-navy-seals-saudi-arabia/
The English version here: https://www.rt.com/op-edge/379503-saudi-airstrikes-yemen-us-seals/, had been already linked in YPR 275.
6.3.2017 – Southfront (A K)
Karte: MILITÄRISCHE LAGE IM JEMEN AM 6. MÄRZ 2017
https://de.southfront.org/militarische-lage-im-jemen-am-6-marz-2017/
Map: MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MARCH 6, 2017 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-6-2017-map-update/
6.3.2017 – Tasnim News (* B K P)
Saudi Regime Seeking to Avoid Embarrassment of Failure in Yemen: Ex-US Adviser
A former US government adviser underlined that the Riyadh regime is trying to find a “face-saving diplomatic solution” to avoid the embarrassment of failure in its ongoing military aggression against the Yemeni people.
Larudee: The attention of the world depends on the coverage of the major media, which in turn often depends upon government agencies, international bodies like the UN, and large NGOs, which report the slaughter of civilians like in Yemen. Millions of people died and were killed in Congo under similar circumstances and without world attention. Attention will not be brought upon such crimes until the western media report them, and they usually do not do so unless the perpetrators are enemies of western governments and their allies. Unfortunately, the people of Yemen are considered "disposable" and are being targeted by Saudi Arabia and its allies, who are all allies of the west.
Larudee: Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. The Saudi government is trying to avoid the embarrassment of failure, so it is trying to pursue a face-saving diplomatic solution. In my opinion, Minister of Defense Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is in a very weak position and will have to give up his office. He will be made to take responsibility for the failure of the war in Yemen. The big question is how many more people will have to die before this happens.
6.3.2017 – Yemen Updates (A H)
Since public servants are unpaid for the 6th month n a row, philanthropists distribute money to doctors in some hospitals in #Sanaa!
https://twitter.com/yemen_updates/status/838717013631590400
6.3.2017 – Yamanyoon (* B P)
Sanctions imposed by resolution 2216, against 5 named individuals, on the pretext of legitimizing an illegitimate fugitive ex-president, Saudi Arabia and Washington’s hand-picked puppet leader, Mansour Hadi, who demanded that neighbouring Saudi Arabia bomb his own people – even after Hadi had resigned twice from an already over-extended presidential term, before fleeing to his alma mater in Riyadh.
UN sanctions imposed upon 5 named individuals yet being exploited by the US/UK/EU backed Saudi coalition to collectively starve and punish 27 million Yemeni people.
This fact has been consistently omitted and waxed over by western political appeasers and ethically challenged mainstream media apologists – and their ignorant and conceded omission is one of the primary reasons why this conflict has been allowed to go from bad to worse.
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66803&lang=en
6.3.2017 – Abullah T / Hisham Al-Omeisy and others (A P)
Friends, whats the truth to rumours of Yemeni passports issued from 2016 in Sanaa being invaidated by the Hadi govt?
https://twitter.com/abdullaht/status/838706859808710656
They did. As if life not hard enough for those stuck inside or abroad whom now forced to travel and get new passports from Aden.
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/838708086508498944
so if somebody's passport expires what should they do? Mine is about to!
https://twitter.com/NoonArabia/status/838723493151784964
my cousin had to get her passport from Marib to be able to travel to UAE , they refused her passport from Sana'a
https://twitter.com/LSaryah/status/838722178199793664
3.3.2017 – Geopolitics Alert (* A K P)
US And Saudi Arabia Shower Yemen With Air Raids And Cluster Bombs
The United States has been conducting air strikes over a mountain range that appears to contain a combination of al-Qaeda and Houthi controlled territory. These strikes are officially part of Washington’s offensive against al-Qaeda in Yemen. There’s no word on casualties just yet.
But instead of focusing on the large portions of land al-Qaeda controls in Southern Yemen, the US chose instead to focus on suspected al-Qaeda positions closer to Northern Yemen. At this point, Geopolitics Alert is unable to verify from our local sources whether or not the US strikes are actually hitting al-Qaeda positions. The black triangle in the image below represents the estimated area hit by US airstrikes over the past two days.
The United States isn’t shy about calling the Houthis or Ansarullah forces a nuisance. (Half the time calling them an “Iranian-backed militia” and the other half simply referring to them as “rebels.”) But the United States isn’t openly at war with the Houthis either– Saudi Arabia is.
These air strikes would be a great way for the United States to clear out land as preparation for a Saudi-coalition offensive on the ground. Using that momentum, Saudi-backed forces could attempt to retake land from Houthi allies.
Saudi Cluster Bombs & Ground Offensive
In what seems to be a coordinated effort, Saudi Arabia carried out attacks dropping cluster bombs on Yemen along the Saudi-border yesterday.
http://geopoliticsalert.com/us-saudi-arabia-shower-yemen-air-raids-cluster-bombs = http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66859&lang=en
3.3.2017 – Geopolitics Alert (* B P)
Media Lies About al-Qaeda in Yemen
At the end of any mainstream news article about al-Qaeda in Yemen, you’ll see the outlet explain that al-Qaeda exploited the chaos in 2011 to gain territory and power. This is extremely misleading and essentially untrue.
Al-Qaeda has a presence in Yemen that for all intents and purposes dates back to the 1980’s when the US was first arming mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan. Since then, al-Qaeda has been a thorn in the side of any Yemeni government and a constant simmering threat. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that al-Qaeda in Yemen has caused– not simply exploited– the chaos we see today.
The mainstream outlets will go as far to explain that the US operation in Yemen dates back to post-911 attacks on al-Qaeda, but they won’t explain why or how. And as long as the Saudi Arabia is fighting the Houthis and their allies, al-Qaeda in Yemen is essentially an ally to the Saudi-backed coalition.
http://geopoliticsalert.com/us-saudi-arabia-shower-yemen-air-raids-cluster-bombs = http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66859&lang=en
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
7.3.2017 – World Health Organization (* A H)
Weekly update: cholera cases in Yemen, 7 March 2017
The Ministry of Public Health and Population in Yemen released additional figures for the ongoing outbreak of cholera. Since the last update on 26 February 2017, 1598 new suspected cases of cholera and zero deaths have been reported.
The trend of suspected cholera cases per week appear to be on the decline in most districts or governorates. Nearly 85% of the new cases recorded since the last update was in 10 districts within Al Hudaydah, Al Bayda, Hajjah, Sana’a and Ta’izz governorates.
Since the start of the outbreak in October 2016, a cumulative total of 22 181 suspected cases of cholera, including 103 associated deaths, have been reported across the country, with a case-fatality rate of 0.45%. Of these reported cases, Vibrio Cholerae 01 has been laboratory confirmed in 195 stool samples collected so far from 15 governorates.
7.3.2017 – World Food Programme (* A H)
Japan Provides Timely Food Support As WFP Steps Up Efforts To Prevent Famine In Yemen
This contribution comes at a time when two-thirds of people in Yemen do not have enough food and many areas are showing worrying signs of deteriorating food security. WFP and other humanitarian partners are stepping up operations to prevent the onset of famine, which is feared largely as a result of two years of devastating conflict and decades of chronic food insecurity.
“This contribution could not have come at a better time as WFP is doing its utmost to meet the urgent food needs of several million people each month,” said WFP Yemen Country Director Stephen Anderson. “Yemen is currently the world’s largest food insecurity emergency. WFP is extremely grateful to the people and the Government of Japan for this timely contribution that will substantially boost WFP efforts to get urgent food support to the people who need it most and help prevent the most vulnerable people in Yemen from slipping into famine.”
Preliminary results of a Yemen Emergency Food Security and Nutrition Assessment indicate that the number of food-insecure people has jumped by three million over the past seven months. Now an estimated 17 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from. Among these, about seven million people are considered to be severely food insecure and require immediate, adequate and sustained emergency food assistance. People that are severely food insecure are the main focus of WFP efforts in Yemen.
In February 2017, WFP reached a record 4.9 million people in Yemen with emergency food assistance, despite a challenging operational environment and access constraints. However, due to funding limitations, WFP is currently unable to provide a full, regular ration and is providing food that is about one-third of the recommended caloric requirements of 2,100 kilocalories per person per day. If urgent funds are not secured in time, WFP food stocks will run out next month.
“Food security is one of the main pillars Japan focuses on in addressing the very worrying humanitarian situation in Yemen,” said Katsuyoshi Hayashi, Ambassador of Japan to Yemen. “I hope our new funding, as part of international efforts to save Yemen from this miserable plight, will contribute to alleviating ordinary Yemeni people’s suffering.”
http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/japan-provides-timely-food-support-wfp-steps-efforts-prevent-famine-yemen = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/japan-provides-timely-food-support-wfp-steps-efforts-prevent-famine-yemen
7.3.2017 – Human Needs Development (A H)
A gallery of 27 pictures from Human Needs Development NGO on their latest distribution of food baskets in #Sanaa
Special thanks to everyone helping Yemenis to help other Yemenis.
HND write:
Together with world's humanity pioneers against #Yemen-i people's hunger and famine. This time with FOCUSAM which funded us to help families in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa, with food baskets. Thank you FOCUSAM for generosity.
https://www.facebook.com/HNDngoYE/posts/786335914851211 = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1297544103631950
7.3.2017 – The Guardian (* A H)
Famine warning signs were clear – so why are 20 million lives now at risk?
South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen are on the brink of catastrophe, thanks to conflict, drought, and a shocking failure in our international response
This year could be the most deadly from famine in three decades. The lives of more than 20 million people are at risk in four countries.
An elaborate humanitarian aid system has been created to prevent mass hunger. Yet as an international community we are failing to respond to the deadly threats posed by entirely predictable, and eminently avoidable, famine.
We are drifting slowly but with relentless predictability towards the precipice.
How did we get here? Conflict, drought, poor governance and a shockingly inadequate international response have all played a part.
All of this could have been predicted. The warning signs were clearly visible months ago. But the international community has prevaricated to the point of inertia. UN agencies that should have been working together have failed to coordinate their response, leading to fragmentation on the ground.
Of course, money is not the only missing link. The politics of famine has to be put at the centre of the international response. Apart from being a breach of the Geneva convention, it is ethically indefensible for Saudi Arabia to obstruct humanitarian aid and bomb the ports, roads and bridges needed to deliver famine relief. It is surely time for the UK to exert its “soft-power” influence with Saudi Arabia on behalf of Yemen’s children, if necessary backed by an arms embargo and sanctions
One age-old lesson we are re-learning from the current crisis it is that famine prevention is better than cure – by Kevin Watkins
6.3.2017 – WBEZ (* B H)
Audio: The Humanitarian Crisis In Yemen
The U.N. World Food Programme says the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is in Yemen and that the country is "on the brink of famine".
Approximately 7.3 million people urgently need food assistance, according to a recent report coauthored by the U.N. World Food Programme. In the last two years, UNICEF has supported the treatment of 460,000 children in Yemen suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to the report.
Worldview spoke about the situation with Summer Nasser, chair of Yemen Aid, an organization that provides direct assistance to the people in need.
6.3.2017 – Hona Almasirah (A H)
Film: A documentary about the worsening situation of kidney patients by the aggression on Yemen (in Arabic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znp9ubIlgpI&t=269s
6.3.2017 – World Food Programme, Logistics Cluster (A H)
Loaded in Djibouti, landed in Sana’a, delivered where it is needed
Since March 2015, when commercial air carriers suspended their regular air operations to Yemen, drastically limiting the prospects for humanitarian organisations to airlift cargo in the country, the Logistics Cluster has facilitated access to a regular airlift service, which provides fast and reliable delivery of emergency relief cargo.
The first combined chartered airlift facilitated by the Logistics Cluster in 2017 took off from Djibouti on 2 March 2017, and landed in Sana’a a couple of hours later. The aircraft carried 9 mt of much needed emergency relief items (roughly 40 m3), on behalf of seven organisations: ACF, Save the Children, UNFPA, UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF, and WHO.
Recent developments in the western coastal region of Yemen may result in the closure of the Port of Hodeidah, which would further limit delivery options inside Yemen. Humanitarian organisations would have to address additional challenges in responding to ever increasing needs. Additional logistics support is essential to ensure efficient and effective assistance is delivered to the affected population.
In 2016, the Logistics Cluster facilitated air transport of more than 800 m3 (approximately 25 20’ containers) of relief items from Djibouti to Sana’a. The Logistics Cluster stands ready to support actors involved in the response to the crisis to ensure a timely and uninterrupted supply of life-saving relief items to the affected populations.
More information on the airlifts facilitated by the Logistics Cluster (SOPs, schedule etc.) are available on the Logistics Cluster website: http://www.logcluster.org/ops/yem10a.
http://www.logcluster.org/blog/loaded-djibouti-landed-sana%E2%80%99s-delivered-where-it-needed = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/loaded-djibouti-landed-sana-delivered-where-it-needed
6.3.2017 – Human Appeal International (* A H)
Human Appeal Yemen provides critical food aid to over 460 needy families in Sana'a
Human Appeal, an International Humanitarian Aid Organization, started last Thursday distributing food parcels to 468 needy families in Al-Sunanaiah neighborhood in Sana'a capital city. This humanitarian aid is part of the Yemen emergency aid programme aiming to ease the suffering of the most vulnerable population affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen since March 2015.
“An increasing number of Yemeni families are struggling to access basic food items. Many have lost their sources of income since the beginning of war; others struggle with lack of salaries for five consequent months," Yassir Khairi, Head of Mission of Human Appeal Yemen, said on this occasion. "We are planning to continue our emergency aid with a focus on food, health and WASH sectors," added Mr. Khairi.
Human Appeal is a non-profit organisation working across the globe to strengthen humanity’s struggle against poverty, social injustice and natural disaster. Through the provision of immediate relief and establishment of sustainable development programmes, we invest in real effective solutions.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/human-appeal-yemen-provides-critical-food-aid-over-460-needy-families-sanaa and with images: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/PR_FoodDistrubtion6.3.2017.pdf
6.3.2017 – Your Abilities (A H)
A team from your abilities organization distributed food baskets for some families who don't have their daily basic needs, and also there were no waters for along time in that area and people waiting for water, thats why the organization fills four tanks of water for the families who leave their. (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/your.abilities.or/posts/287146451703699
6.3.2017 – Alma Hashem (A H)
Cash for work project in Hajah #Yemen Terraces Rehabilitation in two districts in Hajah. #DRC project in #Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/lomiess/status/838695402341810177
2.3.2017 – World Health Organization (* A H)
Workshop to review cholera response concludes in Sana’a
A consultative workshop on acute watery diarrhoea (AWD)/cholera response concluded today in Sana’a with the participation of WHO, UNICEF, health authorities and representatives from water, information, education and endowment ministries.
The 2-day workshop aimed to review and assess the epidemiological situation of the current AWD/cholera outbreak, discuss challenges in the management of the outbreak, formulate an agreement for information sharing among Health and WASH Cluster partners, and develop a national preparedness and response strategy for risk reduction.
“The recommendations from this workshop are extremely important and will allow us to formulate a preparedness plan across the country in order to ensure prompt actions and mitigate the risk of similar outbreaks in the future,” said Dr Nevio Zagaria, WHO Acting Representative for WHO Yemen. “WHO remains committed to supporting health authorities in prevention and responding to disease outbreaks and protecting the health of all people in Yemen.”
Since the beginning of the outbreak, a cumulative number of 21 790 suspected cholera cases and 103 deaths have been reported in 165 districts. A total of 193 stool samples from 905 patients from 15 governorates have tested positive for Vibrio cholerae.
As of 28 February, the cumulative suspected cases of AWD/cholera have decreased in 148 districts out of 165.
As part of its cholera outbreak response plan, WHO rehabilitated and fully equipped 26 diarrhoea treatment centres in affected governorates to treat patients based on WHO case management, infection prevention and control standards. WHO is also providing medicines and medical supplies, including oral rehydration solutions and IV fluids and is paying incentives for medical staff to ensure the centres remain functional.
http://www.emro.who.int/yem/yemen-events/workshop-to-review-cholera-response-concluded-in-sanaa.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/workshop-review-cholera-response-concludes-sana
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
7.3.2017 – Almasdar Online (A P)
Ibb: Senior military officer breaks into school, abducts teacher
Senior military officer broke into a school and humiliated a teacher, then took him into an unknown place in al Dhahar district of Ibb governorate, which is under the Houthis-Saleh militants control.
A source told Almasdaronline citing students in Anas bin Malik School that the deputy director of 7 July police department has broke into the school with a number of armed men, and assaulted the teacher Abdulmalik al-Faqih, severely humiliated him, and took him in an inhumane manner to the police department.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89407
7.3.2017 – Almasdar Online (* A P)
Houthis storm houses, abduct civilians in Otuma villages
A local source in Otuma district in western Dhamar governorate, central Yemen, said that the militants of the Houthi group and Saleh forces have waged intense campaigns of arresting and storming and looting of houses of civilians, days after they have seized control of the district.
The source pointed out that the Houthis have abducted more than a 100 person on charges of supporting the popular resistance, and took them to an unknown destination.
The source added that the Houthis carried out delicate searching and widespread looting for civilians’ houses in al Shamr region, “in search for the weapons owned by the popular resistance leader Mawadhah, who has moved to Marib city”.
“The campaign included the commercial shops, cars, and motorcycles of the civilians”.
“Few days back, dozens of Houthi militants on six military vehicles came to Lakam village, stormed the houses, and were searching the houses until dawn of the next day, after looting everything they could”. Added the source.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89396
Remark: For more information, look at cp1, article by Sanaa Center.
7.3.2017 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A P)
Clashes Break Out among Coup Militias in Yemen
Fighting for a powergrab in Yemen intensified, especially between coup militias. Both partaking in a local insurgency, Iran-aligned Houthis and armed loyalists backing ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh went public with the internal conflict among coup militias.
Houthi militiamen blatantly put Sanaa-based government officials, loyal to the insurgency, at gunpoint.
Empowering rage over reason, the Houthi movement objected to measures implemented by Abdel-Aziz bin Habtoor, Sanaa’s de facto political ruler appointed by coup militias.
Inner fighting between Houthi militants and Saleh loyalists exacerbated to the extent that senior coup-government officials were unable to reach ministerial offices in Sanaa.
http://english.aawsat.com/2017/03/article55368870/clashes-break-within-coup-militias-yemen
My comment: This is a Saudi media, as you can imagine by the strange propaganda wording. There are tensions between the different factions at the Houthi / Saleh side. What’s fact and what’s fiction in this article, I do not know.
7.3.2017 – Saba Net (A P)
Foreign Minister meets Russian ambassador to Yemen
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf met on Tuesday in Sana'a with the Acting Russian Embassy to Yemen.
Foreign Minister emphasized the need of the international community to quickly move to stop the aggression against Yemen and to put an end the unjust blockade so as to restore security and stability to Yemen.
He stressed that Yemen welcomes any efforts to achieve peace, pointing out that the aggression led by Saudi Arabia puts obstacles in front of any efforts, either in the human side or the political side.
The Minister pointed out the need to put pressure on Riyadh's group to deliver the state's salaries to fulfill their obligations in this regard.
He demanded that Russia continues its efforts to put pressure on the aggression's countries so as to reopen Sana'a International Airport before the civil and commercial flights.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458264.htm
7.3.2017 – Saba Net (A T)
Police arrest al-Qaeda terrorist in Baidha
Primary investigations revealed that he had entered one of the suicide bombers to the city of Rada'a. The terrorist himself was also preparing to carry out the suicide attack.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458286.htm
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A P)
Foreign Minister: We welcome any initiatives for political inclusive, equitable solution for Yemeni people
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf welcomed on Monday the statement issued by the US ambassador to Yemen that the Washington supports peace efforts under the auspices of the United Nations and there is no option for military solution in Yemen.
Matthew H. Tueller's statement added that the only solution would be through comprehensive peace negotiations in accordance with parallel political and security procedures.
Sharaf said in a statement to SABA that this confirms what has already announced by the previous US administration in more than one occasion, most recently the principles' points of Muscat that was sponsored by former Secretary of State John Kerry.
He added that the Supreme Political Council and the Government of National Salvation had announced in more than one occasion for proceeding with peace so as to reach a political solution for a Yemeni - Yemeni solution in one hand and a Yemeni-Saudi political solution on the other hand that ensure a comprehensive, equitable and honorable solution that ends the causes of the aggression against Yemen.
Foreign Minister called on President Trump's administration to prove the credibility and neutrality to stop arms deals exported to Saudi Arabia, including internationally banned weapons.
He also called for ending logistical and intelligence support to aggression's countries against Yemen in order to create a conducive environment for any future peace negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations and the five permanent members of the Security Council.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458179.htm = http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66850&lang=en
6.3.2017 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Yemen prime minister oversees preparations for million-man demo on March 26th, marking 2 years of US-backed Saudi aggression (image)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/838812919815102464
6.3.2017 – Middle East Monitor (A P)
Houthis: America should cooperate with us for effective attacks on Al-Qaeda
Houthi militias and their allies yesterday condemned US attacks on Al-Qaeda in Yemen, saying they would never be “fruitful” if America doesn’t cooperate with them, the Anadolu Agency reported.
The Yemeni news agency run by the Houthis reported an official saying: “Houthis and forces of Ali Abdullah Saleh reiterated that the unliteral American military measures violate the national sovereignty of Yemen.”
he official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed: “The attacks will never be fruitful without security and intelligence cooperation with our authorities which fight Al-Qaeda and Daesh.”
He said that the attacks, which were cooperated with Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, “will not achieve their goals because they are based on false information supplied by the sponsors of Al-Qaeda and its sisters.”
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K P)
Hodaida tribesmen rally to mobilize against Saudi aggression
Tribesmen of Hodaida province districts announced mobilization to support front lines to face US-backed Saudi aggression.
The mobilization announced in a protest rally held on Sunday for the districts of al-Marawa'ah, Bajal, al-Sukhanah, Abal and al-Hjailah.
At the rally, the tribesmen confirmed their steadfastness in confronting the Saudi aggression.
During the anti-aggression protest rally, the tribesmen sent money and convoy of foodstuffs to the battlefields.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458114.htm
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K P)
Otoma tribes promise sending more fighters to battlefronts
Tribal meeting of citizens and tribes of Otoma confirmed to support the Army and popular forces against the US-Saudi brutal aggression.
The citizens reaffirmed willingness and readiness to send more money, more foods and more men to front lines to support the national army to defend the homeland.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458126.htm = http://newnewss.net/?p=3238
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
7.3.2017 – Middle East Monitor (* A P)
Sudan and the UAE battle for control of Yemen airport
The Sudanese army has a legitimate right to take over supervisory control of the Aden International Airport in southern Yemen, sources in the Sudanese capital Khartoum said.
The claim comes days after a faction of the southern Yemeni army which was protecting the airport, under the supervision of the UAE army, came under attack from Sudanese soldiers who are part of the Saudi-led coalition and are allied with the officially recognised President of Yemen, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
The clashes are the latest in on-going tensions between rival Yemeni groups in the south and followed official orders from Hadi for the current head of the airport, Salah Al Emeeri, better known as Abu Qatan, to step down as head of the facility.
Speaking about the latest incident, Al Emeeri, who has refused to relinquish control of the airport, told local news outlets that the Sudanese forces opened fire on southern Yemeni troops inside the airport before being pushed back and forced to flee. However, he confirmed that some Sudanese forces were still inside the facility.
He claimed the situation was under the control of his forces who were exercising self-restraint. He vowed never to allow the Sudanese to take over and said he would maintain control of the military and the security operations in southern Yemen. His group has been protecting the airport, under the supervision of the UAE army, ever since the liberation of Aden in 2015 from Houthi rebels loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Salih.
Last month, similar clashes, took place between rival factions vying for control of the airport. It led to the Saudi-led coalition intervening for the first time in the dispute.
A Sudanese Army source pointed to the genuine differences that have emerged between the UAE and the Saudi Arabian government over the support for Hadi. The UAE had given Saudi Arabia an ultimatum that would require the Saudis to withdraw their support for Hadi or see the UAE pull its troops from Yemen.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170307-sudan-and-the-uae-battle-for-control-of-yemen-airport/
7.3.2017 – Al Sahwa (A T)
Weapon depot of al-Qaeda found out in Hadhramout
Yemeni Security Forces have recently found a big weapon depot which was hidden by al-Qaeda in the eastern area of Hadhramout Cost.
Security sources said the weapon depot included rockets, mortars and launchers, pointing out that medium weapons were also stored in number of houses of al-Shihir, and al-Dais in Hadhramout Cost.
The sources said that a security operation was carried out in three days after some houses which contented weapons were discovered.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-4724
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
7.3.2017 – Al Sahwa (A P)
Rights groups demand to release enforcedly disappeared persons
A team of the Yemeni Alliance for Monitoring Human Rights Violations on Tuesday discussed with UN officials in Geneva violations committed by militias of the Houthis and Saleh against civilians.
According to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), statistics of enforced disappearance and violations committed inside militias of the Houthis and Saleh. The also discussed medical, economic and social impacts on their families.
The delegation demanded the United Nations to put further pressures on militias of the Houthis and Saleh to release all abductees and enforcedly disappeared persons in all Houthi prisons, particularly those people mentioned in the UN Resolution 2216.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-4743
7.3.2017 – Al Sahwa (A P)
UN Envoy arrives Kuwait to revive Yemeni talks
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen Esmail Ould Cheikh Ahmed is meeting with Kuwaiti officials in attempt to convince them to adopt a new round of Yemeni talks, The Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) said on Sunday
It affirmed that the Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah met with Ould Cheikh, stressing that his country supports all efforts exerted by the UN Envoy to restore security and stability across Yemen.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-4723
7.3.2017 – Nawal Al-maghafi (A P)
Russia requests an open session at #UNSC to discuss #Yemen's humanitarian situation. Should be happening this week.
https://twitter.com/Nawalf/status/839053317976240128
6.3.2017 – Pars Today (A P)
Yemeni protesters blame UN for failure to stop Saudi war
Hundreds of Yemeni people have held a protest against Saudi Arabia's prolonged war on the impoverished Arab country, blaming the United Nations for its failure to bring the deadly campaign to a decisive end. The protesters gathered in front of the UN office in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, on Sunday to express outrage over the misery the Saudi war machine has brought to the country.
The demonstrators said the world body had failed to curb the massive starvation in Yemen and block further displacement of the Yemeni people.
"We are here to tell the United Nations that it is now accused of (contributing to) the starvation of the people of Yemen. It is now responsible for the displacement of the Yemeni people," said Khalil el-Shamri, the head of the workers' syndicate of Yemen, one of the organizers of the demonstration.
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
7.3.2017 – Tasnim News (A P)
Official Reiterates Iran’s Support for Political Dialog among Yemenis
A special adviser to Iran’s parliament speaker Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Iran recognizes political dialog among Yemeni parties as an effective way to resolve crisis in the Arab country.
He pointed to the growing presence of different terrorist groups south of Yemen and said the issue has become a source of concern and a threat to the security of the international waters.
Abdollahian, also former deputy foreign minister for Arab and African Affairs, then described Saudi Arabia’s behavior in the region as “non-constructive”, and asked Riyadh to impose tangible changes in its regional policies.
Elsewhere, he dismissed allegations about Iran effort to transfer arms to Yemen, saying, “The claim about alleged transferring of arms to Yemen is totally baseless.”
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Siehe / Look at cp1
7.3.2017 – Bloomberg (A E P)
Saudi Arabia's Full Statement to Bloomberg on Its 2017 Agenda
Senior source in economic council responds to questions
Discusses Aramco IPO, government efforts to cushion slowdown
A senior source in Saudi Arabia’s Council of Economic and Development Affairs, a body overseen by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, responded to Bloomberg questions on the government’s 2017 agenda with the statement that follows. Questions have been edited for clarity.
My comment: There seems to be a lot of propaganda in this.
6.3.2017 – Foreign Affairs (* A P)
Why King Salman Went to Asia
There are many reasons for Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, a reluctant traveler abroad at the best of times, to be undertaking his ambitious month-long journey to the Asia-Pacific region. China and Japan are critical economic partners that Saudi Arabia needs to fulfill its ambitious Vision 2030 program of economic and social reform. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Maldives are all majority-Sunni states and members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which is headquartered in Jeddah and led by Saudi Arabia. As such, they are vital to Saudi efforts to construct a united Sunni front to challenge Iran’s ambitions to amass power in the Islamic world.
But there can also be no doubt that the not-too-subtle subtext of the king’s tour is a signal that Saudi Arabia will preserve its flexibility when it comes to its dealings with the United States. Riyadh’s reaction to Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president has been positive. Salman was among the first leaders to congratulate the president-elect last November. His foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, has worked aggressively to establish ties to the new administration and has praised it in comments to the press and in public fora.
And for its part, the Trump administration shows every sign that it reciprocates the Saudi desire to rebuild a relationship that had withered during the unhappy years of the Barack Obama presidency – By Gerald M. Feierstein, Director of the Center for Gulf Affairs - The Middle East Institute (full content for subscribers only)
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/east-asia/2017-03-06/why-king-salman-went-asia = http://www.mei.edu/content/why-king-salman-went-asia
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp14
7.3.2017 – Lawfareblog (* A K P T)
The United States Escalates in Yemen
As the Council on Foreign Relations’ Micah Zenko notes, the reporting suggests Trump is now approving an average of one drone strike every 1.25 days, far outpacing the frequency of drone strikes approved by President Obama.
This escalation has focused entirely on one of the two wars the United States is fighting in Yemen: the counterterrorism fight against AQAP, which is a continuation of operations that extend back before the Arab Spring to target the group since its founding in 2009 (or, arguably, back to 2002, when the United States conducted its first ever drone strike against AQAP’s predecessor organization). Since the Gulf intervention in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, the United States has been partnering with Emirati troops to target AQAP, but it has also been helping the Gulf state fight the other war in Yemen: the civil war against Houthi rebels and loyalists to Ali Abdullah Saleh
As the Trump administration settles on new policies to confront Iran’s involvement in the region, it is expected to escalate the U.S. role in the fight against the Houthis, which are perceived by the Gulf states and some U.S. analysts as Iranian proxies. (Many experts refute this claim, though, noting that the Houthis appear to be receiving only limited patronage from Iran and are acting independently and consistent with the organization’s history.) Here’s the thing: These two conflicts are largely being fought separately, and the alliances in the war against the Houthis and Saleh are not the same as the alliances in the war against AQAP. That complicates U.S. war efforts, and the January 29 raid brought that complication into sharp relief. While the primary target, AQAP leader Qassim al-Rimi, escaped the raid, U.S. Special Operators did take out Abdulrauf al Dhahab, a brother-in-law of of Anwar al-Awlaqi with deep ties to AQAP. But Dhahab was also a Hadi supporter on the Saudi-backed government’s payroll. Also caught in the January 29 crossfire were local tribal leaders asking Dhahab to mediate a dispute with between them and AQAP. It’s hard to talk about any of these people being on one “side” of the conflict; they’re doing their best to manage local interests and have been caught between competing powers in the area. Their allegiances may be questionable, but they certainly will not be sympathetic to U.S. or Emirati forces after the raid.
What Will Trump and the Gulf States Do about Iran? – By J. Dana Stuster
6.3.2017 – Fox News (* A K P)
Film: Increasing American involvement in Yemen: Zimmerman on Fox News’ ‘Happening Now’
7.3.2017 – Norwegian Refugee Council (* A H P)
Renewed US ban bounces refugees from hope to despair again
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is deeply dismayed by the new executive order on immigration and refugee resettlement issued today by US President Donald Trump, barring citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States of America, while suspending the refugee resettlement programme for 120 days.
The new executive order will disrupt thousands of lives due to terrorism fears without factual basis.
“The process of refugee resettlement should be orderly, not an emotional rollercoaster. For the second time in just over a month, imposing this ban further punishes families that already fled their home countries. Refugee lives are not ping-pong balls. When the US government says that it has agreed to resettle refugees, it should follow through on that promise, admitting everyone who has been already vetted,” said Joel Charny, US Director of Norwegian Refugee Council.
NRC has two major concerns with the new executive order.
Firstly, the ban discriminates against refugees by unjustly depicting them as a threat to the United States. Refugees already go through a thorough vetting process before they enter the US, a process taking up to four years. The women, men and children who have come through this process pose a miniscule risk to the security of the US. They are only guilty of fleeing war and persecution, and wanting a better life for their families.
Secondly, reducing the accepted number of refugees to the United States from 110,000 to 50,000 is shameful for a country so wealthy.
"The new policy sends a dangerous message to the world that the United States, with all its resources, has abandoned its commitment to addressing the global refugee crisis,” warned Charny.
“The effects of this rhetoric are far reaching beyond America’s borders. What happens here today gives momentum to nationalist movements in Europe and elsewhere, that persecution and religious intolerance are acceptable. It sets a poor example for far less wealthy countries, like Lebanon and Uganda, who have generously taken in refugees and may now question their own commitment. The global refugee regime depends on American leadership.”
The Norwegian Refugee Council makes the following recommendations as the new immigration settlement policy is implemented:
https://www.nrc.no/news/2017/march/renewed-us-ban-bounces-refugees-from-hope-to-despair-again/ = http://reliefweb.int/report/united-states-america/renewed-us-ban-bounces-refugees-hope-despair-again
7.3.2017 – Common Dreams (* A H P)
The US Travel Ban: Unconstitutional, Inhumane and Illogical
Indeed the idea that refugees pose a greater risk of committing acts of terrorism than anyone else is false. A refugee is not someone who commits acts of terrorism, a refugee is someone fleeing people who commit acts of terrorism.
Up until recently, the US clearly recognized this fact. Set-up in 1980, America’s Refugee Admissions Program has overseen the successful resettlement of more than 3 million refugees. It has been a beacon of hope to some of the most vulnerable people around the world.
By dimming that beacon, this executive order plays directly into the hands of those who portray the US government as being at war with Islam. Reports earlier this month suggest members of the armed group that calls itself Islamic State were referring to the previous executive order as the “blessed ban” because it will enable them to galvanize anti-US sentiment.
The Trump administration’s intent is to create a policy that will withstand legal scrutiny. Rather than curbing the excesses of the first travel ban, the revised version shows a xenophobic policy towards Muslims which is mutating, virus-like, into an ever more resilient strain. And like a virus, its effects cannot be easily contained.
It is up to us all to challenge everything that this ban represents. Around the world people are expressing their opposition to the travel ban and in the United States tomorrow, Amnesty International is holding a national day of action. Across the country, Americans of all faiths and backgrounds will come together to demand that Congress reject this ban and restore hope for refugees like Yahia and Maher who are seeking respite and sanctuary from war – by
Salil Shetty
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/03/07/us-travel-ban-unconstitutional-inhumane-and-illogical
7.3.2017 – The Guardian (A H P)
Revised travel ban offers no relief for New York couple fleeing Yemen
Raabyaah Althaibani and Basheer Othman met during Yemen’s Arab spring, and face uncertain future as Althaibani waits in the US for her husband to join her.
Raabyaah Althaibani and her family were plunged into uncertainty again on Monday as Donald Trump signed his new executive order banning travel from six Muslim-majority countries. Althaibani, a Yemeni American, is now unsure about the fate of her husband’s visa application to join her in the US.
“This executive order has affected thousands of Yemeni American New Yorkers, including myself and my family,” Althaibani said. “I don’t know what will happen with this ban, but what I do know is I want my husband here with me.”
“It’s already difficult to be in this long distance and then to have your government add this burden, it’s inhumane,” she told reporters at the offices of the New YorkImmigration Coalition – by Mazin Sidahmed
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/07/revised-travel-ban-new-york-couple-yemen-visa
6.3.2017 – W USA 9 (A H P)
Students From Yemen Seek Temporary Protection Status
They are young people without a country. Twenty-four teenagers from Yemen came to the United States as exchange students. Now, they could soon be deported back to Yemen, which they fear could be a death sentence.
Six of those students attend Northern Virginia Community College. They came to the embassy of Yemen Monday hoping to find a way to stay in America, which invited them here in the first place.
The State Department program has been funding the students’ living expenses and education, but that’ll soon end. Their only hope to stay in the U.S. legally is to receive temporary protective status from the Department of Homeland Security.
If DHS grants temporary status to the 24 students, it’ll be a huge relief, but their next problem is money. Their State Department funding disappears in May. They have a GoFundMe account that has raised about $30,000, but the money won’t go very far for 24 people (with film)
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/virginia/students-from-yemen-seek-temporary-protection-status/420190467 and also https://nationalyemen.com/2017/03/07/students-from-yemen-seek-temporary-protection-status/
6.3.2017 – AFP (* A P)
US-Präsident Trump unterzeichnet neues Dekret mit Einreiseverboten
US-Präsident Donald Trump hat ein neues Dekret mit pauschalen Einreiseverboten unterzeichnet. Das teilte am Montag das Weiße Haus mit. Ein erstes Dekret war im Februar von Bundesrichtern vorläufig aufgehoben worden.
Der neue Erlass, der am 16. März in Kraft treten soll, ist nun in einigen Punkten abgemildert und präzisiert.
So steht der Irak nach Angaben des Heimatschutzministeriums nicht mehr auf der Liste von mehrheitlich muslimischen Ländern, deren Staatsangehörigen für einen Zeitraum von 90 Tagen generell die Einreise untersagt wird. Weiterhin sollen diese pauschalen Einreiseverbote aber für Bürger aus dem Iran, Jemen, Libyen, Somalia, Sudan und Syrien gelten.
http://www.suedkurier.de/nachrichten/politik/US-Praesident-Trump-unterzeichnet-neues-Dekret-mit-Einreiseverboten;art410924,9160882
6.3.2017 – Bloomberg (* A P)
Trump Issues Revised Travel Ban to Address Legal Challenges
President Donald Trump signed an order restricting entry into the U.S. by people from six predominantly Muslim countries, reviving a signature initiative that stalled in the face of court challenges, sparked global protests and prompted dissent by some of his advisers.
The directive takes effect March 16 and removes Iraq from an initial list of seven countries whose citizens cannot travel to the U.S. for the next 90 days. It was narrowed to address legal questions raised by federal courts, with the new version specifying that people who have already been issued visas, green-card holders and dual citizens won’t be denied entry. The administration said the new order addresses urgent security threats – by
Jennifer Epstein and Margaret Talev
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-06/trump-revises-travel-ban-to-address-legal-issues-exempt-iraqis and therefrom: Handy chart comparing travel bans 1.0 and 2.0. https://twitter.com/joshgreenman/status/838833410198147073 and by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/06/new-trump-travel-ban-muslim-majority-countries-refugees and full text: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/06/the-full-text-trump-revised-travel-ban
and more:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRT-V5mDxBq/
6.3.2017 – ALCJ (* A P)
New Executive Order to Protect America from Jihad is Lawful – Everything You Need to Know
Earlier today, President Trump signed a new “Executive Order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.”
This new order is legally bullet proof. It serves as a key first step in protecting America from jihadist attacks. It recognizes the fact that of the 1,000 ongoing terrorist investigations in the U.S., 300 are looking into individuals who entered America through our refugee program. And it implements many of our legal proposals aimed at withstanding judicial review.
Here’s what the new Executive order actually does:
There are several key changes made in this new order. Because the Iraqi government has diligently worked with the U.S. government over the last month to coordinate information sharing to ensure security and certainty, Iraq is no longer on the list of countries affected by the temporary travel restrictions. Furthermore, the temporary travel restrictions do not apply to lawful permanent residents (what are commonly referred to as green card holders), those with valid visas as of January 27, 2017, and those refugees whose travel has already been scheduled to the United States by the State Department as of March 16, 2017 – the effective date of the new order – By Jay Sekulow
6.3.2017 – The Independent (* A P)
Donald Trump’s new ‘Muslim ban’ still does not include countries that have produced terrorists
Executive order excludes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt
At a press conference on Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the six countries were chosen for exclusion on the grounds that their governments were "unable or unwilling to provide the information we need" to vet incoming people "responsibly".
No Syrian refugee had even been charged with the intent to carry out an attack on US soil in more than four decades, according to a report by the Cato Institute.
The President has ignored a report from the Department of Homeland Security which said barring people from certain countries would not reduce the terrorist threat.
The new ban does nothing to increase vetting of travellers from the countries which produced the dozen terrorists who came to the US more than 17 years ago, trained to fly planes at a US institution and crashed into the Twin Towers in New York, killing more than 2,000 people – by Rachael Revesz
6.3.2017 – Tulsi Gabbard (* A P)
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Statement Against Refugee Ban
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s announcement of a newly revised travel ban:
“True to our history and values as a nation, we have served as a place of refuge to the most vulnerable in the world. We should not be putting in place a blanket ban of refugees, especially when we have actively been fueling the counterproductive regime change wars that have caused them to flee their homes. These people would much rather stay in their homes and live in peace. That’s why we must address the cause of this refugee crisis and end the destructive U.S. policy of counterproductive regime-change wars, as we’ve seen most recently in Iraq, Libya, and now in Syria.”
https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-tulsi-gabbard-statement-against-refugee-ban
6.3.2017 – Melrose Wicked Local (A P)
Melrose family affected by Trump’s executive order on travel
6.3.2017 – US News (* A K P)
Yemen Needs Us Now
It's time the U.S. stopped supporting bloodshed in Yemen. Yemen is now a White House talking point. It was in President Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress last week and there's speculation of increased American military involvement. While most Americans aren't tracking the complexities of the civil war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen they should be. Recently, news reached American shores of hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children nearing starvation. In January, Yemen's rising death toll exceeded 10,000, with another 40,000 injured, many of whom are civilians.
The United States is responsible for many of these deaths and could do more to alleviate the suffering. And unlike in Syria's now chaotic civil war, a conflict the West also helped militarize, Yemen doesn't have to share the same fate. But it requires some strategic action by America and as soon as possible.
America, so far, has largely and uncritically aided and abetted Saudi Arabia as it bombards this humanitarian crisis-stricken country, killing innocents and destroying hospitals, schools and civilian infrastructure. The Saudi coalition airstrikes, drone strikes and cluster munitions pummeling this poor country are being financed or manufactured by the United States or the United Kingdom.
We are responsible for this bloodshed in Yemen. The repeated assault on civilians looks a lot like war crimes, and it is as reprehensible as it is illegal. It must stop. That means putting an immediate end to the $115 billion worth of weapons offered to Saudi Arabia by the Obama administration, which is more than any previous U.S. administration has ever boosted the U.S.-Saudi relationship – By Michael Shank
6.3.2017 – MNSBC (A P T)
Film: Did Donald Trump's Travel Ban Jeopardize Yemen Raid?
MSNBC: Rachel Maddow highlights a question raised by the father of Ryan Owens, the Navy SEAL who died in last month's disastrous raid in Yemen: Did Donald Trump's travel ban contribute to the problems that plagued the mission by alienating Yemeni partners?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDUCOXX81aQ
24.2.2017 – New York Times (A H)
Fleeing U.S. for Asylum, and Handcuffed in Canada
They drag their luggage, carry their young children in their arms and join hands to help one another over rough terrain and along snowy roads. They are immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers who are streaming across the border from the United States into Canada in higher numbers.
For those who cross illegally, handcuffs await. They are detained, interviewed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and turned over to the Canadian border agency.
Once they are in custody, the migrants and asylum seekers are taken to police stations, where the handcuffs are usually removed and they are asked about their identification and country of origin.
An investigation is conducted into whether they are in a Canadian intelligence database or wanted for a crime, Corporal Gagnon said.
“If nothing pops up, they are going to be turned over to the Canadian Border Services Agency and then they apply for asylum,” he said.
There are no criminal charges once they establish a demand for asylum, but they could be fined, he added – By CHRISTINE HAUSER
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/world/americas/canada-border-crossing-arrests.html?_r=1
24.2.2017 – Reuters (A H)
Two women claiming to be from Yemen are confronted by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer as they cross the U.S.-Canada border into Hemmingford, Quebec. (photo)
http://de.reuters.com/news/picture/fleeing-to-canada-from-the-us?articleId=UKRTSYU71 and also: https://twitter.com/JosephJo1221/status/838834336266846211
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
6.3.2017 – Mark Curtis (A P)
Saudi airstrikes destroyed #Yemen Hodeida port critical for food imports. But UK again de facto apologises for its ally causing famine (see image)
https://twitter.com/markcurtis30/status/838694577322225664
This should be news. Headline could be: “UK-armed Saudi Arabia causing famine in forgotten #Yemen war”
https://twitter.com/markcurtis30/status/838694995657895937
6.3.2017 – Politics Home (* A P)
Keith Vaz MP: The sands of time are running out for Yemen
Yemen was once the forgotten crisis, but now it feels like the never-ending crisis, says Keith Vaz MP.
As one of the three Members of the British Parliament born in Yemen, I and the world have watched this crisis grow from a tribal dispute into a human catastrophe.
There must be only one aim in crafting current policy on Yemen, and that is to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire. It is for this reason that Yemen needs honest brokers in the region, and there is no greater candidate than Oman, which I visited last week.
While in Oman, I spoke with President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the embattled leader of the legitimate government of Yemen, to seek answers on how we can bring Yemen back from the brink. When I spoke with him, my first question could only be, ‘How are we going to get peace in Yemen?’
The tragedy we witness today is all the more distressing when one looks back to 2011.
Since the escalation of the conflict almost 2 years ago, the UK has been given a pivotal role, but some have argued that instead of taking the lead, we have been playing catch up.
The UK’s influence in the region was well demonstrated when Theresa May addressed the Gulf Coalition Council in December, but it is surprising and disappointing that after 7 months in office she has still not spoken with President Hadi.
Our Ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, has been at the forefront of setting out a strategy, however there is no point in Britain ‘holding the pens’ if we are not using them. Surely now is the time to put pen to paper and table a new Security Council resolution to update and replace Resolution 2216.
Roadmaps and Obstacles
Many are now part of the complicated ‘Game of Thrones’ that is the crisis in Yemen, including the Hadi government, Houthis, former-President Saleh, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iran, UK, USA, and even Daesh and AQAP.
However, my discussions in the region gave reason for hope.
The ‘Wish List’ for Yemen
What then, should Parliamentarians be pushing for in the coming months to move forward a solution?
Immediately open the Ports and Airports: crucial for aid and medical supplies to reach the people.
Involve Oman: the Omanis are playing a critical role in promoting dialogue between the belligerents, and have rightly been invited into the ‘Quad’ of nations resolving the crisis.
Start the Political Roadmap now: Despite some outstanding issues, the necessary political steps are clear. This will require compromise. President Hadi is in a position to allow this to happen.
Pass a new United Nations Security Council Resolution: Pressure all parties to sit at the negotiating table.
For too long Yemen was the forgotten crisis. Now Yemen feels like the never-ending crisis – by Keith Vaz MP
My comment: Yes, Un SC resolution 2216 must be replaced. – Hadi is no good partner to deal with, as he has very little backing in his own country. – The UK is a warring party in Yemen and for being able to be peace broker there, they missed the boat already a long time ago.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
7.3.2017 – Deutsche Welle (* A E P)
German bank blacklist of Yemeni nationals widens
The decision by German banks to cancel the accounts of 100 Yemeni nationals now has wider implications, DW can reveal. The entire state of Yemen has been blacklisted by Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank.
Last month, Deutsche Welle reported that several German credit institutes, including Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, have been terminating the bank accounts of close to 100 Yemeni students, businesspeople and diplomats in Germany without giving any reason.
But now, based on a letter from Commerzbank, obtained by DW, it is now clear that this wave of cancellations isn't just targeting individuals from the Middle Eastern country, but the state of Yemen itself.
The letter, dated February 17 and addressed to Yemen's ambassador Yahia Mohammed Abdullah Al-Shaibi, reads: "Due to changes in business policy we will no longer support or transact business with Yemen." When approached by DW for a response, Commerzbank replied it was not going to further comment on the issue.
The latest revelation is a major setback for the estimated 2,000 Yemeni nationals living in Germany, as they attempt to find new banking facilities in their host country.
Al-Shaibi said it was a mystery to him why Commerzbank was only targeting Yemen. "How is the situation in Yemen different from countries like Syria or Iraq? If Commerzbank really thinks there's a problem, we need to know exactly what it is so I can discuss this with my government and try to solve it."
Noah Alsarea, a 24-year-old Yemeni medical student, received his termination letter from Deutsche Bank in the middle of January. "It was a shock because I feel discriminated against and placed under general suspicion," Alsarea told DW. "I want to marry my girlfriend here in Germany and maybe work here after I complete my studies. But if these things continue, I'm afraid my plans are in jeopardy."
Data protection officer Michael Kaiser, who works in Germany's banking capital Frankfurt for the state's data protection commissioner, said he has never seen banks terminating accounts of people from one nationality in his 15-year experience as a data protection professional.
According to Kaiser, several forces might have played a role in the banks' decision to terminate the contracts. First, German law forces domestic banks to inquire about the nationality of their customers. Second, extensive background checks of "politically exposed persons" (PeP) like diplomats is not only required but time-consuming and expensive. Third, the banks have likely exchanged information about Yemen, which the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) classifies as a "high-risk and non-cooperative jurisdiction," particularly in regards to money laundering and financing of terrorism. Kaiser said this is a standard - and legal - practice among banks.
But while it might be common to share views on countries, exchanging information about single customers is prohibited, according to Kaiser. He called the case a "possible" violation of anti-trust laws and a discrimination of a single nationality.
http://www.dw.com/en/german-bank-blacklist-of-yemeni-nationals-widens/a-37839413
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
7.3.2017 – APA (A H)
Österreich unterstützt Jemen und Südsudan mit drei Millionen Euro
Die bereitgestellten Mittel sollen bei der Bekämpfung der drohenden Hungersnot verwendet werden. Außenminister Kurz sieht darin auch ein Mittel zur Bekämpfung von Flucht- und Migrationsursachen.
Mein Kommentar: Sehr schön, aber damit wird man nicht viel ausrichten…
7.3.2017 – Free Malaysia Today (* A K P)
Amanah: Clarify Malaysia’s involvement in Yemen war
Raja Bahrin says report of expert panel to UN Security Council lists Malaysia as being present in Saudi-led joint military campaign.
The government has been urged to come clean on whether Malaysia has joined the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen following a report by the United Nations that included Malaysia.
Kuala Terengganu MP Raja Bahrin Shah said Malaysia’s involvement is mentioned in the document submitted by the UN’s Panel of Experts on Yemen to the Security Council on Jan 11 and adopted for use on Jan 27.
“Malaysia cannot claim to not know and not acknowledge the panel report as Malaysia is also a member of this UN committee,” he said in a statement today.
The defence ministry had before this denied Malaysian armed forces were involved, describing the allegations as untrue, slanderous and baseless.
It said the deployment of armed forces personnel to Saudi Arabia was first to prepare themselves to face any possibility, including moving remaining Malaysians in Yemen, if the need arose.
“This is because there are Malaysians who are still in Yemen at this point.”
6.3.2017 – Reuters (A)
Malaysia says foiled attack on Arab royalty ahead of Saudi king's visit
Malaysia on Tuesday said suspected militants from Yemen arrested late last month ahead of a visit by Saudi King Salman were planning an attack on "Arab royalties".
A senior police source said the four Yemenis belonged to a Houthi insurgency group that has been fighting Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led military coalition for two years.
The Saudi monarch arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 26 with a 600-strong delegation for a four-day visit, at the start of a month-long Asia tour. He is currently in Indonesia.
Between Feb. 21 and Feb. 26, Malaysia arrested one Malaysian and six foreigners - one Indonesian, four Yemenis and one East Asian - for suspected links to militant groups including Islamic State, police had said in a statement on Sunday.
Speaking on Tuesday, Malaysia's police chief said the four Yemenis were plotting an attack on Arab royalties.
"Four Yemenis, apart from their role involving in producing false travel documents they are also involved in distributing drugs... and they are also planning to attack the Arab royalties during the visit in Kuala Lumpur, so we got them in the nick of time," Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters.
The Yemenis were arrested in Serdang and Cyberjaya - near the capital Kuala Lumpur - for suspected links to a Yemeni insurgent group, Malaysian police had said on Sunday.
Police seized multiple international passports from the four, along with 270,000 ringgit ($60,742.41) in different currencies which were suspected to be channeled to the insurgent group – by A. Ananthalakshmi and Rozanna Latiff
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-asia-malaysia-idUSKBN16E0O6 and The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/malaysia-yemeni-attack-saudi-arabia-king-salman-terror-kuala-lumpur-a7616191.html
Comment: No names, no pictures, all crimes seem to be included: drugs, fake passports, killing plots, militancy. Sounds like an ad hoc statement to gain support from Saudi Arabia. Nothing else
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1297400726979621
6.3.2017 – Times of Oman (* B H P)
Oman’s healing hand in Yemen draws praise
More than 11,000 tonnes of mercy aid has been shipped to Yemen through Oman in the two years since fighting began, according to aid groups.
Between May and December, 2015, eight shipments were sent out to Yemen. In 2016, six shipments were sent.
This year, the number of shipments is still not decided. The shipments, organised by ICRC, carried 11,000 tonnes of non-perishable food, medicine and medical supplies along with tents, sleeping mats and ambulances.
“You rarely really see a country policy that reflects the humanity, neutrality and discretion that the ICRC holds. We are extremely thankful towards the Sultanate for allowing us to support humanitarian efforts in Yemen,” said Amer Melhem, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Oman.
“The Sultanate has been flying in wounded victims from Yemen to Oman. Last November, the ICRC President visited Oman and offered to join the Sultanates’ efforts by treating the Yemeni wounded in an ICRC surgical facility in Lebanon. It is complementary to what Oman is already doing. It’s the nature of the partnership,” Melhem said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was invited by the Sultanate to set up in Oman shortly after the war started. In June of 2015, ICRC established a logistic hub at Salalah which would allow them to send 11,000 tonnes of needed goods over the next two years.
Despite Oman’s neutrality in the conflict, a shipment of supplies from all over the world is sent out through Salalah Port.
“We receive donated goods from the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world, and are able to reship the donations to Yemen through the Port of Salalah. There are two things that we are focusing on - the logistics hub in Salalah and the treatment of the wounded,” Melhem said.
Ahmed Akaak, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Port of Salalah, believes that it is crucial to be supportive in times of need.
“We have proven ourselves as a good neighbour. The fact is, Yemen is a huge population centre, around 28 million, and Oman is one of the few countries that is accessible to the Yemen market through the hinterland.
“We try to make sure through the Omani ports that we can expand the humanitarian aid either through the organisations and even the ICRC who have been using our ports and hinterland to access Yemen. We have done a lot of work to make sure that the Yemenis are not cut off from the rest of the region and try to heal those who have really suffered.
http://timesofoman.com/article/104364/Oman/Government/Oman's-healing-hand-in-Yemen-draws-praise
cp13a Flüchtlinge / Refugees
7.3.2017 – Al Sahwa (* A H)
IOM: About 273,000 people displaced from Taiz
International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that 273,780 people were displaced from their houses in the governorate of Taiz, pointing out that Taiz is among the most top five IDP-hosting governorates in the country.
In a report, IOM said that only 25,000 individuals have been reported as displaced from Mocha, according to DTM.
"IOM is currently preparing its response for the newly displaced families from Mocha." The report added.
"Using the DTM to collect data on the vulnerabilities of the displaced population and their host communities is essential to our work, if we want to plan an effective, efficient and impactful humanitarian response" said Laurent de Boeck, IOM Yen Chief of Mission.
According to the report, IOM has tracked up to 426,672 IDPs and 78,258 returnees in the governorate of Taiz since the start of the conflict in March 2015.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-4722
18.2.2017 – UN High Commissioner for Refugees (A H)
Map: East, Horn of Africa and Yemen - Displacement of Somalis: Refugees, asylum-seekers and IDPs, as of 01 February 2017
http://reliefweb.int/map/somalia/east-horn-africa-and-yemen-displacement-somalis-refugees-asylum-seekers-and-idps-01 and in full: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/EHA_Yemen_Somalis_A3PC_170201%5B1%5D.pdf
cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A E P)
FM meets UNDP resident coordinator for Yemen
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf met on Monday in Sana'a with the UN Resident Coordinator/ UN Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick.
The foreign minister delivered a letter from the Yemen Banks Association which related to the intervention of the United Nations to urge the Saudi regime to lift the ban on transferring of the foreign currency into the banks accounts outside Yemen so as to be able to import the essential humanitarian needs.
The letter also contains the release of the frozen funds and launched a private SWIFT system of the CBY to enable commercial banks to boost their accounts abroad, especially Yemen's markets are in need to buy foodstuffs before the holy month of Ramadan.
McGoldrick said that he would deliver the Yemen Banks Association's letter to the United Nations and urge to remove the obstacles which contributes to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458168.htm
Remark: Foreign minister of the Sanaa government.
6.3.2017 – Gulf News (* A E P)
Yemen government faces another cash crunch
UN urged to mount pressure on Al Houthis to transfer state revenues to the central bank in Aden
The Yemeni government has urged UN special envoy to Yemen to mount more pressure on Al Houthi militants to transfer state revenues to the central bank in Aden, and warned that it might not be able to pay salaries to public servants who live in rebel-held territories.
In a letter carried by the state-run Saba news agency, the internationally-recognised Yemeni government told Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad that the rebel movement continues to squander revenues from state bodies inside their territories and use the money to fund their military efforts.
If Al Houthis do not immediately send the revenues to Aden, the government will face a liquidity crunch and will be unable to send government salaries to Al Houthi-controlled provinces, the government warned.
The government deposited all revenues from Aden and Al Mukalla seaports, border crossings, taxes on telecom and cement companies and other state bodies into the central bank in Sana’a at the beginning of the war in order to pay government salaries.
Mustafa Nasser, a Yemeni economist, told Gulf News on Monday, that Al Houthis collected more than 1 trillion riyals last year.
“They collected more 500 billon Yemeni riyals from tax on big telecom companies and banks profits and charges on goods imports. They got another YR400billion from taxes on fuel imports only,” Nasser said.
“Most big companies are based in Sana’a and are forced to pay their taxes to Al Houthis,” he said.
The stubborn rebel movement is unlikely to respond positively to the appeal and the government will need to think of alternative ways to bring in revenues to Aden, Nasser said.
Nasser suggests that the government could look to taxing goods coming into the Hodeida seaport once they have liberated it from Al Houthis.
Another option would be to boost taxes on goods that enter Yemen from various seaports under government control.
The government will soon run out of cash if it measures are not taken immediately, he warned.
Hadi has recently begun paying public servants who joined the payroll before the Al Houthi coup in 2014.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/yemen-government-faces-another-cash-crunch-1.1989198
My comment: Why the Sanaa Houthi / Saleh government should pass any money to their enemies at Aden? The Sanaa government has its own Central Bank, it’s the real Central Bank of Yemen, according to the Central Bank Law which states that Sanaa is the seat of the bank. – When “president” Hadi “transfers” this Central Bank” to Aden – in reality: orders the installation of a new Central Bank at Aden, without having any funds, personal, equipment, data, a bank which up to now cannot work except of spreading propaganda – then this is his fault and problem.
This maneuver has caused many problems for the country. Up to now, the Hadi government was not able to pay its employees, even not its own military (there are frequent protests and riots at Aden because of this), well, that’s a self-created problem they must stand now. – The Houthi / Saleh government finally should make itself fit to pay the state employees and retired in its own territory. They had demanded the Hadi government to pass a part of the newly printed Yemeni rials to them to be able to pay the employees. This new Hadi claim reported here might be a tit-for-tat response to this Sanaa government claim.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp9
6.3.2017 – Noto Wahabism (A P T)
ISIS publishing and distributing books of al-Wahab, the founder of Wahabism (image)
6.3.2017 – Der Standard (A T)
Früherer Guantanamo-Häftling bei US-Luftangriff im Jemen getötet - derstandard.at/2000053690325/Frueherer-Guantanamo-Haeftling-bei-US-Luftangriff-im-Jemen-getoetet
Ein früherer Insasse des US-GefangenWhy the Sanaa Houthi / Saleh government should enlagers Guantanamo ist bei einem Luftangriff des US-amerikanischen Militärs im Jemen getötet worden. Das sagte ein Pentagon-Sprecher am Montag in Washington. Yasser al-Silmi starb demnach bei einem Angriff am 2. März, der sich gegen Kämpfer von Al-Kaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel (AQAP) richtete – einem besonders starken Ableger des Terrornetzwerkes.
6.3.2017 – AFP (A T)
USA attackieren fünfte Nacht in Folge Al-Kaida-Stellungen im Jemen
Die USA haben nach jemenitischen Angaben die fünfte Nacht in Folge Luftangriffe auf Al-Kaida-Stellungen in dem Land geflogen. Ziel der Angriffe vom Montag sei die Stadt Al-Nasl in der südjemenitischen Provinz Abjan gewesen, verlautete aus Sicherheitskreisen. Berichte über mögliche Opfer gab es zunächst nicht.
7.3.2017 – Almasdar Online (A T)
Shabwa: US drone kills al-Qaeda element, wounds another
A local source said on Monday that a US drone attack has killed one of al Qaeda elements and injured another in the Yashbam valley of Shabwa governorate, southeastern Yemen.
The source told Almasdaronline that the air raid bombed a car for al Qaeda elements while driving in al Shebah area of al Saeed district.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89395
7.3.2017 – AFP (A T)
2 children killed in suspected US strike — Yemen official
Two children, aged 10 and 12, were killed in a suspected US air strike targeting al-Qaeda in central Yemen, a provincial official said on Tuesday.
The children had been tending a herd of goats on a mountain outside the village of Yakla, in Baida province, when the strike hit on Sunday, the official said.
There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon.
and
7.3.2017 – Reuters (A T)
Two children killed in Yemen drone strike: residents
Two Yemeni boys were killed in a drone strike while walking on a road in central Yemen used by al Qaeda militants who have been subject to repeated strikes by U.S. forces in recent days, residents said on Tuesday.
They named the boys as Ahmed and Mohammed al-Khobze, two brothers both under 15, and said they were killed on Monday on a road used by militants in Yakla, an area in al-Bayda province where al Qaeda is known to operate.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-attacks-idUSKBN16E1QK
6.3.2017 – Reuters (A T)
U.S. strike in Yemen kills former Guantanamo Bay detainee
The Pentagon said on Monday that a March 2 strike against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen killed a former detainee from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"We can confirm the death of a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Yasir al Silmi," said Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, adding al Silmi had been held at the detention center from 2002 to 2009.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-guantanamobay-idUSKBN16D27M
6.3.2017 – Reuters (A T)
Suspected U.S. drones hit al Qaeda targets in Yemen: residents
Suspected U.S. drones fired missiles at al Qaeda targets in two separate attacks in Yemen on Monday, residents said, extending several days of U.S. strikes against the militants.
Residents said an air strike hit the home of an al Qaeda suspect in the village of Noufan in central al-Bayda province, and another struck a mountainous area believed to house a training camp in al-Saeed in southern Shabwa province.
There were no immediate reports on casualties in the raids, which took place in areas controlled by al Qaeda fighters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKBN16D0SW
and
6.3.2017 – AFP (A T)
Fifth night of suspected US raids on Yemen: security source
Yemen was hit by a fifth consecutive night of suspected US air strikes targeting Al-Qaeda members in the impoverished nation, a Yemeni security source said on Monday.
The source said the early dawn raid hit the town of Al-Nasl in the southern Abyan province, which has been the target of air strikes as well as an Al-Qaeda attack on the army in recent days.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in Monday's raid.
cp15 Propaganda
7.3.2017 – Saudi Press Agency (A P)
Intensive programs to treat injured Yemenis inside and outside Yemen
Coalition forces to support legitimacy in Yemen has given treatment of the injured in Yemen a priority through Renewal of Hope operations, where the coalition focuses on providing full medical support and facilitating the entry of international organizations to be briefed on situations of the injured and contributing to transferring them for treatment outside Yemen.
King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid is considered the most prominent arm in this task, as it allocated 51 projects in health, nutrition, water and environmental sanitation executed in Yemen with an amount of more than $ 208 million benefiting 24.5 million Yemeni citizens in addition to providing medical care and treatment necessary for people inside Yemeni territories.
In implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Center has recently transferred a new batch of the injured from Taiz to be treated in Sudan, representing a batch of the injured persons whom the Center sponsors to transfer them to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Jordan and pays all the costs of their travel and treatment.
King Salman Center has signed a number of agreements with private hospitals in Aden and Taiz, including the extension of five contracts to treat the injured Yemenis in Yemen to be financed and followed-up by the center.
These contracts aim at providing full medical care for more than 750 wounded in the provinces of Aden and Taiz according to international medical standards in coordination with High Relief Committee represented by Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1599521
My comment: First bomb them, kill them, injure them, afterwards patch some of them, make a great propaganda clamor for that. And it’s Saudi Arabia having blocked Sanaa airport (and other access possibilities for Yemenis) so that many people could not go abroad to get medical treatment, and have died or are still more suffering. – A really disgusting bad propaganda article.
7.3.2017 – Al Sahwa (A P)
President Hadi: Yemen faces humanitarian disasters
President Abd Rabu Mnasour Hadi has called members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association Leaders' Summit in Jakarta to provide all possible support to Yemen in the fields of relief, development and reconstruction.
Hadi stressed that Yemen could make a lot of political achievements in light of the GCC-brokered initiative, outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and that the alliance of the Houthis and ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh undermined all these things through their coup carried out in 2014.
He asserted that the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference were supposed to help Yemenis coexisting and overcoming all Yemeni crisis.
He cited that the situation deteriorates in Yemen due to the coup on the legitimate government, stressing that some countries violate international laws and support the putschists.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-4745
7.3.2017 – Al Sahwa (A P)
Arab Foreign Ministers discuss Iranian interventions in Yemen
The Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday held a consultation meeting to discuss situations in a number of Arab states including Iranian interventions in Yemen and other states.
The meeting discussed developments Syria, Yemen and Libya, affirming that Iranian Iranian intervention in the affairs of Arab states must be ended.
According to diplomatic sources, the meeting held in in Cairo was attended by only 14 foreign ministers, with those from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen and Somalia all declining to attend.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-4744
My comment: This is classified as propaganda, as “Iranian interventions in Yemen” are a joke compared to the interventions of Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies.
7.3.2017 – Anadolu (A P)
Govt forces control most of Yemeni lands: President
Hadi says Houthi rebels control only 15 percent of Yemeni lands
Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi said Tuesday government forces control the majority of Yemeni territories.
“The government controls 85 percent of Yemen’s territories, while the Houthis and their allies control only 15 percent,” the official Saba news agency quoted Hadi as saying in a speech to the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) summit in Indonesian capital Jakarta.
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/govt-forces-control-most-of-yemeni-lands-president/765907
My comment: The Saudis and Hadi are spreading such figures since more than a year now (sometimes ago just 80 %). This is void, as most of Hadi’s 85%-empire is desert, and other parts actually are controlled by Al Qaida.
7.3.2017 – Den Arabiske Halvoy (* A P)
A day trip by General Ahmad Asiri to Norway would provide full support to Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. It was an embarrassing performance in so many ways.
The invitation above was sent out from the Saudi embassy in Norway to a great deal of prominent academics, journalists and other people ahead of the "information meeting" where general Asiri would participate. The reactions were not long in coming, either social media or debate slits.
In what is being told about the event was largely gave a lecture on what Saudi Arabia is doing to protect the population in Yemen, and that virtually all problems in the country due Houthis.Following the event received media "access" to interview general, which among other VG Amund Bakke Foss did. In the report rejects Asiri images of injured children is from Yemen and contesting verified information from international organizations such as Amnesty, Save the Children and HRW.
Finally appeared Asiri up in NRK Urix where he again tries to defend Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. There is much that draws in the interview, but one thing must be mentioned. Asiri their understanding of what the facts are.
It is therefore quite legitimate, also under international law, to support a legitimate government that is subjected to a coup as Saudi Arabia has done in Yemen. The big problem occurs when Saudi Arabia uses the same illegal methods that they say that they are fighting against.
We have previously written a longer comment about Saudi Arabia and alleged violation of international law. Here, we argued that the war in Yemen in itself is not the problem, the problem arises when one party completely conscious decision to break the rules of war in an attempt to halt a rebel group.
Propaganda trip to Oslo and resources Saudi Arabia uses to convince the world that they are the"good" in this war is almost comical. For Saudi Arabia had basically a good starting point. A militia, backed by the ousted president in a popular revolt, seized power in neighboring forcefully. If Saudi Arabia had entered to defend the population in Yemen, following the rules of war by not bomb civilians, hospitals, funerals and schools and by not blocking humanitarian aid so they'd won public opinion. They could made a better reputation in the West, they could have created a platform to build Yemen together with the population and they could have created a climate internationally that made it virtually impossible for Houthis to continue the fight. What did they do instead? The total opposite!
Saudi Arabia has shot itself in the foot rather than help Yemen. Instead of admitting the defeat Asiri drags to Norway to tell anyone who can see the blood flowing that we should not trust our own eyes. The only eyes we can trust is Asiris own eyes and his interpretation of what he sees, according to himself. Meanwhile civilians in Yemen pay price for that Asiri’s eyes are unable to distinguish between fact and fiction – by Reier Moths Schoder
http://www.denarabiskehalvoy.com/denarabiskehalvoy/2017/3/7/kommentar-saudi-arabia-p-propagandatur-til-norge (translate: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=no&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denarabiskehalvoy.com%2Fdenarabiskehalvoy%2F2017%2F3%2F7%2Fkommentar-saudi-arabia-p-propagandatur-til-norge&edit-text=
and
7.3.2017 – Moyenne (A P)
Asiri in Norway *DefenseMode Taken by surprise when confronted w/ solid Q's & Photos #Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/Moyenne1/status/839086040644210688
Comment by Hisham Al-Omeisy: Give these guys, in addition to @ReierMoll, medals of #Yemen's gratitude for being solid stick in Saudi's propaganda mud. Thank you #Norway
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/839090099954593793
7.3.2017 – The Media Line (A P)
Concerns About Starvation in Yemen
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are using new weapons, including cruise missiles, floating mines, and a remote-controlled boat have been deployed to attack ships in Yemen in recent months. Officials say that the weapons are pushing the country closer to famine.
http://www.themedialine.org/mideast-daily-news/concerns-starvation-yemen/
My comment: That is what can be made out of the Reuters article (which is somewhat one-sided, simply omitting basic facts) here in cp1. The result is nonsense propaganda. And this news site labels itself: “Fact Based News”. LOL.
6.3.2017 – Al Mezmaah (A P)
THE EMIRATES DOES NOT RECEIVE ORDERS
There are some disturbed people who seek to undermine the continuing role of the United Arab Emirates in saving Yemen from the chaos of the Houthi coup and supporting the legitimate Yemeni leadership. However, every time these people lose, and their tendentious campaigns end, as the number of Emirati sacrifices that have been made is well known, as well as its relief efforts that led to the defeat of the Houthis and the restoration the largest Yemeni provinces in the South and east of Yemen. And now, Operation Golden Spear is ongoing, to secure the strategic Strait of Bab al-Mandab and prevent any potential hostile Iranian intrusion from using the Yemeni coastline.
The UAE’s role does not beg appreciation, as the reality on the ground and the UAE’s humanitarian presence speaks clearly of the fulfilment of the sons of Zayed and the sincerity in their efforts to help their Yemeni brothers end the coup and return to normal life, so good can reach to all Yemenis, and the legitimate authority can re-impose its power and presence.
Since it is interests which are lasting, and not friendships or enmities, those who are in charge in Yemen must compare, in terms of interests, between what the Emirates has to offer Yemen and what Iran has. Iran certainly will not grant Yemen anything but catchy slogans and statements, and anything that would turn Yemen into news material to be consumed by the Iranian media. Iran is not the one which built Marib Dam, it is the Emirates, and Iran has not and will not provide for Yemen even 1% of the humanitarian aid provided by the UAE. http://almezmaah.com/english/2017/03/06/the-emirates-does-not-receive-orders/
My comment: Bad English, very bad propaganda. “and Iran has not and will not provide for Yemen even 1% of the humanitarian aid provided by the UAE”; that’s difficult anyway when the country is blocked. One fact is certain: “and Iran has not and will not provide for Yemen even 1% of the air raids and bombings provided by the UAE”.
6.3.2017 – Al Arabiya (A P)
Khamenei’s fatwa: Lebanon after Yemen
According to diplomatic sources, there is an American orientation toward ending the stalemate in the Yemeni war, which has been on for years. As a result, the coalition led by Saudi Arabia will be provided with an international cover to confront Iranian intervention. Progress made in this war will defeat the Iranian role and this will have repercussions for all countries in the region, particularly on Lebanon.
It does not seem that Tehran wants to keep the results of the war in Yemen within its geographical reach. The Revolutionary Guards’ threats will be based on the 2006 war experience between Lebanon and Israel and which, according to the description of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, ended with a “divine victory.”
Since the destructive war in Aleppo ended, with a sweeping victory for the axis led by Moscow, developments in Syria and then in Iraq, are being organized within the framework of a Russian-US agreement. According to diplomatic sources, things are moving toward finalizing the war in Iraq at the hands of the Americans and toward finalizing the war in Syria at the hands of the Russians.
Iran’s share in the results of these two wars will not equal all the investments the Iranian Supreme Leader made over the course of long years as part of the Persian “crescent” project, which extends from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
My comment: What a propaganda junk.
6.3.2017 – Track Persia (A K P)
Yemen has become Iran’s testing ground for new weapons
The ongoing crisis in Yemen, whose end is not in sight, is giving Iran an opportunity to turn Yemen into a testing ground for various weapons it is developing for the maritime and military arenas. The Houthi rebels, who have taken over parts of northern Yemen including the capital, Sana’a, are getting ongoing assistance from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), mainly via Hizbullah trainers, in the use of missiles and rockets along with an ongoing supply of other weapons such as drones, explosive devices, and battlefield materiel
At the end of February, the Houthi Supreme Political Council (SPS) 1 announced a display of the Defense Ministry’s ability to manufacture drones independently. Reports say that these drones can perform a wide variety of offensive and intelligence-gathering missions. Several drone models were included in the exhibition:
Along with the use of drones in the aerial domain, the Houthis have been increasingly active in the maritime domain in the Bab el-Mandab area. In addition to the occasional launch of Iranian-supplied anti-ship cruise missiles,7 the Houthis have begun to deploy, apparently with Iranian assistance, unmanned remote-controlled maritime craft.
Iran is constantly developing its capabilities for asymmetrical maritime warfare. The aim is to contend with the United States’ superior maritime capabilities, including by attacking U.S. ships with swarms of manned and unmanned speedboats. The attack on the Saudi frigate offers a good example of Iran’s offensive unmanned-warship capability.
The continuing conflict in Yemen, which is being waged both at sea and on land, gives Iran an opportunity to test some of its capabilities and military doctrines “for real.” – by Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
http://www.trackpersia.com/yemen-become-irans-testing-ground-new-weapons/
My comment: The story of Iranian arms support for the Houthis again, in reality being minor. What the Yemen war actually is: a testing ground for US and UK weapons, which had been delivered for tens of billions of US $ to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies.
6.3.2017 – Kuwait News Agency (A P)
Diplomat stresses Kuwait’s keenness on finding solution for Yemen crisis
http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2595009&language=en
Comment by Shireen Al-Adeimi: How does Kuwait plan to "find a solution" when it's part of the coalition that's actively bombing & starving #Yemen?
https://twitter.com/shireen818/status/838857805511671809
Comment by Has Hafidh: It's tricky isn't it? Like when regimes do their own "independent investigations" & coincidentally exonerate themselves of any wrongdoing.
https://twitter.com/HasHafidh/status/838858705861021697
My comment: It’s not only Kuwait telling us such a story. It’s the US, Britain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well telling us they want to “resolve” the Yemen crisis, being warring parties in this conflict.
6.3.2017 – Emirati News Agency (A P)
Arab Coalition in Yemen bolsters military victories with humanitarian aid: Report
The Saudi-led Arab Coalition backing the legitimate government in Yemen is bolstering its military victories with humanitarian operations to help civilians in the areas liberated from the rebel Houthi group allied forces loyal to the now-ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to the Yemeni National Army, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
Humanitarian operations being conducted by the Arab Coalition in Yemen help ease the suffering of civilians across the country and the destructive impact of the coup perpetrated against the government by the rebels, Brigadier Ali Obaid Naji, head of the strategic studies unit at the Yemeni National Army, was quoted as saying by the SPA.
The Coalition helps humanitarian agencies such as the Emirates Red Crescent and the Saudi King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Works to deliver assistance to Yemenis in all areas liberated from the rebels, the official said. "Carrying out humanitarian plans developed by the Arab Coalition in co-ordination with the National Army and the National Resistance Forces, is a battle in itself and is taking place alongside military operations."
Civilians in the Red Sea city of al-Mokha and the western coast suffered from famine under the rule of the rebels who used the port city to smuggle arms and banned material, he said.
"Humanitarian assistance delivered to the residents by the Emirati, Saudi and Yemeni agencies had a great positive impact on the morals of the citizens that was boosted by cooperation of citizens with the army," Naji added.
The government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, said in a statement that citizens in the rebel-held areas in Yemen's western coast suffer from flagrant human rights violations including oppression, arrests, forced disappearance and forced recruitment of children and youth, extrajudicial killings, in addition to the blowing up of houses and denial of humanitarian assistance.
The Coalition-backed army operations being conducted to liberated the western coast reflect the legitimate government's efforts to put an end to the suffering of citizens and violations being perpetrated by the Houthi-Saleh militias which do not respect international law nor international charters, the statement said.
"The government has the responsibility of protecting citizens. Humanitarian aid, and oil derivatives and food stuff in particular, delivered through the Red Sea port of Hudaydah, is being sold by the Houthi militants in the black market to fund their military operations," the government's statement said.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302601260
My comment: Emphasizing humanitarian aid is littler more than propaganda (repeated again and again) compared to the air raids and the blockade. A better headline: “Arab Coalition in Yemen bolsters war crimes with propaganda”.
1.3.2017 – Al Mezmaah (A P)
THE HOUTHIS’ DRONES: AN OBJECT OF SCANDAL AND RIDICULE
The Iranian regime was able to turn the Houthis in Yemen into a puppet which only moves and acts according to the Mullahs’ will in Tehran, in turn making the Houthis look like a hive of ignorance that does not know itself what it says or does, to the extent that the Houthis obey orders without taking any consideration as to their consequences. Just recently, a resounding scandal attributed to this group has been revealed, thanks to the depths of their ignorance and their blind subjection to the mullahs.
The Iranian orders came to their agents in Yemen to present these drones and announce that they were manufactured locally.
http://almezmaah.com/english/2017/03/01/the-houthis-drones-an-object-of-scandal-and-ridicule/
My comment: Whoever has constructed and built these drones, this article again plays the anti-Iranian propaganda tune, in a quite exaggerated manner. The Houthis are no Iranian puppets at all, they even are no Iranian proxies. What definitely is an “object of ridicule is this article. Thus, a great LOL.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
7.3.2017 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
The Violations and Crimes that are committed by #Saudi_Arabia and its alliance in #Yemen 6/3/2017 (full list):
https://www.facebook.com/551288185021551/photos/a.551858951631141.1073741828.551288185021551/785471878269846/?type=3 and http://lcrdye.org/lcrd/Eng/PageDetails?id=1669 (http://lcrdye.org/userfiles/files/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B2%D9%8A/Reports%20center/Daily%20reports/2017/3/6-Mar-2017.pdf )
6.3.2017 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
The Violations and Crimes that are committed by #Saudi_Arabia and its alliance in #Yemen 5/3/2017 (full list):
https://www.facebook.com/551288185021551/photos/a.551858951631141.1073741828.551288185021551/785002081650159/?type=3&theater and http://lcrdye.org/lcrd/Eng/PageDetails?id=1668 (http://lcrdye.org/userfiles/files/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%B2%D9%8A/Reports%20center/Daily%20reports/2017/3/5-Mar-2017.pdf ) and a roundup for 5 days: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458136.htm
7.3.2017 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
Arab Coalition warplanes strike Houthis positions between Lahj and Taiz
A military source said that the Saudi-led Arab Coalition fighter jets launched on Tuesday several air raids on the sites of the forces loyal to the Houthi group and former president Saleh in the areas between the Taiz and Lahj governorates, southwestern Yemen.
The source told Almasdaronline that air raids have resulted in in the death of 10 militants and the injury of 14 others, and destroyed military equipment and vehicles in eastern Dhubab and northwestern al Mudharabah districts.
This bombing comes while the Houthis and allied forces were fighting desperately to penetrate the areas between Taiz and Lahj, so as to regain control of al Madharbah mountains.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/89401
7.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
US-Saudi aggression launches air strikes on Mareb
The US-Saudi aggression warplanes on Tuesday launched two air strikes on Harib-al-Qaramish district of Mareb province.
A local official told Saba that the air strikes hit al-Rawdha area in Sarem Valley in the district.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458265.htm
7. 3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi aggression launches air raids on Sa'adaThe US-Saudi aggression launched a series of brutal air raids on several areas of Sa'ada province, a security official said Tuesday.
The aggression warplanes launched five air raids on Al Habajer in Sehar district and two raids on Jabal Al Qurad in Baqim district, leaving large damage to citizens' properties and farms.
The warplanes also hit al-Aqaba main road in Maran area of Haydan district four times. Several areas of the border district of Monabeh were attacked by Saudi rockets causing serious damage to citizens' houses and farms.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458208.htm
and film (Haydan road): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9B_GSZxbew
7.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
US-Saudi aggression fighter jets on Tuesday launched two strikes on Harib al-Qaramish district of Mareb province, a local official told Saba.
The warplanes struck al-Rawdhah area in Sarim valley twice.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458206.htm
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Two air strikes injure two civilians in Sana'a
Two civilians were critically injured on Monday in two Saudi air strikes on Manakha district of Sana'a province.
A security official told Saba that the hostile air strikes also caused huge damage to citizens' houses and their properties.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458186.htm
6.3.2017 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)
#Saudi dropped 6 cluster bombs on Harad district #Haja #Yemen How long it takes to stop #UK from sealing weapons to #KSA ?
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/838795955747098624
and
6.3.2017 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Hajjah: Aggression Wages 10 Raids on Haridh District, Uses Cluster Bombs
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66846&lang=en
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
US-Saudi aggression warplanes launch series of raids on several area in Taiz
US-Saudi aggression warplanes launched a series of raids on several area in Taiz province overnight, a security official told Saba on Monday .
The war planes launched three raids on Jozan mountain and five raids on AL- Amerri schools in Dhubab district as well as two raids by pilotless drones on the district .
Also, the enemy planes launched airstrike on AL- Mokha, causing heavy damage to two houses, four airstrikes on Al-Zaharee village and AL- Wazaeea district, as well as six raids on Khald camp.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458120.htm and a film with no place and date given, Al Masirah, destroyed mosque: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85cz251jCYA
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Küste / Theater of War: Coast
7.3.2017 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A K PS)
Houthi Underwater Mines in Bab al-Mandeb Threaten International Navigation
US Office of Naval Intelligence warned merchant ships traveling between Yemen’s Bab al Mandeb Strait of aquatic mines, while the Yemeni army confirmed it will act quickly to clear the areas of the mines placed by Houthis forces to maintain, local, regional and international navigation.
A report issued by the US Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) warned merchant ships from the dangers of mines that were set by Houthis and militias allied to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Bab al-Mandeb near the Mokha port entrance.
ONI stated that the attacks on ships in the strait, especially commercial ones, will trigger the involvement of other parties, pointing out that the US Navy will employ all needed efforts to protect the freedom of ships.
Lieutenant Mohsen Khasroof said that these mines are threatening navigation and locals all over the west coast who rely on fishing for their livelihood.
He explained that this is a great responsibility for the Yemeni National Army and coalition forces to clear the area. He pointed out that the army needs a lot of technical help and devices to uncover the aquatic mines.
Khasrouf believes that the insurgents mined the area fearing the coalition might execute an airdrop there, which he stressed did not happen.
The lieutenant said that Makha port is an important outlet for besieged Taiz and other nearby Yemeni governorates. He added that it is crucial to demine the coast, remarking it is a patriotic and humanitarian responsibility.
ONI noted that the closure of this waterway would lead to substantial increases in total energy costs and global oil prices.
http://english.aawsat.com/2017/03/article55368859/houthi-underwater-bab-al-mandeb-threaten-international-navigation and also, shorter: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170307-us-warns-of-underwater-mines-planted-by-houthis/
My comment: All warfare at this place threatens international shipping. – That the Saudis care for Yemeni fishermen is rather ridiculous, as they relentlessly bombed them.
7.3.2017 – MbKS15 (A K PS)
#Saudi-led Coalition Joint SOF (from #KSA, #UAE, & #Bahrain) supporting the #Yemeni troops in Ma'rib (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/839030277871652865
My comment: SOF = Soldier of Fortune (?).
7.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Dozens of mercenaries killed in south of Mocha
Dozens of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed Tuesday in the artillery of the army and popular forces in the south of Mocha in Taiz province.
A military official told Saba that the army and the popular forces fired artillery shells on the mercenaries' gathering in the south of Mocha, causing several dead and wounded among their ranks.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458262.htm
7.3.2017 – Nasser Arrabyee (A K PH)
Yemen navy forces In highest alert to inflict more defeat of US-backed Saudi invaders in western coasts. (Under-tree secret meeting Monday) (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/839116059533840385
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/839115851550838784
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/839115730620657666
6.3.2017 – AFP (A K)
22 Yemeni rebels killed in strikes, clashes: officials
At least 22 Shiite Huthi rebels were killed Monday in an air strike by pro-government Arab coalition warplanes as well as clashes in western Yemen, officials said.
The strike on a military base in the city of Bajil, northeast of provincial capital Hodeida on the Red Sea, killed 16 rebels, said a medical official and a military source.
The raid by warplanes from the Saudi-led Arab coalition wounded 23 others, the sources in Hodeida said.
To the south, clashes between the rebels and loyalists near the city of Mokha left six insurgents dead, according to the same sources who said their bodies were taken to a morgue in Hodeida.
http://www.france24.com/en/20170306-22-yemeni-rebels-killed-strikes-clashes-officials
My comment: Whether this is true, who knows. Western media mostly rely on Saudi and pro-Hadi sources and just adopt there propaganda.
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi paid mercenaries killed in Mokha
Dozens of US-backed Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and others were wounded by the missile units of the army and popular forces on Monday fired on their groups western Mokha district of Taiz province, a military official told Saba.
The missile forces hit the mercenaries in Jawza area, killing and wounding dozens of them and destroying two military vehicles, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458109.htm
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Army Inflicts heavy losses upon US-Saudi paid mercenaries in western coast
The Army and popular forces inflicted heavy losses upon American-backed Saudi paid aggression and their mercenaries during confrontations in the western coast.
A military official told Saba on Monday that the confrontations resulted in the deaths and injuries of scores of aggression troops and their mercenaries, including head of the First Brigade operations Col. Mercenary, so-called Fadhl Mohammad Ali Al Halqi with his escorts.
Also, the second battalion commander Col. mercenary so-called Ahmed Hussein Maqrat and Captain mercenary so-called Talib Al Taliby.
The official pointed out that five military vehicles belonging to the mercenaries were also destroyed during the confrontations.
He said most of killed mercenaries were from southern provinces who have been seduced into the incinerator coast.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458131.htm = http://newnewss.net/?p=3240
6.3.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Dozens of mercenaries killed by army's missile
Dozens of US-backed Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and other were injured when the missile units of the army and popular forces fired on their groups western Mokha district of Taiz province, a military official told Saba.
The mercenaries were killed in Jawzan area in the district.
Moreover, the national army bombed two military vehicles of the mercenaries in the same area.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458101.htm
cp17b Kriegsereignisse: Sonstige / Theater of War: Other
6.3.2017 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)
Saada:physical damage in the citizens’ farms by a Saudi missile attack different areas in Monbia directorate
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66822&lang=en
Houthi / Saleh reports
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458263.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458216.htm = http://newnewss.net/?p=3253
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458215.htm = http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66918&lang=en
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458210.htm and http://newnewss.net/?p=3247
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458209.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458183.htm
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66814&lang=en
http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=66796&lang=en
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news458100.htm
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
6.3.2017 – Living in Yemen on the edge (* A H K)
Trump according to the Children of Yemen
A couple of weeks ago we asked the Yemeni children to get their colours out and draw, in connection to #TRUMPOMANIA Exhibition running in New York (up to the 16th March 2017 at SALOMON ARTS TRIBECA - 83 Leonard St ) how they see Trump or what the name means to them.
Though young, Yemeni children know about Trump: the new President has been on the news 24/7 and the Children of Yemen - on their side - have been living under (also) US made bombs for the past 2 years.
And if it's not bombs, it's drone strikes. Or airstrikes, Or military ship bombings. Or a killing siege (supported by western powers). Trump's Muslim-Ban includes Yemen and families have been stranded, like forgotten bags, in airports, refused entry visa, treated like unwanted leftovers. Families, people, have been divided between oceans by a new order which does not make anyone safer on neither side of the Atlantic.
Trump Admistration has launched the first operation with 'boots on the ground' last month in Yemen: up to thirty civilians have been killed, including a number of children. Unfortunately the new President has not been benevolent to our children.
As soon as we made the post, drawings started pouring in and it has been difficult for us to tackle the amount of grief connected to those colours and shapes. Our children drew war. Only war.
Starting from today, we will be posting the drawings received. Maybe you will understand why we say it is always a war on children.
Special thanks to all those who have been spreading the word, collecting the drawings along with the Curators of Trumpomania exhibition, especially Melissa McCaig- Welles who so profoundly never forgot the most vulnerable of our society and this war.
Omar Mohammed - 10 years old https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1296722973714063/?type=3&theater
Amasy Bushier Al-kenay Age 11.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-276-yemen-war-mosaic-276
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-276 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-276:
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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