Jan. 17, 2018: Hisham Al-Omeisy has been released – Detainees – UNICEF report on Yemeni children – Foreign correspondents in Yemen – Iranian missiles in Yemen – Role of the US – The Emirates and Socotra – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Zuerst: Verschleppte der Huthis / At first: Houthi detainees
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
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
cp12b Libanon / Lebanon
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
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
Zuerst: Verschleppte der Huthis / At first: Houthi detainees
(** A P)
Houthis release Yemeni journalist Hisham al-Omeisy after more than 150 days in captivity
Yemen's Houthi rebels have released journalist Hisham al-Omeisy, who was detained by the Iran-backed group for over five months.
Omeisy was released among with a batch of other detainees accused of affiliation with Yemen's slain former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, sources told the Yemen Monitor website.
"Hisham al-Omesiy is free, the decision was made three days ago," Mohammed al-Bukhaithi, spokesperson for the Houthi armed group told the Middle East Monitor.
Later, pictures emerged of 38-year-old Omeisy on Twitter celebrating his release with his family and friends.
Hisham al-Omeisy, a father of two, has gained widespread popularity over the years for his unbiased reporting on the war in Yemen.
The 38-year-old was a vocal critic of all parties involved in the Yemen's civil war, which has left over 10,000 dead. It has given him credibility across international media, where he has published numerous articles and provided unmatched analysis and contributions on a somewhat messy conflict.
But on 11 August, Omeisy's popular Twitter account - which boasts more than 25,000 followers - fell silent after one last harrowing tweet.
"Armed goons backed by corrupt officials are forcefully taking real estate in Sanaa. They just showed up at my door," Omeisy wrote.
(** A P)
Yemeni activist freed after five months in Houthi prison
Hisham al-Omeisy was arrested in August and held without charge or trial by Houthi rebels
A prominent Yemeni activist was released in Sanaa after being held without charge or trial for five months by the Houthi rebels.
Hisham al-Omeisy was arrested in August and released three days ago by the Houthi rebels who control the Yemeni capital. The group confirmed his release on Monday.
Omeisy's outspoken Twitter posts help shed light on the deteriorating security situation inside Yemen and were critical of both sides of the ongoing civil war.
Omeisy's last post on Twitter before his arrest said "armed goons" had shown up at his door.
Images on social media showed Omeisy hugging his two young children and smiling.
Omeisy was held incommunicado in an undisclosed location in Sanaa, Yemen's capital after he was taken away by Houthi-backed National Security Bureau (NSB) security forces in August.
Samah Hadid, director of campaigns for Amnesty International in the Middle East, said his detention "illustrates the lengths to which local Houthi-Saleh authorities are willing to go to peaceful silence activists."
“Hisham al-Omeisy has been detained without charge or a court appearance in breach of Yemen’s constitution, which requires anybody arrested to be presented in court within 24 hours."
She said that he was a "prisoner of conscience, whose only 'crime' is peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression, and he must be released immediately".
and
https://soundcloud.com/jamila-hanan/hisham-al-omeisy-released-from-yemen
and as Houthi-controlled Saba Net tells it:
(A P)
Yemeni journalist released from prison in Sanaa
Yemeni journalist Hisham al-Omeisy, who is manager of the Information Center at the US embassy in the capital Sanaa, was released on Monday, after five months in prison.
Al-Omeisy praised the decision of a general amnesty granted by President of the Supreme Political Council Saleh al-Sammad which was the reason of the release.
“Everyone is in the same trench to confront the aggression (Saudi-led coalition) and its plots that target Yemen, and that our homeland needs all of its people,” Hisham told Saba reporter.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484991.htm
My comment: Well, my gratitude towards Houthis would be somewhat limited.
photos:
Here we go! This is Hesham Al Omaisy (@omeisy ) with his family at home. Sanaa Yemen, after being released after about 5 months in prison. He was accompanied by Ahmed Al Razehy, from presidential office, to his house. Again, Congratulations! To all. Welcome back Hesham.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/952919016854753281
More reporting:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42694603
(* B H P)
Yemen: Release of Hisham al-Omeisy must be followed by release of all prisoners of conscience
Responding to the news that Yemeni journalist Hisham al-Omeisy was released after being detained incommunicado by Huthi forces in Sana’a since August 2017, Samah Hadid, Director of Campaigns for Amnesty International in the Middle-East Amnesty International said:
“The release of Hisham al-Omeisy today is a welcome step, however, Huthi authorities must also immediately and unconditionally free all prisoners of conscience languishing in detention.
“Since 2016, Yemen has witnessed a surge in arbitrary arrests, detentions and enforced disappearances by Huthi forces. Those targeted include people whose only crime is exercising their right to freedom of expression, such as journalists, critics, human rights defenders and members of the minority Baha’i community.”
Hisham al-Omeisy is a political activist who rose to fame during the Arab Spring and the ongoing Yemeni conflict. He became a leading and reputable voice on the ground, providing commentary and analysis in the media on Yemen’s ever-shifting armed conflict.
Amnesty International also has information that ten other Yemeni journalists have been arbitrarily detained without charge or trial for over two and a half years.
The organization also documented the persecution of Baha’is by the Huthis on account of their faith
(** B P)
Tens of thousands of Yemenis held by all sides of war without trial or charge
The battle for Yemen extends to the country's prisons where warring parties are are illegally detaining Yemenis caught in the middle They were small disputes – an argument between old friends over money, another over who worked in particular jobs at local schools.
But that was enough to land shopkeeper Atif Saeed Abdu and Gaber al-Sofi, a teacher, in prison – one in a Houthi-held facility in Sanaa and another in a pro-government centre near Taiz City.
The two men – who don’t know each other – are among tens of thousands of Yemenis who have been sent to prison, without trial, by various sides fighting in the nearly three year old war. Once there, many are tortured.
It is not clear exactly how many Yemenis who have been detained without trial are currently held prisons run by various sides of the war.
Last year, the Ministry of Human Rights said there were more than 14,000 detainees in Houthi-held facilities and that hundreds had been tortured to death.
There are no estimates available for the number of detainees in pro-government prisons. However, thousands of Yemenis have reportedly disappeared in prisons run by the United Arab Emirates and Yemeni security forces in the south which Amnesty International described as a "horrific network of torture".
Yemeni human rights advocates say the imprisonments are merely an extension of the fight on the battlefield which they don't expect to stop anytime soon.
“Illegal detention is a result of the ongoing war and it happens everywhere,” said Esam al-Shaeri, the undersecretary of the Aden-based Sah Foundation for Defending Rights and Freedom. “The United Nations have to pressure on warring sides to release and the appeal is not enough.”
Under Yemeni law, citizens should not be detained for more than three days without a trial, but the fighting factions are using prison as a weapon, said Esam al-Shaeri, the undersecretary of the Aden-based Sah Foundation for Defending Rights and Freedom.
"The warring sides, especially the Houthis, detain civilians without real accusations and refuse to bring them to fair trial to send a message to their opponents that they can detain them any time," Shaeri spoke to MEE.
"After Saleh's death, the number of detainees in the Houthi prisons was increased because the Houthis have new enemies in their areas and they believe that detention will curb any coup or opposition against them."
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemeni-prisoners-war-1354465886
(B H)
Australian Bahais fear for relatives in Yemen after detainee sentenced to death
A Bahai family in Melbourne is living in fear for the life of a relative detained in Yemen after another Bahai man was sentenced to death by a court in the capital, Sanaa, this month.
The uncle of one of the members of the Melbourne family is among several Bahai men in detention in Yemen.
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K)
Film: 1000 days of war in the words of a young girl from #Yemen
**Warning** The video contains graphic images: just imagine what the children have witnessed so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fgoIyoPbwY
(* B H)
Neuer UNICEF Bericht zur Lage in Jemen
Über drei Millionen Kinder kamen in Jemen zur Welt, seit dort vor bald drei Jahren der Konflikt eskalierte. Ihr Leben ist geprägt von Gewalt, Vertreibung, Armut, Krankheit und Mangelernährung.
Der neue UNICEF Bericht «Born into War» zeigt auf, wie sich der Konflikt in Jemen auf die Kinder des Landes auswirkt. Seit im März 2015 die Gewalt eskalierte, wurden bei den Kämpfen 5000 Kinder getötet oder verletzt. Viel mehr allerdings sterben im Stillen – an Mangelernährung oder Krankheiten, die sich unter normalen Umständen problemlos behandeln liessen.
«In Jemen wächst eine ganze Generation von Kindern heran, die nichts anderes kennen als Gewalt», sagt Meritxell Relano, Vertreterin von UNICEF in Jemen. «Sie leiden unter den verheerenden Folgen eines Krieges, für den sie nicht verantwortlich sind.»
Fast alle Kinder in Jemen sind heute auf humanitäre Hilfe angewiesen. Über die Hälfte hat keinen Zugang zu sauberem Wasser oder sanitären Anlagen, schätzungsweise 1,8 Millionen leiden an akuter Mangelernährung. Der Zusammenbruch der Trinkwasserversorgung führte zu einer der schlimmsten Choleraepidemien der letzten Jahrzehnte.
Immer mehr Gesundheitszentren müssen den Betrieb aufgeben, weil sie zerstört oder von bewaffneten Gruppen zum Stützpunkt umfunktioniert werden. Anderswo haben die Mitarbeiter oft seit vielen Monaten keinen Lohn mehr erhalten. Das Gleiche gilt für Schulen und Lehrer, mit der Konsequenz, dass über 2 Millionen Kinder keinen Unterricht erhalten.
UNICEF ruft alle Konfliktparteien und die internationale Gemeinschaft dazu auf, die Kinder im Jemen zu schützen.
https://www.unicef.ch/de/aktuell/news/neuer-unicef-bericht-zur-lage-jemen und von UNICEF Deutschland https://www.unicef.de/informieren/aktuelles/presse/2018/jemen-kinder-im-krieg-geboren/157932
weist auf folgenden Artikel hin:
(*** B H)
Born into War - 1,000 Days of Lost Childhood: 3 million children born into war in Yemen
More than 3 million children were born in Yemen since the escalation in violence in March 2015 according to a UNICEF report. Born into War details how children in Yemen have been scarred by years of violence, displacement, disease, poverty, undernutrition and a lack of access to basic services including water, health care and education.
“An entire generation of children in Yemen is growing up knowing nothing but violence. Children in Yemen are suffering the devastating consequences of a war that is not of their making,” said Meritxell Relano, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. “Malnutrition and disease are rampant as basic services collapse. Those who survive are likely to carry the physical and psychological scars of conflict for the rest of their lives.”
According to the report:
More than 5,000 children have been killed or injured in the violence – an average of five children every day since March 2015.
More than 11 million children now need humanitarian assistance – nearly every child in Yemen.
More than half of the country’s children don’t have access to safe drinking water or adequate sanitation.
An estimated 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished, including nearly 400,000 severe acutely malnourished children who are fighting for their lives.
Nearly 2 million children are out of school, including almost half a million who dropped out since the conflict escalated in March 2015.
Suspected cholera and acute watery diarrhea have affected over 1 million people, with children under 5 years old accounting for a quarter of all cases.
Three quarters of all girls are married before the age of 18.
Health workers and teachers have been only partially paid for over a year, affecting education for 4.5 million children. Less than half of health facilities are fully functional.
At the end of September 2017, 256 schools were reported totally destroyed, 150 schools were occupied by displaced people, and 23 by armed groups.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/born-war-1000-days-lost-childhood-enar and announcement by UNICEF http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58429#.Wl7UZKjiaUk and full report: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNICEF%20Report_Born%20Into%20War_Final_en.pdf or DropBox https://www.dropbox.com/login?cont=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dropbox.com%2Fhome%2FBorn%2520Into%2520War
and this short survey highlights some more figures:
(** B H K)
Infants in War-torn Yemen Dying at Alarmingly High Rate
A report by the U.N. children’s fund finds babies born in war-torn Yemen are dying at an alarmingly high rate because of the collapsing health system, lack of food and clean water.
The U.N. children’s fund reports more than three million children have been born in Yemen since the country’s civil war escalated in March 2015. The agency’s report, called "Born into War", describes the violent, hopeless situation of displacement, disease, poverty and hunger into which these children are born.
UNICEF says most of the estimated 3,000 babies born every day are delivered outside a health center, with no skilled birth attendant present. It reports 40 percent of the births are premature and 30 percent suffer from low birth weight. Most worrying of all, it notes, is 25 percent of the newborns die within their first month because of infections and a variety of deprivations.
UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac says undernutrition plays a big role in those deaths. He says around 1.8 million children are acutely malnourished and about 400,000 are severely, acutely malnourished.
https://www.voanews.com/a/babies-born-in-war-torn-yemen-dying-at-alarmingly-high-rate/4210396.html
(***B K P)
Iran Missiles to Yemen: Is There Room for Circumstantial Evidence in UN Sanctions?
no coincidence that the articles appeared on the same day that President Trump announced his new Iran strategy. But where does such obvious orchestration of anti-Iranian information leave the independence and integrity of UN sanctions monitoring teams?
What’s at stake is not only the timing of the leaks of the UN report. A far more important question is whether the underlying arms embargo provisions (found in paragraph 14 of UN Security Council Resolution 2216) can or should be used to single out Iran and basically transfer the burden of proof from the accuser to the accused. Were these consequences understood by all members of the Council when it adopted the resolution?
Resolution 2216 was approved in April 2015 to place, among other provisions, a one-sided arms embargo on the Houthi rebels of Yemen, just as widespread Arab spring violence had turned into a full-fledged civil war in the country. The Security Council had relented to this extraordinary measure after the corrupt Saudi-puppet government of Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi lost significant territorial and political control to the Houthi-Shiite minority.
Saudi Arabia, involved in decades of fighting the Shiite minority living across its border in northern Yemen, had exerted immense pressure on the UN to reverse the even-handed mediation by the UN special envoy at the time, Jamal Benomar, as well as the more balanced UN sanctions policies. The Saudis wanted to prevent the success of Benomar’s national dialogue conference and to target the Houthis with UN sanctions.
The reversal of UN policies occurred despite repeated media reports of atrocities inflicted from airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition of Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Nevertheless, allegations of Iranian arms deliveries to the Houthis always seem to be viewed by the United States administration — including the Obama presidency — as the bigger evil, regardless that UN experts in their previous reports had carefully defined the facts as they found them: Iranian manufactured arms were found at multiple sites, but no Iranian supply chain could be identified.
With Houthi insurgents having fired two missiles into the heartland of Saudi Arabia in recent months, the frenzy around Iran’s alleged gun-running has reached fever pitch.
The UN experts now concur with the US view that the “military equipment and military unmanned aerial vehicles are of Iranian origin.” They also say they have established that these arms “were introduced into Yemen after the imposition of the targeted arms embargo.”
These are all important findings by the experts. They should now present shipping documents, bank account statements, falsified end-use certification or at least credible witness testimonies to support further allegations. That is standard practice for all UN sanctions experts before they report that a country has illegally provided arms to an embargoed region.
Yet these experts are not required to meet such evidentiary standards. Based on paragraph 14 in Resolution 2216, they must meet only the comparatively easier bar of providing circumstantial evidence to accuse a country of not taking “the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer” of embargoed goods to targeted individuals and groups.
The case in point, the experts state in their report, is Iran’s alleged negligence to prevent the “transfer of missile and unmanned aerial vehicles to the Houthi-Saleh alliance.” Iran now must prove that it undertook “all necessary measures” to prevent an embargo violation. Without a plausible explanation by Iran, the UN experts must work with the facts as they see them: Iran never exported Qiam-1 missiles to any other theater of conflict and no other country manufactures this particular weapons system. Now, paragraph 14 becomes a gotcha-sanctions provision that helps the UN experts to expeditiously — and perhaps hastily — deliver their deduction as a case of sanctions violation by Iran.
But is it fair or wise to introduce cases built on circumstantial evidence into the highly politicized UN sanctions system?
Determining the national origin of arms can lead to tricky political implications. During a concerted effort some years ago, in which this writer participated as a UN sanctions expert to assess the types and origins of more than 5,000 small arms and light weapons found among ex-combatants in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, we identified guns from several dozen nations. To avoid unfair and unfounded political accusations, the identities of the countries concerned were deliberately not published.
Such caution seems to have been put aside in the case of Yemen – by Enrico Carisch
(** B K P)
Foreign media correspondents in Yemen
Foreign media correspondents in Yemen have been an important component of influential media in the country.
Although foreign media correspondents in Yemen are relatively few, their influence is the most prominent because they represent Arab and international media outlets possessing huge capabilities. Equally significant is the attention paid to this category of journalists by the authorities and the attempts to win them over. When correspondents cross the green lines and anger the ruling authorities by covering issues viewed by the latter as sensitive, they are subjected to various forms of intimidation, suppression and penal procedures.
With the outbreak of the war in Yemen, starting with the storming of the Yemeni capital Sana'a by the Houthis on 21 September 2014 and the subsequent military intervention by the Saudi-led Arab coalition on March 26, 2015, foreign media correspondents faced serious challenges. Distribution of correspondents on the map of events and their freedom of coverage were changed, and their movement was restricted. A most prominent phenomenon in decades was repositioning as many of those correspondents either left the capital Sana'a to subsidiary cities or left the country altogether.
Foreign media correspondents have often been suspected of being agents of foreign parties. Such a role was assumed and held by the regime of former President Saleh prior to the 2011 popular revolution. Consequently, correspondents were subjected to various forms of intimidation and violation such as trials and arrests, not to mention the attempts to attract and contain correspondents in the ranks of conformists to the regime's agenda. The Houthis adopt a similar attitude, as evidenced by the statements of the group's leaders. Indeed, the Houthis, who control Sana'a, are hostile to correspondents and journalists generally. The legitimate government has also been involved in numerous violations of correspondent freedoms in areas under its control.
In this report, we try to understand the working environment of foreign media correspondents and the ways this important media form was affected, the extent of the violations correspondents were subjected to, and the absence or exclusion of women from this field. The report also provides a set of recommendations for overcoming the most important challenges faced by foreign media correspondents in Yemen.
This study aims to shed light on the situation of international media correspondents in Yemen and the difficulties they face in telling the world the full story of the suffering of Yemenis. Unless restrictions on international media correspondents are uplifted, the tragic situation in Yemen will continue unabated, and will even deteriorate further.
There are several freelance journalists. Freelancing has become a widely spread phenomenon among Yemeni journalists due to the increasing demand by foreign media outlets, particularly Gulfbased newspapers.
In addition, there are a number of media offices that provide media services to foreign TV channels, most notably Yemen Digital Media founded in 2005. It specializes in television production and works as an agent of a number of Arab and foreign television channels. There is also Al-Bunyan Bureau for Media Services, which produces media materials and reports for several TV channels. The Arab Media Agency, directed by Marwan Al-Khaled is an agent of more than a dozen Arab and international channels and agencies.
http://economicmedia.net/EN/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ENGLISH-STUDY.pdf
(** B P)
Yemen: YJS report depicts grim situation of press freedom in 2017
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has today denounced the 300 violations against journalists, media workers, media houses and websites reported in Yemen during 2017 by its affiliate, the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate (YJS).
In its annual report, the YJS said that the Houthis rebel group committed 68% of the total violations, while 18% are attributed to the governmental and its agencies. There were other unknown non-state actors who are responsible for 9% of media restrictions while the Arab Coalition is accountable for 3% . Other groups such as the Southern Movement and Ansar Al-Sharia were involved in abuse by 1%.
Last year, journalists faced many forms of abuse such as threats and incitement, seizure of media equipment, suspensions from work, unpaid salaries, expulsions and denial of access for covering current events.
The YJS´s report also showed 103 cases of kidnappings and arrests. Moreover, the union’s report added that journalists in detention are often tortured by their abductors or state authorities. 14 journalists were kidnapped and are currently held in detention, 13 out of them in Houthi’s custody for more than two years.
Attacks by heavy and medium weapons and harassment led to creation of fearful atmosphere among journalists in Yemen last year. Furthermore, the report includes five cases of suspension of media outlets, 37 cases of blockage of websites and social media and a total number of 39 journalists taken to the court. This curtailing of media freedoms have led to self-censorship and constitutes a serious challenge to press freedom, stressed the YJS.
(** B K P)
How the U.S. Is Making the War in Yemen Worse
The conflict has killed at least ten thousand civilians, and the country faces famine. Why are we still involved?
The U.S. and Great Britain have continued to support the coalition, mainly with weapons sales and logistical help. (A small contingent of U.S. Special Forces fights Al Qaeda militants in the south of the country.) Without foreign assistance, it would be very difficult for the Saudis to wage war. As casualties mount, legislators in the U.S. have begun to question support for the Saudis. Nonetheless, the Administration of Donald Trump has refused to criticize the kingdom.
Trump’s connections to Saudi Arabia are hardly hidden. During the 2016 election, his organization opened eight companies there, which he subsequently closed after their existence was made public. Shortly after his Inauguration, in January of last year, as Isaac Arnsdorf reported for Politico, lobbyists for Saudi Arabia checked into a Trump hotel and ended up spending more than a quarter of a million dollars. In April, Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, signed on to a partnership with a law and lobbying firm retained by Saudi Arabia.
Since the election, Saudi Arabia has increased its lobbying presence in Washington. Some of the lobbyists have even found their way into Trump’s government.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, is also associated with the Saudis.
Yemen’s history is marked by foreign interventions that have failed to reckon with the complexity of the country’s politics.
When I asked Sabrah how he felt about U.S. involvement in the war, he replied, “America is the main sponsor of all that is happening to us.” He had reached this conclusion only recently. “The Gulf countries are merely tools in its hands.” – By Nicolas Niarchos
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/22/how-the-us-is-making-the-war-in-yemen-worse
Remark: Broad overview article, going back to the beginnings of the Houthi movement.
Comment: Try to re-write the war on #Yemen without America's intelligence and bombs: you are left only with puppet countries unable to wage any consistent war.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1616840361702321
Comment: This @NewYorker article on Yemen is a poignant recollection of @AbdulQaderHilal, a true Yemeni patriot killed by the Saudi airstrike on the Sanaa funeral hall, the most blatant of war crimes. May God bless him.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/952933122714238976
(** B K P)
America Would Benefit from a Balance of Power in the Persian Gulf
The West’s relationship with the Kingdom always has been transactional.
The KSA belongs in another age. The country is an absolute, not constitutional, monarchy. Nor is rule based on primogeniture. Rather, until a couple years ago the crown was passed among an ever-aging set of brothers who were sons of ibn Saud. That tended to result in short and decrepit reigns, as well as collegial rule. The benefits of a royal pedigree were substantial; by one count around 7,000 princes shared the nation’s bounty.
The royals long ago made a deal with fundamentalist Wahhabist clergy
However, low oil prices and youthful population created increasing strain in the KSA.
Now the United States is dealing with a very different personality, the thirty-two-year-old crown prince (and de facto sovereign) Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).
King Salman almost immediately put MbS in charge of the kingdom’s affairs. The latter immediately took his nation in conflicting directions.
It is a toxic mix that threatens America’s interests in the Middle East.
MbS turned a rather ramshackle, collegial authoritarian aristocracy into a more traditional personal dictatorship. It is to speed the process of reform, insist the crown prince’s overseas admirers. Yet the ruthless seizure of power, calculated centralization of authority, and brutal shakedown of wealth bode ill for the future. Repackaging what would be viewed as shocking abuses elsewhere cannot sanitize MbS’s rule.
The United States needs to put distance between it and a regime that undermines both U.S. values and interests. Best for America would be rough parity between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Despite fear-mongering promoted by both the Saudi and Israeli governments, Tehran so far poses little threat to anyone, especially the United States – by Doug Bandow
(** B P)
Has the UAE colonised Yemen's Socotra island paradise?
Socotra, an island 300km off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, was known until recently for its dragon's blood trees, white beaches and unique flora and fauna which earned it the title of UNESCO world heritage site in 2008.
Today, it is at the centre of a power struggle between Yemen's internationally recognised government and its ally, the UAE.
In the latest episode of the standoff, the UAE confirmed on Monday 15 May it uses Socotra as a base for military training.
The UAE is now understood to be looking at the strategically placed Socotra archipelago with interest, causing friction with Hadi and within the coalition.
Unconfirmed reports claim that Hadi leased Socotra and nearby Abd al-Kuri island to the UAE for 99 years before fleeing the country for Riyadh in 2014. The power vacuum created by the conflict offered the UAE an occasion to extend its influence over the archipelago.
critics say the UAE used humanitarian aid to appropriate the island.
Reports say UAE officials have been paying local authorities in exchange for a lenient approach to their development plans.
Since the year 2000, nearly 70 percent of the Socotra archipelago has been protected by a UN plan as a natural reserve, prohibiting construction on much of the island.
But reports of UAE-sponsored developments, including in the residential city of Zaed - a port, hotels, roads and petrol stations - have been circulating on social media, angering Yemeni authorities.
On Sunday 7 May, the Yemeni authority for the conservation of historic places called on UNESCO to protect the archipelago of Socotra from "dredging" by "occupying" UAE forces.
Locals accuse the UAE of using fishing fleets which deplete the fish stocks and push native fishermen out of work. The fish is then allegedly exported on military ships and aircraft to UAE restaurants and supermarkets.
The island's natural heritage is waning rapidly, and the local population, caught in the middle of a political power game, is feeling its consequences.
Since the UAE controls the air and naval traffic on the island, local operators are pushed out of the market.
So-cotra is undergoing multiple and intertwined political, ecological and economic crises.
Aden's diminishing hold on southern Yemen has encouraged the UAE's expansionism, and a lack of oversight on this remote island risks depleting Socotra of its natural and cultural heritage – by Paola Tamma
Remark: It seems I missed this article in 2017; it is quite topical just now.
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* A H)
Zahlreiche Menschen an Diphterie gestorben
Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO, veröffentlichte einen Bericht, über die Diphterie-Epidemie im Jemen. Bisher seien 678 Fälle registriert worden. An der Krankheit seien 48 Menschen gestorben.
In 19 der 23 Städte seien Diphterie-Fälle registriert worden. Betroffen seien vor allem die Städte Ibb und Al-Hudejde.
http://www.trt.net.tr/deutsch/welt/2018/01/16/zahlreiche-menschen-an-diphterie-gestorben-889246
(* A H)
Yemen: 1,035,676 cholera cases as of January 14
WHO's Cholera Response Dashboard reports 1,035,676 cases and 2,244 deaths as of January 14. That is an increase of 3,158 cases and one death in 48 hours.
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2018/01/yemen-1035676-cholera-cases-as-of-january-14.html
(** A H)
Life-Saving Diphtheria Vaccination Campaign Remains Stalled in Yemen
The World Health Organization reports a nationwide diphtheria vaccination campaign in war-torn Yemen remains stalled because the health authorities have not yet given the go-ahead for this life-saving campaign to begin.
The supplies include doses of anti-diphtheria vaccines for 2.7 million children and adults up to the age of 25. The vaccines meant to immunize people against the diphtheria epidemic and stop its rapid spread throughout the country remain unused.
"All parties of the conflict need to agree on the ground.Access has to be cleared. The available vaccines have to be agreed upon, in which areas would be priority areas, which groups might be priority areas. So, all this has to be agreed upon for the discussions to reach an agreement ongoing," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.
https://www.voanews.com/a/diphtheria-vaccinationation-campaign-remains-stalled-in-yemen/4207124.html
and
(* A H)
Health Ministry to launch vaccination against diphtheria
The Ministry of Public Health is set to launch a campaign for vaccinations against diphtheria and measles in Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Dhale'a, and other provinces and districts where the diseases exist.
The campaign will be unleashed in cooperation with the UNICEF and King Salman Center for Relief.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14610
Remar: Hadi government; campaign in southern provinces.
(** A H)
La vacunación contra el cólera en Yemen no ha comenzado pese al millón de casos
[Spanish media on #cholera vaccination campaign which has not yet started as 'parties of the conflict' have not agreed to the modus operandi.]
La urgente campaña de vacunación contra el cólera en Yemen aún no ha comenzado, a pesar de que ya se han contabilizado un millón de casos, porque las partes en conflicto no han dado su autorización, denunció hoy la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).
"Las negociaciones para obtener la luz verde para llevar a cabo la campaña de vacunación siguen, porque todas las partes (envueltas en el conflicto) deben estar de acuerdo en cómo se implementará", afirmó en rueda de prensa el portavoz de la OMS Christian Lidmeier.
Explicó que todas los combatientes tienen que dar el visto bueno respecto a las áreas de vacunación, los grupos prioritarios, etc.
Y "las discusiones se mantienen", agregó, sin dar más detalles al respecto.
https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/vacunacion-colera-Yemen-comenzado-millon_0_728627522.html
My comment: Are both diphtheria and cholera vaccinations withheld in the moment or is one report wrong?
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* B K P)
December 2017 State of Human Rights in Yemen
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, has been issuing monthly reports throughout the past 12 months, on the human rights violations that our monitors managed to document in Yemen by different parties.
During December 2017, SAM has documented 1937 violations, included extra-legal killing, physical assaults violation to press freedom, arbitrary detention, unlawful confiscation, enforced displacement, and torture, perpetrated by Houthis militia, Arab Coalition air force, military formations and groups loyal to the legitimate government.
Houthis militia committed 1405 violations, Arab Coalition airstrikes 466, and 27 violations by groups loyal to the government and armed groups in Taiz and Aden, and 10 violations were unclaimed however were perpetrated in areas under legitimate government control.
December Incidents in Sana’a:
Last month, December witnessed a serious deterioration in political freedoms, due to the conflict and fighting between Houthis militia and forces loyal to the former president Saleh, that led to the killing of Saleh and arbitrary detention and extra-legal killing of hundreds of the Peoples’ General Congress members, in addition to demolish and looting of many houses and premises of the PGC. Many of PGC members left Sana’a to the areas under legitimate government control in Aden, Mareb and other Arab cities. SAM has published a special report on the incidents on 7 and 25 December 2017.
Violation of the Right to Life:
SAM organization has monitored and documented 450 killings of civilians during December, including 279 killed by Arab Coalition’s airstrikes; 88 in Taiz, 56 in Sa’da, 47 in Sana’a, 30 in Shabwa, 10 in Mareb, including 19 women. In addition to 121 civilians killed by Houthis militia; 60 in Sana’a, 31 in Shabwa, 30 in Taiz, also, 11 killed by the legitimate government forces and 7 by an unknown group.
SAM organization also, documented extra-legal killing in Houthis controlled areas, and in Aden governorate. Also, mines killed 9 civilians in Taiz and Shabwa governorates.
Violation of the Right to Physical Integrity: (and more)
https://www.samrl.org/december-2017-state-of-human-rights-in-yemen/
(* A K P)
Landmark prisoner swap agreed in between Yemen's rebels, government
Houthi rebels in Sanaa and government loyalists in Taiz, have reached an a prisoner swap agreement involving almost 2000 people, according to a document seen by The New Arab.
The exchange deal will be implemented in stages to insure success, and includes the release of 1,200 detainees from Taiz province, including prisoners from the national army and popular resistance forces, loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Taiz resistance forces will release 250 Houthi-affiliated prisoners, and confirm the whereabouts of 600 disappeared Houthi supporters.
According to the agreement document, signed by both side, the Houthis also committed not to arrest any citizens from the province of Taiz on political grounds.
(* A K P)
UN Probe Details Yemen War’s Harm to Civilians
While the latest UN report on Yemen hasn’t been released to the public, Friday’s report that it faulted Iran for not preventing weapons transfers to Yemen appears to have glossed over much of the document,focused on theharm done to civilians overall in the conflict.
The report did indeed note the Iranian missile issue, in the context of concerns Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia could expand the war regionally. The panel was unable to conclude who provided the missiles, or how they got to Yemen, however, and merely faulted the Iranian government for not having managed to somehow stop them.
While the Iran angle is likely to be the topic of choice for the US in the days to come, even after the whole report comes out, it is clear the bulk of the effort was directed at internal factions, along with the Saudi-led coalition, who they warned was backing so many different factions that are at odds with the Hadi government they’re trying to prop up that they’re assuring Yemen will remain divided for years – by Jason Ditz.
https://news.antiwar.com/2018/01/13/un-probe-details-yemen-wars-harm-to-civilians/
Remark: On the UN report: See above cp1; YPR 376, cp1.
(A K P)
Map: MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JANUARY 16, 2018 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-january-16-2018-map-update/
(A K P)
Interactive map of Yemen
(B K P)
The Fleeting Soft Power Opportunity in Yemen
The apparent execution of Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh in December provides a window of opportunity for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS to join forces and gather the support of the desperate and ungoverned civilian population. That would be a deep blow to U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
My comment: This is just a worthless article.
(* B K P)
Yemen calls on UAE to stop destroying Socotra Island
Yemen’s Ministry of Tourism has called on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to stop destroying the Island of Socotra today, SABA reported.
An official complaint was sent to the United Nation’s Security Council to accelerate a resolution to prevent the “occupying forces” from spoiling the natural resources on the island.
“In an unprecedented event the UAE has called [on] the people of the island to vote on a referendum of self-determination to join them, and this is the most dangerous step”, the Ministry of Tourism said.
Locals living in Al-Mahrah governorate, a territory bordering Oman have voiced concerns over a Saudi-contingent force entering its territory late last year. Tensions erupted as Saudi Arabia’s forces demanded the control over Al-Mahrah’s airport and ports. The Al-Mahrah military forces denied access until the Al-Mahrah security committee and tribal leaders were required to step in and mediate the tension.
In early January Saudi Arabia deployed additional forces to increase its presence in Al-Mahrah governorate.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180116-yemen-calls-on-uae-to-stop-destroying-socotra-island/
Remark: Here: Sanaa government.
(* B H K)
Jemen, Syrien, IrakUnicef sieht Kinder verstärkt als Zielscheibe in Konflikten
Sie werden als menschliche Schutzschilde oder als Soldaten eingesetzt: Das Kinderhilfswerk Unicef schätzt die Lage vieler Kinder in Krisengebieten als dramatisch ein.
Das Kinderhilfswerk Unicef warnt vor unhaltbaren Lebensbedingungen vieler Kinder in Krisengebieten: Neben Mangelernährung und Traumata würden diese zunehmend selbst zur Zielscheibe in den Auseinandersetzungen. Die beteiligten Gruppen missachteten offensichtlich das Völkerrecht, durch das die Wehrlosesten geschützt werden sollten, sagte Manuel Fontaine, Unicef-Direktor für Nothilfeprogramme.
Mein Kommentar: drei amerikanische Kriege. Sieht es in Libyen und Afghanistan besser aus?
(* B H K P)
Yemen’s dangerous war
The legality of the intervention is questionable, notably because of the constitutional void that existed in March 2015: Hadi’s presidential mandate had officially ended by the time he asked for Saudi help. It was only indirectly validated by UN Security Council resolution 2216, adopted three weeks after the start of the coalition’s offensive. So the so-called Operation Decisive Storm remains based on a specious interpretation of international law.
The laissez-faire attitude of the major powers shows a deep contempt for Yemenis and a refusal to understand the underlying motives of a conflict with consequences far beyond the country’s borders. The world’s lack of interest in this conflict suggests that it is regarded as just another low-intensity backwater conflict, yet Yemen is at the heart of critical issues that it would be foolish to ignore.
Yemen has been gradually marginalized by conflicts, the cold war, expulsions of Yemeni workers and endemic poverty due to a lack of natural resources and corruption among its former leaders.
Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in March 2015 have been motivated by a wish in part to legitimize its new leaders, especially Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (‘MBS’), born in 1985, who had just been appointed defense minister by his recently enthroned father. But the stagnation of the conflict could have costly repercussions far beyond the Arabian Peninsula.
The unprovoked war has also become a trap for Saudi leaders; Saudi authorities waver between propaganda that claims military operations are going well and a catastrophist approach that claims victimhood.
Things could change if conditions continue to deteriorate, in which case Yemenis will cross the Gulf of Aden and easily find their way into existing migration networks that attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe – by Laurent Bonnefoy
http://parstoday.com/en/radio/middle_east-i73593-yemen%E2%80%99s_dangerous_war
(B H K P)
The Destruction of Yemen
[Overview]
http://worldbeyondwar.org/the-destruction-of-yemen/
(B P)
The only hope for Yemen lies beyond its capital
The only hope for Yemen lies beyond the capital, as it always has.
It lies beyond Sanaa and beyond Aden; in the grey areas where there are less controversial socio-political circumstances, and where efforts at stabilisation and reconstruction can produce results much faster.
This solution may not seem appealing to either Hadi, the Saudis, or the P5 for that matter, because it is less prestigious and does not give the closure they would like to the Yemen story.
However, the development of peace hubs beyond the main cities will provide hope for Yemenis who will see with their own eyes what a peaceful alternative looks like.
The solution for Yemen will have to be built on the inkspot military strategy which depends on small yet growing safe areas.
This will take a long time, much patience and a lot of international support. But most importantly, it will require Yemenis who believe in peace, to work together and overcome their differences for the greater good – by nadia Al-Sakkaf. She was the first Yemeni woman appointed as Information Minister, and prior to that was Chief Editor of The Yemen Times.
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2018/1/15/the-only-hope-for-yemen-lies-beyond-its-capital
My comment: This just is the end of the article, and this is sound. The other parts of the article are pro-Hadi government propaganda bullshit
(* B H)
Film: CARE Yemen: My Biggest Wish for 2018
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3DzJrDVOfo
(* B H K)
Film: Clarissa Ward: Reflections from Yemen
CNN's Clarissa Ward gained rare access to war-stricken Yemen, where she witnessed a humanitarian crisis, but not as you know it.
(* B K P)
The Houthis’ Do-It-Yourself Air Defenses
Part One
The origins of the Houthis’ air defenses can be traced back to the early 1970s.
In 1977, the latter was equipped with four S-75/SA-2 surface-to-air systems and 136 associated V-755 missiles. All the officers in command of these systems were trained in the USSR, while other personnel were trained by Cuban advisors in South Yemen.
The South Yemeni air force and air defenses played a small but important role in the short but bitter war between two Yemens in early 1979.
With the Saudis keen to keep the United States out of North Yemen – which they consider to be within their sphere of influence – Washington showed no interest in providing surface-to-air missiles to the government in Sana’a. The Saudis went as far as to consent to North Yemen purchasing Soviet weapons, instead.
Therefore, the government in Sana’a placed an order for 12 S-75M and four S-75M2 SAM systems and a total of 752 associated V-755 missiles from the Soviet Union. Personnel were trained by Soviet advisors in North Yemen.
All of these air-defense weapons saw significant action during the bitter Yemeni civil war in 1994.
https://warisboring.com/the-houthis-do-it-yourself-air-defenses/
Part Two
As of 2014, Yemeni air defenses were grouped into nine air-defense brigades, each operating a mix of surface-to-air missile sites equipped with S-75/SA-2, S-125/SA-3, 2K12/SA-6 and 9K31/SA-9 missile systems.
The majority of the military sided with former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. One of the first military units to publicly follow Saleh and side with the Houthis was the 101st Air Defense Brigade of the Yemeni air force.
Also known as the Radar Brigade, this unit operated around a dozen early-warning radars of Soviet origin, and exercised control over three other air-defense brigades based in the Sana’a area. Thus, it was in control of the only element of Yemen’s air defenses that can be described as “integrated.”
Unsurprisingly, while most of top commanders and nearly all of the flying personnel of the Yemeni air rorce refused to obey orders from the Houthis, the personnel of the 110th Air Defense Brigade – responsible for the defense of Daylami air base at Sana’a International — followed the example of the 101st and joined the insurgency.
Two other air-defense brigades – the 140th and the 160th – were responsible for the defense of the Yemeni capital. Most of their personnel had sided with the Houthis by January 2015.
When a Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015, these air-defense units found themselves on the receiving end of a major suppression-of-enemy-air-defenses campaign. Deploying some of most advanced U.S.- and European-made fighter-bombers and associated armament, the Saudis and allies systematically tracked down and destroyed not only most of the Houthis’ radars, but also most of their launchers and support equipment.
The Yemenis fought back, firing as many as 40 surface-to-air missiles. They claimed to have shot down two Saudi warplanes, two Emirati ones and at least one Sudanese plane. In fact, the Houthis shot down nothing.
http://warisboring.com/the-houthis-do-it-yourself-air-defenses-2/
(* B P)
Lebanese Paper Discloses Saudi Attempts to Set Up Salafi Region at Yemen-Oman Border
Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Riyadh is mulling establishment of a Salafi zone similar to what has been set up in the town of Damaj in Sa'ada province, this time in the town of Qashan in the Yemeni province of al-Mahrah, bordering both Saudi Arabia and Oman.
It also reported that Yahya Ali al-Hajouri, one of the Salafi Yemeni leaders who was in charge of leading Dar al-Hadith center in Sa'ada province will preside over the new center.
Local sources in Qashan confirmed that unknown people in disguise of refugees have purchased lands in different parts of the province at high prices, making the local people suspicious that they were the Salafis who had earlier fought in al-Baqa'a front in Sa'ada province.
Such moves indicate that Riyadh seeks Masqat to understand that it has the power to launch a war against Oman when the Saudi interests are endangered, considering the fact that Saudi Arabia has many times accused Oman of collaboration with Qatar against Riyadh.
Plans to open a Salafi missionary zone in the Yemeni province of al-Mahrah on the border with Oman and Saudi Arabia also raise questions about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salah’s concept of a moderate form of Islam.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961025000437
Remark: Earlier eporting in YPR 376, cp1.
And also
(* A P)
Bahah: What is Happening in Kushn is Seeding Future Conflicts
Former vice president and prime minister Khaled Baha indicated that what is happening in Kushn – Al-Mehra is reproduction of religious fanatic groups. In a tweet on his official account on tweeter, Bahah said: “What is happening in Kushn is reproducing fanatic religious groups under wretched excuses. New seeds for future conflicts”.
http://en.smanews.org/bahah-what-is-happening-in-kushn-is-seeding-future-conflicts
(* B H)
Qat and Famine in Yemen
The Economist recently posted a short article called Qat-Wrenching: The Drug that is Starving Yemen. The byline reads “Famine in Yemen could be avoided if the men chewed less qat.” It is bad enough that the deplorable humanitarian crisis in Yemen is so seldom given the coverage it deserves, but this mischievous article adds only to the misinformation about Yemen. Let’s be clear: Yemen is facing famine because of an almost total blockade by a Saudi-led coalition that has stopped almost all food imports to the population in areas controlled by the Huthis. Stop the blockade and the daily bombing campaign (which has wiped out food factories in Yemen) and the threat of famine is lifted.
Foreign reporters love writing about the use of qāt (Catha edulis), a stimulant plant with leaves that are stored in the mouth to produce a stimulant impact similar to pseudoephedrine.
My point is not to defend the use of qāt, but to de-exoticize it. While there are clear negative health impacts, especially for heavy chewing, there are also health benefits, especially as noted in traditional medicine. The money spent by individuals who do not have their own qāt could clearly be better spent on food, but it remains to be seen if Yemenis are starving their families in order to buy qāt.
So qāt is not starving Yemen, the Saudi coalition is. The threat of famine is not only a problem in the blockaded Huthi areas, but also in parts of Yemen supposedly under control of the Saudi coalition. – by Daniel Martin Varisco, Anthropologist and historian with 40 years of experience researching and working in Yemen. Varisco is currently the President of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies
https://menatidningen.se/qat-and-famine-in-yemen/
(* B K)
Saudi, allies used precision-guided arms in raids on Yemeni civilians: UN panel
A UN panel has compiled a detailed report of civilian casualties caused by the Saudi military and its allies during their war against Yemen, saying the Riyadh-led coalition has used precision-guided munitions in its raids on civilian targets.
“The attacks were carried out by precision-guided munitions, so it is likely these were the intended targets,” Al Jazeera cited the UN report on human rights violations in Yemen as saying on Saturday.
“Even if in some cases, the Saudi-led coalition had targeted legitimate military objectives, the panel finds it highly unlikely that the IHL (International Humanitarian Law) principles of proportionality, and precautions in attack were met,” the report stated.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/01/14/548856/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-United-Nations
Remark: A detail from the UN report, more reporting YPR 376, cp1-
(B P)
http://deny.yemen.net.ye : NetSweeper still active helping to block #Yemen's internet access (reference page does not work)
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/952514122591166466
(* B K P)
After Houthis ballistic threat, residents prepare for possible missile strike
Yemen’s vow to strike UAE military base on Socotra Island with ballistic missiles that could potentially be longer range missile, has this island in the cross hairs and its 44,000 residents in 2004 official statistic, most of whom are Yemenis live under the UAE occupation forces, on edge.
“I mean, obviously for me, because I love my island , it’s really welcomed,” said local resident on social media.
That welcome was underscored by local authorities in the island last May, when the Yemeni authority for the conservation of historic places called on UNESCO to protect the archipelago of Socotra from “dredging ” by occupying UAE forces.
An official from Socotra’s Environment Agency said last May ” Very large [swathes of] land have been occupied by the Emiratis. This is a violation of the laws of the state, the protectorates and the protection of the coast,”.
http://www.newnewss.net/1767-2/
(* B H K)
Film: 03.12.2017 - ARD Weltspiegel
Jemen: Krieg, Hunger und wenig Hoffnung
Sieben Millionen Einwohner des Jemen wissen laut Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) nicht, wo sie ihre nächste Mahlzeit hernehmen sollen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6adlcMP6yro = http://www.ardmediathek.de/tv/Weltspiegel/Jemen-Krieg-Hunger-und-wenig-Hoffnung/Das-Erste/Video?bcastId=329478&documentId=48107676
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* A H P)
Die Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (GfbV) hat am Dienstag an die Europäische Kommission appelliert, sich für ein tatsächliches Ende der Blockade des Jemen durch Saudi-Arabien einzusetzen. „Es wäre eine von Menschen gemachte Katastrophe, wenn Saudi-Arabien die halbherzige Lockerung der Blockade des Nachbarlandes nun wie angekündigt am 19. Januar wieder aufhebt“, heißt es in dem GfbV-Schreiben. „Die Nachricht über eine mögliche Beendigung der Lockerungs-Maßnahmen hat die Preise für Nahrungsmittel schon jetzt in die Höhe schnellen lassen. Auch die wenigen Menschen, die von den zeitlich beschränkten Erleichterungen profitieren konnten, machen sich wieder große Sorgen um ihre Existenz.“
Der GfbV-Nahostexperte Kamal Sido steht ständig im Kontakt mit Einzelpersonen im Jemen. Sie berichten, dass die kurzfristige Lockerung der Blockade der Zivilbevölkerung vor allem im Norden des Jemen erst sehr wenig gebracht hat. Dringend bitten sie darum, den Notleidenden nicht die letzte Hoffnung zu nehmen, sondern die unmenschliche Blockade endlich unbegrenzt aufzuheben
Die von Saudi-Arabien geführte Koalition hat die Blockade nur für 30 Tage etwas gelockert. Am 19. Januar läuft die Frist ab. „Wenn Flug- und Seehäfen sowie Grenzübergänge wieder geschlossen werden, werden Nahrungsmittel und Treibstoff noch viel teurer“, warnt Sido. „Den Jemen erneut von der Außenwelt abzuriegeln wäre eine Instrumentalisierung von Hunger als Kriegswaffe und ein Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit.“
https://www.gfbv.de/de/news/jemen-frist-der-lockerungsmassnahmen-laeuft-am-19-januar-ab-8978/
(* B H P)
Arab Coalition prevents 13 ships in Aden port, shipping lines stopped working in Yemen
Aden port of the interim capital in southern Yemen, said that the Arab Coalition's navy has prevented the entry of 13 ships to the port, although the quay is empty of ships and the port is ready to receive any vessel.
In an official letter issued by the Aden Gulf Ports Corporation said that 13 vessels were still unauthorized yet to enter the port, after having been in the waiting area for about four months.
One of the ship was not authorized to enter the port since its arrival on October 4, and the reasons are unknown, according to the letter.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96574
My comment: The Saudi coalition now also blocking South Yemeni harbours??
(* B H P)
Yemen, WFP sign MoU to rehabilitate Hodeidah port
Yemen and the World Food Program (WFP) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding agreement to rehabilitate Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
The deal was signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Abdulaziz al-Kumaim and WFP Resident Representative Stephen Anderson.
The move aimed to boost humanitarian aid delivery through the country's main port to help millions of Yemeni people already suffering from aggression war and all-out blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition.
The officials, including the governor of Hodeidah Hassn al-Haij, paid an inspection visit to the port.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484920.htm
(* B H P)
U.N. hopes imports will help 'stave off famine' in Yemen as diphtheria spreads
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has authorized the Yemeni port of Hodeidah to remain open until Friday, United Nations aid agencies said on Tuesday, calling for the date to be extended to permit continued offloading of life-saving goods.
“We appeal to parties on ground in order to stave off famine that we can continue regularly to get food, medicines in, be it from the humanitarian or the commercial side,” Bettina Luescher of the U.N.’s World Food Programme (WFP) told a Geneva briefing.
(* B H P)
Yemen civil war: Closing ports risks 'catastrophic loss of life' as 22 million people now require aid, warns UN official
More than 22 million Yemenis – nearly 80 per cent of the population - now require humanitarian aid and more than a third of those are at risk of famine, the UN has said.
The Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and Saleef have reopened in a 30-day reprieve but aid workers said they hoped authorisation would be extended beyond the current deadline of Friday.
Before the conflict, the now-Houthi-controlled Hodeidah handled about 70 per cent of Yemen‘s imports.
Closing the ports again risks “catastrophic loss of life”, according to Stephen Anderson from the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
Meritxell Relano, of Unicef, said getting fuel into Yemen was vital to power water and sanitation services. In addition, the country imports 85 per cent of its food and medicines (photos, film)
(* B H P)
17 Hilfsorganisationen fordern zum Jemenkonflikt: Es ist fünf nach zwölf – Hafen von Hudaydah uneingeschränkt öffnen!
17 in Jemen tätige Hilfsorganisationen fordern die komplette und bedingungslose Öffnung des Hafens von Hudaydah, damit die Menschen endlich wieder uneingeschränkten Zugang zu Nahrung und Treibstoff erhalten. Im November 2017 hatte die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärkoalition alle jemenitischen Häfen im Roten Meer blockiert, was zu einem dramatischen Versorgungsnotstand führte. Am 20. Januar endet eine auf 30 Tage befristete Aussetzung der Blockade. „Das gesamte Land kämpft ums Überleben, und Kinder sind wie immer am schlimmsten betroffen“, sagt Tamer Kirolos, Direktor des Landesbüros von Save the Children im Jemen. „Es gibt keine tragfähige Alternative zur kompletten Öffnung des Hafens. Jeder Plan oder Deal der Konfliktparteien, der das ignoriert, wird das Elend der Menschen verschärfen. Die Humanitäre Gemeinschaft muss uneingeschränkt arbeiten können, um Leben retten und Leid lindern zu können.“
Der Güterfluss muss dringend ausgeweitet und verbessert werden, um Hunger und Krankheiten im ganzen Land einzudämmen. Oxfams Landesdirektor im Jemen, Shane Stevenson: „Wenn der Hafen von Hudaydah wieder geschlossen wird und die Versorgung mit Nahrungsmittel, Treibstoff und sauberem Trinkwasser zusammenbricht, müssen Millionen von Jemeniten den Preis zahlen. Alle Konfliktparteien müssen endlich aufhören, das Leben der Menschen aufs Spiel zu setzen.“
https://www.nachrichten-heute.net/168600-17-hilfsorganisationen-fordern-zum-jemenkonflikt-es-ist-fuenf.html = http://www.blogspan.net/presse/17-hilfsorganisationen-fordern-zum-jemenkonflikt-es-ist-fuenf-nach-zwoelf-hafen-von-hudaydah-uneingeschraenkt-oeffnen/mitteilung/1609297/
(* B H P)
Aid agencies urge for complete opening of Yemen's main port
Oxfam and sixteen other aid agencies working in Yemen are urging for the complete and unconditional opening of Hudaydah port to allow for the uninterrupted flow of food and fuel. A thirty-day concession period enabling the delivery of commercial supplies has brought only brief reprieve within the context of a sustained blockade on Yemen’s Red Sea Ports. Parties to Yemen’s conflict have a responsibility to minimise the impact of war on civilians in Yemen by mitigating all factors that exacerbate death and suffering, as over 8 million people are already on the verge of starvation.
Thirty days is an insufficient period in which to halt and reverse the damage done to Yemen’s food markets during November and December. Both humanitarian and commercial cargo has been discharged at Yemen’s Red Sea Ports since the Saudi-led Coalition announced a temporary opening of the ports to commercial vessels on 20 December. However, uncertainty for shipping companies, importers and vendors about what will happen beyond this period is serving to sustain inflation that makes food unaffordable for most Yemeni people. While there has been a welcome increase in food imports during the concession period, less than 25 percent of the fuel typically expected to come through the Red Sea ports is currently coming into Yemen. Prices of key commodities have barely reduced since the blockade was first imposed, compounding overwhelming food insecurity across the country.
The flow of supplies getting into Yemen must be extended and improved to shift the circumstances driving widespread hunger, disease and suffering across the country.
The blockade on all of Yemen’s entry points in November 2017 by the Saudi-led coalition led to dramatic food and fuel shortages, and related price increases that have deprived people of access to clean water, food and health care.
https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2018-01-16/aid-agencies-urge-complete-opening-yemens-main-port = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/ingo-joint-statement-complete-opening-hudaydah-port
(* B H P)
Yemeni children dying for want of medicine cut off by Saudi blockade
In the intensive care unit at the al-Sadaqa hospital in Aden, Yemen, three-year-old Khadir is fighting unsuccessfully for his life. He has a severe lung infection but there is no ventilator here to help him breathe.
His eyes are closed, his chest heaving with the effort of taking in air. At the foot of his bed is a bin full of emptied bags of blood and discarded needles. A fan turns limply to clear the fetid air. Flies settle on him. His mother, Yamal, tries in vain to swat them way before slumping over his bed in defeat.
He has been sick for weeks, she says, but she brought him in only three days ago [register]
Comment: From CNN journalist: - The Report is from 'liberated' South - no mention on US role in the war - 'more than 5000 people have died' refers to 2016, maybe
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1616770711709286
(* A H P)
Cranes arrive in Hodeidah to boost Yemen food aid flow: U.N.
Four mobile cranes have arrived in Houthi-controled Hodeidah port, the United Nations said on Monday, after a Saudi-led coalition agreed to let them into Yemen, where nearly three years of war have pushed the country to the verge of famine.
The U.S.-funded equipment will help replace four giant cranes disabled by coalition warplanes in an August 2015 raid that drastically slowed the unloading of food, medicine and fuel needed by a population riven with hunger and disease.
“With each of the mobile cranes able to handle up to 60 tons, they will significantly boost the discharge of humanitarian cargo and other relief items,” the statement said.
The WFP said Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates facilitated the transfer of the cranes aboard the WFP-chartered vessel MV JUIST to Yemen.
photos: https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1617033931682964
Comment: If blockade is not lifted they will stand, the 4 of them, inoperative and useless.
Time to life the blockade, once for all
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1617078761678481
(* A H P)
Four USAID-funded mobile cranes arrive at Yemen's largest Red Sea port
A ship carrying four mobile cranes purchased by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has arrived in Yemen’s Hodeidah Port to allow faster delivery of relief items for Yemeni families in the grips of the world’s biggest hunger crisis.
The cranes, which will be operational immediately, are urgently needed to boost the capacity of Hodeidah Port, which handles around 70 percent of Yemen’s imports, including critically-needed food and humanitarian supplies. With each of the mobile cranes able to handle up to 60 tons, they will significantly boost the discharge of humanitarian cargo and other relief items. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates facilitated the transfer of the cranes aboard the WFP-chartered vessel MV JUIST to Yemen.
“We are grateful to the US Government for funding these cranes, the US and UK governments for continuing to draw attention to how important they are and to all our partners whose collaboration and support ultimately helped us get them into Yemen,” said WFP Executive Director David Beasley.
The cranes will increase the port’s capacity, but more work is needed, Beasley noted. “To avert even greater catastrophe, WFP needs better access and smooth, timely clearance of shipments,” he said.
(* A H P)
Aid Cranes Arrive at Key North Yemen Port of Hodeidah
The WFP said that the US paid for the ship that delivered the cranes, and both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “facilitated” the delivery, which likely means they didn’t sink the ship outright when it got close to port.
The mobile cranes are less efficient than the stationary ones they’re intended to replace, however, and Hodeidah port is intended to handle more aid than ever, with some 15 million Yemenis dependent on the port as their sole access to food aid and medicine.
https://news.antiwar.com/2018/01/15/new-cranes-arrive-at-key-north-yemen-port-of-hodeidah/
(* A H P)
Norwegian Refugee Council: Yemen: Ports need to be reopened permanently before more people die
On 19 January, the 30-day period set by the Saudi-led coalition in which blockade measures were eased, will expire. This is generating widespread uncertainty about what happens next, leaving millions of Yemeni people hanging in the balance. "What looked on paper to be a good policy for easing the blockade has done very little to lower prices of essential daily items like fuel and food," said the Norwegian Refugee Council's Country Director in Yemen, Mutasim Hamdan. "The instability caused by the coalition's arbitrary policies, closing ports one day and reopening them on another, is making problems worse for the Yemeni population. Shipping companies, importers and vendors are left without assurance that the port will remain open, and this is serving to sustain inflation that makes food unaffordable for most Yemeni people."
As the stipulated period is now about to end, the delivery of commercial goods to Yemen's Red Sea Ports must continue, and ports must be opened permanently.
"Without fuel, bulk supplies can't be milled or transported across the country," Hamdan added. "Water pumps shut down and hospitals are left without power supply. We need to see fuel supplies coming into Yemen's ports every week, with guarantees that there will be no interruptions, to help keep a grip on extreme needs."
"Actions taken by the Saudi-led Coalition to stem the flow of fuel and other supplies equate to a slow means of killing people, and the inaction of the UN Security Council is aiding it," Hamdan said. "We need an absolute guarantee that Yemen's main ports will be allowed to receive commercial supplies at the rate needed beyond this thirty-day window. Yemen is not a game."
https://www.nrc.no/news/2018/january/yemen-ports-need-to-be-reopened-permanently-before-more-people-die/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-ports-need-be-reopened-permanently-more-people-die
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Regular Press Briefing by the Information Service, 16 January 2018
Meritxell Relano, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Representative in Yemen, speaking by telephone from Sana’a, said that since the escalation of the conflict in March 2015, more than 3 million children had been born in Yemen, most of them outside hospitals. Thirty percent of them were born premature, 30% had a low birth weight and 25,000 died at birth or within the first month of life. Pregnant and breastfeeding women suffered from anemia and folic acid deficiency, among other conditions. Those children who survived past their first month were growing up malnourished and in the midst of ongoing conflict. An estimated 1.8 million children were acutely malnourished, including nearly 400,000 severe acutely malnourished children. Half of all health facilities in Yemen had closed and those still in operation were running out of fuel. Cholera and, more recently, listeriosis, were ravaging the country, taking an especially harsh toll on children. It was crucial that Hudaydah Port should remain open.
In response to questions from journalists, Ms. Relano said that Hudaydah Port was to remain open until 19 January; the Saudi-led Coalition would then announce whether the Port would be closed after that date. It was hoped that it would remain open so that goods could continue to come into the country and not only provide immediate humanitarian assistance but also ultimately help prevent the spread of cholera and other diseases.
Asked about the funding of the current appeal for Yemen, Ms. Relano said that through the inter-agency Humanitarian Response Plan, UNICEF aimed to reach some 11 million children in need of humanitarian assistance. There was a range of donors from all over the world, with the World Bank as the largest donor currently. (more)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/regular-press-briefing-information-service-16-january-2018
(B H)
Yemeni Student Struggles as Airstrikes Target Hometown
This is the first half of a series by KSMU Radio on Mr. Jubary and the war in Yemen. (with audio)
Soon after Mohammed Jubary arrived in Springfield, Missouri, he began to receive alarming updates from his family back home in Yemen.
Jubary, who studies mechanical engineering technology at Missouri State University, is watching his country wrangle with dire circumstances from half a world away.
He says the Saudi-led airstrikes are unpredictable and terrifying, and they’ve left rubble where there were once roads, bridges, and buildings.
Meanwhile, armed Houthis picked up his dad and interrogated him. Armed men stormed his uncle’s house, and his high school teacher is missing.
http://ksmu.org/post/yemeni-student-struggles-airstrikes-target-hometown#stream/0
(* B H)
'The Republican Hospital in Sana'a is the only hospital in #Yemenspecialised in the treatment of burns.
But unfortunately, when I visited it today I was surprised by the conditions of the hospital which should be serving millions of people. And free.
There are scores of patients (I will not publish any picture as a sign of respect and as they are extremely graphic) with unbearable burns and in pain and I know they could not be in any better place to be treated. Yet, the hospital needs help. If anyone would like to help or has any suggestion, they may contact me at +967 737 555 411 (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1618068271579530
(B H)
OCHA Infographic: '2018 @OCHAYemen Humanitarian Needs Overview chart plotting availability of basic commodities across all governorates shows governorates controlled by Saudi Co in as much of a dire situation as those controlled by de facto authorities
(B H)
Standard integrated programming response package for famine risk reduction - Report of the workshop, Yemen
There has been a clear shift in Yemen towards integrated (multi-sectoral) programming in 2017 following the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) classification of acute food insecurity in Yemen in March 2017 with Nutrition and Food Security and Agriculture Clusters joint prioritization of response locations for 2017, resulting in identification of 95 districts for joint programming. As the risk of famine rose, there was widespread realization of the complexity of the situation that is not only related to malnutrition and food insecurity, but also to underlying causative factors emanating from other sectors.
Subsequently, the WASH and Health Clusters were also integrated due to the criticality of these sectors in any famine response actions in Yemen.
Despite the immense need for an integrated famine prevention programming response package, a number of potential bottlenecks could suffice and will need to be addressed collectively by all humanitarian partners in Yemen in 2018.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/standard-integrated-programming-response-package-famine-risk-reduction-report-workshop and full report https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Workshop%20IRRF%20final.pdf
and
Clarification on FSAC, Health, WASH and Nutrition Clusters’ integrated programming response package for famine risk reduction - 2018
There has been a clear shift in Yemen towards integrated (multi-sectoral) programming following the March 2017 Yemen Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). As the risk of famine rose, there was widespread realization of the complexity of the situation that is not only related to malnutrition and food insecurity, but also to underlying causative factors emanating from other sectors.
and maps.
Yemen Health, FSAC, Nutrition and WASH clusters : Pilot districts in need of standard integrated programming package for famine risk reduction
Yemen Health, FSAC, Nutrition and WASH clusters: Districts in need of standard integrated programming package for famine risk reduction
(A H)
UAE Armed Forces medical teams treat residents in Yemen’s West Coast
UAE Armed Forces medical teams working with the Arab Coalition Forces, led by Saudi Arabia, are performing their humanitarian role in the liberated areas of the West Coast of Yemen by treating vulnerable patients and reaching out to them in their homes.
The teams are providing medical treatment without discrimination, and are doing their best to respond to all health-related cases.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302660439
(A H)
Crops in #Bayhan #Shabwa damaged by frost on the morning of January 13th. (photos)
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/953137082548891649
(* B H)
Film: UNOCHA: Yemen Key Humanitarian Concerns hno 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PShY19MPyn4
(* B H)
Over 75 percent of Yemenis in need of aid: UN
The United Nations (UN) says the number of the Yemenis who are dependent on assistance has risen to 22.2 million, as the risk of famine increases three years into a Saudi Arabian-led war on impoverished Yemen.
The UN humanitarian affairs office, the OCHA, said on Tuesday that 8.4 million people — out of Yemen’s population of 29 million — were now at risk of famine, up from 6.8 million in 2017.
According to the OCHA, a total of 22.2 million people, or 76 percent of Yemen’s population, are dependent on some form of aid, an increase of 1.5 million people over the past six months.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/01/16/549112/UN-Yemen-aid-Saudi-Arabia
(* B H)
WFP’s David Beasley: ‘We are facing worst humanitarian crisis since WW2’
David Beasley, who’s executive director of the World Food Programme, discusses conflicts including Syria and Yemen.
https://www.channel4.com/news/wfps-david-beasley-we-are-facing-worst-humanitarian-crisis-since-ww2
(* B H)
Yemen could face famine in 2018 as war continues, aid agencies warn
Already battered by three years of war, Yemen is in danger of tipping into famine in 2018 if fighting continues to disrupt imports of food aid, aid agencies warned.
In the worst-case scenario, the war-torn nation "faces a risk of famine" if there is prolonged and significant disruption to imports through its two Red Sea ports, said a specialist U.S.-based agency.
More people are predicted to go hungry in July 2018 than in the same month last year, added the Famine Early Warning Systems Network in its latest analysis, which focuses on projected food needs for July.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-war-hunger/yemen-could-face-famine-in-2018-as-war-continues-aid-agencies-warn-idUSKBN1F51FG = http://news.trust.org/item/20180116095749-xdsig/
My comment: Be honest: For many Yemenis, famine already is there.
(B H)
Photo: Farmer field day in #Wadi #Hadramout #Yemen introducing modern inputs to arid areas & hundreds of farmers are replicating. Well done #SMEPS
https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/952590636955439104
(* B H)
Film: British doctor vows to return to war-torn Yemen
"I cry, and sometimes I cry myself to sleep."
That's how young British doctor Elma Wong deals with the emotional toll since she returned to the UK from war-torn Yemen.
Last November ITV News met Dr Wong in Yemen, where she was helping to save civilians injured in the civil war.
She was in the country working for charity MSF - Doctors Without Borders - and shared the heartbreaking story of trying to help a badly-injured three-year-old girl.
Despite the trauma she has witness, Dr Wong is determined to return to Yemen
https://www.itv.com/news/2018-01-15/british-doctor-vows-to-return-to-war-torn-yemen/ and on twitter https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/953030420228202497
(* B H K)
5000 jemenitische Kinder bei saudischen Angriffen getötet
Geert Cappelaere, Direktor für den Mittleren Osten und Nordafrika im Kinderhilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen (UNICEF), sagte am Sonntag im Regionalbüro der UNICEF in der jordanischen Hauptstadt, Amman: Wegen Hunger und schweren ansteckenden Krankheiten kommen täglich mehr als 130 jemenitische Kinder ums Leben.
(B H K)
Film: The devastating effects of air strikes in Yemen
Alaa Al-Absi was playing in her yard in Taiz, Yemen when shrapnel from a nearby air strike hit her legs. Alaa is one of the 5,000 Yemeni children who have been killed or wounded since the war started in 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHpD5PwTg_c
(* A H K)
Map: Yemen: Access Constraints as of 14 January 2018
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-access-constraints-14-january-2018
(* B H)
WHO news: Long trips searching for treatment in Yemen
Shaiga, 20, and Qumri, 15, sit on a bed close to each other in the post-surgical room of Al-Jumhori hospital in Sa’ada. In September of last year, the 2 sisters were wounded due to shelling near their home in Tallan, Sa’ada governorate of northern Yemen.
The bombing took the lives of their sister and 3 brothers. Their mother and 8 relatives were also wounded. All injured family members were transferred to Al-Jumhori hospital, 2 hours away from their home.
Supporting a fragile health system
Al-Jumhori hospital is the main public hospital that receives around 600 patients every day. Patients come to the hospital from Sa’ada city and the neighbouring districts as well as other governorates which are several hours away
As a result of this conflict, fuel and water, basic commodities for a country in times of peace, have become rare essentials in times of war. Hospitals need fuel and water to keep running. For Qumri and Shaiga’s father, Hasan Salah, the sky-rocketing cost of fuel has made travel to hospitals cost-prohibitive.
As both sisters say, they go through difficult living conditions because their father has no job.
“I am a poor man now. I feel grateful for everybody helping me at this difficult time. I am happy that the treatment and care my daughters are receiving at the hospital is for free,” says the father.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-news-long-trips-searching-treatment-yemen
(* B H)
Philanthropy’s Response to the Crisis in Yemen? Radio Silence, Mostly
The resources of U.S. philanthropy are limited. And even though more private donations and grant money now flows for international causes than ever before—$22 billion in 2016—there's only so much that American foundations and private donors can do in the face of huge challenges in global health and development, as well as multiple humanitarian crises caused by war and natural disaster.
We get all that. But it's still hard not be deeply troubled when large-scale human suffering in countries beset by crisis seems to hardly register at all within the U.S. philanthropy world. The latest example of this: grantmakers' radio silence on Yemen.
But despite amplified violence and suffering across the country, private funders have barely lifted a finger to help the Yemeni people, despite strong pleas by the international community.
But neither OSF nor Soros have visibly responded to recent negative turns in Yemen that put millions of lives at risk. Soros investment funds are mainly targeted at helping refugees in Europe, although he also pledged to keep an eye out for investments that benefit migrants and refugees around the world. It's hard to say what efforts, if any, may be afoot through this initiative to help people displaced by Yemen's civil war.
Things look almost certain to get worse in Yemen in 2018. Will even grimmer news and more dire appeals finally spur real action on the part of U.S. funders? Let's hope so – by Sue-Lynn Moses
(B H)
Student-led clothing drive for Yemeni refugees bursts at seams
Aseal Nassar has a problem, but a good one.
He can't accept any more donations of clothing for refugees in Yemen, because he already has more than enough to fill an entire shipping container.
Nassar, of Fort Lee, a 20-year-old student at Montclair State University, started turning away donors early Sunday afternoon, on the second day of the drive.
About 30 volunteers buzzed around the Islamic Center of Passaic County, putting coats, blankets, shoes and other items into cardboard boxes from The Home Depot.
Eventually, the items will make their way in a 44-foot shipping container to war-torn Yemen
(* B H)
Film: What it’s like to survive as a cab driver in Yemen
VICE News spent the day with Saber, a 30 year old cab driver in Sana’a who is feeling the toll of soaring fuel prices in his war-torn country.
Saber has been a cab driver in the capital of Yemen for seven years. He used to drop off at least a dozen people a day on Sana’a’s once congested streets. Now, he’s lucky if he picks up a couple of passengers.
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/d345gk/what-its-like-to-survive-as-a-cab-driver-in-yemen
(B H)
'This is a queue for water - people who take water from a tanker paid by charity can take 5 liters a day and this is for everything - washing, cleaning, laundry, cooking and of course drinking. It is the only way poor people can get water. Water is no longer pumped direct to homes but those with money can have a tanker deliver to their own individual water tank but it is very expensive indeed now. To donate to help these families by providing water for them please contact with me 00967734260511 WhatsApp 00967771002112'
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1766692956960024 referring to film https://www.facebook.com/HPFHGGI/videos/vb.100000116083450/2151680271512488/?type=2
(* B H)
52 Health Centers & 52 Schools in rural #Yemen have been equipped by @UNDPYEMEN with solar energy solutions. Result: improved delivery of basic service to vulnerable war-affected communities (photos)
https://twitter.com/AukeLootsma/status/952527479520022530
and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmVWphb7SV8&feature=youtu.be
(* B H)
Film: Pain and Hope
There is so much pain experienced, it is hard to believe.
But there is so much hope, there are dreams, expectations and a drive to work for the future.
Voices from our #Yemen: please listen to them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=396&v=QOPkVkqEAt8 = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1616202031766154/
(B H)
Oxfam: 420 families received cash transfers to cover their basic food needs in Al Nabiah village, in Al Madharibah district of #Lahj governorate
https://twitter.com/OxfamYemen/status/952484948937707520
(B H)
Enhanced Rural Resilience in Yemen (ERRY) - UNDP Components
The three-year joint programme “Enhanced Rural Resilience in Yemen” (ERRY) will be implemented by FAO, ILO, UNDP and WFP in four governorates: Hajjah, Hodeidah, Lahj and Abyan.
The overall objective of the programme is to enhance the resilience1 and self-reliance of crisis-affected rural communities through support to livelihoods stabilisation and recovery, local governance and improved access to sustainable energy.
(A H)
Yemen: Organizations 3W Operational Presence (as of 30 November 2017)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-organizations-3w-operational-presence-30-november-2017
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
#Yemen calls on UAE occupation forces to stop destroying Socotra
Yemen's Ministry of Tourism called on the United Arab Emirates occupation forces to stop destroying the Yemeni Island of #Socotra.
The ministry urged the United Nations and the Security Council to accelerate adopting an international resolution to prevent the occupying forces from spoiling the territory of the Socotra Archipelago and its natural resources.
The ministry called on the UN to press UAE to leave the island
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484898.htm = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1617755941610763/?type=3
(A P)
Yemen Al Youm TV , mouthpiece of General People's Congress, (GPC), Airing from Sanaa again after few weeks of halt. The same team, Same rhetoric, narrative, clear-cut position against US-Saudi aggression. Top priority, as always, is fighting Aggressors.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/953185939978903552
(A K P)
Voluntary recruitment campaign kicked off in Otemah of Yemen's Dhamar
Governor of Dhamar province, Mohammed Al-maqdashi on Monday inaugurated a voluntary recruitment campaign to reinforce army and popular committees in the battlefronts, a Saba reporter said.
He called on the sons of Otemah district to go to the registration centers to join the armed forces and be at the forefront of the ranks in defense of the homeland and its sovereignty and independence.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484885.htm
and more articles on this Voluntary recruitment campaign at other places:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news485004.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news485005.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news485006.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news485007.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news485008.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news485009.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484894.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484895.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484893.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484891.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484890.htm
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/953129458449420289 (film)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/953499274939072518 (film)
(B K P)
Those who were killed with Houthi benefited
They will replace your son with a small amount of rice, and his oil and its image will be engraved on it (photo)
https://twitter.com/leme563/status/953018964644425728
(B K P)
Jemenitischer General nennt Gründe für baldige Kriegswende
Nach der Ausrüstung der jemenitischen Armee mit einem Luftabwehrsystem wird der Krieg in dem Land bereits demnächst eine Wende erleben. Diese Meinung äußerte der jemenitische Armeesprecher, Brigadegeneral Sharaf Luqman, am Montag gegenüber Sputnik.
Ihm zufolge hat die jemenitische Armee nun neue Möglichkeiten zur Eindämmung der Aggression des Gegners, was ihr bei Gefechten auf See, zu Land und in der Luft helfen wird.
„Die jemenitische Armee hat viele wichtige Stellungen des Gegners unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht, was zu einer Änderung der Situation auf dem Gefechtsfeld geführt hat“, so der General.
Als Beispiel führte er Waffendepots der Luftstreitkräfte, Nachtsichtkameras, ballistische Raketen und Startanlagen an.
Als Reaktion auf Erfolge der jemenitischen Armee soll die von Saudi-Arabien geführte arabische Koalition einen Informationskrieg entfesselt haben, wobei die Situation im Jemen unter einem bestimmten Winkel dargestellt werde.
Zum Bespiel würden Reportagen über ausgedachte Erfolge gemacht. Hätte es diese tatsächlich gegeben, hätte die Koalition Beweise dafür vorgelegt, und andere Medien darüber berichtet, so Luqman.
Zudem vertrat der General die Auffassung, dass die Krise im Jemen auf friedlichem Wege zu lösen sei.
https://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20180115319073076-jemen-krieg-wende-armee/
Mein Kommentar: Sehr realistisch erscheint das nicht gerade.
(B K P)
Yemen’s Houthi militia begins recruiting female fighters
The Houthi militia began recruiting women to fight on battlefronts after suffering grave human losses, Yemeni sources in Sanaa revealed.
The sources added that the militia is using force and financial incentives to recruit women as most of their finest trained fighters were killed since the war began.
The Houthis’ named the women’s battalions ‘al-Zainabiyat’, using their media outlets to occasionally broadcast videos of women training to fight in militia-controlled areas in Sanaa.
The videos show women using different types of arms, and driving armed and military vehicles (photos)
Remark: By Saudi media
(* A K PS)
Houthis send children to warzones, spare adults
The Houthi militia continues to recruit children and send them to the battlefields against the government and spare their adult leaders in Sana'a.
The militia lures children with money to go and do the job while their adult leaders are living a safe convenient life in the capital Sana'a city and Saadah city. It is evident from the sticky posters of "martyrs" seen on cars and buildings everywhere in their areas of control.
Muaadh Yusuf al-Saeedi, 15, was alive and happy in his house in Sana'a at least until December 1 last year. But by December 3, he was returned as a corpse to his family by the Houthis who had abducted him and sent him to the battle zone of Nehm in east Sana'a. His story is only one of dozens that Yemeni news websites publish in Arabic. And these stories are only a few of hundreds that the news media cover.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14594
My comment: As anti-Houthi biased Islah Party media tells. It is impossible to verify this.
(A P)
Yemen Press cutting
A new report on Houthis' human rights violations showed that the rebel militia uses 25 techniques of torture against journalists in its captivity. The report by Sada, an NGO concerned about Yemeni journalists' rights, showed that the militia tortured 55 journalists by electrocution, mock execution, brutal beating, deprivation from basic needs( food, sleep, toilets, medicines, etc.) forcing them to drink sewage, physical abuse during sleep, hanging prisoners upside down among 25 torture techniques in the intelligence jails. # The gist of a report by Marib Press news website.
A Houthi leader, named Abu Ammar al-Azab, raped a 16 year old school girl after he had abducted her.
Houthis attacked a number of women who rallied in the Tahrir square in Sana'a on Saturday to condemn the Houthi insurgency that plunged Yemen in its worst humanitarian crisis in history. The militiamen beat the women severely and abducted some of them to jails.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14611
My comment: With this headline, Islah Party’s Al-Sahwa from time to time assembles a bunch of “Houthi Horror Show”. And more from the same source.
(A P)
Houthis extort prohibitive "war funding" from Sana'a traders
The Houthi rebel militia controlling the capital Sana'a has been exacting huge amounts of money estimated in the tens of millions of rials from Sana'a traders and businessmen these days.
A number of Sana'a traders told Bawabat Al Yemen news website that the militia men extorted them "to pay the War Funding levy" and intimidated everyone to pay to avoid being labeled "as a traitor" and taken action against.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14640
(A H P)
Security authorities seize relief aid Houthis sold to merchant
The security authorities in Lahj reportedly seized three trucks laden with humanitarian relief aid bound for Aden to a merchant who had bought the cargo from Houthi rebels in Sana'a, Anadolu news agency reported the story.
The three trucks carried the logo of the UNICEF and was bound for a "a well-known merchant", the agency attributed to its source. "The investigations with the drivers of the trucks it became clear that the militia had sold the cargo and deprived the intended recipients," the source told Anadolu.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14637
(A P)
Taiz: 2206 Houthis violations in December
The Human Rights Information and Training Center (HRITC) said on Saturday that the Iran-aligned rebel militia of Houthis committed 2206 violations in the province of Taiz last December.
47 cases of killing civilians including 12 children
injured 96 civilians in that same month "including 27 children
abducted 39 civilians forced 23 of them into disappearance, tortured 11 persons and executed one
Unidentified but reportedly large numbers were forced to leave their villages and homes
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14609
Remark: Including victims of shelling. – By anti-Houthi biased Islah Party media.
(A K)
Film: New Yemen trained fighters joining battles against US-Saudi invaders.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/952763087928614912
(A P)
Saada governor inspects IDPs camps
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484807.htm
(A P)
FM meets UN political affairs official
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf on Sunday met with Ms. Nicola Davies, Senior UN Political Affairs Officer to discuss process of a peace settlement.
"Any peace proposal should be included procedures to tackle the effects of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition war and all-out blockade," Sharaf said.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484817.htm
(* A P)
Yemen vows revenge for planned UAE colonisation of Socotra island
Sources within the Ansarullah party of Yemen (also known as the Houthi movement) and the Yemeni Armed Forces have warned the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that Yemen will not stand idly by and allow further takeover of the island of Socotra, in the Arabian Sea. A spokesman for the Missile Forces said that they were “carefully examining” the possibility of a medium or long-range missile strike on an Emirati military base on the occupied island.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/yemen-vows-revenge-planned-uae-colonisation-socotra-island/
(* A P)
Houthis detain Yemeni Vice President’s son
Houthi militias stormed on Friday the home of Yemeni Vice President General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar and kidnapped his son Mohsen Ali Mohsen along with dozens of house guards, sources in Sana’a said.
Ahmar’s office and Houthis did not confirm or deny the news that was reported by Arabiya.Net.
However, Houthi militias also released Saturday two prominent tribal leaders with a number of their followers, who were arrested on charges of participating in the uprising called for by former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on December 2, that ended with Saleh’s death and injuries among his relatives and hundreds of his supporters.
Observers said that Houthis might have taken this step to please the “Hashid” tribe, since the first leader was a communications minister in the unrecognized government coup and a leader in the Popular Congress Party.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1225576/middle-east
(* A K P)
Yemeni scholars call for a 'general mobilization against Saudi invaders'
A group of Yemeni scholars held a convention in the Yemeni capital Sana’a to “invite people to join the mobilization forces to confront Saudis and Emirati enemies.”
Shaykh Shamsuddin Sharafuddin, the mufti of Yemen, said during the convention that the enemies must never imagine that the people of Yemen would surrender, because the Yemenis were those whom the Prophet Muhammad had relied on.”
He added, “We want everyone to participate in the war of defending dignity of Yemen and we call on the government to recruit soldiers. The scholars of different provinces also have the duty to push all people to the battle for freedom and independence.”
and
(* A K P)
Under the slogan: Go Fight! Heavy and Light! Yemenis (older than 18 & younger than 40) joining training camps everywhere after ministry of defense opened centers in every village.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/952403767416229888 referring to film https://twitter.com/y8ku9qYLpWlVWtw/status/952287189345464327
This is the first open army & volunteer militia recruitment campaign in #Yemen since the #Saudi war started in March 2015.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/952483606563303424
and
(A K P)
Mahwit Governor inaugurates voluntary recruiting campaign
Mahwit Governor, Faisal Haidr on Saturday inaugurated with local officials a voluntary recruiting campaign in the province to send reinforcement to the army in the battlefronts to defend the country against the Saudi military aggression.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484705.htm
and
(A K P)
Recruiting campaign kicks off in Yemen's Ibb
In the meeting, they approved the start of the campaign at the level of the district and villages.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484697.htm
(A P)
Gen Ali Muhsin Al-Ahmar's son Muhsin arrested by Houthi militias in Sanhan district, #Yemen capital Sanaa. I thought they were partners in Dhakwan
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/952501731048476674
I heard before that two of Muhsin's sons have been in Sanhan since father left Yemen. They haven't taken any role during war and both were under protection of Saleh.
https://twitter.com/Shuaibalmosawa/status/952607761442988032
(A P)
Photos : Houthi graves attacked at night by unknown saboteurs in #Yemen capital Sanaa. This reminds me of how Saudi Wahhabi militia in the 19th Century, and AQAP in the 20th & 21st centuries, desecrate the graves & tombs of Sufi saints in Hadhramaut and the rest of Yemen.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/952504305952714752 and also https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/952531984764588033
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe "Zuerst" (Gefangene), cp1 (Sokotra) / Look at "At first" (Detainees), cp1 (Socotra)
(A P)
Nephew of slain former Yemen president not welcome in Aden say pro-government forces
The presence of slain former president Ali Abdulah Saleh’s nephew is not welcome said commanders of pro-government forces in south Yemen, highlighting a Saudi-Emirati rift in the Arab coalition.
In a statement, they accused the Saudi-led bloc fighting Houthi rebels, and in particular, the United Arab Emirates, of provoking Yemenis by hosting Tariq Saleh.
(A P)
Al-Shelimy: “Yemen Will Never Go Forth with Presence of Reform Party and His Figures Known of Benefiting from Crises”
Dr. Fahad Al-Shelimy, the well-known Kuwaiti political analyst indicated that the situations in Yemen can never advance towards a good future as long as the reform party, the political arm of Muslin Brotherhood in Yemen, is still there.
Remark: Reform = Islah Party, backing president Hadi, representing Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen, has declared to have no connerctions to the Muslim Brotherhood. (On Islah Party, earlier YPRs).
(A T)
#AQAP militants attacked a Security Belt checkpoint in Al-Had district #Lahj on the border between #Yafa region and #Bayda at 10am this morning. No casualties reported.
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/953221948317745152
(A T)
Gunmen fired on a bus traveling the coastal highway in Rudum district #Shabwa at 1:30am on Jan 11. Salem Mohammed Al-Suqair from Huraidha district #Hadramout was killed and two others were wounded. (photos)
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/953182280683372545
(A T)
#AQAP militants fired five mortar shells at 1st Hazm Battalion camp in #Mahfad district #Abyan from the Al-Khayala mountains west of Al-Mahfad town. According to battalion commander Col Abdullah Al-Hanashi one soldier was wounded by shrapnel.
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/953059604438511617
(A K P)
Governor of #Hodeidah Dr Hassan Taher visited Al-Khokha district on Jan 13 & 14 and was met by #Tihama Resistance leader Abdulrahman Hajri. He also visited the #UAE-restored power plant in #Mokha with the goal of connecting it to the electric grid in Al-Khokha (photos)
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/953092002521870336
Remark: Hadi government’s governor of Hodeida prov.
(A H P)
Marib official critical of limited humanitarian role in Marib
The Deputy Governor of Marib Abd-Rabbu Miftah has criticized the international humanitarian organizations for their "limited" role in Marib.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14595
(A P)
Al-Zubaidy Calls for an Urgent Meeting for the Southern Resistance in Adan
http://en.smanews.org/al-zubaidy-calls-for-an-urgent-meeting-for-the-southern-resistance-in-adan
(B)
Aden in the spotlight: war-torn port city tries to dust itself off
Amid the carnage of the civil war, Aden is the only major city in Yemen looking open for business – but it still has a long way to go before full recovery
achieving stable governance remains very difficult, says independent journalist Mohammed al-Qalisi. “The security situation isn’t safe, because Aden is controlled by many groups: Hadi’s forces, [separatist movement] the Southern Resistance’s forces, the Salafi militias. And the government still faces many other problems, like al-Qaida and Isis.”
He says the character of this city of 1.7 million people, framed against the smoky backdrop of the extinct Shamsan volcano, has changed. “It was a liberal city, with a mix of people – northerners, southerners, people of Indian origin. But the war turned everything upside-down. Now freedoms are being reduced, and it’s moved to being close-minded, which is one of the biggest problems the city, and the country, faces.”
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/jan/15/aden-in-the-spotlight-war-torn-port-yemen
My comment: This article is somewhat superficial. For instance parliament did not (yt) meet at Aden.
(B P)
“Hadi’s legitimacy” the UAE reject it
The legitimacy that Saudi Arabia is talking about is the legitimacy that the UAE reject it. The legitimacy that the UAE has overturned by appointing some of its subordinate leaders in the southern provinces and deploying loyal forces at the entrances and exits of Aden, and opened the secret prisons and placed the city under military rule to complete its coup on legitimacy.
According to observers, UAE today turned from a participant in the coalition to a decision-maker, supports armed groups, practice illegal detentions and enforced disappearance in Yemen, while western and local reports have also revealed that UAE have established several secret prisons, where they practice torture of Yemenis inside it.
The UAE’s suspected role in Yemen has sparked widespread controversy in the Yemeni and Saudi political circles, leading to a major gap in the alliance, especially with its first rival Saudi Arabia.
http://www.newnewss.net/1779-2/
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
Yemen’s Hadi discusses resumption of peace talks with UN envoy
Yemeni President Abdurbo Mansour Hadi met on Tuesday with UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed and his deputy Moin Shreim in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the official Saba news agency reported.
The meeting comes to discuss efforts of resumption of peace talks, which have been stalled for more than a year.
The Yemeni president renewed his keenness and his government's towards peace, based on his national and humanitarian responsibilities towards the Yemeni people.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96569
My comment: Hadi’s preconditions for peace talks and many of his statements make clear that he does not want peace but claims submission.
(* A P)
Ismael Ould Al-Chiek former subordinate in Lybia and now subordinate in Yemen Muein Shreim after 5 days in Sana'a Yemen came out with nothing more than IOCA has outlined as the wishes of Bin Salman and the Coalition, completely ignoring the following important issues:
Halt illegitimate foreign aggression 2. Stop indiscriminate bombing of Yemeni civilians&civilian&economic infrastructure. 3. Stopping blockade & siege; & opening all civilian air & sea ports 4. Payment of salaries of civil service personnel in liberated (Northern Yemen) as pledged by UN. 5. Include Peace and Partnership Accord prepared & signed by all political factions of Yemen (&Hadi) on 21 September 2014 as a legitimate reference & a binding international legal document approved by GCC, Group of 10 (Supervising GCC Initiative) & UNSC. (document in image)
https://twitter.com/commonsense575/status/953335768315060224
(* A P)
In Yemen Amid Killing, UAE Grabbing Socotra, Al-Omeisy Freed, UN Has No Answers
On Yemen, despite the UN and its failed envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed still mouthing the slogan No Military Solution, they had no direct reaction other than platitudes when Inner City Press asked on January 3 to Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi saying "the Saudi-led coalition would put an end to the Al Houthi coup, ruling out any possibility of engaging in peace talks with the militia." IOCA is not even briefing the UN Security Council in January; the month's Council president Kazakhstan, in a badly run press conference on January 2, said that Yemen is now on an every other month Council schedule. Really?
Meanwhile, the UAE's grabbing of Socotra Island and its unique habitat, running bombing raids from there with the connivance of Hadi, is coming to a head. On January 15, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN transcript here
On January 10, Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric was asked about the location and work of IOCA and said, "He is… if I recall, he's in Amman and continuing his… where he's based and continuing his contacts." Yeah. With churros? Selling cars? Or looking for a job with a Saudi-controlled bank? IOCA's marginality was confirmed the next day January 11, when Dujarric said: – By Matthew Russell Lee
http://www.innercitypress.com/yemen12caacguterres015118.html and film:
(A P)
ICP Asks UN About Yemen, The Rappler, Abductions in Nigeria, Impunity for Sangaris in CAR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOBSldBrSCE
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
Film: #Pakistani workers in Riyadh leaving #KSA due to protest against high taxes & low wages, Saudi economy is downed due to Yemen war
https://www.facebook.com/NotoWahabism/videos/1436294679832443/
(* B P)
Saudi Arabia struggles to check extremism in schools
Flagship education scheme suspended after claims it was hijacked by Islamists
As the Saudi government sought to step up its efforts to counter extremism, it dreamt up a competition for schoolchildren to take photos and videos that showed “the kingdom’s work in serving Islam” or security forces’ fight against Islamist militants. But the initiative has been suspended and its future uncertain following allegations that the project itself was hijacked by Islamists. The first head of the programme was dismissed in October after media reports that his staff expressed sympathy with the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement Riyadh designates a terrorist group. His replacement lasted only 72 hours before she was dismissed for the same reason. The government’s experience with the programme, known as “Feten”, which means astute in Arabic, underlines the challenges it faces to reform the conservative education system.
https://www.ft.com/content/d399f4ec-eaf5-11e7-8713-513b1d7ca85a or via https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1617826468270377
My comment: Saudi schoolbooks are full of extremism, insult Jews and Christians. So what should be the use of such a program?
(* B P)
Film, Interview: Bruce Riedel: Saudis 'obsessed' more than ever with Iran
http://us.cnn.com/2018/01/15/politics/un-report-iran-saudi-yemen/index.html
(A P)
Breaking/, #Saudi clansmen death squad murders Maytham AlQudayhi, a Shia Arab democracy activist in Awamya
the victim killed by the clansmen was a passerby who looked like Maytham Alqudayhi.
Shia Arab civilian Abdullah AlQalaff was killed by Saudi clansmen death squad. He was mistaken for activist Mayhtam Alqudayhi.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/952987863565684738
(* B P)
Saudi-Arabien weist mehr als halbe Million ausländische Arbeitskräfte aus
Saudi-Arabien hat im vergangenen Jahr rund 558.716 ausländische Arbeitskräfte aus dem Land ausgewiesen.
Laut einem aktuellen Bericht des saudi-arabischen Sozialamtes sei die Zahl der ausländischen Arbeiter auf dem Arbeitsmarkt des Landes von acht Millionen 518.000 auf sieben Millionen 959.000 gesunken, was einem Rückgang der nicht-saudischen Arbeitskräfte um 7 Prozent entspricht, hieß es im Bericht einer saudischen Tageszeitung.
(A P)
Saudi hotel to reopen after being used as prison in corruption purge
The luxury Riyadh hotel used as a prison during Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on corruption will reopen for business next month, according to a company employee and its website, suggesting authorities are close to settling the cases of many suspects.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia begins screening films after decades-long ban lifted
Saudi Arabia began screening feature-length animated children’s films this weekend in a makeshift theater, after a 35-year-old ban on cinemas was lifted in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
(* B P)
Is Saudi Arabia Israel's protector?
Saudi Arabia has long been accused of ignoring Palestine, and even working with Israel, to the detriment of the Palestinian struggle. A look at Saudi Arabia's history shows that this accusation is not without merit.
The current Saudi leadership’s quest for complete obedience trumps any concern for Palestine. They have made no major announcements on the Palestine peace process or Netanyahu’s aggressive settlement activities (at the time of writing this, Israel approved 1,100 more settlement homes).
There have also been reports that they have sought to buy Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defence capability to beef up their borders against Yemen. Netanyahu’s former top advisor confirmed that the Saudis do not care about the Palestinians as long as Israel can help them knock out Iran.
At the moment, as for much of history, Saudi and Israeli interests are convergent - which means Palestine shall not figure high on Riyadh’s agenda.
https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/is-saudi-arabia-israel-s-protector--14132
(* A P)
Saudi Prince Alwaleed in settlement talks with government
Saudi Arabia’s billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, detained for over two months in an anti-corruption crackdown, is negotiating a possible settlement with authorities but so far has not agreed on terms, a senior Saudi official said.
“He offered a certain figure but it doesn’t meet the figure required from him, and until today the attorney-general hasn’t approved it,” the official said on condition of anonymity under government briefing rules.
(* B P T)
Film: This is from BBC's new 3 part documentary on House of Saud. Talks about Saudi funding for Syrian terror group Jaish Al-Islam. For those who still refer to this group as moderate rebels, please watch to see how Alawite women were paraded in cages.
https://twitter.com/walid970721/status/952113589971750913
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B P T)
Saudi Arabia casts shadow over US role in Yemen crisis
In Yemen, the United States employs several weapons in its battle against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) - the US-labelled terrorist organisation's strongest franchise.
Some of the more obvious examples include airstrikes conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency and raids undertaken by Joint Special Operations Command - but one of the more obscure tools used in the War on Terror has proved among the most controversial for Yemenis.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the US Treasury, can designate AQAP-aligned Yemenis as "specially designated global terrorists" (SDGTs).
To gain insight into how OFAC assists Washington's interventions in Yemen, The New Arab examined the cases of two recent SDGTs: Abdulwahab al-Humayqani and al-Hassan Ali Abkar. Both dispute OFAC allegations that they assisted AQAP over the past several years.
The impact of OFAC's designations on alleged AQAP commanders remains dubious, given that anti-American militants likely have little concern over American sanctions. The sanctions also freeze any US assets the designees may have and prohibits US citizens from doing business with them, but neither Abkar nor Humayqani appear to have US assets.
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/1/15/saudi-arabia-casts-shadow-over-us-role-in-yemen
(* B P)
President Trump’s ‘Friends’ in Saudi Arabia
Is the United States becoming a patsy for the Kingdom?
The House of Saud is a regime, a dynastic enterprise masquerading as a nation-state. Iran, by contrast, is the modern incarnation of an ancient civilization. The antagonism between the two is deep-seated, genuine, and destined to persist.
How the United States found itself aligned with the former against the latter is a story fraught with miscalculation, folly, and hubris.
Saudi Arabia qualifies as an American friend and ally in precisely the same sense as does the state of Israel. In both countries, cold calculation rather than warm regard governs attitudes toward the United States.
No such claims can be made regarding the U.S.-Saudi relationship. We and they are not alike. Saudi Arabia is not part of the West, by even the most expansive definition of that term. While the Israeli commitment to individual freedom, human rights, and liberal democratic principles is imperfect and selective, the Saudi commitment to those values is nonexistent.
Therefore it seems passing strange—no, make that positively bizarre—that the United States, during the “America First” presidency of Donald Trump, should side with Saudi Arabia against Iran in what is a Muslim version of the “Great Game,” pitting Arab against Persian and Sunni against Shia.
The arguments for the United States picking sides in this dispute are weak. If anything, doing so is likely to compound the long string of misjudgments characterizing U.S. policy in this part of the world since the end of the Cold War – by Andrew J. Bacevich
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/president-trumps-friends-in-saudi-arabia/
(* B P)
The War on Yemen and Trump’s Distorting Iran Obsession
Describing the war in Yemen as an “Iranian proxy war” is misleading in itself, since the role of Iran in the conflict has been and continues to be negligible, especially when compared to the major direct intervention of the Saudis and their allies backed by the U.S. and other Western governments. Despite limited Iranian support for the Houthis, the latter aren’t Iran’s proxies and have their own agenda defined by local concerns. Inasmuch as Iranian influence in Yemen has grown from what it was two and a half years ago, that is a result of the calamitous Saudi-led intervention and not the real reason for it.
Claiming that the U.S. is “countering” something that barely exists is another example of how this administration faithfully echoes Saudi talking points. Framing U.S. policy in Yemen as “countering” Iran not only misrepresents the nature of the conflict and the extent of Iran’s involvement, but it deliberately obscures the huge role that the U.S. and its clients have had in creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis there. U.S. support for the war on Yemen has done enormous harm to the people of Yemen and has done nothing to advance U.S. interests in the slightest, but the administration’s Iran obsession keeps it going – by Daniel Larison
(B P)
Hugh Fitzgerald: Saudi Arabia and Iran, Or, What’s to Come is Still Unsure
When the State Department issued its annual report on religious freedom around the world last August, Saudi Arabia, to judge by the language of the report, vied with North Korea as the worst offender.
the usual punishment for singing carols is 1000 lashes
And that 1000 lashes is also the punishment prescribed for anyone, Saudi or foreigner, wishing anyone in public Merry Christmas in the thoroughly Islamic state of Saudi Arabia.
hose textbooks continue to include lessons describing the Jews “as the sons of apes and pigs,” and of Infidels as the “most vile” of creatures
Meanwhile, in official Washington Saudi Arabia is still considered a “friend and ally.”
Nonetheless, and while not forgetting those disturbing Saudi textbooks, we should for now favor Saudi Arabia over Iran. That means sharing intelligence with the Saudis about Iran, and allowing Riyadh access to advanced American weapons.
https://pamelageller.com/2018/01/hugh-fitzgerald-saudi-arabia-iran-whats-come-still-unsure.html/
My comment: How odd are these conclusions??
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(* B P)
Should Britain's Matthew Rycroft take the blame for UN failure in Yemen and Myanmar?
In his new post as DFID's permanent secretary, Matthew Rycroft will gets to grips with the human consequences of the UN and British diplomacy's failure in Myanmar and Yemen.
This month one of the rising stars of the British diplomatic firmament steps down from his post as our representative at the United Nations after three years' service. Matthew Rycroft, who moves on to a new job as permanent secretary for overseas development next week, has been showered with praise from top people.
I will ask an unusual question. Was Matthew Rycroft worth this adulation?
Two tragedies have dominated Rycroft's time at the UN since he joined in April 2015. The first was the war in Yemen, while the second is the genocide in Myanmar.
Rycroft was "penholder" at the UN Security Council on both Myanmar and Yemen. This term means that it was his responsibility to lead discussion and draft resolutions on both countries.
So let's take a look at how Rycroft has performed his duties. In this discussion I will not simply apply the standards of the mutual congratulation society that often defines personal dealings in the diplomatic sphere.
Instead I will also apply moral judgments which are appropriate to life and death decisions made in comfortable offices in cities like New York and London - yet have profound effects on far off places.
I turn first to Yemen.
During his period in charge, Britain has continued to sell arms to Saudi Arabia while using diplomatic muscle to fend off attempts to give proper scrutiny to the Saudi coalition's merciless bombing of Yemen.
To sum up, during the Rycroft years United Nations has failed to call Saudi Arabia to account for the havoc that it has wreaked on its helpless neighbour.
(A P)
Human rights groups call on Theresa May to cancel visit of Saudi Arabia Crown Prince
Campaign groups highlight UK complicity in Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses.
A coalition of human rights organisations has written to Theresa May, calling on her to cancel the visit of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The visit, which was confirmed in December, is expected in the weeks ahead. The Crown Prince has overseen the devastating bombardment of Yemen and holds the second most senior role in the repressive Saudi regime, which has one of the worst human rights records in the world.
Despite the humanitarian crisis, the UK government has continued to arm and support the Saudi regime.
The text of the letter sent to Theresa May is below.
https://www.redpepper.org.uk/human-rights-theresa-may-saudia-arabia-arms-trade/ and also http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2018/01/uk-rights-groups-demand-cancellation-of-saudi-crown-princes-visit.php
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
Siehe / Look at cp13a
(* A K P)
Neue GroKo: Keine Waffen für den Jemen-Krieg - Aber neue Rüstungsexportrichtlinien
Diese Aussage überrascht: "Die Bundesregierung wird ab sofort keine Ausfuhren an Länder genehmigen, solange diese am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt sind." Der Satz ist in jenem Papier enthalten, mit dem CDU/CSU und SPD am 12. Januar 2018 ihre Sondierungsgespräche über eine mögliche neue Große Koalition abgeschlossen haben. Zugleich wird in dem Papier angekündigt, die Rüstungsexportrichtlinien aus dem Jahr 2000 zu "schärfen" und die Kleinwaffengrundsätze durch weitere Regelungen zu ergänzen.
Wer nun denkt, dass Saudi-Arabien und seine Verbündeten Ägypten, Bahrain, Jordanien, Katar, Kuweit, Marokko, der Sudan, Senegal und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate vorläufig überhaupt keine Rüstungsgüter mehr aus Deutschland bekommen werden, bis der Krieg im Jemen beendet ist, könnte sich irren.
Entscheidend dürfte sein, wie die künftige Bundesregierung mit den laufenden, gültigen Lieferverträgen umgeht
http://www.lebenshaus-alb.de/magazin/011223.html
Bemerkung: Frühere Berichte YPR 376.
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
Siehe / Look at cp1 (Emirates)
(* B K P)
China and Yemen’s Forgotten War
Although eschewing a leadership role, China has supported regional and international efforts to mitigate the conflict in Yemen and has supplied the country with humanitarian aid. This Peace Brief discusses China’s diplomatic efforts in Yemen’s transition and peace process and its potential role in postwar reconstruction.
China’s position on the Yemen conflict is driven primarily by its interest in maintaining close strategic relations with Saudi Arabia. As a result, Beijing has acquiesced to the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.
Although not taking a prominent leadership role, China has supported regional and international initiatives to mitigate the conflict, including the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative, the National Dialogue Conference, and UN-led peace talks.
As Yemen’s major trade partner, China has an outsized economic presence in the country and can play a significant economic role in Yemen’s postwar reconstruction through its Belt and Road Initiative.
China is playing a supportive, though low-key, role in international efforts to propel Yemen’s peace process in response to one of the world’s greatest humanitarian crises. The Chinese government has backed the political transition process led by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as the peace talks brokered by the United Nations. Beijing, however, has been unwilling to challenge the Saudi-led air campaign against opposition groups.
https://www.usip.org/publications/2018/01/china-and-yemens-forgotten-war = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/china-and-yemen-s-forgotten-war and full PDF https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/pb241-china-and-yemens-forgotten-war.pdf
and
(* B K P)
China's Base in the Horn of African Has a Huge Underground Bunker
F resh satellite imagery of China’s new military base in Djibouti shows it is significantly more complex, with a large underground component, and an expansive defensive perimeter, than originally thought. The new details only underscore the importance of the facilities and the likelihood that they will serve as more than just a logistics hub for future Chinese operations.
and
(* B P)
The most valuable military real estate in the world
Strategically placed at the entrance to the Red Sea, Djibouti is home to more foreign bases than any other country.
Strategically placed at the entrance to the Red Sea, commanding a large percentage of the trade and energy flows between Europe and Asia, Djibouti is home to more foreign bases than any other country. We drove by one of the four surviving French bases. The perimeter was wide, but the building immediately reminded you of an old Foreign Legion fort, with its run-down walls and picturesque watch towers.
What a contrast to the dark and menacing Chinese naval base I had visited the day before or the autonomous city in the desert that is Camp Lemonnier, the American base.
During my stay in the city, I witnessed French and Japanese soldiers competing for the attention of the local prostitutes in the center nightclubs, and the Chinese and Americans using every opportunity to try to take pictures of each other’s equipment and logistics.
“Around us you can draw a circle with eight military bases. We are completely surrounded. Most countries would find this strange, but for us …” Mohammed stopped for a moment. “I guess it is quite normal.”
(* A P)
Gulf tension: Are Egypt and Sudan about to go to war?
Cairo and Khartoum have allied themselves with opposing power blocs, building on inherent tension between the neighbouring countries.
Tension between Egypt and Sudan has increased this week amid military build-ups on their borders and fears that the crisis in the Gulf has now spread to eastern Africa.
Turkish media reported on 4 January that Egyptian forces have arrived in Eritrea, which borders eastern Sudan, with backing from the UAE and opposition groups from the region.
That same day, Sudan recalled its ambassador from Cairo, then two days later declared a state of emergency in Kassala state, which neighbours Eritrea, and shut the border without explanation. Eyewitnesses in Kassala have since said that large numbers of troops have passed through, heading towards the border area.
My comment: Both countries are members of the Saudi coalition in Yemen – what they will do there?
(A P)
Saudi interior minister arrives in Muscat for talks
Prince Abdulaziz expected to tap Oman's role as regional mediator regarding several crises
The Saudi interior minister arrived in Oman on Sunday on a two-day visit that is expected to include discussions on the Yemen conflict, the Qatar crisis and Iran.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/gcc/saudi-interior-minister-arrives-in-muscat-for-talks-1.695340
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(* A P)
The United Arab Emirates accused Qatar of intercepting two of its civilian flights, which Doha dismisses
The United Arab Emirates said Monday that two of its civilian airliners were “intercepted” by a fighter jet from Qatar during routine flights, in a sign of rapidly escalating tensions between the quarreling Persian Gulf neighbors.
It was not immediately clear what was meant by “intercepted.” A spokeswoman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the reports as “baseless.”
The accusation comes against the backdrop of Doha’s own claims of interference by the UAE.
(* A P)
Bahrain condemns hostile act against UAE civilian aircraft
Manama affirms full support for UAE measures to maintain security, stability
Bahrain's foreign ministry on Monday "strongly" condemned the interception by Qatari fighter jets of an UAE carrier on a routine scheduled flight (Emirates Flight 837) to Bahrain.
The interception is a blatant violation of international conventions and laws issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) drafted in 1944, the ministry said in a statement it posted on its website.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that this hostile behaviour by Qatar against civil aircraft has become frequent in recent times, jeopardises the safety of civil aviation and poses a threat to the lives of civilians," the statement said.
http://m.gulfnews.com/news/uae/bahrain-condemns-hostile-act-against-uae-civilian-aircraft-1.2157176
(A P)
BREAKING: Another #UAE civilian flight intercepted by Qatari fighter jets while it was about to land in #Bahrain’s International Airport
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/952893450642427904
and details
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/953142160576139266
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/953149990846763009
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/953206768645169152
(A P)
The Kingdom of #SaudiArabia condemns the interception by #Qatari fighter planes of two #UAE civilian planes bound for Manama
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/953152059469156352
(A P)
Qatari royal's detention in UAE confirmed by his family
The family of a Qatari royal family member who says he is being held as "a prisoner" in the United Arab Emirates has confirmed his arbitrary detention, according to a Doha-based human rights group.
(A P)
Qatar exile says he’s held by UAE; Abu Dhabi denies claim
An exiled Qatari ruling family member once promoted by Saudi Arabia amid its ongoing dispute with Doha appeared in an online video Sunday claiming he’s being held against his will in the United Arab Emirates, an allegation denied by Abu Dhabi.
The video of Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani, a little-known ruling family member until the boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations, offered new fuel to the monthslong stalemated crisis.
The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency later said Sheikh Abdullah had freely left the country “at his request.”
https://apnews.com/74272edc84194cb1833f3cbd25b4cd3c
and
(A P)
Saudi and UAE are desperately pushing hard for a regime change in #Qatar with a 'fake Emir'. No one believes this lie but themselves.
Abdullah Al-Thani, the fake Emir, Who both #UAE and #Saudi were trying promote after the blockade on #Qatar, says in a new video that he is under arrest in Abu Dhabi, can’t leave, and his safety is in the hands of UAE.
Abdullah Al-Thani, who #UAE and #Saudi tried to push for months as a “legitimate Emir”; creating twitter accounts, media campaigns, and faslely claiming that has wide support in #Qatar, says he is worried that something might happen to him, then Qatar get accused by UAE/Saudi.
https://twitter.com/Reem_AlHarmi/status/904064851072483332 (thread; film)
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR_GI422NTY
(A P)
After visiting Abu Dhabi under MBZ invitation, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Thani, the Qatari oppositionist appears in a video saying he was prevented from leaving UAE. Later on the UAE Foreign Ministry annonced that he was hosted and he is free in his movements. (video)
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/952634932937019393
cp12b Libanon / Lebanon
(* A P)
Hariri lauds Hezbollah, wants ‘best of relations’ with Iran
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri has called for his county to be kept out of regional conflicts, lauding the Hezbollah resistance movement for doing its part to de-escalate the tensions.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Hariri said he was open to Hezbollah continuing to participate in the government following the elections slated for May.
“Hezbollah has been a member of this government. This is an inclusive government that has all the big political parties, and that brings political stability to the country,” Hariri said during Wednesday interview, defying pressure from Saudi Arabia to confront the resistance movement.
“My main goal is to preserve this political stability for the unity of the country,” said Hariri, who reached a power-sharing deal with Hezbollah in 2016.
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* B K P)
Will more European countries follow Norway’s lead on Yemen war?
Key pillars of Norway’s foreign policy in the Middle East include maintaining neutrality in regional conflicts, serving a humanitarian role in crisis-ridden areas, and building strong investment ties.
How does Norway’s decision fit into the context of Europe’s general set of attitudes toward supplying the Saudis and Emiratis weapons as Yemen’s war and humanitarian disaster exacerbate? Although the European Union parliament adopted a resolution calling on the bloc’s members to stop exporting weapons to Saudi Arabia due to the Yemeni crisis, there is no European consensus on this highly contentious issue.
EU members have disagreements about where international law comes down with respect to arms sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi amid the Yemen war
Unquestionably, the strong incentives that European politicians have for not opposing such lucrative deals with Saudi Arabia and the UAE pertain to the economic benefits of greater foreign exchange in their countries’ economies and the growth of their flourishing defense industries that have recently provided good-paying jobs amid periods of high unemployment in Europe.
Italy, Germany, and Spain have all sold arms to Saudi Arabia since the Riyadh-led coalition’s 2015 entry into Yemen.
As many observers of the political crisis and humanitarian disaster in Yemen concur, Western countries’ arms sales to parties involved in the Yemeni crisis have been key factors prolonging the war.
The important question is how will other Western countries, including those that have higher financial stakes in continuing to supply GCC states with arms, move forward? – byDr Khalid Al-Jaber & Giorgio Cafiero
My comment: In Qatari media. What about arms sales to Qatar, which also had been a member of the Saudi coalition?
(* B E K P)
Der Tod ist ein Krämer aus Deutschland
Die ARD zeigt, wie die Waffenschmiede Rheinmetall die Gesetzgeber austrickst und an der humanitären Katastrophe in Jemen verdient.
Das Prinzip ist einfach. Ein Konzern gründet eine Firma im Ausland. Die liefert ihre Produkte in einen weiteren Staat – und der Konzern macht im Stammland den Profit. Das Prinzip ist so einfach, dass man sich wundert, dass der Gesetzgeber nichts dagegen unternommen hat. Denn die Produkte sind Waffen: Mörser, Bomben, Panzer. Die fallen unter das Gesetz über die Kontrolle von Kriegswaffen, will sagen, sie dürften laut bundesdeutscher Bestimmungen nicht exportiert werden in Länder, „die in bewaffnete Auseinandersetzungen verwickelt sind oder wo eine solche droht“.
Sie werden aber exportiert. Nach Saudi-Arabien, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate, Ägypten. Die führen Krieg, gegen den Jemen. Und das tun diese Staaten auch mit deutschen Waffen, geliefert vom Düsseldorfer Konzern Rheinmetall. Natürlich nicht direkt von Rheinmetall, das dürfte die Firma ja nicht, siehe oben. Aber sie macht trotzdem jährlich hunderte von Millionen Euro Umsatz in besagten Ländern. Denn sie hat Ableger im Ausland gegründet, in Sardinien zum Beispiel, oder in Südafrika. Von dort gelangen die todbringenden Geräte dann nach Saudi-Arabien, und dessen Militär setzt sie gegen die Soldaten und Zivilisten in Jemen ein. Das haben jetzt Philipp Grüll und Karl Hoffmann in einem Dokumentarfilm mit dem Titel „Bomben für die Welt“ belegt.
Bei ihrem präzise recherchierten Film, in dem sie die Fakten (abgesehen von der martialischen Musik) nüchtern präsentieren, beschränken sich Grüll und Hoffmann klugerweise auf den Casus Rheinmetall. Die Filmemacher lassen auch Kritiker zu Wort kommen wie den britischen Experten Andrew Feinstein. Er verweist darauf, dass die Kontrollen bei Bananen strenger seien als bei Waffen und nennt etwa das Gebaren der südafrikanischen Rheinmetall-Denel „kriminell“.
und auch
(* B E K P)
Mehr Krieg, mehr Profit
Rheinmetall verdient riesige Summen mit dem Massaker im Jemen. Konzern umgeht deutsche Exportbeschränkungen über Beteiligungen im Ausland
»Eurofighter« und »Tornado«-Kampfjets, Bomben und Raketen werden in der BRD produziert und ans saudische Königshaus verkauft.
Die nächste Bundesregierung will das ändern. Spitzenpolitiker von CDU, CSU und SPD haben sich in den Sondierungsvereinbarungen darauf geeinigt: »Die Bundesregierung wird ab sofort keine Ausfuhren an Länder genehmigen, solange diese am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt sind«, heißt es in der Übereinkunft. Erst am Samstag hatte der geschäftsführende Außenminister Sigmar Gabriel den geplanten Stopp von Rüstungsexporten an die im Jemen Krieg führenden Länder verteidigt. »Wir können ja auch nicht nur jeden Tag beklagen, was im Jemen passiert. Das ist die größte humanitäre Katastrophe, die wir weltweit haben«, sagte er.
Ernst ist es Gabriel damit nicht. Denn deutsche Waffenschmieden umgehen geltende Exportverbote über Tochterfirmen im Ausland.
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/325440.mehr-krieg-mehr-profit.html
bespricht diesen Film:
(* B E K P)
Video: Die Story im Ersten: Bomben für die Welt
Während Bomben eines deutschen Konzerns im Jemen fallen und deutsche Unternehmen ganze Munitionsfabriken in den Nahen Osten und nach Nordafrika verkaufen, rühmt sich das Land mit seinen strengen Rüstungsexportregeln.
http://www.daserste.de/information/reportage-dokumentation/dokus/videos/bomben-fuer-die-welt-video-102.html = http://www.ardmediathek.de/tv/Reportage-Dokumentation/Die-Story-im-Ersten-Bomben-f%C3%BCr-die-Welt/Das-Erste/Video?bcastId=799280&documentId=49174472
und
(* B E K P)
Bomben für die Welt
Die deutschen Rüstungsexportregeln zählen zu den strengsten der Welt. Doch der größte deutsche Rüstungskonzern will sich von diesen Regeln unabhängig machen. Über Umwege exportiert die Rheinmetall AG Bomben und komplette Munitionsfabriken in Länder wie Ägypten oder Saudi-Arabien. Und die Politik lässt dies ungehindert zu.
"RDM lebt im Wesentlichen vom Export", erklärt der Journalist Guy Martin vom südafrikanischen"DefenceWeb".
Standorte in Ländern mit laxeren Exportregeln sind Teil des strategischen Zieles von Rheinmetall-Vorstandschef Armin Papperger, die Unabhängigkeit von deutschen Exportregeln zu sichern, wie es in einer Präsentation des Konzerns heißt. So konnte Rheinmetall Munitionsfabriken nach Saudi-Arabien und in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate verkaufen. Recherchen für die ARD-Dokumentation "Bomben für die Welt" ergaben außerdem, dass RDM vor kurzem eine Anlage an Ägypten geliefert hat.
"Deutschland spielt eine Rolle bei Waffenexporten vor allem in instabile Regionen, in denen Konflikte bestehen oder Unterdrückung herrschen, an erster Stelle natürlich der Nahe Osten", sagt Waffenhandel-Experte Andrew Feinstein. (mit Film)
https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bomben-105.html
(A K P)
Finnish government extends Patria’s export permit to UAE
The Finnish government has agreed to grant a one-year extension to the permit of Patria, a majority state-owned defence technology provider, to export spare parts to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The decision to extend the permit was made in spite of a report by Verdens Gang, the largest newspaper by circulation in Norway, that an armoured vehicle manufactured by the state-owned company had been sighted in use by the UAE in the ongoing civil war in Yemen. The vehicle had been retroactively fitted with a machine gun.
My comment: Hard to believe, but that’s it. Business first, second, third. All other: Forth and below.
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(* A D)
Launching the First Stage of Restoring Sultan Al-Quaity Palace in Al-Makla
The first stage of restoration project for Sultan Al-Quaity Palace in Al-Makla, the ruling headquarters of Al-Quaity Sultanate and one of the most important historical and archaeological places in Hadhramaut. The project is financed by the local authority of the governorate. The first stage aims to remove wastes off the palace’s rooms, ceilings and halls in addition to cutting trees and improving the palace garden.
http://en.smanews.org/launching-the-first-stage-of-restoring-sultan-al-quaity-palace-in-al-makla
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
(* A E P)
With Complete Science of Ben Doghr’s Failure Government, US Dollar Reaches 520 Yemeni Riyal
Local sources indicated that Yemeni Riyal collapsed to its lowest level in front of US dollar and Saudi Riyal as it reached the level of 520 Yemeni Riyal for US dollar and 135 for Saudi Riyal in money exchanger offices. This is the worst economic disaster since Ahmed Ben Doghr formed his failure government that is completely helpless in stopping Yemeni Riyal deterioration in front of foreign and Arab currencies. This horrific economic collapse threatens the Yemeni economic system with more deterioration that may reach a dead end if not reversed soon.
(* A E P)
Saudi-Arabien überweist zwei Milliarden Dollar an Jemens Zentralbank
Der saudische König Salman hat die Überweisung von zwei Milliarden US-Dollar (1,64 Milliarden Euro) an die Zentralbank des krisengeschüttelten Bürgerkriegslandes Jemen angeordnet. Mit dem Geld solle die "sich verschlechternde wirtschaftliche Lage des jemenitischen Volkes" gelindert werden, teilte das Königreich in einer Mitteilung des Informationsministeriums am Mittwoch mit. Der grosse Betrag ziele darauf ab, die stark geschwächte jemenitische Landeswährung, den Rial, zu stützen.
(* A E P)
Saudi Arabia says depositing $2 bln in Yemen central bank to back currency
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered a deposit of $2 billion into Yemen’s central bank on Wednesday to shore up the weak Yemeni currency, the Saudi government’s media office said.
The move comes a day after the Yemeni prime minister issued a public plea for funds to prop up the rial and help stave off hunger in the war-torn country.
https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-saudi-currency/saudi-arabia-says-depositing-2-bln-in-yemen-central-bank-to-back-currency-idUSD5N1N1007 and http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/saudi-arabia-transfer-billion-urgent-yemen-plea-52399571
Comment: This won't help Yemen or Yemenis. Not al all. And it definitely will not prevent the looming collapse of the Yemeni riyal: All notes and coins are literally crumbling, due to the Aden Central Bank's ineptitude.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/953562764630482944
(* A E P)
Yemen seeks Saudi cash as plunging currency deepens war woes
War-torn Yemen said it needs a $2 billion deposit pledged by key ally Saudi Arabia in November to stabilize a currency that hit new lows this week, pushing its impoverished people closer to starvation.
Authorities sought to boost liquidity by printing money, but the rial plunged from 250 to the dollar to 350 after the first batch of newly printed notes was rolled out last year. The rial traded for 440 to the dollar by year’s end and this week crashed to around 500.
“Government action in this regard is done on several tracks, according to the limited options available, including intensifying communication ... to expedite the completion of the Saudi depository procedures,” state news agency Saba quoted government spokesman Rajeh Badi as saying on Monday.
(B E H)
# Sanaa .. a mad rise for food prices
Food prices have skyrocketed in the Sanaa markets since late 2017
Prices continue to rise on a daily basis in tandem with the collapse of the Yemeni riyal exchange rates against foreign currencies, and the population is no longer able to buy the simplest food commodities
https://twitter.com/qwq2311_ahmed/status/952976743731777536
(* B E H)
Solar energy in Yemen is a light point amidst the darkness of total war
In Athoura, located in a mountainous area called Wassab al-'Ali, where many villages are located, some of which have not yet been reached by government services. The Hassan family is following the world through a 14-inch television screen (150 watts) is connected to a regulator and a battery (120 amp). Small wires are used to turn on the lights on the house and wires to charge the mobile phone, but at sunset, the television may be switched on for only a few hours. The deterioration of the efficiency of the battery that stores electricity, which is the problem facing most solar users.
According to a study by the Present Research Center last year, 51 percent of Yemenis rely on renewable energy, and about 34 percent use olfactory energy for lighting and household and electrical appliances, while only 17 percent use lighting.
With the outbreak of war in Yemen, the country has entered a severe crisis and many services have collapsed. Government power plants have been shut down and the Yemeni capital and many of the country's cities have sunk into total darkness.
The cost of a solar home system that provides the minimum needs of poor or low-income families, such as the Hassan family, is approximately YR 100,000 (about $ 300) And wires), but after a few months the battery's efficiency begins to gradually deteriorate. For households that need more energy and material capacity, as well as for enterprises, the costs of the system capable of operating most of the devices could be more than $ 2,000.
"The limited financial resources of many rural people make it imperative for some to buy energy products at low quality standards, which causes an early failure of some parts of the energy system, and thus the system fails completely in a period of not more than one year," he added.
For his part, the expert and media researcher interested in energy affairs Omar Hayani believes that what is wrong with the experience of the use of solar energy is that "there is still random and unintentional use of the family's need for energy, it is limited to lighting in most of the operation of electronic devices such as television, computers, washing machines, Of which is used in heating and heating water.
http://marebpress.net/news_details.php?lang=arabic&sid=133482 and translation https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ar&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fmarebpress.net%2Fnews_details.php%3Flang%3Darabic%26sid%3D133482&edit-text=
(A E)
#Yemen capital Sanaa : Worse by the day – Al Omgy & other money exchange companies continue their suspension of foreign currency dealings.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/953198333975293953
(A E)
Sunday's exchange rate: one US dollar = 500 Yemeni rials, up from 300 rials before floating national currency in August and from 215 rials before war broke out in 2014. Economists expect the dollar to soar to over 700 rials in the first half of 2018.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/952455780724363264
(A E)
503 Yemeni riyals USD$1
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/952680609360629760
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
US drone strike targeted a motorcycle in Al-Sawmaa district #Bayda killing #AQAP militant Akram Al-Adeni on Jan 16 (photo)
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/953434585253031936
(A T)
#AlQaeda #Yemen claims it killed several #UAE-supported Security Belt forces by mortars in al-Mahfad, Abyan 17.30 yday & ambushed Houthi vehicle in Walad Rabi' area of Qayfa in al-Bayda' at 18.30 today. Majority of attacks so far this year (58%) still vs military, not Houthis
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/953352899496697856
(A T)
US delays prosecuting Sudan man held by UAE in Yemen
President Donald Trump’s administration has delayed a decision on whether to prosecute a Sudanese prisoner accused of being a member of Al-Qaeda and currently held by the United Arab Emirates for over a year in Yemen, the New York Times reported
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180115-us-delays-prosecuting-sudan-man-held-by-uae-in-yemen/
(A T)
Pro-#AQAP channel named four militants killed by US drone strikes in Jabal Nawfan area of #Qayfa #Bayda: Abu Abdullah Al-Ibbi, Jarrah Al-Ibbi, Abu Mohammed Al-Taizi, Abu Al-Layl Al-Baydani.
Abu Abdullah Al-Ibbi is described as a companion of #AQAP judge Abu Al-Bara Al-Ibbi. On October 07, 2017 a document of uncertain authenticity was spread by some pro-AQAP channels claiming a court run by Abu Al-Bara Al-Ibbi in #Taiz was shut down.
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/952764294050955264
(A T)
#AQAP's Al-Malahem Media announced a new video: Secrets, its dangers, and the departure of the best of us. (image)
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/952753343927009280
(A T)
#AlQaeda #Yemen continues to target #UAE-supported Shabwa Elite Forces: 2 Katyusha rockets fired at 'Ataq-al-Musayna'a junction 5am. #AQAP also claimed bombing of Security Belt vehicle in al-Mahfad, Abyan yday & 2 ambushes vs Houthi vehicles in Rada' city in al-Bayda' on Thursday
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/952611634555572226
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Emirati role in Decisive Storm represents historical position on Yemen
The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue has stated that the Emirati role in the “Decisive Storm” and “Restoration of Hope” military operations in Yemen represents a historical position contributing to achieving the strategic goals of the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, and helping the Yemeni people fulfil their hopes and aspirations.
The Centre hailed the efforts of the UAE Armed Forces in ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to the residents in the liberated areas of the Yemeni west coast.
This confirms the keenness of the UAE to support the Yemeni people and ensure they have a dignified life, it added.
The Emirates News Agency (WAM), accompanied a UAE Armed Forces medical team, as it treated underprivileged families in the region, who expressed their appreciation of the UAE’s humanitarian initiative that provided comprehensive treatment services.
The Geneva Centre highlighted that the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), recently distributed thousands of food baskets to the residents of the west coast areas in Yemen.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/98b69e01-d8ab-4360-89b4-fabcb0f65cd1.aspx
My comment: By this statement, this “Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue” outs itself as a mere propaganda organization, actually having nothing at all to do with “Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue”.
(A P)
Yemeni Government Accused Iran Regime of Forging Its Currency
The Yemeni government on Tuesday, January 16, without mentioning a name, accused some organizations of the Iranian regime of trying to forge the Yemeni national currency and, consequently, collapse of its value.
According to al-Arabiya, the Yemeni government has expressed the view that the aim of this measure is to increase the suffering of the Yemeni people by "using the human condition as a mean to force the international community to stop military action against Houthi militants".
Yemen's spokesman Rajeh Badi said: “Iran's plan is to protect Houthi militias as a hand tool to save its failed project, a project which is at its final stages due to successive field defeats imposed by the Yemeni army with the brotherly support of the Saudi-led Arab coalition.”
My comment: Nice propaganda. The Yemeni currency is falling not because of any Iranian money forgery. It’s the devastated economy, stupid. And who did most to devastate it?
(A P)
Saudi Arabia welcomes UN report on Iran providing weapons in Yemen
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has welcomed a UN report detailing Iran’s violation of an embargo on the shipment of weapons to Yemen.
My comment: That’s odd because a large part of the UN report blames Saudi Arabia for its air strikes and killings.
(A P)
Yemen Underlines Need for 'All Good Forces' to Confront Militias
Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi underlined the need to defeat militias in the country, while the legitimate government called for the “participation of all good forces” to confront the insurgents.
Hadi said that Houthi militias were determined to be used as an Iranian tool in the killing, displacement and destruction of the country.
“We have no choice but to triumph over the forces of darkness in the interest of the new federal Yemen, as we have two paths: the victory of legitimacy and the new federal Yemen, or dependence on the forces of darkness represented by the Iranian Houthi militias,” Hadi said, during his meeting with the European Union Ambassador to Yemen, Antonia Calvo.
My comment: Odd propaganda like this one (“the forces of darkness“ clearly shows that the Hadi government is unwilling to any peaceful solution „“We have no choice but to triumph“).
(A P)
Saudi FM: Iran Greatest Source of Danger in Region
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir declared on Tuesday that the Kingdom is working on preventing Yemen from falling in the hands of Iran and Lebanon’s “Hezbollah.”
Iran is the greatest source of danger in the region due to its role in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria, he said during a joint press conference with his Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders.
Iran has supplied the Houthis in Yemen with rockets to target Saudi Arabia, he added from Brussels.
Moreover, Jubeir added that the Iran nuclear deal needed to be “improved” to prevent Tehran from enriching uranium.
Commenting on the Yemen crisis, the minister said that Saudi Arabia has hosted more than a million refugees.
In addition, Yemeni ports are ready to receive aid, but they are being looted by the Houthis, stated Jubeir.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1145176/saudi-fm-iran-greatest-source-danger-region
My comment: This is one lie (or fairy tale) after the other.
(A P)
Zeinabeyyat: The Face of Female Militias in Yemen
The so-called Zeinabeyyat is a women's military group established by Houthis to suppress and abuse women and arrest the families based on Iranian ethics, according to Yemeni officials and observers.
"All the Iranian militias in the region are pursuing the same approach, by recruiting children and women," he said.
Awadhi points out that Houthi militias "exploit socially marginalized poor families," saying the majority of the Zeinabeyyat have such a background while the leaders are from the Hashemite families and trainers who recruit members.
Although the role of the Zeinabeyyat is to storm into houses, search them, intimidate families and harass any demonstrators against Houthi militias, they have gone beyond that and are now looting homes, especially gold and jewelry. They even steal children's toys.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1144196/zeinabeyyat-face-female-militias-yemen
(A P)
Nikki Haley touts success in easing humanitarian crisis in Yemen
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s team on Monday won a breakthrough in its effort with Saudi Arabia to ease a humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen.
Four American mobile cranes arrived in Hudaydah, Yemen, where they will be used to offload food and other aid supplies from ships at port. The city had been blockaded by a Saudi-led coalition, which has been fighting against Iran-backed rebels who overthrew the previous government.
“No one should ever have to live the way the people of Yemen are living,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Monday. “We thank our partners who helped us make this delivery possible so that we can help the tens of millions of innocent people who wake up each day facing hunger and disease.”
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/nikki-haley-touts-success-in-easing-humanitarian-crisis-in-yemen/article/2645961 and also http://freebeacon.com/politics/haley-u-s-aid-help-ten-millions-innocent-people-war-torn-yemen/
My comment: This is odd propaganda. The US itself is responsible for “the way the people of Yemen are living”. And Haley plays the role of benefactor.
Comment: Shall we talk about US bombs, intelligence, refueling Coalition's warplanes and arms deals Nikky Haley?
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1617245408328483
(A P)
The only hope for Yemen lies beyond its capital
Today the Houthis control most of the northern areas as well as an extensive amount of heavy artillery and far reaching missiles, much of which is said to be provided by Iran. However, their control over the country is not one that is based on support or welcomed by the majority of the population, even those under their control.
The culture of fear and the police state they have created is their means of survival - as that of any authoritarian regime - and will likely be the end of them. Knowing Yemen and Yemenis, it is clear that Houthi control will be short lived, given their method of rule and the fact that there is no shortage of weapons, men willing to fight, or ambitious new leaders.
But what next? Now that the Houthi-Saleh coalition has come to an end, an opportunity presents itself for president Hadi to become a unifier of Yemenis and take charge of the GPC party
This means that both Hadi and his prime minister bin Dhager, despite their positive initiatives and extended hands may not present the solutions northern Yemeni tribes are looking for.
And here steps in Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar, who may be the answer the tribes need even if temporary.
Muhsin, as a supporter of Hadi, also provides the legitimacy KSA needs to back this agreement. Moreover, Alahmar was already been appointed by Hadi in April last year as vice president, and deputy supreme commanderof the armed forces before that – by Nadia al-Sakkaf
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2018/1/15/the-only-hope-for-yemen-lies-beyond-its-capital
My comment: This article (apart from the last part, which is sound) is Hadi government propaganda, even mentioning the long-time AQAP affiliate vice-president Muhsin al-Ahmar as a positive figure. Al lot more to say, but time is lacking.
Comment: Hadi's propaganda from the former first woman Minister of Information in #Yemen.
Federalism, Hadi described as 'the highest ranking figure in the GPC now, and a natural choice', Ali Muhsin al-Ahmar (please do some research to understand his background) and the liberation of Hodeida and Taiz described as 'crucial'.
This masterpiece was comfortably written out of Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1617139478339076
(A P)
WAM reports on conditions in liberated Yemeni regions
Freedom finally reigns in areas of Yemen’s West Coast that were liberated by the Arab Coalition Forces, led by Saudi Arabia, which supported the legitimate Yemeni government.
The smiles have also returned to the faces of Yemeni children after the Iranian-backed Houthi militias had destroyed their innocence.
The Emirates News Agency, WAM, is reporting on the conditions in the liberated areas of Yemen, directly from the field and at the heart of the events, by visiting many of the key local facilities that are being restored by the UAE, through its humanitarian arm, the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, to offer comprehensive services to Yemeni children.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302660327
My comment: That’s propaganda far from reality.
(A P)
Why Would the North Subdues to Al-Houthi Militias?!!
All these vicious qualities and more reflect the ugly face of Al-Houthi militias. Then, how come they are still holding? And who would the people of the Arab Republic of Yemen in the North subdue to their authority? The answer is very simple. The only alternative is the corrupt legitimacy that once destroyed Yemen.
http://en.smanews.org/why-would-the-north-subdues-to-al-houthi-militias
Remark: Southern separatist view: anti-Houthi and anti-Hadi.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K PH)
Saudi coalition air raids, day by day:
(A K PS)
Film: #Saudi-led coalition base in #Yemen
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/953469200542023680
(A K)
Fragments of cluster bomb dropped by #Saudis injured a shepherdess while she was walking with her sheep in Alsafra area #Saada #Yemen Q: Who made this cluster bombs? #UK & #US . Photo of the women from the hospital
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/953372990250668033
(A K PH)
This is HOW US-Saudi war criminals pounded houses and farms of Yemenis in Serwah Mareb, eastern Yemen over the last 48 hours (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/953280772609277952 and mentioned by Saba http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484904.htm
(* A K PH)
At least 6 civilians are killed in Saudi airstrikes in Yemen's Hudaydah province
Saudi warplanes have launched a series of attacks on Yemen's western province of Hudaydah, killing at least six people.
Late on Monday, Saudi fighter planes attacked a farm in the province's al-Jerahi directorate killing two farmers and injuring several more.
Four more civilians were killed when Saudi jets launched air raids on agricultural land in the province's al-Khokha region.
Earlier in the day, eight civilians were killed and five others were wounded when Saudi military aircraft struck targeted their vehicle as it was travelling along a road in the Ahem area of Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/01/16/549063/yemen-saudi-airstrikes-hudaydah
(A K PH)
2 civilians killed, 3 injured in Saudi airstrike hit Hodeidah
At least two civilians killed and three injured at an initial toll on Monday in a US-backed Saudi aggression airstrike on Jerahi district of Hodeidah province, a security official told Saba.
The air strike hit resident's farms in Dafshah area
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484886.htm
(* A K)
8 killed in Saudi-led airstrikes on farm in western Yemen
Saudi-led warplanes fired missiles at a farm on Tuesday in the western port city of Hodeidah, killing eight civilians, a security official told Xinhua.
"The Saudi-led warplanes mistakenly attacked an agricultural area in the Houthi-controlled province of Hodeidah, leaving about eight civilians killed inside their farm," the local security source said on condition of anonymity.
The pre-dawn airstrikes also targeted nearby locations controlled by Houthi forces, killing and injuring an unknown number of militants, the source added.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/16/c_136900182.htm
My comment: Mistakenly??
Other figures:
(* A K PH)
4 civilians killed in Saudi aggression air strike on Hodeidah
4 civilians were killed when the US-backed Saudi aggression coalition launched an air strike overnight on Hodiedah province, a military official told Saba on Tuesday.
The airstrike hit onion farm in Khokhah district, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484907.htm
(A K PH)
Coalition airstrike destroys citizen's house, Marib prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484813.htm
(A K PH)
US-Saudi cluster bomb injures two women in Sa'ada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484873.htm
(A K PH)
Saudi warplanes conduct wave of ground attacks, airstrikes on Yemen
US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition have launched a series of airstrikes and ground attacks on Yemen over the past 24 hours, killing and injuring dozens Yemeni civilians , according to reports combined by Saba on Monday.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484801.htm
(A K PH)
Girl injured in cluster bomb explosion in Saada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484780.htm
(A K PS)
Arab Coalition Raids target Houthis sites in Qiva district
The Saudi-led Arab coalition aircrafts bombed on Sunday a number of the Houthi positions in the Qiva district of al Bayda province of Yemen, a field source said.
This comes after a similar aerial bombardment by the aircrafts on a training camp for the Houthis in Riyam area of al Qurashia region in the same province, killing one of them and wounding another.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96534
(A K PS)
Arab Coalition Fighters destroy Houthi's weapon storages in Al-Bayda province, Yemen
Arab coalition fighters have destroyed an operations room and weapons storages of Houthi militias in the province of Al-Bayda, south of the capital Sana'a.
A field source said in a statement to the Yemen National Web (26sepnews) that the Arab coalition fighters destroyed a building in Al-Quraishyah District being used by Houthi militias as an operations room and weapons storages.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1708570 and also http://www.arabnews.com/node/1225406/middle-east
Comment: I wish that journalists would make it clear who they are referring to instead of using terms that are frankly stupid. What on earth is a terrorist - except it's a term any power uses to describe someone they oppose who does not belong to an official army. The UN tried to get a definition of terrorism but it was impossible and it is a meaningless term that I try to avoid wherever I can. This article illustrates exactly what I mean.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156290724528641
More air raids reported on:
Jan. 16:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news485020.htm Saada prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484996.htm Hodeida prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484992.htm Amran prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484983.htm Saada prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484976.htm Nehm, Sanaa prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484922.htm Najran
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484905.htm Saada prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484904.htm Marib prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484903.htm Lahj prov.
Jan. 15:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484886.htm Amran prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484888.htm Jizan
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484862.htm Saada prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484863.htm Taiz prov.
Jan. 14:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484785.htm Saada prov., overnight
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484783.htm Amran prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484781.htm Marib prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484777.htm Saada prov.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K)
Saudi-led coalition and Hadi government forces continued an offensive on al Bayda governorate, central Yemen. Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck an al Houthi training camp in Riam area, Rada’a district, northwestern al Bayda on January 13. Al Houthi forces fired a Zilzal-2 ballistic missile at Hadi government forces in Nati’ district, central al Bayda on January 13.[3]
(A K PS)
Houthis snapper kill one of 14 October revolution figures, three others in Lahj and Taiz
Houthi sniper shot dead one of the October 14 revolution figures in al Qubayta district northern Lahj, southern the country, while three civilians were killed by shelling and sniper in Taiz city.
A local source told Almasdaronline that a Houthi sniper stationed in Najd had shot dead the 70 years old Salah Ahmed Ali, at the roof of his home in Najd Thujan, near the government compound.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96572
(A K)
Saudi-Arabien fängt erneut aus dem Jemen abgefeuerte Rakete ab
Riad beschuldigt wieder den Iran
Die Luftabwehr habe das Geschoss am Dienstagabend über der Stadt Dschisan nahe der Grenze zum Jemen "abgefangen und zerstört", erklärte die von Riad angeführte Militärkoalition. Die schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen erklärten in ihrem Sender Al-Massira, die Rakete sei auf einen Flughafen bei Dschisan abgeschossen worden und habe "ihr Ziel erreicht".
(A K PH)
Yemen fires ballistic missile on Saudi airport
Missile force of the Yemeni army and the popular committees on Tuesday night fired a short-range ballistic missile on a regional airport in the Saudi border city of Jizan, the military media said in a statement obtained by Saba .
The missile hit the target precisely, the statement added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484981.htm
and
(A K PS)
Command of Joint Forces of Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen: Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces intercept, destroy ballistic missile fired towards Jazan
Spokesman of the coalition forces to support the legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki al-Maliki that at 08:12 this evening, the air defense forces detected the launch of a ballistic missile by the Huthi militias of Iran from within the territory of Yemen towards the territory of the kingdom.
Colonel al-Maliki said that the missile was in the direction of the city of Jazan and was deliberately launched to target civilian and populated areas, was intercepted and destroyed by the Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces.
Al-Maliki said that this hostile action by the Houthi group supported by Iran proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime's support for the Huthi armed group.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1710618
My comment: And following is the well-known anti-Iranian nonsense propaganda. Now even it’s “the Huthi militias of Iran”: LOL. – Maliki is enraged that the missile was “deliberately launched to target civilian and populated areas”– well that’s exactly what Saudi air raids daily do, and the air planes unfortunately almost never are “intercepted”.
(A K PS)
Explosive disposal engineer Musa Abdullah Miznan Al-Harthi removes land mines and IEDs planted by the Houthis in Usaylan district of #Bayhan #Shabwa. (photos)
https://twitter.com/demolinari/status/953262416892080128
(A K PH)
Saada prov.: artillery and missile force of Saudi enemy shelled Ghor area of Ghamer district, and several areas of Munabeh border district
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484905.htm and more shelling http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484983.htm
(* A K PS)
Houthi bombard neighborhoods, injure 10 civilians in Taiz
The Houthi rebel militia have bombarded several neighborhoods around the Central Prison in Adhabab in western Taiz, injuring 10 civilians some of them critically, local sources told the media.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14638
(A K PS)
Family sustains injuries due to Houthi landmine
A family in Yemen's central Beidha province was injured last week asin an explosion of a Houthi-planted landmine that severely damaged their car as well. Several media reported that Abdullah Ali Al-Ameri and his wife and children sustained injuries of various degrees when their car ran over a landmine, planted by the rebel militia.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-14596
(A K PS)
Arab Coalition Spokesman in Nihm front, a military commander: waiting for orders to storm in Sana'a
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96535
VIDEO: #RSAF Col. Turki Almalki, #Saudi-led Coalition spox, visits the #Yemeni National Army's front lines in Nahem, Sana'a
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/952631894805540865
(A K PH)
Serwah district, Marib prov.: residents' houses and farms were shelled bt the artillery of Saudi-paid mercenaries
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484781.htm
(A K PH)
Woman injured in Saudi missile in Saada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news484776.htm
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(-)
Film: Taking care of our buildings, #Yemen-i style
At the end, war is just a parenthesis and we will continue to rebuild.
No matter how much destruction is inflicted on us
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1617745121611845/
(* B K)
Meet Yemen's street artist: 'We want peace'
With ending war his motivation and the street his canvas, one Yemeni artist is using street art to campaign for peace in Yemen
Murad Subay sees the devastated streets and bombed buildings in Yemen's war as something more than just ruins: he sees canvases onto which he can tell stories through art.
The award-winning 30-year-old street artist's aim is to spread a message of peace during Yemen’s current crisis - and his work is having a major impact in Yemen and abroad.
“Street art has never really been a part of Yemeni culture, but after seven years of war, it is becoming more normal,” he tells Middle East Eye.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/streets-speak-yemen-1283037878
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-376-yemen-war-mosaic-376
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-376 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-376:
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
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
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