The Beauty of our weapons – Going hungry – UN joint statement on humanitarian situation – Meningitis – Media spread CIA war narrative – Bargain: a wrong peace deal – Emirates and religious terrorism – Journalism in Yemen – Cholera – Saudi Arabia: Civil war?, Oppression and siege at Awamiya –and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Cholera
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche/ UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp13 Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
PH = Pro-Houthi
PS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
Saudi Arabia: cp8
25.7.2017 – Common Dreams (** B P)
"The Beauty of Our Weapons" (and the War in Yemen)
O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst . . . . – From "The War Prayer" by Mark Twain
Now in the summer of our love for the glory and greatness of the Republic, let us recall the soaring words of Mark Twain and his paean to war and its multitude of tender mercies. Let us give thanks to God and his various co-conspirators for making our nation an exceptional font of wisdom, wealth, and weapons. Let us praise the weapons makers with their bottomless thirst for profits and their pledge of allegiance to the continuation of war for which no price is too great to bear, no life too small to incinerate in the blessed pursuit of national security, global hegemony, and unchallenged control of the world’s most vital resources
Let us bow down before the lords and ladies of the Pentagon and CIA, and their sovereign masters in the White House and legislature whose deep, uncompromising morality is clearly evident in their decision to provide billions of dollars worth of weapons to the enlightened despots of Saudi Arabia. God save King Salman and his ministers of state, presiding over shining seas of petroleum, that gooey lubricant that keeps our engines purring and our economy overflowing with the fruits of capitalist expansion and exploitation.
Now, as the world warms and the seas rise and the gods repose on cloudy cushions of greenhouse gas, let us salute our nation’s unbreakable bond of fealty to the House of Saud as the keeper of the flames that burn eternally from those precious repositories of oil in the heart of the desert. O Lord, keep those majestic wells pumping, keep the money flowing into the coffers of Raytheon, Textron, General Electric and their brothers in arms, keep our bombs and missiles falling like magical stars on the markets and mosques, villages, farms, and fields of ancient Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia’s next-door neighbor. God, give us the strength and resolve to continue to support the Saudi-led coalition in its no-holds-barred onslaught on the people of Yemen and the rebellious fighters in their midst.
Above all, keep our eyes fixed on the endlessly falling cascade of tweets anointing our hands and the phones we hold so dear and dare not lay aside lest we miss the latest chirp or expose ourselves to the bitter winds twisting around us, bearing news of a world of woe. Let us never waver from our sworn duty to pillory Donald Trump at every opportunity and hold his feet to the fire for the crime of colluding with the evil empire. Let us only hear the opprobrium hurled at Trump and his cronies from the high and mighty pulpits of MSNBC and their all-seeing pundits, who see under every rock and stone and in every crevice of the national security state a slimy trace of Russian intrusion.
Grant us, O Lord, the strength to seal our hearts against those who would weaken our resolve with the corrosive acid of compassion. Like brave Ulysses resisting the song of the Sirens, let us not be tempted to heed the cries of those in need in places like Yemen where our largess, our weapons, and our diplomatic support allow the Saudi-led coalition to continue bringing a “hurricane of fire” to this poor, tortured land.
Thy will be done, O Lord. Thou hast ordained all this suffering, this dying of the flesh and of the spirit, this deliberate infliction of unrelenting pain on the people of Yemen. Truly, what is unfolding in Yemen is the fulfillment of Thy Word, what Thou hast ordained as a sign of Thy presence in the world and of the grace that flows from Thy immaculate heart. Though the people of Yemen cry out for mercy. Though millions of families have lost their homes, their livelihood, their future, their faith in a better life to come. Though famine, pestilence and death stalk the land as the bombing grows more savage with every passing day, this is as it should be, as it was written in the book of time.
O Lord our God, help us to see and accept the absolute necessity of the part we play in delivering unto the people of Yemen the gifts of Thy omniscience, for You alone understand the ultimate rightness of the war and the devastation it has wrought—with the assistance of our Congress, our President and our military. Help us to set on the path of righteousness those misguided members of our own House of Representatives who have voted to end our participation in Yemen’s civil war and our support of Saudi Arabia and its God-fearing allies. Surely, these politicos have failed to take the larger view and to grasp the sublime logic behind Thy design for Yemen and the entire Middle East.
The weeping of orphaned children, the keening of widowed mothers—are these not harbingers of greater things to come, a time when peace and plenty shall reign supreme, and the people of Yemen, finally subdued, shall harvest the blessings of Thy bounty. As it was in Iraq, so shall it be in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, and every other nation in which our men and women in uniform have led the fight against tyranny and strewn the land with the priceless jewels of freedom and democracy.
Help us, O Lord, neither to oppose nor condemn our nation’s complicity in the destruction of Yemen and the creation of the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis. Help us to carry on with the burden of our daily lives and feel not even a twinge of concern for the innocent victims of our forward-thinking, strategy-minded leaders and their endless war on terror. Let us instead praise the “beauty of our weapons” and the nobility of our cause. With Thy help, O Lord, we shall succeed in employing the instruments of war to carry out Thy holy plan for peace on Earth.
The biggest fools are those who cannot see the evidence of Thy love for humanity. The arms and munitions we provide for the inspired rulers of Saudi Arabia and their regional partners are most assuredly working to advance Your most beneficent vision of what our race is capable of achieving. Behold the little children in hospital beds or their mothers’ embrace, their paper-thin bodies shriveling up in the flames of hunger and disease, while planes overhead deliver load after load of pious bombs and shrieking villagers scour the countryside for whatever remains of their loved ones. Is this not proof of Thy sweeping immanence in the affairs of men?
O Lord our God, help us to remain silent in the face of so much suffering, to avert our eyes and pretend our insignificant lives are no match for the powers that be, though history has demonstrated otherwise, and prophets from time immemorial have called upon the people to open their hearts and hear the cries of their brothers and sisters, and do whatever is in their power to feed the hungry, heal the sick, shelter the homeless, and put an end to war. Help us, finally, to ignore the wisdom of the ages and the admonitions of those who would oppose Thy will and the will of Thy servants in every government on Earth that calculates its greatness on the number of corpses at its feet – by George Capaccio
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/07/25/beauty-our-weapons-and-war-yemen an film by Press TV Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7FT2jw_iu4
26.7.2017 – CARE (** A H)
Film: CARE Yemen : The Impossible Choices for Yemeni Women
This video shows the impossible choices that Yemeni women and their families face as a result of the triple threat of conflict, famine and cholera: To feed or treat their children?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILK36SatSH8
25.7.2017 – Reuters (** B H)
Going hungry in Yemen (photos)
https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/going-hungry-in-yemen-idUSRTX3CQUS n
25.7.2017 – World Health Organization, World Food Programme, UN Children's Fund (** A H P)
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, WFP Executive Director, David Beasley and WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, following their joint visit to Yemen
“As the heads of three United Nations agencies – UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) – we have travelled together to Yemen to see for ourselves the scale of this humanitarian crisis and to step up our combined efforts to help the people of Yemen.
“This is the world’s worst cholera outbreak in the midst of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. In the last three months alone, 400,000 cases of suspected cholera and nearly 1900 associated deaths have been recorded. Vital health, water and sanitation facilities have been crippled by more than two years of hostilities, and created the ideal conditions for diseases to spread.
“The country is on the brink of famine, with over 60 per cent of the population not knowing where their next meal will come from. Nearly 2 milllion Yemeni children are acutely malnourished. Malnutrition makes them more susceptible to cholera; diseases create more malnutrition. A vicious combination.
“At one hospital, we visited children who can barely gather the strength to breathe. We spoke with families overcome with sorrow for their ill loved ones and struggling to feed their families.
“And, as we drove through the city, we saw how vital infrastructure, such as health and water facilities, have been damaged or destroyed.
“Amid this chaos, some 16,000 community volunteers go house to house, providing families with information on how to protect themselves from diarrhea and cholera. Doctors, nurses and other essential health staff are working around the clock to save lives.
“More than 30,000 health workers haven’t been paid their salaries in more than 10 months, but many still report for duty. We have asked the Yemeni authorities to pay these health workers urgently because, without them, we fear that people who would otherwise have survived may die. As for our agencies, we will do our best to support these extremely dedicated health workers with incentives and stipends.
“We also saw the vital work being done by local authorities and NGOs, supported by international humanitarian agencies, including our own. We have set up more than 1000 diarrhoea treatment centres and oral rehydration corners. The delivery of food supplements, intravenous fluids and other medical supplies, including ambulances, is ongoing, as is the rebuilding of critical infrastructure – the rehabilitation of hospitals, district health centres and the water and sanitation network. We are working with the World Bank in an innovative partnership that responds to needs on the ground and helps maintain the local health institutions.
“But there is hope. More than 99 per cent of people who are sick with suspected cholera and who can access health services are now surviving. And the total number of children who will be afflicted with severe acute malnutrition this year is estimated at 385,000.
“However, the situation remains dire. Thousands are falling sick every day. Sustained efforts are required to stop the spread of disease. Nearly 80 percent of Yemen’s children need immediate humanitarian assistance.
“When we met with Yemeni leaders -- in Aden and in Sana’a -- we called on them to give humanitarian workers access to areas affected by fighting. And we urged them – more than anything – to find a peaceful political solution to the conflict.
“The Yemeni crisis requires an unprecedented response. Our three agencies have teamed up with the Yemeni authorities and other partners to coordinate our activities in new ways of working to save lives and to prepare for future emergencies.
“We now call on the international community to redouble its support for the people of Yemen. If we fail to do so, the catastrophe we have seen unfolding before our eyes will not only continue to claim lives but will scar future generations and the country for years to come.”
https://www.unicef.org/media/media_98474.html = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-unicef-executive-director-anthony-lake-wfp-executive-director-david-beasley and download of film, photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/12h9mxci4gacgzy/AABs_PukruKVAjRlX_SkwHRYa?dl=0
25.7.2017 – New News (** A H)
Meningitis Epidemic Erupts among War-Affected Yemenis
The meningitis epidemic began in the capital Sana’a as the health system, which suffers from a lack of medicine and potential, is depleted, Yemen Press reported.
A number of deaths have been recorded in hospitals in the capital Sanaa over the past two weeks as a result of the meningitis epidemic, one of the most infectious bacterial infections in humans and the disintegration of the immune system, which raised official and popular fears of the spread of the epidemic, which passes through oral secretions and spray and in association with people infected with the disease.
The Ministry of Health in Sana’a, in a circular to all its offices and public and private hospitals, called for appropriate health measures in the case of reception of meningitis epidemic.
The circular, carried out by Al-Arabi, revealed a state of alert for the Yemeni health sector to confront this deadly epidemic. The Department of Medical Services of the Ministry of Defense in Sanaa also issued a circular to all its military hospitals requesting that the central operations of the Ministry of Health be informed of any new cases of the new infection.
As usual, epidemics are discovered in Yemeni hospitals after the death of a large number of people with the same disease. Due to the deterioration of the capacity of government hospitals and the dependence of patients with epidemics on first aid, the cause of death is discovered later.
Epidemics are detected in Yemeni hospitals after the death of a large number of people with the same disease
Dr. Basheer Abu Asbaa, director of the Department of Meningitis Control at the Ministry of Health in Sana’a, confirmed in a press statement that 8 people died of infection and 18 others were infected with the same disease.
Abu Asbaa attributed the cause of the epidemic to the internationally prohibited weapons used by the Arab Alliance, especially in densely populated cities, which had a major impact on the spread of meningitis and other bacterial infections.
However, another medical source confirmed in a statement to «Arab», the increase in deaths of the epidemic to 9 cases, pointing out that the government hospitals, according to reports received by the operations room of the Ministry of Health, received 26 cases since late last month. The source predicted the increase in injuries and the death of more Yemenis in the event of an outbreak of the epidemic because of the lack of the excision of the spinal cord css called spinal fluid.
In the face of rising fears of the outbreak of the new epidemic, Dr. Abdul Hakim Al-Kahlani, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health in Sana’a, told the «Arab», the seriousness of the epidemic, noting that the epidemic of meningitis is still a limited epidemic confined to the geographical scope does not exceed the Directorate One, out of 333 Directorate, which is not widespread.
Al-Kahlani confirmed that the cases of the death of the epidemic amounted to four cases, confirmed by the laboratory of two, and pointed out that these cases were rushed to hospitals in a later case, reassuring citizens that the situation under the supervision and follow-up by the National Program to monitor the victims and rapid response teams in the Health Office in Sanaa.
25.7.2017 – Fair (*** B P)
How Media Spread CIA’s Sectarian, Anti-Iran ‘Mideast Cold War’ Narrative
A new Vox video (7/17/17) is the latest addition to a media onslaught that propagates numerous misleading talking points to demonize Iran—just as the US government, under Donald Trump’s vehemently anti-Iran administration, is ratcheting up aggression against that country.
The 10-minute film, titled “The Middle East’s Cold War, Explained,” is a textbook example of how US government propaganda pervades corporate media. With the help of a former senior government official and CIA analyst, the Vox video articulates a commonplace pro-US, anti-Iran narrative that portrays the violent conflicts in the Middle East as sectarian proxy wars between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
In order to do so, the film grossly downplays US involvement in the region, treating Saudi Arabia as though it acts independently of the US. It also fails to ever mention Israel, totally removing one of the most important players in the Middle East from its “Cold War” narrative.
Vox multimedia producer Sam Ellis likewise constructs a false equivalence for Iran, depicting it as a kind of Shia Saudi Arabia that is just as guilty of spreading sectarianism. The video correspondingly exaggerates Iran’s international influence, which is assumed to be dastardly and malign.
Echoing the CIA
The crux of the video is an interview with a former top US government official, CIA analyst and think tank apparatchik who has spent years crafting US policy in the Middle East. Vox presents his deeply politicized views as unchallenged facts.
Kenneth Pollack, the only person featured in Vox‘s video, is identified simply as a “former Persian Gulf military analyst, CIA.”
The man around which the entire video is framed is also a resident scholar at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute—although Vox does not disclose this in the video.
Pollack is also a senior fellow at Brookings, an establishment friendly think tank that gets generous financial support from US-backed Gulf regimes.
A lifelong anti-Iran hawk, Pollack was one of the most influential advocates for the illegal US invasion of Iraq
Vox‘s video expertly reflects the CIA’s perspective of Iran, first and foremost by regurgitating a popular yet false talking point: The violent conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen are proxy wars between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and part of a larger new Cold War.
Ubiquitous in US media, this narrative is misleading for two primary reasons: These wars are not all proxy conflicts, and Saudi Arabia is not acting independently of the US.
Yemen is a great example of just how false this narrative is. Vox casually states in the video that the conflict in this impoverished country is a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, even going so far as to call Yemen’s Houthis “an Iranian proxy.” This is an outrageous propaganda point used by the US and Saudi Arabia.
Even the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace—which gets significant funding from the US and British governments—has published research acknowledging that “Iranian support for the Houthis has been marginal and does not shape their decisionmaking as much as local alliances and conflict dynamics do,” and that “claims of Iran’s influence over the Houthis have been overblown.”
According to the US government narrative peddled by Vox and virtually all corporate media, the Houthis are “Iran-backed” “Shia rebels.” Yet the Carnegie report, titled “Iran’s Small Hand in Yemen,” criticizes this sectarian language used about the war in Yemen, noting the Houthis, who are Zaidi Muslims, are theologically closer to Sunnis than they are to Twelver Shiites, the dominant tendency in Iran.
In fact, the word “Shia” was not even used to refer to Yemenis until the 2011 Middle East uprisings—when the sectarian narrative was weaponized. Ansar Allah, the official name of the Houthi movement, is an organic group that was founded in Yemen in the 1990s.
The framing of the conflict in Yemen as an Iran/Saudi Arabia proxy war, as Vox does so lazily, is a US government narrative that has been imposed after the fact.
The reality is the war in Yemen is a foreign war on Yemen, carried out by the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Britain and several other countries, which have desperately tried to restore an unpopular leader, Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi
At the heart of the US government narrative echoed by Vox—and by most US corporate media—is the notion that Iran is merely the Shia Saudi Arabia, that Iran is just as sectarian as Saudi Arabia, that both states are ultimately sectarian reflections of each other.
This false equivalence glosses over the fact that Iran’s government, although Shia, has allied with numerous Sunni forces. In fact, Iran is regularly attacked by Western governments over its support for Hamas, the Sunni Islamist political group in the besieged Gaza Strip. Iran has in general been one of the only states to consistently support Palestinian militant groups
While Iran’s Shia government certainly has sectarian tendencies and has discriminated against religious minorities, there is no comparison to the extreme sectarianism of Saudi Arabia’s state doctrine of Wahhabism, a fundamentalist ideology that considers Shia to be non-Muslim apostates, and that is shared by genocidal militias like ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Government documents have acknowledged that US client Saudi Arabia has supported ISIS and Al Qaeda. The so-called Islamic State even used official Saudi state textbooks to brainwash children in its capital Raqqa. All of ISIS’s judges in Raqqa were Saudi, and based their draconian system on Saudi-style policies.
Moreover, Saudi state clerics often go on television and call for genocide of Shia and other religious minority groups.
Politically, this false equivalence is even less accurate. Iran is a theocracy with autocratic elements, by no means a progressive model that leftists would want to emulate. But in contrast to Saudi Arabia, Iran is a republic that just held a presidential election
Yet this false equivalence between Iran and Saudi Arabia has several useful effects: It exaggerates the sectarianism of Iran while minimizing the US-backed fundamentalist sectarianism of Saudi Arabia that is fueling Salafi-jihadist groups throughout the world. And it obfuscates the complexity of the wars in the Middle East.
Misrepresenting Wars
Vox‘s risible portrayal of the Iraq War is another great example of this false equivalence.
The video’s treatment of Bahrain is just as misleading.
Similarly, Vox depicts the war in Syria as a conflict in which both Saudi Arabia and Iran share equal responsibility. Compared to Yemen and Iraq, Syria is indeed more of an actual sectarian proxy war. But this is largely because the armed opposition to the Syrian government—backed by the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey—is dominated by extremist Salafi-jihadist groups that have threatened genocide against Syria’s religious minorities.
Pollack likewise claims the Saudis “are the ultimate status quo power. They want the region stable, and they don’t want anybody rising up and overthrowing a sclerotic autocratic government.” Whereas, he adds, “The Iranians are the ultimate anti–status quo power.” This, again, is categorically false. Saudi Arabia has played a key role fueling the wars in Syria and Yemen, the bloodiest of the Middle East conflicts.
Downplaying US Involvement
Vox is far from alone in peddling these myths.
All of this highlights another misleading point in the “Middle East’s cold war” framework: this cold war is not just between Saudi Arabia and the Iran; it is between the US and Iran. This reporting by Vox and the New York Times overlooks the fact that Saudi Arabia does very little independently of the US, of which it is effectively a proxy.
Saudi Arabia is politically a rather weak state.
Vox and most media reporting on Yemen ignore the fact that, as the New York Times editorial board (8/17/16) once surprisingly acknowledged, “Experts say the coalition would be grounded if Washington withheld its support.” Or, as Foreign Policy (3/14/16) put it, “None of the raids [in Yemen] could happen without direct US support.”
The narrative peddled by Vox and many corporate media outlets would have us think otherwise—that Saudi Arabia intervened in Syria, while the US played a minor supplementary role (FAIR.org, 9/5/15, 4/7/17). But the reality is the opposite: Washington was in charge, not Riyadh.
Echoing the CIA perspective, nevertheless, Vox and other corporate media present Saudi Arabia as an independent actor. This allows them to maintain a nationalist, exceptionalist view of the United States, as a nation that might have problems but ultimately is a benevolent actor, fighting for freedom and democracy. From this perspective, the US has to sometimes dirty its hands by supporting dubious allies like Saudi Arabia, in order to counterbalance big baddies like Iran. But it is Saudi Arabia that is ultimately the morally questionable actor in this view, not the benevolent US. If the problems in the Middle East are presented as mainly internal ones, between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Western imperial intervention is only incidental.
Telling History Selectively
In its historical overview of the conflicts in the Middle East, Vox‘s video echoes this same US government perspective. Accordingly, in Vox‘s telling of the history, the trouble all began with the Iranian Revolution.
But Vox‘s video is also a form of more sophisticated propaganda. Instead of directly articulating neoconservative talking points and openly calling for regime change in Iran, it portrays Iran as one side in a “Cold War,” with Iran supposedly escalating aggression against Saudi Arabia, not the other way around.
The decades of efforts the US has pursued in trying to topple Iran—the heart of George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil”—are erased. The crippling sanctions the US has imposed on Iran, which continue to increase, are overlooked.
Vox portrays itself as a voice of the “resistance” against far-right US President Donald Trump. Yet, on issues of foreign policy, it fails to even pretend to buck the trend.
Liberal media in general have been derelict in their duty to hold the US government responsible vis-à-vis war. In fact, when it comes to Trump’s most destructive, warmongering policies, corporate media have almost universally echoed the bipartisan consensus, even actively applauding (FAIR.org, 4/11/17).
Instead of challenging and informing the public, corporate media speak directly from the perspective of the CIA, and act as handmaidens to empire – by Ben Norton
http://fair.org/home/vox-cia-iran-saudi-arabia-middle-east-cold-war/
My comment: A great article – and very long, these excerpts seem to be long but it’s only a small part of it!
25.7.2017 – Just Security (** B P)
The Danger of a Grand Bargain: The Wrong Peace Deal Could Mean Endless War in Yemen
The United Nations Security Council issued a presidential statement last month calling on all parties in Yemen’s internationalized civil war to “engage in peace talks in a flexible and constructive manner without preconditions, and in good faith.” But the warring parties in Yemen do not seem to be listening. While they drag their heels on ceasefire negotiations, a new initiative driven by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is taking shape behind closed doors. Dubbed the “Grand Bargain” by some observers, it threatens to sideline the U.N. peace process. Such a deal would be disastrous, and would repeat the mistakes made in the wake of the 2011 revolution in Yemen.
To end the violence in Yemen, the international community must instead work towards a peace framework that fulfils the revolution’s demands by ending corruption and authoritarianism, and allowing for a government based on the will of the people to take hold.
Since the Houthi movement staged a coup in Yemen in 2014, the U.N. special envoy has attempted to broker a ceasefire and a political settlement. But nearly three years later, Yemen remains spli
The international community is officially in consensus that a U.N.-brokered peace agreement is the only way forward, but thus far foreign powers have failed to back up that pro-peace rhetoric with decisive support for the U.N.-led process. Feeding off the apparent indifference of the wider world, the Houthis and the Hadi government have both attacked U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, rhetorically and literally, each accusing him of bias in favor of the other.
The Grand Bargain
Meanwhile, a “Grand Bargain” is developing in secret. Emirati officials, and more recently Saudi officials, have been meeting with representatives of both the pro-Hadi and pro-Saleh wings of the General People’s Congress (GPC), Yemen’s long-standing ruling party. According to unconfirmed but credible reports, the deal would create a revamped government coalition between the GPC and Islah–a party that includes Yemen’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood–with Hadi’s pre-coup prime minister, Khaled Bahah, as president, and former president Saleh’s son, Ahmed Ali Saleh, as defense minister. Essentially, this would be a sequel to the GCC Initiative that ended Ali Abdullah Saleh’s presidency after the lengthy 2011 peaceful revolution, except with even better terms for the ousted dictator. Rather than having to rely on his behind-the-scenes power alone, this deal would position his son to become Yemen’s de facto ruler, just as Saleh always wanted.
There is a real chance that the international community, despite the lip-service it pays to the importance of U.N. leadership, will endorse this Grand Bargain out of expediency.
This deal, negotiated without the participation of the U.N. envoy, would be disastrous for Yemen. At its heart, it is merely a reshuffling of the same old corrupt and criminal elites that have been running Yemen into the ground for the last 40 years.
The deal is also a recipe for continued violence, as it fails to address the local grievances that caused the present civil war, and the new ones that have emerged from it. Even if Saleh abandons the Houthis in pursuit of Saudi approval, the Houthis, now the most powerful armed movement in Yemen, will not give up the capital and their other spoils without another fight. Southern secessionists, currently in control of multiple provinces and several powerful militias, will not be mollified by vague promises of autonomy under this new deal. AQAP and the local branch of the Islamic State (IS), both of which have made significant territorial and material gains since the war began, will continue to thrive as long as Yemen remains unstable.
A credible and inclusive peace agreement is also crucial to securing regional and global security interests.
The U.N.-led peace process is deeply flawed. It is not yet inclusive or ambitious enough to bring lasting peace to Yemen. But it can be improved and successfully implemented if the international community is willing to support it.
To effectively sideline the Grand Bargain, the U.S., U.N., and the rest of the international community must present a framework that fulfills the demands of the 2011 revolution that called for an end to corrupt governance and authoritarian rule, and allows for a government based on merit and the will of the people to take hold.
Yemen is not yet unsalvageable, but to recover from this devastating war it needs inclusive peace, competent governance, and a great deal of help from the international community. A lasting peace can only come by including Yemenis who have a long-term interest in Yemen’s integral survival, not just those who seek to profit from the spoils of war and use death, destruction, and corruption to secure personal power and influence. UNSC member states and other foreign powers must commit today to supporting a credible U.N.-led peace process, or risk by their inaction condemning Yemen to endless war – By Will Picard
https://www.justsecurity.org/43341/danger-grand-bargain-wrong-peace-deal-endless-war-yemen/
My comment: It’s typical US that the author claims a major role for the US in a peace solution – the US is party of war and simply should keep its bloody hands out. – And: “no individual who has served as head of state or held a presidential appointment under President Saleh or the Houthi-GPC administration will be allowed to hold public office after December 2018”. Why this bias here? Why any members of the Hadi government shall be treated different???
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Unbelievable. @just_security today : "#Yemen has no need for a strong military to defend against external threats."
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/889947136514826241
24.7.2017 – New News (** B P)
UAE Practices Religious Terrorism against Yemenis
A report by the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights on Sunday revealed the presence of groups in the southern Yemeni province of Aden, which it described as “cross-border religious terrorism”.
The report revealed death threats and arrests of some Aden activists from militias affiliated with the security forces funded by the UAE.
The most dangerous of the UAE’s terrorist practices against the Yemenis lies in the phenomenon of the establishment of Salafist groups that have religious and intellectual guardianship over their violators. He has become a victim of assassinations or persecution of activists after spreading loose accusations ranging from secularism to atheism to apostasy
The Observatory warned the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights, that these practices make life in Yemen people are constantly threatened and lose a sense of security for their and their families lives.
This information was revealed by Yemeni journalist and community activist Ishaq Qassim Ghulam, who is still being chased by radical Salafist militias backed by the UAE in Aden on charges of “secularism.”
The family of the Yemeni activist was not extradited from the terrorism of the UAE militias, which arrested his father and brother and issued an arrest warrant against his mother.
Local Yemeni sources confirmed that the so-called “death squad” – which threatened “Ghulam” to apply the limit to it – has precedents for the assassination of the same allegations.
Earlier in April, a young activist, Omar Batuil, was found on a highway in the Sheikh Osman administration in Aden, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head.
Batwail had received anonymous threats of physical liquidation and accusations of atheism and apostasy on the backdrop of leaflets on Facebook that have repeatedly criticized religious extremism.
5.2017 – Mayabou (** B P)
YEMEN’S WAR: DOMESTIC VERSUS INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE
Journalists in Yemen are faced with threats, indiscriminate bombing, and other acts of violence which not only affects them, but also family, friends and colleagues.
Background to journalism in Yemen
When the revolution started in 2011 it was an ordinary thing for Yemenis to post on their Facebook account and some were able to reflect their ideas well and local Yemeni websites would pick up on it.
Baraa Shiban, a London-based Yemeni human rights activist, said: “It has developed from 2011. For instance, people like me, who does not have a journalism degree but because of how things changed I felt the need to tell people part of the story. I did write for The Guardian, Al Jazeera, the BBC and many more.”
Since the situation in 2011, along with the continuous change and developments in Yemen, it has got many people involved into this form of citizen journalism.
How citizen journalism has evolved in Yemen
The war in Yemen has made it extremely difficult for journalists to report on a range of key topics that need to be report on, from economic stagnation, political paralysis, resource shortages, and the local people of Yemen who have poured into the streets to protest against corruption and demand a better future for their country.
Jason Stern, a senior research associate for the Middle East and North Africa program at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said: “Yemen was never a safe place for journalists. But since the Saudi-led intervention in the civil war last year, it has quickly become one of the most dangerous places in the world to work as a journalist.
Despite the ever-present risks, Yemeni journalists venture out on a daily basis. A lot of those journalists are citizen journalists, who do not work with any media outlet. Most of them previously worked for outlets that were closed down by the Houthis in Sana’a, and now they have turned to social media to highlight angles they think is an important part of the Yemeni story.
Stern said: “They do so often without professional training, safety equipment, or insurance that help mitigate risks. Without their efforts, the world would know even less about the incredibly complex situation on the ground.”
Subjects and angles journalists are pursuing
The war has distorted the image of Yemen and transformed the spirit of the Yemeni people. Jobs are scarce, food shortages are rife or expensive.
Fatik Al-Rodaini, a Yemeni based in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, has worked in the journalism field since 1996. Since May 2015, Al-Rodaini has worked as a humanitarian worker. He helps internally displaced persons (IDPs) and deprived people in Yemen by distributing food and other aid. He is the founder of the organisation, Mona Relief.
Al-Rodaini reports on the airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition against Yemeni civilians and the destruction to infrastructures, such as farms, homes and schools. Regarding the situation of IDPs, he reports on their new life in the cities, towns and villages they escape to.
Charlene Rodrigues, a freelance journalist based in Yemen from 2014 until 2015, said: “Before the war I wrote about architecture and language to highlight the positive cultural aspect.
Rodrigues said that her stories usually have a human interest angle and she has done some political reporting but to get reliable information out of Yemen, journalists either have trustworthy contacts but even then it can be a challenge because they switch sides.
Overcoming challenges
Rodrigues found electricity and water were her main obstacles. She said: “I do not think people in London or America understand the challenges journalists face working in an environment with a lack of electricity or water or internet speed to actually get information out of the country. It is a huge underestimate.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine what people are going through with no end in sight? No education or employment. No hope. No future.”
Al-Rodaini commented that the challenges differ from place to place and from topic to topic. Sometimes he finds it hard in obtaining news from remote areas because the cost of travelling or gaining access is problematic. He tries to tackle these challenges by contacting people near to those places who help in passing on the correct details. Another obstacle is the authorities, which prevent him to cover particular stories but sometimes he resorts to activists to help reduce those challenges.
The last time Rodrigues travelled to Yemen she went to Aden, which is in the South. She had her business visa from the embassy in London, but without notice it was not valid in the North because it is controlled by the Houthis. After covering the aftermath of a few indiscriminate attacks by Saudi Arabia on bombed out sites, she was detained by the Houthis.
“They assume you are a spy or some sort of trouble. I stopped working for some time but afterwards I was let go but I was not allowed to go to government hospitals essentially or any other public services that were controlled by them,” said Rodrigues.
Rodrigues stressed that she would love to go back to Yemen but then she wrote an article about it in The Guardian and now fears she is on a watch list. There is also a huge level of calculated risks but the risks outweigh the kind of coverage she could actually get because it is just very tight and controlled by different warring factions.
“What I did find intimidating at one point was when I did a front page story for The Independent. It is the editors entirely indiscretion to use the headline they think that is appropriate and the editor at the time said: ‘Yemen Houthi rebels ready to talk’ and this exclusive interview was given to me. I did have the leader of the Houthis get back to me through my translator asking why did they use the word rebels? We are actually the ruling government and they wanted my editor to issue a correction.
“I tried to tell him rebels is not entirely wrong because it is a sign they are revolting, they want change and Yemen to be free from corruption but they have also committed a lot of war crimes. Somehow it just died down, there has not been any major sense of harassment or bullying, not for me at least.”
Stories covered in the past month
Rodrigues wrote a story she had been contemplating about for several months. The theme was on the women she met in hospitals who had come to give birth but the contrariness was that some had come to see their children die: ‘Yemen: War-Zone Babies’. She also wrote about the priest in Aden who had been kidnapped by militants.
Safety
Al-Rodaini said: “As a man I can go out to any places that I want, but with fear because the security situation in the whole country is poor. For me in the capital, Sana’a, the situation is somehow good.”
Rodrigues felt although she was a foreigner and given the fact many other foreigners had left Yemen, she still felt safe.
Support
Rodrigues said she had immense support from many people – her professors. The community she was living in. She never felt alone. However, her family did not approve of her covering the war.
The main risks to journalists today are: Surveillance (33 per cent), Imprisonment (29 per cent), Murder (22 per cent) and Kidnapping (16 per cent). These risks are not just restricted to journalists who cover conflict; nine out of ten are local journalists covering regional news.
It does not matter how journalists prepare themselves to cover conflicts, experience does not prevent the fact that war could kill – by May Abou-Amer
https://mayabou-amer.atavist.com/reporting-on-yemen
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Cholera / Most important: Cholera
26.7.2017 – World Health Organization (** A H)
Yemen: Cholera Outbreak Daily Epidemiology Update (26 July 2017)
From 27 April to 25 July 2017, 402,484 suspected cholera cases and 1,880 deaths (CFR: 0.5%) have been reported in 91.3% (21/23) of Yemen governorates, and 88.9% (296/333) of the districts.
The five most affected governorates were Amanat Al Asimah, Al Hudaydah, Hajjah, Amran and Ibb with 53.2% (214,281/402,484) of the cases reported since 27 April 2017.
Al Mahwit, Al Dhaele’e, and Amran governorates had the highest attack rates (30.8‰, 29.9‰ and 26.8‰ respectively)
Raymah ,Hajjah and Ibb governorates reported the highest case fatality ratios (1.2% ,0.8% and 0.8% respectively)
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cholera-outbreak-daily-epidemiology-update-26-july-2017 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Yemen_daily_epi_update_20170726.pdf
26.7.2017 – DPA (* A H)
Jemen kämpft gegen den weltweit schlimmsten Cholera-Ausbruch
Die Helfer arbeiten bis zur Erschöpfung. Doch die Cholera-Epidemie im Jemen breitet sich weiter aus. Das arabische Bürgerkriegsland leide unter dem weltweit schlimmsten Cholera-Ausbruch, warnt die Weltgesundheitsorganisation.
Die Cholera-Epidemie im Jemen nimmt nach Angaben der Vereinten Nationen immer bedrohlichere Ausmaße an. Seit dem Ausbruch vor drei Monaten seien fast 1.900 Menschen an der Infektionskrankheit gestorben und 400.000 Verdachtsfälle erfasst worden, teilte die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) am Mittwoch in Genf mit. Es ist der schlimmste Cholera-Ausbruch, der jemals dokumentiert wurde.
26.7.2017 – NBC (* A H)
The Face of Suffering: Famine, Cholera Wreak Havoc in War-Torn Yemen
Yemen's children face the twin threats of famine and the world's worst outbreak of cholera. ITV News' Neil Connery reports on the country's humanitarian crisis.
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/famine-and-cholera-spread-across-yemen-1009820227900
25.7.2017 – ITV (** A H)
Yemen's severely starved children now threatened by world's worst cholera outbreak
The severely starved young victims of the world's biggest humanitarian crisis are now under threat from the worst recorded cholera outbreak in history, as witnessed in disturbing new footage filmed by ITV News.
The western Asian nation of Yemen has been blighted by a civil war now in its third year and is staving off looming famine through foreign aid alone.
Now it is gripped by a battle against an unprecedented outbreak of cholera, which rapidly spreads through contaminated food and water.
More than 1,800 people have already died because of cholera and a further 350,000 are suspected of contracting it since the epidemic began in April.
Health organisations warn the figure will soar to more than 600,000 by the end of 2017.
In a small clinic in Al Zaydiyah, a district in the western Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, 12-year-old Taghreed Hassan is already fighting severe acute malnutrition.
She should weigh 30 kilos, but has been starved to barely seven kilos.
Her father, Ibrahim, told ITV News: "My daughter is in need of treatment in a hospital outside of the city but I am a poor man. I am unable to travel but I will treat her here as much as I possibly can."
The clinic's doctor said : "We receive lots of cases of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition every day," he said.
"There is a great shortage in medicines and the basic equipment for us to treat them."
Only 45% of Yemeni hospitals are running while only 30% of the needed medicines and medical supplies are getting into nation, whose dwindling number of medics are now paid through emergency Unicef funding.
The dire sanitation has seen others die from untreated diseases, like malaria or dengue fever.
Around an hour's drive outside of Hodeidah, ITV News met generations of villagers who have seen their youngest claimed by cholera.
Standing in front of the local well as children filled up their buckets, Ahmed Alqutabi demanded action following the death of his four-year-old boy – by Neil Connery (with film and photos)
26.7.2017 – Buzzfeed (** A H)
She Survived Near Starvation. Then Cholera Killed Her.
"The world is not paying attention," Yemeni charity worker Ahmad Algohbary told BuzzFeed News. "Many, many people are really suffering."
This is five-year-old Batul.
Like thousands of others in her country, she suffered from severe malnutrition and was recovering — until the cholera epidemic reached her village in northern Yemen.
Ahmad Algohbary, 24, is a reporter who also runs a local charity attempting to gather funds and help those affected, first by the looming famine and now by cholera. He described the situation to BuzzFeed News as utterly dire.
Algohbary tweeted on July 23 about a five-year-old girl, Batul, who he had helped save from malnutrition. "She got better and she was really smiling, and playing with kids," he told BuzzFeed News, describing her recovery as "amazing."
"But suddenly her father called me and said that Batul died, he told me that she got cholera."
The combination of a long-running proxy war — fought between rebels with ties to Iran and the Saudi-supported internationally recognized government — has dramatically impacted a country that was already one of the poorest in the Middle East.
The small girl's father, who was a farmer before the bombs meant he could no longer work in the nearby fields, at first thought it was "a normal fever," Algohbary said. "He didn't know that he should go directly to [the hospital to] rescue her."
And even if he had recognized the symptoms, there were no cars in his small village in the north of Yemen — and his family had no money to get to the hospital, or pay for care.
Children, especially those who are severely malnourished, are more susceptible to the disease.
Cholera, usually easily preventable, has spread rapidly across Yemen because everyday services — such as the water system and rubbish disposal — have stopped. WHO's director general, Tedros Adhanom, said more than 14.5 million people were now without clean water.
The effect in populated centers — like Taiz, Sanaa, and Hodeidah — has been dramatic.
"What's very striking in Taiz is the rubbish littering the streets," Ewan Watson, a spokesperson for the International Committee for the Red Cross, explained to BuzzFeed News over WhatsApp as he traveled across the country with ICRC chair Peter Maurer.
"It's quite overwhelming and gives you an indication of how services have shut down. The war means wages don't get paid for civil servants and key services are falling apart."
"The state of some hospitals is horrendous," Watson said. "There's not enough electricity to operate, maintain a cold chain and so forth. On some occasions, because they simply lack hygiene material, they can't clean the operating room."
Algohbary, who nearly lost his brother, Hamza, to cholera, described how bad medical conditions are – by Rose Troup Buchanan (with photos)
https://www.buzzfeed.com/rosebuchanan/a-five-year-old-yemeni-girl-nearly-died-from-malnutrition
26.7.2017 - World Health Organization (* A H)
Joint Cholera Response Plan - Yemen - July 2017
Yemen is in the grip of a fast spreading cholera outbreak of unprecedented scale. This plan presents an integrated response to the significant upsurge of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD)/suspected cholera cases across the country, since 27 April. Consequently, as of 28 June, a total of 254,871 suspected cases, with 1,439 associated deaths (0.6% CFR) were reported from 286 districts (20 Governorates). On 14 May, the MoHP declared a state of emergency stating that the health system is unable to contain this unprecedented health and environmental disaster. An additional, 280,358 cases are projected from the high risk districts in the coming six months till end of 2017.
The plan outlines emergency health, WASH and communications interventions to contain and prevent further spread of the outbreak in the 286 high risk districts, where suspected cholera cases were reported during the period October 2016 to June 2017 (see Annex 1 for details). Health and WASH clusters will continually identify priority districts from high risk districts, by considering the number of cases and attack rate.
A total of $ 254 million is required to implement activities outlined in this integrated plan for 6 months from May to December 2017, to control the outbreak, prevent further spread, and minimize the risk of recurrence. Considering available resources, including almost $50 million allocated through YHPF, WB, China and KSReleif, the net requirement totals to $207 million.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/joint-cholera-response-plan-yemen-july-2017 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Cholera_integrated_%20response%20plan_10_7_2017.pdf
25.7.2017 – World Health Organization (* A H)
Map: Yemen: Cholera Attack Rate (%) Population (From 27 April - 25 July 2017)
http://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-25-july-2017 and in full https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/250717_attackrate_eoc_color.pdf
and July 23: http://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-23-july-2017
and July 22: http://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-22-july-2017
25.7.2017 – World Health Organization (* A H)
Yemen: Cholera Outbreak Daily Epidemiology Update (25 July 2017)
From 27 April to 24 July 2017, 396,086 suspected cholera cases and 1,869 deaths (CFR: 0.5%) have been reported in 91.3% (21/23) of Yemen governorates, and 88.6% (295/333) of the districts.
The five most affected governorates were Amanat Al Asimah, Al Hudaydah, Hajjah, Amran and Ibb with 53.2% (210,718/396,086) of the cases reported since 27 April 2017.
- Al Mahwit, Al Dhaele’e, and Amran governorates had the highest attack rates (30.1‰, 29.5‰ and 26.5‰ respectively).
- Raymah ,Hajjah and Ibb governorates reported the highest case fatality ratios (1.3%, 0.9% and 0.8% respectively) (see table).
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cholera-outbreak-daily-epidemiology-update-25-july-2017 and in full http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/Yemen_daily_epi_update_20170725.pdf
25.7.2017 – Devex (** B H)
Why was the cholera vaccine shipment to Yemen cancelled?
A decision to postpone what would have been the largest ever global delivery of the cholera vaccine to Yemen reveals the extent to which the crisis has already outpaced efforts to contain it, experts say.
The International Coordinating Group overseeing global vaccine stockpiles had approved a shipment of 1 million doses of cholera vaccine to Yemen in June. However, the plan was canceled earlier this month over concerns it would fail to help contain the outbreak — and that an unsuccessful effort could undermine future vaccination campaigns in the war-torn country.
Those worries boil down to a combination of epidemiological reality, overwhelming logistical constraints, and a volatile political situation in which Yemen is effectively controlled by two rival government administrations. Both authorities — the internationally recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in the south and an alliance of Houthi rebels and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in the north — agreed to cancel the vaccination campaign, WHO told Devex.
“Now that cholera has reached 91 percent of Yemen’s governorates, the health authorities have decided against a vaccination campaign at this time as it might not have the expected impact,” WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told Devex by email. “The authorities in the north and the south both requested to postpone this campaign.”
The cholera response will now pivot from prevention to containment, a complicated effort in a country in the midst of civil war. Lindmeier said efforts would focus on health worker training, setting up treatment centres, reinforcing surveillance, working with communities on prevention, and providing safe water.
In the weeks after the ICG approval, however, debate erupted in the humanitarian community. The logistics for delivery would be complicated, requiring health workers to reach into at risk communities that are outside the major outbreak zones but vulnerable to the spread of the bacterial disease. Many of those areas are difficult to access by road.
Along a complex journey, the vaccines would have to be in cold storage — a difficult ask in a country experiencing an acute fuel shortage and only intermittent electricity in major metropolises.
In one bright spot, several relief organizations told Devex that warring parties had improved community access since May, when the magnitude of the outbreak became clear. “We have been seeing a little bit better positive trends in terms of our local access,” said Hannah Hilleson, senior program officer at Mercy Corps.
Still, the logistical constraints didn’t match up with the epidemiological challenge, experts warned. The vaccine is not immediately effective and doesn’t prevent recipients from carrying cholera. As the outbreak has spread, there are now few communities that have not been effected.
Politicized medicine
Although not the main reason the vaccination was cancelled, numerous parties operating on the ground confirmed significant concerns that any vaccine campaign could have been politicized or mismanaged — potentially undermining future efforts.
The comparatively scarce doses of vaccine available could open the door for real or perceived politicization or favoritism in distribution, said Monica Ramos, regional water, sanitation and hygiene expert at the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.
“From our point of view, we questioned the effectiveness and could it be used to polarize, or not used for the best [outcomes,]” she said.
Yemen analysts told Devex the political risks were even more acute. “One of the major concerns would be that the vaccines would not reach the people who need it most,” said Anthony Biswell, senior analyst focusing on Yemen at the Abu Dhabi-based Delma Institute. “It wouldn’t be surprising if several local armed groups in Yemen sought to profit from the world’s worst cholera epidemic by seizing the vaccines and then trying to sell them on the black market.”
The implications of a poorly carried out vaccination could enhance polarization, undermine humanitarian neutrality, or even jeopardize United Nations-led efforts to find a political settlement to the conflict, he said.
Asked if the political risk figured into the vaccination decision, Lindmeier told Devex: “Mass vaccination campaigns are difficult, even in less complicated contexts than Yemen, and perceptions of a less-than-optimal campaign among the Yemeni population may jeopardise future vaccination activities.”
Health in conflict
Foregoing the vaccination campaign hasn’t entirely mitigated the political risks for ongoing humanitarian work. Aid groups report continued challenges navigating the frontline of conflict and moving between rival-controlled administrations. Relief efforts also face different conditions depending on who runs the area in question – By Elizabeth Dickinson
https://www.devex.com/news/why-was-the-cholera-vaccine-shipment-to-yemen-cancelled-90715
25.7.2017 – World Health Organization (** A H)
The life and death struggle against cholera in Yemen
Cholera continues to spread in Yemen, causing more than 390 000 suspected cases of the disease and more than 1800 deaths since 27 April.
WHO and its partners are responding to the cholera outbreak in Yemen, working closely with UNICEF, local health authorities and others to treat the sick and stop the spread of the disease.
Each of these cholera cases is a person with a family, a story, hopes and dreams. In the centres, where patients are treated, local health workers work long hours, often without pay, to fight off death and help their patients make a full recovery.
Fatima Shooie sits between her 85-year-old mother and 22-year-old daughter who are both receiving treatment for cholera at the crowded 22 May Hospital in Sana’a.
“We have no money even for transportation to the hospital. My husband works as a street cleaner but he hasn’t received a salary for 8 months and he is our only breadwinner,” Fatima said. “I’m afraid that the disease will transmit to other family members.”
Eight-year-old Mohannad has overcome cholera following 3 days of treatment in the diarrhoea treatment centre at Al-Sabeen Hospital in Sana'a. Mohannad lost his mother and sister when a bomb went off near their home in Hajjah. He and his father have since fled to Sana’a.
“Mohannad is all I have in this life after my wife and daughter died. When he was infected with cholera I was very anxious that he would have the same fate of his mother and sister,” said Mohannad’s father.
It was a long and painful journey in search of treatment for Abdu Al-Nehmi, 53. The road from his village in Bani Matar District to Sana’a City was bumpy and the car broke down along the way. The whole time he was suffering from kidney pain in addition to severe diarrhoea and vomiting.
“There is no health centre in our area. We have to spend 2-3 hours to arrive at a proper health facility in Sana’a,” he said. (with photos)
http://www.who.int/features/2017/yemen-cholera-photos/en/
25.7.2017 – Reuters (** A H)
Yemen cholera epidemic slowing after infecting 400,000
Yemen's cholera outbreak is set to hit 400,000 cases on Tuesday but there are signs the three-month-old epidemic is slowing, according to World Health Organization data analyzed by Reuters.
A dramatic fall over the past month in the number of people dying from the disease each day -- from about 30 to single figures -- suggests the WHO's strategy of setting up a network of rehydration points to catch patients early is working.
Cholera, which is spread by ingestion of food or water contaminated by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium, can kill within hours if untreated. The deaths figures indicate that 99.5 percent of patients now survive in Yemen, where a devastating civil war and economic collapse has left millions on the brink of starvation.
"We are confronted with the vicious circle where war destroys (the) water distribution system, water is not available or contaminated and people are infecting themselves," ICRC President Peter Maurer said during a visit to Taiz governorate on Tuesday.
"To cope with the crisis we need a fundamental change in attitude and behavior of the belligerents," an ICRC statement quoted Maurer as saying.
The latest WHO situation report showed 396,086 Yemenis were thought to have caught the diarrhoeal disease by July 24, about 1 in 50 of the population. There were 1,869 associated deaths.
New cases are continuing at between 5,000 and 6,000 per day, but the epidemic curve shows that the outbreak peaked about three weeks ago, according to the WHO.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-cholera-idUSKBN1AA15D
25.7.2017 – Middle East Monitor (* A H)
WHO: Yemen suffering world’s largest outbreak of cholera
Yemen is currently witnessing “the biggest outbreak of cholera in the world”, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said today.” We arrived yesterday in Yemen, which is facing the biggest outbreak of the cholera epidemic in the world … and we will do everything in our power to promote a common response to the epidemic,” the UN official said (with photos)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170725-who-yemen-suffering-worlds-largest-outbreak-of-cholera/
24.7.2017 – Berliner Zeitung / FR (** A H)
Jemen: „Die schlimmste Cholera-Epidemie, die je dokumentiert wurde“
Astrid Nissen ist Leiterin des DRK-Büros in Beirut. Sie ist vom Libanon aus auch für den Jemen zuständig, wo eine Cholera-Epidemie wütet. Nissen ist derzeit im Jemen unterwegs. Wir erreichen sie telefonisch in Sanaa, in der von den Huthi-Rebellen besetzten Hauptstadt Jemens.
Die Lage ist dramatisch. Bisher sind mehr als 1800 Menschen an der Cholera gestorben. 370.000 Menschen weisen inzwischen die typischen Symptome dieser Erkrankung auf, also heftigen Durchfall und Erbrechen – unsere Experten rechnen damit, dass diese Zahl bis Ende dieses Jahres auf über 600.000 steigen könnte. Wir registrieren bis zu 7000 Neuinfektionen pro Tag, davon ist fast die Hälfte der Betroffenen in einem kritischen Stadium. Kinder, Schwangere und ältere Menschen leiden besonders. Ohne Behandlung droht der Tod durch Dehydrierung. So einen massiven Ausbruch haben selbst erfahrene Kollegen von uns noch nicht erlebt. Es wird zu Recht von der weltweit schlimmsten Cholera-Epidemie gesprochen, die jemals dokumentiert wurde.
Die medizinische Versorgung steht durch die anhaltenden Kämpfe vor dem Kollaps. Mehr als die Hälfte der Kliniken und Gesundheitsstationen ist beschädigt, zerstört oder musste geschlossen werden, weil das Personal fehlt. Auch die Ärzte und Krankenschwestern werden seit Monaten nicht mehr bezahlt. Wer noch arbeitet, tut das freiwillig – von Timot Szent-Ivanyi
http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/politik/jemen--die-schlimmste-cholera-epidemie--die-je-dokumentiert-wurde--28024276 = http://www.fr.de/politik/epidemie-im-jemen-tobt-die-cholera-a-1319535
24.7.2017 – The Independent (* A H)
One in every 45 people in Yemen is expected to contract cholera, Red Cross says
This is a ‘preventable, man-made humanitarian catastrophe’, the charity warns
24.7.2017 – UN Children's Fund (A H P)
UNICEF thanks the State of Kuwait for its support to Yemen’s children
As the humanitarian crisis in Yemen deepens and with no end in sight, UNICEF welcomes the latest contribution of over US$2 million from the State of Kuwait to support children affected by the acute watery diarrhoea /cholera outbreak.
https://www.unicef.org/media/media_98458.html
My comment: This is shameful. Kuwait as member of the Saudi bombing coalition is one of the greatest violators of childrens’ rights in Yemen. – The UN Children's Fund must look where to get funds from, thus they praise also those giving “blood money” to support their own propaganda.
23.7.2017 – World Health Organization (* A H)
Map: Yemen: Cholera Suspected Cases (From 27 April - 23 July 2017)
http://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-suspected-cases-27-april-23-july-2017 and in full https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/230717_suspectedcases_eoc_color.pdf
20.7.2017 – World Health Organization (* A H)
Map: Yemen: Cholera Attack Rate (%) Population (From 27 April - 20 July 2017)
http://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-20-july-2017 and in full https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/attackrate20july17_eoc.pdf
20.7.2017 – Save the Children (A H)
Map: Yemen Cholera Outbreak, 20 July 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cholera-outbreak-20-july-2017 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/SC_Cholera_infogfx_20Jul2017.pdf
17.7.2017 – World Health Organization and others (A H)
Yemen: Acute Watery Diarrhea/Cholera Outbreak - Situation Report #6 (17 July 2017)
More than half of the suspected cholera cases have been reported from Sana’a City (45,701), Hudaydah (42,813), Hajjah (37,647), Amran (36,116) and Ibb (27,098) (Table 1).
- Al-Dhale’e governorate accounted for the highest attack rate (26.1 per 10 000), followed by Al-Mahweet (25.3 per 10 000) and Amran (23.6 per 10 000).
The national case fatality ratio is 0.5%. The case fatality ratio is below the internationally accepted threshold of 1% in all governorates except in Reymah where it is 1.3%.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-acute-watery-diarrheacholera-outbreak-situation-report-6-17-july-2017 and in full http://www.emro.who.int/images/stories/Situation_Report_6_as_of_17_July_2017.pdf?ua=1
cp2 Allgemein / General
26.7.2017 – Critical Threats (* A K P T)
Yemen Security Brief
Hadi government-aligned forces enter Camp Khalid ibn al Walid, Taiz governorate, western Yemen; UAE commander criticizes Hadi government after AQAP attack in Hadramawt; Hadi government general announces plan to seize Sa’ada governorate, northwestern Yemen; al Houthi-Saleh forces target Hadi government-aligned forces in Ma’rib governorate, central Yemen; clashes continue in Taiz city; militants damage oil pipeline in Shabwah governorate, southern Yemen
25.7.2017 – Critical Threats (* A K P T)
Yemen Security Brief
Saudi-led coalition adds Yemeni charities to terrorist list; Hadi government accepts UN plan to transfer al Hudaydah port; AQAP militants attack al Houthi-Saleh fighters in al Bayda governorate, central Yemen; al Houthi-Saleh forces shell coalition positions in southwestern Saudi Arabia; Hadi government minister denies Central Bank move to Amman, Jordan
24.7.2017 – Critical Threats (* A K P T)
Yemen Security Brief
Yemen: President Hadi dismisses AQAP-affiliated al Bayda governor; AQAP militants attack al Houthi-Saleh forces in al Bayda governorate, central Yemen; AQAP militants target al Hizam security forces in Abyan governorate; al Houthi-Saleh forces launch ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia; al Houthi-Saleh forces shell coalition warship near al Hudaydah port, western Yemen; Russia delivers aid to Aden International Airport; Central Bank of Yemen may move from Aden city to Amman, Jordan; Hadi government-aligned forces gain ground in Taiz governorate
26.7.2017 – Aljazeera (* A P)
Families in Sanaa demand release of 'prisoners of war'
Protesters call for ICRC intervention in securing freedom for those held in UAE-run prison network and Houthi-run jails.
Family members of people believed to be held in jails run by Shia Houthi fighters and a secret prison network run by the UAE and its local allies have staged two separate demonstrations in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, demanding the release of their loved ones.
Both groups of protesters on Wednesday called for the intervention of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), whose head is currently leading a delegation to Yemen to secure family access to the prisoners.
The government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Tuesday allowed the ICRC delegation, led by Peter Maurer, to visit Houthi detainees in the southwestern Taiz province.
According to the families of detained soldiers, Hadi's government has recently sent an offer of a prisoner swap to the Houthi leadership through ICRC mediation.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/07/families-sanaa-demand-release-prisoners-war-170726191143186.html and pro-Hadi media of course only mentions those demonstrating for those detained by Houthis: https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-8823
Remark: Look at cp6.
26.7.2017 – Common Dreams (* B H P)
U.S. Backs War as UN Agencies Make Urgent Plea To End 'World's Largest Humanitarian Crisis'
Cholera outbreak has killed nearly 2,000 Yemenis in three months as famine threatens and bombs continue to fall
The three groups met with Yemeni leaders to ask them to allow humanitarian workers into regions affected by the armed conflict, and to work to end the civil war. But the statement stressed that other nations must redouble their efforts to help stop the cholera epidemic.
At Alternet, Vijay Prashad also wrote about the conflict in Yemen and the outbreak that's resulted, noting that the UN has requested $6.27 billion to prevent famine in Yemen as well as Somalia, South Sudan, and Nigeria, but has only been able to raise 43 percent of that in contributions from other countries.
The U.S. has pledged nearly $2 billion to the effort, but Prashad notes that not only is this not enough to fight famine, it is "a fraction of what the U.S. arms industry has been making by selling arms to Saudi Arabia, resupplying it as it bombs Yemen into famine.
26.7.2017 – Reuters (A P)
Red Cross urges West, Saudi-led coalition to resolve Yemen crisis
Western and regional powers must use their influence on Yemen's warring parties to end a two-year conflict that has exacerbated a huge cholera epidemic and left the country in ruins, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday.
"Definitely we would hope that Western countries understand the deep crisis, the risk of this enormous crisis for international stability, for the stability of the region," ICRC President Peter Maurer told reporters, speaking from Sanaa during a five-day mission to Yemen.
"I came here to urge the international community to take action and step up its response to this outbreak, which is - let's be very clear - a man-made outbreak. It's largely the consequence of warfare and destruction of public services," said Maurer, after visits to Taiz and Aden.
He called for finding solutions to pay workers' salaries and allowing aid supplies including medicines into the port of Hodeidah and Sanaa airport, both controlled by the Houthi rebels, to ease massive suffering.
Maurer said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their coalition as well as Yemeni parties were all "critical actors to find solutions" to the crisis.
"I would also hope that those countries outside the region should use their influence to nudge these parties into compromise, to use their influence in order to find solutions," he added.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tetraphase-study-idUSKBN1AA2LE
My comment: This is typical western bla bla. Western countries are parties of war, they cannot be peace brokers in Yemen. Only neutral countries – from China to Uruguay – could.
26.7.2017 – Alahed News (* B K P)
With conflict in Yemen continuing, it's clear that we're failing to moderate the actions of "our despots".
The British government's cozy relationship with Riyadh and our habit of selling weapons to authoritarian regimes is "justified" in a number of ways. Firstly, ministers like to repeat familiar lines about protecting British industry, suggesting that the military industrial complex is central to our country's economic success.
It is true to say that we make a lot of money from selling weapons to Saudi Arabia - indeed figures released over the weekend by the Campaign Against Arms Trade revealed that the government authorized exports including £263m-worth of combat aircraft components to the Saudi air force, and £4m of bombs and missiles in the six months from October 2016.
Though those numbers are high, arms exports is not a jobs-rich industry and only 0.2 per cent of the British workforce is actually employed in the sector. And let's just be clear - there simply is no moral justification for employing people to build bombs which are likely to be used to slaughter civilians.
Ministers also justify friendship and arms sales to dictators as part of a foreign policy strategy. They may be despots, but they are "our despots". The truth, however, is that such deals simply aren't necessary for a relationship of equals. As my colleague Baroness Jones said recently in the House of Lords:
"As a politician, I understand that we sometimes have to work with some very unpleasant people and we have to sit down with them and negotiate with them. We might loathe them, but we have to keep a dialogue going. However, we do not have to sell them arms. Saudi Arabia is a brutal dictatorship. It is one of the world's worst Governments in terms of human rights abuses. We should not be selling it arms."
With Saudi Arabia's offensive against targets in Yemen continuing, and with UN experts saying the attacks are breaching international law, it's clear that we're failing to moderate the actions of "our despots".
The government's intransigence on this issue - despite the overwhelming moral argument - is astonishing.
The arms industry exists at the nexus between our country's industrial and foreign policies. To change course we need to accept a different direction in both policy areas.
The future of the British military industrial establishment's iron grip over government is now in question, and the answers we find will define this country for a generation. Do we stamp our influence on the world by putting our arm around the head-choppers of Riyadh and elsewhere, or do we forge a genuinely independent foreign policy that projects peace around the world - and puts the safety of British people at its core?
https://english.alahednews.com.lb/essaydetails.php?eid=39403&cid=499#.WXh_XelCSUl
25.7.2017 – The Nation (* B H K P)
Why Don’t Internationalists Care About Yemen?
Saudi-led airstrikes are creating hundreds of Guernicas a month in northern Yemen.
Across northern Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition has repeatedly struck civilian facilities—schools, hospitals, and key bridges used for food transport. The airstrikes, to which the US military gives logistical and strategic aid, have turned old Sanaa, a UNESCO heritage site dotted with the country’s distinctive gingerbread houses, into rubble.
The Saudis maintain that the Houthis are backed by Iran, but they are mostly a local, nativist movement. Iranian support for them is minor. While the Saudis have been active mainly from the air, their ally, the United Arab Emirates, has organized elite fighting units of southern Yemenis from the separatist Hirak faction, who now overshadow the regular army in the south and east, which is loyal to Mansour Hadi.
The Yemen war is one of the irritants that led to the current crisis within the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The Saudi-led coalition has thrown Yemen’s 27 million people into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The United States is very much involved with the Saudi war effort, and the Pentagon seems to have bought Riyadh’s propaganda line that it is an effort to contain Iran. The US also still pursues its drone war against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has safe houses in some Yemeni towns. But American interest in the looming catastrophe in Yemen is tepid, and the Trump administration wants to cut the budget for humanitarian aid substantially. Yemen awaits its Picasso – by Juan Cole
https://www.thenation.com/article/why-dont-internationalists-care-about-yemen/
25.7.2017 – Anadolu (* A K P)
Red Cross visits Houthi prisoners in Yemen’s Taiz
The Yemeni government on Tuesday allowed a Red Cross delegation to visit Houthi detainees in the southwestern Taiz province.
The move was the first since Yemen fell into civil war in 2014 when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
“A promising step: today we were allowed to visit detainees in Taiz for the first time,” head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer said on Twitter.
“Now we need all parties to agree to regular visits,” he added.
Army colonel Abdo Hamouda al-Saghir, for his part, said the delegation visited detained fighters from the Houthi group and allied forces of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
"The visit aimed to inspect conditions of the Houthi prisoners and their allies in the city,” al-Saghir told Anadolu Agency – By Mohammed al-Samei
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/red-cross-visits-houthi-prisoners-in-yemen-s-taiz/869232 and photos: https://twitter.com/RMardiniICRC/status/889733842835300352
and
23.7.2017 – Al Araby (* A K P)
Video shows Yemeni militants 'beheading, executing' rebel captives while flying flag of UAE
Shocking video footage has emerged, appearing to show Yemeni militants beheading and executing detainees while bearing the flag of the United Arab Emirates.
The two-minute video clip, which has recently been circulated widely on social media, allegedly shows the militiamen carrying out extrajudicial killings of captured Houthi rebels.
The footage shows four detainees being beheaded and shot at close range by a group of armed militants, flying the flags of the UAE and the formerly independent state of South Yemen.
The New Arab could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Reports on the location of the footage have varied with some commentators claiming they are members of the Southern Resistance, a secessionist movement demanding the independence of South Yemen, and that the incident took place in 2015 in Abyan Province.
Other commentators have said the killings happened near the city of Mokha, where the UAE-backed southern separatists are carrying out a military operation to recapture the coastal areas to the west of the flashpoint city of Taiz.
25.7.2017 – The American Conservative (* A P)
The Qatar Crisis, the War on Yemen, and the Hollow ‘Rules-Based Order’
We have heard a lot from foreign policy pundits and analysts about the perceived unraveling of “world order” or the “rules-based order” in recent years, but there has been none of this talk as far as the war on Yemen or the Qatar crisis are concerned. If a different bloc of states ganged up on one of their neighbors and tried to bully it into changing its foreign policy, we would be hearing that this shows how dangerous and disordered the world is becoming without U.S. “leadership.” Because the Qatar crisis is partly a product of U.S. “leadership” and because the members of the bloc are all U.S. clients, we don’t hear anything about the danger to the international order or the rules that supposedly govern it.
Yemen is a much more appalling example. If a different military coalition spent two years wrecking and starving a poor country and caused the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet, there would be no end to the laments for the breakdown of the “rules-based order” and the condemnations of the coalition’s unwarranted aggression. As it happens, most defenders of this concept either have nothing to say about what is being done to Yemen and some openly support the campaign. Because it is a U.S.-backed war waged by our clients, it isn’t held to the same–or indeed any–standard that many cheerleaders for the “rules-based order” apply elsewhere. The point here isn’t just that there is a glaring double standard at work in these cases, though there certainly is one. The point is that they are part of a pattern that shows how indifferent to and contemptuous of the so-called “rules-based order” the U.S. and its clients are when it suits them – by Daniel Larison
25.7.2017 – Tasnim News (A H P)
Directors from Three UN Agencies Visit Yemen
The executive directors of the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme arrived in Yemen on Monday, visiting the war-wrecked southern province of Aden and the country’s capital Sana’a.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2017/07/25/1473465/directors-from-three-un-agencies-visit-yemen
24.7.2017 – Democracy Now (* B H P)
"A Forgotten Crisis": Yemen's Aid Workers Speak Out About the World's Worst Humanitarian Disaster
We speak to Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, in Yemen, as well as Kjetil Østnor, Oxfam’s regional manager for the Middle East and Yemen.
SHABIAMANTOO: Well, we’ve been saying that Yemen is a forgotten crisis, because, at present, it’s the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, based on the amount of people in need. At present, there are about 20 million Yemenis who require humanitarian assistance in the country. So, it is the largest humanitarian crisis. But, across the world, it receives very little attention in comparison. So we have been calling for more support to urgently address the humanitarian needs in Yemen. And at the same time, we’ve been calling for more attention on the crisis, for more attention on the human suffering and the people that are really bearing the brunt of the conflict, which are civilians. So, at present, if we look at the appeal for Yemen, it’s only—it’s less than 35 percent funded. So we do require urgent support. We’re already in July. A half-year is gone, and we have many more humanitarian needs arising.
Well, as a humanitarian organization, our interest is really in ensuring that there is peace in Yemen. As long as military action continues between the parties, we are going to see humanitarian needs arise. S
KJETIL ØSTNOR: To be honest, we think it’s shameful that both the U.K. government and the U.S. government is selling arms to the Saudi-led coalition, arms that are used in Yemen. So, there’s—on several occasions, we have called for the suspension of arms sales. And so, we call on the international community, the U.S., the U.K. and other arms brokers, to become peace brokers instead of arms brokers. That’s what is needed. We don’t need more weaponry. Bombs will only fuel the conflict. U.S. and the U.K. government needs to bring the parties to the table to find a peaceful solution, not to sell more bombs.
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/7/24/a_forgotten_crisis_yemens_aid_workers = http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/41372-a-forgotten-crisis-yemen-s-aid-workers-speak-out-about-the-world-s-worst-humanitarian-disaster
My comment: This is not a “forgotten” crisis, it is an ignored one.
24.7.2017 – Stratfor (* B K)Yemen: Houthis Claim an Extension of Their Missile Threat
Houthi rebels in Yemen claim to have hit at an oil refinery in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) from the border with Yemen, with a ballistic missile. If true, the Houthi claim raises several questions regarding the group's missile capabilities. Saudi Arabia, in the meantime, blamed the July 22 explosion at the facility on an overheated electrical transformer. Outside the Houthis, no other parties have confirmed the missile strike, but if a missile fired from Yemen indeed traveled that far into Saudi territory, it would indicate a much greater capability than the Houthis had previously demonstrated.
The rebel forces in Yemen have been known to operate ballistic missiles, such as the Scud, Tochka or Luna varieties — most of which are originally Russian-made. None of those missiles, however, have the range enabling the Houthis to fire at targets such as the Yanbu refinery, or at Riyadh, or Mecca, as past Houthi claims have stated. Scud-C missiles, also known as Hwasong-6 by their North Korean name, have the longest range in the known arsenal of the former Yemeni army, some of whose members sided with the Houthis in the ongoing conflict. With a maximum range of 500 kilometers, the North Korean missiles, allegedly smuggled to Yemen during former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s reign, would fall short of the claimed targets.
The Houthi fighters refer to their missiles as the Borkan type — consisting of Borkan-1 and Borkan-2 variants. In making the Yanbu claim, the rebel forces say they launched a Borkan-2H — though in pictures the missile appears identical to the Scud family of missiles.
For such complex retooling, it is likely that Yemeni forces would lean heavily on external support.
The effects of the ballistic missile strikes remain minimal within Saudi Arabia. Patriot air defense systems allegedly intercept most missile launches into the kingdom, and those few that allegedly reached their targets did not result in notable damage.
Regardless of the exact manner in which Yemeni forces modify their missiles, the Houthi fighters have managed to sustain their missile threat in the face of the lasting air campaign against them.
The continued future viability of the Houthi missile threat is not guaranteed. It's a distinct possibliity that the rebels could deplete their missile stockpiles or that Saudi air operations could succeed at destroying the essential launch vehicles. Intelligence operations will be critical in attempting to target the launchers, and the United States — which has considered expanding its role in Yemen — could play a notable part in that effort.
https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/yemen-houthis-claim-extension-their-missile-threat
My comment: This is a typical US “mainstream” media and politics article. Look at last paragraph: Why the hell the US should even more interfere in this war and “play a notable part in that effort” “attempting to target the launchers”??? What about targeting the Saudi air planes bombing Yemen????
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
26.7.2017 – UN Children's Fund (* A H)
Access to improved water sources in Yemen
Yemen is among the most water-stressed countries in the world, due to a naturally dry climate, regional drought in recent years and falling groundwater levels due to unsustainable drilling. Even before the escalation of the current conflict in March 2015, only a little over half of Yemen’s population (59%) was able to access drinking water from an improved source. The 2017 Humanitarian Needs Overview reports that access to safe drinking water represents one of the main priorities for affected populations, with no information however on how many people are in need and how situation has changed since the onset of the conflict.
To support the Yemen WASH Cluster planning, REACH conducted a review and analysis of indicators on water sources at governorate level, or lower, in existing reports.
The objective of this secondary data review (SDR) was to identify and compare the proportion of households having access to an improved water source prior to March 2015 and in 2016-2017, in order to provide insights on ongoing trends since the beginning of the crisis on water access, as well as on one of the underlying factors of the cholera outbreak.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/access-improved-water-sources-yemen and in full https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/reach_yem_situation_overview_access_to_improved_water_sources_july_2017_final_0.pdf
25.7.2017 – New News (* A H)
SOS Appealing to Save Lives of Renal Failure Patients in Yemen’s Dhamar
The General Hospital of Dhamar has launched an urgent distress call to local ,international health and humanitarian organizations to save the lives of more than 200 renal failure patients benefiting from the Center’s dialysis center.
The head of Dhamar General Hospital Dr. Jamal Hassan al-Shami said that the kidney dialysis center in the Authority is facing great difficulties due to lack of basic materials necessary to conduct dialysis sessions for patients who go to the center to benefit from its services.
He pointed out that the patients of kidney failure in the governorate of Dhamar are increasing, which is a great burden on the center as the only center in the province and receives dozens of cases of displaced persons and expatriates from neighboring provinces.
Dr. Shami appealed to the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières and all local and international health and humanitarian organizations and traders to quickly intervene and provide assistance to save the lives of patients with renal failure.
He pointed out that Dhamar hospital in July this year aimed more than a distress call to organizations to support the dialysis center and it has not received any response.
He stressed that the center is threatened to stop working completely and will close its doors to patients within 48 hours if the organizations did not intervene and rushed to provide medicines and medical solutions for patients’ dialysis sessions.
He pointed out that the center’s cessation of work means that the lives of 200 patients are at risk and subject to early complications and sudden death at any moment because of their inability to hold sessions in private hospitals because of the high cost of washing sessions – by Zainab Mohammad
http://newnewss.net/?p=8739 and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn7gUhLjX5Q
26.7.2017 – AFP (* A H)
UNO: Fast zwei Millionen Kinder im Jemen leiden an akuter Mangelernährung
Fast zwei Millionen Kinder sind nach UN-Angaben im Jemen von akuter Mangelernährung betroffen. Wie die Vereinten Nationen am Mittwoch mitteilten, brauchen 80 Prozent der Kinder des Landes "sofortige humanitäre Hilfe". Demnach hat ein "Teufelskreis" aus Krieg, Armut und einer Choleraepidemie das Land "an den Rand einer Hungersnot" geführt.
25.7.2017 – AFP (* B H)
80% of Yemen children in need of immediate aid: UN
A vicious combination of war, cholera and hunger has left 80 percent of Yemeni children in desperate need of aid, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
"Nearly 80 percent of Yemen's children need immediate humanitarian assistance," the executive directors of three UN agencies said in a joint statement released at the end of a two-day visit.
"Nearly two million Yemeni children are acutely malnourished. Malnutrition makes them more susceptible to cholera. Disease creates more malnutrition.
"A vicious combination."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4731508/80-Yemen-children-need-immediate-aid-UN.html and by AP: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_YEMEN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-07-26-13-01-14 and by Vice: https://news.vice.com/story/yemeni-children-are-trapped-in-worst-humanitarian-disaster-in-modern-history
25.7.2017 – Peter Maurer, ICRC (* B H)
Film: I’m shocked by the piles upon piles of foul-smelling litter lining the streets of Taiz #Yemen. This is right outside the hospital...
https://twitter.com/PMaurerICRC/status/889793127720112130
25.7.2017 – Robert Mardini, ICRC (B H)
Moved by the testimonies of the people of #Taiz. Non-stop fighting, no security, no public services, no jobs, no hope. Life unbearable (photos9
https://twitter.com/RMardiniICRC/status/889724889996963840
25.7.2017 – Living in Yemen on the edge (A H)
Aid shipment from Turkey to #Aden arrived containing also expired food and medicines (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1448062071913485
25.7.2017 – World Food Programme (* A H)
Yemen: Emergency Dashboard, July 2017
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-july-2017 and in full http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/Public/documents/ep/WFP292581.pdf
25.7.2017 – Government of Russia (A H)
Russian Emergencies Ministry’s jet delivers more relief goods in Yemen
The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s Ilyushin Il-76 plane has arrived to the town of Aden, delivering more than 23 tons of relief goods – foodstuffs and large tents.
http://en.mchs.ru/mass_media/news/item/33276153/
24.7.2017 – World Food Programme (* B H)
Film: Families in #Yemen are struggling to feed their children and themselves. Without immediate food aid, millions will be #FightingFamine.
https://twitter.com/WFP/status/889516527673790466
Remark: Short overview.
24.7.2017 – CNN (* B H)
Film: First-hand witness decries Yemen suffering
Peter Maurer, president of the Intl. Committee of the Red Cross, has just arrived in Yemen to see the devastation first hand, and speaks with Christiane Amanpour
24.7.2017 – Doctors Without Borders (B H)
In an old house in the village of Al Ghwadi, Amran governorate, lives Saleha Ali Muhsen, a mother of seven children. Her husband died in mid-May after suffering from #Cholera.
“My husband worked as daily wager and because the land in our village is not suitable for agriculture, he was going to remote areas to work in the cultivation of earth. We are poor and barely find our daily food. We were in the past relying on the little money my husband was earning and we were getting some food from the neighbors hoping that we can return it when my husband earns some money. Now that my husband died, no one is supporting us any more”. Saleha says in grief. (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/MSF.Yemen/posts/1393548124086805
24.7.2017 – Human Needs Development (A H)
July 23, 2017
"50" food packages have been distributed for "the most affected families" in the capital of Yemen, Sana'a.
HND's team does its best to feed families in all provinces of Yemen which is facing the acutest famine in the modern history.
Best thanks to our anonymous donors and all who helped us to make that possible. (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/HNDngoYE/posts/866537216831080
21.7.2017 – ATTN (B H)
What's Happening to People in Yemen Right Now Is Horrendous
new report from Oxfam presents some harrowing news about the status of the citizens of Yemen, with children at the greatest risk.
https://www.attn.com/stories/18426/whats-happening-babies-yemen-right-now-alarming
Remark: Overview on the humanitarian situation.
30.6.2017 – UN Children's Fund, Nutrition Cluster (A H)
Yemen Nutrition Cluster Bulletin, Issue 2, Apr-Jun, 2017
Nutrition Cluster periodic monitoring report and revision of the 2017 YHRP
The periodic monitoring exercise, led by the HCT, was conducted in May 2017 to evaluate clusters’ progress in the first four months on the year and to decide if there is a need in the YHRP revision based on the newly available information and analysis, based on this &s the YHRP is currently being revised. The key driving factors for the Nutrition Cluster YHRP revision were identified as below:
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-bulletin-issue-2-apr-jun-2017 and in full https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/system/files/documents/files/2017_nc_bulletin_yemen_issue_2_1.pdf
30.6.2017 – UN Children’s Fund (* A H)
UNICEF Yemen Humanitarian Situation Report (June 2017)
Yemen is today one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. It is estimated that now 20.7 million people – including over 11 million children – require humanitarian assistance, 2 million more than those in need at the end of 2016. The AWD/suspected cholera outbreak, the threat of famine and the undermined national systems, are contributing to exacerbate the suffering of millions of children and families.
In view of the current situation, UNICEF has revised its Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal. Additional funds of US$ 102.4 million are urgently required to meet the increasing needs of children and families. With this support, UNICEF will be able to reach 14.3 million children with humanitarian programmes across all sectors and more will benefit from the restoration of basic services.
UNICEF and partners continue working around the clock in coordination with Health and Water authorities and partners to provide services and supplies in response to the Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD)/ suspected cholera outbreak
Over the past six months, the humanitarian situation in Yemen has substantially deteriorated. According to recent analysis by the Humanitarian Country Team, the number of people in need of assistance and protection has rose from 18.8 million to 20.7 million.1 Yemen is today one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-humanitarian-situation-report-june-2017 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNICEF%20Yemen%20Humanitarian%20Sitrep%2C%20Mid-Year%202017.pdf
31.3.2017 – World Food Programme (* A H)
Yemen EMOP: Monitoring and Evaluation Quarterly - Issue 06 (January - March 2017)
In Q1 2017, an average of 4.3 million beneficiaries monthly were reached with general food distribution (GFD) and Commodity Voucher through Traders’ Network (CV-TN) assistance. Through GFD assistance, an average of 3.6 million beneficiaries were assisted per month (against the target of 6 million per month), specifically 2,503,048, 5,079,324 and 3,251,176 million in January, February, and March respectively. Low achievements were partly due to funding shortfalls and pipeline breaks.
Post-distribution monitoring surveys trends indicated that GFD beneficiaries' acceptable food consumption had decreased from 63 percent in Q2 2016 to 43 percent in Q4 2016 (a 20 percentage point drop), and then slightly increased in Q1 2017 to 47 percent.
In Q1 2017, a cumulative 81,661 moderate acute malnourished (MAM) children (planned 217,725) and 45,890 pregnant and lactating women (planned 138,121) were admitted into Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programmes (TSFP). In the Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programmes (BSFP), a cumulative 54,358 children were admitted (planned 251,345).
http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emop-monitoring-and-evaluation-quarterly-issue-06-january-march-2017 and in full http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Yemen_M%26E_Q1_2017_FINAL.pdf
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
27.7.2017 – Al Sahwa (A P)
Abductee dies under brutal torture in Hajjah
An abductee, Masoud al-Bakili, held in a custody run by the Houthi-Saleh militias has died under brutal torture.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-8824
26.7.2017 – New News (A P)
An Initiative of Supreme Political Council to End the Suffering of the Residents of Taiz
On Tuesday, at the initiative of Supreme Political Council, Opened Secure outlet of Saalah –unilaterally and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the passage of citizens from the area controlled by the Yemeni army and the People’s Committees.
This work is the result of the efforts made by the forces of Yemeni army and popular committees and citizens of this geographical location.
It also comes in the context of the Supreme Political Council’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of citizens throughout the Yemeni nation, which has been steadfast in the aftermath of the aggression and after many people have been burdened by the long distances from and to the city of Taiz imposed by the aggression and its paid troops.
The citizens of the region confirmed to our sources that that they are waiting for open and secure of the road from the Saudi led troops’ control, which were characterized by their continuing positions breach of covenants and agreements that would alleviate the suffering of citizens in an effort to earn more money and trade their pain and livelihood from their pains.
The governor of Taiz Abdu al-Jundi said in a statement said that the port will be allocated to the humanitarian and relief side, warning armed groups inside the city to use it for military purposes or to harm the lives of citizens or restrict their freedom.
26.7.2017 – Saba Net (A P)
Foreign Minister Meets ICRC Head
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470228.htm
25.7.2017 – United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (A P)
YEMEN: Release Baha’i Prisoners of Conscience in Yemen
USCIRF Calls on Houthis to Cease Harassment of Baha’is
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is increasingly concerned with the escalation of arrests of members of the Baha’i community in Yemen. USCIRF calls for the immediate release of all Baha’i prisoners of conscience and decries the targeting of individuals based solely on their religion or belief.
“The peaceful Baha’i citizens who have been arrested are engineers, educators, community volunteers, mothers, and children—singled out because of their faith. In prison, they have been pressured to recant their faith, and some have been released only after signing pledges to cease public religious activities,” said USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark. “Such repression is a clear violation of the fundamental right of religious freedom and of international human rights norms, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Yemen is a party.”
The Houthi forces controlling northern Yemen most notably conducted raids and arrests coinciding with a Baha’i-organized youth conference in August 2016 and the Baha’i holy festival of Ridvan in April 2017. The following month, security forces fired at a peaceful assembly of tribal leaders who gathered in support of imprisoned Baha’i community members.
http://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/press-releases/yemen-release-baha-i-prisoners-conscience-in-yemen
25.7.2017 – Middle East Monitor (A K P)
Yemen’s Saleh calls for his supporters, Houthis to continue fighting
Ousted Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh called for his supporters and the Houthi militants to continue fighting, pledging he would afford the latest military equipment for them to continue their fight against the “Saudi aggression”, agencies reported yesterday.
Saleh appeared in a military training base south of the country’s capital, Sana’a, along with the chief of his High Political Council, Saleh Ali Al-Sammad, and his nephew, Major General Tariq Mohamed Ali Saleh.
He said that he would afford the latest equipment for them and told them that his nephew is to hold a training course on hiding and camouflage.
Al-Sammad called for fighters to “encounter challenges with challenges and not to listen to those who are trying to destabilise the internal front between the Houthis and the People Conference Party [Saleh’s party].”
He said that the training gathering is the “start for a new escalation against the Saudi aggression.”
25.7.2017 – Saba Net (A K P)
Businessmen condemn Saudi airstrikes on central bank's branch in Saada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470102.htm
25.7.2017 – New News (A H P)
UN Delegation Arrives Yemen’s Sanaa
The international delegation arrived in Sana’a on Monday evening to inspect the humanitarian situation after visiting Aden and Taiz.
25.7.2017 – Saba Net (A P)
PM meets visiting UN delegation
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470095.htm
24.7.2017 – Saba Net (A P)
FM Meets UN Delegation
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf met on Monday with the United Nations High-level Joint Delegation headed by the Executive Director of the World Food Program( WFP), UNICEF Executive Director and World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Director.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470065.htm
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
26.7.2017 – Mohammed Al Qadhi (A P)
Security chaos is mounting in #Taiz city as 5 soldiers & a civilian were murdered during 48 hours.
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/890288922303057920
26.7.2017 – Al Sahwa (* A P)
Parliament to be held in mid-August in Aden
The Yemeni Parliament is to hold sessions in the temporary capital of Aden in mid-August, an informed source said, affirming that 138 members of Parliament will attend, a figure which is legally enough to hold sessions.
The source affirmed that procedures are ongoing to bring back over 30 lawmakers to Aden, pointing out that Yemeni embassies outside work to facilitate their return.
The source said that the government will attend the first session of Parliament and an invitation will be sent to Speaker of Parliament to attend the sessions and if he rejects, a new Speaker of Parliament will be elected.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-8792
My comment: let us see what really will happen. The greatest part of the Yemeni parliament is at Sanaa supporting the Houthi / saleh government. It's really doubtful that Hadi at Aden really well get the quorum of 138 deputees to follow his call to Aden.
26.7.2017 – Middle East Monitor (A T)
Yemen: Oil pipeline explosion in Shabwa
An explosion erupted at a crude oil pipeline in Yemen’s Shabwa province yesterday, according to Al-Alam, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to local reports, the attackers used rocket launchers to strike the pipeline.
Shabwa, to the south of the country, is witnessing political turmoil between local tribes and the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in relation to oil production and revenue.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170726-yemen-oil-pipeline-explosion-in-shabwa/
and
25.7.2017 – demolinari (A T)
Film: Militants blew up the #Shabwa Ayad–Al-Nushaymah oil pipeline in Khamer area southeast of #Ataq. #SouthYemen #Yemen Video by @adnan_alkomishe
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/889964364853202944
26.7.2017 – Almasdar Online (A T)
Ambush kills three soldiers in Hadramaut
http://almasdaronline.com/article/92905 and photos
and
25.7.2017 – Haykal Bafana ( AT)
Today : 3 soldiers of the #UAE-supported militia in #Yemen's Hadhramaut province killed again in AQAP ambush. Same district again. (map)
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/889884355253981184
25.7.2017 – Adengad (A P)
An official in Yemen Airways reveals files of corruption, confirms the rebellion of the company's director on the presidential orders
The head of the Coordination Committee for Combating Corruption and the official of the case of the Joint Venture, Mohammed Omar Momen, advisor to the President of Yemen Airlines, attended the headquarters of the newspaper Aden Al-Ghad, to present files of corruption to Yemeni Airlines officials.
The adviser, Mohammed, presented files of corruption for "Aden tomorrow" revealed the involvement of officials in the Yemeni airline in the loss of assets and funds of the company, where he pointed out that the former director of the company, Captain Abdulkhaliq al-Qadi acquired five planes (Dash) Oil is a subsidiary of Yemen Airways.
He pointed out that there is a package of large corruption files such as Al-Saeeda Airlines, Ground Services and Yemeni Airlines shares in French Telecoms, which were handed over to the Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption. He pointed out that he was subjected to arbitrary measures by the current head of the company, Captain / Ahmed Al-Alwani, By Alwani personally and in writing.
http://adengad.net/news/269283/
25.7.2017 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Abdullah Al Yazidi Ahmed Baraoud, 2 Yemeni Salafi clerics arrested today by UAE occupation forces in Hudhrmout eastern Yemen as terrorists
immediately after being blacklisted by Saudi-UAE (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/889775135867236352
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/889773280189706240
24.7.2017 – Maggie Michael (A P)
Families of detainees protest in Mukalla, #Yemen. Many vanished in UAE-run detention centers. (photo)
https://twitter.com/mokhbersahafi/status/889564445218926597
24.7.2017 – New News (A T)
The Assassination of Commander of So-Called Security Belt in Al-Waziy Region of Abeen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1
26.7.2017 – Al Ahram (* A P)
Not giving up on Yemen
UN Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks to Ahmed Eleiba about hope for a settlement in the country amid grave and deep challenges
Ahmed: In exclusive interview with Al-Ahram Weekly during his recent visit to Cairo, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed discussed the situation concerning UN efforts in Yemen and reiterated his call for a resumption of peace negotiations. He also explained how, for the first time, he disengaged the main tracks of the settlement process from subsidiary tracks by means of what has been termed the “Hodeida model”, which he believes can be built on as an avenue to a comprehensive solution while contributing to remedying the economic crisis in Yemen. In spite of the many challenges, as well as the threats facing the UN team currently engaged in Yemen, Ould Cheikh Ahmed still believes there is hope.
Hodeida is not an end in and of itself. It is a first step to a complete and comprehensive solution. After we get to Hodeida, we want to reach a ceasefire and a return to direct talks. As you know, I’ve met with His Excellency Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti minister of foreign affairs, who said that Kuwait welcomes our return if we are truly prepared to end the crisis and sign a peace agreement.
Firstly, there’s the security aspect: the creation of a military commission made up of officers who were not directly involved in the war and who are respected by all parties. These officers would supervise military arrangements from headquarters in the city and port of Hodeida, and they would be supported by military units drawn from the military contingents that are already present there, while the rest would leave to an agreed upon distance.
Secondly, there is the economic aspect: creation of an economic and finance committee made up of businessmen. We’ve spoken with various businessmen who are ready to take part because they regard this as in their interests, the foremost of which is the welfare of their country. The committee, which would be directly supervised by the UN and other expert parties, will administer the revenues that arrive in Hodeida.
One of the objectives of this aspect is to resolve the question of salaries. The people in Ansar Allah have blamed the UN for failing to solve the question of salaries. There are large revenues in the north and they need to be part of the sum that pays the salaries. There are major revenues in the port and in customs duties that also have to be included in the calculation. However, we want to broaden the idea by creating an account, administered by the Central Bank with the help of the UN, the World Bank and other such agencies that would incorporate not just Hodeida but also the ports of Aden, Mukalla, Mocha and others. This would be possible if it were a genuine aim of all parties and intentions were sincere.
Sadly, we have noticed that personal interests sometimes surface and drive some people to object to such ideas.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/22031.aspx
25.7.2017 – Critical Threats (* A K P T)
Yemen Security Brief
The internationally recognized Yemeni government officially accepted the UN’s plan to transfer al Hudaydah port to a third party on July 25. The UN proposal calls for the transfer of al Hudaydah port, located on Yemen’s western coast, from the al Houthi-Saleh faction to an administrative council with members from the al Houthi-Saleh faction, President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government, and other Yemeni political organizations. The Hadi government reiterated that the agreement is contingent on the disarmament of al Houthi-Saleh forces and their withdrawal from the port. The al Houthi-Saleh faction opposes the UN proposal.[2]
https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-july-25-2017 and by Al Sahwa: https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-8793
25.7.2017 – Fars News (* B K P)
The Unnoticed Demise of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen
The United Nations and member states are so busy fighting for irrelevant issues, they hardly seem to notice that through their indifference they risk becoming complicit in Saudi and American war crimes in Yemen.
International Humanitarian Law is on the wane, yet the problem is nowhere at the UN. Common to all is a progressive loss of vision, of long term planning and solutions, with politics and votes used just for self-serving interests, in particular at the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council. Here, no one bothers to talk about children dying because of the Saud-led, US-backed war and blockade on Yemen. No one:
Human rights groups are urging the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to include the Saudi-led coalition in a child rights’ “shame list” after documenting grave violations against children. Save the Children and the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict have documented at least 23 Saudi-led, US-backed airstrikes which injured or killed children, prompting an urgent call for the UN to help protect children caught in the midst of the deadly two year-long conflict.
“Everywhere you go in Yemen you see the devastation caused by airstrikes…all parties have been responsible for the unnecessary deaths of children in Yemen, and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition is among them,” says Save the Children’s Yemen country director Tamer Kirolos. “The UN Secretary-General must put the interests of children first – and hold all of those responsible to account,” he continues.
The human rights group has compiled evidence of “grave violations” in an effort to push Secretary-General Guterres to include the Saudis and Americans in a report on child rights violations in conflict, expected to be released next month
Though listing the Saudis is not an end in itself, failure to include a key party to the conflict will set a dangerous precedent that others around the world will take note of. It would also betray the families whose loved ones were killed, the children who suffered life-changing injuries in airstrikes.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960503001963
25.7.2017 – Nasser Arrabyee (A P)
Yemeni Parliament handed today to Russia an initiative to end 3-year war between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/889807740993974272
Remark: Parliament at Sanaa.
25.7.2017 – Saba Net (A K P)
Yemen government ready to solve war prisoners' issue: spokesman
Spokesman of the National Salvation Government, the Minister of Information Ahmed Hamed said the government is seeking to solve the war prisoners' issue, but blaming the Saudi-led aggression coalition for hindering several peace initiatives to solve this humanitarian issue.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470084.htm
Remark: Sanaa government (Houthi / Saleh).
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
26.7.2017 – Middle East Eye (** B P)
Saudi Arabia's civil war is coming
In the face of irresponsible government policies, an increasing number of Saudi nationals and foreign workers are confronted with unprecedented economic hardship. They won't stay quiet much longer
businesses across the country are struggling to meet their financial obligations. These include their fixed and operational costs such as salaries, rents, and the ever-increasing government fees and requirements.
The government sees the foreigners working in the Saudi labour market as a legitimate source of continuous extraction of income. According to a Banque Saudi Fransi report released in July and reported about in Saudi media, there are an estimated 11.7 million foreigners in Saudi Arabia, 7.4 million of whom work and the remaining 4.3 millions who are companions.
On 1 July, authorities began collecting fees from companions when they renewed their ID cards, a residence permit renewed annually.
It seems as if the policymakers in decision circles fail to see beyond the face value of their initiatives.
Yes, these new fees may raise direct revenues,but they will also destroy the country's entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized businesses. These enterprises operate on very limited budgets and resources. So instead of supporting this already struggling sector, these new regulations will only squeeze them futher.
For that reason, many employers have responded by transferring these newly adopted fees onto their employees and labourers. Consequently, a vast majority of foreign workers now have to pay these fees from their own earnings. Instead of paying, in the weeks after the law was introduced, tens of thousands have fled the country, and more will follow.
As a result, the labour market is shrinking by the day while the costs of labour work and services skyrocket. The prices of many good and services provided by the impacted businesses will also rise.
Remember: all this is happening in an economy that is already shrinking.
The mounting - and excessive - pressures on these small and medium-sized businesses will lead many of them to go bust at a time when Saudis' purchasing power is already at its lowest in decades and worsening.
Economic hardship is not necessarily the determining factor that motivates people to stand up against their government. There are tens and possibly hundreds of countries around the world with worse economic situations than Saudi Arabia. Look at Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America or many other places where coercive governments continue to exist regardless of bad economic realities.
Well, it is slightly different in Saudi Arabia. Imagine if you have a family home, one that you were only able to buy after many long years of hard work. You have lived there for generations and, suddenly, you're about to lose it. How would that make you - or anyone else for that matter - feel?
Imagine the disappointment: your family slips into poverty and homelessness after having thought for decades that they had escaped it for good.
For Saudi society as a whole, however, this can only mean one thing: revolution. When people lose everything they have, their only response is to hit the streets in frustration.
The Saudi economy still hasn't reached bottom yet. There is still some way to go for things to get even worse.
Aside from the sudden loss of wealth, Saudi Arabia’s other difference lies in the fact that the poor in the kingdom, and largely the rest of the population, are concentrated in cities. As such, they do not suffer from the structural barriers to effective activism that the poor in other third-world countries face.
The kingdom's sudden, intensive and very committed rush to drain the economy is ruining its legitimacy. The Saudi public no longer perceive the government as part of the solution. Rather, they feel a sense of betrayal. To overcome its significant credibility crisis, the government will have to work hard in the coming months and years.
Free thought denied
In the midst of all the mess, Saudi leaders - who have always prided themselves on taking control of the kingdom by sword - continue to behave like conquerers even among its own citizenry. This is an absolute monarchy which allows no room for any deviation from official opinion or position
Moreover, the government has marginalised the local sub-cultures of every region in Saudi except that of Najd, which is where the ruling Al-Saud family come from. They abolished regional traditional dress and forced everyone to adopt the Najdi dress as the formal state uniform.
How a civil war could start
Now for the civil war to emerge, it needs a spark. I am not in the business of promoting its outbreak. To the contrary, I am writing this as a wake-up call.
The socio-economic factors for a civil war are in place.
The only cure
The only way out for the government is political openness. This is no longer an ethical choice, but increasingly a political survival strategy.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/saudi-arabia-coming-civil-war-978876236
26.7.2017 – Gulf News (A P)
10 years for drugged-up Daesh supporter
Defendant plotted to blow himself up in conflict zone
A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a supporter of the Daesh terror group to 10 years in jail.
The case documents showed that the defendant, a Saudi national, had planned to travel to war zones in Syria to join the group and carry out a suicide attack.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/10-years-for-drugged-up-daesh-supporter-1.2064384
25.7.2017 – Angry Qatafi (* A P)
Breaking from Hayer prison in #Riyadh: a large group of Shia prisoners were isolated and believed to be prepared for execution.
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/889992836472594433
Unconfirmed: MbS orders to execute 40 Shia prisoners in #Riyadh then bury them in a "mass grave in a desert southern of Hayer prison" #Qatif
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/889985551784439811
26.7.2017 – Alahed News (** A P)
#Saudi Crackdown: #Awamia Wakes Up to Brutal Bombings, Detentions
As part of the Saudi brutal attack against the kingdom's eastern province of al-Qatif, the Shia-populated Awamia neighborhood woke up on Wednesday to heavy bombardment targeting random parts across the area.
In further details, Saudi regime forces shelled houses in different parts of the neighborhood, footage published on social media showed.
Later on, the government shut down phone services as an intention to prevent locals from covering and posting what's going on online in Awamia.
Besides, several residents were kidnapped and many expensive properties have been stolen as part of an attack in which regime forces stormed a residential building
Also in the Tarout region inside Awamia, religious clerics have been detained by regime forces.
Later reports said that the regime imposed curfew across the area as hundreds of military vehicles are stationed in the sports stadium.
The developments come as the kingdom is expected to execute dozens of Shia activists at any moment (photos)
https://english.alahednews.com.lb/essaydetails.php?eid=39398&cid=525#.WXh_o-lCSUl
and
25.–26.7.2017 – Various (* A P)
Saudi raid against Awamiya city in Eastern Saudi Arabia
#Saudi launch military assault on Shia Arab oil town using mortars & missiles (film)
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/890051084693188608
#Saudi clansmen forces bomb civilan homes #Awamya #Qatif oil center No media coverage (film)
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/890061714775035904
Verified:#Saudi official forces open the fire on the cellar phons towers to shutdown the service and prevent the news from leaking out
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890054244006592512
#Saudi clansmen forces turn sport complex into a military camp launching sectarian killings #Awamya & Qati
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/890055366695956480
Some of the damage caused by the official #Saudi forces (film)
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890036970214346752
Breaking: cutting electricity & internet service in some area in Awamia as the Saudi forces moved toward #Awamia
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890037975110832130
Two months of barbaric #Saudi military assault on Shia Arab oil towns goes unreported by @ReutersIran or @AFPGulf_Yemen
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/890045856979845120
Reportedly seeing 10 armored vehicles on their way to Rev. St in #Qatif whilst other troops attack in #Awamia
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890042692801003520
Film: Military vehicles in town
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890046227613659136
Film: Some of the damage caused by the official #Saudi forces
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890063136967065600
Quick footage from #Mosawarah of #Awamia, #Qatif. It's under attack by #Saudi National Guards (film)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890063571383713792
A house on fire nearby Post Office of #Awamia, #Qatif. #Saudi National Guards stationed are shooting continuously.
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890076640616878080
#Saudi troops leaving stores without paying/robbing is true. Happened many times in #Awamia which made many stores either close or move.
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890137129048838144
#Saudi National Guards are stationed in front of the Post Office on Imam St of #Awamia (photo)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890066121948352513
An Asian immigrant was passing nearby in #Awamia, #Qatif and was shot by #Saudi National Guards. Treated by our local hero volunteers! (phptps)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890116707490172928
#Saudi National Guard arrests several Bengali immigrants in #Awamia, #Qatif and forces them to take off clothes. Pic by a Saudi troop. (photo)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890127299571568640
Breaking: #Saudi launch military assault on Shia Arab oil town using mortars & missiles
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/890051084693188608
Breaking: #Saudi launch military assault on Shia Arab oil town using mortars & missiles (film)
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/890051084693188608
A sample of the shells used today by Saudi forces in #AwamiaSiege (photos)
https://twitter.com/tuggers1968/status/890313930912006144
#Saudi NG armoured vehicles open fire in #Awamia, #Qatif. (film)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890293802480652288 Losses in #Awamiasiege so far: -2 shot dead -1 found fully burned -3 immigrants shot dead -More than 10 arbitrary arrests
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890372334774878209
#Saudi NG brings more mechanism to tear down the remaining of #Mosawarah; the ancient city of #Awamia, #Qatif. (film)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890368748129067008
Unknown immigrant was shot by #Saudi NG and left dead in #Awamia, #Qatif. (photos)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890305869740732421
#Awamia, #Qatif became a war zone in less than 6 hours since #Saudi NG entered it. Troops shoot vids and brag about it. (film)
https://twitter.com/AngryQatifi/status/890291029018124289
2 Asian men shot dead in their car (photo)
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890267180658376704
Shooting a man from #awamia and letting him burn completely (photo)
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/890275422503665666
25.7.2017 – Al Arabiya (A E P)
Saudi Arabia hires Goldman for Riyadh airport stake sale, sources tell Reuters
Saudi Arabia has hired Goldman Sachs to manage the sale of a stake in Riyadh airport, the first major privatization of an airport in the kingdom, three sources familiar with the matter said.
The Saudi Civil Aviation Holding plans to sell a minority stake in Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, the sources said, without providing a timeframe for the sale.
25.7.2017 – Middle East Eye (A P)
Saudi royal lashes out at UAE, defends former crown prince bin Nayef
In a series of tweets, a member of the Saudi royal family has defended the former Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, while lashing out at the apparent partnership between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Using the hashtag "No to harming Mohammed bin Nayef", Abdelaziz bin Fahd, the son of the former Saudi king Fahd, appeared to be addressing the deposed crown prince, giving him advice about what to do.
25.7.2017 – Alwaght (* A P)
Saudi Arabia Uses Death Penalty as Weapon to Crush Dissent: Amnesty
Saudi regime cruelly resorts to death penalty as a means to crack down on dissent and silence the opposition voice, Amnesty International says.
Reacting to Riyadh decision to execute 14 individuals who were sentenced to death over "protest-related crimes" following a “grossly unfair mass trial”, the leading human right organizations' director of campaigns for the Middle-East said “By confirming these sentences Saudi Arabia’s authorities have displayed their ruthless commitment to the use of the death penalty as a weapon to crush dissent and neutralize political opponents.”
Samah Hadid on Monday called on Saudi Arabia to halt the executions which the rights group slammed as "a worrying reminder of the country’s lethal crackdown on dissent".
Now that their sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court the 14 men are at risk of execution as soon as the King ratifies their sentences. Due to the secrecy surrounding the Saudi Arabia judicial process, the families are given very little information, if any, about the current state of the case and usually not told about the scheduled execution of their relatives.
“King Salman’s signature is now all that stands between them and their execution. He must immediately quash these death sentences which are a result of sham court proceedings that brazenly flout international fair trial standards," Samah Hadid said on Monday.
http://alwaght.com/en/News/104816
25.7.2017 – Noto Wahabism (A P)
Hypocritical!
Left: #Saudi young girl in mini-rock detained in #Saudi_Arabia.
Right: Royal Saudi family partying in Bodrum, #Turkey. (photos)
24.7.2017 – Reuters ( A E P)
Saudi Aramco calls in defense firms for offshore security
State oil giant Saudi Aramco plans to increase security around its offshore facilities and has received bids for the work from defense firms, industry sources told Reuters.
Bidders include Raytheon Co of the United States, Germany's Rheinmetall AG, Leonardo's Selex ES Saudi Arabia and General Dynamics, the sources added.
The contract involves installing long range integrated security systems at nine offshore sites in the Gulf, two sources said adding more tenders are expected as Aramco considers expanding its offshore oilfields and upgrading their security.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-aramco-bids-defence-idUSKBN1A91QO
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Good move, since #Saudi armed forces are hopeless
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/889556217336668161
24.7.2017 – Al Arabiya (* A P)
Saudi Arabia approves proposal for a national program for atomic energy
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet of ministers have approved a proposal to establish a national program for atomic energy during its latest session on Monday.
The proposal, presented by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was approved on Monday and consists of a number of programs and initiatives as figured out in the resolution.
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Saudi Arabia, with the world's largest oil reserves, does not need nuclear energy. Riyadh just wants nuke bombs.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/889555300210135044
24.7.2017 – Middle East Eye (* B P)
Mohammed bin Nayef's 'painkiller addiction' story a Saudi hit job
Reports of bin Nayef's addiction are, perhaps unwittingly, part of the campaign to finish him off
There was one detail that Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times omitted to mention when they published stories claiming that Mohammed bin Nayef had been deposed as crown prince of Saudi Arabia over an addiction to pain killing drugs. And that was the source of these claims.
The Reuters story quoted a "source close to MbN" for the conversation that King Salman allegedly had with bin Nayef, in which the king purportedly said: "I want you to step down, you didn't listen to the advice to get treatment for your addiction, which dangerously affects your decisions."
Two reliable sources tell me this is not true. They say this is about the last thing any friend of bin Nayef would have released to the foreign media as it points to a man with impaired judgment, the one quality the former crown prince prides himself on.
Both sources point the finger instead to Saud al-Qahtani as the source of the story that Nayef is a hopeless drug addict. He arranged the briefings, I am told.
Saud al-Qahtani
Qahtani has become more than the eyes and ears of Mohammed bin Salman, the current crown prince, in the Royal Court. Qahtani was put in place when bin Salman resigned as secretary to the Royal Court to become deputy crown prince.
He phones up Saudi journalists to tell them that they cannot write or tweet. The dark arts once practised by Khaled Tuwaijri, the former secretary to the Royal Court under King Abdullah, are now practised by Qahtani.
Knowing this makes a material difference to the reports themselves. They are no longer a description of what is going on behind Saudi's infamous bead curtains. The reports are, unwittingly maybe, part of the campaign to finish the victim off.
For, not only was bin Nayef unceremoniously dumped to make way for the ailing king's younger son; not only were his bodyguards, advisors and mobile phones taken away from him until he was forced to resign and filmed giving an oath of allegiance to his younger cousin. But also this humiliation was followed by a media campaign defaming him as a morphine addict – by David Hearst
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/bin-nayefs-painkiller-addiction-story-saudi-hit-job-1936512836
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1
27.7.2017 – Asia Times (* B P)
Why the Saudi war on Yemen is seen as US state terrorism
Most Americans are not aware of their country’s role in this war on the Middle East’s poorest country, but the Yemenis know very well that Washington supplies the weapons and sponsors the Saudi bombing campaign responsible for their suffering. In the capital Sanaa, anti-American graffiti are plastered on walls throughout the city screaming “USA kills Yemeni people,” and they see the war as not just as a Saudi war, but as a US war on their country.
On July 19, the US Public Broadcasting Service program Frontline aired a brief documentary titled “Inside Yemen” to look at the impact of the war on the country. In May, a few days after the PBS crew arrived, there was a large demonstration in Sanaa called “Say No to American Terrorism”. The crew captured powerful images of people condemning US aggression against their country.
The PBS crew noted that although the Yemenis could clearly see they were Americans, there was no hostility, as the population placed the blame not on them but on the US government. One protester explained that he respected America, but the purpose of the rally was “to express our outrage against the United States policy”. Ordinary Yemenis just wanted the world to be aware of what is actually going on in their country.
McGoldric laments that “Yemen is very much a silent, forgotten, I would even say a purposefully forgotten emergency.” – by Christine Lin
http://www.atimes.com/saudi-war-yemen-seen-us-state-terrorism/
26.7.2017 – Institute for Gulf Affairs (* B P)
Investigations: U.A.E. Ambassador Gave Cash to Witnesses of Congressional Hearing on U.S. Qatar Relations
Hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by the United Arab Emirates’ Ambassador to the U.S. to a witness testifying at a congressional hearing later today are casting doubts on his credibility, leaked documents show.
The Center for a New American Security, whose Director of the Middle East Security Program Ilan Goldenberg will testify before the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, received at least $250,000 in from the United Arab Emirates embassy, the documents show.
The hearing “Assessing the U.S.-Qatar Relationship,” is scheduled for July 26 and called by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairman, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa.
The emails also show Mr. Goldenberg’s extensive email and phone communications with U.A.E. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba since last summer to fund CNAS work and a trip of Goldenberg and colleagues to the U.A.E.
The emails came from the group known as Global Leaks who sent it to the Institute for Gulf Affairs days ago.
The emails also show Goldenberg pushing business contracts for Lockheed Martin, while CNAS’s chief executive officer Michèle Flournoy was lobbying Al Otaiba for Polaris to win a U.A.E. government contract.
The August 2016 invoice was signed by Flournoy and submitted to Ambassador Al Otaiba to request payment for a study about U.A.E missile technology control regime. The study was given to Al Otaiba in February 2017 and distributed to U.A.E leadership, including Abu Dhabi’s crown Prince and strongman Mohamed Bin Zayed, emails show.
While the autocratic governments’ funding of American think-tanks is common knowledge, this case, in particular, is raising legal and ethical questions for congressional committees who rely on witnesses possibly compromised by foreign cash – by Ali AlAhmed
26.7.2017 – Almasdar News (A P)
US ship fires warning shots at Iranian Navy in Persian Gulf
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-ship-fires-warning-shots-iranian-navy-persian-gulf/
26.7.2017 – Consortium News (* A P)
House GOP Seeks to Curb Yemen War
As national Democrats claim the mantle as the more hawkish party — and President Trump panders to the Saudi-Israeli tandem — House Republicans moved to curb U.S. support for the Saudi-led war on Yemen
Republicans are taking the lead in blocking U.S. participation in the Saudi slaughter in Yemen, which has plunged that country to the brink of starvation and sparked a cholera epidemic. Surprising to many, there was a vote by the Republican-led House of Representatives to block U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war.
The key amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act — prohibiting U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing of Yemen — was sponsored by Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio. Though the amendment gained bipartisan support — and another restrictive amendment was sponsored by Rep. Dick Nolan, D-Minnesota — the Republican leadership on this issue reflects the changing places in which Democrats have become the more hawkish party in Congress.
I spoke to Kate Gould, Legislative Representative for Middle East Policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation about this pressing issue of life and death in Yemen. We spoke on July 17.
KG: Well, unless we do something to change the situation, it is definitely going to get worse. In Yemen, 90% of food is imported and the Saudis have made this much more difficult. They imposed more restraints on one of the major ports and have refused to allow Yemen to repair the damage caused by air strikes. Often it is difficult for ships to get permission to berth. All these complications have driven up the price of food so that even when food manages to be imported it is too expensive, even for those earning decent incomes. So what we are seeing is a de facto blockade as well as a war.
And, of course, as Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) has pointed out, the Saudis would not have been able to carry out this bombing without full US support. Their planes cannot fly without US refueling capacity. In fact, since October the US has actually doubled the amount of fuel it provides to Saudi and Emirati bombers.
We’ve heard very little discussion of the human rights angle from the Trump administration. The Obama administration claimed to be pressuring the Saudis to take precautions to prevent civilian casualties, that this is why the US has provided precision-guided smart bombs, to limit civilian casualties. There has never been an official US response to the fact that the Saudis and Emiratis are deliberately pushing millions to the verge of starvation. They are using hunger as a political tool to get better leverage on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. This is really what is driving the humanitarian nightmare.
But as far as the mass devastation of public infrastructure is concerned, which is leading to the humanitarian crisis, the majority of the blame can be assigned to the Saudi-led war and the US backing.
the House just voted to end US funding of our military for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. This is really unprecedented and it builds on the wave of congressional momentum that we saw last month when 47 senators voted against sending more of what we call “weapons of mass starvation” to Yemen. So we have clear signals from both the House and the Senate that there is no support for Trump’s blank check to Saudi Arabia for this devastating war.
We definitely will see some important Yemen votes in the Senate. It could come up right after a health care vote in early August or it might not be voted on until the fall. But we will see votes on Yemen – By Dennis J Bernstein (interviewer)
https://consortiumnews.com/2017/07/26/house-gop-seeks-to-curb-yemen-war/
25.7.2017 – The American Conservative (* B K P)
Are America’s Wars Just and Moral?
“One knowledgeable official estimates that the CIA-backed fighters may have killed or wounded 100,000 Syrian soldiers and their allies,” writes columnist David Ignatius.
Given that Syria’s prewar population was not 10 percent of ours, this is the equivalent of a million dead and wounded Americans. What justifies America’s participation in this slaughter?
Realizing the futility of U.S. policy, President Trump is cutting aid to the rebels. And the War Party is beside itself. Says The Wall Street Journal:
Yet, fighting ISIS and al-Qaida in Syria, while bleeding the Assad-Iran-Russia-Hezbollah victors, is a formula for endless war and unending terrors visited upon the Syrian people.
What injury did the Assad regime, in power for half a century and having never attacked us, inflict to justify what we have helped to do to that country?
Is this war moral by our own standards?
We overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003 and Moammar Gadhafi in 2012. Yet, the fighting, killing and dying in both countries have not ceased. Estimates of the Iraq civilian and military dead run into the hundreds of thousands.
Still, the worst humanitarian disaster may be unfolding in Yemen.
No matter how objectionable we found these dictators, what vital interests of ours were so imperiled by the continued rule of Saddam, Assad, Gadhafi and the Houthis that they would justify what we have done to the peoples of those countries?
“They make a desert and call it peace,” Calgacus said of the Romans he fought in the first century. Will that be our epitaph?
Among the principles for a just war, it must be waged as a last resort, to address a wrong suffered, and by a legitimate authority. Deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.
The wars in Syria, Libya and Yemen were never authorized by Congress. The civilian dead, wounded and uprooted in Syria, and the malnourished millions in Yemen, represent a moral cost that seems far beyond any proportional moral gain from those conflicts.
In which of the countries we have attacked or invaded in this century — Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen — are the people better off than they were before we came?
And we wonder why they hate us – By Patrick J. Buchanan
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/buchanan/are-americas-wars-just-and-moral/
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
24.7.2017 – The Guardian (A P)
MPs must act to bring about a ceasefire in Yemen
Ann Clwyd MP calls for the parliamentary committee on arms export controls to be reconstituted. Plus Rina Vergano on the shame of London hosting the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/24/mps-must-act-to-bring-about-a-ceasefire-in-yemen
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
24.7.2017 – German Foreign Policy (* B K P)
Beihilfe zur Hungersnot (II)
Die Bundesrepublik setzt entgegen anderslautenden Ankündigungen die Aufrüstung Saudi-Arabiens fort und beliefert die saudische Küstenwache mit Patrouillenbooten. Vergangene Woche sind zwei solche Boote aus der Wolgaster Peene-Werft nach Saudi-Arabien ausgeschifft worden; sie sind Teil eines rund 1,5 Milliarden Euro umfassenden Deals, der die Lieferung von mehr als 100 Booten an die Küstenwache sowie die Marine des Landes umfasst. Hauptauftragnehmer ist die Bremer Lürssen-Werft. Die Lieferung erfolgt, obwohl Riad im Jemen einen weltweit heftig kritisierten Krieg führt und das Land mit einer Seeblockade abschottet, die eine verheerende Hungersnot ausgelöst hat und eine grassierende Cholera-Epidemie verschärft. Für die Seeblockade kann Saudi-Arabien vermehrt auf deutsche Patrouillenboote zurückgreifen. Wie die Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in einer aktuellen Untersuchung bestätigt, begünstigt der auch mit deutschen Waffen geführte Krieg Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen nicht zuletzt Al Qaida; das US-Verbot, Laptops auf bestimmte Passagierflüge mitzunehmen, geht mutmaßlich auf Anschlagspläne der erstarkenden Al Qaida im Jemen zurück.
http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/de/fulltext/59644
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
27.7.2017 – Daily Times (* B P)
Pakistan’s conscience and Yemen?
If Qatar sponsors terrorism, then what should we call the effects of the Saudi-led war?
Pakistan, for its part, is regularly on hand to shed crocodile tears for the Palestinians, with the odd few harsh words for Israel; a shortcut to reconsolidating its imagined importance within the Muslim world that challenges not the status quo. We still trade with the US, the Jewish state’s largest financial contributor, and take its aid. All dressed up in the latest shade of realpolitik. Sadly, Pakistan is not alone in this.
But here’s where Pakistan can make a meaningful albeit symbolic difference.
Two words: Saudi Arabia.
The time has come for our establishment to stop eyeing the Kingdom as time-share arrangement to sit out disgraced and disqualified exile conditions. Given Riyadh’s current military aggression in Yemen, the ongoing belligerence towards Qatar and the ever-present behind-the-scenes manoeuvring against Iran – Islamabad should seriously rethink its position on the Saudi-led Islamic Military Alliance, including the commander-in-chief role of Gen Raheel.
This is unlikely to happen. Given that money talks in this rich man’s world. Which casts Pakistan as the perpetual listener and bidder.
Thus responsibility predictably falls on the shoulders of civil society here to build strong linkages to the anti-Saudi activism found across the Muslim world.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/27-Jul-17/pakistans-conscience-and-yemen
26.7.2017 – Al Monitor (* B P)
Moscow's shifting strategy in Yemen
With the recent appointment of Ahmed Salem al-Wahishi as Yemen's ambassador to Russia, Moscow finds itself in a strong position to lead a political solution to the Yemen conflict.
Russia’s deepened commitment to ensuring a cease-fire in Yemen can be explained by a mixture of strategic considerations and broader geopolitical aspirations. From a strategic standpoint, a cessation of hostilities could allow Russia to construct a naval base on Yemeni soil. Even though the Russian February statement on Yemen did not include a reference to the construction of a potential base, a Russian military official told ITAR-TASS in 2009 that establishing a naval base presence in Yemen was a medium-term strategic objective. A Yemeni base would have significant strategic value for Russia, as it would increase Moscow’s access to the Red Sea’s shipping lanes and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
As Yemen’s Houthi-aligned ex-President Saleh has publicly expressed his willingness to grant Russia military basing rights, a peace settlement in Yemen would have allowed Moscow to construct a naval base without risk of backlash from Sanaa. If Russia ultimately decides to revive its base construction, Hadi’s forces are also likely to acquiesce, as one of their most important allies, the United Arab Emirates, believes that Moscow’s base presence in the Red Sea is a valuable bulwark against Iranian influence in Yemen.
Even though the United States has historically competed with Russia for access to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Moscow’s strategy of diplomatically engaging with both sides of the Yemen conflict has made it appear more impartial than the United States, which has staked out an overtly pro-Saudi stance – by Samuel Ramani
25.7.2017 – Government of Norway (A H)
Norway steps up humanitarian aid to Yemen
So far this year, Norway has nearly doubled its aid to Yemen, and is providing about NOK 250 million in humanitarian relief. This includes the amount announced at the donor conference for Yemen in April, as well as additional funds in response to the hunger crisis and the cholera epidemic.
Norway's support is being channelled through several UN agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and various humanitarian organisations that cooperate with local partners in Yemen.
https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/aid_yemen/id2565045/ = http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/norway-steps-humanitarian-aid-yemen
25.7.2017 – LRB (B P)
The Scramble for the Horn
Why all this international military activity in the Horn? All the states with bases there have an interest in guarding the entrance to the Red Sea and fighting piracy. China needs a base somewhere in the Middle East if it is to have a ‘blue-water navy’ (i.e. one capable of operating globally). It’s also a base for war operations, for Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen, and for the US in Yemen and Somalia.
For Djibouti and its neighbours, it’s all about money. The Americans pay $70 million a year in rent and China $20 million. Djibouti isn’t much larger than Wales and its population is under a million – by Oliver Miles
https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2017/07/25/oliver-miles/the-scramble-for-the-horn/
25.7.2017 – Arabian Business (A E P)
Abu Dhabi Ports said to weigh IPO amid UAE listing spree
Sources say government-run ports operator has met with investment banks
Abu Dhabi Ports Co is considering an initial public offering, joining a growing list of state entities in the United Arab Emirates seeking to sell shares, according to people familiar with the matter.
The government-run ports operator has met with investment banks in recent weeks and may decide on financial advisers soon, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. The company could raise at least $1 billion in a share sale on the local exchange, one of the people said.
No final decisions have been taken, and the company may decide against a listing, they said. A spokesman for Abu Dhabi Ports declined to comment.
Large state-owned companies in the Gulf are turning to equity markets to raise cash amid weak oil prices. Abu Dhabi National Oil Co selected underwriters and advisers for an IPO of its gas stations unit, which may value the business at as much as $14 billion, people familiar with the matter said last week. Emirates Global Aluminium is also planning to raise about $3 billion through a stock sale, people familiar with the matter have said.
They will join Saudi Arabia Oil Co., which is preparing what could be the largest-ever IPO as the kingdom takes steps to overhaul its economy.
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
26.7.2017 – Fars News / Press TV Iran (A P)
Qatar FM: Saudi-Led Bloc of States Undermining Mediation Efforts
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960504001044 and http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/07/26/529713/Qatar-US-Saudi-Arabia
25.7.2017 – RT (* A P)
US-Medien verbreiten Gerüchte über Saudis, um Golf-Blockade zu durchbrechen
Das war keine gute Woche für die Saudi-Führung in den US-Medien. Journalisten veröffentlichten eine Menge peinlicher Nachrichten, scheinbar mit der Absicht, Saudi-Arabien und seine Alliierten am Persischen Golf anzugreifen. Danach – und nicht ganz zufällig – beendete der von den Saudis geführte Block seine Angriffe auf Katar.
25.7.2017 – Frankfurter Allgemeine (* A P)
Saudi-Arabien veröffentlicht Liste „terroristischer“ Organisationen
Saudi-Arabien und seine Verbündeten erhöhen den Druck auf Qatar, indem sie eine Liste mit angeblichen qatarischen Terrorunterstützern veröffentlichen. Auch der qatarische Fernsehsender Al Dschazira ist ihnen ein Dorn im Auge.
25.7.2017 – APA (* A P)
Saudi-Arabien und Verbündete erhöhen Druck auf Katar
25.7.2017 – Washington Post (* A P)
UAE touts film linking rival Qatar to 9/11 attacks
24.7.2017 – Foreign Policy (* A P)
New UAE Documentary Claims Qatar Complicit in 9/11 Attacks
My comment: This is odd propaganda as Saudi Arabia is the main, the Emirates the second state linked to 9/11.
25.7.2017 – Press TV Iran ( A P)
Turkish diplomacy ends in Persian Gulf without results
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has wrapped up a tour of Arab countries involved in a dispute but has failed to help bring the feuding sides closer to one another.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/07/25/529592/Turkey-Erdogan-Persian-Gulf-tour-failure = http://newnewss.net/?p=8724
25.7.2017 – Press TV Iran (* A P)
Saudi Arabia, allies put 18 Qatar-linked entities, people on ‘terror’ list
The Saudi-led quartet of Arab countries has unveiled a new terrorist blacklist of 18 entities and individuals, six of them from Yemen, over having suspected “direct or indirect” ties with Qatari authorities, as an unprecedented diplomatic rift between the Persian Gulf peninsular emirate and the four siege states is increasingly deepens.
25.7.2017 – Emirati News Agency (* A P T)
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain declare details of new terror designations- Add 2
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302624659
25.7.2017 – Al-Arabiya (A P T)
The nine entities added to the Qatar-backed terror list
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt declare that in their firm and solid commitment to fight terrorism, cut off sources of funding, prosecute those who are involved in it, combat extremist ideologies and hate speech incubators; and in continuous assessment, the four countries have announced the designation of 9 entities and 9 individuals on the lists of terrorist groups, these are the entities:
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Bizarre. Saudi UAE ATQ (Anti-Terror Quartet) designates #Yemen Hadhrami individuals & charities as Al Qaeda fronts financed by Qatar.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/889712141414133760
25.7.2017 – Emirati News Agency (A P)
Statement by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and Bahrain relating to new terror designations
designation of 9 entities and 9 individuals on the lists of terrorist groups:
The terrorist activities of the aforementioned entities and individuals have direct and indirect ties with the Qatari authorities.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302624531
My comment: LOL. This is anti-Qatar propaganda by world’s greatest terrorism sponsor Saudi Arabia and allies.
24.7.2017 – Foreign Affairs (* A P)
Don't Mind the Gulf
Why the U.S. Should Just Stay Out of the Qatar Crisis (registered only)
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/qatar/2017-07-24/dont-mind-gulf
Comment: What this article fails to report is why Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain have a very relaxed approach to fighting IS.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1447661618620197
24.7.2017 – New News (A P)
Saudi Arabia Sets One Condition for Receiving Qatari Pilgrims .. What is it?
General Authority of Civil Aviation in Saudi Arabia said that Qatar pilgrims will be transported directly from Doha to Kingdom by any airline other than Qatar Airways.
cp13 Wirtschaft / Economy
24.7.2017 – 7 Adramaut (* A E P)
The transfer of the central bank from Aden to Jordan
Al-Ayyam newspaper quoted a senior source as saying on Sunday that "there is a plan managed by the secret management of the Central Bank of Yemen to transfer the management of the bank from the capital Aden to the Jordanian capital Amman."
The source said: "The management of the Central Bank of Yemen will hold for the first time a special meeting in the Jordanian capital (Amman) on the 6th of next month, to discuss the move, and is expected to approve the process of transfer of the administration and out of the capital Aden."
In the same context, bankers spoke to Al-Ayam Al-Youm that "this information has very serious consequences. It comes in the same context as the disruption of the Central Bank's work in Aden. The bank, which announced months ago the transfer and installation of the Swift system for remittances, Obaid bin Dajr, and has only made three financial transfers in the past period. "
Bankers themselves complained that the central bank was not doing its job while the bank's leadership was in constant travel.
Political analysts told Al-Ayyam: "The transfer of the bank if it is true will be the first step to undermine the rule of legitimacy in Yemen ."
Economists in comments to «Al-Ayyam» that the move to move the bank to Oman would have a significant impact on the process of paying salaries to employees in the civil and military sector in Aden and neighboring provinces, which began to organize a month ago.
My comment: The “transfer” of the Central Bank from Sanaa to Aden was a political move by “president” Hadi, leading to great disarrays. The move to Jordan would increase them.
25.7.2017 – Critical Threats (* A K P T)
Yemen Security Brief
The Hadi government Minister of State, Salah al Sayadi, denied reports that the Central Bank of Yemen may move from Aden city to Amman, Jordan on July 24. Local news sources reported on July 24 that Central Bank leadership will meet in Amman on August 6 to discuss a possible transfer.[5]
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
25.7.2017 – Critical Threats (* A K P T)
Yemen Security Brief
AQAP militants killed two al Houthi-Saleh fighters with a landmine in Dhi Na’im district, central al Bayda governorate, central Yemen on July 24. AQAP militants last targeted al Houthi-Saleh forces in Dhi Na’im district with artillery on July 23. AQAP attacks al Houthi-Saleh forces in central Yemen to present itself as the protector of Yemen’s Sunni tribes from the al Houthi movement, which AQAP frames as a Shi’a invasion.[3]
24.7.2017 – Yemen Press (* B P T)
Da-esh in Yemen slaughters prisoners under supervision of Saudi/UAE
The slaughter of Yemeni prisoners by Takfiri groups in Taiz under the supervision of the UAE forces was a big blow to the coalition’s reputation, to preserve human rights.
The methods taken by the armed groups under the name of “resistance” and in fact are hypocrites and mercenaries, no different from the criminal methods carried out by Da-esh in Iraq and Syria.
As the information suggests, the United States of America after the loss of a supporter and terrorists from the Front of victory and the free Syrian and the Syrian Freedom Army, decided to move them to another place to rearrange the rows because of deadly strikes by the Syrian Arab Army and the Lebanese resistance and the Iraqi popular crowd.
According to information, the US administration decided to transfer them to Yemen for two reasons,
First: the continuation of the proxy war inside Yemen under the pretext of restoring legitimacy.
Second: Support Saudi Arabia and its exit from the quagmire of Yemen through these elements of the Takfiri.
As documented by the British “BBC” earlier, that the groups Altkfiri all fighting and fi
cp15 Propaganda
26.7.2017 – CNN (A P)
Yemen-based Houthi rebels fired a missile Saturday that flew hundreds of miles into Saudi Arabia, two US defense officials told CNN.
One official told CNN that the missile launch was concerning because it flew farther than any other missile fired by the Houthis.
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has previously accused Iran of providing the Houthis with arms, including missiles.
"We see Iranian-supplied missiles being fired by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia," Mattis told reporters en route to Saudi Arabia during an April visit.
The Houthis are also believed to have seized stockpiles of weapons from Yemeni government depots during their takeover of much of the north of the country.
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/26/politics/iranian-group-fired-missile-saudi-arabia/index.html
My comment: A typical US mainstream bullshit article, failing to see the beam in its own eye but pointing at the mote in the neighbours eye. I changed the text a little bit, keep in mind now 1000 times more arms being sent to the region are described. “"We see US-supplied bombs being fired by Saudi Arabia into Yemen."
25.7.2017 – Almezmaah (* A P)
IRANIAN-QATARI-IKHWANI PLOT IN SOUTHERN YEMEN
The terrorist plot began with the false allegations of the existence of terrorist groups in southern Yemen belonging to the Arab Coalition Forces to Restore Legitimacy. In a systematic and agreed plan between Iran, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood, the poisoned and fabricated reports were prepared to attack the UAE and to target the Yemeni people and the legitimate forces, therefore, it was clear what an ominous role these three sides are playing to destabilize the security and stability of the entire region.
This exposed plan aimed at tampering and spreading sedition within Yemen, damaging the image of the Arab Coalition and destabilizing the security of the Yemeni safe areas through plotting for various terrorist attacks targeting individuals and groups under Qatari-Ikhwani sponsorship and the implementation for the intelligence of the Revolutionary Guard and its mercenaries of Hezbollah and sectarian militias in Iraq. However, the readiness of the Arab Coalition Forces and the vigilance of the Yemeni people have revealed this bloody conspiracy and plans were put to confront it.
According to the plan, Iran and Qatar aimed to use elements of the intelligence of the Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah as well as Houthis’ militias to carry out terrorist attacks inside the liberated areas of Yemen and then using them to mobilize political support and to incite public opinion against the Coalition and legitimate forces in Yemen by accusing the United Arab Emirates and the Coalition Countries of plotting for these attacks to distort their images and to prove that the liberated areas do not enjoy security and stability, and to prove the claims of the Houthis and Mullahs of the presence of terrorist groups in the areas liberated by the Arab Coalition Forces.
The Qatari regime conspired against the Gulf and Arab states a lot and innovated in forming several faces of it.
Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood being part in this plot is not surprising as their hostility to the Arab regimes and peoples is well known and exposed. Iran supports the Yemeni coup openly and with all force, shows off in killing Yemenis and uses its fifth column in Yemen, the Houthis, to hit the security and stability of the region. The Muslim Brotherhood is also a tool to complete the destructive role of Iran.
http://almezmaah.com/english/2017/07/25/iranian-qatari-ikhwani-plot-in-southern-yemen/
My comment: Odd propaganda like a similar one in Saudi media before. Here still are missing other bad guys: The Mafia, Northern Korea, and president Maduro from Venezuela.
25.7.2017 – Hisham Al-Omeisy (A P)
Relying on army of fake accounts to retweet #Yemen minister of info @ERYANIM is bad PR and destroys credibility of message. (photo)
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/889971511414718470
25.7.2017 – Press TV Iran (* A P T)
UAE-linked channel to release documentary on Qatar’s role behind 9/11
A media outlet linked to the Emirati ruling Dynasty reportedly plans to release a documentary which claims that Qatar was behind the 9/11 attacks, amid the widening rift among the Persian Gulf Arab kingdoms.
According to a report by Gulf News, Sky News Arabia, owned by Abu Dhabi royal family member Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is scheduled to air the documentary titled “Qatar… The Road to Manhattan” on Wednesday.
The documentary focuses on a visit by 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad to Qatar in 1996 as well as “Qatar’s long-term support for him, including protection and financial assistance, to achieve his terrorist goals and plans,” the report said.
In a June 18 Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Qatari Ambassador to the United States Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani made the same accusation at the UAE back.
“Emiratis, not Qataris, were among the hijackers who flew planes into the Twin Towers,’’ he wrote.
“The UAE was singled out in the 9/11 Commission’s report for its role in laundering money to terrorists,” the Qatari diplomat added.
Out of the 19 hijackers in 9/11 attacks, none were Qatari nationals. Two of them were from the UAE and 15 were Saudis. Osama bin Laden was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad is Pakistani.
The reports that a high-ranking Qatari minister shielded Khalid Sheikh Mohammad from the CIA in 1996 are not new. However, they are being repeated amid widening disputes between leading Arab states and Qatar after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.
The four Arab countries also suspended all land, air, and sea traffic with Qatar. Doha has denied the accusations and has refused to meet a list of demands forwarded to it by the boycotting countries. The list, among other things, asked Qatar to close down Al Jazeera television, curb ties with Iran and shut down a Turkish military base.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/07/25/529661/Qatar-UAE-911 = http://newnewss.net/?p=8719
25.7.2017 – Hisham Al Omeisy / Geroman (A P)
Hm. But those "Turkish sniper rifles" are actually Austria's Steyr AUG. And FYI, were supplied by Saudi to Saudi-backed forces in #Yemen :) (look at document: Saudi propaganda against Qatar)
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/889879442163716096
LOL - that is not even a "sniper" rifle - that is the Austrian STG77 - a normal army weapon with a 1,5x sight...
https://twitter.com/GeromanAT/status/889880439883800576
25.7.2017 – Suhf Net (A P)
New York seminar on kidnappings of Huthis in Yemen
The Permanent Mission of Yemen to the United Nations in New York, in cooperation with the Association of Mothers of Kidnappers and the Yemeni-American Group, organized a symposium and photo exhibition on detainees in the prisons and detention centers of the Houthi and Salalist militias in the United Nations building attended by representatives of delegations of accredited countries, international organizations, activists and journalists.
https://www.suhf.net/yemen/229972
23.7.2017 – Al Arabiya (A P)
Saudi refinery operations not affected by transformer fire
The Saudi Aramco Mobile Refinery (SAMREF) at Yanbu is operating normally after a fire hit a power transformer at the gate of the facility on Saturday, a spokesman for a Saudi government body was quoted as saying on the state news agency.
My comment: It was hit by a Houthi / Saleh missile (YPR 326, cp17).
Comment by Haykal Bafana: Definitely, it was extremely hot weather, ya Saudi Arabia. Caused by a #Yemen Burkan 2H (Volcano 2H) ballistic missile.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/889557582536466433
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
25.–26.7.2017 – Legal Center (* A K PH)
The Violations and Crimes that are committed by #Saudi_Arabia and its alliance in #Yemen 24, 25 July 2017 (full list):
26.7.2017 – Saba Net /(A K PH)
US-Saudi aggression kills woman in Nehm
A woman died Wednesday from her wounds as a result of the US-Saudi an air raid on the district of Nehm in Sana'a province.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470227.htm
26.7.2017 – Al Masirah TV (A K PH)
Film: 5 separate raids on Amran governorate destroyed houses, madrasas, mosques and a government compound with different directorates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFDDcmNd9BE
26.7.2017 – Living in Yemen etc. (A K PH)
15+ air raids on Taiz province overnight, #Mokha + #Moza districts targeted
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1448910198495339
25.7.2017 – New News (A K PH)
US-KSA Aggression Doubles its Bloody Record with Targeting Car Carrying Displaced People in Almokha District
On Tuesday, a woman martyred while injured five others in air strike by Saudi-led coalition fighter jets . The air raid targeted displaced at Alkdaha area of Almokha district , the west of Taiz province .
Local source stated the warplanes pounded a civilian car full of displaced people which led to kill a woman and wound five others , mostly women . The wounded was taken to a hospital in Alhodeida province.
and photos:
https://twitter.com/A_mtrz/status/890221531162390528
and film:
25.7.2017 – AlMasirah TV (A K PH)
Film: A horrific crime against the displaced in the area of Kadihah in Taiz
A child was killed and five others were injured on Tuesday after a raid targeting displaced people in al-Qadihah district of al-Mukha district west of Taiz province.
The correspondent of "Al-Masriya Net" that the air strike targeted a car carrying displaced people in the area of Kdaiha, killing one woman and wounding five others, mostly women and one family.
He said the wounded were taken to a hospital in the city of Hodeidah.
A medical source in Hodeidah later reported a new toll for the victims of the crime of aggression, confirming the death of a girl and injuring 12 others, including 4 in critical condition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnqzFKONBQU
25.7.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi warplanes launches 17 raids on Hajjah
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470077.htm
25.7.2017 – Saba Net (A K PH)
Saudi warplanes launch over 15 raids on Taiz
The strikes targeted Mokha and Moza districts.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470078.htm
26.7.2017 – Reuters (* B K)
Exclusive: U.N. report accuses Saudi coalition of deadly migrant boat attack off Yemen
U.N. investigators accused a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition of carrying out a deadly March attack on a Somali migrant boat off Yemen and said the alliance had become a cover for some states to avoid individual blame, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
The coalition fighting the Iran-allied Houthi militia in Yemen has denied striking the boat in the Red Sea near the port of Hodeidah. The investigators said the attack killed 42 people and injured 34 of the more than 140 people onboard.
"This civilian vessel was almost certainly attacked using a 7.62 mm caliber weapon from an armed utility helicopter," the investigators, who monitor sanctions in Yemen, wrote in a 185-page report to the U.N. Security Council on Monday.
"The Saudi Arabia led coalition forces are the only parties to the conflict that have the capability to operate armed utility helicopters in the area," the report said. It said the helicopter was likely operating from a naval vessel – by Michelle Nichols
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-un-exclusive-idUSKBN1AB28Y?rpc=401&
My comment; OK, but that was well known from the very first day on.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
26.7.2017 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
Senior military official says army besiege Saada as 12 brigades ready to storm the province
Commander of 6th Military Zone Maj. Gen. Ameen al-Waeli says Yemeni National Army is besieging Saada province as 12 brigades preparing to liberate the province ,the Houthi stronghold northern Yemen.
Gen. al-Waeli added in a statement to ‘Asharg al-Awast newspaper’ that army advanced on the city from the north, east and west, leaving the militias with only an outlet in the south. The army is tackling the situation in the south in order to cut off supply routes to the militants. He stressed that the Ansar Allah group are not welcome in Saadah, which is facilitating the military’s mission of cleansing the city of militias.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/92914
My comment: This had been announced at least one time before.
26.7.2017 – Almasdar Online (A K PS)
Govt. forces storm Khalid Mil. Camp in Taiz
Government forces ,backed by Saud-led Coalition warplanes, managed on Wednesday to storm Khalid Military Camp in Mozza district western Taiz province.
A military source told Almasdar Online that govt. forces broke this afternoon into the western gate of the camp and arrived at the command post, mosque and training yard amid on-going fierce clashes and exchanging artillery shelling between the coup militias and govt. forces in the east of the camp, according to the source.
This came after Saudi-led co. fighters and apaches conducted around 28 air raids on gatherings and sites of coup militias inside the camp and removing mines from the western gate of the camp.
Its noteworthy that violent battles took place around the camp between two sides and over 100 airstrikes and missiles launched by coalition jets and frigates last few days.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/92915
26.7.2017 – Almasdar Online (* A K PS)
Five killed ,other family members wounded in landmine blast in al-Jawf
Five were killed and other members of the same family injured on Tuesday as a result of a landmine blast in Haidh area of Khab-Shaaf district in al-Jawf province ,northeast Yemen.
The head of the family Rabei Ali ,his two wives and two daughters were killed in the blast while other members of the family sustained wounds of varying degrees,the sources added.
Notably ,Houthi militias had planted dozens of landmines in residential areas and main roads in different parts of Sabrain district before it got liberated and retaken by pro-govt. forces.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/92909 and https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-8791
26.7.2017 – Janes (B K)
Incremental improvements in Houthi militants' ballistic missile campaign increase risk to assets in central Saudi Arabia
Houthi militants have repeatedly attempted to hit targets in Saudi territory with long-range ballistic missiles; Saudi Arabia has confirmed that more than 34 ballistic missiles have been launched from Yemen into its territory since the conflict began in 2015.
Confirmed use of longer-range missiles not available in Yemen prior to the conflict supports Saudi-led coalition, US, and Israeli assertions regarding suspected Iranian military support for the Houthis.
Houthis’ proven capability to modify and increase the range of these missiles indicates growing risk to a broader range of commercial assets in central Saudi Arabia. (registered only)
25.7.2017 – Yemen Press (A K PH)
The Yemeni missile force announced the launch of the post-Riyadh phase after its launch yesterday evening of the volcano 2-H ballistic missile on refineries in the province of Yanbu Saudi Arabia, which hit his target accurately.
According to a statement issued by the rocket force, the launch comes in response to the crime of slaughtering prisoners from the army and the popular committees in the distributor of Taiz.
“We warn the coalition of aggressions to undermine the dignity of our prisoners, and they must follow the path of negotiation to address the comprehensive file of prisoners, or else will pay the price high.”
“As long as the coalition continues its aggression and brutal crimes against our Yemeni people and impose a blockade on our airports and ports, our rocket operations will continue to escalate.”
http://www.yemenpress.org/slider/stage-beyond-riyadh-and-beyond-after-riyadh.html
Remark: On this missile attack, YPR 326.
Pro-Houthi / Pro-Saleh reports:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470171.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470157.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470156.htm
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/889866344828743684
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470092.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470093.htm
http://newnewss.net/?p=8691 and http://www.sabanews.net/en/news470144.htm
Pro-Hadi / Pro-Saudi reports.
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
26.78.2017 – Xinhua (A)
Heavy rains hit Sanaa, Yemen
24.7.2017 – Saudi Gazette
Wedding in the time of war: Taiz marriage highlights Yemen’s heritage
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/513640/World/Mena/Taiz
7.2017 – Pinterest
Beautiful Yemen photos
https://www.pinterest.ie/hgd11/yemen/
https://www.pinterest.de/bafal/yemen/?lp=true
https://www.pinterest.ie/suegatland/yemen/
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-326-yemen-war-mosaic-326
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-326 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-326:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm und / and http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
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