Feb. 4, 2018: Situation at Aden: Calmed down, but strife only postponed – Hope Relief caring for Yemeni children – Cancer drugs running out – Saudis and Yemen – Mahra province – Houthis as “Shia”: false coding – Yemeni tribes and Al Qaida – Child soldiers – Cultural heritage at risk – Saudi coalition air raids – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Lage in Aden / Most important: Situation at Aden
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
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H)
Feeding Yemen’s starving children one tweet at a time
As Yemeni journalist Ahmad Algohbary covers the civil war in his own country, he uses social media to find aid for civilians caught in the middle
It all started with a tweet. Ahmad Algohbary saw a young, malnourished boy in Sa’dah, in northwest Yemen. The country’s civil war had been raging for a year when Algohbary tweeted the photo of the boy, which got attention from a donor abroad. Algohbary began posting more photos of children, receiving donations and preparing food baskets for families.
Today, the 24-year-old runs Yemen Hope and Relief, a one-man organization buying and distributing food aid to families in the war-torn country. He continues to help and advocate for those in a country caught in a bloody war and the biggest humanitarian crisis in decades.
“I cannot stand and watch that my country is bleeding,” Algohbary said. “Children are suffering. They are starving to death. Imagine if this happened to your son, or your wife or your family. Put yourself in our shoes.”
Algohbary began Yemen Hope and Relief in 2016 after publishing that photo of a boy suffering from malnutrition. An American saw the photo and gave Algohbary $900 to take the boy to a malnutrition center and get him food.
Before this, Algohbary was despondent. He was in college studying English and art in 2015 when a series of bombings killed six of his closest friends. When the school cancelled classes, he began photographing people and sharing the stories of those affected by the war. The opportunity to help gave him newfound hope. He would help families and children.
Algohbary estimates he has distributed more than 600 food baskets to families. The average food basket contains 25 kilograms of flour, 10 kilograms of sugar and 10 kilograms of rice and costs about $40. Taking a child to the malnutrition center costs $800, and then $100 a month for medicine if the child recovers, Algohbary said.
His biggest supporters are “normal people” living outside of Yemen who connect with him on Twitter, he said. “Without them, I was not able to help any children or to distribute food baskets.”
Algohbary’s work has received international attention.
http://abeautifulperspective.com/2018/02/01/feeding-yemens-starving-children-one-tweet-time/
and these are his latest cases:
We are checking total raised so far with our charity partner @HANDSIntUK and will update you shortly. Ahmad plans to travel to fetch this little girl shortly. Please consider donating if you haven't yet. Thank-you!
https://twitter.com/hope_relief/status/958762048535584770 (and another girl, 5 years old)
https://twitter.com/hope_relief
(** B H K)
Film: Paralysed girl becomes symbol of Yemeni child victims
Safa Sadeq, a 10-year-old Yemeni girl, has been confined to her bed after she was targeted by a Houthi sniper while looking after sheep at her family's farm in Taiz.
A 10-year-old girl, Safa Sadeq, is one of them who was targeted by a Houthi sniper three months ago while she was looking after livestock in Taiz province.
"I was walking with a broken sandal and out of nowhere the bullet hit me," says Safa.
She is now paralysed and confined to her bed which means she can no longer go to school or continue with her education.
"I want to study. I want to walk again like before. And I want to play with my brothers," she says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F-UOVfccRY = https://www.facebook.com/StopTheWarOnYemen/videos/809099982593533/
Comment by Judith Brown: Another victim of the Yemen war. So terrible. Isn't it funny how despite the thousands of bombs dropping on Yemen and the continued ground war in Taiz and elsewhere the casualty rate never goes up, which makes it plain that those reporting the war don't want the real death toll to be released. And it makes it plain that they just don't care.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156355028803641
(** B H)
Yemen hospitals running out of cancer drugs: Press TV
Healthcare centers across Yemen are running out of necessary medical items for cancer patients due to Saudi Arabia’s direct bombardment of medical facilities and its crippling blockade that has prevented the flow of medical supplies to Yemeni hospitals, Press TV reports.
The head of Hudaydah’s cancer therapy center, Yassir Abdullah Nour, told Press TV that over 50 cancer medical items had become unavailable across the country, while importing them was highly challenging due to Saudi Arabia’s ongoing war and its crippling blockade against Yemen.
“Our cancer therapy center receives patients from three provinces, including Hudaydah. We have already registered 5,070 cancer patients. The figure continues to rise, while the center continues to run out of medicine,” Nour said.
“Since the beginning of the war, our healthcare service has been severely impacted. But we are trying to do our best to save people’s lives,” he noted.
Monthly treatment for each cancer patient costs $3,000, while many patients who can afford the expenses are not even sure if they can receive the next dose of their medicine a week later as cancer therapy centers are running out of necessary supplies.
“Most of our treatment depends on donations, but because of the ongoing war and the inability of the center to receive medical aid from international organizations due to the blockade, many life-saving drugs have become scarce in our country,” Ahmed Mohamed, a cancer patient, said.
Comment: This should be a reason enough to try every single person who has supported, endorsed, enforced the siege on #Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1636223696430654
(*** B K P)
Our Ally in the Middle East
While the Saudi coalition has been bombing Yemen since 2015, not a word was uttered about its actions when American president Donald Trump visited Riyadh in May.
The myth about Iranian Proxies
The reason that Saudi Arabia, along with its coalition partners, is waging war in Yemen has been repeated ever since the conflict started. Riyadh is fighting Houthis, a former guerrilla movement from the country’s Shia-populated Northern Province of Sa’ada.
Straightaway, the goal of the bombing was stated clearly: Riyadh sought to restore the government apparatus of President Hadi in Sana’a and crush the Houthi uprising. Justifying its actions, the Saudi coalition blamed Iran for supporting the rebel movement and thus destabilizing the entire region. Therefore, the coalition intervened in Yemen to stop the spread of Iranian influence on the Arabian Peninsula. Obediently, the Western news media amplified this message. A proxy war scenario was born.
Thus “the primary Saudi aim is to pacify Yemen, but its wider objective is to send a powerful message to Iran: stop meddling in Arab affairs.”
This narrative is still relevant today. Under a premise that Houthis are no more than proxies of Iran, it is possible to draw a conclusion that Riyadh responds reciprocally to Iran’s actions. Of course, such a narrative is grossly oversimplified, though it is repeated routinely in the corporate papers, and thus it has become a conventional wisdom. Before breaking down this myth, it is worth stressing that even if the conflict is portrayed as a regional fight between the two rivals – Riyadh and Tehran – the United States has numerously demonstrated its unilateral position on the issue.
In this context, Iran’s destabilizing “extremist groups” in Yemen are the Houthis.
The nucleus of the argument that Iran is fighting a proxy war in Yemen stresses that Houthis receive their weapons from Tehran. Indeed, in order to see how much support Iran provides to Houthis, it is worth examining the U.S. diplomatic cables.
The Saudi Colony
What should be analyzed then is the sudden rise of the Houthi movement in 2014. Did something change between December 2009 and September 2014, when the rebels captured Sana’a? Is Iran the sponsor of their victories?
The answer perhaps lies in the political shifts the country experienced during the Arab Spring, and in the relationship of its establishment elite with the regional powers.
Pipeline Project
It is therefore logical that Riyadh is pursuing to use Yemen for its self-benefiting projects.
A British diplomat based in Yemen told PolOff that Saudi Arabia had an interest to build a pipeline, wholly owned, operated and protected by Saudi Arabia, through Hadramaut to a port on the Gulf of Aden, thereby bypassing the Arabian Gulf/Persian Gulf and the straits of Hormuz.
United Decentralized Yemen
Starving the RebellionMaking Excuses for the Genocide
Indeed, there is not a lot, really, that can justify the rebel launch of a missile towards Riyadh, although the motive was clearly retaliatory. While condemned, the attack killed no one; the missile was intercepted. By contrast, the Saudi-led coalition was not condemned when it bombed civilian airports in Yemen, including the complex in Sana’a. In her presentation, Haley mentioned nothing about the coalition air crimes, about its deliberate policy of starving Yemenis to death. This is not something the ‘world community” should be concerned about. Highly publicized, the presentation has, in fact, once again validated the coalition war and justified the naval blockade. Perhaps one would not be wrong for calling the speech [Nikki Haley’s presentation of Houthi rockets] ‘a formal excuse for genocide’.
The Pragmatist is Gone
Thousands of miles to the West from Yemen is the government of the world’s mightiest empire, controlled by the interests of corporations and their shareholders on Wall Street. Indeed, the stock market has broken records in recent times, with defense stocks performing particularly well. From 17 January 2017 to the time this article is typed, the stock of Boeing has doubled in price; the shares of Raytheon rose 35 percent, Lockheed Martin whooped 30 percent and General Dynamics 17 percent, respectively. The war economy of an empire is experiencing exciting times. Ties between Washington and Riyadh remain strong and unhinged.
The coalition’s onslaught in Yemen continues – by Maxim Nikolenko
https://www.globalresearch.ca/war-crimes-and-genocide-in-yemen-death-destruction-starvation/5627917
(** B P)
Saudi, UAE involvement in eastern Yemen unsettles Oman
Developments in Yemen’s easternmost al-Mahra governorate, which also belonged to South Yemen during its official existence (1967-1990), are simultaneously heightening concerns about different Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states’ opposing interests undermining the prospects for conflict resolution in Yemen.
Certain tribal figures in al-Mahra objected to the UAE’s actions in the province, in no small part based on Abu Dhabi’s support for southern independence. Also, as al-Mahra has so far been spared the horrors of Yemen’s civil war and Salafist-jihadi terrorists have not spilled blood in the governorate, locals had concerns about the coalition’s growing involvement in al-Mahra dragging the peaceful province into the country’s war.
Thus when the Mahri Security Committee eventually agreed to the coalition’s actions in al-Mahra, the body did so with caveats, including that al-Ghayda airport not be transformed into a military base of the coalition; that the coalition’s actions in al-Mahra be done in coordination with local authorities; and that al-Mahra’s administrative, security and military team remain intact.
Last month, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported on stepped-up Saudi involvement in al-Mahra via the UAE. Signs of Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in al-Mahra came in late November when Hadi fired the province’s governor and appointed Rajeh Saidbakrit, who is close to Riyadh.
The underlying reason may be Saudi Arabia’s aim to militarize their presence in al-Mahra. On Jan. 18, sources claimed that the Saudis deployed reinforcements to Nishtun port, situated within close proximity to the Omani-Yemeni border. Also, Riyadh recently announced its plans to open a Salafist missionary center in al-Mahra. Reportedly, Yemenis and non-Yemenis are buying real estate in al-Mahra at prices far above their value. Some are thought to be militant Sunni fundamentalists who fought in other parts of Yemen.
Oman, which wields significant influence in al-Mahra, negatively views the coalition’s deepening involvement in the Yemeni governorate where Muscat seeks to preserve the sectarian balance and the security landscape’s status quo – by Giorgio Cafiero
and the newest from Mahra province:
(* A P)
Clashes between Saudi forces, armed gangs in Yemen
Violent clashes broke out yesterday in Al-Mahrah governorate between Saudi Arabia’s forces and unidentified armed smugglers, Aden Tomorrow reported.
Sixteen armed smugglers entered the governorate in four vehicles when an encounter with Saudi forces led to exchange of gun fire. There was no clear indication on casualties, but one male resident was shot dead on the Mahayfif coast.
The smugglers operating near the border of Oman reportedly travelled from Marib governorate and entered Al-Mahrah through the Rumah district in order to transfer weapons and drugs.
Saudi Arabia has since levied a prominent presence in Al-Mahrah to monitor the border.
“This incident is symptomatic of a much broader problem in Yemen, which is that some of those in positions of power have vested interests in the booming war economy. This means that they have little incentive to end the war.
“In Mahrah, I have personally witnessed the effects of a massive increase in smuggling activity. For example, new hotels and new shop fronts have sprung up in and around Al-Ghaydah. These are likely vehicles for money laundering; certainly, locals can’t afford to use them and can only watch and wonder. Mahrah’s economy looks on the surface to be booming but the lives of regular citizens are either unchanged or deteriorating,” Kendall continued.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180202-clashes-between-saudi-forces-armed-gangs-in-yemen/ and Kendall’s tweets:
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/959159716646670339
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/959163531408093184
(** B P)
How the Houthis Became “Shi‘a” – False Coding
The first problem with calling the Houthis “Shi‘a” is that, technically, they are not Shi‘a, at least not in the way that most people understand contemporary Shi‘ism.
The second, larger problem with discursively equating the Zaydi faith with Twelver Shi‘ism is that it paints a picture of “natural” or “primordial” ties between the Houthis and Iran. President Hadi has emulated his predecessor Salih in asserting these ties, as have his Saudi and Emirati allies, who have regarded Iran as an implacable foe since the 1979 revolution.
But, for several reasons, it is wrong to code what is happening in Yemen as a Sunni-Shi‘i conflict. The Houthis are not an Iranian proxy but a predominantly local political movement founded in long-standing, Yemen-centric grievances and power struggles.
Political Strategy, Not Religious Politics
How, then, did the Houthis become “Shi‘a”? The process started with instrumentalist political entrepreneurship, rather than doctrinal distinctions or cultural proximity.
While the Houthis did borrow slogans and banners from Iranian revolutionary politics—such as “Death to America, death to Israel!”—these tactics should be understood as elements of local political strategy and part of the backlash against the US-Yemeni relationship rather than as signs of religious and geopolitical affinity. [8]
The regime’s animus soon became so pronounced that the US Embassy in Yemen sent several cables to Washington to clarify the relationship between the Houthis and Twelver Shi‘ism. These documents consistently portray a Yemeni regime (led by Salih) intent on deliberately mischaracterizing the Houthis as a sectarian, terrorist organization linked to Iran and its supposed agents abroad, chiefly Hizbollah in Lebanon. One typical cable notes
In other words, in the late 2000s, Salih’s regime was experimenting with inaccurate and often self-contradictory narratives to convince the United States and other nations to support the Yemeni government’s campaign against the Houthis as part of both the war on terror and containment of Iran.
A Dangerous Misconception
The Arab uprisings complicated the situation.
The “Houthis are Shi‘a” narrative should be seen for what it is—a carefully crafted piece of political rhetoric devised to gloss over important differences between religious denominations, to reinforce the false image of a war between those who identify as Sunni versus those who identify as Shi‘a, and to encourage foreign—and particularly US—military intervention in Yemen. It provides a dangerously simplistic mental short cut for policymakers who are unfamiliar with Yemeni history and politics. In so doing, it diverts attention from the massive humanitarian crisis caused by years of civil war and the US-backed Saudi-led coalition’s ongoing blockade and bombardment. The cynical use of sectarian language casts the conflict in Yemen as part of an epochal, region-wide struggle rather than a local civil war made more deadly for Yemeni civilians by Saudi and Emirati intervention – by Anna Gordon , Sarah E. Parkinson
http://merip.org/mero/mero012718
(** B P T)
POMED Report – Foe Not Friend: Yemen’s Tribes and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For more than 15 years, the United States has waged a counterterrorism campaign in Yemen against al-Qaeda, whose local affiliate, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), poses an especially dangerous threat to U.S. interests according to U.S. officials. Despite hundreds of U.S. airstrikes and other pressure, however, AQAP has been resilient, and has even gained ground in the past seven years as political turmoil, followed by a civil war, has plunged Yemen into chaos.
Some Western observers (along with many Yemeni government authorities) contend that a key reason for AQAP’s staying-power is that some tribes are aligned with the terrorist group and provide it with safe havens, fighters, and other support. To be sure, AQAP has a presence in some tribal areas, and some tribal members (along with other Yemenis, and some foreigners) have joined the group. But in doing so, they have acted independently, against the wishes of their tribes. Yemeni tribes as collective entities—as opposed to individual tribesmen—have not allied with AQAP or agreed to give its fighters sanctuary. Tribes reject the group’s radical and violent ideology and tend to see AQAP as a serious challenge to their authority.
Because of tribal pushback, AQAP has only been able to seize territory and make other gains in parts of Yemen where the tribal structure is relatively weak. The failure of the Yemeni ruling elite to seriously confront the AQAP problem, and the civil war instigated by that same ruling elite, have been more significant factors in the group’s spread than any tribal action.
[…]
This report unpacks the dynamics between tribes and AQAP to explain that Yemeni tribes are not an inherent part of the problem, but instead could represent a key to countering the group effectively. The report describes the evolution of al-Qaeda in Yemen since the late 1980s; what tribes are, the government’s relations with tribes, and tribes’ governance and value systems; and AQAP-tribal interactions before and during the civil war, when some tribes have coordinated with AQAP against the Houthis, a common enemy. The report goes on to discuss how the excessively militarized U.S. counterterrorism approach has worsened some of the conditions on the ground that fueled al-Qaeda in Yemen in the first place. Finally, the report offers four broad recommendations for U.S. policy:
Work to end the war as soon as possible. The civil war is devastating Yemen, opening the door for AQAP to expand, and degrading the capacity of tribes and other Yemeni institutions to counter the radical group.
Do not wait until the end of the war, however, to help Yemenis strengthen security and improve living conditions. Act now to address urgent local security, economic and humanitarian needs, especially through bottom-up approaches that engage tribes.
Limit the use of airstrikes and raids against AQAP, especially in areas where clashes between Houthis and tribes are ongoing. Such attacks generate popular anger among tribes and other Yemenis that AQAP exploits.
Explore the possibility of rehabilitation for some tribesmen who joined AQAP for economic, political, or social reasons, not out of ideological commitment.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Contrary to a common stereotype, tribal areas are not lawless. They operate according to a well-developed system of rules, rights, and obligations, including peaceful conflict resolution methods that have been effective against AQAP.
Tribes oppose AQAP because its presence can instigate conflict within tribes, threaten the fragile social order, and invite air strikes. Tribes reject AQAP’s goal of replacing tribal customs with Shari’a law and relegating tribes to a subordinate status.
AQAP has been able to recruit some tribal youth who, frustrated, without economic prospects, and isolated in their communities, are vulnerable to its propaganda that speaks to their social and political grievances and offers them status and material gain.
During the civil war, tribesmen in some regions have coordinated with AQAP militants to drive the Houthis from tribal regions they have invaded. For these tribesmen, this does not represent an ideological alliance, but a necessary wartime tactic against a shared enemy.
The preferred U.S. strategy against AQAP has been to prosecute a controversial and far-reaching air (mainly drone) strike campaign. These strikes have killed AQAP leaders, but also killed and injured many civilians in tribal areas, and caused destruction and disruption that breed deep anger among tribes toward the Yemeni and the United States governments. AQAP exploits this to build support.
The United States has not given nearly enough attention to the political and economic conditions inside Yemen that have given rise to AQAP in the first place –by Nadwa Al-Dawsari
http://pomed.org/pomed-publications/foe-not-friend-yemens-tribes-and-aqap/
My comment: The author is seriously anti-Houthi and is told to be a backer of Islah Party. – Strange: “Limit the use of airstrikes and raids against AQAP, especially in areas where clashes between Houthis and tribes are ongoing.” The bad, bad Houthis; the war against the Houthis should be a greater goal than fighting Al Qaida? These US drone strikes are contraproductive and often war crimes, whether there are fights against Houthis clos by or not. – The best advice to the US is not given here: Keep out of Yemen!
(** B H K)
Firing guns, finding bodies: Life for Yemen's child soldiers
Younis learned how to use a machine gun as a child. "It's normal. We are Bedouin," says the 13-year-old.
Being a soldier, he discovered, involved a lot more than firing a gun. Over a year ago, he says he was forced by Houthi rebels to take up arms on the frontlines of Yemen's civil war.
"I saw the people beside me get killed," he says
Since March 2015, the United Nations has verified 2,369 cases of child recruitment and use of children in combat in Yemen
Yemeni officials in the Western-backed government in the South believe there are more than 6,000 child soldiers across the country, and suspect that as many as 20,000 children may need help with war rehabilitation.
When it comes to child soldiers, Houthis shoulder most of the blame, the UN said in a report last year. Houthis were behind 359 out of 517 verified cases of child combat recruitment in 2016.
A Houthi official has called reports of the group's enlistment of child soldiers "exaggerated," and claims that official leadership is trying to counter the practice.
"We are against child soldiers and our supreme leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has continuously given us orders to not allow children to fight," Ali al Asimi, a senior Houthi official and member of the group's political council, tells CNN.
Children like Younis can be spotted on roads connecting Yemeni towns, wielding rifles as they trudge through the desert. The problem of Yemen's child soldiers precedes this civil war, and spans its entire political spectrum.
According to the UN, Yemen's child soldiers are as young as 11.
Ex-child soldiers tell their stories
At a Saudi-funded rehabilitation center for child soldiers in the desert city of Marib, Younis' classmates -- predominantly ex-Houthi soldiers -- talk about their roles in battle.
CNN was in Yemen with the country's information minister and the government army's regional commander. Their coalition partners, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, facilitated the trip, including a visit to the Saudi-funded rehabilitation center.
"The Houthis depend on the children because they are impressionable. And they can be easily coaxed with weapons, money and even food and water. They also take advantage of their child enthusiasm," Abdel-Rahman El-Qotby, director of the Saudi-funded Marib rehab center, said.
According to a 2017 Amnesty International report, the Houthis promise monetary incentives to the families of child soldiers, pledging monthly pensions of around $80 to $120 if the child were to die. Houthis will print memorial posters for deceased child soldiers, the report says.
The rehab program Younis enrolled in is still in its infancy -- it has treated nearly 200 teenagers in four centers across the country – by Sarah El Sirgany
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/02/middleeast/yemen-child-soldiers-intl/index.html and a somewhat shorter version, with film: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/02/middleeast/yemen-child-soldiers-intl/index.html and film also: https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/golf/yemens-ex-child-soldiers-tell-their-stories/vp-BBIBwnj
Comment: A story of child soldiers. Of course it is terrible. But often the alternative is starving to death. There are no good guys in this horrible war.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156355075208641
and
Govt hands over 27 Houthi child soldiers back to families
The local government of Marib has handed over 27 children arrested fighting in the Houthi rebels' side back to their families on Thursday.
A ceremony was organized by the local authorities to hand over the children back to their relatives who came from different provinces of Yemen to receive their misled children.
The authorities said they de-radicalized and rehabilitated the young warriors to fit back in their society and in schools.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15173
(** B H)
Wheat plague spreading through Yemen
Spread of ‘black rust’ through Yemen a risk for wheat crops in Africa, Asia, Europe
North African country is key to tracking, containing strains of the fungus
FAO and local authorities intensify control with coordination, training
Agricultural experts are seriously concerned about the spread of stem rust through Yemen to the world’s major wheat production regions, where it could wipe out huge cultivation areas of a crop crucial for food security.
Stem or black rust is a disease that hits basic agricultural crops such as wheat and barley. It is caused by a Puccinia fungus which attacks a plant’s stem, roots and leaves, but mostly damages the stem.
"As a gateway to Asia [from the south-west], Yemen has become one of the important areas of research, study, and intensified efforts related to the spread of the disease," said Salah Hajj Hassan, who represents the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Yemen.
https://www.scidev.net/global/farming/news/wheat-plague-spreading-through-yemen.html
(** B K)
Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk - Yemen
Armed conflict in Yemen has brought instability to the country and has caused damage and destruction to its cultural heritage. Numerous sites and museums have been affected by the fighting and archaeological objects have been reported stolen or illegally excavated. The cultural heritage of Yemen is protected by national legislation and international agreements, nevertheless, the conflict is endangering the country’s cultural objects that are now at risk of being illegally trafficked.
Thanks to the support of the U.S. Department of State and the scientific contribution of experts, ICOM is publishing an Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk for Yemen in order to provide law enforcement and cultural heritage professionals with a practical tool to identify the cultural objects of Yemen most at risk, with an aim of preserving them for future generations.
Download the Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk - Yemen in English
http://icom.museum/resources/red-lists-database/red-list/yemen/
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(** A H)
New Birds Flu Outbreak, #Yemen
A medical source in the capital #Sanaa launched an urgent appeal: "the birds flu virus began to appear in a number of neighborhoods in the capital''.
The source added in a statement to the "Yemeni Scene" that after the outbreak of cholera, diphtheria and dengue fever in a number of Yemeni provinces, especially Hodeidah, Taiz, Lahj, Aden and Hajjah, the new virus has claimed, already, six lives and twenty other cases have been recorded since late January.
"The local and international organizations operating in the capital's hospitals did not allocate specific centers to receive the disease or take necessary measures to confront it
and
Reports from Yemen's capital Sanaa "run by Houthi militants" said Saturday bird flu cases have been registered in some parts of capital in past 2 weeks. Some reports talked abut deaths from the flu. More diseases in war-torn #Yemen whose healthcare system is on brink of collapse
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/959907563264528386
(** A H)
Mass Diphtheria Vaccination Campaign Set to Begin in Yemen
In Yemen, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners will kick-off a long-awaited mass vaccination campaign next week to contain the continued spread of diphtheria.
The WHO says 1.4 million people in 41 districts that have reported diphtheria cases during the last month will be vaccinated against the potentially fatal disease. It says the mass campaign will target children and adolescents up to the age of 15.
The latest official count of suspected cases of diphtheria in Yemen stands at 914, including 59 deaths. WHO says this represents a significant drop in the fatality rate from 10 percent to 6.5 percent in the space of a few weeks.
WHO representative for Yemen, Nevio Zagaria, says it is unclear whether the epidemic has peaked. But, he notes there has been a steep decline in the number of cases in the most severely affected governorate of Ibb.
Speaking by telephone from the Yemeni capital Sana’a, he said the reduction in new cases is due in large part to the deployment of rapid-response teams to identify people who have fallen ill with diphtheria and those who have come in contact with them.
https://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-diphtheria-vaccination-campaign/4237633.html
(* A H)
Yemen: Cholera Attack Rate (%) Population (From 27 April 2017 - 31 January 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-2017-31-january-2018
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-2017-22-january-2018
(* A H)
Yemen: Cholera Suspected Cases (From 27 April 2017 - 31 January 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-suspected-cases-27-april-31-january-2018
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-suspected-cases-27-april-2017-22-january-2018
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Teilung in Südjemen / Most important: Division in Southern Yemen
(* A P)
Hearing reports there'll be a major cabinet reshuffle in Yemen brokered by the Saudis and UAE. Prime Minister Ahmed Bin Daghr to be replaced by either Khaled Bahah (based in UAE since 2016) or Abu Bakr al-Attas (based in UAE since 1999).
https://twitter.com/faisaledroos/status/959767226688593920
Vice President Ali Mohsin al-Ahmar, 72, (a military strongman who has close ties with Islah) to be replaced by Abdulaziz al-Muflahi (the former governor of Aden who has been openly critical of Bin Daghr and called for his resignation)
https://twitter.com/faisaledroos/status/959767631245881344
My comment: Bahah again, who already had been Hadi’s prime minister and Hadi’s vice president, and who had been fired by Hadi because of having his own ideas? Could be interesting. – Mohsin was hated in the North and in the South, an old Al Qaida supporter.
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Yemen’s war is so out of control, allies are turning on one another
The battles in Aden have exposed the fragility of that alliance and highlighted the diverging agendas of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The violence, said analysts, is a reflection of these long-simmering tensions.
“It shows how the war has shattered the country, fracturing it along historical divides,” said April Longley Alley, a senior Yemen analyst for the International Crisis Group. “The narrative of a ‘legitimate government’ fighting the ‘Iranian-backed Houthis’ obscures a complex local reality, and it hinders efforts to achieve peace.”
The infighting within the alliance intensified the despair in the Middle East’s poorest nation.
Many southerners had expected the Hadi government to improve their lives. But over the past three years, Hadi has struggled to exert political authority or bolster the economy. Aden has been shaken by suicide bombings and other violence.
Amid these divisions in the alliance, there are “real questions about the viability or the credibility of the Hadi government and what exactly do they represent sitting at the other side of the table,” said Feierstein.
Yet despite the tensions, it is highly unlikely that Saudi Arabia and the UAE will part ways over Yemen. Both countries share the belief that the Houthis and Iran pose an existential threat to the region.
The southern separatist group, Alley added, “is on a collision course with the pro-unity Hadi government and has been for some time. Now what we see is the UAE and [Saudi Arabia] scrambling to paper over differences between the two so that they can maintain, at least while the war with the Houthis continues, the myth of a unified front under an internationally recognized government.”
In Aden, many residents view the UAE's growing presence suspiciously and worry the country could seek economic gain by trying to control Yemen's ports, especially Aden, which is nestled beside key shipping lanes.
“The Emirates has ambitions in the south, and one of its most important ambitions is the port of Aden,” said Hassan Aljalal, a Yemeni journalist. “And its support for the southern movement shows this ambition.”
Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi researcher at the University of Exeter, said the violence in Aden was an indictment of Yemen’s exiled government, which should “submit its resignation if it is unable to manage the battle against the Houthis and provide services to the citizenry at the same time.” – By Ali Al-Mujahed and Sudarsan Raghavan
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/yemens-war-is-so-out-of-control-that-allies-are-turning-on-one-another/2018/02/03/50d26426-05fe-11e8-aa61-f3391373867e_story.html = https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/yemen-s-war-is-so-out-of-control-that-allies-are-turning-on-one-another-1.509977
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Commandership of the West Coast Front Negates Issuing any Reports Concerning Mediation Commission of Adan Events
Remark: it seems conflict continues, spreading to the fighters at the West coast.
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Al-Ghaithy: statement of Ben Daghar’s Government is Unacceptable and May Lead Us to More Escalation Steps
As a first comment of Ben Daghar’s government statement about the current situation in Adan, Mohamed Al-Ghaithy, vice chairman of the foreign affairs department of the southern transitional council indicated that such statement explodes the efforts of the Arab Coalition to pacify the situation adding that it may lead the southern people to make more escalation moves.
Remark: Strife at Aden will continue.
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BBC Arabic: Concerns about Separation of Southern Yemen and Saudi Arabia and UAE Push Towards Pacification
On its website, BBC Arabic published a report about Arab newspapers coverage of the situation in Yemen, especially recent events in Adan. The following is the report as it is published by BBC Arabic.
Arab newspapers discussed the developments of Yemeni crisis after relative calm in Adan. A Saudi/UAE delegation arrived at Adan to maintain seize fire newspapers wondered about the continuity of relative calm. Some writers looked pessimistic because of a “real urge of separation” in the south while others think that the crisis was a mere temporary summer cloud.
A South Demanding Separation
Abd Al-Bary Atwan, in “Rai Al-Yaoum” of London, said: “Most people in southern Yemen don’t want a united Yemen. Instead, they want a separate south, according to tribal and territorial considerations. Just as UK established states over oil wells in the gulf, this crisis will lead to states and flags at the Roman fashion of conflicting cities and Adan, at best, may play the role of Byzantium”.
Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, in “Al-Shark Al-Awsat” of London, said: “
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UAE and Saudi Arabia and the slaughter of Yemen
The rulers of the Emirates seemed to believe that they were a superpower with the ability to control the peoples of the region. It was the absence and absence of the influence of the large Arab states in the region that made a small country and capabilities like the Emirates behave like adults. Arms and men who fight in their own way to invade the countries of the region, forgetting or forgetting that they are just small Emirates protected from the Americans, can stop their hands at the time they wish.
But as long as the policies of the United Arab Emirates coincide with the aspirations of the Americans and the West in general, it is not harmful to launch their hand in the countries of the region. The UAE and its sister-in-law aspire to expand into a superpower that controls the countries of the region and has the final say in its destiny. In the face of its ambitions, and this is what we see clearly in its response to the State of Qatar.
Is it in the interest of Saudi Arabia to have two administrations in Yemen, one North and one South and a weak central administration, as promoted by the UAE and its trumpets and the Saudi liberals to promote these ideas? Just a few days ago, the Saudi general Anwar Eshki came out to talk about the need for a government in the south and one in the north in a federal system where Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi would remain a president without formal authority.
Saudi Arabia will win only a northern Yemen with a border of at least 1,450 kilometers, full of wars and internal crises, and its southern lands will be vulnerable to the infiltrations of the Houthis and others. Of terrorists, and it is not unlikely that these troubles and problems will move into the Saudi interior to live this time also a tragic situation no less than the situation currently experienced by Yemen.
Is this what Ibn Salman wants for his kingdom?
https://www-noonpost-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/www.noonpost.org/content/21903?amp = https://www.noonpost.org/content/21903 and translated https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ar&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww-noonpost-org.cdn.ampproject.org%2Fc%2Fwww.noonpost.org%2Fcontent%2F21903%3Famp&edit-text=
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Beyond the Headlines podcast: In Yemen, a violent week complicates a nuanced war
Audio: Host Naser Al Wasmi is joined by Professor Elisabeth Kendall, an Oxford academic, who was supposed to be in Yemen at the time the protests broke out. She explained the history of the conflict and provided context to the war.
Later in the show, The National correspondent Ali Mahmood reports from the streets of Yemen. Mr Mahmood covered the three days of violence and sheds light on where this clash might go from here.
Remark: By Emirati media. Starting by a lot of propaganda – but Kendall anyway does not stand for propaganda.
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Southern separatists further complicate the Yemen war
Even prior to the eruption of Yemen’s civil war and the Saudi-led coalition’s entry into the conflict in 2014 and 2015, respectively, southern separatism had gained traction among Yemenis in Aden and other southern governorates based on widespread dissatisfaction with how the country’s 1990 unification played out. Although Yemen’s dominant southern separatist faction previously allied with Abrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government against the Iran-allied Houthi rebel movement, the STC has lost patience with Hadi as the security and humanitarian crises in southern Yemen have exacerbated. Angry at Hadi for failing to bring security to southern Yemen, a growing number of southerners see their country’s internationally-recognized government as illegitimate.
The future political environment of Aden and other southern governorates are uncertain
Unquestionably, if the STC’s actions cause Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s disagreements to fuel greater friction in Saudi-Emirati relations, the Houthis will capitalize on such divisions between the two dominant countries in the Saudi-led coalition.
Should Yemen divide between north and south, Iran will be allied with the entity — Ansarullah — controlling the north and the UAE allied with the STC in Aden. For Abu Dhabi, the prospects for an independent state in southern Yemen offer the Emirates a geopolitically valuable opportunity to establish a foothold situated along the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab-el-Mandeb within close proximity to the African continent. The STC’s challenge to Hadi’s nominal rule in Aden is deeply alarming as it raises greater consideration of a new environment in a divided Yemen whereby Riyadh cannot empower the Hadi government in the south—let alone the north—as the kingdom’s campaign to disarm the Houthi rebellion remains an abysmal failure – by Dr Khalid Al-Jaber & Giorgio Cafiero
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Conflict in Aden
An outbreak of hostilities in Aden has spurred calls for the internationally recognised government to relocate, which could be prelude to temporary or permanent southern secession
Individuals affiliated with the Bin Daghr government have accused the UAE, the Southern Movement’s main backer and arms provider, of supporting the “Security Belt” forces’ escalation. On the other hand, some Yemeni observers attribute the situation in Aden to discord in the ranks of the Saudi-led Arab coalition, a view also promoted by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) Movement.
On Friday, the coalition issued a statement appealing to all sides to exercise self-restraint.
Statements by UAE officials harmonised with the substance of that statement. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Qarqash said that there can be no tolerance for those who strive to sow dissension.
The former president of South Yemen, Ali Nasir Mohamed Husani, urged southern forces to resume dialogue and not to become “promoters of these wars”. Nasir, who remains a widely revered political figure, held that the ouster of the Bin Daghr government would not solve the problems of the nation and the Yemeni people. Nor would any new government be able to resolve the crisis in the absence of a comprehensive solution for Yemen, both north and south.
Speaking to the Weekly by phone from Aden, Yemeni political analyst Abdel-Hakim Mahmoud said that the situation remains tense in some districts of the southern capital,
On the “Security Belt” forces, Mahmoud said: “The objective of that force is to compel the government to relocate from Aden to another part of the country. It could be Marib. It is rumoured that the UAE supports this outlook.”
According to this analyst, there is considerable grassroots support for this move as well. “About 70 per cent of the people believe that this is a step towards secession because of the injustices that have accumulated over the decades. I personally am in favour of secession from the north because we in the south have paid a bitter price for unity.
According to other local reports from Aden, the renewed outbreak of clashes occurred after armed groups that support the Southern Transitional Council were called in from the governorates of Shabwah to the east and Dalie to the north of Aden. Some of them had reached the outskirts of Dar Saad district, Aden’s northern gateway, where the fourth regiment of the Presidential Guards is deployed. Others, coming from Shabwah, reportedly clashed with Presidential Guard units in the vicinity of Dufas in Abyan, a governorate to the east of Aden – by Ahmed Eleiba
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/23647.aspx
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Why Riyadh will toe line with UAE in Yemen
Saudi Arabia's inability to defeat the Houthis militarily, and the absence of viable allies, shows the kingdom has no feasible plan
UAE support for Yemen's southern separatists has been no secret. In the face of the Houthis' rapid advances and fuelled by an irrepressible hatred for the Muslim Brotherhood in the form of Yemen's Islah party, the UAE approached a number of different factions, including the Nasserists, seeking a viable ally.
Disappointed with the prospects of these alternative parties and refusing to risk the ire of Washington in backing the "jihadist" factions, the UAE threw its lot in with the only fighting force capable of standing up to the Houthis.
The problem for the UAE, however, was that the southern separatists had no intention of retaking Sanaa. Seizing the opportunity presented by the political upheaval caused by Houthis' conquest, the separatists rallied into a semi-united bloc. They took advantage of Saudi air strikes, which forced a Houthi retreat, to take responsibility for "security" in southern Yemen.
With Saudi Arabia outright refusing to entertain the prospect of restoring the Islah party during the early days of the war in 2015, despite hosting Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, an influential player in the network of tribal and Sunni Islamist groups whose centre of gravity is Islah, the kingdom had little choice but to accept the separatists as an "ally". Later on, Saudis began to entertain the prospect of approaching the Islah party but appear to have been dissuaded by the UAE.
[…]
Saudi Arabia may not buy the argument, but its inability to defeat the Houthis militarily - along with the absence of viable allies and continued resentment towards Islah - shows that the kingdom has no feasible plan.
It would therefore be unsurprising if Saudi Arabia swallows the humiliation and goes along with a UAE proposal to accept the status quo and market recent events as in line with Saudi wishes – by Sami Hamdi
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/why-riyadh-will-accept-uae-s-betrayal-yemen-190394701
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Independence push deepens fault lines in war-hit Yemen
The official narrative from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi has been unconditional support for Hadi, who has lived in exile in the Saudi capital since 2015.
But behind the scenes, sources close to the separatists and in Washington say, the coalition may be growing frustrated with Hadi, who has been unable to gain the upper hand in the south.
"It might be too big a statement to say this is the end of the Hadi government... but I think it's fair to say it is the end of one Yemen," said Farea al-Muslimi, Yemen researcher at the London-based think tank Chatham House.
"It's not necessarily the start of a South Yemen, but it is the end ... of the uncomfortable political honeymoons of the Yemen war."
Among those honeymoons, according to analysts, is that of the UAE and Saudi Arabia around Hadi in particular.
"For the moment, the STC appears to be paying lip service to the Hadi government and the notion of a unified Yemen," said Henderson.
"But it seems that the country is increasingly split along north-south lines as well as Huthi-Hadi lines."
- Facing West -
Those lines are infinitely more complex than a divide between a national government and insurgents.
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ANALYSIS: Saudi Arabia plays puppet master as Yemen slowly breaks apart
Riyadh sat back in tacit support as separatists routed Aden's recognised government - but props up its exiled president to legitimise its war
Saudi Arabia quietly allowed the takeover of Aden by southern separatists and backed their push for independence - but held them back from finishing President Abd Rabbuh Hadi's government due to the legitimacy he gives their coalition in Yemen, activists and separatist sources have said.
And while the Emiratis and the Saudis were ostensibly on opposing sides, analysts and activists, and members of the Security Belt's political wing, the Southern Transitional Council, say the takeover was accepted by all in the coalition.
That consent, if true, betrays a shift in the motivations of the Saudi-led coalition, and support for a movement which could lead to the break-up of the sovereign state of Yemen.
"The Saudi coalition promised to help us achieve independence in the south, peacefully," a high-level source in the council told Middle East Eye.
"The Saudi and Emirati envoys intervened to prevent further bloodshed and promised Hadi's government would change. We trust them and this encourages us to obey."
The source added that the council still supported Hadi, who remains in self-enforced exile in Riyadh, and it was his corrupt government in Aden, led by Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid bin Daghar, they wanted shot of.
On Friday the UAE's foreign minister, Anwar Gargash, said on Twitter: "It's important to confirm to those who like creating division that the UAE's position is the mirror image of the Saudi stance.
"We are building a strategic partnership to overcome the Yemeni crisis."
But facts on the ground are this: Hadi has now lost two capitals - first Sanaa, which he fled when it was overrun by the Houthi movement in February 2015, and now Aden, which he fled a month after the fall of Sanaa.
However, his international legitimacy due to his election in 2012 still works for the Saudis. Their stated aim on entering Yemen was to restore the elected president to the capital and roll back the Iranian-supported Houthi movement.
Losing him now, even as a figurehead, could prove disastrous to the coalition's own reasons for its war, according to political activist Mohammad al-Yusofi. Ending his tenure would end the coalition.
"The southerners and the Saudi-led coalition are against Hadi but they cannot criticise him because he gives them legitimacy to stay - he asked them to intervene in Yemen to fight the Houthis," he said.
"You cannot find any photo of Hadi in the public institutions in Aden. All you find are photos of UAE and Saudi leaders and this means separatists do not want Hadi, despite him being president of the whole country."
And so, while the coalition publicly supports Hadi as a figurehead in exile, privately - as Aden has shown - they side with the strongest group on the ground.
Ibrahim al-Suhaibi, a former journalist and political analyst, said the Saudis control the coalition and no ally could act without Riyadh's input.
"The Saudis could have stopped the clashes in Aden in the first minutes. They did not because the clashes were against the prime minister and not Hadi."
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/analysis-aden-saudi-arabia-uae-1499070483
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Film (Talk): Will South Yemen secessionists succeed in Yemen?
Forces loyal to rival politicians have been fighting since the Arab Spring. Meanwhile, Iran-backed rebels have taken over the capital, Al Qaeda and Daesh are constantly attacking, and Saudi Arabia is raining down air strikes. Now a new group is demanding secession in the South. To discuss this, we’re joined from Washington DC by the former US Ambassador to Yemen, Gerry Feierstein. In Sanaa, pro-Houthi journalist Hussain Albukhaiti. In Cairo we are joined by, Afrah Nasser, the editor in Chief of the Saana Review newspaper. And in our studios in Istanbul, we are joined by Yemen's former health minister Najeeb Saeed Ghanem, now a member of Al Islah, a Yemeni opposition party that supports the Saudi-led coalition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=778TnGl_qhg
Remark: For Feierstein, read http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/middle-east-institute-gerald-feierstein-uae-saudi-yemen
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Could Yemen Be On Way Towards Inevitable Partition? – Analysis
Because there are no other legitimate forces, and because there is a lack of interest in a viable political solution in Yemen, the situation is even more complicated unless there is a clear plan on how the Yemeni people themselves can elect a new leadership in the war-torn country.
Until this happens, it is more likely that Hadi will remain the President of Yemen.
However, the Saudis are trying to find a face-saving way of dumping Hadi, but the leaderships in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have proven difficult to judge what their real intentions are.
Yemen is a country with constantly shifting allegiances in alliances, but in 1990, the Saudis played a major role in uniting Yemen, and it would be quite a turnaround if the Saudis support the separatists. However, it could be a better option for Riyadh if they want to fight the Houthis in the north. Because of the lack of leadership in Yemen, both the Saudis and the Emiratis do not have a strong influence in Yemeni politics.
http://www.eurasiareview.com/02022018-could-yemen-be-on-way-towards-inevitable-partition-analysis/
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Film: Yemen: Gulf Coalition is not a unitary actor in the conflict
http://www.france24.com/en/video/20180201-yemen-gulf-coalition-not-unitary-actor-conflict
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Saudi-backed Yemeni gov't to resume work in Aden after deal with separatist forces
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government will temporarily resume work in the southern city of Aden following an agreement with separatist forces, a military official told Xinhua Wednesday.
The Saudi-led coalition brokered an agreement between the government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to diffuse the ongoing tensions in Aden, said the Yemeni military official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The STC agreed to give the country's Presidency some time to replace the Aden-based government," the official said, adding that Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr and his cabinet members will not depart from the city.
President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi will declare a new decision in the next days to form a caretaker government, the source said.
Another source based in Aden said that the two-warring sides agreed to move all the military bases to new locations outside Aden.
Hours after the agreement, scores of detained soldiers and officers from the two-warring sides were released from the jails in Aden.
A source from the Southern Transitional Council told Xinhua by phone that new commanders will be appointed by the STC to lead the military bases of the Presidential Guard Forces in Aden.
He confirmed that if Hadi ignored the STC demands that included replacing the government within the next days then the infighting in Aden "may reoccur and everything will be changed."
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/02/c_136943016.htm
and
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Yemen’s Aden Passes Test as Sedition Fails
The Yemeni city of Aden overcame on Thursday the latest crisis and attention in Yemen can now be directed towards delivering aid to the country’s liberated areas.
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, who is also the Director of Comprehensive Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Mohammed al-Jaber told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We have informed UN humanitarian organizations that they can now use the Arab Coalition’s planes to deliver aid to Yemen.”
Regarding Houthi-controlled areas, the ambassador said that the UN should coordinate with the rebel group in this regard.
He later tweeted that the coalition has restored calm and security to Aden.
“The trumpets of sedition have failed and wisdom has prevailed,” he wrote.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1162436/yemen%E2%80%99s-aden-passes-test-sedition-fails
My comment: By Saudi media. I really doubt and think there is a lot of propaganda in this report. See below what the separatists are telling.
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Govt says Aden witnessed failed coup attempt
Yemen's government said the temporary capital Aden Aden "witnessed in the past few days a failed coup attempt against the government."
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Thursday on the separatists' violent attack and seizing of key government offices and military camps by Tuesday, the government said the rebellion was perpetrated by "the militia of the Southern Transitional Council", a separatist paramilitary force.
The government accused the militia of causing the deaths and injuries of dozens of people including presidential guards and accused it of massive ransacking and vandalism.
The statement read: "The Republic of Yemen considers the coup attempt committed by the rebels in Aden, the continuous acts to undermine and impede the work of the legitimate government, and forming armed militia outside the command of Yemen Armed Forces, a blatant violation to UNSC Resolution no. 2216 (2015). Such acts threaten the security of the region, violate the principal goal for which the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy was established ..."
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15162
My comment: “failed coup attempt”??? – Keep in mind that the bloodshed startet with Hadi government troops attacking a rally.
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Sense that #Aden troubles aren't over despite upbeat statements by #Saudi & #UAE. Unusually, no tweets for 3 days from either side, i.e. not from separatists Zubaydi & Bin Brayk; nor #Yemen Pres Hadi & PM Bin Daghr (still stuck in Aden). Seems it is the int'l powers pronouncing
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/959450017592414208
#Yemen PM Bin Daghr has now broken his unusual Twitter silence since 29 Jan. His tweets don't mention crisis resolution. Instead they promise to pay salaries to military, security and civil servant personnel. He may be trying (sensibly) to allay further fear & shore up support
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/959483520346476545
Situation in south #Yemen still precarious. #UAE & #Saudi may agree on way forward but still need to control their proxies. Reports today include: -#UAE-backed mil in Abyan fired a commander for voicing loyalty to Hadi -Renewed tension in al-'Arish #Aden re. handover of mil point (images)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/959081181001211904
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President Al-Zubaidy Visits Front Lines of Meris
General Aidarous Kassem Al-Zubaidy, Commander-in-chief of the southern resistance forces, visited the front lines of Yaees – Meris till he reached Al-Razeela where commander of the front, chief of staff of brigade 83 and his soldiers met him. Soldiers talked in detail about development of combat with Al-Houthi militias
http://en.smanews.org/president-al-zubaidy-visits-front-lines-of-meris
My comment: Already as “president”, Zubaidi behaves like a such one. No more place for Hadi?
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Jemenitische Separatisten fordern in Dokument Unabhängigkeit des Südens
Die jemenitischen Separatisten fordern in einem Dokument eine Unabhängigkeit des Südens des Landes. Der sogenannte Übergangsrat des Südens schreibt in einer Absichtserklärung, die der Nachrichtenagentur AFP am Donnerstag vorlag, sein Ziel sei die "Souveränität und Unabhängigkeit" der Region. Alle Gebiete im Süden des Jemen müssten von den "Besatzungs- und Invasionstruppen befreit" werden, damit ein neuer "Bundesstaat" gegründet werden könne.
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Der Jemen steht vor der Spaltung
Dem Land droht so erneut die Spaltung und damit der Rückfall in eine Zwei-Staaten-Existenz, wie sie seit dem Abzug der britischen Kolonialherren in den sechziger Jahren bis zur Wiedervereinigung 1991 existierte. Der Norden mit Sanaa als Hauptstadt verbliebe unter der Kontrolle der Houthis, die vom Iran unterstützt werden. Im Süden dagegen entstünde ein neuer, säkularer Staat mit engen Beziehungen zu Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE).
Den VAE schwebte eine Sezession des Südens schon länger vor, sehr zum Ärger von Präsident Hadi. Mehrfach bezichtigte dieser die Emiratis in letzter Zeit, sich im Südjemen wie eine Besatzungsmacht aufzuführen.
Jemens Unabhängigkeitsbewegung, seit Mai 2017 organisiert in dem so genannten "Südlichen Übergangsrat" (STC), wirft der Hadi-Regierung vor, hochkorrupt zu sein und eine wirtschaftliche und soziale Misere ausgelöst zu haben "wie es sie in der Geschichte des Südjemen noch nie gab" – von Martin Gehlen
http://www.badische-zeitung.de/ausland-1/der-jemen-steht-vor-der-spaltung--148892289.html = http://www.fr.de/politik/jemen-der-jemen-droht-zu-zerbrechen-a-1438957
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Separatisten im Jemen: Kampf für einen neuen, alten Staat
Im Jemen-Krieg bricht ein alter Konflikt wieder auf: Separatisten kämpfen für einen unabhängigen Staat im Süden. Unterstützung erhalten sie von den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten.
Lange kooperierte die "Südliche Bewegung" allerdings mit der jemenitischen Regierung von Präsident Hadi.
Doch nun ist das Bündnis zwischen Separatisten und Hadi zerbrochen. Der Auslöser liegt schon einige Monate zurück: Im April 2017 feuerte Hadi den Gouverneur von Aden, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, dem er mangelnde Loyalität vorwarf. Zubaidi gehört der "Südlichen Bewegung" an. Er ignorierte die Entlassung und gründete gemeinsam mit den Gouverneuren von fünf südjemenitischen Provinzen und zwei Ministern den "Südlichen Übergangsrat". Sein Ziel ist die Unabhängigkeit für Südjemen.
Am Wochenende wagte der STC die Machtprobe
Die Eskalation in Aden ist auch eine Folge von Spannungen innerhalb der arabischen Militärkoalition. Während Saudi-Arabien seit Jahren an Präsident Hadi festhält, unterstützen die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) den STC. Die VAE haben die Separatisten ausgerüstet und trainiert.
Dahinter stecken strategische Gründe: Für die Häfen in Dubai und Abu Dhabi ist die Sicherung der Seewege durch den Golf von Aden und das Bab al-Mandab, das das Arabische mit dem Roten Meer verbindet, von größter Bedeutung. Denn diese Route nehmen Schiffe aus Europa. Und offenbar trauen die Emirate eher den Separatisten zu, für die Sicherheit in der Region zu sorgen, als den Truppen von Hadi.
Saudi-Arabien hingegen konzentriert seine Angriffe auf den Nordjemen – von Christoph Sydow
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/jemen-in-aden-entsteht-ein-neuer-alter-staat-a-1190553.html
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Kampf um Aden: Ein neuer Krieg im Jemen-Krieg
In Aden zerbricht die Allianz gegen die Huthi-Rebellen. Südliche Separatisten greifen die jemenitische Regierung an. Die Emirate und Saudi-Arabien stehen auf unterschiedlichen Seiten
Die Politik Hadis hat die südlichen Separatisten jedoch zuletzt wieder gegen die Regierung aufgebracht.
Hadi versuchte "seine" Leute in wichtige Positionen (auch) in Aden im Süden zu setzen. Und Hadis Hausmacht, aus der er sein Personal oft nimmt, ist die Islah-Partei, die von den Südjemeniten als eine rein nördliche Partei wahrgenommen wird.
Es gibt eine zusätzliche Komplikation. Es ist ein offenes Geheimnis, dass die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE), das zweitwichtigste Land nach Saudi-Arabien in der Anti-Huthi-Koalition, die südlichen Separatisten unterstützen. Es heißt, dass die VAE ihnen sogar jetzt Waffen liefern.
Die Saudis versuchten, bei Spannungen stets zu vermitteln, und zuvor ist ihnen das auch immer leidlich gelungen.
Frage: Aber warum versuchen die VAE nicht, im Einklang mit Saudi-Arabien Hadi auszutauschen, sondern spielen mit einer Spaltung des Jemen? Was hätten sie davon?
Antwort: Die VAE hätten einen von ihnen abhängigen südjemenitischen Staat – mit einer wichtigen Hafenstadt als Hauptstadt, Aden, vor dem Eingang zum Roten Meer und einer langen Küste am Golf von Aden. Die VAE suchen zuletzt, sich strategisch stark in der Region zu positionieren. Sie haben auch Militärstützpunkte in Somaliland und in Eritrea – von Gudrun Harrer
https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000073395154/kampf-um-aden-ein-neuer-krieg-im-krieg-im-jemen
(* B P)
Der Konflikt in Jemen eskaliert
Der Konflikt in Jemen, dem ärmsten Land der arabischen Welt, ist weiter eskaliert.
Separatisten haben die Kontrolle in der Interims-Hauptstadt übernommen und den Premier Ahmed Bin Dagher sowie Teile seines Kabinetts unter Hausarrest gestellt.
Zugleich steht das Bündnis zwischen Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten auf der Probe.
Die Emirate sehen Hadi laut westlichen Diplomaten schon seit zwei Jahren als Teil des Problems und nicht der Lösung in Jemen. Sie halten ihn für unfähig und korrupt - nicht zu Unrecht, wie europäische Emissäre sagen. Abu Dhabi hat im Süden Jemens konsequent seine Agenda verfolgt und seinen Einfluss gefestigt: Das emiratische Militär baute Milizen auf, emiratische Firmen übernahmen Häfen, Öl- und Gasanlagen und andere strategische Einrichtungen. Hadi hatte das als "Verhalten eines Besatzers" kritisiert. Die offizielle Formel in Abu Dhabi lautete seither, die Jemeniten hätten jedes Recht, über die Zukunft ihres Landes zu entscheiden - einer Sezession des Südens stellt man sich nicht entgegen – von Paul-Anton Krüger
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/jemen-aufmarsch-in-aden-1.3848457
(* B K P)
A New State Is Emerging in Yemen
Aden coup accelerates the change
[…] a situation where diverse groups – including Al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsular and southern separatists brought sizeable parts of southern Yemen under their control.
Obviously, this was in nobody’s interest. Correspondingly, the Saudi-led alliance was forced to stop its advance and begin work creating a new Yemeni state.
Ever since, Saudi and Emirati politics in Yemen have gotten in each other’s way.
Realizing that Hadi still enjoyed no political support, the Saudis reversed their decision on the Muslim Brotherhood.
On the contrary, the Emiratis intensified their cooperation with the southerners, foremost the separatists and the Hadramawt Confederation.
Unsurprisingly considering their different aims, the two emerging power blocks were at odds before long. Their mutual differences were what led to the latest coup against Hadi’s government in Aden in late January 2018.
Because of their persistent insistence on Hadi as the legitimate president of Yemen, neither the Saudis nor the Emiratis are in a position to drop the official government. Therefore, and despite the success of the Emirati-supported forces, we can expect the situation to soon return to what it was before the coup.
The only difference will be that Hadi loyalists will have no effective power in Aden any longer.
The net result could be the creation of a statelet comparable to Somaliland — an independent, Emirati-supported South Yemen, indirectly allied with the United States, but not recognized by any outside powers.
https://warisboring.com/a-new-state-is-emerging-in-yemen/
(** B P)
Advancing separatists could restore South Yemen
There are now two rebellions against the internationally recognized government of Yemen led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, one by the Houthis in the north and a second in the south. Washington needs to develop a new strategy for the civil war in Yemen and the humanitarian disaster there that threatens millions with famine and disease.
Tensions between the Hadi loyalists and southern secessionists have been building for three years, since Hadi was evicted from Sanaa and northern Yemen by the Houthis and established his alternative capital in Aden with the armed assistance of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the other members of the pro-Hadi coalition, which also has American backing. Hadi is a southerner but has never been popular in the south. He has spent almost all of the last three years in Riyadh since Aden became too dangerous for him. The Southern Transition Council formed last year and demanded Hadi transfer authority to it in January.
According to firsthand accounts of the fighting, which Hadi calls a coup, the rebels got air support from the UAE. The Emiratis have become progressively disillusioned with Hadi’s weak leadership and flirtation with the Muslim Brotherhood. They have built up the strength of their southern secessionist allies in the city for months. The Saudis are also frustrated with Hadi but remain his critical host and backer.
But the flag of the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen is now flying all over Aden and the inhabitants are reportedly glad to see it back.
It’s also unclear how much sway the secessionists have outside Aden. Much of the south is under the control of local tribal militias bankrolled by either the Emirates or the Saudis or both. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula also has significant pockets of control in the south. Loyalties are flexible and ever changing. Law and order is flimsy at best. Al-Qaeda is a big winner from the chaos and confusion of the Aden battles.
The defeat of Hadi in Aden is a major milestone in the civil war. He has now lost two capitals and it’s clear that he is not going to be restored as Yemen’s ruler. It’s a dangerous fantasy to argue that the solution to the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen caused by the war and the Saudi blockade can be achieved by the restoration of the Hadi government. Saudi policy is bankrupt. It failed to take advantage of Saleh’s defection from the Houthis last year. He’s dead and they have now been outmaneuvered in Aden.
The extent of the differences between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi is another uncertainty.
The basis of current US policy, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216 adopted in 2015, is out of date and one-sided. The UN mediation efforts have gotten far too little muscle from the council members – by Bruce Riedel
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/01/south-yemen-separatists-advances-aden-uae.html
(B P)
Is Yemen about to get sliced?
Especially given that Saudi Arabia and regional ally UAE appear to have suddenly switched sides; with the latter now supporting the southern separatists. Nevertheless, according to some on the ground this is likely nothing more than a cosmetic fissure.
Meaning that this could be an orchestrated manoeuvre between the two sides to effectively rally all the troops to give a final push to the Houthi in the north. And, in return, the big boys of the region might go back to the future of 1990 and throw their weight behind an independent state let in the south. As an added bonus, a partitioned Yemen may serve to dilute Iranian influence in that country and beyond.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/193656/yemen-get-sliced/
My comment: Sounds not very realistic; wait and see.
(* B P)
South Yemen's separatists speak through a Michigan mom
Summer Ahmed's day job is as a lab technician. But late at night and before dawn, while her husband and young daughter are still asleep, she's a spokesperson for a separatist group that has taken over Yemen's second largest city. And she does it from her home in Dearborn, Michigan.
Keeping up with the fast-moving news from southern Yemen this week has cost her some sleep. "Colleagues at work asked me 'What's going on with you? Are you getting any sleep?' And I'd be like, 'I slept two hours and I drank 20 ounces of coffee. I'll be OK.'"
As a spokesperson for Yemen's Southern Transitional Council, Ahmed promotes the message of southern resistance.
Ahmed has a strong presence on Twitter. "There are a few of us that are the spokespeople for south Yemen in English. I'm probably the one that pops up the most because I'm probably the loudest."
https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-02-01/south-yemens-separatists-speak-through-michigan-mom
and this is her twitter account: https://twitter.com/samwrax
(* A P)
Tweets by the Hadi government’s embassy in the US, the first Feb. 1, the others Jan. 31:
A Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of #Yemen on the failed attempted coup in #Aden, #Yemen temporary capital, by the so-called “southern transitional council.” (text in image)
https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/959097221856813056
Today, all military locations (including bases) of the Government forces (including all Presidential Protection Brigades) in #Aden are under the control of the Government and supported by additional military units previously stationed at #Yemen’s western coastal front.
https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/958802677927960576
Comment: Lie as they breathe Southern resistance forces are the control of Aden and the rest of the southern reserves
https://twitter.com/AlmekdadAbu/status/959014982997430272
On Tuesday, the Gov forces in #Aden followed the orders of President Hadi& withdrew from all the so-called “southern transitional council” locations it previously controlled right after the rebellion, only to be surprised by a breach of the cease-fire & a supported counter attack
https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/958802582130053120
Comment: pure lies, when an embassy who is supposed to carry a diplomatic mission becomes a place to spread the political party narrative propaganda then this is a breach of your mission, but hey appointing the entire family of the foreign minister was legal too?
https://twitter.com/Waheed_Alyafai/status/958823693962104832
On Monday, after the so-called “southern transitional council” orchestrated a coup, the Government forces (Presidential Protection Brigades) took over the bases and locations of the “council’s” forces in #Aden
https://twitter.com/juristic/status/958942780772044801
The attempted rebellion by the so-called “southern transitional council” in #Aden was defeated. The only gain it made--beside that on social media--was possible only because of the “council’s” breach of the agreed upon cease-fire (which was adhered to by the Government forces)
https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/958802321076576257
My comment: Also read the comments. The Hadi government’s talers of any victory are propaganda.
(* B H P)
'We saw death': Yemenis relive battle for Aden
Three days of bloody clashes left startled residents of the southern city of Aden in constant fear for their lives, until a tense calm returned Thursday with the sky-blue chevron of the separatist flag flying over checkpoints across Yemen's de facto capital.
"For three days, we saw death," Awad Nasser said of the violence that tore through his neighbourhood where government forces clashed with separatists.
"The battle began right here in this neighbourhood," Nasser told AFP in the coastal Jabal Hadid district.
"Our kids were screaming. We live on the third floor, and we were terrified (Saudi-led) coalition warplanes would intervene, so we rushed down the stairs to our neighbours' on the first floor to take shelter."
Donia Hussein Farhan, a university student and Crater resident, recalled the day separatists forces closed in on the presidential palace, which they have surrounded.
"It was terrifying," said the 22-year-old.
"There were people hit by shrapnel, civilians who have nothing to do with this fight. And there was no one to help them because the shelling was non-stop and the roads were closed," she said.
"We lived in fear, in terror, and no one could figure out who was allied with who, and who was fighting who."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5341073/We-saw-death-Yemenis-relive-battle-Aden.html
(* B P)
Aims of Yemen's Southern Transitional Council
After battling Yemen's government, the Southern Transitional Council now controls the city of Aden and its mission statement, seen by AFP on Thursday, openly calls for the independence of the south.
While STC leader Major General Aidarouss al-Zoubeidi on Wednesday declined to confirm that the separatists had their sights set on independence, the six-point mission statement clearly states its goal of an independent state.
The council says it aims to meet "the aspirations of the people of South Arabia (South Yemen) to regain their sovereignty and independence, and build their federal state on all of its territories".
The STC statement, released in January without fanfare, revives the language of that era, calling for the "complete liberation of all territories of South Arabia from the occupying and invading forces" (of the north) and the establishment of a "civilian state of the South".
Among the STC's objectives is now "to achieve political, administrative, and financial independence from Sanaa".
It also aims "to strengthen the relationship and partnership with the Arab coalition states under the leadership of" Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5340861/Aims-Yemens-Southern-Transitional-Council.html
(* B P)
A rebellion in Aden is hastening the break-up of Yemen
As a result, Yemen is left with three centres of power and Mr Hadi’s coalition is split in two.
The big loser is Mr Hadi. He has no loyalists left on the ground. “An emperor with no clothes,” sneers a foreign observer. From his gilded exile in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, he still has choices. He could proclaim Yemen a federation and name Mr Zoubaidi as his deputy. Though Mr Zoubaidi has raised the flag of the former South Yemen, he is tempering his separatist rhetoric for now. He says he just wants Mr Hadi to shuffle his cabinet to bring his men on board.
But Yemen’s cracks go deeper. Bar the past 28 years, the south and north have rarely been united.
Southern warlords, too, will be loth to surrender autonomy to Mr Zoubaidi. Just as Aden wants to cut loose from the north, many southern cities crave independence from Aden. Hadhramis would like their provincial capital, Mukalla, to leave them alone. In turn Mahra, an eastern province, fears Hadhramaut. A Yemeni federation may be better than an anarchic break-up. But neither Mr Zoubaidi nor Mr Hadi may be able to halt the slide into chaos.
(* A P)
#Saudi Ambassador to #Yemen today tweeted "The brotherly coalition has restored calm & security to #Aden..The bluster of has rebellion failed" That's one way of looking at it. Meanwhile separatist leader still insists "North" must ditch Islah (Muslim Bro) & PM still stuck in Aden
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/959009448030363649 and also https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1634150866637937/?type=3
Important statement today by #Yemen Gov implies to me that #Aden turmoil is NOT resolved: -Frames it as "failed coup", not attempt to address grievances -Many refs to "brotherly" #Saudi, no ref to #UAE -Blames deaths on separatists -Ominously "will spare no effort" for unity (document)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/959040642658852864
(* A P)
Ben Aidan: After Controlling Adan, Overthrowing Ben Doghr’s Government is a Matter of Time
Dr. Hasan Laquor Ben Aidan, a southern academic and political analyst, indicated that overthrowing Ben Doghr’s government is a matter of time. Ben Aidan commented on southern resistance stop just before Maashik gates saying: “this stop is tactical as we call know that the Arab Coalition Forces are responsible for guarding Maashik in addition to the significance of Maashik to the political position of president Hady’s legitimacy”. Ben Aidan added: “After controlling Adan, overthrowing Ben Doghr’s government is a matter of time as presidential guards brigades will be withdrawn from Adan as agreed upon since a while”.
My comment: Maashik = presidential palace at Aden, still not taken by the separatists, guarded by Saudi troops. It’s evident that the separatists will continue and that the time of Hadi’s government at Aden is over.
And the other regions oft he South will follow:
(A P)
Massive Marshes in Lahj to Rejoice Victory over Ben Doghr’s Corrupt Government
Crowds repeated slogans supporting the southern transitional council, the southern resistance and president Aidarous Al-Zubaidy.
http://en.smanews.org/massive-marshes-in-lahj-to-rejoice-victory-over-ben-doghrs-corrupt-government
Reconciliation with the Hadi followers? It does not look so:
(A P)
Al-Awlaky: We Are All Potential Martyrs to Achieve the Goals of Our People’s Cause
Salem Thabet Al-Awlaky, official spokesman of the southern transitional council, sent a sympathy message to the southern people saying:
My sincere condolences to the families of martyrs who sacrifices their soles in Adan battel that was imposed to us by the Ben Doghr’s corrupt government. May God accept them as martyrs as they are all southern innocent citizens who love their country and their people. We hereby hold this government responsible for the killing of those who fought for it.
(A P T)
Shabwany Elites Secure Shabwa and Establish New Security Posts
A source of the Shabwany Elites Forces indicated that this act came after one day of Toukhan terrorist attack to secure the city and prevent terrorists from using it as a safe pat
http://en.smanews.org/shabwany-elites-secure-shabwa-and-establish-new-security-posts
My comment: Southern separatist forces are acting here. There is no Hadi “government” force there.
(** B P)
How the UAE put Aden under the control of the militias
For the first time since the war started in 2015, the UAE, and not Saudi Arabia, appears to be leading the coalition on the ground
The STC's ultimatum was similar in tone and terms to the announcement by Houthi rebels in August 2014, prior to their coup against the Yemeni government. At that time, the Houthis gave the government a week to resign, accusing it of corruption before storming the capital Sanaa and placing the government and president under house arrest.
On Tuesday night, cabinet members were gathered in the presidential palace, sources told Middle East Eye. "We are like prisoners waiting for the UAE to make its decision," they said.
Government forces have been confined to two areas of the city as the prime minister awaits word from Riyadh. Bin Daghar denied reports that said he had escaped to Riyadh, but it was clear he could not move outside the presidential palace for fear of being targeted by STC forces.
What next?
In light of the latest events in Aden, a political solution to the Yemeni conflict seems anything but close. While the forces loyal to the government continue to mobilise against the Houthis in Taiz - central Yemen - in Al-Jawf and Saada provinces in the north, they will now be prepared for a possible second round of battle with the STC in the south.
The Saudi-led coalition is becoming more UAE-led. The UAE has been building alliances, supporting different groups and active on the ground while Saudi Arabia seems to be in the back seat for now.
The UAE is attempting to build Saleh's forces again to take on the Houthis in the north.
It is highly likely that the STC will seek an alliance with Saleh, that will be backed by the UAE. In an interview with France 24, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi said on Monday that he was looking forward to assisting Saleh in his fight against the Houthis in the north.
While the government is still highly dependent on Saudi backing, with the recent events in Aden, it is clear - for the first time since the Saudi-led war on Yemen - that Saudi Arabia might not be the strong ally the government once counted on.
Meanwhile, the Houthis still do not have any real allies after they killed the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in December. However, they are counting on further divisions on the opposing side that can eventually help ease pressure on them.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/uae-has-put-aden-under-control-militia-125336800
(* A P)
Gargash: Arab Coalition’s Handling of Aden Crisis Averted Strife
United Arab Emirates State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash stated on Friday that the Arab Coalition’s handling of the Aden crisis in Yemen helped avert strife.
He said in a series of tweets that the crisis was originally caused by a lack of justice.
The responsible Arab media does not distort regional stances, but it reports according to its understanding of policies that have intervened in Arab affairs, he added.
Any action has to have a reaction, he tweeted.
Priority should be given to defeating the Houthi militias and their agenda, he urged.
(* A P)
Saudi and UAE envoys bid to end standoff in Yemen's Aden
Saudi and Emirati envoys shuttled between Yemeni government forces and besieging southern separatists in second city Aden on Thursday in a bid to end a tense standoff after days of deadly infighting.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not abandoned their support for Hadi, who lives in exile in Riyadh, but they have singularly failed to intervene militarily in support of Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher and other ministers who are holed up under siege in the presidential palace in Aden.
The two governments' envoys "met with all concerned parties, stressing the need to abide by the ceasefire... and refocus efforts on the front lines against the Houthis", the UAE's official WAM news agency reported.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-uae-envoys-bid-end-standoff-yemens-aden-914973352
and
(* A P)
Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: the Situation in Aden is Stable and Our Goal is to Ensure Stability and Security in Yemen
The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, affirmed that the situation in Yemen is stable as all parties committed to the statement issued by the Coalition Command.
This came in a statement issued by the coalition following a high-ranking military delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate arrived in Aden to ascertain the response of the concerned parties to the Coalition Command's decision to cease fire, in order to maintain the situation as it was before the outbreak of events on Sunday.
The statement stressed that the goal now is the return of life, tranquility and security in Yemen in addition to avoid all forms of chaos and solve all differences among the parties of the Yemeni people and maintain the entity of the Yemeni country.
The Coalition called upon all Yemeni parties to deal wisely and focus on ridding Yemen of the Iran-backed Houthi militias.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1715919
and very similar by Emirati news Agency: http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302664200
My comment: This sounds not very real. There are no differences between the Saudis and UAE?
(* A P)
Saudi-led Arab Coalition from Aden: We seek to preserve the unity of Yemen
The Saudi-led Arab Coalition said on Thursday that the UAE and Saudi Arabia share one goal in preserving the unity of Yemen.
Speaking from the port-city of Aden, representatives from the high-ranking military delegation from Saudi Arabia and the UAE called for a ceasefire between the warring sides.
The Arab Coalition said that the Yemeni parties in Aden back the statement of the coalition and call for calm back the city.
“We seek to avoid chaos and ensure the security and stability of Yemen,” the Coalition said, explain that Saudi Arabia’s and the UAE’s shared goal is to resolve the differences of the parties.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1237386/saudi-arabia
My comment: By Saudi media. Really true, this statement would mean the end of all the Separatists’ dreams – as long as they would not turn against the Saudi coalition. But it sounds dubious that the Emirates would have given up their goals?
And Saudi media even make:
(A P)
Arab Colation Succeeds in Ending Yemen's Crisis
The efforts of Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen led to the re-establishment of security in Aden and stabilizing the situation after it managed to defuse the armed clashes that broke out last Sunday between government forces and loyalists of the so-called "Southern Transitional Council".
Saudi-led Arab coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Maliki, denied rumors circulated by some media outlets that Houthi militias managed to successfully target sites or military camps in Aden.
"All armed presence in Aden had been terminated," he told Saudi "Ekhbareyya" news channel.
Yemeni government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that "Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid Bin Daghr and his cabinet members are in the presidential palace in al-Maasheeq."
The source confirmed that the cabinet is performing its usual activities and cooperating with the coalition leadership to end all aspects of the military tension in the city and restore stability.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1161631/arab-colation-succeeds-ending-yemens-crisis
My comment: This sounds like Saudi propaganda.
(* A P)
Saudi, UAE envoys bid to end standoff in Yemen's Aden
Saudi and Emirati envoys shuttled between Yemeni government forces and besieging southern separatists in second city Aden on Thursday in a bid to end a tense standoff after days of deadly infighting.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not abandoned their support for Hadi, who lives in exile in Riyadh, but they have singularly failed to intervene militarily in support of Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher and other ministers who are holed up under siege in the presidential palace in Aden.
The two governments' envoys "met with all concerned parties, stressing the need to abide by the ceasefire ... and refocus efforts on the front lines against the Huthis", the UAE's official WAM news agency reported.
"The situation in Aden is stable and all parties have complied completely with the communique issued by the Arab coalition," Major General Mohammed bin Saeed al-Mughaidi of Saudi Arabia told reporters in Aden.
"The kingdom and the United Arab Emirate have a common goal and the same vision and have no ambitions."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5338725/Saudi-UAE-envoys-bid-end-standoff-Yemens-Aden.html and also https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-01/saudi-u-a-e-move-to-quell-aden-clashes-threatening-coalition and by Saudi media https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1161456/saudi-uae-military-security-delegation-aden and https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/02/01/Saudi-Emirati-military-delegation-arrives-in-Aden-to-reinforce-ceasefire.html and film of delegation https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/959036964010889216
Remark: With more background info.
And by Emirati media:
(* A P)
Military delegation from Saudi Arabia, UAE arrives in Aden
In the drive of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen to restore security and stability to the interim Yemeni capital, a high-ranking military and security delegation arrived in Aden from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to ascertain the response of the concerned parties to the Coalition Command's decision to cease fire, in order to maintain the situation as it was before the outbreak of events on Sunday.
The Coalition's delegation, which met with all concerned parties, highlighted the need to abide by the cease-fire, to return life and tranquillity to the city and to focus on supporting the fighting fronts to rid Yemen of the Houthi militias, to renounce the fighting among the people, to restore security and stability, to provide services to citizens and to continue with re-development, as the situation was before the events.
The delegation also stressed that what had happened did not serve the task of legitimacy and the Coalition in completing the liberation of the Yemeni territories and called on everyone to support the public interest and protect the blood of Yemenis.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302664096
(* A P)
More UNCONFIRMED reports STC and #Saudi-led coalition agreed to form a government of technocrats, transfer Hadi gov forces out of #SouthYemen, and #UAE-backed forces will assume responsibility for security in #Aden. Bin Daghir gov will be allowed to function in the interim (images)
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/958772638301736960
Per the agreement southern news sources are circulating, Hadi government forces will be allowed to temporarily reenter their bases in order to recover from clashes before leaving #SouthYemen If all this is true the STC will be achieving its core demands from 21 JAN
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/958773399119192064
(* A P)
Hadi government calls STC a rebellion and claims STC's only victory is on social media. They acknowledged having to withdraw forces from the frontline. Also note they are thanking #SaudiArabia, not the #UAE which is also part of the coalition but backs the STC
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/958829579153608706 with thread of Yemen Embassy in image
(* B P)
People might not like this but I’m seeing many shades of 2014 in the south of #Yemen right now
https://twitter.com/peterjsalisbury/status/958795264889847808
In particular, a sense of shock among certain parts of the diplomatic world who have been focused on other aspects of #Yemen and caught lead-footed, had not thought this would happen, and do not have the contacts to build a meaningful picture of events on the ground
https://twitter.com/peterjsalisbury/status/958796868988829696
Given level of grievances in the south and growing cohesion among UAE-backed forces, something like this was going to happen at some point - STC was going to want a real seat at the table, and that is what they are playing for now
https://twitter.com/peterjsalisbury/status/958797463237873664
(* A P)
Situation Report
The two states on which the U.S. most relies to contain Iran and al Qaeda in the Middle East are fighting a proxy war with each other. The Emirati-backed Transitional Political Council for the South (STC) began an armed struggle to seize Aden, the de facto capital, from the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
In Yemen, divisions within Saudi-led coalition jeopardize American interests in the region
The secession crisis may draw both STC-aligned and Yemeni government forces away from active frontlines in the civil war, hindering the Saudi-led coalition’s plan to militarily pressure the al Houthi movement to agree to a political settlement acceptable to the coalition.
The U.S. must take a leading role in the region to resolve conflict between America’s allies in order to secure core national security interests in Yemen. Failure to do so will worsen the Yemeni conflict and hinder future political negotiations. Continued Yemeni instability will allow U.S. adversaries such as al Qaeda and Iran to expand their influence in the region and prevent the international community from reversing Yemen’s humanitarian crisis – By Maher Farrukh
https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/threat-update/in-yemen-divisions
My comment: Read carefully. This article fully reflects the viewpoint of the US leading circles. That means: US interest is calming the conflict in the South, as the anti-Houthi forces continue their fight against the Houthis, to contain Iranian influence. This is a bullshit article. The US is not the ruler nor the policeman of the world. US “interests” in Yemen should not be any larger than Uruguay’s or Sri Lanka’s interests there. Simply keep out of this conflict – which would start with no more selling arms to any of the warring parties of the Yemen war.
(A P)
55% Voted for Autonomy of the South in a Questionnaire by Al-Arabia Saudi TV Channel
Al-Arabia Saudi TV channel performed a questionnaire about the solution of the crisis between the Yemeni government and Separatists in Adan. The questionnaire posed three answers as follows:
• Minor change in the government
• Complete dismissal of the government
• Autonomy of the south.
Results indicated that 55% voted for autonomy of the south while 5% voted for minor change of the government and 10% voted for dismissal of the government. It is noteworthy that Al-Arabia expresses the political views of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(* B P)
Big Trouble in Little Aden
It is not a full-on war, but it is a bloody display of power between STC and the “legitimate” government on the ground. Left to its own devices, the government would have easily lost its hold on the country had it not been for international backing.
This is not the first time that Hadi and his government are instructed on their actions . Ever since Hadi assumed his current position, he has failed to create a government that is able to provide adequate services and respond to grievances.
The Arab Coalition’s vision for a future Yemen is inconclusive.
This is not the first time that Yemenis signal to the international community that the government of Yemen needs to be recognized locally, by northerners and southerners alike. Unless a new government is formed that is capable of providing public services and responding to the people’s demands, there will be no faith between the people and the state. In the next few years, Yemen will scramble to deal with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and unless the government is up to the task, Yemenis will only continue to suffer. Ruling exclusively by decree won’t suffice as it will only allow for non-governmental bodies to spread and gain more influence in a fragile Yemen. – BY SAMA'A AL-HAMDANI
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/big-trouble-in-little-aden
cp2 Allgemein / General
(B K P)
Film: The #UAE has been expanding it’s regional colonialism into Southern #Yemen and #Socotra;
After three years of aggression, the UAE now shows it’s real intentions
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1636646106388413/
(B P)
Syrian civil war is a proxy battlefield for Arab powers
With Yemen’s civil war, all pretence at unity has died, with Salah himself following it to the grave in December. The result is a free-for-all in which the only pockets of sanity are small territories that have hauled themselves out of the wreckage.
Now it also seems that even if the government forces are slowly advancing, they have no chance of entering Sanaa, the capital, before they, too, fall apart. There is precious little hope for Yemen.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/syrian-civil-war-is-a-proxy-battlefield-for-arab-powers-ljvf6d9wg
Comment by David Craig: de work-experience sub-editor never bothers reading de article before puttin de click-bait headline
My comment: The Yemen war is NO Saufi-Iranian proxy war.
(* B H K)
SAUDI CAPTIVES REVEAL FACTS OF RECRUITED TO FIGHT ON YEMEN’S BORDER
prisoners who confessed to confessions confirmed the authenticity of what was published by the correspondent Net to force Saudi Arabia to join the camps to fight.
Three prisoners were from Taiz, Lahj and al-Dalia governorates were present in the scenes, talked about several ways of attracting them to the depository, including to Saudi camps in Najran.
Some of them said that, they went to the port on the basis of entering Saudi Arabia in order to work there, while some are persuaded and others are forced to go to camps.
The prisoners revealed the exposure of officers, recruits and leaders of Yemeni groups to multiple insults by the Saudis for several reasons and that dozens of Yemeni officers and recruits are in Saudi prisons.
In the confessions of the prisoners, the reporter noted that they had received training for a very short time before being pushed on the fronts. Some of them were put on the fronts two months after they were brought into the training camps. (photos)
(* A K P)
Interactive map of Yemen
(* B K P)
No honour among thieves: Saudi war on Yemen falling apart
Ejected from all the main cities, Saudi troops are being left with little room to manoeuvre. The coalition is now a hostage of the STC which is the only real force wielding power on the ground in the south - at least in the main cities. The Hadi government is reduced to being a government of the frontlines, although even here it is not in control of the myriad of mercenary, Jihadi and tribal forces it has enlisted. The STC has confirmed its intention to continue to support the Saudi effort to fight the Houthis who took power in Sanaa and northern Yemen in 2015, but it is clear that it is far more interested in fighting Al Qaeda and consolidating power in its own areas. Southern forces have little support in Houthi dominated areas, and they are not motivated to wage a war for those areas either. A de facto splitting off of southern Yemen has taken place, falling under the influence of the UAE and not Saudi Arabia.
One of the main reasons for starting the war was for MBS to give a concession to the Saudi Jihadi movement, which in spite of being at the heart of the kingdom, is also fiercely opposed to the royal family. But having failed to export these forces, they are sure to come back home to the roost. Finally, a defeat for Saudi Arabia in Yemen would immediately consolidate Houthi rule as well as give Iran, a Houthi ally, an important base on its border. Thus a defeat would spell disaster for Saudi Arabia.
The UAE, on the other hand, has few of such concerns. While it would seem that the move to consolidate power in Aden was done without Emirati approval, it nevertheless is in line with the general trend followed by the Emiratis. That is, to gradually disengage from the war on the Houthis and focus on setting up its own power base mainly centred around Aden which has a strategic position at the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.
It is clear that the war on the Houthis was lost a long time ago. The Hadi regime is never going to rule Yemen.
What is taking place in Yemen is yet another part of the existential crisis of Saudi Arabia.
The Yemeni war was started partially to combat Iran’s growing influence, but more importantly in order to appease the Wahhabi opposition movement inside the Kingdom itself.
The defeat in Yemen will increase all of the pressures which are building up – by Hamid Alizadeh
https://www.marxist.com/no-honour-among-thieves-saudi-war-on-yemen-falling-apart.htm
(* B P)
The UAE Guides Saudi Arabia, for Now
The United Arab Emirates will continue cooperating with Saudi Arabia in areas of shared interest while pursuing its own objectives overseas.
As he works to transform his country's economic and social systems, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will emulate Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The expansionary aims of the two leaders could eventually bring their countries into conflict.
In the midst of the Middle East's power struggles, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are all striving to achieve regional dominance through proxy battles and games of political and diplomatic tug-of-war. Saudi Arabia is the most influential and active Arab power in the fray, but another Gulf state — the United Arab Emirates — is starting to muscle in on its preserve. Characterizing the small but increasingly ambitious country as a rookie upstart intruding on its much larger neighbor's domain fails to capture the essence of the Saudi-Emirati relationship. Abu Dhabi, in fact, is proving that it has much to teach Riyadh.
For the Saudi crown prince, his Emirati counterpart serves as a progressive example to follow.
As he attempts this transition, Salman will keep looking to his Emirati elder as a role model. The Saudi crown prince has followed Al Nahyan's strategy of trying to forge a monarchy that relies less on tribal and religious legitimacy than on the ruler's legitimacy as the embodiment of the nation
Try as he might, though, Salman is unlikely to remake Saudi Arabia in the United Arab Emirates' image. Their many similarities notwithstanding, the two countries have several important differences.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates often work in tandem.
But Abu Dhabi's low profile belies its ambition. Outside Saudi Arabia's shadow, the United Arab Emirates is emerging as a power player in its own right.
the Emirati push for greater global prominence may, in time, be enough to test Abu Dhabi's relationship with Riyadh. Their long-term ambitions around the world appear destined to bring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates into conflict.
https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/uae-guides-saudi-arabia-now
(* A H K)
Saudi-led coalition killed 68 children in Yemen: UN
The Saudi-led coalition that is fighting Houthirebels in Yemen is responsible for the deaths of scores of children since last summer, a United Nations report says.
Al Jazeera obtained excerpts from the confidential report by the UN Office on Children and Armed Conflict, which was sent to the UN Security Council on January 19.
According to the excerpts, the Saudi-led coalition killed 68 children and wounded 36 others from July to September 2017.
The report found there were at least 20 coalition raids every day - some targeting schools and homes.
In addition to the coalition, the UN report also points fingers at the Houthis, blaming the rebels for the deaths of 18 children since last summer. Another 29 children were wounded in attacks by Houthis in the same period, the report says.
The report also notes that recruitment of children to fight has increased, particularly by the Houthis and the Yemeni National Army.
My comment: Do not forget that in Yemen every 10 minute a child is dying due to starvation and avoidable diseases; for a great deal of this, the Saudi blockade is responsible.
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia and UAE suffer Yemen setback as allies fall out
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pumped billions of dollars into fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, but the Gulf states’ three-year campaign risks being derailed after their local allies turned on each other this week.
It was a serious setback for the Saudi-led coalition whose thousands of air strikes have so far failed to deliver victory over seasoned Houthi fighters aligned with Iran.
Riyadh and its allies see victory in Yemen, where they are backed by U.S. weapons and intelligence, as vital if they are to counter Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East, a priority for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
But coalition prospects have been dimmed by an armed uprising this week by fighters in southern Yemen, who have been backed the United Arab Emirates (UAE), against government forces until now on the same side.
This comes at a time when the coalition war effort has already been running into trouble
The uprising by UAE-backed southern Yemeni separatists against forces loyal to the Saudi-based and internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi could further complicate efforts to dislodge the Houthis from Sanaa.
Experts say Saudi Arabia and the UAE will need to think again if strains persist between their local allies.
“Many key powers had thought it could somehow just shelve the political grievances among its allies, focus on the fight against the Houthis and everything would work itself out,” said Adam Baron of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“This shows the folly of that thinking. Without a large-scale political solution, Yemen’s conflict will always develop new tentacles.”
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How Yemeni women are fighting the war
A woman from the Northern Ibb region, which is occupied by the rebel Houthi army, explained the situation to a research team:
We live in a state of lawlessness: no security, no protection and no functional law enforcement authorities. A person may be shot dead for a trivial thing. The security situation doesn’t look like it did in the past. Now, there are informal groups behaving as if they were law enforcement authorities. These groups have power, and their power is the law. They use force against whoever disagrees with them or criticises their behaviour.
As the feminist scholar Cynthia Enloe has pointed out, women are crucial for war and play supportive roles for the military. Indeed, many Yemeni women are not victims of war or just escaping or hiding from this war. In many contrasting ways, they are actively supporting it, and not only on humanitarian grounds.
Women engaging in war
Although many Yemeni women discourage their family members from taking part in the conflict and very few take up arms themselves, they also help recruit men to the army. They also support combatants by cooking food for them and helping to distribute it.
A young woman, Nasseem Al-Odaini, whose family has fled to the neighbouring Ibb region, stayed behind in Houthi-occupied Taiz and initiated an organisation that assist the combatants that support the former government. As she told Middle East Eye: “We want to encourage the pro-government forces to advance in the province, by raising the spirits of the fighters”.
Other Yemeni women try to mitigate the impact of the conflict the best way possible. For example, women engage in humanitarian relief and in providing social and psychological support for people who have been traumatised by the war. They also engage in peace processes when they initiate discussions of the conflict in their communities.
https://theconversation.com/how-yemeni-women-are-fighting-the-war-89951
(* B K)
Guerre au Yémen : le fiasco de l’intervention saoudienne
Après l’intervention militaire de Riyad, le pays est plus divisé que jamais et doit faire face à la « pire crise humanitaire de la planète », selon l’ONU.
Avec leur campagne au Yémen, les dirigeants saoudiens voulaient prouver qu’ils étaient capables de mener seuls leur propre politique dans leur pré carré. Le résultat est un fiasco. Les infrastructures du Yémen, le plus pauvre des pays arabes, ont été détruites méthodiquement par les bombardements aériens de la coalition arabe.
Il est temps de rappeler à l’Arabie saoudite – et aux Emirats arabes unis – que la guerre au Yémen implique sa reconstruction. Et que Riyad portera, pendant les décennies à venir, le fardeau d’un voisin détruit et de millions de miséreux à sa frontière.
[It is time to remind Saudi Arabia - and the United Arab Emirates - that the war in Yemen involves its reconstruction. And that Riyadh will carry, for decades to come, the burden of a destroyed neighbor and millions of misery at its border.] – by Editorial Board
http://mobile.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2018/02/02/yemen-le-fiasco-saoudien_5250777_3232.html
(* A P)
Nobelpreisträgerin: Saudi-Arabien und die Emirate begehen Völkermord im Jemen
Der saudi-arabische Kronprinz, Mohammed bin Salman, und der Kronprinz der Vereinigten Aranischen Emirate, Muhammad bin Zayid Al Nahyan, haben laut nach Ansischt der jemenitischen Friedensnobelpreisträgerin, Tawakkol Karman, einen Genozid im Jemen gestartet, wofür sie vors Internationale Gericht gestellt werden müssten.
"Die saudisch-emiratische Koalition hat unter dem Vorwand eines Staatsstreiches gegen die "legitime" Regierung in Sanaa, Jemen mit Krieg überzogen", schrieb Karman am Freitag auf ihrer Facebook-Seite.
(* A P)
Still not in the English media: #Yemen Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkol Karman accuses Saudi Arabia & the UAE of treachery, and calls on Yemenis to revolt against the Saudi & UAE occupation of Yemen.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/959207399440646144 referring to
(* A P)
Tawakul Kerman attacks the Arab coalition
Yemeni activist Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakul Kerman said that the Arab alliance is no longer a supporter of legitimacy in Yemen , but has become a force of treachery and occupation.
During a call with Al Jazeera, Kerman urged the Yemeni people to resist the so-called Saudi-Saudi occupation and called for an international human rights move to try Saudi and Abu Dhabi crown prince for crimes against humanity in Yemen.
"What is happening now in Aden is only a short play," he said. "It is now supporting the southern secessionist council that brought down Sana'a in 2014 and supporting the Huthis and supporting Saleh with billions."
Tawakul Kerman added that the Yemeni people will respond to Qantar to Saudi Arabia and theUAE for what she considered treacherous, betrayal of the Yemeni people and occupation of his country.
The Yemeni activist published several tweets on her Twitter account criticizing Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi , saying that "your legitimacy has become a cover for the implementation of the Saudi-Saudi aggression on Yemen" and called on him to ask the UAE to end its presence in Yemen "but you deserve everything that happens to you , And we deserve also because we are waiting for you. "
Kerman added that "what is happening in Aden of coup and rebellion is planned, financed and sponsored by the UAE and Saudi blessing, and the solution is to end the UAE presence in Yemen and withdraw any legal cover for presence."
and also
The alliance of the Saudi-UAE aggression exploited the coup against the legitimacy in Sana'a to exert an ugly occupation and an even worse influence on the great Yemen
https://twitter.com/TawakkolKarman/status/959405219279986688
My comment: Why it took almost three years that she realized this??? She is an Islah Party activist and had backed Hadi, the Saudis and their air raids before. Did she just see now what had happened all the time????
And
(* A P)
Exclusive - Yemen’s Islah Party Distances itself from Tawakkol Karman
The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, or Islah party, distanced itself from activist Tawakkol Karman after she made a series of tweets criticizing the Arab Coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen.
Secretary General of the party Mohammed al-Yadumi told Asharq Al-Awsat: “This woman does not in any way represent the Islah party.”
“The stances and sacrifices Saudi Arabia has made for Yemen are clear for all to see and they can only be denied by spiteful figures,” he added.
Karman is the 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate
The Houthis have rejoiced with the stances of Karman, who had previously been critical of the militants.
(* B H P)
Jemen kommt nicht zur Ruhe
Gehälter bleiben aus, die Inflation steigt, viele können sich das Nötigste zum Leben nicht mehr leisten. Das bringt viele Menschen im Jemen gegen ihre Regierung auf. Das Land auf der arabischen Halbinsel wird zerrissen von religiösen Konflikten, Machtkämpfen und einem brutalen Bürgerkrieg. Wohin driftet das Land?
(* B H K P)
How the World Failed Yemen and Why It Shouldn’t Again
The international humanitarian community is busy watching the Iran missile theatrics by the War Party in Washington and refuses to hear UN’s dire warnings of mass famine in Yemen.
The UN Security Council appears powerless to push the US-backed, Saudi-led coalition to lift its criminal blockade of humanitarian aid, and call for a meeting on the crisis seems like an impossible mission for those who still care about international law and international humanitarian law. Unless the blockade is lifted, Yemen will face the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, with millions of victims.
In between, some members in the Security Council have been taken aback by the false accusations of Washington and its Saudi vassals regarding Iran supplying Yemeni forces with ballistic missiles and suchlike. They refuse to openly accept that the problem in Yemen is not Iran but Saudi Arabia and its US-backed coalition that have been bombing and shelling Yemen indiscriminately for some three years now. They refuse to accept that there are still huge problems and there has not been any progress on the open humanitarian access through the ports of Hodeida and airport of Sana’a.
But will there be another emergency Council meeting on the aid blockade, and will it this time ensure enough will happen? Simply put, the world can no longer afford to wait and see what the next step will be on that.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961111001766 = http://www.newnewss.net/world-failed-yemen-shouldnt/
My comment: From Iran – sounds reasonable anyway.
(* B K P)
Two Former Ambassadors Speak Out on Deepening Crisis in Yemen
Yet the fighting, which many see as a proxy struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has pretty much been ignored by the American press; nor has it gotten much attention from the Trump administration. And that’s a mistake, say two former U.S. envoys to Yemen who spoke Dec. 12 at a Washington eventorganized by the Council on Foreign Relations.
Gerald Feierstein, the U.S. ambassador in Yemen from 2010 and 2013, shared the stage with his immediate predecessor in Sanaa, Stephen Seche, who served from 2007 to 2010. Moderating the discussion was Ellen Laipson, director of the international security program at George Mason University.
Yet Feierstein takes the opposite view of most human rights organizations by defending Saudi Arabia’s intervention and blasting Iran’s interference. Feierstein is now director of Gulf affairs and government relations at the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank that has received funding from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as well as the U.S. State Department.
“One of the political obstacles to resolving the conflict is the fact that individuals and groups on both sides of the conflict are making a lot of money by keeping the war going,” he said. “And until you address that part, it’s going to be very difficult to convince them.
“Yemen’s biggest disadvantage is the fact that it’s so isolated physically. You don’t have that flood of humanity washing abroad offshore in Europe. It’s been largely contained, and for that reason you don’t have this alarm sounding around the world about Yemen,” said Seche
“And that’s why it falls off the front page of our newspapers, into page four and five and elsewhere. So until that changes — and it probably is not going to geographically — we’re going to have to figure out a way to keep this on the front burner for people,” Seche said
Feierstein urged Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to “be more directly engaged in trying to push” a negotiated end to the war in Yemen. He also suggested that “Iran might be willing to play a larger role in pushing a political resolution to the Yemen conflict. It would be, without a doubt, the most direct way for them to reduce tensions with Saudi Arabia.”
From the Saudi point of view, three things are absolutely required, Feierstein said.
“One is a secure Saudi-Yemen border. Secondly, a friendly government in Sanaa, a government they can deal with. And third, no Iranian foothold in Yemen that would threaten their security,” he said. “And I think that, from a U.S. perspective, we should agree with all three of them. I think they are three legitimate objectives.”
During the Q&A that followed their panel discussion, the ambassadors were asked what exactly Yemen’s Houthi rebels want. Seche said he really doesn’t know.
“One of the great mysteries of the Houthis, to me, has always been they’ve never issued a manifesto. They’ve never said, ‘This is who we are. This is what we expect to have, and this is our overall, overarching ambitions and goals,’” he said. “So it’s still very murky territory. And it’s open to redefinition at any moment for them when they decide it’s in their interest to do so.” – by Larry Luxner
My comment: Always look who is telling what. For Feierstein, who is less an expert than a mouthpiece: Feierstein is no expert but a mouthpiece: http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/middle-east-institute-gerald-feierstein-uae-saudi-yemen.
(* B K P)
Die Krise des Jemen ist unser aller Krise
Was ist eine unbedeutende Cholera - entschuldigen Sie, der schlimmste Ausbruch dieser vermeidbaren Krankheit in der modernen Geschichte - im Vergleich zu den Bedürfnissen einer reibungslos funktionierenden Wirtschaft?
Diese Behauptung ist kein Skandal, sondern nur Business as usual. Und natürlich liefert Großbritannien nur ein Viertel der Waffenimporte Saudi-Arabiens, um seinen verheerenden Krieg gegen die Houthi-Rebellen im Jemen zu führen. Die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika liefern mehr als die Hälfte, wobei 17 weitere Länder ebenfalls von diesem Markt profitieren.
Das ist ein riesiger Teil der Welt im Krieg, mit vielen Gewinnern und nur wenigen, leicht zu ignorierenden Verlierern. Zu den Verlierern gehört ein Großteil der Bevölkerung des Jemen, der zu einem Abgrund der Hoffnungslosigkeit geworden ist
Diese Art von Wahnsinn ist seit Anbeginn der Zivilisation im Gange. Aber die Stimmen, die gegen den Krieg aufschreien ... bleiben so marginalisiert und ohne politischen Einfluss wie eh und je. Krieg ist politisch und wirtschaftlich zu nützlich, um für eine moralische Herausforderung anfällig zu sein.
"Unser Verständnis von Krieg ist ungefähr so verwirrt und ungeformt wie die Krankheitstheorien vor etwa 200 Jahren", schreibt Barbara Ehrenreich in ihrem Buch Blood Rites.
Das ist eine von Menschen verursachte Krise. Oder ist es etwas weniger als das - eine Krise der schlimmsten menschlichen Instinkte? Im Jemen wurden Cholera und Hungersnot von Männern ausgelöst, die auf der Suche nach einem Sieg für ihre Sache sind. Die Gesichter der leidenden und sterbenden Kinder - die Folgen dieser Verfolgung - provozieren einen Schock. Das ist so eindeutig falsch, aber geopolitisch gesehen, ändert sich etwas?
Gewalt wird nach wie vor als Sicherheitsbedürfnis verkauft. "Wir müssen unser Atomwaffenarsenal modernisieren und wieder aufbauen." Und das wird immer noch gekauft, zumindest von denjenigen, die glauben, dass die Gewalt gegen jemand anderen gerichtet ist – von Robert Koehler
http://antikrieg.com/aktuell/2018_02_03_diekrise.htm
and this is the original English version:
(* B K P)
Yemen’s Crisis Belongs to All of Us
But the voices crying out against war remain as marginalized and without political clout as ever.
This sort of insanity has been going on since the dawn of civilization. But the voices crying out against war remain as marginalized and without political clout as ever. War is too useful politically and economically to be susceptible to a moral challenge.
“Our understanding of war . . . is about as confused and unformed as theories of disease were roughly 200 years ago,” Barbara Ehrenreich notes in her book Blood Rites.
The results of this strategic game of power include the collapse of Yemen’s sanitation and public health systems. And fewer and fewer Yemenis have access to . . . clean water, for God’s sake.
And it’s all part of the strategic game of power. In order to rout the Shiite rebels backed by Iran, the Saudi coalition “has aimed to destroy food production and distribution” with its bombing campaign, according to London School of Economics researcher Martha Mundy. When I read this, I couldn’t help but think about Operation Ranch Hand, the U.S. strategy during the Vietnam War to destroy crops and forest cover by inundating the country with some 20 million gallons of herbicides, including the notorious Agent Orange.
What military or political end could possibly warrant such action? The reality of war transcends all description, all outrage.
This is a man-made crisis. Or is it something less than that — a crisis of the worst of human instincts?
Violence is still sold as a necessity of security. – by Robert Koehler
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/02/01/yemens-crisis-belongs-all-us = https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/02/02/yemens-crisis-belong-to-all-of-us/
(A K P)
[Houthi missiles; the British following the US story]
Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations Ambassador Jonathan Allen: There is clear evidence that the # Huthis in Yemen are using missiles and other weapons from # Iran: the Farsi keyboard, the factory seals from Iranian defense contractors, the LED site, the Persian calendar (photos)
https://twitter.com/FCOArabic/status/958641310029692928
Ambassador Jonathan Allen: How and when did Iran's missiles reach Yemen? The initial method of welding in the field (compared to the welding method in the factory) indicates that the missiles are cut into halves, possibly for smuggling. Its history, 2015, shows its supply after the arms embargo in Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/FCOArabic/status/958642553435443200
(* A P)
Houthis Call for National Dialogue In Yemen, As Southern Transitional Council Makes Further Gains
Yesterday evening, the official Twitter account of Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement (aka the Houthis), issued a call for a resumption of national dialogue in preparation for new Yemen wide elections.
Key points of the Tweet include the following
-A Return to the negotiation table
-The construction of a national reconciliation commission
-The Election of a president and a parliament that represent all political parties in Yemen
-Providing guarantees at the international level for a post-conflict reconstruction program
-Preventing any aggression from any foreign power
-Issuing a national amnesty law
-Releasing prisoners from all disputing parties
-Conducting referendums on sensitive issues
Taken at face value, it would appear that this online statement indicates a willingness on the part of the Houthi movement to engage in the kind of multi-party dialogue that is currently taking place in respect of Syrian factions in Sochi.
That being said, Saudi Arabia would never allow a “new North” to flourish, not least because this would mean having an Iranian ally on its border. Because of this, the Houthi statement talks about reuniting the country, rather than peacefully re-dividing it.
In this sense, the Houthis may be gradually pushing for a federal solution that was discussed widely by geopolitical expert Andrew Korybko just months ago. Under such a scenario, the Southern Transitional Council would govern from Aden, the Houthis could govern from Sana’s and a unity President could be elected to represent the entire country before the international community. Such a President would likely not be Hadi who is now equally discredited among the Houthis, Saleh loyalists and the Southern Transitional Council.
A potential “unity candidate” could be Ahmed Ali Saleh.
Because of the fractious nature of Yemen’s conflict and Saudi Arabia’s apparent intractability in respect of making any concessions to the Houthi forces controlling Sana’a, any solution to the conflict is a tall order. That being said, now that the Houthis have extended an olive branch and the events on the ground in Aden represent a possible conclusion to that side of the conflict, a federal/cooperative solution could be in the best interests of all parties to the conflict. Whether Saudi Arabia accept this or not, remains the biggest question mark hanging over the besieged country – by Adam Garrie
(* B P)
The Final Nail In Yemen’s GPC’s Coffin?
The GPC has not survived the consequences of the political quagmire and it has fragmented particularly since after the brutal end of former president Ali Saleh. The fragmentation of the party has emerged on the surface. Roughly a month after its founder’s demise, the GPC has appeared lacking in a coherent vision, and its leading members have not been on the same page.
The GPC sounds as if it has lost its compass, its irreplaceable head. The leading members and mass supporters are not contented with the paths they are taking, but they have to. The GPC now cannot maneuver to have what it craves, cannot fight alone and cannot survive without support. Recovering from the fallout of this terrible experience is not an effortless task, and this experience could be the ultimate nail in its coffin – by Khalid Al-Karimi
http://www.eurasiareview.com/01022018-the-final-nail-in-yemens-gpcs-coffin-oped/
Remark: Seems tob e an older article, but published just now. On the GPC by the same author, earlier on Jan. 4: https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/1/4/can-yemens-gpc-preserve-its-clout-after-salehs-demise
(B H P)
Guest column: Yemen is crumbling; so are its people
http://www.dailylocal.com/article/DL/20180131/NEWS/180139942
Remark: Overview, a school class assignment. – The role of foreign powers should have been made clearer; I would have chosen another film to show what’s going on there.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* A H P)
Petition: Lift Saudi led blockade of Yemen before millions die because of Famine.
If situation remains the same, in what will be the world's worst famine crisis in decades, millions of Yemani citizen will die. Saudi-led military coalition must end this inhuman and devastating air, sea and ground blockade and allow humanitarian aid into the Yemani territory.
Yemen is facing worst form of sea, air and ground blockade and unless Saudi led coalition lifts it, there will be a famine in the country.
(A H)
Dying in Yemen, at 28, because of an imposed inhumane siege.
The siege has taken a high toll on the people also on the medical side: if you do not perish under an airstrike, lack of medicines finishes the job.
A neighbour of ours, just 28, had hepatitis. His days were spent going from one hospital to another looking for medications and assistance. He was in terrible pain.
Not one hospital was able to assist him: there were no medicines due to the siege.
He, hence, decided to travel to Jordan, his only hope. But hopes are easily shattered in Yemen: the sky has been blocked by the Saudi led coalition and few airplanes manage to land or take off.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B K P)
Film (English, deutsche Untertitel): Noam Chomsky über den Krieg im Jemen – Noam Chomsky on the Yemen war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlDcTK2KO94
(* A H)
Near 1,000 kidney patients in Hodeidah, Zubaid and Qanous are dying unless they are treated urgently.
An urgent appeal was sent to local authorities, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance and the Economic Corporation to bear their responsibilities towards patients with renal failure and avoid further pain and inevitable deaths if immediate action is not taken
(* A H)
Film: Yemen - Patients With Renal Failure In Taiz Call For Help
Doctors and patients at the Industrial Kidney Department in Taiz city launched a call for help to support the center with medical solutions and supplies before a disaster happens. The center closed its doors in front of patients due to the depletion of medical solutions, and doctors appealed to all concerned bodies and international organizations to urgently support the center.
(* B H)
Film: War, poverty, famine – and a deadly cholera epidemic. For disabled children in Yemen, it only gets worse.
https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/959258017937080320
(* B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: Revised Humanitarian Response Plan - Funding Status (End of Year 2017)
(* B H)
Yemen conflict: "We were tirelessly trying our best"
Elma Wong is an anaesthetist from Birmingham. She recently returned from six weeks in an MSF-run trauma hospital in Aden, Yemen.
I was in the middle of the surgical ward round, reviewing patients, when I was called to the emergency department.
Two children had been rushed in after being caught in an explosion. A three-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother.
Janet stays with me for the next few days in the intensive care unit. I let myself hope. Hope that she can survive this. Hope that I can make this difference. Hope that I can return one child back to her grieving parents.
I bargain that I’ll stay by her bedside, react timely to deteriorations, be with her during operations, and give her my absolute best as a doctor. If she can just survive.
Janet is just three years old. She was born into this war. She has known nothing else.
Eventually, I have to say goodbye to Janet. I hate it.
This is my ninth assignment with MSF. Every time there are different challenges, different heart-breaking moments. Janet broke my heart. I have cried many tears over this beautiful little girl. But, this is the reality of what we face.
https://www.msf.org.uk/article/yemen-conflict-we-were-tirelessly-trying-our-best
(A H)
Yesterday 3 cases of renal failure died in dialysis center in #Ibb city, 14 years old boy among them . Drugs and Equipment were ran out . This is #Yemen
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/959180962205700096
(A H)
Today @monarelief @monareliefye distributed blankets and winter clothing to homeless people in #Yemen's capital Sanaa. Our project was funded by our Kuwaiti sisters and brothers (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/959116230186688512
(* B H K)
Yemen: “On an average day in Taiz, we hear around five explosions per minute”
Arunn Jegan is an Australian project coordinator who has worked with Médecins Sans Frontières since 2016. He was with MSF in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and recently started his mission in Taiz, Yemen.
“I’ve just arrived in Taiz, Yemen, where we support multiple hospitals on both sides of the frontlines. Although I read in the media before coming here how dire the humanitarian situation is, in my first week I really realise how desperate the situation is and how many challenges the population face on a daily basis.
On 24 January 2018, the day of my arrival in Taiz, violence escalated along all the frontlines around Taiz city. The last few days have been extremely heavy. Sadly, this is the daily life of people here.
Over the last three days, we have treated more than 117 war wounded and the number continues to grow as we speak.
As the conflict intensified, the emergency rooms and the operating theatres were over-flowing with wounded people. They received approximately 70 patients on one day. We treated people with bullet, shrapnel and landmine wounds – it was an extremely shocking scene to arrive at.
http://www.msf.org/en/article/yemen-average-day-taiz-we-hear-around-five-explosions-minute = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-average-day-taiz-we-hear-around-five-explosions-minute
(* B H)
Giving voice to Yemen’s voiceless: Jamie McGoldrick reflects on two years leading UN’s relief effort
Over the past few years, it’s the voice of Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick, that has been drawing the world’s attention the most loudly, and the most often, to Yemen’s plight.
He had extensive experience as a senior manager with the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA), before arriving in Yemen, in December 2015, and for our latest UN News interview podcast, he explains why he’s just stepped down from the job, and what it has been like to oversee one of the most difficult and challenging aid operations in the world.
Mr. McGoldrick tells UN News that to deliver aid to an increasingly desperate population in Yemen, there’s “no point in getting angry, there’s no point in getting frustrated, the point is to get smart.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58517#.WnNWJIjOWUk
(* B H)
Norwegian Refugee Council: How we are saving lives in Yemen
In 2017, the Norwegian Refugee Council provided life-saving aid to 760,000 people in Yemen. The needs are increasing every day.
Despite a serious increase in violence over the past three months, NRC is able to continue working in Yemen.
"We're here as a humanitarian actor, and we're not opposed to any side, we're only here to provide relief for the people," says Amr, one of our staff members based in Sana'a.
Through our operations, we assist conflict-affected populations with clean water and sanitation, shelter, education, food security, livelihood opportunities and legal assistance.
Our work in Yemen:
https://www.nrc.no/news/2018/january/how-we-are-saving-lives-in-yemen/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/how-we-are-saving-lives-yemen
(* B H)
Yemen Key Message Update, January 2018
Continued imports needed through Red Sea ports to mitigate risk of Famine
Large populations in Yemen continue to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity. As worst-affected households begin to exhaust their coping capacity, populations may begin to move into Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) even in the absence of additional disruptions. In a worst-case scenario, significant declines in commercial imports below requirement levels and conflict that cuts populations off from trade and humanitarian assistance for an extended period could drive food security outcomes in line with Famine (IPC Phase 5).
Sustained imports of essential goods such as food and fuel are critically needed to mitigate the risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) in 2018.
The Yemeni Riyal continues to depreciate rapidly against foreign currencies (maps)
http://www.fews.net/east-africa/yemen/key-message-update/january-2018 = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-key-message-update-january-2018
(B H)
UN Children's Fund, iMMAP, Nutrition ClusterYemen Nutrition Cluster: Operational Presence as of December 2017
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-operational-presence-december-2017
Yemen | Nutrition Cluster Dashboard (January to December 2017)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-dashboard-january-december-2017
and special analyses, maps:
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-bsfp-gap-analysis-31-december-2017
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-iycf-e-gap-analysis-31-december-2017
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-mam-gap-analysis-31-december-2017
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-mnp-gap-analysis-31-december-2017
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-nutrition-cluster-sam-gap-analysis-31-december-2017
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
Displaced people in Ibb, Yemen, devastated by hunger and disease for 3 years
In just one week, Asrar Saeed, a mother of 2 children, lost her husband and her home. As tensions escalated 3 years ago, Asrar fled with her children from Taiz – a city she had never left before.
“My husband was killed, leaving me with 2 children and no money. We used to live together with dignity but the war changed everything,” she said letting out a deep sigh of sorrow.
Now, Asrar lives in a small makeshift tent inside an unfinished building in Ibb governorate, a place 300 other internally displaced persons (IDPs) call home. Most rooms in the building are comparable to a small studio apartment. They are cramped with multiple family members, accommodating sometimes up to 13 people.
“We cannot drink safe water or eat proper food. The food we eat is not fit for human consumption. We spend most of our time in the street begging for food and oftentimes we use the remnants of bread and rice to satisfy our children’s hunger,” said Asrar.
“We’re going through diseases, displacement, cold, fear and hunger. We don’t even have mattresses and blankets to protect ourselves from cold.”
“Together with health partners, WHO is scaling up its interventions in the affected governorates, including Ibb, to respond to persistent health needs, through providing essential medicines and medical supplies to health facilities,” said Dr Zagaria.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/displaced-people-ibb-yemen-devastated-hunger-and-disease-3-years
(A P)
23 Yemenis claiming asylum in Italy require additional support (mostly in Milan region, 1 near Genoa and another near Bologna). Of the 21 airlifted from Libya in December only 9 remain in Italy, however, it is likely that most if not all of the 12 who left will be sent back. (with film)
https://www.facebook.com/martin.humphreys.52/videos/10155515142058386/
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(* A P)
Yemeni activists launch a campaign to save a woman from execution by the Houthis
The mother of two was arrested along with her father and two other men
Lawyers and activists in Yemen launched a social media campaign in an effort to save the life of a 23-year-old woman sentenced to death by the Houthi rebels.
Asmaa Al Omaisi, a mother of two, was arrested along with her father and two other men on October 5, 2016 while travelling from Ibb governorate to the capital Sanaa, according to activists. Her father was later released.
She and two men were sentenced to death last week by the Iran-backed militia for allegedly spying for the Arab coalition, which is fighting the rebels on behalf of the internationally recognised government. A third man was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
According to one activist, Hayat, Al Omaisi was beaten and tortured at the central prison, where she was detained, to force out a confession.
She would also be questioned late at night and forbidden to sleep, Hayat tweeted.
Anti-Houthi Islah Party media publish a lot of anti-Houthi (horror) stories, who should / could separate fact from fiction? As follows:
(* A K P)
Houthis displace more families in Taiz
"stormed Al-Adanah Village in Salah district, east of the city, shooting fire to terrorize the residents. Then they forced all the families there under the threat of weapons to move" to the other side of the town, Al-Jahmaliah, a neighborhood which itself is in ruins because of previous fighting.
The militia has displaced thousands of people in Taiz and booby-trapped their houses and planted landmines in villages to prevent their return.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15160
(A P)
Female prisoners allegedly performing penal labor in Houthi jails
New photos being circulated in social networking websites show women imprisoned in Houthi jails allegedly performing hard penal labor.
Facebook activists said the Houthis have forced their female prisoners in Sana'a jails on Monday afternoon to collect and lift heavy debris onto dumping vehicles and that the Houthi male jail officers standing by the women are giving directions for the women to perform the labor.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15163
(* A P)
Abductees' Mothers say their sons face torture in Houthi jails
The mothers of many activists abducted and imprisoned by Houthi over the past years said their children have been facing torture in the jails of the radical militia since their arrests.
In a statement on Friday, the League of Abductees' Mothers, said their sons are subjected to torture and abuse including the deprivation of water and food.
The League said the Houthis are fully responsible for the lives of their sons in forced disappearance. The League called on the international human rights organizations to intervene to save the abductees from the militia.
The mother of one abductee said her son was arrested by the extremists in one of the streets of the capital Sana'a more than one year ago for no reason and she does "not know to now about his destiny?"
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15174
Houthis increase oil prices in their held areas
The Houthi radical rebel militia has imposed a new increase in the price of fuel where it controls.
The militia, through the Yemen Oil Company in Sana'a, set the price of 20 liters of oil at YR 7000 from YR 6000 in December.
This is the second increase of fuel price in two months, in December the militia increased the price to YR 6000 from YR 5000 before.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15172
My comment: This sounds like odd propaganda as the price is rising due to the unsufficiant supply (thanks to Saudi blockade) and the downfall of Yemeni currency.
(B K P)
[Houthi “martyr” memories : photos]
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/959813807488098304
(A P)
Yemeni parliament passes Arab convention to combat organized crime
Speaker of Yemeni parliament, Yahya Ali al-Raie, passed on Saturday Arab conventions to prevent and combat transnational organized crime across borders.
The draft law on ratification of the convention came to support and strengthen the cooperation between Yemen and Arab countries in the fight against organized crime.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486754.htm
My comment: How many MPs attended? Could the quorum be reached?
(A P)
Yemen Revolution Leader calls on Sudan to withdraw its troops, stop fighting Yemeni people
Yemen's Revolution Leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi on Friday called on the Sudanese government to withdraw its troops from the Saudi-led aggression coalition and stop fighting the Yemeni people.
"But because of the Saudi money, the Sudanese president is sending the Sudanese army as mercenaries to fight the Yemeni people in the interest of the Saudi and UAE regimes," leader al-Houthi said.
He said "the Saudi Arabia and UAE are no more than tools at the hands of the United States... they are implementing A U.S. agenda to divide the unity of our people and our country... and in response, we will fight back to free our homeland from those foreign invaders."
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486685.htm and also http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/02/02/551057/Houthi-Saudi-UAE--US-Israel
(A K P)
President inaugurates military operational training for 2018
President of the Supreme Political Council Saleh al-Sammad, on Thursday inaugurated the military operational training in the central military region for 2018.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486627.htm and photos https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/959289950607831040
(A P)
New orders from the #Houthis for the seizure of all financial and physical assets (including bank accounts) of #Saleh, his family members, and other persons and organizations associated with him. (documents)
https://twitter.com/YemenEmbassy_DC/status/959137244031406080
(* A P)
Sheikh of Hajjah named Abdulrahman ibn Yahya, refused to hand over his young son to fight with the plot and they [Houthis] killed him in cold blood! (photo)
https://twitter.com/adel_alyafeii/status/958937458665775104
(B K)
[Houthi martyrs’ cemetary; photos]
https://twitter.com/Al_Affash/status/958800778243858443
(* A P)
Yemeni court sentences 3 to death over spying for coalition
The criminal court in the capital Sanaa on Wednesday sentenced three people to death and jailed another over charges of spying for Saudi-led coalition.
According to the court’s verdict, Saeed Mahfoud, Asma’a Matir al-Omisi and Ahmed Abdullah Bawazir were sentenced to death, while Mater Mohammed al-Omisi was sentenced to 15 years in jail, starting from of his arresting date.
The convicts has been accused of spying and collaborating with Saudi-led coalition countries, as well as running networks for recruiting mercenaries in favor of United Arab Emirates in the country. http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486534.htm
Remark: This already had been reported by anti-Houthi media; one of those sentenced to death was said tob e a child.
(* B K P)
Houthis incurred 2917 casualties in Taiz last year, says HRITC
The Human Rights Information and Training Center (HRITC) said toll of civilian casualties the Houthis incurred in Taiz province in 2017 amounts to 2917 persons.
The NGO, headquartered in Taiz, said in a statement it issued this week that 929 civilians were killed. Among them were 134 children and 55 women. The injured amounted to 1988 persons including 156 children and 58 women.
The Shiite Islamist rebels' used modus operandi is oriented toward collective punishment ; indiscriminate bombardments, sniper shooting of pedestrians, and planting of landmines and bombs.
The NGO said the militia abducted 155 persons and forced 40 others into disappearance. It tortured to death five of those 40.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15100
(* B P)
Hundreds of civilians held in Houthi prisons in Taiz
The association of abductees' mothers said on Wednesday that hundreds of civilians are being held in the Houthis group jails in Taiz province, southwestern Yemen, facing an unknown destiny.
In a statement, the association said that the civilians were detained near
the confrontations areas between the Houthis and government forces, making them human shields.
The Houthis had put dozens of abductees in the detention places in the east, north and west of the city, it added.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96829
(A P)
Houthis demolish charity building in Sana'a
A group of the Houthi gunmen led by the leader Faris al Habari demolished on Tuesday the charity building of al Ta'alof association in Bayet al Othri area in Arhab district, northern the capital Sanaa, the Media Center of Sana'a province resistance said.
The Houthis occupied the association building when they invaded the district in 2015, and used it as a headquarters for its militants.
The building demolition occurred due to disagreements between the local population and the Houthi leader Faris al Habari, according to sources.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96830
(A P)
Yemenis to continue providing martyrs until victory: President
President of the Supreme Political Council Saleh Al-Sammad on Wednesday said that the Yemeni people “Will continue to provide convoys of martyrs until achieving victory and defeating the aggressors (Saudi-led coalition).”
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486494.htm
My comment: Emphasizing they will be martyrs, that’s odd.
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp1b
(A T)
Marib Security forces bust Houthi cell plotting terror attacks
The security forces of Marib city busted and arrested a cell of Houthis plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in the government-held city, east of Yemen.
A well-informed source said that after a precise surveillance, the Counter Terrorism Force stormed a house where the suspects were caught with big
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-15175
My comment: This sounds like AQAP rather than like Houthis.
(A T)
Bomb blast kills top military commander in S. Yemen
The explosion struck the convoy of Lt-Col. Moeen al-Shamsi, commander of the 83 Air Defense Brigade, in the Qa’tabah district in the al-Dhale province, officer Saddam al-Maresi said.
One of al-Shamsi’s aides was killed and five others were injured in the bombing, he said.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.
http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/bomb-blast-kills-top-military-commander-in-s-yemen/1053446
(? B P)
Hadi, président fantoche d’un Yémen divisé
Exilé en Arabie saoudite depuis 2015, le chef de l’Etat yéménite est accusé de prolonger la guerre au profit de son entourage, soupçonné de corruption.
Depuis, M. Hadi demeure en exil chez ses hôtes saoudiens, qui ne peuvent pas se défaire de lui. « Sa légitimité a du plomb dans l’aile, mais il reste un élément essentiel du dispositif saoudien », note un diplomate européen. Le soutien infaillible apporté par M. Hadi aux bombardements aériens. (registered only)
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
The Super Moon lunar eclipse has brought forth a rarity in #Yemen: An actual offer of peace talks by Houthi leader Mohammad Al Houthi.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/958803836189147136 referring to
(A P)
We are returning to the dialogue table, forming a national reconciliation committee and adopting the electoral fund to elect a president and a parliament representing all the forces in Yemen and establishing international guarantees to start the reconstruction and prevent any aggression from foreign countries on Yemen, reparation and a general amnesty and release of detainees to each party.
https://twitter.com/Moh_Alhouthi/status/958792492148772866
(* A P)
Saudi Arabia should be dropped from UN Human Rights Council, say British lawyers
A campaign to remove Saudi Arabia from the UN Human Rights Council has been launched by a group of British lawyers, who argue the desert kingdom’s membership of the body is “contradictory and ironic”.
Saudi Arabia, whose seat on the council expires in 2019, has faced international condemnation for its role in the Yemen conflict.
It is also accused of crackdowns on political dissidents as well as having deeply conservative laws on issues including homosexuality and women’s rights.
My comment: Oh yes please.
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
(A P)
Iran says Yemen "quagmire" of Saudi Arabia
A senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader said Thursday that Yemen war could be a "quagmire" for Saudi Arabia, Tasnim news agency reported.
Ali Akbar Velayati, an international adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Saudi's involvement in the war in Yemen could lead to the same catastrophe that the U.S. government experienced in Vietnam.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/02/c_136942860.htm
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(* B P)
Muhammad bin Salman’s reforms in Saudi Arabia: Threats and Chances
There is no doubt that Saudi Arabia needs some reforms in various aspects and the future this kingdom will be faced to serious threats without these reforms. Saudis and US as their supporter knows this fact very well.
Fall of oil price during past three years and vast deficits of Saudi Arabia demonstrated that those states that are relied on oil incomes will not be able to assume it as constant income.
Muhammad ben Salman, the son of the king, prince and minister of defense of Saudi Arabia tried to show his militaristic majesty by attacking Yemen. He tries to prepare required ground for those economic and cultural reforms which Saudi Arabia will face more economic and social problems without them.
Ben Salman’s Revealing and hidden attempts to control all key centers of decision making in Saudi Arabia after rise of his father as the new Saudi king demonstrates that he follows the two projects of reforms and integration at the same time.
Financial disarmament of the heads, capitalists, Turki Ben Naser and Valid Ben Talal as the head of this pyramid has been because of preventing them to use their capitals against Ben Salman in future. Specially, some of them are opposed to full capture of power in his hands.
The highly attended point here is that social and Bureaucratic reforms will be led to political reforms finally. Because awareness and expects of the new strata of society will be increased. This fact that how much Ben Salman is able to manage the changes is a dangerous gamble.
http://moderndiplomacy.eu/2018/02/03/muhammad-bin-salmans-reforms-saudi-arabia-threats-chances/
My comment: Reform, reform, reform. By always repeating this world it does not get more reasonable. What really is a “reform”?
(* A P)
Saudis Raise Allowances for Some Royals After Purge
Increase comes after government ends free utilities for royals
Saudi government official says the report is not true
Saudi Arabia increased its payments to some members of the royal family just as officials were wrapping up a controversial anti-corruption campaign that targeted some of the kingdom’s richest men and most prominent princes, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.
The most recent monthly stipend -- paid after the government had stopped covering electricity and water bills for royalty -- was raised by as much as 50 percent, two of the people said. A Saudi government official said the report was “absolutely not true.”
It’s not clear whether the payment was a one-time bonus or will continue each month, or how widely the money was distributed.
A U.S. diplomatic cable in 1996 released by WikiLeaks said that members of the royal family receive the monthly payments from birth, with the amounts depending on their proximity to King Abdulaziz. At the time, the payments ranged from a low of $800 a month to a high of $270,000 a month, and the diplomat estimated the total cost to the state at about $2 billion.
(* B P)
MBS plans first US visit since becoming Saudi crown prince
Saudi Arabia is organizing Mohammed bin Salman’s first US visit since he became crown prince last year, multiple sources with knowledge of the plan told Al-Monitor.
The weekslong tour starting in early March, with possible stops in Washington, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Houston, aims to demonstrate that Riyadh is open for business after Mohammed led a purge of more than 40 members of the royal family last year. The 32-year-old prince also serves as his country’s defense minister and is close to Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.
“Part of it is the Saudi roadshow,” said Andrew Bowen, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. “I think that they feel that the Saudi-US relationship needs to move beyond Washington.”
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/02/mohammad-bin-salman-us-visit-economy-agenda.html
(A E P)
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed back at work after detention, company says
Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is back on the job as chairman of global investment firm Kingdom Holding after being released from detention in an anti-corruption campaign, the company said on Thursday.
and
(A E P)
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal tweets for first time since release from detention
“With my son @KhaledAlwaleed, my daughter @Reem_Alwaleed, my grandchildren, and the company of my family and people in an outdoor camp,” he tweeted, posting pictures of the outing.
and
(A P)
I can confirm that @Alwaleed_Talal is under 24/7 guard by #MBS. Dozens of #Saudi soldiers keep him under tight control at home & outside. Hopefully doing a story on it in days with more details.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/959943373858770945
(* B E P)
Saudi Arabia’s ‘normalisation’ baffles global business
The anti-corruption clampdown has made foreign investors nervous
Local and foreign investors might still prosper in an authoritarian climate, but they require, at the very least, a measure of predictability and financial security.
According to the attorney-general, settlements with those at the Ritz netted the government about $100bn, an amount that is curiously in line with what it had expected. But who was really guilty and who was innocent? Who was corrupt and who was simply inconvenient? These are details of great relevance to companies and investors, but apparently not to the Saudi way of doing business.
https://www.ft.com/content/b1458710-0672-11e8-9650-9c0ad2d7c5b5
Comment: Understated headline of the year, this.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/959037164821590017
(A P)
Film: #Saudi clansmen arrest dancing couple in #Aseer, home of most 9/11 hijackers
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/958809404916355075
cp9 USA
(A K P)
Omani, U.S. troops conduct combined arms maneuver
“Inferno Creek 2018 is an opportunity for the US and our partner, the Omanis, to bridge a gap and build a relationship here in the Middle East and to develop ourselves at the company and tactical level and now make our way from the lower levels, the individual, all the way up to the battalion and, looking to the future, maybe make our way up to the brigade level and higher with not only just the maneuver but maybe a command post exercise,” said Genge.
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/264379/omani-us-troops-conduct-combined-arms-maneuver
My comment: The US military everywhere…
(* B K)
Trump’s Drone Kill Rate 80 Times Greater than Under Bush
It took Trump only seven months to surpass the number of civilian deaths in foreign nations that occurred during Obama’s entire eight-year presidency, according to non-profit monitoring group Airwars
In particular, it has been Trump’s dangerous expansion of the drone war that has authoritatively destroyed any illusion that Trump would genuinely put “America first” — and put an end to dangerous military operations abroad that only serve to exacerbate the horrendously bungled War on Terror. For instance, after gutting the already lax regulations on drone strikes and giving the CIA free rein to kill whomever they choose, it took Trump only seven months to surpass the number of civilian deaths that occurred during Obama’s entire eight-year presidency, according to non-profit monitoring group Airwars.
The covert drone war program, first created under George W. Bush, was a key part of the War on Terror whereby terror suspects could be targeted and killed covertly. However, under his presidency, only 57 strikes were conducted in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, with between 384 and 807 civilians killed. The program was greatly expanded during the Obama administration, which conducted 563 strikes in those same countries. Now, under Trump, drone strikes targeting these countries have skyrocketed.
In 2017, the U.S. bombed Yemen 127 times alone, compared to 32 strikes conducted in 2016
https://www.mintpressnews.com/trumps-drone-kill-rate-80-times-greater-than-under-bush/237075/
(* B K)
U.S. airstrikes in Yemen have increased sixfold under Trump
The U.S. military stepped up its air campaign in Yemen dramatically in 2017, conducting more than six times as many airstrikes as in 2016, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) data.
In addition to the airstrikes, the Pentagon acknowledges there is now a small intermittent U.S. military presence inside Yemen.
In 2017, the U.S. military carried out 131 airstrikes, both manned and unmanned, against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and ISIS in Yemen, the data shows. That's up from 21 strikes in 2016, the last year of the Obama administration. There have been at least 10 additional strikes since Jan. 1, 2018.
The airstrikes were carried out by drones, AC-130 gunships and fighter-bombers.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/u-s-airstrikes-yemen-have-increased-sixfold-under-trump-n843886
(* A P)
Heads Explode As Julian Assange Exposes Trump’s “Subservience” to Terrorist Saudi Arabia
it was only a matter of time until WikiLeaks began exposing the atrocities of the Trump administration. The warning was blatant that WikiLeaks knows no party lines and a crime is a crime whether red or blue. But they didn’t listen.
“The Trump administration’s subservience to Saudi Arabia’s military adventurism in Yemen has lead to 8x the drone assassination rate of Obama. Most killed are civilians. Obama, in turn, had 10x the drone kills of Bush,” Assange Tweeted.
Naturally, Trump supporters who wish to ignore his subservience to the largest exporters of terror in the world began conducting mental gymnastics to justify the president’s cozy relationship with Saudi Arabia. Laughably, many Assange fans actually thought the whistleblower was somehow a Trump fan.
Ironically enough, the ‘Fake News’ liberal media never mentions Trump’s collusion with Saudi Arabia unless they are praising the billions in weapons he sold them. This silence on Saudi is due to the fact that both the right and the left sides of the establishment media are beholden to the military-industrial complex which is also loyal to the Saudis.
http://thefreethoughtproject.com/assange-trump-saudi-subservience/
From Dec. 2017, overlooked by me at that time:
(** B P)
Dragging U.S. Intelligence into the Anti-Iranian Mud
Haley and the Trump administration have gone beyond Powell and the Bush administration in dragging U.S. intelligence agencies into their hostility-selling campaign. For Powell’s speech, the imprimatur of the intelligence community was symbolized by Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet sitting in the camera frame right behind Powell. Although Haley is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, such an image in the Security Council chamber evidently wasn’t enough. Instead, she did her show-and-tell at the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington. And rather than a small vial that Powell used as a prop in talking about a biological weapon, she displayed a warehouse full of wrecked hardware, including the missile remnants.
Just as in 2003, the show missed the fundamental issues involved in the relevant Middle Eastern mayhem. The missile fired at Riyadh was a rather feeble and ineffective response to the continuing air assault on Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition that has turned a civil war sparked by tribal disgruntlement into one of the world’s biggest current humanitarian disasters.
We still don’t know exactly where Trump, Haley, or anyone else in the current administration wants or expects to go with their campaign of stoking maximum tension with, and hostility toward, Iran. But more and more of their campaign sounds a lot like what the Bush administration and neoconservatives were saying about Iraq in 2002 and 2003. Add to the other similarities a perversion of the relationship between policy and intelligence – by Paul Pillar
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(B H K P)
Save the Children: STAND UP FOR YEMEN'S CHILDREN
Sign our petition and tell the Government to protect children and suspend the sale of British weapons to Saudi Arabia.
https://action.savethechildren.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=7&ea.campaign.id=60631
(* A B K P)
UK’s Saudi arms sales violate humanitarian law, campaigners say
Demo at Saudi Arabian embassy will protest UK arms sales amid humanitarian crisis
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMS TRADE (CAAT) will hold a protest outside the Saudi Arabian embassy in London on 3 February in opposition to the UK Government’s continued sale of arms to Saudi Arabia which are being used in its war against Yemen.
The UK has sold over £4.7bn worth of weapons to the Saudi Arabian regime since the war started in March 2015. The UN has described the conflict as a humanitarian crisis and that Saudi Arabia breached international law with airstrikes in Yemen.
The UK Government recently committed £50m in Aid to Yemen and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt agreed that Saudi Arabia was “in breach of international humanitarian law”.
However, campaigners say that by continuing arms sales to the regime, the UK Government is in breach of the law itself.
My comment: Well-knwn and often told before, the government simply does not care.
(* A P)
A Conservative MP just outed his own government by asking it a £1.3m question
Given the consistently sordid state of UK foreign policy, there’s generally very little war-related news that comes as a surprise to me. The government has, however, just managed to dazzle me with its latest admission.
And it’s thanks to Conservative MP Leo Docherty that my jaw hit the floor. He managed to ask the right question about Yemen’s ongoing war for all the typically cynical reasons. But he got a £1.3m answer from the government that truly says it all.
He asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) what steps it was taking to stop the Houthi rebels in Yemen getting hold of ballistic missiles.
In response, FCO minister Alistair Burt confirmed the office is taking action to stop the Houthis – who overthrew Yemen’s president in 2014 – getting such arms. Burt said British taxpayers are forking out £1.3m to the UN “to counter weapons flows into Yemen”. And he told Docherty the reason why it’s so important to keep weapons out of Yemen:
This threatens regional security and prolongs the devastating conflict.
But this exchange, which conveniently allowed Docherty to appear prudent and Burt diligent, revealed a mind-boggling fact. With one hand, the government is stopping weapons getting into Yemen, at a cost of £1.3m. With the other hand, however, it’s making certain that weapons enter Yemen through billions of pounds’ worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which has been brutally bombing the country since 2015.
There’s no logic in that.
No wonder people doubt the sincerity of this government’s care for the Yemeni people.
(* A P)
Saudi Crown Prince Postpones Visit to Britain after Protests
The Crown Prince was set to meet senior royals on a visit to London in February, but the source, who asked not to be identified, told Arab21 that this visit was postponed to an unspecified time, without clarifing more details.
Groups including the Stop the War coalition, the Campaign Against Arms Trade, and the Arab Human Rights Organisation, published an open letter late January, accusing the heir to the Saudi throne of overseeing the war on Yemen and deepening a humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.
http://www.newnewss.net/saudi-crown-prince-postpones-visit-britain-protests/
My comment: Good idea. Feb. 30, 2118 would be a good date.
(A P)
The Guardian view on the Saudi visit to Britain: don’t trade away values
Theresa May should raise the issue of freedom of expression with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince when he comes to visit – even if the lecture grates.
Britain should not trade away its principles and values. The crown prince’s anti-corruption crackdown is clearly less about graft than a purge of royal rivals. The ruthless consolidation of power highlights the Saudi regime’s intolerance for dissent.
My comment: This is just goiung half-way. – There is no reason at all for this visit.
(A K P)
An arms dealer chose the worst time to brag about what it’s getting up to in our primary schools
BAE Systems Air revealed that a primary school attended workshops at the company’s Academy for Skills and Knowledge on 30 January. It posted an image of the children on Twitter, saying it was “delighted to welcome” them in:
There’s something very disturbing, however, about seeing BAE staff looking on approvingly as small children seemingly present what they’ve learnt from the weapons giant to the rest of their class (they’re also standing in front of an image of what appears to be a military aircraft which does nothing to quell such discomfort). As commentators explained in response to the tweet:
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(B K P)
Frust und Frieden
Alles hängt manchmal mit allem zusammen: eine Werft in der ostdeutschen Provinz mit den Koalitionsverhandlungen, der Streit über Rüstungsexporte mit den Sorgen in Vorpommern – und das alles mit dem Krieg im Jemen (nur Abo)
http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/reportage-ueber-grosse-und-kleine-politik-15429906.html
(A P)
KEINE RÜSTUNGSGÜTER FÜR JEMEN-KONFLIKTPARTEIEN
Amnesty International appelliert an CDU, CSU und SPD, an dem Exportstopp für Rüstungsgüter an die Jemen-Konfliktparteien festzuhalten. Im Jemen spielt sich aktuell eine der weltweit schwersten humanitären Krisen ab: Millionen Menschen sind auf der Flucht vor den Kämpfen, es kommt wiederholt zu schweren Menschenrechtsverletzungen.
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(* B P)
Meddling or mediating: what is Russia's game in Yemen?
Russia has so far kept a low profile in the Yemen conflict – in contrast to its role in Syria – but that is now changing. Over the last few months it has been stepping up political and diplomatic contacts and advertising itself as a potential mediator.
While Russia has clearly sided with Assad and Iran in Syria, in Yemen its position has been a lot more ambivalent. It has been "trying to maintain contacts with all of the interested stakeholders, excluding terrorist groups," according to Kirill Semenov of the Russian International Affairs Council, a government-sponsored think tank.
Writing for Al-Monitor, Semenov cites Russia's recent rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, its acceptance (after several refusals) of a Yemeni ambassador nominated by the anti-Houthi president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and a meeting in Moscow earlier this month with Hadi's foreign minister, Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi, as evidence of a pragmatic approach.
In an earlier article for Al-Monitor, last October, Semenov noted that Saudi Arabia is "desperately searching for mediators" and said "Russia seems the logical choice to solve the Yemen crisis".
But where, exactly, Russia's renewed interest in the south may lead is still a puzzle. Will it help mediation efforts or hinder them? Besides dealing with the Houthi problem, any would-be mediator must also try to reconcile Saudi-Emirati differences – and the closer the Russians get to the separatists the more likely they are to alienate the Saudis – by Brian Whitaker
http://al-bab.com/blog/2018/02/meddling-or-mediating-what-russias-game-yemen
(A P)
Bahrain: Government expels citizens after having revoked their nationality
Turning citizens into stateless people and banishing them by forcing them to leave the country is a violation of international law.
Lynn Maalouf, Director of Research for the Middle-east at Amnesty International
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(A P)
Barzan Holdings, le projet mystère de Doha dans la défense
L'émirat mis au ban du Golfe est en train de mettre sur pied son propre fonds public dédié à la défense, Barzan Holdings.
["Qatar, isolated from the Gulf, is in the process of setting up its own public fund dedicated to defence: Barzan Holdings." Doha is becoming autonomous and is following the strategy of the UAE that succeeded in creating an international military-industrial complex.''] [restricted]
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* B K P)
Australia: Minister for Defence Industries, Christopher Pyne.
Spoils Of War: Christopher Pyne’s Plan To Rocket Up The List Of Weapons Exporters
The Minister for Defence Industries this week unveiled a strategy he hopes will make Australia a Top 10 weapons manufacturer. Michael Brull breaks it down.
The Federal Government recently unveiled its new “Defence Export Strategy”. The plan is to expand military exports, which presently make some $1.5-2.5 billion per year. The plan is to dramatically increasethose exports, so that we enter the top 10 military exporters in the world within a decade.
(* B K P)
Australia’s world-beating defence technology niche
When three American warships and a merchant vessel were attacked by cruise missiles off the coast of Yemen in 2016, their crews fired off a series of defensive systems which diverted some of the missiles and brought the others down.
One of those systems, and key elements of another, were developed in Australia by scientists and engineers who are producing some of the world’s most advanced targeting devices.
The Nulka decoy system is Australia’s most successful defence export with more than $1 billion worth of sales to close allies. It’s been in operation with the Royal Australian Navy and the US Navy for over 20 years.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australias-world-beating-defence-technology-niche/
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
Siehe / Look at cp1
cp13d Wirtschaft / Economy
(A E)
Economic Quartet meets on financial assistance to Yemen
The Economic Quartet on Yemen debated on Friday the mechanisms of providing financial and technical assistance to the Central Bank of Yemen.
During the meeting, headed by the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber, the quartet – made up of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, US and the UK – shared views with the Yemeni side on the management of the USD two billion aid to the CBY as well as the USD one billion deposit at the bank
https://nationalyemen.com/2018/02/04/economic-quartet-meets-on-financial-assistance-to-yemen/
My comment: This quartet are the four warring parties in the Yemen War which have bombed Yemen to the ground – the arsonists posing as fire fighters here. The effect of these US$ 2 billion deposit at the new Central Bank is of little effect: Before the deposit was granted, the Yemeni Riyal had fallen to 500 to the US$, now the rate is:
(A E)
The exchange rate of the Yemeni riyal against the dollar, the Saudi riyal and the rest of the foreign currencies at the exchange shops on Thursday morning February 1, 2018
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
UAE Press: UAE, Saudi Arabia are bulwarks of regional security
In an editorial on Sunday, the Khaleej Times said that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are keen to develop Yemen socially and economically while strengthening its political structure and institutions.
"The goal for the Arab coalition is to liberate all of Yemen from the Houthi rebels. It's a matter of principle for both the UAE and Saudi Arabia who are on the same page on the issue. The bond between the two Gulf countries has only grown stronger as they have fought together during the three-year campaign to rid Yemen of Iranian influence.
"Tehran has meddled and has done its best to sow discord and disunity among Gulf nations but the efforts will fail and its proxy force in Yemen will bite the dust. This is a war for the soul of the country and Tehran has already lost the moral battle; it will soon lose the major war that will rid the region of its evil influence," the English language daily added.
It went on to say that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are keen to develop Yemen socially and economically while strengthening its political structure and institutions. They have provided humanitarian assistance to their suffering brethren in the impoverished country and have met with great success particularly in the South.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302664625
My comment: What a bullshit propaganda. “keen to develop Yemen socially and economically” by bombing Yemen to rubble. And more.
(A P)
Saudi crown prince named the ‘most powerful leader in Middle East’
In a recent report by CNBC, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was described as the ‘most powerful leader in the Middle East.’
The report looked at Bin Salman’s various achievements in the last seven months since stepping into the role of crown prince.
Some of the achievements mentioned include “granting more rights for women.”
The report also celebrates Bin Salman’s prompt and smooth handling of the anti-corruption drive in the Kingdom.
It also indirectly recommended neighboring countries in the region to take the crown prince’s actions as a template towards growth and development.
My comment: When CNN tells Saudi propaganda like a Saudi mouthpiece, The Saudis of course are pleased. But, be honest, “Most powerful leader” of the region must not be a positive thing. – Other “most powerful leaders” of their region include Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Nero…
(A P)
‘Isnad’ Center Aims to Go beyond Aid and Provide Development for Yemen
After a series of meetings and studies, the Isnad center was established with the purpose of implementing a comprehensive humanitarian operation throughout Yemen. A number of media appearances, interviews and social media posts were made to highlight this initiative.
My comment: More of the “We are benefactors” series.
(A P)
A firm and unifying Saudi-Emirati stance in Aden
“Saudi Arabia’s and the UAE’s goal is one and they share the same vision,” the delegation added. An Emirati military commander said: “We stand with Saudi Arabia to achieve reconciliation among Yemeni parties.”
Qatar’s and the Muslim Brotherhood’s policies aim to create a rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This is one of their major goals as the alliance between the two countries is strong and it is the base of the solid confrontational policy against Khomeinism, the Brotherhood and “revolutionaries” who revolve in their orbit. Their aim is to harm this alliance whether in Yemen or in Egypt or in Iraq. All they care about is demolishing what Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have agreed on!
We hope that the Arab coalition’s “political” command holds a unifying Yemeni conference for all those in support of the coalition to reach a common word.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2018/02/02/Aden-a-Saudi-Emirati-stance.html
Remark: On the conflict at Aden. Realitiy seems to be somewhat different.
(A P)
Mohamed Bin Zayed’s gift arrives in Yemen
The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has intensified its rescue and development operations in Yemen in January, in line with the military achievements of the Popular Resistance and the Yemeni Army, supported by the Arab Coalition, and their efforts to liberate the country.
An Emirati ship carrying large quantities of dates, a gift from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, arrived in Yemen. The cargo is being distributed to the country’s liberated areas.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/51c2cc1f-2199-4f11-bed6-5bed54e3bb04.aspx
My comment: Dates for blood.
(A P)
Who is behind Aden’s militants?
With early signs of the defeat of the Houthi militias in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, looming, battles broke out in the interim capital Aden.
Contriving battles in the south is not a coincidence, but rather shows the motives of those who were betting on the perpetuity of the war in the north and the failure of the legitimacy project, which they think would help them succeed in establishing their own state in southern Yemen.
On the other hand, hostile regional parties, such as Qatar, have sought to inflame the situation by increasingly inciting southern separatist militias against the government. These militias were active before, but they are now acting in tandem with the Houthis, and by besieging the government headquarters in Aden, they opening a new front in order to compensate their new tactical allies for their loss of Saleh’s camp.
Thus, the government forces which for a while thought they would soon retake Sanaa, have found themselves fighting to keep Aden.
This is a bad political and military development which confirms the old fears that some secessionist southern forces may have been infiltrated by the same players who desire to prolong the war in Yemen, specifically, Iran and Qatar.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1237966/columns = https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1162501/abdulrahman-al-rashed/who-stands-behind-militants-aden
My comment: LOL. Iran and Qatar and the Houthis behind the Southern separastists?? This is absurd propaganda. For the facts, look at cp1b above.
(A P)
Coalition restores normal life in Mocha
It has been over a year since the legitimate forces in Yemen, with the support of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition and the prominent participation of the UAE Armed Forces, successfully liberated the city of Mocha in the Red Sea coast of Yemen from the control of Iranian-backed Houthi militias.
A report compiled by WAM on the situation in Mocha has revealed that the city’s residents are happy that normal life has resumed.
They acknowledge that the Arab Coalition forces played a prominent role in liberating the city, praising the participation of the UAE Armed Forces in achieving this.
A year after liberation, the official said, the situation in the city is now stable under the control of the legitimate forces. He expressed the hope that all of Yemeni territory will be liberated from the Houthis.
Business in the city’s vegetable and fruit and fish markets is back to normal.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/bc5253f5-b09b-463f-8999-a4345dd13e96.aspx
(A P)
Arab Coalition says they have no self-interest in Yemen, sole aim is stability
A high-ranking military delegation from Saudi Arabia and the UAE arrived in Aden to enforce the Arab Coalition’s calls for a ceasefire between the warring sides.
In a joint statement, the delegation stressed that Saudi Arabia and the UAE have no personal interest in Yemen, and that the main objective is the political and social stability of the country. This is why putting a halt to the fighting is important as the current situation is a disservice to the coalition’s mission of liberating Yemen.
They added that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are a united front and have the same goal which is for Yemen to remain a stable, peaceful and legitimate country, able to develop and flourish.
My comment: That’s related to the conflict at Aaden, cp1. – This statement as emphasized here is odd propaganda, anyway.
(A P)
Kuwait rejects assaults on Yemen's constitutional institutions
The State of Kuwait rejects assaults on Yemen's constitutional institutions by illegitimate forces in the brotherly nation, the Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah has announced.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/96828
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(A K PH)
2 Civilians killed in aggression airstrikes in Saada
Two civilians on Friday were killed and another was injured in US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition airstrike on Saada province, a security official told Saba.
The airstrike hit a main road in Ghamer district.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486684.htm
photos (stating 2 killed 2 injured): https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1773765839586069
film: https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1796381833726206/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/959885732981731329
(A K PH)
Civilian killed in series airstrikes on Saada
A civilian was killed and another wounded on Friday in four Saudi-led aggression collation airstrikes hit Saada province, a security official told Saba.
The warplanes launched a strike on Sarbi market, two on a main road in Farwh area, and on on Mahather market, damaging civilians’ cars and shops, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486675.htm
film: https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1796370583727331/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/959880293783138304
(A K PH)
Civilian killed, 3 wounded in airstrike hit Jawf
A civilian on Friday was killed and other three were wounded when US-backed Saudi aggression coalition warplane launched a strike on Bart-Marashi district of Jawf province, an official told Saba.
The airstrike targeted a civilian’s home in Bedouin camp of Ashr area, causing the burning of the tents, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486674.htm
(* A K PH)
2 civilians injured in airstrikes hit Saada
Two civilians on Friday were seriously injured when the US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition warplane launched a strike on Saada province, a security official told Saba.
The air strike hit a main road which leading to Razeh district
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486632.htm
(A K PH)
Aggression airstrike targets mercenaries in Medi
The US-backed Saudi aggression coalition warplane on Thursday launched a strike which targeted its mercenaries’ gatherings in Medi, a military official told Saba on Friday.
The airstrike targeted the gathering of mercenaries in the north Medi desert, killing and injuring dozens.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486623.htm
(** A K PH)
17 civilians killed, 20 injured in airstrike in Yemen's Amran [Jan. 31]
17 civilians were killed and twenty wounded on Wednesday when US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition warplanes launched two strikes on Saada province, Security director of Saada told Saba.
The security director, Mohammed al-Mutawakel said that one of the strikes hit Abarat bridge and Mefkhad market, Which is located at the beginning of the bridge of Qaflah district, and the warplane of aggression resumed with another strike after the citizens rushed to aid the injured and recover of victims, which led to the deaths of 17 citizens and injuring more than 20 others.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486451.htm
and
Film: The crime of aggression on the bridge of Al-Afra
Seventeen citizens were killed and more than 20 others were injured today in two raids launched by Saudi American Airlines on the Al-Afra and Souk Bridge in Al-Mafkhaz district of Qafla Atar governorate in Amran Governorate.
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1794378870593169/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/959201611401834496
(A K)
Saudi-Led Coalition Strikes Houthi-Held Military Airbase
Saudi-led coalition warplanes on Thursday struck a military airbase held by Yemen’s Shia Houthi militia outside capital Sanaa, witnesses said.
“Coalition warplanes targeted the Al-Dailami Airbase near Sanaa International Airport just north of the capital,” one eyewitness said.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing columns of smoke rising from the targeted site, but were unable to ascertain the extent of the damage.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah satellite channel, for its part, reported that “Saudi aggressor aircraft” had hit the airbase with at least five separate airstrikes.
https://www.albawaba.com/news/saudi-led-coalition-strikes-houthi-held-military-airbase-1083278 and film is here https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180202-clashes-between-saudi-forces-armed-gangs-in-yemen/
(A K PH)
Film: The American-Saudi aggression continues to commit crimes targeting residential areas in the capital Sana'a, five raids launched by the Al-Hashishiyyah neighborhood in the Directorate of Sheub, a situation of panic among the citizens
https://www.facebook.com/Hona.Almasirah/videos/1793396677358055/ = https://twitter.com/Hona_Almasirah/status/958827555863322624
(A K PH)
Aggression destroys two warehouses of the Martyrs Foundation and the Education Office in Saada
The US-Saudi Arabian Air Force destroyed two warehouses of the Martyrs' Foundation and the Education Office in Hafsin area in Saada Governorate
A security source in the Directorate that the air aggression launched raids this morning on the warehouses of the Foundation of Martyrs and the Office of Education in Hafsin district of Sohar, which led to the destruction of the full
The target of the store of the Martyrs Foundation, which contains hundreds of Korans (photos)
(* A K PH)
More Saudi coalition air raids reported on:
Feb. 3:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486788.htm Hajjah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486710.htm Nehm, Sanaa prov.
Feb. 2:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486684.htm hais, Hodeidah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486621.htm Saada prov.
Feb. 1:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486533.htm Hodeodah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486531.htm Sanaa city
Jan. 31:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486509.htm Hodeidah prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486489.htm Sanaa prov.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news486488.htm Hajjah prov.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K PH)
Yemenis enter Saudi Arabia to conduct counter-strike +Video
A newly-released video shows a group of Yemeni army soldiers and Houthi Ansarullah fighters crossing into Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Asir region to conduct counter-strike.
Yemen’s al-Masirah television network published footage on Friday showing the crossing operation that came following clashes between Yemeni fighters and Saudi military forces.
Al-Masirah further released another video showing the Yemeni army targeting a military base run by Saudi-allied troops from Sudan in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jizan region (films)
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/02/03/551093/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Asir-Jizan
(* A K)
Saudi-led coalition Spokesman Turki al Maliki stated on January 31 that an al Houthi ballistic missile launched on January 30 fell in the desert in northern Yemen. The al Houthi movement claimed to launch a Borkan-H2 long-range ballistic missile targeting Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 30.[2]
(A K)
Anti-al Houthi forces are claiming they made some serious advances in #Taiz city over the past couple days. A combination of Salafi militias have been the main force fighting Houthis in eastern Taiz city. #AQAP has previously participated in operations there also
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/958830281133346817 referring to https://twitter.com/HeshamAlziady/status/958817763547590659
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
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Skyscrapers more ancient of the world in Shibam, Yemen
Shibam is the name of a beautiful location in Yemen, whose Antigua and Walls city were declared a World Heritage Site in 1982. It is a spectacular mini-isolated city in the desert, whose characteristic “mini-skyscrapers” of between 5 and 11 live about 7,000 homes. The lovingly nicknamed as “The Manhattan of the desert ‘. (photos)
http://townsofusa.com/travels/2015/01/skyscrapers-ancient-world-shibam-yemen/
(D)
Desert Locust Bulletin 472 (January 2018)
The Desert Locust situation continued to remain calm during January
Only localized breeding on a small scale is likely to occur in some coastal areas of Sudan and Yemen where low numbers of solitarious adults were present in January
During the forecast period, locust numbers will remain low and no significant development are likely.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/desert-locust-bulletin-472-january-2018
(D)
Taste the healthy and delicious honey from Yemen
Yemeni honey is world-renowned for its health benefits. For centuries, it has been used not just as a sweetener, but also as a medicine. A group of stalls are displaying and selling this fresh “elixir of life” at Naseem Gardens.
The variety of honey on display has been painstakingly collected from different trees with varying properties. Sidr honey, the most common form of Yemeni honey, is raw, organic and pure, harvested from bees that feed solely on nectar from Sidr flowers.
This honey is known to protect the liver and kidney, help heal wounds and bruises, and cure stomach ulcers, respiratory disorders, and all types of inflammations.
http://timesofoman.com/article/127462
(A)
Ten People to Follow in Aden
Aden has been witnessing dramatic events over the past few days with the situation changing by the hour. Yemen has always been a complicated story. For me, Yemen is only a complicated story because to a large extent media outlets, regionally and internationally, exert no effort to include reliable and relevant Yemeni voices in their reports. Social media is to be thanked for opening a new channel and for providing the space for Yemeni voices to narrate what's happening on the ground from their own local perspective.
A few years ago, I developed a list of Top 20 people to follow in Yemen. Things have since changed. Tweeps come and go. Some deactivate. Some change careers. Some remain active and constantly improve. But as all eyes are on Aden these days, we need a new special list on Aden coverage. The following accounts will bring Aden closer to you, as they have done for me.
There is no specific standard for coming up with this list - except that the people behind these accounts reside in Aden at the moment, bringing a meaningful take on events there.
So, here we go! – by Afrah Nasser
http://afrahnasser.blogspot.de/
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Film by CNN: We have often shared his work and we are glad to see CNN's tribute to one of #Yemen's finest photographers ( @alialsonidar )
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1634750446577979/
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I love Yemenis. Top #Yemen media article tonight: Near 2,000 hits in 90 minutes. Record-breaking. Oral Sex – Health Benefits & Dangers
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/959201265627598850 referring to http://ye-mj.net/news_details.php?lang=arabic&sid=3165
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-382-yemen-war-mosaic-382
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-382 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-382:
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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