Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 290 - Yemen War Mosaic 290

Yemen Press Reader 290: Humanitäre Lage: Angst&Verzweiflung–Schwangere Frauen-USA, Jemen, Al Kaida–Hodeida: Warnung vor Angriff–USA: Bodeneinsätze–Huthis: Landminen, Folter–Trump's Nahostkriege

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Humanitarian situation: Fear and dispair – Pregnant women in the Yemen war – US, Yemen war and Al Qaida – Consequences of attacking Hudayda – US operations on the ground – Houthis’ landmines – Houthis: Torture – Judith Brown, Iona Craig on Yemen – Trump and Middle East wars – 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

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

PH = Pro-Houthi

PS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

4.4.2017 – ITV (** A H)

Film: Fear and despair in Yemen as life hangs by a thread

Halan Ali is being cradled by his grandmother in room number two on the malnutrition Ward at Al-Sabeen Hospital in Sanaa.

He's 13-months-old and weighing nearly half of what he should do. He can't stand up and barely has the energy to move. His grandmother Hamana is distraught at his condition.

"We are so frightened and worried. He's just so ill from the hunger," she said.

For Yemen's most vulnerable life hangs by a thread.

For mother's like Ohradir there's no escape. She can only watch as her baby daughter fights severe malnutrition.

Like Yemen she is held hostage by fear and despair.

The doctors and staff here haven't been paid in six months. Yemen's economy has become another weapon in this war.

One of the managers tells me there are no medicines now for women giving birth.

The United Nations says the situation in Yemen is the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

Almost 19 million people here depend on aid to survive. More than seven million people now face the threat of famine - that's up by three million since January.

More than 500,000 children are now suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

This is our third visit to Yemen in the past 12 months and every time the deterioration in the situation is clear to see.

The war - which is now in it's third year - is starving a whole generation.

Aid organisations like Oxfam and Save the Children say the UK is complicit in Yemen's suffering through its arms sales and support for the Saudi-led coalition.

Last year the British government approved more than £3.3bn in arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

The outside world's indifference to Yemen's plight continues.

The UN says it's only received 6% of the funds it needs to help deal with the crisis the country is now facing.

All the warning signs and alarms are flashing red but Yemen continues to be ignored. – by Neil Connery (with photos and film, and links to other ITV reports on Yemen)

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-04-04/fear-and-despair-in-yemen-as-life-hangs-by-a-thread/ and a part of the film: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/videos/1658588894437098/

Comment by Judith Brown: An excellent report by ITV on the desperate plight of Yemeni people.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155384089423641

5.4.2017 – Broadly Vice (** B H)

Giving Birth in Air Strikes: The Life-Threatening Horrors of Pregnancy in Yemen

In a country that is being slowly starved and bombed to death, pregnant women and children are among those suffering worst.

Horeh was five months pregnant with her second child when an airstrike destroyed her uncle's house in the Amran Governorate in western Yemen.

"It was very loud," the 30 year old remembers. "The explosion was very close." Then she heard the screams of women in the neighborhood. "I heard my neighbors outside shouting that my family had been hit. My brothers came to my house with blood on their faces and hands. They told me my uncle's house had been destroyed and a whole innocent family killed. "

Terrified and in shock, Horeh began bleeding. The next day, she miscarried.

In a country that is being slowly starved and bombed to death, pregnant women and children are among those suffering worst

"The healthcare system has completely collapsed, and mothers and children are becoming sick," explains Dr. Mariam Aldogani, a reproductive healthcare specialist employed by Save the Children in the capital of Sana'a. As a result, pregnant women are dying or losing their babies for entirely preventable reasons.

"Before the conflict, the majority of pregnant women had normal deliveries. Now, many women give premature birth or have cesarean sections," says Hanan Saleh, a 33-year-old midwife. "Pregnant women usually attend at our clinic with multiple complications—top of which are bleeding, vaginal and urinary infections, high blood pressure, oedema [fluid retention], thalaessemia [a blood disorder], and anemia," she explains.

Malnutrition is a major problem, causing women to miscarry or deliver low birth-weight babies. Aldogani says that her colleagues in remote rural areas often meet families subsisting on one meal a day, which has caused pregnancy complications to increase. By the time the family scrapes together the money to travel to a medical facility, it's often too late.

Malnutrition and infections such as toxoplasmosis all raise the risk of miscarriage—but women in Yemen also have little control over their own reproductive choices, as contraception is scarce.

Even if the pregnancy is carried to term, women still have to survive childbirth in harrowing circumstances.

There is little help available post-birth for the fortunate mothers and babies that make it through childbirth. "In one hospital," Aldogani recounts, "I saw babies sharing incubators because there weren't enough to go around. In some hospitals, there aren't any incubators at all."

And all across Yemen, you'll find deeply traumatized children who have only ever known war and hunger. At night, Horeh's son Fouad screams at loud noises, fearful of planes flying overhead. It is a brutal but appropriate fear for a child born during an airstrike – by Sirin Kale (with photos)

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/giving-birth-in-air-strikes-the-life-threatening-horrors-of-pregnancy-in-yemen

4.4.2017 – The American Conservative (** B K P T)

Why U.S. Troops May Fight Alongside al-Qaeda in Yemen

Trump is expanding the flawed policy of Obama.

The Trump administration has indicated that it will increase its support for Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The war has shown Saudi Arabia’s lavishly funded armed forces to be a paper tiger that is incapable of even defending the country’s southern border with Yemen. Now that the Saudis and their chief ally, the United Arab Emirates, have failed to defeat the Houthis, who are allied with much of the Yemeni Army, they want more support from Washington

The excuse being given for increased U.S. involvement in an incredibly complex civil war is that the Houthis are controlled and armed by Iran. This is a narrative that has been in play for years despite little proof of consistent Iranian support for the Houthis and no proof that the Houthis follow Iranian orders.

Most recently, U.S. and international media have cited reports prepared by a UK-registered company called Conflict Armament Research (CAR). Their thin reports offer limited evidence of Iranian arms transfers and rely heavily on sources from within the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates—hardly a disinterested party. CAR’s March 2016 report on purported small-arms shipments from Iran to Yemen included a map that showed the weapons shipments transiting southern Yemen. Yet southern Yemen is controlled by anti-Houthi forces and AQAP, not the Houthis.

The latest CAR report, which is also largely based on sources from within those forces opposing the Houthis, claims that Iranian-made drones are being smuggled via Oman to the Houthis and allied forces. The government of Oman has remained neutral throughout the conflict and has consistently backed a negotiated settlement to the war in Yemen. It is unlikely that Oman would allow Iranian-made drones to be shipped into—and then out of—the country. Like its army, Oman’s intelligence services are highly capable.

While there is little doubt that Iran has—at times—provided limited assistance to the Houthis, there remains scant evidence of a concerted effort by Iran to arm and fund the Houthis. It most certainly exercises no control over them. What these reports and most of the international media studiously ignore is the tremendous amount of light and heavy weaponry that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sent and are continuing to send to Yemen, ostensibly to arm anti-Houthi militias. These weapons include everything from assault rifles—some of which now cost less than 30 kilos of rice in Yemen’s thriving arms markets—to anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), which are being provided to what are in most cases poorly vetted militias.

The lines between anti-Houthi forces and AQAP are far from distinct. In what is a clear parallel with Syria, many of these militias have been infiltrated by al-Qaeda operatives. The largely southern-based militias backed by Saudi Arabia are often poorly trained and poorly paid, if they are paid at all. In contrast, AQAP’s operatives are battle hardened, well-equipped, and well-paid. AQAP—far more than the Houthis—has benefited from the influx of weapons to Yemen. AQAP is leveraging its access to weaponry along with the superior skills of its fighters to overtly and covertly infiltrate many of the forces that are fighting the Houthis. Over the past two years, they have made themselves indispensable in fiercely contested frontline areas like al-Bayda and Taiz.

AQAP’s fighters will play a role in the coming battle for the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.

Seizing the port of Hodeidah would allow Saudi Arabia to tighten its grip on the country by starving much of the population into submission. However, Saudi and Emirati forces are incapable of seizing the port on their own. They have tried and failed. They need the help of the U.S., and it looks like they will get it, perhaps in the form of limited numbers of American troops. With U.S. support, Saudi Arabia may well be able to capture Hodeidah. Yet the real question is: what comes next? In those parts of Yemen that Saudi and Emirati forces claim to have liberated, there is no real functioning government. In many areas, AQAP has filled the void.

What is certain is that the battle for Hodeidah will not be the end of the war in Yemen. It will be just the beginning of a new and far more deadly chapter for all involved

Ironically, the Trump administration’s narrow focus on checking Iran may well draw the U.S. further into a war in which the two beneficiaries are Iran and AQAP. Currently, Iran has little influence with the Houthis, who are distinctly Yemeni and deeply rooted in a very Yemeni socio-cultural context. However, that may change if the U.S. deepens its involvement in Yemen.

AQAP, which has already been greatly aided by the war in Yemen, will also benefit from increased U.S. involvement. It will profit from the weakening of the Houthis—AQAP’s most formidable enemy—and from the perception, which it will foster, that the U.S. is invading Yemen. By doubling down on the deeply flawed policy put in place by the Obama administration, the Trump administration is serving the interests of AQAP and hardliners in Iran – By MICHAEL HORTON

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/why-u-s-troops-may-fight-alongside-al-qaeda-in-yemen/

4.4.2017 – Reuters (** A H K)

Yemen forces prepare to move on main port, agencies say civilians at risk

Yemeni government forces and their Arab allies are massing north and south of the Houthi-held Red Sea port of Hodeidah despite United Nations and aid groups warnings that a military operation there would put millions of civilians at risk.

Hodeidah port and province is controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis and has been the entry point for 70 percent of Yemen's food supplies as well as humanitarian aid.

Government forces will have to cross large areas of Houthi-held territory from both sides as the movement still controls the most populated areas in Western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and the regions surrounding the port city.

Mohsen Khasrof, a senior military official in President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi's Aden-based government, said it was only a matter of time for an attack on Hodeidah to start after the United Nations rejected coalition demands that it take steps to ensure that no weapons reach the Houthis through it.

The Houthis have also preparing their defenses.

"Tens of thousands of our fighters from the tribes have answered the call of (the Houthi leader) Abdel-Malek al-Houthi," deputy spokesman of forces fighting alongside the Houthis, Aziz Rached, told Yemeni news agency Khabar on Tuesday.

The International Rescue Committee has said any attack targeting the port would disrupt port facilities and "have a catastrophic impact on the people of Yemen."

(Reporting by Yemen Staff, Writing By Aziz El Yaakoubi, Editing by Sami Aboudi and Angus MacSwan)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-port-idUSKBN1761NJ

and

5.4.2017 – Reuters (** A H K)

U.N. urges Yemen parties to keep Hodeidah port safe

The United Nations called on Yemen's warring parties on Wednesday to safeguard the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah as a lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing potential famine.

The Yemeni government and its Arab allies are preparing an assault on Hodeidah port, which has been the entry of nearly 80 percent of Yemen's food imports, because they say the Iran-aligned Houthis use it to smuggle weapons and ammunition.

Local officials say the government and its allies have positioned two recently-trained brigades for a possible attack. One is 230 km (140 miles) north of Hodeidah and the other 130 km (80 miles) to the south, so they would have to cross large areas of Houthi-held territory if they set off to seize the port.

"The continued military escalation in Yemen, specifically the militarization of large regions on its Western Coast and the associated increase of humanitarian access obstacles and population movement restrictions, are of grave concern to the humanitarian community," the Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-ports-idUSKBN17719O

and UN statement here:

4.4.2017 – UN Country Team in Yemen, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen (** A H K)

Statement on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team in Yemen, on the Critical Importance to Maintain Al Hudaydah Port Open

The unwarranted restrictions on the flow of commercial and humanitarian goods and services into Yemen and subsequently within the country are paralyzing a nation that for far too long has been a victim of war. The ability of people to survive is complicated even further by the limitations imposed on their safe movement to seek assistance inside and outside the country.

We are witnessing food shortages, rising food and fuel prices, disruptions to agricultural production, and plummeting purchasing power, especially brought about by the unevenly distributed salary payments in the public sector for over six months across the country. We face continued and severe access restrictions to specific areas, where we know humanitarian needs are grave. We know that approximately 7 million people in Yemen face the prospects of famine.

The continued military escalation in Yemen, specifically the militarization of large regions on its Western Coast and the associated increase of humanitarian access obstacles and population movement restrictions are of grave concern to the humanitarian community. This is only resulting in more displacement, more institutional collapse, and more suffering.

Al Hudaydah Port is the major lifeline for imports into Yemen. The country has historically been 80 to 90 per cent dependent on imported food, medicines and fuel- all vital for Yemen’s survival today. Close to 80 per cent of imported goods flowed through Al Hudaydah Port. Following airstrikes in August 2015, it now operates at reduced capacity.

Even at its current capacity, there is no viable substitute for Al Hudaydah Port- both in terms of location and infrastructure.

Any alterations to the commercial and humanitarian imports coming through this port would have grave consequences on the country at a time when it faces a severe food, health, and nutrition crisis.

Furthermore, the port is located in a densely populated urban center where thousands of people live and any military campaign in its vicinity, from the ground or air, would have devastating civilian consequences. Associated costs of re-routing imports to Aden Port are prohibitive; even more so for the humanitarian effort given the massive underfunding it faces. Steering the humanitarian response away from Al Hudaydah Port, even temporarily, is inconceivable, particularly in a war torn country where infrastructure and security impede movement.

To help stem the suffering, the Yemen Humanitarian Country Team calls on all warring parties and on those with influence over the parties to ensure the continued functioning of Al Hudaydah Port. Further, it calls for action to rehabilitate Al Hudaydah Port to its full capacity, at once.

The Yemen Humanitarian Country Team also calls on the parties to the conflict to effectively demonstrate a renewed commitment towards peace by allowing the resumption of the required imports of basic life-saving commodities, the unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief to people in need and the safe movement of people in search of aid.

http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-behalf-humanitarian-country-team-yemen-critical-importance-maintain-al = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/hct_statement_on_the_critical_importance_to_maintain_al_hudaydah_port_open.pdf and https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/node/143296

4.4.2017 – Atlantic Council (** A H K)

Winning Yemen, but at What Price?

The internationally recognized government sees the capture of the port as one of the last nails in the rebels’ coffin to weaken the Houthi-Saleh alliance, reinstate Hadi’s claim to the disrupted transitional process, block Iranian influence in the Arabian Peninsula, and restore security to Saudi Arabia’s southern border. Doing so, however, potentially condemns hundreds of thousands of Yemenis to starvation with no guarantee of achieving these objectives.
Yemeni civilians are caught in a crossfire for which there are no easy answers.

Removing the Houthi-allied forces from Hudayda—indeed from Yemen’s western coast entirely—could potentially clear the way for improved humanitarian access. Yet the degree to which the rebels have entrenched themselves in the port city increases the likelihood of immense damage to the already damaged necessary infrastructure to deliver and transport the much-needed goods. Even if the Coalition manages to spare the port from excessive damage, the battle would undoubtedly create a new front through which nothing would pass in the immediate future. As a primary lifeline for the rebel forces, they would not likely give up such a strategic asset without a prolonged fight.

The military option also faces some difficulty within the Hadi-Coalition camp. Southern resistance forces have had to contend with internal divisions on whether or not to support any northern offensives. The much-hailed victory in taking the coastal Mokha area with the help of a Southern contingent has shown signs of continued conflict, prompting more air strikes and ongoing clashes as the rebels’ harass or retake portions of Mokha.

The Coalition had suggested that commercial and humanitarian shipments be rerouted to the port of Aden, but this option also raises serious concerns over both the capacity of other ports to deal with maritime traffic and humanitarian access to the rest of the country. Aden does not have the capacity to handle the volume of cargo that would require rerouting if Hudayda were to shut down. Also, it places most of the assistance behind a literal firewall. The Hadi government controls the southern provinces in Yemen, an area that hosts 5 million of Yemen’s approximately 27 million residents. Although UN and other aid agencies have included the option in their contingency planning in case of an attack on the Hudayda port, reaching the other 22 million Yemenis—7 million of whom lie on the brink of starvation—would require crossing insecure battle lines, posing a serious risk to both aid workers and the assistance they would try to transport – By Tarek Radwan

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/winning-yemen-but-at-what-price

My comment: The author takes the propaganda piece of the Hadi government’s ambassador to the US for reality. – And, “Removing the Houthi-allied forces from Hudayda—indeed from Yemen’s western coast entirely—could potentially clear the way for improved humanitarian access” is a false assumption, as the author himself makes clear.

4.4.2017 – CNN (** A K)

US ground operations stepped up inside Yemen

US special operations force have stepped up ground operations inside Yemen amid growing concern that the al Qaeda affiliate there continues to actively plan attacks on western targets, including targeting commercial aviation.

The ground covert ground missions have the specific goal of secretly collecting intelligence on the al Qaeda affiliate there, including their top operatives and locations where they may be hiding.

The US has not acknowledged any specific ground operations since the Navy SEAL raid.

But two other officials with direct knowledge of the latest intelligence say ground operations recently have taken place, even if it did not result in combat. They say ground missions are happening regularly.

The highly dangerous ground operations are deemed worth the risk by the Pentagon because recent intelligence has shown al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula headquartered in Yemen is actively plotting.

These ground operations go beyond previously acknowledged US airstrikes. The only ground missions acknowledged recently was the January Navy SEAL raid.

On the latest missions CNN has been asked to withhold details of some of the tactics and highly advanced surveillance technology special operations teams use because it could risk terrorists finding out US capabilities.

The increased actions have taken place since the Trump administration took office and increased the military's authorities to conduct operations in Yemen

The increased actions have taken place since the Trump administration took office and increased the military's authorities to conduct operations in Yemen. There has been a vague acknowledgment by defense officials that small so-called contact teams of special operations forces have occasionally gone into Yemen to meet with forces the US backs, including Emirati forces, to learn what intelligence they have gathered.

But US troops have also partnered with them on the ground. Two US officials also told CNN that the US has been able to get intelligence from detainees on the ground inside Yemen held by non-US forces – By Barbara Starr

http://us.cnn.com/2017/04/04/politics/yemen-us-military-operations/index.html

4.4.2017 – Mwatana (** B K)

Mwatana: Dozens of Civilian Victims of Landmines Planted by Ansar Allah group (Houthis) and Saleh Forces in Yemen

On the International Mine Awareness Day on the danger of landmines, Houthis and Saleh forces must immediately stop using landmines

Mwatana Organization for Human Rights said today that Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis) and forces loyal to former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh must halt harming civilians and immediately stop using and planting of landmines in areas and places that civilians use in Yemen.

A new report by Mwatana on the fall of civilian victims by landmines, revealed that landmines planted by Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis), and forces of former president Saleh have killed 57 civilians including 24 children and 4 women, and injured other 47 civilians including 21 children and 6 women, in six Yemeni governorates.
The report “Concealed killer” included 33 incidents as samples of landmines explosions onto civilians. Mwatana has verified these incidents through its field researches during the period July 2015 – October 2016, in governorates of Aden, Taiz, Marib, Sana’a, Al-Baydha and Lahj.

Radhay al-Mutwakel, chairperson of Mwatana Organization for Human Rights said: “Planting landmines in civilian populated areas is a perfidious killing crime as they take the shape of invisible traps which civilians find difficult to recognize and thus avert them. Houthis and Saleh forces must immediately stop this grave violation and be aware of the exorbitant consequences of planting landmines in civilian areas on the lives of civilians.

Findings of Mwatana’s field researches showed that these landmines have caused enormous damages to civilians because they were planted in residential areas, public roads, main streets, homes, farms and crossing places that are daily frequented by civilians. In addition to the killing and maiming for dozens of civilians, these landmines have also caused tens of permanent disabilities among civilian victims particularly children.

According to the report, mine-planting operations in populated neighborhoods had taken place during civilians’ displacement due to the armed clashes, but they explode onto them during their return from displacement areas to their homes. Landmines planting operations were extended to the farms and homes of citizens, while Mwatana did not find, in any of the cases, that the party responsible for laying these landmines has drawn the attention of civilians or left warning signals to preclude harm to civilians.

“On the International Mine Awareness Day, we recall many civilians killed and injured by landmines in Yemen while thousands of Yemenis are still at risk of landmines and explosive devices that wars left behind without any serious efforts from the warring parties to put an end to this practice and secure the lives of civilians,” al-Mutwakel added.

Civilians complained to Mwatana Organization that landmines were planted at the entrances to their homes, considering that Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis) and Saleh forces targeted them because of their refusal to join or to support them in the fighting. In other cases, rains and floods drifted the surface layer of the earth and made the landmines exposed to the tamper by children or passersby, and as well, the floods triggered the movement of landmines from areas of armed confrontations to populated areas.

The report mentioned international conventions and treaties that ban the use, stockpiling, production, development and transfer of anti-personnel mines and the destruction of these landmines, whether stored or laid in the ground as stipulated in the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines (the Ottawa Convention), signed in September 1997, and ratified by Yemen in September 1998.
According to the report recommendations, Mwatana Organization demanded Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis) and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to immediately stop using landmine of every type in civilian areas, to rapidly disclose the areas where landmines were planted and to fully cooperate with all stakeholders to remove mines planted in non-military areas used or may be used by civilians.

Also, Government of President Abdu Rabu Mansoor Hadi, its forces and allied armed groups were called to avoid using and planting landmines, particularly in areas of civilians’ mobility, and to reveal whether the resistance and pro-government forces have planted mines, to disclose their locations, and to immediately clear them.

Mwatana Organization for Human Rights reiterates its demand for establishing an international independent mechanism to investigate human rights violations committed by all conflict parties in Yemen.

http://mwatana.org/en/442017610 and in full: http://mwatana.org/sites/default/files/pdf/Executive%20Summary.pdf

4.4.2017 – Mwatana (** B P)

Film: False report

"False Report", a human rights documentary film produced by Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, about the fatal torture by Ansar Allah armed group (Houthis), in its prisons, especially prison of Political Security Organization in Ibb Governorate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPDy3v3c_8

Remark: Interview with Radhay al-Mutwakel, chairperson of Mwatana Organization, look at cp3, by The New Internationalist

4.4.2017 – Judith Brown (** B K P)

A copy of my latest letter to Tobias Ellwood, who knows nothing about Yemen and everything about making money selling weapons, in my opinion.

[…]

I am sorry to be so critical in this reply, but in reality, I strongly disapprove of the current government’s policy on Yemen, which I follow closely and view as immoral. Meanwhile, my dearest friends in Yemen are suffering so unbearably, and in part, I see this as a consequence of flawed British policy. I cannot help but write what I feel when I face so much suffering.
Firstly, I would like to comment on 2216 – which was too late, and quite frankly, incompetent- when I carefully analysed this resolution I was shocked at its inadequacies, and not one of the aims or demands written in the resolution have come to fruition, nor are they ever likely to do so. Another resolution is urgently needed and UK apparently holds the pen on Yemen at the United Nations.
Secondly, not only are the Houthi-Saleh alliance using force to achieve their political aims, but clearly so are all fighting parties – including Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition. A large majority of the Yemeni population live in the old North Yemen, and most of them see the Houthi-Saleh alliance as defending the sovereignty of Yemen against an assault by Saudi Arabia, that is fighting a proxy war against Yemen on behalf of UK and USA. On the second anniversary of the war, a vast demonstration of hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people peacefully demonstrated in Sanaa for the end of Saudi aggression. The areas in southwest Saudi Arabia were not under threat until Saudi Arabia started attacking Yemen, and the Houthi-Saleh alliance voluntarily withdrew from this area before the Kuwait peace talks when they believed that KSA was seriously negotiating for peace. When talks failed, activities in this area resumed.
Thirdly, many of the so-called terrorist groups – extremist Sunni fighters – have links with the form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia that is closely associated with the ruling family. I have seen considerable evidence of funding of such militias in the Middle East by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. I therefore fail to understand how placating Saudi Arabia is going to assist with risks to UK and its citizens nor do I understand why we need such an autocratic and dangerous country as a strategic and defence partner.
Fourthly, it is not appropriate for Saudi Arabia to investigate allegations of human rights abuses, and given the UK’s vast profits made from selling weapons to Saudi Arabia that are used in committing these alleged offences, I am not reassured by hearing that my government and its representatives are assisting Saudi Arabia in conducting those investigations. There is a hint of collusion with heinous war crimes for monetary gain, particularly as in September 2016 a parliamentary committee recommended that Britain stops selling arms to Saudi Arabia, having heard evidence of war crimes from credible witnesses.
And lastly Hadi realistically cannot ever return to Yemen as President. He is only ‘legitimate’ in the sense that GCC and USA said he was in February 2015 after Hadi reinstated himself, and this mantra has been repeated by the UN, members of the British government, and the media. Although before the war he had a small coterie of supporters and he had appointed friends and family to strategic positions, he never had a following and his only authority was his title. Yet Yemenis accepted him, voted for him and supported him because they were so desperate to achieve change peacefully and he was the only hope offered to them. In a heavily weaponised society in which the army had split, it is a testament to the Yemeni will for peaceful change that no civil war broke out between 2011 and 2014 - even though Hadi's two year term ended in February 2014 and the extension of his term for one year by the NDC was seen as controversial.
After Hadi asked his neighbours to bomb his own people - the same ones who had desperately strived not to turn to armed struggle in their quest for political change - he lost all credibility; after this, he could only return as a dictator. You may recall that around 600 people, the majority of whom were civilians, many of them women and children, died under Saudi-led coalition aerial bombardment before UN resolution 2216 was passed. Most of the original Yemen army and all of the northern tribes do not support Hadi, and no-one can rule as a Yemeni dictator without the support of the tribes and armed forces; meanwhile, Hadi can only stay in a fortified residence in Aden; his visits are short and unannounced because of security issues. According to UAE media, UAE no longer supports his claim as president and the rulers refused to meet him the last time he travelled there; the UN tried to side-line Hadi last November as a route to peace. What right do we have in UK to try to impose an unwanted – even detested - president on the people of Yemen?
It was the conflict between two ambitious men - Hadi and Saleh, both of whom were in effect ex-presidents as Hadi’s term had expired; both addicted to power – that caused the seeds of strife in Yemen, and this was ignored by Resolution 2216. Saleh was rightly accused of causing instability and sanctioned, but the international community took Hadi’s side and as far as Yemeni civilians are concerned, they are being collectively punished because they cannot accept the person that the West have decided should be their president. This caused a rebound of support inside Yemen for Saleh, who is now lined up to become the president again. A resolution that recognised the internal power struggles and had a clear road map to the selection of a new president by the people of Yemen would have met with universal approval and Saleh’s support base would have been weakened. The people in Yemen who struggled peacefully for change have been let down by the international community, especially Britain.
Given the scale of need, any humanitarian aid that Britain gives to Yemen amounts to a few pounds for one day to each person in a population of tens of millions that are dying from starvation and war. It is clearly insufficient. What Yemen needs is:
a) An independent investigation into human rights abuses and violations of humanitarian law.
b) An embargo on weapons to ALL sides fighting in this dreadful war.
c) A new UN resolution that is fair and workable, and reflects the reality of the situation in Yemen and the international and national military activity.
d) An immediate end to the embargo on food and other items essential to life.
It would be a good start if the government could stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia; I would add that the majority of weapons bought by Al Qaeda and the Houthi-Saleh alliance originate from the GCC countries; they provide arms to groups that fight against the Houthi-Saleh alliance, but Yemeni people are so desperate that many weapons and munitions provided by the GCC flood to Yemeni arms markets and are sold there. If we stop providing arms to our GCC allies, we will also inadvertently stop arms being sold all over Yemen, including to groups that we perceive as ‘our enemies’.
Yours sincerely, Dr. Judith Brown.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155383753033641

3.4.2017 – The Real News (** A K P)

Film: In Yemen, Could Growing U.S. Role Lead to Syria-Style Proxy War?

In part one of our interview on expanded U.S. military efforts in Yemen, independent journalist Iona Craig analyzes the Trump administration's escalation of drone strikes and its increasing support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDc1yo7y8Vo

5.4.2017 – Politico (** A K P)

Like Middle East Wars? You’re Gonna Love President Trump

With zero public debate, the new president has thrown America back into the Mideast quagmire.

In charting a new course to combat terrorism across the greater Middle East, Trump has both embraced and rejected elements of the George W. Bush and Barack Obama approaches—but he has done so in an almost perfectly dysfunctional way. He has escalated U.S. military actions, while remaining diplomatically aloof from festering conflicts and de-emphasizing non-military instruments of American power. The result, so far, is a kind of bizarro-Goldilocks approach: not hot enough, not cold enough—just wrong. Left uncorrected, the emerging Trump doctrine will result in more war, but few sustainable gains against terrorism emanating from the world's most dangerous region. Last but not least, accelerating the U.S. military campaign across the Middle East risks outpacing the efforts and capabilities of local actors to take ownership over the fight, potentially resulting in deepening U.S. involvement with no exit strategy—the exact opposite of what Trump claims he wants. Because the United States has the finest fighting forces in the world, there is always the temptation to substitute U.S. troops for less capable partners on the ground. Doing so may accelerate tactical victories against ISIS or other jihadists, but it will leave American G.I.’s holding the bag—and bearing the burden.

The risk of mission creep is compounded by Trump’s penchant for secrecy regarding how U.S. military forces are being deployed. The lack of transparency guts public accountability at the very time when more U.S. forces are being put in harm’s way, risking ever-expanding commitments with no real public debate – By Colin H. Kahl

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/like-middle-east-wars-youre-gonna-love-president-trump-214985

cp2 Allgemein / General

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

5.4.2017 – Yemen Press ( B H K)

Saudi Arabia Carrying Out 'Open-Air Massacre’ In Yemen

Aid groups say Saudi Arabia is carrying out an “open-air massacre” of Yemeni civilians facing famine amid Riyadh’s two-year-long military campaign against the impoverished country.

"The bombs that rain down every day in Yemen show an absolute disdain for civilian life," Jean-Pierre Delomier of Handicap International said in a joint statement with five other humanitarian aid groups on Wednesday.

"Every day our teams, when they manage to reach people, see the physical and psychological distress of the traumatized civilians," he said, adding, "This open-air massacre is intolerable and unworthy of our era."

The war-hit Arab state is "one of the countries... where humanitarian groups have the most difficulties," said Helene Queau, the operations chief of Premiere Urgence Internationale, at a Paris press conference, adding that the Saudi air raids have "partially or totally destroyed” transport infrastructure and “complicated” access to ports and airports.

http://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/saudi-arabia-carrying-out-open-air-massacre%E2%80%99-in-yemen.html

5.4.2017 – Hisham Al-Omeisy (* B K)

Here's a quick tour of my country & latest events. All creative work, script, video, by brilliant @mainoman for the @bbcstories #Yemen presenting BBC film by Mai Noman:

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/849755324135460866

5.4.2017 – Sputnik News (* B P)

US, NATO Allies Continue to Ignore Slaughter of Civilians in Yemen - Ex-Diplomat

While the US government threatens military action against Syria, Washington and its NATO allies continue to ignore the ongoing killing of thousands of innocent civilians in Yemen, retired Canadian diplomat Patrick Armstrong told Sputnik.

"Of all the events ignored by the Western media conglomerate, the two-year-old war in Yemen is probably the most important," Armstrong said. "Quite why this war is being fought, nobody can say. Nonetheless practically everybody in NATO is involved in supporting it."

"The US attacks with drones and assists the Saudi war, Canada sells weapons; France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom as well," Armstrong said. "Unfortunately, despite its statements of doing things differently, the Trump Administration has not stepped away from involvement. And so we all, for some reason or other, support those killing people and smashing up Yemen's meagre infrastructure," he said. "Mentioning the war at all would distract attention from the agendas that periodically dominate the ‘news cycles,’ quite mysteriously all at the same time — one anti-Putin demonstrator is apparently more newsworthy than ten thousand Yemenis," Armstrong said.

Continued US and NATO support for the Sanaa government and its Saudi and Gulf Arab allies was causing a humanitarian disaster and would backfire on its perpetrators, Armstrong warned.

"The end result will be another country destroyed in a NATO-supported ‘stabilization’ campaign. [There will be] more jihadists, more hatred of the West and more scorn for its ‘values’," he predicted.

Patrick Armstrong is a specialist on the Soviet Union and Russia and served as political counselor in the Canadian Embassy in Moscow.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201704061052338652-usa-nato-ignore-yemen-slaughter/

5.4.2017 – Epoch Times (B K)

Von den Medien wenig beachtet – die Katastrophe im Jemen: Ein Volk demonstriert gegen den saudischen Angriffskrieg

http://www.epochtimes.de/politik/welt/von-den-medien-wenig-beachtet-die-katastrophe-im-jemen-ein-volk-demonstriert-gegen-den-saudischen-angriffskrieg-a2088607.html

Bemerkung: Überblicksartikel; die Demonstration war aber bereits am 26. März.

5.4.2017 – Al Masirah TV (A K)

Film: Cannabis smugglers Confessions: The Saudi army allows us to smuggle in exchange for information about the #Yemeni army & militia positions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoqOJ4QRNVw&t=1s = https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/849760580986695681

5.4.2017 – New Internationalist (* B K P)

Human rights in the Yemeni Civil War: a word with Radhya Almutawakel

The Yemeni human rights defender talks to Lydia Noon about Britain’s arms deals, drones and gender discrimination during the war.

The situation in Yemen wasn’t good – even before the war. Since the Houthis took control of Sana’a in 2014, and the Saudi-led coalition launched their aerial military campaign in March 2015, every family in the country has been shedding tears: either for a relative lost in the war or a detainee confined behind bars.

Citizens are now without a state or a constitution to protect their rights. Political parties are not providing the basic essentials for people in government or Houthi-controlled areas. Yemenis are stranded between the aerial and ground violations of the parties involved.

You are president of the Mwatana organization for human rights. What kind of things do you do?

Mwatana follows an investigative research approach to ensure accurate documentation of human rights violations. We play a lobbying and advocacy role to support victims of human rights abuses.

Besides publishing reports and documentaries, we monitor and publish information on arbitrary detention and forcible disappearances, facilitate contact between detainees and their families and work to set all those arrested and disappeared free. We also work on training and awareness-raising as part of our mission to create a human rights collective awareness.

Some fellow civil society activists and I were once beaten by a group of women that the Houthi armed group sent to disperse a protest where we were demanding to know the destiny of a forcibly disappeared civilian. We were detained for hours.

Britain hurts itself when it insists on supporting a state that has committed documented war crimes against Yemeni civilians.

Mwatana has documented the aerial attacks against civilians in which British weapons were used. Britain’s support of Saudi Arabia is not limited to the selling of weapons; it also provides political and intelligence support.

It is so hurting and frustrating that Britain has supported Saudi efforts of preventing an international, independent inquiry mechanism to investigate violations of all parties to the conflict in Yemen. No matter how high the mutual interests between Britain and Saudi Arabia, the blood cost is ultimately higher.

https://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2017/04/05/inside-the-yemeni-civil-war-radhya-almutawakel/

Remark: For Mwatana reorts, look at cp1.

4.4.2017 – Mint Press News (B K P)

Saudi Arabia Devastating Yemen Into Famine – U.S. Refuses To Comment

Saudi Arabia has devastated Yemen with bombing raids, throwing the already-poor nation into a state of famine. The United States has said next to nothing about the Gulf kingdom’s ongoing assault on Yemen, nor has it commented on Saudi Arabia’s penchant for other human rights abuses.

Yemen has continued to suffer from the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, and as starvation, scarcity of water and a lack of medical supplies claim more lives, Saudi Arabia’s oil-drenched ambitions are going entirely unchallenged by yet another U.S. administration that is thoroughly invested in maintaining a stranglehold on the region with the help from Gulf monarchs – By Roqayah Chamseddine

https://www.mintpressnews.com/saudi-arabia-devastating-yemen-into-famine-u-s-refuses-to-comment/226548/

Remark: Overview article.

4.4.2017 – Ayad (A K P)

#UAE #KSA #UK offering local on occupied #yemen Mayoun island 1million SR to leave island 2 turn it a military base (maps)

https://twitter.com/maddllock/status/849370650817032192

4.4.2017 – Living in Yemen on the Edge (* A P)

It is the second time it happens.
Socotra does not seem to belong to Yemen any longer: Emirates is deciding the future of the island.
''Colonel Abu Saif of the United Arab Emirates, expelled an Omani plane from Socotra airport carrying Portuguese tourists. This is the second time that an airplane has been expelled from the airport and on board tourists from other countries.

History and future generations will curse everyone who stands in the way of the development wheel of Yemen.
This image is for tourists heading from Oman to Socotra 2017.
A dangerous development threatens the future of Socotra generations (photos9

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1326868070699553

Arabic media on the outrageous expulsion of an airplane from Salalah (Oman) to Socotra island.
The article rightly underlines:
''According to sources, the reasons for the ban is most likely not to show tourists what is happening on the ground, from the excavations to (UAE's) division of land and operations.''

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1326884620697898 referring to: http://hournews.net/news-73549.htm

and

4.4.2017 – Press TV Iran (A P)

UAE begins flights to Yemen’s Socotra Island: Report

An Emirati airline has launched flights between Abu Dhabi and Yemen’s Socotra Island, which is reported to have been leased to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the ex-administration in Sana’a. According to the report, the UAE has directly supervised what it calls “relief” operations on Socotra Island since the start of the Saudi-led war on Yemen.

This is while no flights have taken place between Socotra and Yemen’s southern port of Yemen and its other cities since the beginning of the Saudi war on its neighbor. http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2017/04/04/516686/UAE-flights--Yemeni-island

Comment: Question: Why can't Yemenia, the official Yemeni airline, regularly fly to #Socotra?

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1326759874043706

My comment: The Emirates begin to treat this Yemeni island as their colony.

and

4.4.2017 – Ayad (A P)

#UAE is STEALING rare trees animals &heritage items #yemen Socotra island considered international protected island (photos)

https://twitter.com/maddllock/status/849367472084054018

4.4.2017 – Southfront (A K

Karte / Map: Militärische Lage im Jemen am 4. April 2017 (Kartenaktualisierung)

Military Situation In Yemen On April 4, 2017 (Map Update)

https://de.southfront.org/militarische-situation-im-jemen-am-4-april-2017-kartenaktualisierung/ and https://maps.southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-april-4-2017-map-update/

4.4.2017 – UN Development Programme (B K)

Yemen is facing an uphill battle to remove explosive hazards

Message by Jamie McGoldrick On the occasion of International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action

The ongoing conflict in Yemen has resulted in a growing contamination of explosive hazards such as landmines, improvised explosive devices, cluster munitions and other remnants of war. It has dramatically spread the overall geographic extent of contamination and the increased the technical complexities of removing it as more modern weapon systems have been employed.

Since February 2016, survey and clearance operations by YEMAC recommenced with UNDP support.

http://www.ye.undp.org/content/yemen/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2017/04/04/yemen-is-facing-an-uphill-battle-to-remove-explosive-hazards.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-facing-uphill-battle-remove-explosive-hazards-enar

My comment: On this subject, look at cp1.

4.4.2017 – European Council on Foreign Relations (* B K P)

Yemen is fast becoming a global, not regional, problem

As commentators look back on two years of the Saudi-led military campaign, international policy must look forward if the country is to survive.

Two years since Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign to restore Yemen’s internationally-recognized government, the country has descended into a state of unprecedented anarchy. Yemen’s infrastructure and industrial capacity are in ruins; roughly 18 million people, more than half the population, need humanitarian aid; and priceless, centuries-old homes and mosques across the country have been reduced to rubble.

But regardless of what the various warring factions may assert, as the Saudi military intervention enters its third year there is little to celebrate. The conflict has already left Yemen the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. And there appears to be no end in sight.

In part, this is rooted in the conflict’s sheer complication: it may often be framed as a two-sided war, but Yemen’s fractures extend well beyond the power struggle between Hadi’s backers and the Houthis.

Such an open-ended and exponentially deteriorating conflict threatens not just the region, but the world at large. Beyond its sheer humanitarian cost, the ongoing conflict has created a dangerous power vacuum that has proven a boon to extremist groups

There’s little question, then, that an immediate political solution to the conflict is in Europe’s wider interest.

Europe and its international partners must make a long-term resource commitment to Yemen – by Adam Baron

http://www.ecfr.eu/article/commentary_yemen_is_fast_becoming_a_global_not_regional_problem_7265

4.4.2017 – Hisham Al-Omeisy (A K P)

Just watched Saudi's JIAT farce of an "independent" self investigation clearing themselves of all #Yemen crimes. UK must be really proud (images)

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/849180792504897536

4.4.2017 – BBC (* A K P)

Film: Yemen's War: Saudi Arabia defends actions

Nawal Al-Maghafi speaks to Major-General Ahmed al-Asiri about the actions of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39495646

and main parts:

4.4.2017 – Donatella Rovera on BBC film (* A K P)

Film: Gen al Asiri proudly tells BBC @Nawalf that #Saudi blocks food & #humanitarian aid to starving civilians in #Yemen regions under #Houthi rule

https://twitter.com/DRovera/status/849192951452401664

and a longer part of film, commented by

4.4.2017 – Hussam Al-Sanabani (* A K P)

Assiri Genocide statement: Mass killing is the only solution to end #Yemen war. This can be done through starvation or cluster bombs.

https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/849228056015360000

Comment by Judith Brown: This obnoxious man - in the same team as Tobias Ellwood. And Teresa May. And Boris Johnson.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10155384082003641

Comment by Daniel Miller: He def. says food aid is among things the Houthi-controlled areas should not get (implies hunger will get them to the "bargaining table").

https://twitter.com/danielmiller30/status/849198954197786624

Comment by Hisham Al-Omeisy: The "money can buy impunity" doctrine. Hey, Saudi bought way out of damming UN child CAC blacklist, remember? Too bad #Yemen too poor to bid

https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/849214258663567360

Comments by Iona Craig: Asiri also wrong about people not starving in govt. controlled areas. Eight out of 11 worst hit provinces are Hadi/Saudi coalition territory

https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/849318744564396032

Just some of the children I met that Asiri says don't exist in Hadi govt controlled areas. Civilians are starving on both sides of frontline (photos9

https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/849323664206180353

My comment: Defending the indefensible. And a cartoon: https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/849306868778500097

Just a reminder:

22.4.2017 – The Guardian (* A K)

Saudi Arabia declares end to Yemen air strikes after four weeks of bombing

Coalition says next phase of operation will keep Houthi rebels pinned down, while US positions warships to watch for arms shipments from Iran

The Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen has declared an end to its campaign of air strikes after four weeks, saying the insurgents no longer pose a threat to Saudi Arabia and its neighbours.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/21/saudi-arabia-airstrikes-yemen-military-campaign-end

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Siehe / Look at cp1

5.4.2017 – Middle east Monitor (* A H)

UNICEF warns of outbreaks of cholera in Yemen

UNICEF warned on Monday of “outbreaks” of cholera rates in Yemen due to the continuing conflict that has caused the loss of tens of thousands of civilians’ lives.

In a statement on Twitter, the international children’s aid organisation said: “Outbreaks of cholera and water and sanitation-related diseases increasing in war-torn Yemen.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170405-unicef-warns-of-outbreaks-of-cholera-in-yemen/

5.4.2017 – The Independent (* B H)

Europeans forgetting about Yemen famine because they don't feel it affects them, NGO director warns

Europeans have forgotten about the growing humanitarian crisis inYemen because they don’t feel like the conflict affects them, an NGO director working in the country has told The Independent.

Giorgio Trombatore, Yemen country director for the International Medical Corps, said the famine fails to get the same attention as the armed conflicts across the Middle East, particularly Syria.

"I think one of the reasons might be the fact people are not directly reaching European seashores," Mr Trombatore said. "It seems more disconnected from what is happening in Europe.

"Half the country is now suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition, and this is something that could have been prevented."

The Saudi-led coalition has imposed an air and naval blockade on Yemen, imposing strict restrictions on what can and cannot be brought into the country and causing delays to aid deliveries, the UN has said.

Mr Trombatore added: "As long as this is brought up to any international level, these kind of things make pressure. So as long as people are silent and no one is talking about it, the crime continues." – by Samuel Osborne

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-famine-humanitarian-crisis-civil-war-forgotten-children-international-medical-corps-a7668931.html

5.4.2017 – Médecins Sans Frontières (* B H)

Yemen: "The war is taking a very high toll on the civilian population"

Interview with Candelaria Lanusse, MSF health adviser for Yemen. She has just returned from a field visit to MSF projects in the northern governorate of Hajjah and the capital, Sana’a.

The escalation of the conflict in the country is hitting the population hard. The data speaks for itself.

There is no doubt that there are many unmet needs. The lack of security due to the fighting and bombing makes it difficult to provide assistance, and the problems of access, due to restrictions or delays in permits for some humanitarian workers, is also a disadvantage.

People are totally dependent on aid, as economic activity has been greatly reduced.

Another very worrying issue is that cases of preventable infections such as whooping cough are appearing more frequently. This is a reflection of the collapse of the health system, which has left vaccination coverage well below standards.

The combined factors of fighting, import restrictions and non-payment of salaries to public officials in the north are having a serious effect on access to food. Distributions of food are irregular and erratic and there is a lack of access to nutritional treatments.

The UN figures are shocking: 1.1 million breastfeeding women are malnourished and 462,000 children under five are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

It is difficult for MSF to make a conclusive analysis. On the one hand, the deterioration of the situation is evident, as people have been displaced and lost their livelihood, crops or animals.

On the other hand, only the most severe cases of malnutrition arrive at our hospital. As we don't provide ambulatory care, we don't have the full picture.

Dozens of health facilities have been destroyed in attacks or combats. Four MSF hospitals were hit by airstrikes or shelling between October 2015 and August 2016, which forced the temporary evacuation of personnel and the disruption of services. Many other civil infrastructures such as markets or social gatherings have also been targeted.

Nevertheless, people have integrated the violence into their daily life and continue to go to hospitals if they can receive medical attention, depending on the frequency of bombings in the area where they find themselves.

Many other health centres are not functional because the staff have fled to safer places.

In addition to the poor functionality of the health system, it is difficult to get supplies to the country.

Usually, we are not able to get them there by sea and the air route is very expensive. There is also a reduced availability of medical material and other goods in the country, which forces us to import much more or to pay higher prices.

http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-war-taking-very-high-toll-civilian-population = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-war-taking-very-high-toll-civilian-population

5.4.2017 – World Food Programme (A H)

Infographic: Logistics Cluster - Yemen Operation - January to March 2017

http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/logistics-cluster-yemen-operation-january-march-2017 and in full: http://www.logcluster.org/document/yemen-operation-overview-infographic-january-march-2017 = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/yemen_january-march_infographic.pdf

4.4.2017 – Quartz (* B H)

The world has set the value of 20 million African and Yemeni lives at $43 each

On Feb. 22, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres delivered a grave warning: $4.4 billion was needed by the end of March to avoid the “catastrophe” of looming famine that could endanger 20 million lives in South Sudan, Nigeria, Yemen, and Somalia. His announcement echoed the words of UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien, who noted earlier in the month that “we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations” in 1945.

But with March over, the amount donated to the UN totals around 20% of what’s needed—$852 million, according to the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. That values each life at roughly $42.60 – by Max de Haldevang

https://qz.com/948503/the-uns-appeal-to-save-20-million-african-and-yemeni-lives-from-a-famine-only-received-43-per-person/

4.4.2017 – The National UAE (* A H)

Yemenis donate money to pay for teachers in Taez amid mass school closures

Businessmen and residents in Yemen’s south-western Taez province are donating money to pay for teachers, as the school system becomes yet another victim of the country’s war.

Tens of thousands of teachers in Yemen have been on strike since February after the government stopped paying their salaries last September. As a result, more than half of all schools in the country have been forced to close.

With more than 40,000 teachers now mostly out of work in Taez province, several fund-raising campaigns have been launched by local volunteers to help pay for living costs so that at least some can return to their jobs – by Mohammed Al Qalisi

http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/yemenis-donate-money-to-pay-for-teachers-in-taez-amid-mass-school-closures

4.4.2017 – International Organization for Migration (A H)

IOM Supports Collapsed Health Care in Sana’a, Yemen

On 27 March 2017, IOM donated approximately three tons of medicine and medical supplies to Al-Thawra General Modern Hospital located in Sana’a, Yemen.

Al-Thawra Hospital is the largest public hospital in Yemen, providing services to the whole community, including migrants and refugees, who receive the same care and pay the same minimum charges as the local population.

Like many other medical facilities, Al-Thawra Hospital has been crippled by the ongoing conflict. The hospital is overwhelmed by the increasing volume of patients, partly due to the number of people who have been displaced to Sana’a by the conflict. According to WHO, almost 4.5 million people in Yemen, including 2 million children, require treatment for malnutrition or to prevent it, representing a 150 percent increase since late 2014.

The hospital is suffering from a lack of funding, medical supplies and equipment.

http://www.iom.int/news/iom-supports-collapsed-health-care-sanaa-yemen = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-supports-collapsed-health-care-sana-yemen

31.3.2017 – World Food Programme (A H)

Yemen mVAM Bulletin #20: March 2017 - Food security indicators are poor in Raymah, Ad Dali and Lahj governorates

The food security situation is deteriorating in Abyan.

Worst record of negative food-based coping strategies among IDPs households in the last six months.

More respondents are concerned about the deterioration of availability of food and fuel.

http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-mvam-bulletin-20-march-2017-food-security-indicators-are-poor-raymah-ad-dali-and and in full: http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp291374.pdf = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/wfp291374.pdf

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

Siehe / Look at cp1

5.4.2017 – Arab News (A P)

Differences, tensions run high with rebels in Sanaa

Adel Al-Shujaa, senior member of General People’s Congress (GPC) party in Yemen filed a case against Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi militias following a speech Al-Houthi gave last week.
Al-Shujaa deemed the speech an act of racism, hatred and sectarianism, adding that it was a blatant violation of the rights of the Yemeni people. He said the speech contained direct instructions to practice violence against those who do not abide by the Houthi ways, and clearly called for eliminating those who stand in opposition.
“Ignoring or turning a blind eye to this speech will lead to bloodshed of groups who are incited against them, and will lead to more massacres than those of the Nazis,” he added.
“This speech cheapens and devalues the blood of all Yemenis and calls for continual war without any regard for people’s lives and futures.”
Sources have reported that the ongoing conflict between ousted-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and leaders of the Houthi group in Sana’a have intensified, as Saleh ordered the detention of the brother of Houthi leader Abdulkhaliq Al-Houthi in a cell inside the Saleh reserve forces camp in Sawad Haziz south of Sana’a, along with a number of companions – by Mohammed Al-Sulami

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1079801/middle-east

My comment: Saudi media, must be treated with great caution.

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (A P)

PM discusses with Humanitarian Coordinator aspects of coordination with regard to humanitarian situation

Prime Minister Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor met on Wednesday in Sana'a with the humanitarian coordinator in Yemen Jimmie McGoldrick.
The meeting discussed aspects of cooperation and coordination between the National Salvation Government and the international and humanitarian organizations towards the dire humanitarian situation faced by the Yemeni people due to the continued aggression and siege against the Yemeni people for more than two years.
The meeting focused on the international conference on Yemen scheduled to be held in the Swiss city of Geneva and the need to coordinate efforts to highlight the humanitarian challenges and catastrophic effects caused by the aggression and its unjust siege during this conference, as well as the more painful effects that will result from any military action on Hodeida province or any attempt to close its ports by aggressors.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461195.htm

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (A P)

FM welcomes EU foreign ministers' communiqué

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461122.htm

4.4.2017 – Saba Net (A P)

Supreme Political Council approves renaming of the President and members of the National Defense Council

The Supreme Political Council approved the renaming of the chairman and members of the National Defense Council established by Law No. 62 of 1991, as follows:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461086.htm

4.4.2017 – Saba Net (A P)

UN Resident Coordinator visits sit-in tent of Displaced

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Yemen Jamie McGoldrick paid on Tuesday a visit to a sit-in tent of the displaced at front of the United Nations Office in the Capital Sana'a.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461091.htm

4.4.2017 – Saba Net (A P)

Protest rally against Saudi war crimes, siege on Yemen, Dhamar province

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461028.htm

cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government

6.4.2017 – Almasdar Online (A T)

Two gunmen assassinate 17th Infantry Brigade supply officer in Taiz – source

http://almasdaronline.com/article/90161

5.4.2017 – Fars News (* A K P)

Yemen: 4 US Cargo Planes Carrying Large Amount of Weapons Land in Aden Airport

Security sources in Yemen disclosed that four US cargo planes carrying weapons for the Saudi-backed militias have landed in Aden Airport.

"A total number of four C130 cargo planes carrying a large amount of weapons and ammunition have landed in Aden Airport in the Southern part of Yemen," a security source said.

He noted that the US planes landed amid tight security measures as the Saudi-led fighter jets and helicopters were flying over Aden airport to ensure the safe landing of the US cargo planes.

"The weapons will be used for occupation of al-Hudayda port in Western Yemen which is adjacent to the Red Sea," the source added.

In relevant remarks in late March, Head of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen Saleh al-Sammad underlined that Washington and London are supporting the Riyadh government in its war crimes against civilians in Yemen.

"The US, the UK and the UAE are helping Saudi Arabia to gain domination over the Yemeni people," al-Sammad said.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960116000736

and

5.4.2017 – Living in Yemen on the edge (* A K P)

US Troops in #Yemen according to local sources
America has announced officially their intervention in Yemen and has sent the first batch of the US military to Aden.
On Tuesday evening, 4th of April, four US military cargo planes carrying military equipment and weapons landed at Aden International Airport.. According to a security source in the province.
Four C-130 cargo planes, carrying large quantities of weapons and miscellaneous weapons, landed at Aden airport amid security alert, accompanied by a heavy flight of coalition fighters and helicopters, the agency quoted the source as saying.
The source said that security services closed the airport on Sunday evening in preparation for the arrival of military equipment.
The source expected to use US equipment in the process planned by the coalition forces to control the port of Hodeidah, west of Yemen on the Red Sea coast.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1327587980627562/?type=3

and

4.4.2017 – Yemen Press (* A K P)

Arrival of Four Military Cargo Planes Carrying Large Quantities of Weapons to Aden Airport

Arrival of Four Military Cargo Planes Carrying Large Quantities of Weapons to Aden Airport

The four military cargo planes arrived on evening of the Monday the 3rd of April 2017 on the Aden International Airport carrying military equipment and weapons, according to the security source from the province.

The source told the Russian News agency ‘Sputnik’ that the four c-130 Military Cargo planes, carrying large quantities of weapons and other weapons landed at Aden International airport amid a security alert and guarded by the jets and helicopters belonging to the coalition of aggression.

The source said that the security services of mercenaries closed the airport on Sunday evening in preparation for the arrival of military equipment’s.

As per the expectations of the Source the weaponry was for the use of US will use in the operations launched by the alliance of Saudi-UAE in the west on Ports of Hodeidah on the coasts of Red Sea.

http://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/arrival-of-four-military-cargo-planes-carrying-large-quantities-of-weapons-to-aden-airport.html and also reported by http://almaalomah.info/2017/04/04/world/144541 and translation: https://nenosplace.forumotion.com/t119022-yemen-the-arrival-of-four-us-cargo-planes-carrying-large-quantities-of-weapons

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

4.4.2017 – Gegenfrage (A K)

Saudische Kampfpiloten bekommen bis zu 60%-Gehaltserhöhung

Einem Bericht der saudi-arabischen Presseagentur vom Montag zufolge wurden die Grundgehälter aller Kampfpiloten um 35 Prozent erhöht.

Offiziere, die Kampfflugzeuge oder Waffensysteme steuern, erhalten sogar eine 60-prozentige Gehaltserhöhung, so die Meldung weiter.

http://www.gegenfrage.com/saudische-kampfpiloten-bekommen-bis-zu-60-gehaltserhoehung/

Mein Kommentar: Blutgeld…

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1

5.4.2017 – The Nation (* B K P)

America’s Support For Saudi Arabia’s War On Yemen Must End

Acting as a de facto co-belligerent in the conflict, we are lending aid and support to the ideological heirs of those who attacked us on September 11.

And last week, the Senate committee heard testimony from Michael Singh of the neoconservative Washington Institute for Near East Policy who told the senators that “Iran’s efforts to project power have destabilized Lebanon, prolonged the Syrian civil war, and fueled resentment among Arab Sunnis and the rise of jihadist groups like the Islamic State.”

Blaming Iran for the rise of the Islamic State is similar to the neo-con mantra that “Assad created ISIS” in that both views studiously ignore the fact that ISIS views both Iran and Assad as its archenemies and that, according to former Secretary of State John Kerry, Iran has been fighting, not funding ISIS, unlike some of our purported “allies” in the region.

And for good reason, as the congressional letter makes clear: “The Houthis have never been ‘associated forces’ to Al Qaeda; they are Zaydis, a branch of Shiite Islam, and strongly oppose the Sunni Al Qaeda, which promotes sectarian violence against Shia.”

But in siding with the Saudis and the Emirates against the Shia Houthis we are now lending aid and support to the ideological heirs of those who attacked us on September 11.

The driver of this myopic and sinister policy is widely believed to be Defense Secretary James Mattis. The congressional staffer told me that Mattis “has been given a pass by Democrats because he is seen as a serious, moderating influence on Trump—but it is Mattis who is driving this.”

Yet Washington’s foreign policy establishment seems to be blithely unperturbed by such a prospect. And there should be little mystery as to why: the stranglehold Saudi Arabia has on policy makers and thought leaders in Washington, who have allowed the Wahhabi Kingdom’s obsession with Iran to become their own – by James Carden

https://www.thenation.com/article/americas-support-for-saudi-arabias-war-on-yemen-must-end/

3.4.2017 – War on the Rocks (* A K P)

Trump’s Middle East Policies are Boorish and Belligerent, But Surprisingly Normal

Every new president since Jimmy Carter has entered office promising to radically change America’s place in the Middle East, and almost every president soon finds those plans stymied by regional realities.

Trump has certainly been more openly enthusiastic about working with Arab autocrats than Obama.

The foreign affairs community may, understandably, be in a state of perpetual outrage over the Trump team’s amateurish gambits and penchant for shocking statements. But thus far, Trump’s actual Middle East policy has been shockingly conventional.

Right now, however, the greatest risk comes from how a still untested and understaffed administration will respond to a sudden crisis. The pushback against Iran in Yemen could suddenly escalate. There could be a successful attack on U.S. troops deployed in Iraq and Syria – by Marc Lynch

3.4.2017 – Politico (* A K P)

Trump's dangerous expansion of executive war powers

For decades, Congress has relinquished its constitutional role in declaring war. But Trump is taking it to new extremes.

After the last 15-plus years of imprudent executive war-making, what we need is not less oversight of our foreign policy, but more—more open debate about our goals and strategy, more realistic risk analysis, and more careful determination of what political outcomes we can achieve through military force – By Bonnie Kristian

http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/04/morning-trade-trump-sees-possible-deal-with-xi-000389

2.4.2017 – Council on Foreign Relations (* A K P)

The (Not-So) Peaceful Transition of Power: Trump’s Drone Strikes Outpace Obama

By at least one measure at this point in his presidency, Trump has been more interventionist than Obama: in authorizing drone strikes and special operations raids in non-battlefield settings (namely, in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia).

Thus, people who believed that Trump would be less interventionist than Obama are wrong, at least so far and at least when it comes to drone strikes – by Micah Zenko

http://blogs.cfr.org/zenko/2017/03/02/the-not-so-peaceful-transition-of-power/ and Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.de/trump-is-ordering-airstrikes-at-5-times-the-pace-obama-did-2017-4?r=US&IR=T

4.4.2017 – FAZ (* A K P)

Drohnen jagen Journalisten?
Wer auf der „kill list“ steht, darf mit Drohnen gejagt und getötet werden. Jetzt vermuten zwei amerikanische Journalisten, die aus Kriegsgebieten berichten, ihre Namen darauf. Bei all dem politischen Tamtam, das seit Donald Trumps Amtsantritt durch die Medien wabert, dominieren die Russenverbindungen mitsamt den Abhörvorwürfen sowie die gescheiterte Gesundheitsreform. Doch zum Tagesgeschäft von Trump gehören auch Entscheidungen über Leben und Tod, die weniger Berichterstattung erfahren als die Skandale, über die sich die parteipolitischen Lager derzeit beharken. Denn in manchen Fragen war der Übergang von Obama zu Trump frei von Kontroversen. So herrscht sowohl bei Republikanern als auch Demokraten Einigkeit darüber, dass der bei Drohnenkrieg fortgeführt wird. Die Vereinigten Staaten töten weiterhin mit bewaffneten unbemannten Drohnen außerhalb ihres Territoriums gezielt Menschen, die zuvor als Feinde definiert wurden – von Constanze Kurz

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/aus-dem-maschinenraum/kill-list-der-drohnen-journalisten-auf-der-abschussliste-14954227.html

4.4.2017 – The Independent (* A K P)

Donald Trump administration orders 70 airstrikes on Yemen in a month - twice as many as 2016 total

A number of civilian deaths have been reported following the strikes

The US military under the command of Donald Trump has carried out 70 airstrikes on Yemen in the last month - more than twice the number for all of 2016.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-yemen-airstrikes-monthly-double-2016-obama-a7666676.html

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

5.4.2017 – IRNA / Pars Today (* A P)

Britische Premierministerin und saudischer Kronprinz erörtern Zusammenarbeit

Die britische Premierministerin Theresa May hat am Dienstagabend bei einem Treffen mit dem saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Naif über die gemeinsame Zusammenarbeit beider Länder sowie die jüngsten regionalen Entwicklungen gesprochen. May und Naif führten Gespräche über Kooperationen bei der Bekämpfung des Terrorismus und äußerten die Standpunkte Londons und Riads bezüglich der regionalen Entwicklungen.

Theresa May hat außerdem die saudi-arabische Börse besucht und ist mit hochrangigen saudischen Wirtschaftsverantwortlichen zusammengekommen.

Sie soll heute den saudi-arabischen König Salman ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud und den Vize-Kronprinz und Außenminister Mohammed bin Salman treffen.

May steht durch NGOs (Nichtregierungsorganisationen) und Menschenrechtsgruppen (die alles vertreten, außer Menschenrechte) , die gegen den saudischen Krieg im Jemen sind, unter Druck.

http://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i25534-britische_premierministerin_und_saudischer_kronprinz_er%C3%B6rtern_zusammenarbeit

Bemerkung: Im Folgenden sehr viele englische Artikel zum Thema.

5.4.2017 – Press TV Iran (A P)

PM May gets top Saudi honor as British bombs rain on Yemen civilians

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has presented visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May with the kingdom’s highest civilian honor as UK-supplied bombs keep raining on Yemenis during Riyadh's war on the impoverished Arab country.

Salman presented the Order of King Abdulaziz to May on Wednesday during talks held in the al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh.

The order is named after the founder of the kingdom, Abdulaziz Al Saud, and is bestowed to citizens of Saudi Arabia and foreigners for meritorious service.

During the meeting, current bilateral relations and ways the increase ties in all fields were discussed.

http://linkis.com/www.presstv.com/Deta/yjP57

Comment by Hussam Al-Sanabani: Medal of shame. Someday she will retire, she will sit at home in front of this medal. Will she be proud of it?

https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/849756414650220546

5.4.2017 – The Guardian (* A P)

Saudi bombs are decimating Yemen. Yet May’s glad-handing goes on

The prime minister is in the Gulf chasing trade – and has dismissed calls for Britain to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia. Let’s hope the law intervenes

The prime minister defiantly set out the so-called “May doctrine” for foreign policy. The upshot was that “our British national interest” is really the only thing that matters, and no amount of “sniping” about the catastrophe in Yemen should be allowed to get in the way of our trading relationship with the Saudis. In other words, there is no place in Theresa May’s doctrine for old-fashioned considerations like human rights and humanitarian crises.

But if we can’t rely on Tory ministers to respect such values, we can at least still look to the law. Thanks to the leading role played by Britain under a Labour government, it is now a key principle that arms sales should not be permitted if there is a “clear risk” of their being used to violate humanitarian law.

Asking whether that is the case with the £3bn worth of weapons Britain has sold to Saudi Arabia since the start of the Yemen conflict is not, therefore, sniping; it is better described as our moral and legal duty.

Have such crimes been committed by the Saudi coalition in Yemen? We cannot know for sure, and we will not know until there is a full, independent, UN-led investigation into all the thousands of airstrikes on civilian areas and each of the deaths they have caused.

You would think the UK government would be leading the calls for such an investigation, but no again; instead, and typically, it has been content to say that the Saudis should be left to investigate themselves, and whatever they conclude will be accepted as gospel.

itemprop=contentURL v:shapes="_x0000_i1025">No doubt that was the extent of May’s comments on the subject today, before she got down to the only issue that really matters to her: trade.

That may be her doctrine, but it is not the law, and the British courts will soon rule on whether her government has been right to judge that there is “no clear risk” that our weapons have been used in breach of international law.

It will be shameful if that is what it takes to get them to do the decent thing on Yemen – by Emily Thornberry

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/05/saudi-arabia-bombs-yemen-theresa-may-trade

My comment: In this point the author is definitely wrong: The Saudi aggression at Yemen never was “legitimate” – even not in its very beginning.

5.4.2017 – RT (A P)

Film: "UK's utterly complicit in war crimes in Yemen" says @CAATuk as @theresa_may talks trade in Saudi Arabia.

https://twitter.com/RTUKnews/status/849552674446036992

5.4.2017 – The National (* A P)

Prime Minister Theresa May pressed on Saudi action in Yemen

THERESA May has come under pressure from the SNP and Labour as she arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday on the latest leg of her tour around the Middle East to promote trade links.

She was quizzed by journalists ahead of departing for the Saudi capital Riyadh about the kingdom’s involvement in a long running war in neighbouring Yemen. But the Prime Minister said the country’s ties with the UK are important for security and prosperity – by Kathleen Nutt

http://www.thenational.scot/news/15203220.Prime_Minister_Theresa_May_pressed_on_Saudi_action_in_Yemen/

4.4.2017 – Fars News (* B K P)

No Paragon of Civic Virtue: UK Must Look at Its Own War Crimes in Yemen

The British government has become militarily extreme; scornful of compromise; unpersuaded by conventional understanding of facts and evidence; and dismissive of the legitimacy of International Law, all but declaring war on the people of Yemen.

The British government, while no paragon of civic virtue, is more protective of its role as it developed over the course of the last two years, and less disposed to or adept at looking at its own war crimes in the poorest country in the Arab world. Instead, it often brushes aside or whitewashes.

Quite the reverse, Prime Minister May will once again underline Britain’s close relationship with the House of Saud, in which affecting regime change in Yemen is a key factor. She will herald a further intensification in the dirty war and deepen the true strategic partnership in the military campaign. She will confirm that Britain will continue to support the bombing campaign and will stand in the way of due process and the rule of law by granting the cabal of Saudi war criminals special immunity at the UN or in any inquiry into whether war crimes are being committed in Yemen.

None of that should be surprising:

Establishing the truth is important, because while this dirty war is invariably described in Western media outlets as “Saudi-led”, the US and UK are both central, indispensable participants. They are complicit in this carnage, and bear much responsibility for targeting civilians and civilian objects, in violation of International Humanitarian Law

This makes the British government complicit in both whitewashing its own war crimes and the failure to properly investigate war crimes committed by the Saudis in Yemen. Despite global condemnation, it is still escalating the crisis by standing firmly behind one of the planet’s most brutal and repressive regimes, and by arming it to the teeth with the full and undeniable knowledge that they are enabling massacres that recklessly, and in many cases, deliberately, target innocent civilians.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960115001472

4.4.2017 – Financial Times (* A E P)

May and LSE chief lobby for Aramco listing on Saudi visit

Security pacts and investment deals expected despite unease at home

The London Stock Exchange’s chief executive is accompanying Theresa May on her trip to Saudi Arabia, in a sign of the political emphasis being placed on the upcoming flotation of state oil company Saudi Aramco. Mrs May arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, seeking to build trade ties against a backdrop of British political unease about Riyadh’s involvement in the war in Yemen.

Xavier Rolet, the LSE’s chief executive, is one of the few private-sector representatives on her delegation. The exchange is seeking to host the international component of Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering, which is expected to be the largest of all time. The kingdom is planning to sell 5 per cent of the company, which officials value at $2tn.

The Aramco IPO is the centrepiece of the ambitious economic reform plans that aim to end the kingdom’s reliance on the volatile oil sector by kick-starting private sector development. Securing the international component of the sale would be a major victory for the UK given the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote – by: Simeon Kerr and Anjli Raval and Henry Mance

https://www.ft.com/content/aa47d620-1929-11e7-9c35-0dd2cb31823a

My comment: Just disgusting. That is the only what counts for somebody like May.

4.4.2017 – AP (* A P)

British PM arrives in Saudi Arabia on mission to boost ties

British Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to strengthen bilateral ties and increase trade with the largest Arab economy as it continues to spend heavily on defense and an ongoing war in Yemen.

The prime minister arrived in the OPEC powerhouse following talks in the neighboring kingdom of Jordan.

The British government said May will emphasize her country’s close partnership with Saudi Arabia, including on counterterrorism cooperation. Before traveling to Saudi Arabia, May noted that intelligence received in the past from Saudi Arabia saved potentially hundreds of lives in the UK – By ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI and AYA BATRAWY

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/british-pm-arrives-in-saudi-arabia-on-mission-to-boost-ties/

My comment: “May noted that intelligence received in the past from Saudi Arabia saved potentially hundreds of lives in the UK”: Without Saudi Wahabism, no Islamist terror at all. And a fine cartoon by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2017/apr/04/steve-bell-on-easter-and-theresa-mays-trip-to-saudi-arabia-cartoon = https://twitter.com/lightacandleOTM/status/849346360814034946 and another cartoon: https://twitter.com/BrookesTimes/status/849584849237266433

And another article by Middle East Eye: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-deepen-military-ties-saudi-arabia-despite-calls-end-arms-sales-496165075

4.4.2017 – Daily Mail (* A P)

Theresa May arrives in Saudi Arabia without a headscarf for trade talks amid demands she confront the Crown Prince over human rights abuses in Yemen

PM is in the Gulf for trade talks with Jordan and Saudi Arabia this week

She has been under pressure to raise human rights abuses with the Saudi leader

The focus of the talks is trade as Saudi Arabia is a major buyer of British arms

But May said today she would raise issues of human rights abuses in Yemen

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4378306/May-denies-selling-Britain-s-principles-human-rights.html

4.4.2017 – The Guardian (* A P)

Theresa May: building Saudi ties better than 'sniping' from sidelines

Visit to the region to explore new trade deals has drawn criticism from MPs and human rights activists

Theresa May has said building a relationship with Saudi Arabia is better than “standing on the sidelines and sniping” amid criticism of her decision to visit the region on her first trip to explore trade ties after triggering article 50.

UK and Saudi foreign and trade ministers will have six-monthly strategic dialogues to lay the foundations for a post-Brexit trade deal, the prime minister said in Riyadh on Tuesday after bilateral meetings with meeting Saudi’s crown prince.

The chancellor, Philip Hammond, foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and international trade secretary, Liam Fox, will all visit Saudi Arabia in the coming months to underline the importance the UK places on the relationship.

The emphasis on the UK-Saudi relationship has drawn sharp criticism from some MPs and human rights activists, who have been disappointed by May’s decision to make the country one of her first stops to explore new trading partnerships after the triggering of article 50 last week.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/04/theresa-may-building-saudi-ties-better-than-sniping-from-sidelines

My comment: This tells a lot about May. Critics for her is ““standing on the sidelines and sniping”. An interesting idea of democracy, really. And why it should be any good to “build ties” with one of the most autocratic, head-chopping, warmongering, anti-human, terrorism backing regimes in the world?

3.4.2017 – Channel 4 (* A P)

Film: Activists attempt citizen’s arrest of Saudi general

Theresa May flies to Saudi Arabia tomorrow on the second leg of her tour of Arab states.On the agenda will be discussions on counter terrorism and boosting trade with the kingdom. But her trip comes as the Metropolitan Police revealed its war crimes unit is examining allegations of war crimes by Saudi Arabia in their bombing campaign in Yemen.

Human rights activists attempted to carry out a citizen’s arrest of Saudi Major General Ahmed al-Asiri in Britain last week, which this programme has obtained exclusive footage of – by Fatima Manji

https://www.channel4.com/news/activists-attempt-citizens-arrest-of-saudi-general

4.4.2017 – Reuters (A P)

May to raise 'hard issues' with Saudi Arabia, stand up for UK interests

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday she would raise "hard issues" with Saudi Arabia's leaders as domestic critics urged her to pressure Riyadh over its war in Yemen and human rights record.

May, who has launched a diplomatic drive to secure trade deals after launching divorce talks with the European Union, said she would stand up for both human rights and her country's national interests in her talks in the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Saudi Arabia is a major customer for British defense companies, an ally in countering terrorism and a wealthy oil-producing nation that May's government hopes to win over after launching Brexit talks late last month.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-saudi-idUSKBN1760WE

4.4.2017 – Reuters (A P)

Film: Britain's Middle East relations crucial for trade, security - UK PM

British Prime Minister Theresa May defends the country's foreign policy during a visit to Jordan, saying maintaining links in the Middle East was important for trade and security. Rough cut (no reporter narration).

http://www.reuters.com/video/2017/04/04/britains-middle-east-relations-crucial-f?videoId=371417959&newsChannel=yemen

4.4.2017 – BBC (* A P)

Film: Theresa May defends UK ties with Saudi Arabia

Theresa May has defended her trip to Saudi Arabia, saying its ties with the UK are important for security and prosperity.

"We are concerned about the humanitarian situation - that's why the UK last year was the fourth largest donor to the Yemen in terms of humanitarian aid - £103m. We will be continuing with that," she told the BBC.

"And yes, we will be raising the humanitarian issue. We believe it is important that we recognise the threat that there is in terms of people's lives. We will be supporting that through the aid and support that we give."

She also defended the drive to strike new trade links, saying the UK had "long-term and historic relationships" with Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

The countries, she said, were "important for us in terms of security, they are importance for us in terms of defence and yes, in terms of trade.

"But as I said when I came to the Gulf at the end of last year, Gulf security is our security and Gulf prosperity is our prosperity."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39485083 and http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/pm-to-raise-human-rights-issues-in-saudi-talks-amid-yemen-concerns-11364170597746 and by RT: https://www.rt.com/uk/383434-may-saudi-human-rights/ and by BT: http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/pm-to-raise-human-rights-issues-in-saudi-talks-amid-yemen-concerns-11364170597746#

My comment: LOL.

4.4.2017 – Sky (* A P)

UK and Saudi Arabia set for closer defence ties despite 'human rights abuses' in Yemen

The PM says it is in the national interest to have good relations with the nation despite its controversial human rights record.

The UK and Saudi Arabia are set to agree closer ties in areas including defence, security, intelligence and trade.

Britain is also set to become a "leading partner" in the kingdom's efforts to reform and modernise under its "Vision 2030" programme.

It comes as Theresa May is due to meet the King Salman in Riyadh during her visit to boost links.

The UK will help Saudi Arabia with "building a reformed ministry of defence, reviewing Saudi defence capabilities and joint working across the Saudi armed forces", the Government said.

http://news.sky.com/story/uk-and-saudi-arabia-set-for-closer-defence-ties-despite-human-rights-abuses-in-yemen-10825571

My comment: The last paragraph is a bad joke – one more sign how far reaching British-Saudi complicity actually is.

4.4.2017 – The Independent (* A P)

As Theresa May flies out to Saudi Arabia, we should beware of Britain's new Brexit allies

In the last six months, Liam Fox has been on a whistle-stop tour of authoritarian regimes

This week Theresa May is making her first international visits since triggering Article 50 – and unfortunately it tells us a lot about where she sees the UK’s post-Brexit future lying. Today she flies into Jordan, and tomorrow she’s off to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a visit that she hopes will “herald a further intensification” in relations between the UK and the two countries.

The images that come out from May’s time in Riyadh will be projected around the world. The message they send to the Saudi government will be one of unwavering and uncritical support, but the message they send to those being abused in Saudi prisons or being bombed in Yemen will be a very different one. To them it will say that the UK regards their suffering as a price to pay to continue selling arms – by Andrew Smith, spokesperson for Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT)

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-saudi-arabia-theresa-may-allies-liam-fox-trades-deals-europe-beware-a7664741.html

3.4.2017 – Common Space (* A P)

Theresa May ridiculed for a "quick buck" Brexit trade trip to Saudi Arabia

UK PRIME MINISTER Theresa May has been condemned by human rights bodies, campaigners and Scottish politicians for her trip to the Jordan and Saudi Arabia which she hopes to use to cement security and trade deals.

It is feared by Scots MSPs and human rights groups that the decision to leave the EU will result in a marked increase in weapons sales and economic cooperation with some of the most reactionary governments in the Gulf region – by Nathanael Williams

https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/10697/theresa-may-ridiculed-quick-buck-brexit-trade-trip-saudi-arabia

3.4.2017 – The Guardian (A P)

Theresa May hopes to set example of female potential in Saudi Arabia

PM says her trip to Arab state can send message about female leadership but stops short of criticising its equal rights approach – by Jessica Elgot

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/03/theresa-may-hopes-example-female-potential-saudi-arabia

My comment: LOL. She’s not any better because she is a woman. Her Middle East politics is disastrous.

11.2017 – OpenDemocracy (* A P)

Uncomfortable assumptions about security: the UK vote on support for Saudi Arabia

Pervasive and problematic assumptions about the UK’s security lie at the heart of parliament’s recent decision to continue to support Saudi Arabia, despite accusations of war crimes in Yemen.

The legal question-marks hanging over UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia could not be clearer. In December 2015, barristers from Matrix Chambers published the opinion that:

“any authorisation by the UK of the transfer of weapons and related items to Saudi Arabia… in circumstances where such weapons are capable of being used in the conflict in Yemen, including to support its blockade of Yemeni territory, and in circumstances where their end-use is not restricted, would constitute a breach by the UK of its obligations under domestic, European and international law.”

Two parliamentary select committees have subsequently argued that the government should suspend licenses to the Kingdom, pending independent investigations of alleged atrocities. And the High Court has given permission for a judicial review of the government’s position, in a case brought by Campaign Against Arms Trade.

The ‘benign influence’ argument

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Crispin Blunt MP claimed in the debate that current UK policy has a benign influence on the Yemen conflict, arguing that the expertise provided to the Saudi military helps to reduce the risk of civilian casualties.

Indeed, it is probably more credible to argue, as the journalist Peter Oborne has done, that the parliamentary vote on Wednesday “sent the green light to Saudi Arabia and its allies to carry on bombing, maiming and killing”. Far from being benign, the UK’s approach is likely to fan the flames of this desperate conflict, as it has done in too many other parts of the Middle East.

The jobs argument

Could it be the case that some of our MPs believe that the lives of the people of Yemen are a price worth paying for UK jobs? The ‘regional security ally’ argument Yet concerns about Saudi Arabia’s contribution to regional and global insecurity are well-documented. Moreover, evidence that arms exports play a positive role in building the UK’s security is hard to find. The parliamentary debate last week is a stark illustration of the pervasive nature of this narrative, and its impact on the critical political decisions of the day. Shamefully, it is the people of Yemen who will pay the price for this approach, unless and until we challenge these assumptions and make a compelling case for a new approach to security, that can better meet the needs of all people, whether they live in the Middle East or the UK – by Celia Mckeon

https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/celia-mckeon/uncomfortable-assumptions-about-security-uk-vote-on-support-for-saudi-arabia

4.4.2017 – Parliament – they work for you (A P)

Question to Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterparts on the potential famine in Yemen.

and answer

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2017-03-28.69614.h&p=11437

My comment: the answer is inadequate. Ellwood is one of the most relentless backers of the US-Saudi connection and arms sales. Look at letter to Ellwood by Judith Brown in cp1.

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

5.4.2017 – Frankfurter Rundschau (* A K P)

Waffenexporte: Wie deutsche Firmen am Krieg verdienen

Tödliche Geschäfte: Allein 2015 verkauften deutsche Rüstungsfirmen Waffen im Wert von fast fünf Milliarden Euro ins Ausland - darunter auch in Krisenregionen.

Die Aktionäre können sich freuen: Einen Rekordumsatz von mehr als 5,6 Milliarden Euro verkündete die Rheinmetall AG Ende März. Allein die Rüstungssparte des Konzerns habe im vergangenen Jahr 147 Millionen Euro Gewinn erwirtschaftet, gab Vorstandschef Armin Papperger in Düsseldorf bekannt – und das vor allem im Bereich Munition und Waffen, der 108 Millionen Euro einbrachte. Fast die Hälfte der Verkäufe gingen 2016 in den arabischen Krisengürtel, wo die Konzerntochter Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) mit Militärbetrieben der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE), aber auch Saudi-Arabiens kooperiert. Diehl Defence, der Raketenhersteller vom Bodensee, unterhält in Abu Dhabi ein Außenbüro. Bei der Vorstellung seines Geschäftsberichts im Sommer werden ebenfalls Umsatzzuwächse erwartet.

Ein Trend, der sich fortsetzen dürfte, und zwar nicht zuletzt, weil die Kriege und Krisen von Libyen über Syrien und Irak bis Jemen für anhaltende Nachfrage nach Großwaffensystemen, Kleinwaffen und Munition sorgen.

Um vier Prozent wachsen werden die Verteidigungsetats im Mittleren Osten und Nordafrika bis 2020 – für neue Erträge der Big Five der deutschen Rüstungsindustrie, Rheinmetall Defence, Kraus-Maffei Wegmann, Diehl Defence, Airbus Defence und Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems ist also gesorgt – von Markus Bickel

http://www.fr.de/wirtschaft/waffenexporte-wie-deutsche-firmen-am-krieg-verdienen-a-1255089 = http://www.huffingtonpost.de/markus-bickel-/terror-krieg-wirtschaft_b_15844214.html

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

6.4.2017 – The Nation Pakistan (* B P)

Saving Yemen

Pakistan’s newly-appointed Foreign Secretary has a tough job.
She’s supposed to make the personalised hodge-podge of Nawaz Sharif’s foreign dealings sound like coherent national policy.
Picture this: While announcing yet again the inclusion of Pakistan in the Saudi-led so-called Muslim alliance, she reassured us that our government is working towards reducing tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Now that’s a hard one to swallow.

She didn’t tell us what the government had done to reduce the Saudi-Iran tension in the last year nor how it hoped to play the role of a mediator by joining one side.

She didn’t talk about the dubious achievements of the so-called coalition of Muslim countries in its war against Yemen and the leading role played by the US in directing that war, choreographing the destruction of yet another beautiful country.
She didn’t tell us what our inclusion in the coalition actually entails.

There’s no mistaking it: The government is bent upon pushing the Pakistan military deeper into this empire-driven coalition – by Jalees Hazir

http://nation.com.pk/columns/06-Apr-2017/saving-yemen

5.4.2017 – New Matilda (* B P)

The Spoils Of War: Where Your Party Sits On The Saudi-Led War On Yemen

‘Political things’ are finally happening in Australia over the War on Yemen. If you’re a Green, opposition is growing. If you’re Labor, you’ll be very confused. And if you’re a Liberal, then you’re making a lot of money. Michael Brull continues his series on the humanitarian disaster unfolding in a nation we’re helping to destroy.

The war on Yemen appears to be finally breaking into the mainstream political agenda. On Wednesday last week, Greens Senator Scott Ludlam gave notice of a motion for the Senate on Australian military exports to Saudi Arabia. The motion ordered the Defence Minister, Marise Payne, to disclose by 30 March 6 pm, two things.

Pyne visited Saudi Arabia in December to promote the export of more military equipment to the Saudi government.

Pyne claimed that military export applications are subject to “strict controls”, including consideration of human rights criteria.

Presumably, he knows this is a lie. Otherwise, why wouldn’t Pyne tell us about all the money being made from selling weapons to Saudi Arabia? Why wouldn’t he brag about this triumph for Australian industry? Why aren’t the businesses in question gloating about their contribution to the Australian economy? – By Michael Brull

https://newmatilda.com/2017/04/05/the-spoils-of-war-where-your-party-sits-on-the-saudi-led-war-on-yemen/

4.4.2017 – Middle East Eye (A H)

Ethiopian maid: My Kuwaiti employer was trying to kill me

An Ethiopian maid who survived falling several storeys in Kuwait has said she wasn't trying to commit suicide, but "trying to escape from the woman who tried to kill me" in video broadcast on Ethiopian TV.

A video of the woman dangling from the balcony of her employer's flat went viral last week after it was filmed by her employer. The maid is heard shouting for help, saying "hold me, hold me," before losing her grip and falling several floors.

On Sunday, another video appeared of the woman in a hospital in Kuwait which was broadcast by Ethiopian media in which she denied she was suicidal.

"The lady put me in the bathroom and was about to kill me in the bathroom without anybody finding out, she would have thrown my body out like rubbish, so instead of staying there I went to save myself and then I fell," she said on the video.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/ethiopian-maid-viral-kuwait-video-says-she-was-trying-escape-employer-354761341 and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B26AFid7wKQ

4.4.2017 – Pars Today (A P)

EU warnt vor humanitärer Krise im Jemen

Die EU-Außenbeauftragte Federica Mogherini hat vor einer Verschärfung der humanitären Krise im Jemen gewarnt. Die EU-Außenminister veröffentlichten gestern auf ihrer Sitzung in Luxemburg eine Erklärung, in der sie ihre Bereitschaft bekräftigten, die Bestrebungen der Vereinten Nationen zur politischen Lösung der Krise im Jemen zu unterstützen. http://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i25494-eu_warnt_vor_humanitärer_krise_im_jemen und siehe auch http://www.salzburg.com/nachrichten/welt/chronik/sn/artikel/eu-will-hungersnot-am-horn-von-afrika-bekaempfen-242053/

Mein Kommentar: Die EU ist nach den USA der zweitgrößte Lieferant von Waffen zur Zerstörung des Jemen, siehe gleich hier unten in cp13a. Wenn die EU „warnt“ und eine politische Lösung „unterstützt“, ist das Heuchelei. Die EU hat mit ihren ständigen Mitgliedern im UN-Sicherheitsrat dazu beigetragen, dass diese Krise politisch unlösbar wurde (Unterstützung der einseitigen Resolution 2216).

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

Siehe / Look at cp11

5.4.2017 – MbKS15 (A K P)

Photos of the #Egypt-ian Air Force 3rd batch of 3x Rafale fighters received on Tuesday (9 out of 24)

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/849659788405469184

My comment: Rafale fighters are from France: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Rafale And the Egyptian air force takes part in the Saudi coalition air raids at Yemen.

5.4.2017 – David Cameron (B K P)

Countries which manufacture arms should not be allowed to supply any other than their own military, or become war criminals !

https://twitter.com/DavidCameronSnr/status/849653632836542465

cp13b Flüchtlinge / Refugees

5.4.2017 – International organisation on Migration (A H)

From Yemen to a Fresh Start in Burao, Somaliland

Fathuma (40) and Naim (17) are two co-owners of a local general shop within Burao, Somaliland. Born generations apart, the pair are blood relatives brought together through difficult circumstances that found both of them crossing the Gulf of Aden into Yemen years ago.

Then the war in Yemen broke out in early 2015.

Missiles fell from the sky and shelling would go on non-stop. Any jobs they pair might have had completely fell apart as people began to flee their home from the violence. Rather than waiting for the next shell to land on them the pair chose to leave on a boat with other Somalis back to Somalia in the first few months of the war.

Back in the calmness of Burao, the pair found themselves back at square one for job prospects. However, through a livelihoods project by IOM, the pair managed to open up a general store as partners. Figuring that they will have a steady flow of customers needing basic goods and necessities, the pair hope that their business will cater to their needs as the drought begins to cripple local businesses and livestock – by Muse Mohamed and Sanyu Osire

http://weblog.iom.int/yemen-fresh-start-burao-somaliland

cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

2.4.2017 – World Food Programme (A E H)

Yemen - Shipping Update

Al Hudaydah Port:
6 vessels operational at port quaysides (commercial)
2 tanker vessel at anchorage (commercial)
13 vessels expected to call (10 commercial + three WFP charter vessels)

Al Saleef Port:
2 vessels operational at port quaysides (commercial)
5 vessels at anchorage (commercial)
4 vessels expected to call at Al Saleef Port (commercial)

http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-shipping-update-02-april-2017 and in full: http://www.logcluster.org/sites/default/files/port_situation_2april2017.pdf = http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/port_situation_2april2017.pdf

? – Trading Economics (A E)

Yemen | Economic Indicators

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/yemen/indicators

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

Siehe / Look at cp1

cp15 Propaganda

6.4.2017 – Tag 911 (A P)

GCC commission reviews social, economic development in Yemen

A joint commission of the GCC and Yemen has reviewed the progress of social development projects in the conflict-hit nation.

The meeting in Riyadh mainly focused on ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to all Yemeni provinces.

Members also discussed plans to assist with the country’s economic recovery.

The talks have been held in preparation for an international conference on the reconstruction of Yemen.

http://tag911.ae/gcc-commission-reviews-social-economic-development-in-yemen/

My comment: To stop bombing and blockade would be the very best – all other just are crocodile tears.

6.4.2017 – Arab News (A P)

Houthis committed over 5,000 cases of rights violations: Report

The Yemeni Coalition to Monitor Human Rights Violations found that Houthi and Saleh militias committed more than 5,000 human rights offenses, including more than 200 enforced disappearances, during 2016, according to its annual report.
The report included 5,092 violations, of which, there are 4,882 documented cases of arbitrary detention, 210 cases of enforced disappearance, the majority committed at the hands of the Houthis and ousted Saleh forces, which constitutes about 95 percent of the total cases. Security forces committed 124 violations, about 2 percent of the total.
The report, a copy of which was obtained by Arab News, showed the documented breaches affirm that 2016 witnessed the greatest waves of arbitrary arrests implemented by Houthi and Saleh militias that included women and children. The majority of detainees were subjected to brutal, degrading, inhumane and severe treatment at the hand of their jailers.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1079796/middle-east

My comment: Do not trust Saudi media on this subject. That’s like an auction: Who offers more? I give 5.500. Anybody gives more? The “Yemeni Coalition to Monitor Human Rights Violations” is labeled as “a government-funded NGO created to document Houthi-Saleh violations” (https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/253167.pdf), thus a Hadi government organization. For Houthis’ Human rights violations, look at Mwatana report and film in cp1.

5.4.2017 – Saudi Press Agency (A P)

Statement by The Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen

The Coalition is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Yemen. We are doing everything in our power to ensure that the Yemeni population receive the food and medicines they need. Hodeidah port is an important entry-point for humanitarian supplies. But it is currently in the hands of the Houthi rebels, who use it to smuggle arms and people. Houthi rebels also finance their ongoing violent campaign to overthrow the legitimate government by seizing humanitarian supplies and selling them for exorbitant sums. We have called on the United Nations to exercise oversight of Hodeidah port to ensure the free flow of humanitarian shipments. Other ports including Aden, Mukalla and other airports are open as routes for humanitarian supplies.

http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1612303 and also by www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2601074&Language=en

and in Saudi media http://sites.alriyadh.com/en/article/1157758/Coalition-to-Support-Legitimacy-in-Yemen-issues-a-statement-on-grave-humanitarian-situation-in-areas-controlled-by-coup-forces and http://english.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/arab-coalition-realize-severity-humanitarian-crisis-yemens-insurgent-held-areas

My comment: LOL, LOL, LOL. For Hodeida, look at cp1. One of the greatest lies (since the war began!): “We are doing everything in our power to ensure that the Yemeni population receive the food and medicines they need”.

5.4.2017 – Kuwait News Agency (A P)

Bahrain calls for regional action to relieve Yemen

http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2600940&Language=en = http://menafn.com/1095372859/Bahrain-calls-for-regional-action-to-relieve-Yemen

My comment: First bombing, then crocodile tears and playing the helper.

4.4.2017 – Khaleej Times (A P)

Houthis are to blame for long spell of violence in Yemen

Two years after the 'Decisive Storm' in Yemen to weed out the coalition of the Houthi militia and the Ali Abdullah Saleh group, the question remains: When will the war end in Yemen?

It is a legitimate, natural, and expected question. No one really wants war, let alone one that is continuing with no end in sight. But how can we answer that question without addressing its root causes?

Surely, it is impossible to end a war while the reasons that caused it to erupt are still present. All things indicate that Houthi-Saleh militias still pose major challenges to Yemen's attempt to achieve peace and end this war.

The militia has violated 150 ceasefire in Yemen, and 30 on the Yemeni-Saudi border. And as the militia still refuses any initiatives for peace after the Kuwait talks, there is no solution in sight other than continuation of the coalition operations until they accept a political solution.

It is clear that the Houthi-Saleh militias understand only power. They do not appear keen on negotiations and treaties. Therefore, the political and military tracks have to run parallel to get things moving in the country. For any political operation to be successful, it needs participation of both parties - something that is not happening in the Yemeni crisis.

There is one party that represents the legitimate Yemeni government which accepts initiatives and sits alone at the negotiation table. This government can't find a party to negotiate with and there is no way other than pressing ahead with military action – by Salman Al Dosary

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/editorials-columns/houthis-are-to-blame-for-long-spell-of-violence-in-yemen

My comment: Well, there are rumors of some Saudi air raids in Yemen, aren’t they?

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (* A K PH)

Report: 49 Yemeni civilians killed in 212 Saudi aggression airstrikes in six days

At least 49 civilians were killed, Including thirteen children and six women, and 16 others wounded including a woman and child in 212 airstrikes launched by US-backed Saudi aggression warplanes on several Yemeni provinces over the past six days, officials and residents told Saba (and detailed reporting)

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461135.htm and http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=70272&lang=en

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

5.4.2017 – Legal Center (* A K PH)

The Violations and Crimes that are committed by #Saudi_Arabia and its alliance in #Yemen 4/4/2017 (full list):

https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141.1073741828.551288185021551/802716763212024/?type=3

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

4.4.2017 – Legal Center (* A K PH)

The Violations and Crimes that are committed by #Saudi_Arabia and its alliance in #Yemen 3/4/2017 (full list):

https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141.1073741828.551288185021551/802716763212024/?type=3

5.4.2017 – Josephjo1221 (A K PH)

#Saudi Airstrikes using cluster bombs targeted Al-Khokhah city in Hodiedah West of #Yemen.

https://twitter.com/JosephJo1221/status/849671585015484416

Two more airstrikes targeted military positions in #Hodiedah. #Yemen

https://twitter.com/JosephJo1221/status/849672215553613825

5.4.2017 – Yamanyoon (A K PH)

Aggression Warplanes Killing Seven Women in Bani Al Harith

A local source said , the aggression warplanes waged two raids on Bani Al harith district of Sana’a province , the raids killed seven women and children .

http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=70277&lang=en

but according to Yemen Today, they were injured:

5.4.2017 – Yemen Today TV (A K PS)

Film: 7 women and children injured in raids on the Saudi aggression on the Directorate of Bani Harith north of the capital Sanaa

Talking to the reporter about the Saudi strike on her house, farm. Suddenly, the jet returned for double tap in front of camera lenses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nx6SXam1sw = https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/849733027232178178

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)

US-Saudi airstrike on car kills 2 civilians in Jawf

The US-Saudi aggression coalition waged a raid on a car while in its way to Matamma in Jawf province overnight, killing two citizens and injuring a woman, a security official told Saba on Wednesday.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461127.htm

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (* A K PH)

US-Saudi aggression coalition wages 4 raids on Nehm, Hamdan

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461126.htm

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)

Four fishermen killed in US-Saudi airstrike on Hodeida

Four fishermen were killed when US-backed Saudi apache helicopters waged on Wednesday a strike on Al Dawraihmi district of Hodeida province, dropping a cluster bomb, a security official said to Saba.
The apache hit Al Ta'af coast one time, killing the four fishermen, the official added.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461123.htm and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWaOlL37Ixw

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)

Citizen martyred from aggression air raid in Taiz

A citizen martyred from US Saudi aggression air raid, which targeted Mokha junction, Taiz province, a military official told Saba on Wednesday.
The official said that the citizen was riding a motorcycle when the warplanes targeted him on the junction.
Also, the warplanes launched three air raids on al- Nar mountain and the same strikes on Zharri area in Mokha district, the official said.
The official said the aggression warplanes launched a raid on Yaktil area on Mokha, and hit Mawza'a junction with another raid, as well as the fighter jets dropped cluster bombs on al-Drehami district, Hodeidah province.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461121.htm

5.4.2017 – Saudi War Crimes (A K PH)

Photos: #Al_Hodida: New #Saudi airstrikes massacre on salt factory at #Bajel district, killed 2 civilians and injured 4 others

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1659026457726675

4–5.4.2017 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)

1 hour ago ,#Saudi jets dropped cluster bomb on Aldraihmi area #Alhudydah city #Yemen

https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/849361946835120129

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)

US-Saudi airstrike on Sanaa overnight

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461102.htm

4–5.4.2017 – Sanaa at night (A K)

#Breaking : Huge explosion rocks the capital #Sanaa caused by #Saudi air strike targeted Aldailami air base

https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/849355308040413184

North & South East #Sanaa is under #Saudi air strikes for the last 2 hours, jets still hovering back and forth overhead!!

https://twitter.com/HishamAlRadhi/status/849356316229476353

4.4.2017 – Ahmad Alghobary (A K)

Today , 19 #Saudi air strikes targeted several areas in #Medi area #Haja #Yemen Crazy coalition with #UK & #US support.

https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/849344337162928128

4.4.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)

Series of US-Saudi airstrikes on Saada

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461011.htm

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

5.4.2017 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)

A civilian killed, another injured in Houthis’ shelling northern Lahj – residents

A civilian was killed and another one injured on Tuesday evening in an artillery shelling launched by the forces loyal to the Houthi group and former president Saleh on residential houses northern al Maqarta district north of Lahj province, southern Yemen.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/90162

5.4.2017 – Nasser Arrabyee and yemen# based on Al Masirah TV (A K PH)

Yemeni fighters taking control over new Saudi strategic position of Mesyal in Asir south Saudi Arabia where battles intensify day by day (photos, film)

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/849687837838651398

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/849686663068569600

https://twitter.com/Yemensmyheart1/status/845638937301434369

5.4.2017 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)

11 Houthis killed, 14 wounded in coalition airstrikes western Taiz – source

http://almasdaronline.com/article/90148

5.4.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)

Sammud missile hits mercenaries in Mokha

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461101.htm

4.4.2017 – Graphic News (A K)

Vormarsch der Regierungstruppen

Regierungstruppen mit Unterstützung von Luftangriffen der Saudis erobern wertvolle Küsten- und Inlandgebiete von den Rebellen (mit Karte)

https://www.graphicnews.com/de/pages/35256/JEMEN-Vormarsch-der-Regierungstruppen

4.4.2017 – Asharq Al-Awsat (A K PS)
Yemeni Army Controls Salb Mountains, Prepares to Go Deeper to Capital’s Outskirts

Yemen’s national army forces backed by the Popular Resistance continues its military operations to regain control over what is left from Nahm, eastern front of Sana’a, according to a Yemeni military source.

Official Military Spokesman for Nahm Front Abdullah al-Shandaqi told Asharq Al-Awsat that operations against Houthi militias and Saleh is still ongoing in the front as national army forces were able to impose their control over around 80 percent of the strategic sites in the governorate.

http://english.aawsat.com/theaawsat/news-middle-east/yemeni-army-controls-salb-mountains-prepares-go-deeper-capitals-outskirts

My comment: “Yemeni Army”: “President” Hadi’s fighters.

Houthi / Saleh reports:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461197.htm

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461197.htm

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960116000818

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461137.htm

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461131.htm

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461100.htm

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/houthi-forces-strike-back-saudi-coalition-troops-western-yemen/

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461034.htm

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461032.htm

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news461012.htm

Pro-Saudi / Pro-Hadi reports:

http://almasdaronline.com/article/90149

http://almasdaronline.com/article/90151

http://www.wam.org.ae/en/details/1395302607001

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

5.4.2017 – Stratfor (* B)

Somalia: Is Yemen Behind the Pirate Problem?

In a recent interview with Voice of America, Abdi Hassan Hussein, the former director of intelligence in Puntland, Somalia, said that several recent piracy events along the coast of Somalia were made possible by Yemeni investors. He said the Yemeni criminal investors are taking advantage of the chaos in their own country to provide financing to Somali pirates for vessels, weapons, ammunition, GPS devices, fuel and engines. Apart from thehijacking of the ARIS 13 on March 13 and the MV Casayr (a local Somali fishing vessel) on March 24, pirates have now allegedly hijacked the Al Kausar and the Salama, both described as small cargo vessels on their way to destinations in Somalia.

https://www.stratfor.com/snapshots/somalia-yemen-behind-pirate-problem

4.4.2017 – Commentary Magazine (* B P)

A Nobel Prize for al-Qaeda?

The misguided politics of the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2011, Yemeni political opposition activist Tawakkol Karman won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel committee made clear that they had ulterior motives bestowing such an honor upon the Islah Party activist. As the Associated Press reported at the time:

Thorbjoern Jagland, who heads the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee, told AP that including Karman in the prize is ‘a signal that the Arab Spring cannot be successful without including the women in it.’” He also said Karman belongs to a Muslim movement with links to the Muslim Brotherhood, “which in the West is perceived as a threat to democracy.” He added that “I don’t believe that. There are many signals that, that kind of movement can be an important part of the solution.’”

At the time, some foreign policy analysts took issue with raising concerns about Karman’s Islah affiliation. In hindsight, their cheerleading for the pick seems unfortunate. Karman was subsequently silent, first with regard to Islamist atrocities beyond Yemen’s borders, such as the Taliban’s attempt to murder 14-year-old school girl Malala Yousafzai, who subsequently received the Nobel Prize for her outspoken advocacy beyond any political lens.

In the years after Karman’s prize, political protests in Yemen morphed into civil war. Increasingly, Islah—basically the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood party—shows its true agenda, partnering and seeking to legitimize al-Qaeda.

The politicians behind the Nobel Peace Prize may have believed they were facilitating a progressive world view. In hindsight, though, by failing to understand the true agenda of Islah’s leadership, it is clear that they instead provided international cover for a group that never sought peace but rather propagation of a radical interpretation of Islam, terrorism, and subjugation of those who disagreed. – by MICHAEL RUBIN

https://www.commentarymagazine.com/foreign-policy/nobel-prize-al-qaeda-islah/ and also at https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1327089844010709/?type=3

Sehr unkritisch wird sie hier vorgestellt:

? – Speak Truth to Power (B P)

Tawakkol Karman wurde am 7. Februar 1979 in Jemen geboren. Sie ist Journalistin, Politikerin, Menschenrechtsaktivistin und Mitglied der Oppositionspartei al-Islah.

Karman setzte sich als Journalistin gegen Kinderehen ein. 2005 gründete sie gemeinsam mit anderen Frauen und unter Mithilfe ausländischer Regierungen und Hilfsorganisationen die Vereinigung Journalistinnen ohne Ketten (engl. Women Journalists Without Chains, WJWC), die sich hauptsächlich für Menschenrechte einsetzt. Fortan übernahm sie auch die Leitung dieser Organisation. Karman opponierte ab 2006 mit Massen-SMS gegen Präsident Ali Abdullah Salih. Der von ihr gegründete Textnachrichtendienst, der politische Nachrichten und Botschaften an mehrere tausend Menschen sandte, wurde 2007 vom jemenitischen Regime verboten. Ab diesem Zeitpunkt organisierte sie vor dem Amtssitz der Regierung wöchentliche Kundgebungen, bei denen sie das Ende von Korruption und Tyrannei, die Freilassung politisch Gefangener sowie Meinungs-, Versammlungs- und Pressefreiheit forderte.

http://speaktruthtopower.ch/profile/tawakkol-karman/

Mein Kommentar: Karman ist eine 100 % Unterstützerin der saudischen Koalition geworden. Das spricht nicht für sie.

4.4.2017 – Living in Yemen on the edge

Art is resistance
Yemeni artist,Ahmed Jahaf (image)

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1327176550668705/?type=3&theater

3.4.2017 – National Geographic (*)

This Ancient Mud Skyscraper City is the 'Manhattan of the Desert'

Yemen’s Old Walled City of Shibam is the oldest metropolis in the world to use vertical construction (with photos)

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/middle-east/yemen/shibam-mud-skyscraper-yemen/

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-289-yemen-war-mosaic-289

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-289 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-289:

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/

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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