March 28, 2018: Figures of war victims – Ongoing Saudi blockade – Collapsing health system, humanitarian catastrophe – No school for children – Southern separatism – Refugees: crossroads Djibouti – How the military controls America – The UN and Yemen – Houthi missiles attack Saudi Arabia – and more
Hier nur Englisch, Artikel auf Deutsch folgen (Yemenkrieg-Mosaik 398)
Here only in English, reports in German to follow (Yemen War Mosaic 398)
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
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
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
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
Und neue Artikel / And new articles:
(* B H K)
'Forgotten War' in Yemen has the country on the verge of man-made famine
The deadly conflict in Yemen, which has been raging for the last three years with no signs of letting up, is being called the "Forgotten War" because most of the world's attention has been focused on Syria.
A bombing campaign by Saudi Arabia and its allies against Shia rebels has left around 2.2 million Yemeni children malnourished -- 80 percent of them severely -- and the country is on the verge of a man-made famine.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), a U.S. aid organization, says one child younger than 5 dies in Yemen every 10 minutes from preventable causes.
Much of Yemen's infrastructure has been decimated, including schools, bridges, marketplaces, hospitals and health facilities, making 79 percent of the population dependent on humanitarian aid, according to figures compiled by the IRC.
[Overview]
(** B K)
Yemen's skies of terror: Three years of war in Yemen
More than 10,000 people have died in the Yemen war which has now entered its fourth year.
"Most of the bombings in al-Hodeidah have targeted innocent civilians. Most of the victims are women and children," said Manal Qaed Alwesabi, a Yemeni journalist from Hodeida who documented Abu Bakr's story.
"People were sure that if the bombings targeted and destroyed a populated area like this, no person or city will be exempt. Nothing was left untouched, not even the narrow alleyways that even cars cannot get through."
There are similar stories of indiscriminate bombings from within Yemen's capital Sanaa.
"All of us fear the raids and shelling," said 15-year-old Akram who was woken up and rocked by a large explosion on September 18, 2015.
His neighbour's house was hit, killing 10 members of the family.
"If the Saudis want to defeat the Houthis in Sanaa like they say, they should target the military. They don't have to bomb civilian houses or destroy our infrastructure. There is no excuse to bomb civilians," said Sanaa-based Yemeni journalist Ahmad Algohbary.
"Children are scared of the bombing and the sound of the jets. It's difficult for them to study with the sound of Saudi jets hovering above the capital."
https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/middleeast/2018/03/yemen-skies-terror-years-war-yemen-180325085542567.html and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qhQKRXtSAM = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1691827687536921/
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Yemeni women reflect on war in a city ravaged by air strikes
As the war on Yemen enters its fourth year, women in Sanaa say death and destruction stalks every family.
As the conflict enters its fourth year on Monday, residents and activists told Al Jazeera the fighting has extracted a grave toll on the civilian population, with women suffering disproportionately.
"The war has humiliated women," Afaf Al-Abara, a Yemeni journalist focusing on humanitarian issues, told Al Jazeera.
"Women have been displaced, traumatised and even killed. They've been exposed to the highest forms of cruelty and targeted by both parties."
More than 18 million civilians were currently hemmed in by the fighting, with at least 10 million - a number greater than the entire population of Sweden - requiring immediate humanitarian assistance.
Getting accurate information on the death toll is difficult, but Save The Children estimated at least 50,000 children died in 2017, an average of 130 every day.
According to residents, the cost of food and fuel had skyrocketed, with soaring inflation leaving the poorest most vulnerable.
[Overview]
(* B H K)
Film: It's the third anniversary of the war in Yemen. Here's why you should care:
https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/978331996479893504
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
Huthi-Raketen auf Saudi-Arabien: cp17a / Houthi missiles against saudi Arabia: cp17a
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Saudi-led coalition air attacks kill and wound 600,000 civilians in Yemen
The Ministry of Human Rights said the continuing Saudi-led coalition air attacks on the Yemen people killed and injured over 600,000 civilians, including more than 247,000 children since March 2015, in a statement received by Saba on Monday.
A total of 2,949 children and women including to 8,979 men were injuries or maimed due to of the Saudi-led coalition's direct airstrikes as well.
The statement said that the Saudi military aggression indirectly caused in killing of 296,83 civilians.
More than 247,000 children were lost their lives due to severe malnutrition, and 17,608 civilians were died because of incapacity to travel abroad to seek medical cures.
1,200 people were died of kidney failure, others 2,236 of cholera diseases and a total 450 pregnant women also suffered the miscarriages.
2,361 civilians were killed and injured in by Saudi-backed militants loyal to the resigned president, Hadi, the statement added.
Meanwhile, 19 television and radio stations were destroyed, and 28 broadcasting masts were targeted.
The Saudi-led aggression coalition bombed 600 mosques and tourist facilities, and damaged 393 archaeological positions.
The Saudi-led military operation that attacked Yemen, leaving 2,641 educational centers were destroyed , leaving 2.5 million students are able to bring to schools and universities.
660 food storages and 200 food factories of the agricultural sector were destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes.
Moreover, the Saudi-led coalition war hit 271 factories, killing tens of fishermen, and targeting 93 fish landing centers and demolished 4,586 fishing boats, the minister added.
Saudi-led coalition air attacks targeted nine civilian airports, 14 ports, 5,000 kilometers of roads, 95 bridges, 400 public and private telecommunications facilities, 420 power stations and transmission towers, 450 oil and gas equipment and trucks and 85 sports stadiums.
The coalition air attacks also targeted 1,016 farms and 535 central trading markets, the statement added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news491325.htm
Remark: Here, they did not get right the figures of the victims of the Saudi coalition air raids nor the total figure. And thus, also Press TV Iran is wrong (http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/25/556492/Saudi-airstrikes-Yemeni-ministry)
Look at the Arabic version by Saba:
The Ministry of Human Rights in a press conference in Sana'a on the crimes and violations of aggression led by Saudi Arabia three years ago that the direct military operations launched by the air force led to the deaths of 13,987, including two thousand and 949 children and two thousand and 60 women, and wounding 24,513, including 2,810 children 2,536 women in addition to the disability of 2,050 people.
The ministry said in a press report that 296,834 citizens died indirectly from the military operations.
http://www.saba.ye/ar/news491285.htm
My comment: Of course one could believe that a Houthi-held ministry would be interested in exaggerating the figures of victims. Might-be they do; anyway, figures like these ones here certainly are more realistic than the figures generally told, which are much too low. – I also had the idea to write an article on supposed figures of victims, thinking of a total of 180,000 to 200,000 killed, of which I suppose nearly 90 % are caused by the Saudi coalition. But for instance, I did not think of those who died simply because they could not leave the country to get medical help abroad, simply because of the Saudis blocked them to leave, whether a part of them would have died nevertheless or not…
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The Saudis Are Still Blockading and Starving Yemen
AFP reports on the ongoing blockade of Yemen’s main port by the Saudi-led coalition.
The coalition delays or diverts commercial ships bound for Hodeidah, and then the ships that are permitted to dock have to contend with the reduced capacity of the port to offload goods. Coalition airstrikes destroyed the port’s cranes three years ago, and only very recently have smaller replacement cranes been allowed in after being blocked for almost the entire duration of the war. Unfortunately, the new cranes are not as large or effective as the cranes that the coalition destroyed, so unloading what does manage to make it into the port takes even longer. The “de facto blockade” has had the effect of driving more than eight million people to the brink of famine and has caused widespread malnutrition for millions more. This is the result of the Saudi-led coalition policy that the U.S. has been uncritically supporting for three years.
The Saudis and their allies have done their best to prevent the delivery of essential goods into Yemen in their effort to starve the country into submission, and their interference has resulted in extensive shortages of fuel and huge increases in the price of food. The coalition blockade is the principal cause of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which is far and away the world’s worst crisis and threatens the lives of millions of innocent civilians. The fuel shortage compounds every other problem in the country: Yemenis need the fuel for generating electricity to keep lights on, pump clean drinking water, refrigerate vaccines and medicines, and obviously for transportation and distributing goods. Blocking commercial imports of fuel makes it difficult if not impossible to combat the spread of preventable disease, and it further drives up the prices of goods around the country. The only way to avert more loss of life in Yemen is to lift the blockade and to deliver sufficient quantities of food, clean drinking water, and medicine to address the population’s profound plight – by Daniel Larison
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-saudis-are-still-blockading-and-starving-yemen/
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They die of bombs, we die of need: impact of collapsing public health systems in Yemen
The right to critical life-saving health services of 9.8 million Yemenis caught in the intractable civil war that is in its fourth year has not received adequate policy and media attention leading to a dire humanitarian crisis, especially for mothers and children. While more people have died and continue to suffer starvation and from preventable diseases because of deprivation of basic goods and services than from the actual conduct of war, human rights and humanitarian law violations not directly linked to the conduct of war attracts less attention than those stemming from air strikes and other military action.
The Saudi-led coalition’s (SLC) de facto blockade of the Red Sea ports since Nov. 6, 2017 has led to significant shortages of basic medical supplies for communicable and non-communicable diseases in state-run primary care and emergency medical facilities. The war has further destroyed much of the public water distribution infrastructure, and what remains is in disrepair due to the state’s inability to meet the repair and maintenance cost. Because of the blockade, the cost of water provision has increased significantly due to the rising cost of petroleum needed to pump or deliver water. Parties to the conflict have also depleted the country’s currency reserves. The SLC has not shored up Yemen’s basic public systems even in the south where it has nominal control despite commitments to support the Government of Yemen.
The Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) has been unable to pay salaries of civil servants who provide life-saving services in health facilities and centers because the civil war has destroyed Yemen’s economic mainstay. Staff shortages extend to administrators and managers who are required to oversee and coordinate service delivery, thus undermining regional and national health responses. Across most health interventions, humanitarian organizations are forced to use cash incentives to attract and retain public-sector health workers.
As a result, at least 9.8 million people across Yemen are acutely in need of health services, but only 50 percent of health facilities are operational. The situation is worse in conflict-affected governorates such as Hodeidah, Taizz, Ibb, Hajjah, Amanat al Asimah, and Sa’ada. This has given rise to the largest cholera outbreaks in history, with more than 1 million suspected cases and over 2,000 associated deaths as of January 2018.
Yemen’s maternal mortality remains among the highest in the world. According to the latest reliable data, it is 385 deaths per 100,000 live births; Every 10 minutes a child under the age of 5 dies from preventable causes. While, there are no credible public sources on the number of maternal and child deaths attributable to the effects of the conflict (excess mortality), there is however overwhelming evidence that children and women have borne the brunt of the lack of health services.
In 2017, heath, water and sanitation sector accounted for 16.9 percent (USD 1.715 billion) of total humanitarian aid to Yemen. The World Bank has invested a further USD 1.3 billion to bridge the gap between immediate humanitarian and longer-term development needs. Donor engagement is required to address longer-term development needs. Humanitarians alone cannot fill this gap. Scaling up support for international development along the lines of the World Bank is a major opportunity. Absent of robust International Humanitarian Laws, these investments will go to waste.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/they-die-bombs-we-die-need-impact-collapsing-public-health-systems-yemen and full report
https://www.rescue.org/report/they-die-bombs-we-die-need-impact-collapsing-public-health-systems-yemen = https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/theydieofbombswedieofneedfinal.pdf
and other reports by IRC
(* B H)
The world's worst humanitarian crisis is in Yemen
This week the war in Yemen enters its fourth year. Since the start of the conflict, basic services in Yemen have become nonexistent. More than half of all health facilities in the country are nonfunctional, and three-quarters of the population, 22 million people, are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.
Abdul Ghafar lives in a remote village in the mountains. The nearest medical facility is an IRC-supported health center two hours away. There are no cars available, and even if there were, the cost of gasoline has skyrocketed since the start of the war. The IRC mobile health clinic comes to Abdul’s village every Wednesday.
But early one Monday morning, his three-year-old son, Abdullah, became ill, “One night, he was vomiting and having diarrhea,” Abdul recalls. “I knew the IRC mobile clinic was coming here in two days.”
Abdul brought his son to the IRC clinic that Wednesday, where Abdullah was given an IV drip and medicine. The boy was also suffering from severe acute malnutrition. But he was lucky … he survived the ordeal, although his life, like everyone’s in the village, is fragile.
https://www.rescue.org/article/worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-yemen
(** B H K)
IRC report: Failed public health system ‘quiet killer’ in Yemen
US- and UK-backed Saudi-led coalition overinvest in war at expense of Yemeni civilians
The Government of Yemen and the Saudi-led coalition, continue to invest in the war while failing to provide the people of Yemen with life-saving health services: more Yemenis have died from the deprivation of basic goods and services than from fighting;
In 2017 the US approved 17.86 billion USD in military sales by corporations to Saudi Arabia 26.75 times more than US humanitarian aid to Yemen in 2017 (667.5 million USD);
The Saudi-led coalition (SLC) is depriving civilians in Yemen of basic healthcare, killing scores more than the fighting itself, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said today, marking the third anniversary of the conflict. In a new report, the IRC found that the SLC’s investment in the war effort comes at the direct expense of the Yemeni people — especially with respect to the delivery of health services. While the US and UK governments continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen they are simultaneously supporting the war effort by approving billions of arms sales and military support to the SLC’s bombing campaign. As a result, Yemen is experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with more than 22 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and two out of three people lacking access to basic health care.
The 22-page report, “They Die of Bombs, We Die of Need: Impact of Collapsing Public Health Systems in Yemen,” based on IRC research and interviews conducted on the ground, has identified a violation of Yemeni people’s right to health and right to life. The conflict in Yemen has resulted in a near total breakdown in basic health care. But the strangulation of Yemen’s public health infrastructure runs deeper, according to the IRC. The SLC has allowed the functions of the Yemeni state to atrophy. Most government employees, who are vital to running health services and are a lifeline for people in Yemen, have not received salaries for more than a year. The money that is allocated to basic healthcare is miniscule when compared to investment in war efforts. According to a Ministry of Health official, 20% of the Yemen Government’s 3 billion USD proposed budget for 2018 will be allocated to healthcare — equivalent to just three days of Saudi war spend in the country.
“The US- and UK-backed Saudi-led coalition has bombed civilians and blocked the delivery of life-saving healthcare and medicine. This is a violation of international humanitarian law and indefensible,” said David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. “The facts don't lie: the US and the UK government’s financial and policy choices that support the Saudi-led coalition are prolonging the suffering and deepening the schisms in Yemen.”
The SLC’s de facto blockade on rebel-controlled ports have made the import of medical supplies and life-saving drugs and vaccines into Yemen, a country that relies on imports to meet 85% of its health needs, complicated and extremely expensive. Costly delays and uncertainty have caused many importers to stop shipping to Yemen directly, forcing humanitarian organizations like the IRC to make complex logistical arrangements. Since the blockade was announced in November 2017, the average cost of a container of medical supplies has risen by 280%. If the Saudis are serious about addressing the humanitarian crisis, the most valuable step they could take would be to lift the blockade, permanently.
Health facilities report chronic shortages of medical supplies and life-saving drugs. Preventable, deadly diseases have spiked
https://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-report-failed-public-health-system-quiet-killer-yemen
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“Every Day Things are Still Getting Worse”: Attacks on Health Care and Denial of Humanitarian Access in Yemen in 2017
_“Every Day Things are Still Getting Worse” Attacks on Health Care in Yemen in 2017 _was issued on March 26, 2018, and details attacks on medical facilities and personnel and denials of humanitarian access carried out by parties to the conflict, including the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, the Houthis, and Yemeni government forces. The report updates Watchlist and Save the Children’s report “Every Day Things are Getting Worse” The Impact on Children of Attacks on Health Care in Yemen, which highlights how attacks and denials of humanitarian access in Yemen in 2015 and 2016 had devastating consequences for children’s health. The updated report also provides targeted policy recommendations to key stakeholders, including the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, all other parties to the conflict, and United Nations agencies to strengthen children’s rights to health care and humanitarian aid
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/every-day-things-are-still-getting-worse-attacks-health-care-and-denial-humanitarian and full report https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/watchlist-yemen-update_final-web.pdf
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Remarks to Media: Geert Cappealaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, returning from a field visit to Yemen
It is fair to say today that every single girl and boy in Yemen is facing acute humanitarian needs. Three years of war, decades of chronic underdevelopment have done something for the children of Yemen – but unfortunately nothing good.
Three years of war in Yemen have made severe acute malnutrition double in three years’ time. In 2015, because of Yemen’s underdevelopment, we had 200,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition – life-threatening malnutrition.
These are two critical contributing factors to the problem of malnutrition.
Three years of war, decades of underdevelopment have done more to children than the confrontation with death, life-threatening preventable diseases.
We talk about the health crisis in Yemen, we talk about the health emergency, about the famine in Yemen, looming at every corner. But what we talk much less about is the education crisis in Yemen.
Today in Yemen, compared to three years ago, half a million more children are not able any longer to go to school. Today, close to 2 million Yemeni boys and girls are not attending school or never had a chance to.
There are several reasons for that. One is of course the brutal war. We have been able to verify that 2,500 schools today that are no longer serving for educational purposes. Schools that have been destroyed by the war. Schools that are being used for military purposes, or for hosting displaced people.
Very important is also poverty as a reason why an additional half a million children aren’t benefitting from education.
I was struck last week, particularly in Sana’a by children begging in the street. I was myself UNICEF representative in Yemen a few years ago. I never saw anything like it years ago. Very small children who are stretching out their hands for a little bit of money, for a little bit of food.
Parents having to make the difficult choice to send their children to beg, to send them to work instead of being in school.
Parents, having to make the difficult choice to marry off their girls at an early age to have one less mouth to feed in the family. Today, 75 per cent of Yemeni girls are married before the age of 18. Half of Yemeni girls are married before age 15. Let us not fool ourselves. Sending your child to beg, sending your child to work, marry your girl at an early age, are not choices that any Yemeni father or mother want to make. It is not a choice, it is forced on them because of this brutal war.
It’s not just access to education that is a problem but also the quality of education. Let me share with you an experience from my trip last week, sitting with a group of 12-13-year-old girls outside Sana’a, talking about their day to day reality at home and at school.
I will never forget the moment when one of the girls threw her text book at me – saying: “This is what we have to learn from in Yemen. Textbooks that are 30 to 40 years old.”
The education sector in Yemen is on the verge of collapse.
Let me conclude with a couple of asks.
Three years of war on children in Yemen. Thousands of children killed, thousands more seriously injured.
The first ask is a simple one: for the brutal war on children to stop. Not tomorrow, but now.
Comment: Well if they think the numbers of severely malnourished have only doubled, that means that lots of malnourished children are not being counted, but die before they get any assistance. There were undoubtedly malnourished children before the war, but they were not 'severely' malnourished to the extent that we see now in Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156525285298641?pnref=story
(** B H K)
In Yemen, children's education devastated after three years of escalating conflict: Nearly 2 million children now out of school
Nearly half a million children have dropped out of school since the 2015 escalation of conflict in Yemen, bringing the total number of out-of-school children to 2 million, according to a UNICEF assessment released today. Meanwhile, almost three quarters of public school teachers have not been paid their salaries in over a year, putting the education of an additional 4.5 million children at grave risk.
"An entire generation of children in Yemen faces a bleak future because of limited or no access to education," said Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. "Even those who remain in school are not getting the quality education they need."
According to "If Not In School", more than 2,500 schools are out of use, with two thirds damaged by attacks, 27 per cent closed and 7 per cent used for military purposes or as shelters for displaced people.
The journey to school has also become dangerous as children risk being killed en route. Fearing for their children's safety, many parents choose to keep their children at home. The lack of access to education has pushed children and families to dangerous alternatives, including early marriage, child labour and recruitment into the fighting.
Additional findings of If Not In School include:
At least 2,419 children have been recruited in the fighting since March 2015;
A 2016 survey across six governorates revealed that close to three quarters of women had been married before the age of 18, while nearly half had been married before age 15;
Up to 78 per cent of all Yemenis live in poverty: 80 per cent need some form of social protection support including cash assistance;
An estimated 1.8 million children under 5 years and 1.1 million pregnant or nursing women are acutely malnourished, representing a 128 per cent increase since late 2014;
16 million Yemenis, including close to 8.2 million children, need humanitarian assistance to establish or maintain access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation;
The number of people needing help to access healthcare has more than tripled – from 5 million before the war to 16 million today.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-childrens-education-devastated-after-three-years-escalating-conflict-nearly-2 and the full report for download here: https://www.unicef.org/mena/reports/if-not-school
(** B H K)
Crossroads Djibouti: The African migrants who defy Yemen's war
Yet for tens of thousands of migrants escaping economic or political distress in Somalia and Ethiopia, Yemen remains a destination of choice, or at least a key transit point en route to the Gulf states.
Whether fleeing to or from Yemen via the Horn of Africa – more than 37,000 Yemenis travelled to Djibouti in 2017 – Yemenis and African migrants make similar treks. The Africans, though, rely on a smuggling network that takes them across some of the harshest terrain on the planet.
Journalist and photographer Benedict Moran visited Djibouti in February, meeting migrants travelling to Yemen – and often beyond – via the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
“This route is particularly dangerous; migrants on this route face human rights abuses (including sexual and physical abuse), and a high risk of being trafficked, kidnapped, and sent for ransom,” Danielle Botti of the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat told IRIN by email.
Under cover of night, the migrants wait for motorised boats that take them about 30 kilometres to various landing points across the Bab al-Mandab Strait. On a busy night, hundreds of people make the journey, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
In a cycle of migration, deportation, and migration once again, many are deported en route or once in Saudi Arabia, only to repeat the journey after they get home or back in Djibouti.
Here is a photographic snapshot of the journeys they take:
(*** B K P)
Yemen’s Southern Powder Keg
An unintended consequence of the civil war is that the south of the country is rapidly moving towards outright autonomy. If a breakaway effort were to occur before the end of the war, it would undermine the UN-led peace process
Summary
After three years of civil war, Yemen has become a ‘chaos state’. It more closely resembles a region of mini-states – beset by a complex range of internal politics and disputes – at varying degrees of conflict with one another, than a single state engaged in a binary war.
An unintended consequence of the conflict is that the south of the country is rapidly moving towards outright autonomy. Southern Yemen has a long history of agitation for independence. Historically, political elites and foreign officials believed that the ‘southern question’ could be deferred indefinitely because of a lack of cohesion or strategy among secessionist groups.
Although not entirely unified, pro-independence groups have become much more organized and heavily armed. Recent fighting in Aden between secessionist and pro-government forces demonstrated the relative power and cohesion of the pro-independence movement; and the potential for the southern issue, if left unaddressed, to further complicate efforts to end the ongoing Yemen civil war.
In a reversal of a quarter of a century of increasingly centralized control from Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, southern governorates now have their own evolving military, police and security infrastructures, largely drawn from the local population. An emerging political leadership has been able to organize itself more coherently than past iterations of the secessionist movement.
In the past, southern secessionist groups struggled because of the lack of external backers. The support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for key players has been crucial to their recent evolution, and many southerners now believe that it supports their push for independence, though it denies this.
The UAE’s agenda is not entirely clear. Several factors – including its role in the Saudi-led coalition that has intervened in the country, its antipathy towards the Muslim Brotherhood, and its broader national and regional priorities – are likely to take precedence over the ambitions of Yemen’s southerners.
The south’s current trajectory may lead to an attempt at independence or autonomy. If a breakaway effort were to occur before the end of the civil war, it would undermine the UN-led peace process. If an attempt happens once a ceasefire has been agreed, it could spark renewed conflict. Even without an outright declaration of independence, the potential for conflict with the internationally recognized government in contested southern areas – Aden, Shabwa and Hadramawt – remains high.
Southern groups will play an important role in deciding Yemen’s future security, stability and territorial integrity. Yet international policymakers have paid little attention to the south since the civil war began, in keeping with a historical tendency of seeing the region as a second-tier issue. As a consequence, southern groups are not formally included in the peace process.
In order to foster security and stability in Yemen, and prevent a further deterioration of the relationship with the government, policymakers will have to develop a deeper understanding of the south, improve communication with southern leaders and work to build the capacity of southern civil society – as it will need to in the rest of the country.
The appointment of a new UN special envoy, at a time when the broader conflict appears to be stagnating, has created an opportunity for a new international approach to mediation in Yemen in general, and to the southern issue in particular.
The so-called ‘southern question’ can no longer be deferred if the mistakes of the 2012–14 transition are to be avoided. At that time, the Houthis, with the support of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, were able to march south to Sana’a because they were not seen as being a credible threat to the political process. In fact, the Houthi takeover of Sana’a sparked the current war, and the group now controls much of Yemen’s northern highlands and western seaboard – by Peter Salisbury
https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/yemens-southern-powder-keg and full report: https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/publications/research/2018-03-27-yemen-southern-powder-keg-salisbury-final.pdf
(** B K P T)
A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY AND OTHER YEMENI CIVILIANS WERE KILLED IN U.S. DRONE STRIKES THIS MONTH
ON MARCH 5, 13-year-old Amer Ali al-Saqra Huraidan and his cousin were on their way home from visiting relatives in al-Hudhi, a small town in the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramout. As they drove along a desert highway around 4 p.m. local time, a U.S. drone circled overhead. Somewhere thousands of miles away, the drone operator launched a strike.
A short time later, Amer’s cousin Hasan awoke to fire and smoke rising from the mangled pickup truck and heard the buzz of the drone overhead. He had wounds on his right hand, leg, and head; chunks of shrapnel would later be removed from his body. But Amer was barely recognizable. The strike had charred his body and torn it to pieces, killing him instantly.
In a phone interview with The Intercept, Hasan, 19, said first responders were reluctant to come to the scene because they were concerned about a possible second strike by the drone that still hovered overhead. He and his family have been left wondering how the U.S. military mistook a fifth grader for a militant.
“He was too young to join [any militant groups],” said Hasan. Amer Saleh Huraidan, the younger Amer’s uncle, told The Intercept: “There’s no link with Al Qaeda whatsoever.”
The Pentagon says the legal authority for the strikes in Yemen stems from the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF. That law, relied on by three successive administrations, gives the military the right to go after the perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and those connected to them. Critics note that the AUMF has been stretched past its breaking point and is now being used to legitimize attacks against groups like ISIS that did not exist in 2001.
Many of the victims killed by drone strikes in Yemen since President Donald Trump took office have been either civilians or non-AQAP militants active in the anti-Houthi fight, said a senior Yemeni intelligence official in al-Jawf who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press.
The drone strikes are “happening because of [the Hadi government’s] weakness. There should be a rule of law and a ban on any interference, whether it’s by a neighbor or a foreign state,” the intelligence official said, referring to both the United States and the Saudi-led coalition.
THE STORY OF Hasan, the 19-year-old hurt in the strike that killed his cousin Amer, exemplifies the complex threads of the fighting in Yemen – by Shuaib Almosawa, Maryam Saleh
https://theintercept.com/2018/03/26/yemen-drone-strike-civilians-war-on-terror/
(** B K P)
How the Military Controls America
Unlike corporations that sell to consumers, Lockheed Martin and the other top contractors to the US Government are highly if not totally dependent upon sales to governments, for their profits, especially sales to their own government, which they control — they control their home market, which is the US Government, and they use it to sell to its allied governments, all of which foreign governments constitute the export markets for their products and services. These corporations control the US Government, and they control NATO. And, here is how they do it, which is essential to understand, in order to be able to make reliable sense of America’s foreign policies, such as which nations are ‘allies’ of the US Government (such as Saudi Arabia and Israel), and which nations are its ‘enemies’ (such as Libya and Syria) — and are thus presumably suitable for America to invade, or else to overthrow by means of a coup. First, the nation’s head-of-state becomes demonized; then, the invasion or coup happens. And, that’s it. And here’s how.
Because America (unlike Russia) privatized the weapons-industry (and even privatizes to mercenaries some of its battlefield killing and dying), there are, in America, profits for investors to make in invasions and in military occupations of foreign countries; and the billionaires who control these corporations can and do — and, for their financial purposes, they must — buy Congress and the President, so as to keep those profits flowing to themselves. That’s the nature of the war-business, since its markets are governments — but not those governments that the aristocracy want to overthrow and replace. The foreign governments that are to be overthrown are not markets, but are instead targets. The bloodshed and misery go to those unfortunate lands. But if you control these corporations, then you need these invasions and occupations, and you certainly aren’t concerned about any of the victims, who (unlike those profits) are irrelevant to your business. In fact, to the exact contrary: killing people and destroying buildings etc., are what you sell — that’s what you (as a billionaire with a controlling interest in one of the 100 top contractors to the US Government) are selling to your own government, and to all of the other governments that your country’s cooperative propaganda will characterize as being ‘enemies’ — Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, etc. — and definitely not as being ‘allies’, such as are being characterized these corporations’ foreign markets: Saudi Arabia, EU-NATO, Israel, etcetera. In fact, as regards your biggest foreign markets, they will be those ‘allies’; so, you (that is, the nation’s aristocracy, who own also the news-media etc.) defend them, and you want the US military (the taxpayers and the troops) to support and defend them. It’s defending your market, even though you as the controlling owner of such a corporation aren’t paying the tab for it. The rest of the country is actually paying for all of it, so you’re “free-riding” the public, in this business. It’s the unique nature of the war-business, and a unique boon to its investors.
In fact, the Sauds’ war against their neighbor Yemen is a good example of just how this sort of operation (profit to the billionaires, bloodshed and destruction to — in this case — the Yemenites) works:
The CIA virtually controls the ‘news’ media.
The most corrupt part of the US Government is the ‘Defense’ part. That also happens to be — and by far — the most popular part, the most respected (by the American public) part. That’s a toxic combination: toxic not only for a government’s domestic policies, but especially for a government’s foreign policies — such as for identifying which nations are ‘allies’, and which nations are ‘enemies’. This type of mega-toxic combination can’t exist in a nation whose press isn’t being effectively controlled by the same general group that effectively controls the Government (in America, that’s the richest few, by means of their many paid agents), the Deep State. In America, one key to it is that the ‘Defense’ firms are privately owned – by Eric Zuesse
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/03/25/how-military-controls-america.html = https://www.globalresearch.ca/how-the-military-industrial-complex-controls-america/5633549
My comment: This article gives a quite reasonable explanation for the phenomenon why US support for the Saudis and the UAE and their Yemen war does not stop, why the arguments for keeping up this support become more and more twisted, against all evidence, against all logics, against even minor rudiments of human compassion. And what is told about the US here, in full also applies to the UK.
But in one point the author is wrong. I do not think that the weapons, military and security companies are those who really decide which states are allies and which are targets. This actually will not be of great interest for these companies. For them it will be quite equal to which category a special state will belong. It’s just important that there is and stays a balance of allies (to which they can sell their arms and services) and targets (which are needed to keep up a state of threat to a) keep up the allies and the own government to buy more weapons, b) to keep a propaganda running which manipulates the public of the own countries and of the allies that because of this threat it is necessary to buy more weapons), c) to keep running military actions and wars so that the weapons which had been sold really get used up and must be bought anew.
To which category a special state does belong, who cares? This might change because of the geopolitical interests of the government and the elites behind it. Thus, Iraq had changed from ally to target, also did Iran, Yemen as well (at least as the Houthi-held part is concerned). Libya even changed from target to ally and again to target and now is mere chaos, and the same happened to Syria.
(** B P)
[Yemen and the UN]
I've read this carefully and one of the problems is the perspective of the article. It assumes that the UN has some sort of independence whereas the reality is that the UN was and is captured by Western and Saudi interests and has been unable to move independently; the weaknesses in the UN has been emphasised and fully exposed in its handling of the crisis in Yemen.
The NDC was set up mostly by the GCC IN ITS OWN INTERESTS and not in the interests of the Yemeni protesters who needed change; the Saudi fear was not so much Iran that had only played a minor role in the Yemen situation before March 2015 when KSA first attacked Yemen, but of young Yemenis yearning for independence and a democratic government, which was against the interests of the rest of the GCC that are all autocratic states. The conflicting aspirations of Yemeni protesters and the GCC were unlikely to end in a success story, as they have opposing goals. The initial problem was a political one; Hadi, corrupt and inefficient, had stayed in office after his fixed term had expired, and Saleh was eyeing up his chances and he used the Houthi militia movement as a means to him regaining power.
That went unrecognised - or at least unacknowledged - in the UN at the time of the passing of UNSCR 2216 - that was written by the GCC, who were at that time an active participant in the conflict. If anything shows the weakness of the UN it was allowing one side in a conflict to write the Security Council resolution; it was a resolution for war not peace. Had the internal conflict between Hadi and Saleh been recognised and both censured Saleh would have lost his power in Yemen. As it was, by censoring Saleh alone was unfair, his support base was shored up by the bias in the UN resolution. Apart from the resolution being partisan, it had other major faults which I won't discuss here.
Ben Omar and Cheikh Ahmed were not perfect but I think they both sincerely tried and worked hard, but they had no power - Cheikh Ahmed may have been selected because he was seen as a nice man but weak and he was out of his depth from the start. They were powerless and all around them were masters with power who only wanted stooges who would do their bidding.
The Houthis position may now be ideological but it started as a political position and they contributed significantly to the NDC and had a progressive view of the sort of democratic Yemen that they wanted and it was not so different to that of the protesters in 2011. They negotiated with Saudi Arabia in good faith before the Kuwait talks and withdrew from the parts of Saudi Arabia where they had gained a military presence. I am not pro-Houthi but I just want to put the other viewpoint - I don't think Yemen should be ruled by any militia, whether it's the Houthis or Al Qaeda.
But in peace talks, it was Hadi who stuck doggedly to UNSCR 2216 as the only route to peace as it was the only way that he could retain power as he is deeply unpopular in most parts of Yemen, maybe with the exception of Marib; his intransigence was one reason why UAE decided they could no longer support him.
Yet the UN seems determined to impose him on Yemen, or at least doesn't speak out about his unpopularity and goes along with the pretence that Hadi is still important rather than pointing out that he is the biggest obstacle to any possible solution (though there are so many other obstacles); the UN criticises the arming of one side (as does this article) as does the UN's masters USA and U.K., instead of criticising the arming of ALL warring parties in this dreadful war.
Yes UN you have failed badly and exposed yourself as incompetent and frankly worse than useless. Without 2216 the Yemen situation may have had more chance of a resolution, and that is about the worst thing that one can say about this failing Bretton Woods institution. Now? I am very fearful for Yemen and its people. And for the rest of the world – by Judith Brown
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156532472953641
referring to https://www.academia.edu/36264133/The_Role_of_the_United_Nations_and_its_Special_Envoys_in_the_current_Yemeni_War_Floundering_in_a_Tragic_Reality (see below)
My comment: Hitting the spot. This is the best I have read on the UN and Yemen for a long time!
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* A H)
Yemen: Cholera Attack Rate (%) Population (From 27 April - 25 March 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-25-march-2018
(* A H)
Yemen: Cholera Suspected Cases (From 27 April - 25 March 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-suspected-cases-27-april-25-march-2018
(* B H)
Unicef predicts fresh outbreak of deadly cholera in Yemen
Official warns disease that hit more than 1m children in 2017 will return within months.
Yemen is likely to be hit by another outbreak of deadly cholera within months, Unicef’s Middle East director has warned on the eve of the third anniversary of the country’s civil war.
More than 1 million children last year due to lack of access to water and vaccination. Unicef’s Geert Cappelaere said one child every 10 minutes was dying from preventable diseases in Yemen.
“Let us not fool ourselves. Cholera is going to come back,” he said on Sunday. “In a few weeks from now the rainy season will start again and without a huge and immediate investment, cholera will again hit Yemeni children.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/26/unicef-predicts-fresh-outbreak-deadly-cholera-yemen
Remark: The full statement at cp1.
(* B H)
Disease adds to woes of Yemenis struggling to cope with war
Aid agencies warn that deadly cholera outbreak could flare up again when rainy season arrives
A cholera outbreak that has claimed more 2,200 lives in Yemen is likely to intensify next month when the rainy season begins, international aid organisations warn.
More than 1 million cholera cases have been reported since last April year, making it the largest outbreak of the disease in history, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Although cases of cholera typically flare up during the rainy season in Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, its ability to combat disease has been complicated by three years of civil war.
Diphtheria, a deadly infectious disease once thought to have been largely eradicated, has now joined cholera as a public-health menace in Yemen
(* A H)
World Health Organization, Government of Yemen: Yemen: Cholera & Diphtheria Response - Emergency Operations Center - Situation Report No. 26 (17 March 2018)
Diphtheria
- As of 17 March 2018, the local health authorities reported a total of 1
Cholera
- The cumulative total of suspected cholera cases reported since April 2017 to 17 March 2018 is 1,080,422 with 2,266 associated deaths across the country
(*A H)
Yemen: Cholera Suspected Cases (From 27 April - 19 March 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-suspected-cases-27-april-19-march-2018
(* A H)
Yemen: Cholera Attack Rate (%) Population (From 27 April - 19 March 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-cholera-attack-rate-population-27-april-19-march-2018
(* B H)
Oxfam Yemen Situation Report #52, 28 February 2018
[Overview, Humanitarian situation]
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/oxfam-yemen-situation-report-52-28-february-2018
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* B K P)
The Senseless War on Yemen
Three Years of Sanctioned Genocide
Part I: Prelude to War
On the evening of 26th March 2015, then Ambassador Adil Al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia to Washington (now Foreign Munister of KSA) held a haunting press conference in Washington with mysterious underpinnings. Jubair went on to tell the entire world (http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/saudi-arabia-launches-military-operation-in-yemen/6349454) that his country is leading a Coalition of 10 mostly super wealthy other Arab and non-Arab countries were about to wage a War on Yemen, probably the poorest country of the region, if not the world. This war was to be another hauntingly disastrous and grossly inhumane element of Saudi Arabia’s good neighbor policy, which has been travic for countries like Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Bahrain. Unlike the Saudi interventions in most countries in the area, Jubeir was talking about a round-the-clock direct bombing campaign to supposedly disarm Yemen and a tight siege by US and UK warships. The aim of this oddball configuration of belligerants against the Republic of Yemen is to “return the (actually il-) legitimate President, Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi to the Presidential Palace in Sana’a”, Jubeir told the quickly gathered news conference. Why such a big fuss about a mostly drunken President (see https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NgynPKRI1xg), who has given Yemen 3 years of awful government after being spoon-fed to the Yemeni people to replace his former dictator boss Ali Abdullah Saleh? – by Hassan Al-Haifi
https://yemenonthethreshold.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/the-senseless-war-on-yemen/
(* A P)
Tawakkol Karman Has Not Given Up on Yemen—And Neither Should You
This role of the West as a sort of silent sponsor in the ongoing slaughter in Yemen has not gone unnoticed. “The international community has relinquished the principles it has called for,” Karman said to me in March, where we met in Mexico City at the Liberatum festival. “Many Western countries prefer their interests with these tyrannies over the freedom and the democratic values that they have been preaching for,” beyond which, she said, these “temporary victories of the counterrevolutions, military coups, and sectarian militia” are due wholly to the “support, silence, and blessing of the international community.”
Karman spoke to Vogue about the ongoing crisis in Yemen, and why, even in the face of the unspeakable, she remains an optimist. “Today, we have arrived at an era in which people across the world are refusing despotism, corruption, violence, and failure,” she said.
“Mohammed bin Salman and his UAE counterpart, Mohammed bin Zayed, are fighting a devastating war against my country, and imposing a land, sea, and air blockade on it. They are committing countless massacres under the pretext of restoring the legitimacy there. But it is a false claim. Instead of restoring the legitimacy and helping the state to extend its sovereignty, Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to prevent the legitimate president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and his government from returning to the liberated areas, and have placed them in a kind of house arrest in Riyadh. Saudi and the Emirates have since occupied vital parts of the country, formed and supported local anti-government militias to implement their hidden agendas.
The aggressive UAE-Saudi occupation of Yemen is very clear. They have betrayed Yemenis, and exploited the Iranian-backed Houthi coup to impose an ugly occupation. Here, I call for an international effort to stop the Saudi and UAE war on Yemen, lift the blockade, and compensate Yemen for the severe damage inflicted on it. Also, I call on the Houthis to end the coup, hand over their weapons to the state, and transform themselves into a political party. The other armed groups should surrender their arms as well. Thereafter, Yemenis could start a referendum on the new constitution drafted during the national dialogue, and hold the various elections under this constitution.”
https://www.vogue.com/article/tawakkol-karman-yemen-humanitarian-crisis
My comment: As Islah Party member, she had fully backed the Saudi war for ca. 2 years and just blamed the Houthis for everything. When the brain seems to be reactivated, this of course is a good thing.
Comment: We wonder why she is forgetting to state that when Qatar (her sponsor) was part of the Saudi led Coalition, she was ringing up virtually everyone in the Gulf to support the war on HER brothers and sisters. So much of a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1692286954157661
My comment to comment: Oh, that’s it…
(* B K P)
Third Anniversary: Saudis Are Not Going to Get Everything They Want in Yemen – Nor Are Americans
Unquestionably, the continued transfer of arms by the United States to Saudi Arabia, despite evidence of their repeated use in unlawful attacks, makes the US complicit in Saudi violations in Yemen. The UK is also a party to the conflict, providing targeting intelligence and refueling planes during bombing raids. The British government sells arms to Saudi Arabia, despite growing international pressure over its support for the criminal military campaign and evidence of the use of British-made weapons against civilians.
Simply put, this Western complicity in Saudi war crimes will only make the situation worse in Yemen.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970107001000
Remark: Form Iran.
(* B K P)
What you need to know about the latest Houthi attack on Riyadh
The Zaydi Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen—with Iranian assistance—are escalating their missile attacks on Saudi Arabia. The dangers of the conflict broadening are growing and the chances for a peaceful resolution of the war are slim.
The Yemeni missiles are derivatives of the Soviet-designed Scud missile, which Russia widely exported during the Cold War.
Yemen acquired Scuds from North Korea. They were extensively used in Yemen’s previous civil war, in the mid-1990s, and are notoriously inaccurate.
Of course, the Houthis are retaliating for Saudi air strikes on Yemen.
The Saudi media has said the recent missile barrage underscores that they need a military victory in Yemen and that peace negotiations are useless unless they lead to complete disarmament of the Houthis. The rebels will not agree to such demands. The Saudi leadership has staked its credibility on prevailing in Yemen.
So for now the missile war is escalating. A missile strike that kills dozens or hundreds of Saudis and/or foreign nationals in the kingdom may only be a matter of time, in effect a ticking time bomb – by Bruce Riedel
My comment: This has little to do with Iran, and the sentence “The Saudis rightly say that they are under attack by Iranian allies and they consider Tehran responsible.” is adopting propaganda and (must be said so) bullshit.
(* B H K)
Yemen is entering its fourth year of war – when will the suffering end?
With millions displaced and disease rife, the human cost is already incalculable. The international community must act – by Hind Abbas, communications assistant for Care International Yemen
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/26/yemen-war-fourth-year-human-cost-disease
(B K)
Yemeni Minister of Youth and Sports [Sanaa government]: The losses of the Sports Sector as a result of the aggression have exceeded 900 million dollars
in the photo. Ibb Stadium
(* B K)
Why the U.S. Must Stop Selling Weapons NOW to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
A child in Yemen was approximately 45 times more likely to be killed by war (including death due to precision weapons and blockade) than all the adults and children in the U.S. who were killed by guns.
In 2017 there were approximately 13,000 adults and children killed by weapons in the U.S. – 0.004% of the total population of the entire country (left side of the above chart). Meanwhile in 2017 there were approximately 50,000 children killed by the war in Yemen – 0.18% of the total population of the entire country – that included multiple uses of U.S. made precision weapons to target civilian populations and blockades of food and medicine to the civilian population in violation of all known and accepted international humanitarian laws (infographics)
https://4wakanda4.life/yemen-infographic/
(B K P)
Yemen: Three years of devastating conflict and escalating human rights abuses
The UN has described the situation in Yemen as ‘catastrophic’, and the suffering being inflicted on Yemeni citizens is unfathomable. The UK and other international governments urgently need to end their weapons supplies and put their weight behind a political solution to the war, where all parties to the conflict in Yemen are held accountable for the human rights atrocities the country has endured.
(B K)
Our friend @julie_maxon wrote: Today I am thinking of #Yemen (text in image)
https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/978334987379531776
(B K)
Film: Where were you on March 26, 2015?
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1691016707618019/
(* B K P)
The Ruinous War on Yemen
I’ve been to Yemen several times. The terrain is mountainous and rough. You can’t bomb it into submission.
Bin Salman charges the Houthis with being Iranian agents. They aren’t, however, the right kind of Shiites for that. Iran has likely given them a little bit of aid, but it is minor compared to the billions of dollars worth of bombs from the US and the UK that Bin Salman has dropped on civilian apartment buildings in downtown Sana’a. It is rich that the Saudis wax hysterical about some small rockets aimed at Riyadh while they are daily flying bombing raids on Yemeni cities with F-16s and F-18s.
The propaganda about Iran being behind Yemen unrest rather than Saleh’s corruption that the Saudis enabled has roped in gullible generals in Washington, DC, who have actively been aiding the Saudi war effort. This is an old tradition – by Juan Cole
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-saudi-trump-war-on-yemen/
(* B H K P)
Film (Interview, Transcript): Yemenis ‘struggling to live day to day’ at third anniversary of conflict with Saudi Arabia
In Yemen, what started out as a civil war has escalated into a regional power struggle, with a devastating humanitarian crisis affecting many millions. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with journalist Iona Craig, who has reported on and lived in Yemen for years, about the struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran, U.S. involvement in the war, and her experience as a journalist on the front lines.
Craig: Whether it’s in the north, where Houthi rebels now control Sanaa, or if it’s in the territory controlled by the Saudi-led coalition in this conflict, the children on both sides are suffering.
And to sit and speak to women as their children are literally dying of starvation in their arms is really, really not only tragic, but hard to get your kind of head around, and to see that repeatedly in the hundreds of thousands going across the country, and to see people just so helpless, not able to get to medical care because they can’t afford it, not even being able to buy the food that is there and available in the markets because they haven’t got the money to do so.
Well, the U.S.’ main involvement in supporting the Saudi-led coalition in this is helping them, assisting them, really, in the air war.
And, certainly, according to U.N. figures, the majority of the casualties in the conflict have been caused by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes. And the U.S. involvement in that is, they’re doing midair refueling. So they’re refueling the fighter jets that are carrying out these bombing raids and bombing runs particularly in Northern Yemen now and through the center of the country, as well as providing intelligence and targeting assistance, of course.
And that’s really crucial, because much of the civilian infrastructure has been hit, in addition to the high number of civilian casualties. So water supply lines, for example, hospitals have been hit, schools have been hit, farms have been targeted, and that all comes with the U.S. involvement.
And in addition to that, the fishermen on the Red Sea coast have also been targeted. More than 250 boats of fishermen have been either destroyed or damaged, and more than 152 fishermen have been killed as well.
(* B H K P)
Audio: The American Bombs Falling on Yemen
A bdulqader Hilal al-Dabab was the mayor of Sana’a, a politician with a long record of mediating disputes in a notoriously fractious and dangerous country.
Hilal was trying to hold the city together, keeping the ambulances running and persuading parents to send their children to school. At the same time, he was trying to broker a ceasefire, using the skills he had cultivated in local government at a broader level. When the Saudis bombed a funeral gathering that Hilal was attending, he was killed, and the country lost a bright hope for peace. Nicolas Niarchos talks with Hilal’s son about his father’s fate and what it says about the country’s future.
https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/the-american-bombs-falling-on-yemen
(* B H K)
‘I would kill anyone. Even my own brother.’
Such resentments have pooled in Marib, a pocket of relative, if uneasy, stability that has received tens of thousands of people fleeing battlefields across Yemen during more than three years of civil conflict.
The war has been defined by the terrible violence that the combatants have inflicted on civilians and by a humanitarian crisis called the most severe in the world.
The strains on Yemeni society have been less apparent — the divisions and antipathies that will make it difficult for people to live together again even if the armies stop.
In Marib, there were frequent expressions of gratitude to the Saudi government, which has long been a financial benefactor to the province and its tribes. “They are the only people that helped us,” said Ahmed al-Dhibaa, a member of an Islamist party that was fiercely opposed to the Houthis.
There were appeals for unity, too, but they were more fleeting. “We are all Yemenis,” people were fond of saying, before insisting that the rebels were “animals” who regarded their enemies as terrorists.
Many have concluded that a division of Yemen, perhaps into federal states, is inevitable, even preferable, to resolve its competing grievances. In southern Yemen, there are renewed calls for secession.
The greatest fear is that religious sectarianism between Sunni and Shiite Muslims — the kind of acrimony that has ravaged Iraq — could take hold in Yemen.
“When this fighting takes on religious aspects, it cannot be solved,” said Mohamed el-Sabry, a professor of English at the local university who is originally from Taiz in western Yemen.
Lately, he had encouraged his students to talk about the conflict. “They are worried about their relatives. . . . They are worried about home,” he said. He also taught George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” which seemed to resonate among pupils fed up with the failures of Yemen’s politicians, many of whom reside comfortably in villas overseas. “This party says they are fighting for us, then that party says they are fighting for us,” he said.
Some of his despairing students have given up hope. “They replaced our dreams, and everything is destroyed,” said Mohammed Mohsin, 24.
“Nothing is as it was,” he said. “There was no advantage to this war.” – by Kareem Fahim
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/i-would-kill-anyone-even-my-own-brother/2018/03/24/861b5922-2c68-11e8-8dc9-3b51e028b845_story.html?utm_term=.5ed5c0624c3e = https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/yemen-s-war-is-seeding-divisions-that-threaten-to-become-permanent-1.518926
Comment: No Yemeni I know would kill his own brother to defend his "religion & honor". This Ammar: He's Al Qaeda. His offer to show the journalist decaying Houthi corpses rang alarm bells for me. AQAP.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/978683863349256193
This Ammar is an AQAP terrorist, a takfiri who does not view Houthis, or maybe even his own brother, as Muslims. The freak is proud to make decaying corpses out of them.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/978692543260057605
Absolutely. His first claim is that he's defending his religion! Means he considers Houthis non-muslims.
https://twitter.com/JalalYaqoub/status/978688812510580736
(* B K P)
Three Years of the Senseless, Unnecessary War on Yemen
The U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war on Yemen began three years ago today. I wrote one of my first posts on the war a few days later, and I said this:
It is bad enough that U.S. clients are doing this, but it is even worse that U.S. is supporting it. It makes no sense for the U.S. to assist in wrecking Yemen for the sake of reinstalling an unpopular president. If another authoritarian state were doing what Saudi Arabia is doing to Yemen now, we all know that every Western government would be condemning it as unprovoked aggression against its neighbor. I know that isn’t how Western governments are going to treat the Saudis, but our government could at least refuse to participate in any way in this dangerous and unnecessary military intervention.
As we all know, three years of senseless and atrocious war have followed, and throughout all of it the Saudis and their allies have enjoyed unstinting U.S. military and diplomatic support. The disaster engulfing Yemen was not only foreseeable, but it was foreseen by many Yemen experts, aid groups, and others. Opponents of the intervention predicted that the intervention would fail on its own terms because of its unrealistic goals, and we also said that it would inflict enormous suffering on the civilian population. We said that the blockade of the country would deprive the population of essential goods because of the heavy reliance on imports, and unfortunately the effects of the blockade have been even worse than many expected. Wars always last longer and cause more death and destruction than their supporters expect, and regrettably the war on Yemen is no exception. Foreign intervention typically worsens existing conflicts by prolonging and intensifying them, and that has certainly been the case here. The point I want to make is that no one who knew much about Yemen thought that the war was winnable or desirable, and pretty much everyone besides the governments waging and supporting it accurately foresaw the ensuing disaster. It has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and it was all entirely unnecessary.
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is the most important story in the world, but it is also one of the most neglected and ignored stories today – by Daniel Larison
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3 years of Yemen bloodbath marked by US & UK arms deals with Saudis
Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen turns three, with no end to the bloodshed in sight. Riyadh’s ‘modernizer crown prince’ just got plenty of new weapons from US and Britain for the occasion.
It’s quite ironic that one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of our time stems from the events that were hailed in the West as a sign of great progress in the Arab world. The people have had enough, they are throwing down dictators and demanding political rights that are due to them, politicians and media said. The Arab Spring, the great democratization drive, ruled the headlines.
The Yemeni adventure started with much fanfare for Saudi Arabia. The architect of the intervention, then-Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman was lionized at home, sometimes literally in images on social media showing the “Saudi Lion”trampling “Houthi and Iranian rats.”
Three years on, the bloodshed and human suffering in Yemen has got much worse, and Saudi Arabia was a major contributor.
Of course, Saudi Arabia is not the ‘bad guys’ to Houthi ‘good guys.’ As it often happens in civil wars, all sides in Yemen do horrible and criminal things. But the Yemeni bloodbath serves as a glaring example of Western duplicity in its attitude to wars. Riyadh would probably not have managed all this without help from its Western allies.
Remarkably, there was no significant public protest against Mohammad bin Salman during his visit to America. And it is probably no surprise. Senator Bernie Sanders, who led a failed attempt in the US Congress to cut American support for the war, lamented that many Americans are not even aware of Yemen’s plight, even less so of America’s role.
The American people are not to be blamed though. When their media consider “Russiagate” stories 50 times more newsworthy than the situation in Yemen, it takes a curious mind to become aware.
https://www.rt.com/news/422355-three-years-yemen-bloodbath/
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'Three years of torture is enough': Saudi air strikes still rain down on Yemen
Residents in the war-torn country despair as the air campaign destroys lives, families and homes
When Saudi-led warplanes fly over Sanaa, or any other area of Yemen, one can hear old men and women praying to God, asking to be spared by the incoming air strikes. Others simply curse Saudi Arabia.
While many of these civilians might not fully understand the political machinations behind the current war in their country, they understand only too well that the Saudi-led coalition’s air strikes continue to kill civilians in residential areas, markets, hospitals and even camps for refugees.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Saudi-led coalition in September of committing war crimes in Yemen, called on the United Nations Security Council to launch an international investigation into the coalition's "unlawful" air strikes affecting civilian adults and children.
"Some attacks may amount to war crimes," HRW said. "These include air strikes on a crowded market in northern Yemen on March 15 that killed 97 civilians, including 25 children, and another on a crowded funeral in Sanaa on October that killed over 100 civilians and wounded hundreds more."
Hamadah Ayman, 31, a resident of Sanaa who lost his work at a factory after it was targeted by Saudi-led air strikes in 2016, said that three years were enough for the coalition to realise that it could not succeed in Yemen.
"After three years of targeting civilians, Yemenis have become more aware that Saudi Arabia does not work in the interest of Yemenis," he said. "Rather, Saudi Arabia works for its own interests, killing Yemenis everywhere."
Air strikes drive victims to fight with rebels
My comment: Dear HRW: "Some attacks may amount to war crimes," HRW said. Just some? Which attack targeting or hitting civilians could be not???
(B K P)
Yemenis shatter US-Saudi myth
The Yemeni people have shattered the US-Saudi myth, Yemeni media activist Abdul-Salam Al-Jahaf said.
Now, the Yemenis have realized that if Saudis and their allies fail in Yemen, they will also be defeated in all fields and on other fronts, Al-Ja'haf said in an exclusive interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Al-Ja'haf referred to the Saudis' claim on Iran's interference in Yemen and the region, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran has proved that it is helping to secure the region by creating a balance of power.
If it had not been for Iran's power, the Saudis would have sealed the doom of all Arab and Islamic countries, he said.
Elaborating on the origin of the three-year-old war in Yemen, he said that the war had no logic.
They claimed that Ansarullah Movement and the Yemeni people posed a threat to the Arab world and the region, while it was Saudis that were considered a regional threat, he said.
Now, after three years, it has become clear that their pretext for restoring law and security to Yemen was nothing but a lie.
The story of the deposed president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi was a pretext for implementing their plots, he noted.
Their excuse for preventing Iran’s penetration into Yemen was false, Al-Ja'haf said.
http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82872022
My comment: Iranian source (IRNA).
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Some countries milking others as West forgets Yemenis: Zarif
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has taken Western countries to task for forgetting about the suffering of the Yemeni people, as they continue to sell weapons to countries attacking the impoverished Arab nation.
"Some are exuberant to milk, and others even happier about being milked. Meanwhile, Yemenis, on whose backs juvenile delinquents seek to jumpstart careers, remain forgotten by the West," Zarif said in a new post on his official Twitter account on Monday.
In his post, the top Iranian diplomat made a clear allusion to Western countries’ efforts to sell more arms to Saudi Arabia, which has been waging a devastating war on defenseless Yemeni people since March 2015.
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Film: Is Saudi Arabia more vulnerable to Houthi attacks from Yemen?
Three years after launching air strikes in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is under attack. Houthi rebels targeted Riyadh and three other Saudi cities as they step up their response to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman defends his country's military intervention in the conflict in 2015, saying "the options are between bad and worse".
After three years the situation could not be any worse. About 10,000 killed in the fighting, thousands more dead from the worst recorded outbreak of cholera, and millions facing famine.
The UN calls Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis. And the complex relationships and divisions of all those involved in the conflict make any hope of a settlement even more remote.
Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam, Guests: Mohammed Jumeh - columnist and editor, Al Quds newspaper, Adam Baron - Visiting Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations, Suze van Meegen - Protection and Advocacy Adviser, The Norwegian Refugee Council
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Analysis: Houthis' military posturing could derail political talks
Latest missile attacks come as new UN envoy launches fresh push for peace with Iran policy hawks set to join the White House
The firing of seven ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabi by Yemen's rebels comes at a precarious time. Experts and former diplomats contend that the attack on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of the war, is largely symbolic for the Houthis as a way to demonstrate military capabilities, but it could derail a new UN push to resume political talks.
Gerald Feierstein, the director for Gulf affairs at the Middle East Institute, cautioned against over-reading the attack. “The timing is related to the third anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, and each party is attempting to demonstrate on the military side that they are making progress and achieving their goals”, said Mr Feierstein, a career US diplomat who last served in Yemen in 2013.
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Why Houthis have added fuel to fire with missile attacks on Saudi Arabia
Whatever the outcome, this is by far the most brazen attack yet on Saudi soil by the Houthis. It highlights the conflict's spread, the danger to civilians and the failure of all sides -- even with international help -- to find a formula for peace.
These missiles are an inescapable in-your-face gesture. It will be hard for the Yemeni government, for the Saudi-led coalition and the UN to ignore.
But perhaps the most dangerous factor in all of this was the picking of a moment when Saudi Arabia's most powerful man -- Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman -- happens to be out of the country on a two-week visit to the United States.
Why is it different this time?
The Houthis are pouring fuel on fire that is already raging.
Rather than tamp down the flames and negotiate, they have instead upped the stakes.
How might Saudi Arabia respond?
Bin Salman took huge international heat over his blockades of aid getting to Yemen late last year. He had to back down as his weapons suppliers -- Western democracies -- had to beat back their critics.
Could he be forced to do so again? Sure he could. Bin Salman is young and, in the eyes of many outside the region, ambitious and impulsive.
But he might also try to play this attack to his advantage -- marginalizing his enemies and drawing his allies closer.
https://us.cnn.com/2018/03/26/middleeast/saudi-yemen-attacks-analysis-nic-robertson-intl/index.html
My comment: What really is the difference to the daily Saudi coalition attacks, raging since 3 years now?
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HOUTHIS, HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS: ISRAEL AND SAUDI ARABIA FACE SIMILAR THREATS
With Iran deal critic and hardliner John Bolton taking over as national security advisor in April, the Saudi’s constant reference to the Iran threat will play into his hands to be tough on Tehran.
The missiles fired at Riyadh were therefore a much larger message to Washington, and perhaps to Israel as well.
(A K P)
Film: 3. Anniversary of Yemen war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=kYaT0YdmDUY
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Look at what US defence firm Raytheon is up to in Saudi Arabia. This & a whole load of other new positions to assist the Saudi war on Yemen, with some clearly operational military roles.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/969570843226509312
referring to http://veteranjobs.stripes.com/jobs/by/country/126/Saudi-Arabia?PG=1
Sheet Metal and Delamination Technician Production Specialist
Circuit Repair Technicia Sr Field Engineer I
Machine & Electric Equipment Winding Technician Field Engineer II
and many others
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Let Yemen Survive
In addition to the worst humanitarian crisis Yemen is also witnessing growing influence of Al-Qaeda & ISIS and separatist movements.
At this point in time Yemen is going through its worst and most difficult phase. Yemen’s survival as a unified country appears in doubt as its faces numerous challenges. But the consequences of Yemen collapsing are dire a failing Yemen would entail half of the 23 million population seeking asylum in neighbouring countries. Going forward this will become a significant problem for neighbouring countries.
Yemen’s problems are not confined to its borders, a regional approach should be employed to resolve the Yemeni crisis. First of all, immediate ceasefire ending all foreign military attacks is very much required. After the ceasefire is in place and being observed by every party to the conflict humanitarian assistance can be started for the needy people. Later on, broad national dialogue can be conveyed through this dialogue, the establishment of an inclusive unity government can be achieved.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Blogs/Message.aspx/10744
My comment: Remarkable, as coming from Israel.
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Three years on, Yemen war at deadly impasse
Three years after Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the Yemen war, triggering a devastating humanitarian crisis, the conflict is at a deadly impasse.
Iran-backed Huthi rebels remain in control of large parts of the country including the capital Sanaa and government forces have struggled to retake territory, despite the support of a coalition led by the powerful Saudi military.
And as the conflict rumbles on -- with 27 million people caught in the middle -- cracks are beginning to show in the unity of the coalition.
[Overview]
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5544335/Three-years-Yemen-war-deadly-impasse.html
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RADIO-CONTROLLED, PASSIVE INFRARED-INITIATED IEDs
Iran’s latest technological contributions to the war in Yemen
The number of comparatively more sophisticated IEDs in Yemen has increased, which speaks to a recent influx of technology.
This report presents comparative findings on explosively formed projectiles (EFPs) documented by Conflict Armament Research (CAR) in Yemen and similar devices documented by CAR field investigation teams elsewhere in the Middle East.
https://twitter.com/conflictarm/status/978156542267658240 with download
Comments: The kind of IED found everywhere in syrian . Iran contribution is bullshit
https://twitter.com/Mass_Critic/status/978215073968685056
IED’s are “IMPROVISED”. They aren’t being manufactured in factories and traded on the open market.
https://twitter.com/JohnMotter/status/978191278427987968
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Bombs Disguised as Rocks in Yemen Point to Iranian Influence, a Watchdog Group Says
Roadside bombs disguised as rocks in Yemen bear similarities to others used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and by insurgents in Iraq and Bahrain, suggesting at the least an Iranian influence in their manufacture, a watchdog group said Monday.
The report by Conflict Armament Research comes as the West and United Nations researchers accuse Iran of supplying arms to Yemen’s Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who have held the country’s capital since September 2014.
http://time.com/5215121/bombs-yemen-iran-connection-report/ = http://www.businessinsider.de/ap-report-bombs-disguised-as-rocks-in-yemen-show-iranian-aid-2018-3?r=UK&IR=T = https://www.defensenews.com/global/mideast-africa/2018/03/26/bombs-disguised-as-rocks-in-yemen-reportedly-show-iran-aid/
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Proxy wars: 'rock' bombs in Yemen point to Iranian aid
Roadside bombs disguised as rocks in Yemen bear similarities to others used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and by insurgents in Iraq and Bahrain, suggesting at the least an Iranian influence in their manufacture.
Iran has long denied supplying arms to the Houthis.
"What we're hoping this does is make plausible deniability not very plausible," said Tim Michetti, head of regional operations for Conflict Armament Research. "You can't really deny this anymore once the components these things are made with are traced to Iranian distributors."
Michetti's organisation, an independent watchdog group that receives funding from the United Arab Emirates, Germany and the European Union to research weaponry recovered in Yemen, said it examined a fake rock bomb in January near Mokha, some 250 kilometres south-west of the capital, Sanaa.
The fibreglass-encased bomb, packed with explosives, could be armed by radio and triggered by an infrared beam, the group said. It said there were three varieties.
Electrical circuitry in the bombs mirrored those manufactured by militants in Bahrain, while the bombs bore markings suggesting one workshop mass-produced the explosives, the report said. Such bombs, however, have yet to be used in Bahrain, an island kingdom off Saudi Arabia in the midst of a crackdown on all dissent.
Investigators also found a type of Chinese-manufactured wire covering used in other Iranian material, the report said.
It said independent experts also examined the explosives. Those experts said that "construction indicates that the bomb maker had a degree of knowledge in constructing devices that resembled, and possibly functioned in a manner similar to (explosively formed projectile bombs) that have been forensically tied to Iran and Hezbollah", the report said.
Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for Iran's mission to the United Nations, dismissed the report, saying the Houthis had no need for such weapons as they control stockpiles of arms purchased under former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
My comment: “Michetti's organisation, an independent watchdog group that receives funding from the United Arab Emirates, Germany and the European Union”: Either “independent” OR “receives funding from the United Arab Emirates” etc. Both together, does not work.
Comment by Judith Brown: What seems strange to me is that initially the UN reaction to the involvement of Iran in the supply of missiles to Iran was inconclusive but then it changed and the UN decided there was Iranian involvement. Of course this might well have happened, as the war goes on the Iranian links with Yemen increase rather than decrease, as would be expected. There is also evidence of weapons crossing borders between governates and areas controlled by different leaders and groups in Yemen, not needing to come from Hodeida at all where imports are carefully checked before they reach the port. Some have said that the missiles have both American and Iranian parts in them, and are likely to have been put together in Yemen from parts obtained from different sources. I am wary of the anti-Iranian and anti-Russian rhetoric coming out of the mouths of western leaders and UN sources.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156527197848641
Comment by Marc Springer: The UN report, as I understand it, did not decide that there was Iranian involvement. The report says that Iranian missile technology has made its way into Yemen, but they cannot directly link Iran to it. Much like there is US technology in Yemen, but the US is open about it. Until one can prove how the Iranian technology got into Yemen one cannot state that the Iranians are involved. Were the items bought on the black market? Was it passed on by Iranian individuals, which is not "Iranian involvement" because it requires Iranian governmental approve and sanctioning? People act as if there are not Yemeni engineers and others with military experience who couldnt build these things on their own. Hint: there are.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156527197848641
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Saudi Arabia's War in Yemen Has Been a Disaster
This month marks three years since the start of the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, but that is unlikely to be an occasion for celebration in Riyadh. The war is estimated to have cost the Saudis upwards of $100 billion, eroded the international image of the kingdom and failed to achieve its objectives of “eliminating Iranian influence” from Yemen. At the same time, the people of Yemen have suffered immensely from the U.S.-backed Saudi campaign.
For the Saudis, Yemen is a historical target of influence, but also a critical arena for security and stability, if only because Yemen shares a long and porous border with it and also commands the entrance to the Red Sea. For Iran, on the other hand, Yemen is a secondary arena.
The war in Yemen exposed the tenuous nature of Saudi Arabia’s relationships with its principal Muslim allies.
Washington should see President Trump’s close relationship with Crown Prince MbS and the Saudi royal’s visit to Washington as an opportunity to end this disastrous war.
The war in Yemen has been a disaster for all involved parties, and so ending it is both the smart thing to do as well as the right thing to do.
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/saudi-arabias-war-yemen-has-been-disaster-25064
My comment: The easiest way to stop the war is to put pressure on the Saudis by refusing to give them any more equipment to continue the war (stop to arms sales) and by refusing any more political support. The US had the chance to do so by agreeing to the Sanders / Lee bill in Senate, but willingly failed.
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Film: Rights groups urge Yemen war crimes accountability
Besides violations by Houthi rebels and the bombing campaign by the Saudi-led coalition, many armed groups are operating in the country, including some backed by the United Arab Emirates.
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Mohammed bin Salman openly calling Khamenei “Hitler” is proof that money talks and bloodshed walks
MBS prefaced his trip to the US with a profoundly biased interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes, in which he openly referred to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khameini, as the “new Hitler”.
Never mind that out of the two regional rivals, it is actually Saudi Arabia that has launched a deadly invasion in Yemen, routinely targeting civilian infrastructure with American made and supplied bombs.
On the other hand, Iran’s presence in Yemen has been completely over-exaggerated, and still remains dubious at best. While Iran has troops on the ground in Syria, it is important to note they are there under the sanction of the Syrian government, which is how international law works. The UN has never authorised Saudi Arabia’s onslaught of Yemen. Moreover, Yemen’s leader, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, had already been overthrown before he requested Saudi-led assistance. It then remains unclear on what basis an overthrown president can request a coalition to come to his rescue, plunging his country into chaos in the process.
If you’re having a problem with this scenario, just ask yourself if the UN would recognise Bashar al Assad in Syria, and provide him with military assistance, in the instance of US-backed rebels successfully unseating him. The answer to this should be quite clear, given the US and its allies have already dubbed Assad illegitimate, even while he retains office.
At the end of the day, money talks and bloodshed walks, and the images of Trump holding up school-grade posters of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, to brandish as some sort of major achievement, tell us all we need to know about what this relationship is really about.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
Siehe / Look at cp1
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Yemen Shipping and Food Stocks Update (commercial and humanitarian), 20-21 March 2018
Vessels Discharged at Hodeidah/ Saleef ports
Since the end of the temporary blockade on 22 November, a total of 77 vessels and 4 dhow are / have discharged cargo at Hodeidah and Saleef ports.
Vessels Currently Discharging at Hodeidah/ Saleef ports
Vessels at Anchorage at Hodeidah/ Saleef ports
Vessels Waiting Coalition Clearance at Hodeidah/Saleef ports
Commercial Food Commodities Available
As of 21 March 2018:
- 750,000 mt of cereals on the market sufficient for 90 days1
- 101,000 mt of rice sufficient for 86 days
Commercial Food Commodities Expected (March 2018)
Commercial Fuel Commodities Available and Expected
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A H)
A call for help from Comitato Nour 'ama e cambia il mondo ' Italian NGO working also to help #Yemen:
Mohammed Abdullah Saeed Al-Faqeeh, 1 and half years old, lives with his family in the capital of Yemen, Sana’a. He has 3 brothers and sister
He lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Sana’a in a house of “3” rooms. The father is working as worker clothes shop with a monthly salary of 150 USD.
Mohammed has been suffering with intestinal obstruction distal small bowel (neonatal) since his birth. When Mohammed’s age was 4 days, the father hospitalized Mohammed to the hospital and there the y found that he has Hirschsprung disease.now needs urgentely found for surgery. We want ti help Mohammed, and you?
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1692261377493552 = https://www.facebook.com/comitatonouramaecambiailmondo/posts/1609073835840451
(B H)
Yemen: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Sea Passenger Transport - March 2018
This document provides an overview of the logistics services made available through the Logistics Cluster, how humanitarian actors responding to the crisis in the Republic of Yemen may access these services, and the conditions under which these services are to be provided.
Due to the limited access to the city of Aden via air, the Logistics Cluster is facilitating access to aweekly passenger transport between Djibouti and Aden on the WFP-chartered vessel VOS Apollo, which also serves for emergency rescue and evacuation.
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Yemen Humanitarian Update Covering 19 March – 25 March 2018 | Issue 8
The shortage of cooking gas in several northern governorates has entered the second month. Available gas is retailing at about 8,000 YER per 20-litre cylinder, compared to about 5,000 YER three weeks ago.
The official price is 3,000 YER per 20-litre cylinder.
In Al Hudaydah, Sana’a and Sa’ada, the authorities are distributing gas through local leaders to lessen congestion at gas stations and distribution points. In Sa’ada, black market gas costs 8,000-10.000 YER per cylinder. Many families and bakeries are now cooking with firewood.
UPDATES FROM THE HUMANITARIAN HUBS
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-covering-19-march-25-march-2018-issue-8
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Stop the war in Yemen
It's now been three years of war in Yemen. Meet Ahmed - he is only 14 but has a thousand reasons to end this inhuman war.
In a camp for people forced to flee their homes due to the war in Abs district, Hajjah governorate, Ahmed lives with his younger brother and three sisters. He is only 14 but has a thousand reasons to end this inhuman war. His father was diagnosed with cancer, his house was bombed and his sheep, the family's main source of income, died. Thankfully the family survived and moved out to this camp in Abs.
The story doesn't end here, even though I wish it did. That would have been considered a happy ending compared to what actually happened. Earlier this year, and after seven months of suffering, Ahmed's father died, leaving his family behind to face poverty alone.
Shortly after his father’s death, Ahmed was awakened by his sisters crying around their mother's body. Ahmed rushed into the room just to realize his mother had died.
After burying her, they all moved to live with their uncle, who later sent them back to the camp because he couldn't afford to take care of them along with his own large family.
Ahmed suffers from asthma and works to provide food and clothes for his siblings. He tries to work with any opportunity he can find, people give him whatever they call, sometimes a few dollars, most of the time nothing. His sister also collects firewood that he sells on the market in exchange for food. It happens that they spend days without food. (photos)
https://blogs.oxfam.org/en/blogs/18-03-26-stop-war-yemen
(B H)
Since she was eight years old, Annissa has suffered from renal failure, bladder problems, and congenital malformation in the ureter. For the past 7 years, Annissa has been receiving dialysis sessions at Al-Thawra Hospital in #Sana’a.
"How do I pay for dialysis medicines?" Annissa asked. "In this difficult situation, my father does not have a job and I have to have dialysis sessions twice a week. Sometimes I can’t afford the transportation cost to the hospital," she said, with tears streaming from her eyes.
Annissa calls on charity organizations to provide the basic, essential materials such as bandages and needles. "If the dialysis sessions stopped, many people will die,” she said, “because dialysis helps remove toxins and prevent bodies from swelling.” (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/MSF.Yemen/posts/1622889477819334 = https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1691773010875722
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Audio: In Yemen people are collapsing from starvation
The UN calls Yemen 'the world's worst humanitarian crisis'. It says more than three-fourths of the population - over 22 million people - are in need of humanitarian assistance. Yemenis face hunger, disease, and the terror of a war which has pitted Iran-backed Houthi rebels against a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. This week marks the end of the third year of that Saudi campaign - with no end in sight. Najla Al-Sonboli is the Head of Paediatrics at Sabeen Hospital in Sanaa. She tells Carrie Gracie that her staff are too weak to work, mothers are leaving their children at the hospital because they can't afford to feed them, and people are falling down dead in the street from starvation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06231h7
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THREE YEARS ON: A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDREN OF YEMEN
“We, the children of Yemen, are struggling to survive. We go to sleep to the sound of warplanes overhead and guns in the street. We wake up to more destruction.
“We are innocent, play no part in this war, and have committed no sins.
“And yet, we are missing out on an education as our schools are being destroyed. We are being denied our most basic rights of health, safety, and life. The longer the war continues, the more children will die.
“Disease will continue to spread, whilst health centres lack the medical supplies and vaccines needed to tackle them.
“We could be forced to work just to be able to eat. We are sad for our country, our families and our friends.
“And to the world, to all the big decision makers, we ask you to think of us before you wage a war.
We want the world to do five things for us:
Save the Children’s Yemen Country Director Tamer Kirolos said:
https://www.savethechildren.net/article/three-years-message-children-yemen
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UNICEF Official Overlooks Child Recruitment in Yemen
UNICEF regional communications chief Juliette Touma had previously pointed out in a statement that 2,500 children were recruited to fight in Yemen.
For his part, Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Iryani confirmed in a phone conversation with Asharq Al-Awsat that the government is confident world institutions “will give child recruitment a wider span of concern as it is a major crime against children.”
“I visited the rehabilitation center, sponsored by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief, attending children recruited to fight in Marib,” Iryani said.
They have helped out more than a single group of kids lead a normal life, he added.
According to child testimonies, Houthi militants threaten to kill them if they do not fight—once more proving the brutality of the Tehran-guided militias against children in Yemen.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1217591/unicef-official-overlooks-child-recruitment-yemen
My comment: By Saudi media. This subject interests the Saudis most, their own horrible effects do not.
(A H)
@SMEPSYEMEN is trying to create 1800 permanent jobs in fishing communities in #Yemen over the next 6 months. Good news.. we are on target.. in fact I think we'll achieve more.
https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/977969758657269760
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Yemenis struggle to find bare essentials three years on from first Saudi airstrikes
Food price shock adds to war’s misery
People in Yemen are struggling to survive on dirty water and meagre portions of bread three years after a Saudi-led coalition carried out its first airstrike on the country in its war with the Houthis, Oxfam said today.
Families in remote areas of Amran governorate in the north west of the country told Oxfam they could only afford half a bag of wheat a month and had to walk three kilometres two or three times a day to fetch untreated water from a well. Several women told Oxfam they were struggling to make ends meet and had no money for clothes or other supplies after their husbands had been killed in the conflict.
Since the war started the cost of food has rocketed. Rice is up 131 per cent, beans 92 per cent, vegetable oil 86 per cent and flour for making bread up 54 per cent. Over the same period the number of people going hungry increased by 68 per cent to reach almost 18 million people.
Over 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes, more than 5,500 civilians have been killed and 2,000 more have died of cholera in a country where half of the health facilities are no longer functioning because of the conflict.
Oxfam is working in Amran and eight other governorates, trucking water and providing cash for people there to buy food and has helped over 2.8 million people since July 2015. But the closure of sea and air ports has hampered efforts to get food, water, fuel and medicines to all those who need them.
(* B H)
UN says needs $350 mn for Yemen, calling it 'peanuts'
The UN urgently needs $350 million for humanitarian projects in Yemen, a senior official said Sunday, insisting it was mere "peanuts" compared with the cost of the country's war.
Geeet Cappelaere, Middle East and North Africa director at the UN children's fund UNICEF, made the comments in Amman, Jordan after a visit to Yemen.
"UNICEF is asking for 2018 alone for its humanitarian programme close to $350 million. That is peanuts compared to the billions of dollars that are currently invested in fighting war," Cappelaere said.
"We are asking for peanuts," he told reporters.
Cappelaere appeared to be making a jibe at US President Donald Trump.
Cappelaere gave a dire report on conditions in Yemen, and called for the "brutal senseless war on children to stop now".
He said children are bearing the brunt of the conflict in many ways.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5542065/UN-says-needs-350-mn-Yemen-calling-peanuts.html and http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/unicef-calls-yemens-warring-sides-stop-impeding-aid-54001561 and https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/unicef-asks-350m-starving-yemeni-children-180325102137987.html
(* B H)
UNICEF Yemen Humanitarian Situation Report (February 2018)
11.3 million # of children in need of humanitarian assistance (estimated)
22.2 million # of people in need (OCHA, 2018 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan)
1 million # of children internally displaced (IDPs)
4.1 million # of children in need of educational assistance
400,000 # of children under 5 suffering Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)
The killing and maiming of 53 and 92 children respectively, was documented and verified this month, in 12 governorates. Child casualties have also increased by three-fold in Al Hudaydah since previous month.
UNICEF and partners continued supporting the scale up of Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme
UNICEF developed an Integrated Cholera Response, Preparedness and Prevention plan for 2018-2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unicef-yemen-humanitarian-situation-report-february-2018
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
Family describes being trapped in war-torn Yemen and fighting for survival
The Al-Hamadi family, who escaped their hometown in Yemen's Han Mountain during airstrikes, are now in Taiz, a city besieged by fierce fighting between pro-government forces and rebels.
The unpredictable and violent attacks have made it nearly impossible for anyone to get in or get out, leaving many families trapped.
"We used to cry and hide from the bullets," said Doaa Al-Hamadi, the oldest of three daughters. "We would be eating and bullets would be fired around us."
Doaa Al-Hamadi's father, AbdulLatif Al-Hamadi, was a construction worker. Her mother, Montaha Al-Hamadi, used to graze animals and, at times, sell henna to cover their basic expenses before the war changed their lives.
"Alhamdulillah!" said AbdulLatif Al-Hamadi, using the common Arabic phrase for "Thank God," as he remembered older days. "We lost everything and we gained nothing in return."
The family's makeshift home doesn't have a door -- only a blanket hangs in its place -- and a pile of bricks in the windows help with privacy and protection. There's no power and no heat.
"When it is cold, we are helpless," Montaha Al-Hamadi said (photos, film)
(B H)
Djibouti – Gueliléh, Badaf, Fonteherou et Orobor: Point de suivi des flux de populations, Tableau de bord 1, Période 1 – 28 Février 2018
L’ OIM travaille en collaboration avec le Gouvernement afin de mieux appréhender les dynamiques migratoires à Djibouti et comprendre le profil des migrants qui transitent dans le pays. Le suivi des flux de population est une activité qui consiste à collecter des données dans les régions d’Arta, Ali-Sabieh, Dikhil, Tadjourah et Obock.
Les données présentées dans ce rapport mensuel donnent un aperçu des mouvements de populations observés entre le 1 et 28 Février 2018.
(* B H)
Yemeni Refugees Cross Gulf Of Aden To Seek Safety In East Africa
Displaced Yemenis talk about the long and difficult escape from Yemen's civil war, which has led some to the nearby country of Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.
3 million, the number of people in Yemen who were forced to flee from their homes. You got to talk with some of these folks. What did they tell you?
They told stories of what it's like to be an ordinary citizen trying to live without a functioning state. Now, let's start the story here in a camp for internal refugees. It's in Ma'rib, Yemen.
The violence has driven many Yemenis from the country entirely. And to meet some of them, we left Yemen and crossed the Gulf of Aden. We arrived on the shores of East Africa in the tiny nation of Djibouti.
This is a sea port called Obock where men right now are loading construction materials onto a boat by hand. This is very old-time seafaring. And just across the blue water in this direction is the coastline of Yemen. Many refugees, for years now, have been getting into small boats, going in the middle of the night, fleeing to this side and to a refugee camp not far from here.
We met a family who had just arrived. At a United Nations office, a mother and father were waiting to be registered with their kids, age 6, 4 and 2.
(* B H)
Film: Absence of international community aids turns Yemeni children lives into misery & living hell
https://twitter.com/fr54545/status/978319159716085768
(A H)
Yemen: Al Hudaydah / Taizz Displacement Update (18 March - 22 March 2018)
There is new displacement in Alsaleh city (group of buildings) in Al Hudaydah city. There was an assessment conducted there on 20 March for 10 families and during the intervention on 21 March, there were 35 new families met.
Apparently the authorities are encouraging people to displace there as they are offering apartments for free and there was a joint visit by UN agencies to the city to assess their needs.
During the reporting period there was 223 newly displaced families in Jabal Ra’s district that need to be targeted.
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A K P)
Supreme Revolutionary Committee President Mohammed Ali al Houthi stated on March 26 that the al Houthi movement is prepared to compensate Saudi civilians injured or killed by ballistic missile attacks if an independent committee confirms that shrapnel is from al Houthi missiles and not Saudi air defense missiles. [3]
(* A K P)
Yemeni General Reveals Purpose Behind Missile Launch Videos
A high-ranking Yemeni military officer has explained why all missile launches conducted by his forces are being filmed and how the Houthi rebels and their allies have managed to procure missiles capable of threatening Saudi Arabia.
Brigadier General Aziz Rashid of the Yemeni Armed Forces, allied with the Houthi rebels, told Sputnik Arabic that all missile launches carried against Saudi Arabia are being recorded on video.
"Dissemination of videos showing missile launches is all part of the media war. When the media of the Saudi-led coalition attempt to deny that a missile strike took place, we present photos and videos. We gather evidence of such operations via social media from users living in the kingdom who witnessed the missile strikes," Rashid said.
"We’ve managed to upgrade these missiles here, by ourselves. We’re besieged from all sides on land, water and in the air. In these conditions it would be impossible to receive missile shipments from Iran," Rashid added.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803271062953596-yemeni-forces-missile-strikes/
(A P)
Houthis kidnap new journalist in Sana'a
Houthis have abducted a new journalist in the center of the capital Sana'a, in its manhunt for journalists and activists.
Rashid al-Haddad who has no history of opposing them was seized for no known reason in the capital city. Haddad is from Beit Bows district south of the capital and was arrested by surprise on Saturday morning when he was commuting in the city. The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate has issued a statement condemning the arrest.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16799
(* B P)
Houthis ramp up war against Yemen's Baha'i minority
A discrimination campaign led by the Houthis has prompted members of the minority group to flee their homes in Sanaa
The leader of the Houthi rebels, Abdulmalik Al Houthi, urged his loyalists to attack Yemen’s Baha'i population calling the minority group “a devilish plant sowed by Israel”.
The rebels have launched an social media campaign spurring their members to attack the group. Since the statement, there have been reports of Houthis storming residences in Sanaa believed to belong to members of the marginalised sect.
The Baha'i minority in Yemen have been exposed to persecution since the Iran-backed rebels took control of the capital in 2014.
The rebel leader claimed that because Acre, a city occupied by Israel, is considered Baha'i’s holiest city, then “Baha’ism is bred by Israel and supported by Israel and the western states.”
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/houthis-ramp-up-war-against-yemen-s-baha-i-minority-1.716444
My comment: By Emirati media, but true. The Houthi leader’s claim is simply bullshit. The discrimination and prosecution of the Bahai minority in Yemen had begun already before the Houthi takeover, however.
(A P)
With beginning of 4th year of steadfastness, President launches state-building project
President of the Supreme Council Saleh Al-Sammad announced on Monday the launch of the state-building project in conjunction with the start of the fourth year of steadfastness in the face of the aggression.
Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis flew to Al-Sabeen Square in the capital Sana'a coming from several provinces to mark the third anniversary of steadfastness in the face of the aggression, which began on March 26, 2015.
The participants held flags of the Republic of Yemen and banners expressing the continued steadfastness in the face of the aggression.
In his speech to the masses, the president referred that this trend comes in parallel with the battle of repelling the aggression on various fronts.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news491357.htm
(* A P)
Barrage of missiles on Saudi Arabia ramps up Yemen war
The Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen vowed on Monday to fire more missiles into Saudi Arabia unless it stops bombing the country, after missiles crashed into Riyadh overnight causing casualties in the Saudi capital for the first time.
“We praise the successful advance of military capabilities,” Houthi political council chief Saleh al-Samad told a crowd of tens of thousands of supporters in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
“If they want peace, as we have said to them before, stop your air strikes and we will stop our missiles,” he said. “If you continue your air strikes we have a right to defend ourselves by all means available.”
(A P)
Leader of Ansarullah speech on the occasion of the third anniversary of the Yemeni steadfastness
The leader of the revolution,Sayyid Abdulmalik al-Houthi,: Yemen has completed 3 years of facing the greatest aggression.
He described Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as “puppet regimes” that are implementing US and Israeli plots in Yemen.
He described also the more enemies conspire against our country at home, the more they clean it from the rest of the traitors.
Al Sayyid said "We will seek to support the honorable people from the southern provinces until the liberation of the country."
The only parties benefiting from civil wars in the [Middle East] region are Americans and Israelis, who are responsible for most of the regional conflicts. The US is playing the principal intelligence and logistical role concerning the military aggression against Yemen,”sayyid al-Houthi pointed out.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news491339.htm
(* A P)
Yemen rebels stage show of force hours after missile attacks
Hundreds of thousands of Huthi rebel supporters flooded the streets of Yemen's capital Monday to mark three years of war, hours after Riyadh intercepted seven missiles fired from rebel territory.
Sanaa's Sabaeen Square on Monday was a sea of Yemeni flags, with a smattering of posters bearing pictures of Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi and the slogan "three years of aggression".
Rebel authorities ordered all schools and government offices shut for the anniversary.
Speakers blasted out a fiery speech of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah -- the powerful Shiite group allied with the insurgents -- in which he praised the "steadfastness" of the Yemeni people.
On the stage, male dancers dressed in traditional clothing with rifles hoisted on their shoulders performed for the crowd, broadcast on a massive screen.
"No one can speak on behalf of the Yemeni people. People taking to the streets today is the real voice," Ibtisam al-Mutawakel, head of the rebel cultural committee, told AFP.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/yemen-rebels-stage-show-force-hours-after-missile-attacks-doc-1375du1
(* A P)
Thousands Protest in Sanaa on Third Anniversary of Yemen War (VIDEO, PHOTO)
Tens of thousands Yemeni citizens gathered this Monday in the country's capital of Sanaa to mark the third anniversary of the war.
Sanaa's Sabaeen Square can be seen crowded with people, carrying Yemeni flags and posters, bearing pictures of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi or the slogan "three years of aggression."
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803261062897810-sanaa-protest-yemen-anniversary/
and also
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5543859/Tens-thousands-rally-Sanaa-mark-3-years-war.html and http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970106000468
films:
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/978377959919808512
https://twitter.com/abdusalamsalah/status/978334865178419200
photos:
http://www.newnewss.net/yemenis-hold-mass-rallies-in-sanaa-to-mark-saudi-wars-3rd-anniversary/
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/978218624539398144
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/978296747326918661
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/978195755654631424
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/978238371750391808
(A P)
Yemeni people are invincible people
President of the Supreme Political Council Saleh Al-Sammad on Sunday confirmed that Yemeni people are invincible people no matter what the challenges are.
During his visit to Al-Sabeen Square in the capital Sanaa, which will host a mass rally on Monday to mark three years of steadfastness in the face of the aggression, the president renewed his call to the Yemeni people to participate effectively in the event.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news491295.htm
(A P)
Saudi wouldn’t have dared to attack Yemen without US help, supervision: Houthi
Leader of Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement Abdul Malik Badreddin al-Houthi says Saudi Arabia would not have dared to launch a campaign against its impoverished southern neighbor if it had not received direct assistance from the United States.
Addressing his supporters via a televised speech broadcast from the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a on Sunday evening, Houthi said the parties involved in the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen are backed by Washington, and are offered extensive military support as well as media coverage.
(A P)
Photos: Multi-million-man rally to mark the 4th year of US-Saudi aggression on Yemen. Preparations r in full swing for Monday, 26 March, 2018, which marks the 3rd anniversary of resisting US-Saudi invasion. The rally in the Yemen's largest square, Sabeen, despite being bombed!
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/977856619823411200
and
(A P)
The #Houthis are forcing school students to go to the 70 Square for auditions to participate in the demonstration, which they called for tomorrow to mark three years of #war. They also demanded principals to mobilize as many students as possible to attend the demonstration (photos)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/977921095138410497
Remark: By an anti-Houthi twitter account. “are forcing”: Sounds dubious.
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Al-Shuriga Border Barrels Reconstructed After Years in Assertion of Independence Demands
Several southern citizens reconstructed the border barrels separating the Arab Republic of Yemen from the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen in Al-Shuriga border area on Tuesday March 26th, 2018.
(A P)
At the Third Memory of “Storm of Determination”, Brigadier Ba Malam: Establishing the Southern State is the Only Guarantee for Security and Stability of the Region
Brigadier Ahmed Mohamed Ba Malam, member of the presidency of the southern transitional council, indicated that the establishment of the southern state according to 1990 borders is the only guarantee for security and stability of the region, stopping Iranian interference and eliminating terrorism. Ba Malam expressed the deep relations linking the southern people to the Arab Coalition asserting that these relations are historic and based on sacrifice and joint destiny and no one can separate it.
Separatist media praise their UAE-backed “Security Belt” and other militia:
(A P T)
Security Belt of Lahj Exhausts the Explosion of a Security Post
http://en.smanews.org/security-belt-of-lahj-exhausts-the-explosion-of-a-security-post
(A P T)
For the Third Day, Shabwa Elites (Al-Saeed Axis) Attack Al-Qaeda Dens in Yashbam and Al-Shuba
(A PT)
SWAT Teams of Security Belt Find Explosives and Detonators in an Abandoned House in Al-Mahfed
(A P)
Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghir stated that the Hadi government is planning to incorporate the late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s son Ahmed Ali Saleh into a leadership position alongside President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi in an interview with a Saudi newspaper on March 27 [2]
(A T)
Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) militants assassinated one soldier and wounded another near the college of literature in Khormaksar district, Aden city on March 27. Security forces arrested one of the ISIS militants who was wounded during the attack.[5]
(A T)
Unidentified assailants attacked a soldier at the Faculty of Arts in Khor Maksar, killing him and fleeing.
Photographs were published documenting the moment when the gunmen attacked the College and described the guards as "apostates".
(A)
Turkish aid agency starts cleanup drive in Yemen’s Aden
Campaign is partially aimed at fighting spread of disease in Yemeni government’s interim capital
Turkey’s Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has launched a cleanup campaign in Yemen’s city of Aden, which currently serves as interim capital for Yemen’s internationally-recognized government.
TIKA’s “Cleanup and Improvement Fund” aims to rid the coastal city’s streets of garbage, waste and war debris.
https://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkish-aid-agency-starts-cleanup-drive-in-yemen-s-aden/1101075
(A P)
Protesters call for security improvements in Taiz
Hundreds of young protesters and activists have staged a protest to demand the government to improve security in the heart of Taiz and drive away Houthi rebels besieging the city in its peripheries.
The Helping the State Help the Society, a local civil society organization, organized the rally.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16761
(A T)
ISIS #Yemen claims attack on Faculty of Arts, Aden University. This is the lauded ad nauseum "Saudi/UAE-liberated" Aden City.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/978583749146357760 referring to http://adengad.net/news/310050/ (with photo)
(A P)
Yemeni Parties Demand Stern UN Position Against Militias
Eleven Yemeni political parties, including the General People's Congress and the Congregation for Reform (Al-Islah), demanded on Monday that the UN envoy takes “a stern stand towards the escalatory measures taken by Houthi militias, which thwart peace efforts and worsen the sufferings of the Yemeni people.”
The parties condemned the Houthi missile attacks targeting residential areas of Riyadh and other cities in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
“The attacks prove that the Iranian regime continues to support the armed group with military capabilities, by taking Yemen away from its Arab and regional surrounding to transform it into a threatening base capable of shaking regional stability,” the parties said in a statement.
My comment: These are just the parties backing the Hadi government.
(A T)
Ongoing schedule of imam assassinations in #Yemen: Local sources report the attempted assassination yesterday of Salafi Imam Salih Mansur of in front of a mosque in Shibam district of Hadramawt by "unknown gunmen" who, as usual, escaped
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/978318031561490433
(A P)
Commandership of Al-Dalea Visits the Security Belt
Brigadeir General Ali Mokbel Salewh, governor of Al-Dalea, commander of Al-Dalea axis and commander of 33rd armored brigade, visited the commandership of the security belt forces in Hawkalat Baglas – Al-Dalea.
http://en.smanews.org/commandership-of-al-dalea-visits-the-security-belt
My comment: It’s the separatists who rule in the provinces.
(* A P)
Film: Yemen war: Hundreds of 'northerners' expelled from Aden
In testimonies provided to Al Jazeera, some business owners say they were told they would be killed unless they packed up and left southern Yemen.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
UN chief urges Saudi prince to seek political solution in Yemen
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday presented a $930 million check to the UN for humanitarian aid in Yemen as the UN chief pushed for an end to the war in which Riyadh leads a military coalition.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres thanked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the contribution, but stressed that the war in Yemen requires a political solution, and not just a humanitarian response.
"There is no humanitarian solution for humanitarian problems," Guterres said after receiving the check, which also came from the United Arab Emirates.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5551875/UN-chief-urges-Saudi-prince-seek-political-solution-Yemen.html and the UN statement https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/note-correspondents-secretary-general-s-meeting-hrh-prince-mohamad-bin-salman-al-saud
My comment: Red carpet (on it, you won’t see the blood which is dripping from him) for those bringing money for indulgence?
(* B P)
The Role of the United Nations and its Special Envoys in the current Yemeni War: Floundering in a Tragic Reality
In a new attempt to get Yemen out of its ongoing war, in 13 February 2018, Briton Martin Griffiths has been appointed as a new UN envoy to Yemen.
Based on Griffith’s personal experience, there are new hopes in activating the international mediation efforts to resolve one of the most intractable and tragic crises in the Arab region. The main question to be addressed in this report is: What does it mean to appoint an international envoy of Western origins to the course of the current Yemeni crisis and whether the Western UN envoy will succeed in resolving the peace negotiations in Yemen and thus reaching peace; and to which extent the Yemini conflicting factions will accept the Western UN envoy at the negotiating table?
In this report, we will present some of the challenges that have hampered the United Nations and its former envoys, which may hinder its new Western envoy to Yemen. These challenges are many and varied, but the most important of which are:
The lack of incorporating local knowledge on the sensitivity of the local environment and all its social and political complexity. The lack of understanding the personal characteristics of the leaders of the conflicting groups.
The failure to deal with the root causes or the causal mechanisms of the conflict and focusing more on marginal causes.
The ineffectiveness of the prohibition of the supply and smuggling of arms to the conflicting factions and groups.
Insufficient funding and necessary economic support for the political, negotiating and mediation process to create a highly effective and restorative environment that can be a solid basis for successful peace and community building.
The solution for the Yemeni is not linked to what can each new UN envoy provide to Yemen. Instead, it is linked to what efforts the international community can provide to resolve this crisis and to stop the human suffering occurring in Yemen because of the ongoing violations. Peace can only be achieved if the international community and the regional powers have a united approach to effectively resolve the Yemeni crisis rather than having different approaches and conflicts surrounding the current Yemeni catastrophe. – by Moosa Elayah
Remark: A full comment by Judith Brown in cp1.
(A P)
#Oman: In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the Sultanate urged all parties to exercise restraint and avoid escalation which may destroy peace efforts.
The Sultanate called to find political and humanitarian solutions to achieve security and stability for the brotherly Yemeni people, and maintain regional and international peace and security.
My comment: Oman is different.
(* B P)
News Analysis: Peace solutions lie in hands of Yemenis as Yemen enters 4th year of war
A fourth year of the conflict and the world's largest humanitarian crisis has begun in Yemen, while the international community continues to walk in a vicious circle of failure to address real obstacles to peace in the country
The objectives of the Saudi-led coalition have swerved, observers said, adding that some member states of the coalition now have agendas undermining the government they are backing.
The insistence of the Houthis on keeping the political gains they have achieved and continuing the war adds to challenges before the peace as well, they said.
Nabil Albukiri, a researcher in international strategies, said the solution is in the hands of the Yemenis after regional and foreign players have made the situation more complicated.
"All Yemeni factions should make concessions starting with the withdrawal of the Houthis from the capital Sanaa and then forming independent military and security forces. The Yemeni factions should understand that they have failed to achieve military victories and all they have succeeded in is massive destruction of the nation," Albukiri said.
Yaseen Al-Tamimi, a political writer and analyst, said there are scary trends to implement political agendas threatening the geopolitics of the country.
"Regional and international players should find new and better ways to bridge the gap between the local factions, and those deeply involved in the war should not put their special interests ahead of the interest of the Yemeni people," Al-Tamimi said.
But it seems the lack of trust in the UN is one of the obstacles to establishing peace in the country as well.
Hussain Albukhaiti, a political analyst, said the UN is not neutral in Yemen.
"Saudi Arabia is refusing a comprehensive ceasefire. This country began the war on us. But the UN does not point to Saudi Arabia as a party in the conflict and the international community continues to describe what this country is doing in Yemen as an intervention to restore the legitimacy of the Yemeni government, not a war."
"Hence, peace in Yemen requires a dialogue between Yemeni factions, and a dialogue between Yemenis and Saudi Arabia," Albukhaiti added – by Fuad Rajeh
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-03/26/c_137067209.htm
(* A K P)
UN renews push for political solution as Yemen marks three years of all-out conflict
The UN has also dispatched an envoy to meet with warring parties in its quest to facilitate a negotiated political settlement to the crisis, which has left an estimated 22.2 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
“The Special Envoy [Martin Griffiths] is in Sana’a this week to meet with various Yemeni parties,” Farhan Haq, UN Deputy Spokesperson, told reporters at the world body’s New York Headquarters.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/03/1005961
(A K P)
On Third Anniversary of Yemen Conflict, Secretary-General Strongly Condemns Houthi Missile Launch into Saudi Arabia, Calls for Restraint
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the launch late yesterday of a series of missiles claimed by the Houthis towards cities in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, as he does consistently with all attacks against civilians.
Today marks the third anniversary of the conflict in Yemen. The Secretary-General calls for restraint amid mounting tensions and stresses that military escalation is not the solution
https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sgsm18956.doc.htm
(A P)
New UN envoy to Yemen visits Sana'a on 4th anniversary of Saudi war
The newly appointed UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has paid a visit to the country’s capital, Sana’a, as the Saudi military aggression on the impoverished nation enters its fourth year.
Griffiths reportedly met with Faisal Amin Abu-Rass, the undersecretary of Yemeni foreign ministry, during his visit to Sana’a on Sunday.
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/25/556469/New-UN-envoy-Yemen-Sanaa
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
(A K P)
Saudis’ Defeats in Yemen Prove Riyadh No Big Regional Power: Iran
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi says the Saudi rulers are expected to learn from their defeats in Yemen and leave the delusion that Saudi Arabia is a big power in the Middle East.
In a Tuesday statement, Qassemi said Saudi Arabia is not big enough or in a position and situation to translate its delusions and fancies into reality.
In a reaction to the measures adopted and statements made by the Saudi officials on the third anniversary of Yemen war, Qassemi said by levelling baseless, absurd and unsubstantiated accusations against others, the Saudis are seeking to cover up their back-to-back failures in achieving field victory in the war on the Yemeni nation despite being equipped with a huge collection of cutting-edge weaponry worth tens of billions of dollars.
http://ifpnews.com/exclusive/saudis-defeats-in-yemen-prove-riyadh-no-big-regional-power-iran/
(A K P)
“Riyadh’s Iran Accusation Aimed at Covering up Own Crimes in Yemen”
Brigadier General YadollahJavani, who serves with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said such allegations are aimed at deflecting public attention from the crimes that Riyadh is committing against Yemenis.
“In fact, the Saudis have committed heinous crimes and launched aggression against oppressed Yemeni people over the past couple of years with the help of the Americans, Zionists and some other reactionary states in the [Middle East] region,” said generalJavani, the deputy IRGC commander for political affairs.
“So, in order to divert the regional and world nations’ attention from their crimes, they (Saudi officials) make some claims, including the accusation that Iran is sending weapons to the Yemeni nation and reinforcing the Ansarullah Movement by supplying it with arms,” said the top military official.
http://ifpnews.com/exclusive/riyadhs-iran-accusation-aimed-at-covering-up-own-crimes-in-yemen/ and http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/03/27/556634/Iran-Saudi-Arabia-Yemen
(A K P)
Speaker's advisor urges Saudi FM to learn from history
Iran parliament (Majlis) speaker's advisor for international affairs in a Twitter message on Monday urged Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir to learn from history, referring to its third anniversary of military invasion against Yemen.
http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82871666
(A K P)
Iran Urges US and Europe to Stop Supporting 'Aggressors' Against Yemen
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement condemning the ongoing war in Yemen and urging the US and European countries to stop supporting ‘aggressors' by providing weapons and jets. Tehran has requested that Riyadh and its western allies take immediate steps toward ending the conflict.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803261062889159-iran-urges-west-end-saudi-support/ and this is the statement: http://en.mfa.ir/index.aspx?siteid=3&fkeyid=&siteid=3&pageid=36409&newsview=506202
(A K P)
Iran Ready to Help Yemen’s Warring Sides to Achieve Ceasefire
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has expressed the Islamic Republic’s preparedness to help settle the Yemeni conflict in a statement published on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the Saudi invasion of the impoverished Arab country.
“At the beginning of the fourth year of the devastating war on Yemen and the military aggression of the Saudi-led coalition against the county and the cruel blockade imposed on the Yemeni people, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemns the military assault and calls for an immediate end to the attacks, bloodshed and siege,” read the statement released on Sunday.
http://ifpnews.com/exclusive/iran-ready-to-help-yemens-warring-sides-to-achieve-ceasefire/ and also http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970105000826
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
#Saudi Monarchy arrests 60 year old mother of online activist https://twitter.com/alghamdi_aa/status/978710439470264322?s=21 … also arrested are his 2 brothers to pressure him.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/978727955693260800
(A P)
Film: Taif, In front of the Al Saud emirate headquarters: Quraish tribe, Hijaz region demonstrate against the destruction of their homes by " Al Saud" ..
https://twitter.com/Ahrar_TV/status/978278920662417409
(* A P)
Yemen workers held in dire conditions in Saudi prison
Yemeni activists have circulated images showing hundreds of Yemeni expatriates being detained in dire conditions in a Saudi prison.
The activists said on Saturday that the photographs were taken inside Al-Shamsi prison as part of the Kingdom’s massive deportation campaign against violators of the Saudi labour laws.
The activists appealed to the Yemeni government to help bring an end to the prisoners’ ordeal “because many of those detained have spent weeks in prison in very bad conditions”.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180326-yemen-workers-held-in-dire-conditions-in-saudi-prison/
(A)
Film: Ambulance , Saudi style:
https://twitter.com/Hh44Asd123/status/978053714991833088
(A P)
U.S. religious freedom body urges Saudi to prioritize textbook reform
Saudi Arabia has made little progress in removing textbook content that promotes violence and hatred towards religious minorities and others, a U.S. government watchdog said, encouraging Riyadh to take the issue more seriously.
In a new study of select textbooks in use in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in a statement on Saturday it had compared twelve 2017-2018 high school religion textbooks with versions from 2012-2014 and found that the current books contained not only numerous intolerant and “inflammatory” passages but also several passages specifically thought to have been removed from earlier books.
My comment: I do not think this will change. The Americans are naïve.
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A P)
The Saudi-Yemen Crisis
I cannot so easily ignore the human toll of the war in my country. All sides have committed violations against civilians, but Saudi Arabia’s 16,000 airstrikes have caused the vast majority of the thousands of civilian deaths. Its blockade has obstructed humanitarian and commercial shipments, sending over eight million Yemenis to the brink of starvation and causing the worst cholera outbreak in modern history.
Some opponents of the Senate resolution argued that the Senate needed to wait and more fully debate America’s role in this terrible conflict. But three years of war in my country have made clear that Yemen can’t wait much longer for America to realize it has been on the wrong side of history – by ABDULRASHEED AL-FAQIH, executive director of the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/opinion/letters/saudi-yemen.html
(B P)
Foreign Correspondent: The Senate Confronts the War in Yemen
A very important Senate votes took place recently, and few people know about it.
The Senate failed to invoke the War Powers Act, but the relatively close vote indicates the level of discontent with the Yemen War. The United States is currently at war in five other Middle Eastern countries as well: Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Somalia.
“Forcing the vote was a big deal,” said editor Vlahos.
[Overview]
http://progressive.org/dispatches/foreign-correspondent-Senate-votes-Yemen-180327/
(A H K)
Mercy Corps Urges Drastic Diplomatic Action After Three Years Of Conflict In Yemen
Humanitarian aid alone cannot solve the devastating crisis
(A P)
Saudi Crown Prince to Meet U.S. Jewish Leaders for Talks on Iran, Mideast Peace and anti-Semitism
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman will meet with Jewish American leaders in New York as part of his two-week visit to the United States.
The meeting, which was first reported by Jewish Insider, will focus on issues such as Saudi Arabia's rivalry with Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the kingdom's approach to anti-Semitism.
(* A P)
Trump’s Publisher Pal Puts Saudi Propaganda Magazine in U.S. Supermarkets
The owners of the National Enquirer have a slick, ad-free magazine on U.S. newsstands praising crown prince Mohammed bin Salman—and insist they had no outside help for it.
A nearly 100-page magazine published by Donald Trump’s allies at American Media Inc. is providing a different kind of celebrity gossip than the American supermarket shopper is used to seeing. It’s selling America on a fellow Trump ally, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Greeting Americans on newsstands is a high-quality glossy advertisement for MBS, The New Kingdom. It retails for $13.99, has no ads and its 200,000 copies can be found in venues ranging from U.S. airports to WalMart, Safeway and Kroger’s—raising questions about the magazine’s financing and its origins. The Saudis say they don’t know how it came to be. AMI, which publishes The National Enquirer, insists it had no outside editorial or financial assistance, from the Trump administration or otherwise.
The New Kingdom doesn’t feature any salacious gossip about MBS, but its coverage is just as breathless. “Our Closest Middle East Ally Destroying Terrorism,” the cover coos, sidestepping decades of Saudi Arabian financial support for terrorist groups and ideologues. It Disneyfies Saudi Arabia as “the Magic Kingdom.” It’s easily the most uncritical encomium to MBS since Thomas Friedman. (photos)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-publisher-pal-puts-saudi-propaganda-magazine-in-us-supermarkets
(A P)
Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman visits MIT
Protesters call for MIT to cancel visit, citing Saudi involvement in Yemeni crisis
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, visited MIT Saturday as one of the stops on his first official tour of the U.S.
“Saudi Arabia and MIT have a longstanding collaborative relationship focused on subjects of mutual interest,” Kimberly Allen, director of media relations and deputy director of MIT News, wrote in an email to The Tech.
This includes “creating opportunities for post-doctoral Saudi women scientists and engineers to study at MIT” and “supporting the development of sustainable energy,” Allen continued. “Saudi Aramco is a founding member of the MIT Energy Initiative.”
https://thetech.com/2018/03/25/mbs-visits-mit
and
(A P)
40 @MIT students, alumni, and community members protested today its red carpet welcome to Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of #Saudi Arabia and turned in over 6000 petitions collected by @justfp and @masspeaceation to MIT president (photos)
https://twitter.com/masspeaceaction/status/977298661502869504
(* A B P)
Congress Sours on Saudi Arabia over Yemen
While the White House fetes the kingdom’s crown prince, lawmakers are running out of patience with Riyadh’s catastrophic war in Yemen.
Even lawmakers who opposed the bill blasted Saudi Arabia for failing to do more to end the war and open access to humanitarian aid.
While Saudi Arabia may have dodged a bullet, the political climate in Congress is moving in a hostile direction for the kingdom — and another, more moderate bill aimed at curbing carte blanche U.S. support for the war in Yemen remains on the table.
Four separate congressional votes over the past three years, including last week’s measure, point to deep and growing dissatisfaction with Saudi Arabia.
“The temperature is rising,” says Scott Paul, a senior humanitarian policy advisor for Oxfam America. “This is now on a trajectory that’s been in place for three years.”
Despite the congressional mood, President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, during his visit to Washington last week.
Unlike the resolution backed by Sanders and Lee last week, Young and Shaheen’s bill does not propose an immediate halt to U.S. military assistance for the Saudi air war in Yemen. Critics say this latest proposal of undercutting the legislation that failed last week with much less ambitious requirements.
But proponents say this new bill has a better chance of securing support from both sides of the aisle
“The talking points don’t change,” a Democratic congressional aide says.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/26/saudi-arabia-faces-strong-headwinds-in-congress-over-yemen/
(A E P)
Technology research deals signed during Saudi Crown Prince visit to Boston
During Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Boston, a number of agreements were signed in the technical and research fields as follows:
(* B P)
Mueller probe witness secretly backed UAE agenda in Congress
A top fundraiser for President Donald Trump received millions of dollars from a political adviser to the United Arab Emirates last April, just weeks before he began handing out a series of large political donations to U.S. lawmakers considering legislation targeting Qatar, the UAE’s chief rival in the Persian Gulf, an Associated Press investigation has found.
George Nader, an adviser to the UAE who is now a witness in the U.S. special counsel investigation into foreign meddling in American politics, wired $2.5 million to the Trump fundraiser, Elliott Broidy, through a company in Canada, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. They said Nader paid the money to Broidy to bankroll an effort to persuade the U.S. to take a hard line against Qatar, a long-time American ally but now a bitter adversary of the UAE.
A month after he received the money, Broidy sponsored a conference on Qatar’s alleged ties to Islamic extremism. During the event, Republican Congressman Ed Royce of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced he was introducing legislation that would brand Qatar as a terrorist-supporting state.
In July 2017, two months after Royce introduced the bill, Broidy gave the California congressman $5,400 in campaign gifts — the maximum allowed by law. The donations were part of just under $600,000 that Broidy has given to GOP members of Congress and Republican political committees since he began the push for the legislation fingering Qatar, according to an AP analysis of campaign finance disclosure records.
Broidy said in a statement to AP that he has been outspoken for years about militant groups, including Hamas.
https://www.apnews.com/e2a2ae7f178e4daf9202be7ef3232628
(* B K P T)
US-UAE counter-terrorism operations on the rise in Yemen
Success of partnership so far has been based on matching capabilities and concern
On a visit to Oman this month, US defence secretary James Mattis called US-UAE joint counter-terrorism operations against Al Qaeda in Yemen a model for American troops being present in the war-ravaged country.
He then cited the battle to recapture the southern port of Mukalla, which had been held by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
For the US, Yemen’s strategic importance is its geographical location "on one of the busiest highways for international maritime trade in the entire world", said Nicholas Heras, a senior fellow at the Centre for New American Security in Washington, where he focuses on Yemen issues.
"Whatever instability that occurs in Yemen has the potential to threaten or jam up vital global trade routes."
The importance of Yemen to the US also lies in the recent past.
But when it comes to fighting Aqap and ISIL in Yemen, the level of US-UAE co-operation is now so close that the US military "has agreed to conduct joint kinetic operations with Emirati forces", according to Mr Heras. That's something "American generals only sign off on for the most competent partner militaries", such as Nato, he said.
John Arterbury, a Yemen analyst at the Navanti Group, a research and analysis company, told The National that the narrow focus of the US mission in Yemen is "fighting Aqap and ISIL, while also pushing for a halt to the civil war and an increase in aid" has helped its success.
The US sees the UAE as a state with capable armed forces and an abiding interest in southern Yemen, Mr Arterbury said. "These complementary aims and abilities make the US and UAE natural partners in regards to pursuing counter-terrorism efforts in the country’s south."
My comment: US boots on the ground in Yemen?
(* B P)
Computervirus "Slingshot" möglicherweise ein US-Spionage Programm (Video)
Das Sicherheitsunternehmen Kaspersky Lab hat ein sehr fortschrittliches Schadprogramm entdeckt, das offenbar entwickelt worden ist, um unentdeckt große Mengen Daten von Computern abzuschöpfen.
Nachdem Kaspersky seine Entdeckung veröffentlicht hatte, wurde dem Unternehmen vorgeworfen, US Anti-Terroroperationen zu unterminieren.
Laut Cyberscoop handelt es sich bei der Malware um ein Programm mit dem Namen "Slingshot". Entdeckt wurde das Virus überwiegend auf Computern im Jemen und in Kenia.
https://deutsch.rt.com/international/67271-computervirus-slingshot-moglicherweise-us-spionage/
(A P)
What’s the history of the portrait behind Mohammed bin Salman, Kushner?
(* B K P)
Arms Sales Decisions Shouldn’t Be About Jobs
Basic foreign policy principles should drive potential weapons exports, not pork-barrel politics.
If Trump’s presentation at the White House sparks a debate about the role of jobs considerations in U.S arms sales policy, it may actually do some good. The bottom line is that creating U.S. jobs should play no role in deciding which countries to lavish with U.S.weaponry, for several reasons.
Potential arms deals should be driven by basic foreign policy questions, not pork-barrel politics. Security and human rights should be the main criteria used by the executive branch and the Congress in deciding which nations should be eligible to receive U.S. weapons
Respecting human rights has value in its own right, but it is also good security policy.
Downplaying human rights and security in favor of narrowly focused economic concerns poses high risks while offering fewer benefits than advertised – by William Hartung
http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/03/arms-sales-decisions-shouldnt-be-about-jobs/146939/
and
(* B K P)
Trump’s Arms Sales Boasts and the War on Yemen
A relative handful of jobs created by weapons sales are not worth the lives lost, the infrastructure destroyed, and the enemies made by the later use of U.S.-made weapons abroad. As Hartung notes, “weapons spending is virtually the least effective way to create jobs,” so the alleged benefits to American workers are much smaller than they seem. Even if they weren’t, it is still wrong and contrary to our interests to export weapons when we know that they will be used to kill civilians and commit violations of international law. In the case of the Saudis and the other Gulf states involved in the war on Yemen, we can be certain that most of the weapons being sold will be used to prosecute that war and many of the others will be employed for the purposes of internal repression. It should never be the policy of our government to arm regimes that are attacking their neighbors, and the U.S. certainly shouldn’t be enabling the war crimes of those regimes in any case – by Daniel Larison
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/trumps-arms-sales-boasts-and-the-war-on-yemen/
(B P)
Rob Mortimer: Congress has not authorized undeclared war in Yemen
It is extremely disheartening to see Colorado's junior senator acquiescing in a bloodbath that has produced widespread child malnutrition and a severe outbreak of cholera in the beleaguered country. I doubt that many Coloradans support Trump's embrace of the Saudi monarchs.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(B K P)
Film: "The UK is actively assisting Saudi Arabia in killing Yemenis" says @FawazAlrassas who goes on to explain that because of the blockade "many Yemenis are dying because they cannot leave the country" #YemenCantWait
https://twitter.com/UNAUK/status/978316258088284160
(* B K P)
Three years into the war in Yemen, the UK has blood on its hands
The government continues to provide Saudi Arabia with the weapons it uses to kill thousands of Yemeni people.
“We’ll support the Saudis in every practical way short of engaging in combat.” These were the words of the then-Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in March 2015.
He was speaking in reaction to the news that the Saudi military had began its intervention in Yemen, and was using UK fighter jets to do it. It’s three years later and the bombardment is still ongoing, and, unfortunately, Hammond’s promise has been broken.
Despite their own analysis suggesting that violations of IHL have become commonplace, Theresa May and her colleagues have shown no sign of reconsidering their support.
When the history books are written, and people look back on the appalling war, they will see it as a totally preventable humanitarian catastrophe. It is one that has been fuelled by those that have ignored the suffering and pursued arms sales at all costs – By Andrew Smith from Campaign Against Arms Trade
https://www.redpepper.org.uk/three-years-into-the-war-in-yemen-the-uk-has-blood-on-its-hands/
(A P)
Save the children of Yemen, Joely Richardson urges Government
The actress is calling on Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Marking the third anniversary of the escalation of the Yemen conflict, Save The Children ambassadors Richardson and TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky have signed a petition which is being handed in to the Foreign Office.
The petition, which has more than 60,000 signatures, is calling on the UK Government to immediately suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia and ensure unfettered humanitarian access to children in Yemen.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/save-the-children-of-yemen-joely-richardson-urges-government-36743984.html and http://www.thenational.scot/news/16117611.60_000_urge_UK_to_end_Saudi_arms_sales/
(* A K P)
Britain's arms sales to blame for war crimes in Yemen: Iran
Iran has rejected the United Kingdom's allegations about the Islamic Republic's provision of missiles to Yemeni Houthi fighters, saying Britain is liable for war crimes in the impoverished country.
"Britain is undoubtedly playing a role in and responsible for war crimes committed in Yemen by selling weapons and providing logistic and intelligence aid to the aggressor countries as well as helping [impose] an inhuman blockade on the Yemenis," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday.
Qassemi dismissed the claims and said London is in "no place" to accuse others.
"Instead of giving out false signals and shirking its responsibility vis-à-vis the imposed war on the defenseless and oppressed people of Yemen, Britain had better end its opportunist approach in this indiscriminate war at the earliest," the Iranian spokesperson said.
http://iran-daily.com/News/212219.html?catid=3&title=Britain-s-arms-sales-to-blame-for-war-crimes-in-Yemen--Iran and also http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5546443/Iran-hits-Britain-arming-Saudi-war-Yemen.html
(* A K P)
Yemen needs inclusive peace talks, UK says as conflict enters its fourth year
Statement on Yemen from the Foreign Secretary and the International Development Secretary.
The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, and International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, have issued a statement on Yemen:
Today, as the Saudi-led Coalition’s intervention in Yemen enters its fourth year, we call on all parties to return to the negotiating table to find an inclusive political solution that delivers the peaceful future the people of Yemen deserve.
The humanitarian crisis triggered by the conflict has left over 22 million people in need of assistance.
The UK has been at the forefront of the international response and is the third largest humanitarian donor to Yemen.
But without de-escalation and a political settlement millions of civilians risk starvation.
If Iran is genuinely committed to supporting a political solution in Yemen – as it has publicly stated – then it should stop sending in weapons which prolong the conflict, fuel regional tensions, and pose threats to international peace and security.
My comment: A document of hypocrisy: British politics and intervention made this war and disaster possible. And: It’s a joke to blame Iran for “sending in weapons which prolong the conflict, fuel regional tensions, and pose threats to international peace and security”, while in the worst case these arms are a fly compared to the elephant of british arms sales to the Saudis, which in reality “prolong the conflict, fuel regional tensions, and pose threats to international peace and security”.
(* B K P)
UK Accused of Secretly Delivering Arms to Middle East – Reports
According to the research by Middle East Eye (MEE) news portal, the UK government has increased the use of secretive “open licenses” to boost weapons’ exports to North Africa and the Middle East.
The United Kingdom has been accused of using opaque open licenses to endorse arms sales to Middle Eastern states, MEE revealed. The figures compiled by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) for MEE demonstrated that the government had envisaged a 22 percent hike in the use of those licenses to increase arms deliveries, including assault rifles to Turkey in 2016 and acoustic riot control devices to Egypt in 2015.
Saudi Arabia appeared to be the larger recipient of arms under secretive open licenses; according to MEE, the use of approvals for weaponry export, including key parts for jets conducting strikes in Yemen, had risen by 75 percent last month.
https://sputniknews.com/europe/201803251062881432-uk-accused-secretly-delivering-arms-middle-east/
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A P)
Photos: The vigil for #Yemen, yesterday, in #Berlin.
Solidarity matters and will never be forgotten.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1689714651081558
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A K P)
Il nuovo Parlamento sospenda l’invio di armi che alimentano il conflitto in Yemen
Italy has just voted for a new government and, to the new Parliament in the making, Amnesty reminds: suspend sending Italian weapons that feed the conflict in #Yemen
https://www.amnesty.it/parlamento-sospenda-linvio-armi-alimentano-conflitto-yemen/
(A E P)
Exclusive: OPEC, Russia consider 10-20 year oil alliance - Saudi Crown Prince
Saudi Arabia and Russia are working on a historic long-term pact that could extend controls over world crude supplies by major exporters for many years to come.
(A B K P)
Kommersant: Russia may prevent escalation of Yemeni conflict
Russia, which is the only global power with close contacts with both Saudi Arabia and its key opponent Iran, who backs the Houthis, may play a special role in preventing the conflict’s escalation, the paper writes.
According to a military and diplomatic source, the incident may strengthen Moscow’s positions at talks with the Saudi military on purchasing Russia’s S-400 systems: Riyadh can acquire air defense systems of various types and different manufacturers.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack against Saudi Arabia as a further destabilizing factor.
Given Russian ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia, "Moscow’s neutral stance in the Yemeni conflict and also its contacts with all the conflicting sides emboldens global NGOs with hope that the crisis will be settled," Elsa Vidal, who heads the Moscow office of Oxfam, a UK-based confederation of independent charitable organizations, told the paper.
http://tass.com/pressreview/996272
(A K)
Bahrain: UK-based activist’s kin sentenced to 7 years and fined, now serving 13 years in total
Today, Bahrain’s Fourth High Criminal Court sentenced 9 defendants, including Sayed Nizar Alwadaei (19), the brother in law of prominent Bahraini activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, to 7 years imprisonment for allegedly setting fire to a car owned by the Ministry of Interior with Molotov Cocktails. With today’s ruling, Sayed Nizar has now been convicted in three separate trials and is serving 13 years in prison.
(A P)
Macron lawmaker seeks parliamentary inquiry over arms sales to Saudi-led coalition
A lawmaker in President Emmanuel Macron’s party is asking for a parliamentary investigation into the legality of French weapons sales to a Saudi-led coalition over concerns the arms are being used to kill civilians in Yemen.
“On the question of French weapons being used against civilian populations in Yemen, I want to know if France is respecting its international commitments.”
(* A P)
Poll shows most French oppose arms sales to Saudi-led Yemen coalition
Seventy-five percent of French people want President Emmanuel Macron to suspend arms’ exports to countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, involved in the Yemeni war, a YouGov poll showed on Monday.
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(A P)
Sudan, Qatar ink $4bln deal to develop Suakin seaport
The cost of the project’s first phase amounts to $500 million
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/sudan-qatar-ink-4bln-deal-to-develop-suakin-seaport-3167582
(* B P)
Now there is something really interesting here that I haven't read before and haven't even thought of. Steve Bell reckons that the split between Qatar and the rest of the GCC was because Qatar decided to pull out of the Saudi led coalition that is attacking Yemen. This makes course complete sense. Qatar has decided to leave the war coalition so the Saudis and UAE decided to jump first and throw them out. UAE was fighting Saudi paid troops in Aden at the time, and obviously UAE had big differences with Saudi in how the war should proceed, but the threat of one of the most active members of the coalition pulling out made them make up their differences and unite against the dissenter. Why didn't I think of that earlier instead of feeling totally and completely perplexed about the situation.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156527827838641
(* B P)
Qatar-Gulf crisis: All the latest updates
Nine months ago, an air, sea and land blockade was imposed on Qatar by four Arab countries.
Here are the latest developments:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/qatar-diplomatic-crisis-latest-updates-170605105550769.html
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* A K P)
Saudi Arabia to sign memorandum with Boeing to support fleet
Saudi Arabia will sign a non-binding agreement with Boeing Co (BA.N) for the U.S. planemaker to provide support and training to the kingdom’s fleet, the chairman of the state-owned military industrial company said on Tuesday.
With Saudi Arabia intending to localize 50 percent of its military industry by 2030, it is in discussions with U.S. companies to scale up their operations in the kingdom.
To that end, Ahmed Al Khateeb of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) said it will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) - a document which outweighs a letter of intent but does commit either side to the agreement - with Boeing in Seattle.
At the forum, Saudi Arabia’s U.S. embassy said the kingdom had signed 36 memorandums of understanding, totaling more than $20 billion in new business partnerships.
The memorandums of understanding included a partnership between Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) and oil giant Saudi Aramco for national cloud services, and a cooperation agreement between Aramco and Raytheon Co (RTN.N) for national cyber security services.
(* B K P)
Ces pays en guerre à qui la France vend des armes
Selon un sondage* publié ce lundi, 88 % des Français estiment que leur pays doit «arrêter les exportations d’armes aux pays qui risquent de les utiliser contre des populations civiles».
Selon le classement publié début mars par le très sérieux Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, la France est le troisième exportateur d’armes au monde. Depuis 2013, elle a même enregistré une progression record de 27 %.
La ministre des Armées était alors interrogée sur l’utilisation de « bombes françaises » par la coalition arabe au Yémen, en soutien au gouvernement face aux rebelles. Des armes bel et bien utilisées dans ce conflit via le stock constitué par l’Arabie saoudite, client parmi les fidèles de l’Hexagone.
(* B K P)
EU guns: invisible but powerful factor in Yemen war
Whilst the UN condemns Saudi Arabia for committing human rights violations in Yemen, the UK, France and Spain supply them with the means of doing so.
The CAAT says EU member states have continued to support the Saudi air campaign in Yemen by providing arms despite the overwhelming evidence of repeated breaches of humanitarian law.
"From our perspective, we would strongly argue that theys are in breach of the arms trade treaty," says Patrick Wilcken, researcher on arms control, security, trade and human rights for Amnesty International UK.
The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is an international treaty that implements standards governing arms transfers.
The UK, Spain, France and Italy have all signed and ratified the treaty. Article 7 of the ATT holds that state parties must complete a risk assessment regarding the likelihood of human rights violations when exporting arms, refusing to export if there is a perceived risk.
"It is a bit rich that they are on one hand arguing that there must be placed an embargo on Iran, but that the Saudi coalition is a far more powerful and modern war machine that is wreaking much more damage," says Wilcken from Amnesty International.
https://euobserver.com/opinion/141413
(* B K P)
Pourquoi les Occidentaux continuent-ils à vendre des armes à l’Arabie saoudite ?
Les organisations internationales font pression sur les États qui fournissent des armements à Riyad, du fait de son implication dans le conflit au Yémen depuis 2015.
La course à l’armement au Moyen-Orient n’a cessé de s’accélérer ces dernières années, avec l’Arabie saoudite en tête du peloton des importateurs.
(* A K P)
Australian Military Licences To Saudi Arabia Have Quietly Quadrupled
We know that the Australian Government’s planned expansion into arms sales has coincided with a four-fold increase in the number of military licenses for sales to one of the world’s most oppressive regimes. But we don’t know what we’re actually selling them.
Documents recently produced under Freedom of Information laws confirm that in the two years from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017 sixteen military licences were granted for the export of military equipment from Australia to Saudi Arabia. Until now it was widely believed that only four military licences were issued.
https://newmatilda.com/2018/03/25/australian-military-licences-saudi-arabia-quietly-quadrupled/
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(B)
Art history students research trafficked, endangered artifacts
Tulane University students enrolled in an introductory art history course have released a report providing background information on cultural artifacts in danger of illicit trafficking and destruction in the ongoing war in Yemen.
The 13 undergraduate student authors are taking Art Survey I: Prehistory Through the Middle Ages, taught by Lily Filson, an adjunct professor of art history in the School of Liberal Arts. The students completed the report in response to an emergency “Red List” published by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), which outlined a number of Yemeni cultural artifacts in danger of illicit trafficking during the ongoing Yemeni civil war.
The students’ report, “Tulane Art History Students Take on ICOM’s ‘Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk, Yemen,’” provides a detailed contextual analysis and description of each individual artifact in an effort to showcase the cultural and historical value of each piece. The listed artifacts include items from stone statues to bronze busts and ancient incense burners.
http://news.tulane.edu/news/art-history-students-research-trafficked-endangered-artifacts and https://www.academia.edu/35996576/Tulane_Art_History_Students_Take_on_ICOMS_Emergency_Red_List_of_Cultural_Objects_at_Risk_Yemen_
My comment: And in how far these objects are in danger now?
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
#IslamicState #Yemen announces the "martyrdom" of another of its jihadists in al-Bayda', Adham al-Yafi'i (last one was 10 days ago).
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/978350129676664834
(* B T)
UAE-backed campaign puts Al Qaeda under pressure in Yemen
Local leadership appears to be on the run as terrorist group's numbers dwindle
Al Qaeda's entrenched presence in Yemen is showing signs of crumbling under a sustained onslaught by Yemeni forces supported by the Saudi-led coalition.
Now, under pressure from the sustained counter-terror campaign, Aqap's internal mechanisms appear to be failing.
“The group released a video warning of a threat of loose communications over the internet. Their media communications have also been curbed, as the official Aqap wire went down for three weeks in February,” said Prof Kendall.
But more importantly, there are signs that the group's numbers are dwindling.
“Aqap is definitely hurting. We’ve seen a steady stream of martyr photos appear on their supporters’ wires since the end of last year especially,” said Prof Kendall.
Many fighters have also dropped out of its ranks.
The drop in Aqap's presence could also be attributed to the loose relationship the group has to Yemen’s tribal east. At times, its sophisticated weaponry and militant nature have been sought out to resolve the tribal conflicts common in the region and in Bayda province.
But ultimately, "the Bayda tribes and Aqap have conflicting objectives in Yemen’s war", said Nadwa Al Dosari, a Yemeni researcher.
Remark: BY UAE media, emphasizing the UAE successes against AQAP.
(A T)
More hints at rifts in #alQaeda #Yemen from no.4 in Abu al-Bara' al-Ibbi's series on jihadist corruption, "Divulging Secrets" (20/3). Indirectly suggests pressure from CT #drones & raids is sowing suspicion & disrupting #AQAP. (image)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/977922058695925761
cp15 Propaganda
(* A P)
Pentagon: US refueling cuts civilian deaths in Yemen
US Defense Secretary James Mattis today said the Pentagon is boosting efforts to cut down on civilian harm in Yemen, even as refueling of Saudi and Emirati jets in the war-torn country continues despite opposition from Congress.
Speaking to reporters at the Defense Department on the heels of a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last week, Mattis said a contingent of US advisers deployed to help with intelligence sharing are engaged in a “dynamic” role to help ensure a reduction in civilian harm.
“When we’re doing the planning, we have shown them how you have what we call no-strike zone,” Mattis said, explaining that US forces are helping Saudi and Emirati pilots differentiate between military targets and populated areas such as towns, schools and hospitals. “It’s not as easy as saying there’s a school or hospital, now draw a circle around it on a map. Now it’s got to go up into the airplane, now the people who are calling for strikes have to be aware sometimes you add to them — you found a new place that you didn’t have on the map before.”
“This is the trigonometry level of warfare,” said Mattis. Though the former Marine general and commander of US forces in the Middle East outlined that American air-to-air refueling was aimed at “reducing the risk of civilian casualties” in a letter to Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell earlier this month, the Pentagon had yet to publicly outline specific procedures to cut down on collateral damage.
The United States is not part of Saudi Arabia’s targeting process in Yemen, but it trains Arab air forces on the same procedures to develop no-strike lists and on how to properly employ guided munitions that American pilots use against suspected Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.
My comment: This puts upside down. US refueling of Saudi fighter jets in the air means that they can fly longer missions, that means they can bomb more. How this should “cut civilian deaths?” – If US staff in the Saudi command room for sharing intelligence to cut civilian victims, after 3 years of war they had failed extremely, thus the whole story is odd propaganda.
(A P)
Saudi Crown Prince, on U.S. Visit, Urges Tough Line on Iran
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has renewed his attack on the Iran nuclear deal during a visit to the United States, saying the agreement would delay but not prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“Delaying it and watching them getting that bomb, that means you are waiting for the bullet to reach your head,” Prince Mohammed, 32, the heir to the Saudi throne, said Monday during his first meeting with editors and reporters from The New York Times. “So you have to move from today.”
Prince Mohammed sought to paint a positive picture of Saudi progress in the war in Yemen. He claimed that the Houthis, the Iranian-aligned militia that took over the capital, Sana, in 2014, were increasingly isolated politically.
He dismissed the seven missiles the Houthis fired at Saudi Arabia from Yemen on Sunday as “a last-ditch effort” that only showed they were weak.
Saudi Arabia, he said, is now seeking to end the war through a political process, trying to divide the Houthis and maintaining military pressure on them.
Prince Mohammed also spoke about his efforts to change Saudi Arabia’s religious rhetoric to ensure greater openness toward other faiths.
“I believe Islam is hijacked,” Prince Mohammed said, criticizing the way he said that groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and terrorist organizations like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda had distorted the religion.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/world/middleeast/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-prince-interview.html
My comment: Telling what we already know from him. – And: “I believe Islam is hijacked”: The best description of Wahabism available.
(A P)
Human rights Minister: 43,000 people killed and wounded by Houthis
Minister of Human Rights Mohammed Askar said that the crimes and violations of the Houthi militia during the period from January 2015 to February 2018 have killed and injured 43 thousand people, while the number of detainees and those who were forcibly disappeared by the militia amount to 18 thousand people.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16836
My comment: Great figure play, ascribing all victims of the war (official figures) to the Houthis.
(A P)
Arrestees' body swap, evokes memory of a unique Houthi crime
The exchange of bodies of arrestees between the armed forces in Taiz and Houthi rebels evoked memories of a unique crime that the Shia Islamist rebels have committed over the past three years and a half.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16762
My comment: Keep in mind the Saudi coalition’s rule: When we declare some place is a military site, then it is, and point.
(A P)
Yemen’s PM: We’ll Call for Lifting Sanctions on Ahmed Saleh, Turn the Page of Disputes
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr condemned the smuggling of ballistic missiles by Iran and Houthi militias, which he said were threatening the security of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Bin Daghr said that Iran has incited the Houthis to revolt, provided them with money, weapons, training and media support, and exploited sectarian disparities in the country.
“The most dangerous type of smuggling is the smuggling of ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles. These types of missiles have threatened the security of Yemen and the Kingdom in particular. The longer the war lasts, the more Houthis will gain strength and become more entrenched,” he stated.
My comment: That’s fact-resisting propaganda: Iran had told the Houthis NOT to „revolt“.
(A P)
“The firing of ballistic missiles towards populated cities and villages is contrary to international humanitarian law,” Maliki said, stressing that the actions of the Houthis is a serious development in the war on terrorist groups and the war on those state sponsoring terrorism, such as Iran's regime.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1217481/houthi-iranian-aggression-embarrasses-un-envoy
My comment: What a bad joke when Saudi Arabia objects this to the Houthis, and Iran. Saudi air raids do exactly that – daily, since 3 years now.
(A P)
Iran will come to regret its destructive policies
It is now more than three years since a 10-nation coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched Operation Decisive Storm to help restore the internationally recognized government of Yemen, led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, after Houthi rebels took up arms and forced Hadi out of the capital Sana’a by force.
Although the Iranian-supported Houthis have since lost much of the territory they occupied — and have very little support to speak of inside Yemen and virtually none in the international community — they continue be completely disinterested in helping bring the conflict to an end. Not only do they continue to demonstrate, in both word and deed, a total disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the people of Yemen, they continue to violate international laws related to the conduct of war in a flagrant fashion.
This latest egregious violation of international laws and United Nations resolutions related to the conflict make two realities clear: The Houthis have no interest in bringing the conflict in Yemen to an end, and Iran continues to support the Houthis by providing them with missiles, technology and launchers that they simply did not possess at the beginning of the conflict, nor did they have the technological knowhow to deliver.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1274441
My comment: Iran’s “destructive policies”. Come to Yemen and look who really is committing “destructive policies” there:
(A P)
Col. Al-Malki: Iran's support for terror organizations constitutes devastating threat to regional and int'l security
Spokesman of the Coalition Forces for Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki Al-Malki confirmed today that the crimes committed by the Iranian regime, including trafficking of weapons, supporting the terror groups and organizations and providing them with qualitative military capabilities like ballistic and thermal missiles and drones as well as booby-trapped speed boats constitute devastating threat to regional and international security and flagrant violation of the international law and world community relevant resolutions, noting that the world community and the Security Council ought to take the necessary measures to hold the Iranian regime accountable for violating the UN Security Council resolutions, including 2231 and 2216.
In a press conference at the Armed Forces Club in Riyadh, Al-Malki said the Iran-backed Houthi militias have launched as many as seven ballistic missiles last night carrying the stamp of the terror-sponsor Iranian regime.
He said the combination of extremist ideology and a terror-sponsor state has contributed to further stirring up struggles in some regions, adding that the lack of both tolerance and co-existence and the dominance of expansionist revolutionary thoughts were designed to spread chaos and hegemony. The situation in Yemen is a sample of this scenario representing the accumulation of the forces of evil and destruction.
Col. Al-Maliki said Yemen has so much suffered from the extremist ideology of the Iran-backed Houthis who usurped power in Sanaa and controlled the State's institutions, including vital capabilities and heavy weapons, a development that led to the destabilization of the country and suffering of its people. (photos)
http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/6b458d58ce8f4531a48d074b0a7ce274
My comment: From Saudi Arabia, it’s a bad joke to object „the combination of extremist ideology and a terror-sponsor state“ to any other country. This description perfectly fits to Saudi Arabia – even much better than to Iran.
and
(A P)
Iran is behind missile attacks on Saudi Arabia: Coalition
The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia on Monday said the debris of missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen carried the features of weapons manufactured near Tehran.
The coalition lashed out at the Iranian regime for providing the Houthi militias with sophisticated arms and ballistic missiles, thus undermining regional security.
At a news conference on Monday night, which was attended by ambassadors of friendly nations and members of the Saudi-led military alliance, coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki displayed the debris of the Houthi missiles that targeted Riyadh.
He said forensic analysis of the wreckage of the missiles showed they were supplied to the Houthi militias by Iran.
During his fact-finding presentation, the coalition spokesman shared a smuggled missile from Iran which was seized by the coalition forces before making its way to the Houthi militias in Yemen.
“These ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia were a serious escalation and a threat to regional and international security,” he said.
“The hostile action by the Iranian regime in smuggling arms to Houthi militias ... only prove that the Iranian regime continues to support the armed militants with military capabilities ... allowing it to demonstrate its threat to regional as well as international security by disturbing peace and spreading chaos.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1274166/saudi-arabia
(A P)
Houthis can no longer get away with playing the victim
Yet again, the Houthi militias aimed their missiles at Riyadh; and yet again, their cowardly attack, aimed deliberately at seven million civilians, was successfully intercepted by Saudi air defense forces.
This is not the first time these barbaric religious fanatics have targeted Saudi cities. In fact, we should all remember that these terrorists — whose official slogans are “Death to America” and “Death to the Jews” — had previously launched missile attacks that were intercepted near Makkah, the Saudi city that is home to the holiest site for two billion Muslims throughout the world.
Cynics would say that this is the price Saudi Arabia has to pay for interfering in Yemen. They forget that the Riyadh-led Arab coalition is fighting a war on behalf of the international community, and indeed all of humanity.
Cynics would also argue that the Arab coalition has blood on its hands. That is true. However, there is a world of difference between military strikes in Yemen that accidentally cause civilian deaths, and the deliberate — and repeated — targeting of residential areas, which is what the Houthis are perpetrating against Saudi Arabia.
Another major difference is that when the Arab coalition makes a mistake, it investigates and issues a report on the findings. It also introduces measures to ensure that such errors do not occur again. The same cannot be argued for the Houthi thugs, who are driven by the hope that their indiscriminate terrorist tactics will strike fear into the hearts of Saudis, and prevent them from leading their normal lives.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1274086 and also (with photos) https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2705262&Language=en
photos. https://twitter.com/FaisalbinFarhan/status/978319900665147392 and https://twitter.com/FaisalbinFarhan/status/978309676050866176
My comment: This really could get the palm as the propaganda of the week, totally putting upside down.
(A P)
Iranian missiles on the anniversary of the Yemen war The seven ballistic missiles launched at four Saudi cities by the Houthis underscore the correctness of waging the war against them and the soundness of the warnings about Iran’s role in the region. It is Iran that smuggles the missiles and orchestrates their launching into Saudi Arabia.
While the missiles failed to hit any vital target, they succeeded in enabling the Saudi government to remind everyone that the war against the Houthis and their allies was and continues to be war of necessity.
Currently, the Houthis control about a quarter of Yemen — with great difficulty, even in their stronghold Saada governorate. There was a time when they controlled all of Yemen, including the city of Aden in the south, to the extent that the legitimate government led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi had to flee through Oman to Saudi Arabia.
Thus, had the military campaign not been launched, Yemen as a whole, not just a quarter of it, including its ports and airports, would have been under Iranian influence; and the Iranians would have been able to fire thousands of ballistic missiles and conventional rockets into Saudi territory.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1274066#
My comment: The propaganda scheme is always the same. Poor, poor Saudi victims.
(A P)
Al Houthis are playing with fire
Regime in Tehran is responsible for arming these non-state actors, and must be held accountable
Yemen’s Al Houthis, with the full backing of Iran, are crossing some dangerous red lines. Saudi air defences intercepted seven missiles on Sunday launched by the militia, including over the capital Riyadh. One Egyptian was killed and two of his fellow countrymen were wounded by falling shrapnel in Riyadh.
“This aggressive and hostile action by the Iran-backed Al Houthis proves the Iranian regime continues to support the armed group with military capabilities,” coalition spokesman Turki Al Malki said.
The fact is these ballistic missiles were fired in the direction of civilian-inhabited areas. While three were launched at Riyadh, four others targeted the southern border cities of Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran. The intention was to cause the maximum number of casualties.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa said the missiles fired by Al Houthis were from Iran.
“The Al Houthi missiles are Iranian. Self-incrimination. Iran will know the fate awaiting it,” he tweeted.
The sophistication of the weaponry being deployed by the militia clearly points at the involvement of the regime in Tehran. There is no other way a non-state actor like Al Houthis could have got their hands on such missiles.
At a time when measures are being discussed to end the conflict, the action by Al Houthis clearly shows they — and their masters in Tehran — are clearly not interested in a political settlement.
http://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/al-houthis-are-playing-with-fire-1.2194824
(A P)
Houthi Militias bombard neighbourhoods, mosques, schools, hospitals in Heis
As a continuation of its hostile actions against the Yemeni people, the Iranian-backed Houthi militias launched missiles that targeted residential neighbourhoods, mosques and schools in Heis District, Hodeidah, which resulted in the destruction of several houses and injury to an entire family.
The militias committed many crimes against the Yemeni people that are a disgrace to humanity through their ignorance and desire to destroy Yemen’s history and future.
The Yemen people are facing ongoing violations from the militias, including random bombardment, forced displacement, and the spread of famine and disease, which created a humanitarian crisis that the Arab Coalition aims to solve, through launching relief and development campaigns to return the normal living conditions in the country’s liberated areas.
The Arab Coalition Forces are continuing to battle the Houthi militias and thwarting their attempts to infiltrate society to conduct terrorist operations against the innocent.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302677680
(A P)
Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen: A view from the ground
The more I have learned in recent years about the gritty realities of the coalition war effort in Yemen, the more I have been convinced that this is a fight worth supporting. In March 2015, the coalition of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and eight other regional states answered a call from the internationally-recognized government of Yemen for military support when Houthi rebels overran the government’s base in the southern city of Aden.
The coalition’s air campaign is a case in point. The Houthis are a remarkably difficult enemy to target from the air: they wear civilian clothes, do not carry weapons as they move from one arms cache to another, and they deliberately mingle with civilians and establish their bases at hospitals and schools. Many cases of apparent civilian deaths have been misrepresented by the Houthis, who historically have been very adept at propaganda operations.
These caveats aside, the coalition recognizes that it did make numerous mistakes in its early prosecution of the air war, and its new Joint Incident Assessment Team is the beginning of a long journey of taking responsibility for those errors – by Michael Knight
http://thehill.com/opinion/international/380046-saudi-arabias-war-in-yemen-a-view-from-the-ground
My comment: What a horrific propaganda and what a twisted argumentation to justify the Saudi air raids. Who is the author?: http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/view/knights-michael . And where he belongs to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Institute_for_Near_East_Policy . Any more questions?
And more by the same author:
(A P)
Defeating Iran's Roadside Bombs in Yemen
To save lives and speed the war's end, the United States and UN should make urgent use of their expertise and evidence on countering advanced Iranian munitions.
Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are slowly but steadily advancing toward the key rebel-held cities of Sana and Hodeida. To blunt this advance, the Houthis are increasingly using advanced antiarmor roadside bombs known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs)—a technology provided by Iran via its proxy Lebanese Hezbollah. Given the preponderance of evidence on the matter, the international community urgently needs to expose this link and provide support to minimize the effectiveness of deadly EFP munitions.
When EFPs first showed up in Yemen, they were not experimental versions developed indigenously by the Houthis—rather, they have been professionally integrated weapons systems from the outset. Earlier this month, a report by Conflict Armament Research (CAR) described EFPs captured in Yemen as bearing all the characteristics of the most advanced arrays that Hezbollah deployed for years and gave to Iraqi militias after 2003.
In addition to this very strong circumstantial evidence of Iran's influence, Tehran has a proven track record of evading UN arms sanctions on the Houthis – by Michael Knight
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/defeating-irans-roadside-bombs-in-yemen
(A P)
ANALYSIS: Iran and Syria as parts of the same problem
Since day one of the Syria civil war, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) first fearing the world’s reaction claimed that it has been invited by the “legitimate” Syrian government to play an advisory role on the fronts
There is a way to resolve the conflict in Syria and that is act tough with the regime in Tehran and by first evicting the IRGC from the region and pushing it as far back as behind the Iranian borders. Once this happens, the Iranian people would know how to deal with it and it would be a win-win situation for all.
(A P)
New UN envoy to Yemen must confront the Houthis
The Houthis have imposed an Iranian-style delusional approach to governance based on the “inevitability” of their victory. They believe in a divine right to rule over Yemen, by force if necessary. They try to the use the same triumphalist rhetoric and messianic zeal that worked in the early years of the Iranian revolution.
The Houthis look at UN talks as a public relations exercise, which they try to manipulate to their advantage with no intention of implementing any agreement.
Borrowing from well-worn Iranian tactics, the Houthis intend to drag the UN and all their adversaries into drawn-out, long-term talks that lead nowhere, but buy them time to smuggle in more weapons and funding from their Iranian backers. They will try to use the humanitarian crisis to weaken the resolve of Yemeni civilians under their control and sow divisions within the international community.
The Houthis should not be under any illusion that they are legally or morally equivalent to the overwhelmingly elected and internationally recognized government. State sovereignty constitutes the bedrock of international law, based on which the Houthis, who have dislodged that legitimate government, have to retreat and leave the capital and other cities. Also, according to international law, the Yemeni state should have a monopoly over the use of force and armed militias should lay down their weapons. Together with the three previously mentioned documents, these two principles should underpin any agreement.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1273371
My comment: LOL. Nice propaganda. Always it had been the Hadi government who had brought peace talks to failure. – The “elected” government’s term ended in Feb. 2015, that means there is none any more. – If emphasizing “international law”, thus must be stated that the Saudi aggression war against Yemen is illegal – as it claims to reinstall a government which just claimed legitimacy, although its term had ended already.
(A P)
3-year Yemen action a success: Coalition
Military, humanitarian breakthroughs helped war-hit people.
The Arab Coalition Forces supporting the legitimate government of Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, stressed that they have succeeded, during three years of war in Yemen, in enabling the country's legitimate forces to regain many Yemeni cities and governorates which were controlled by the Houthi militias, while Sanaa is about to be liberated, due to the sacrifice of their own men and their Yemeni counterparts.
An official source from the UAE Armed Forces said they have lost many martyrs but the ties between the UAE and Yemen highlight both their official and social solidarity.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/region/3-year-yemen-action-a-success-coalition
My comment: Best “joke”, from headline: “Military breakthroughs helped war-hit people”
(A P)
Yemen conflict casts a shadow, but UAE unity strengthened
National identity has changed in the three years since the conflict began
Monday marks three years since the Saudi-led coalition launched its campaign to restore the legitimate government of Yemen and the start of a decisive mission for the UAE’s Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, the UAE has asserted a new role for itself in combat, leading an alliance of nine states with Saudi Arabia.
For the Emirates, it has been unlike any other war and signals a shift from peacekeeping missions the UAE undertook in its early decades.
“This is probably the largest day-to-day military engagement the UAE has ever done,” said Dr Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati political scientist and associate professor at UAE University.
“What’s significant is that military engagement in Yemen has started with a huge reservoir of public trust. Probably no other government in the region enjoys as much trust as the UAE government and the operation in Yemen has just enhanced it.
“People take it for granted that the government knows what it is doing, even in war, and that it will take us to the toughest job and we will come back as winners. I think that has been fundamental.”
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/yemen-conflict-casts-a-shadow-but-uae-unity-strengthened-1.716068
Remark: By Emirati media.
(A P)
Arab Coalition Forces achieve success on Operation Decisive Storm's third anniversary
The Arab Coalition Forces supporting the legitimate government of Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, stressed that they have succeeded, during three years of war in Yemen, in enabling the country’s legitimate forces to regain many Yemeni cities and governorates which were controlled by the Houthi militias, while Sanaa is about to be liberated, due to the sacrifice of their forces and their Yemeni counterparts.
An official source from the UAE Armed Forces told the Emirates News Agency, WAM, that they have lost many martyrs and the ties between the UAE and Yemeni highlight both their official and social solidarity and their joint giving and sacrifice.
The Arab Coalition Forces achieved many military successes since the launch of Operation Decisive Storm to defeat the Houthi militias
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302677342
(A P)
Saudi Arabia will maintain leading role in giving humanitarian aid
In a news conference, Al-Asheikh announced that Saudi Arabia feels the suffering of all people in distress and in need around the world and seeks to assist them and support them. The Kingdom has achieved an advanced place among the top 10 countries in providing aid for migrants, refugees, victims of natural disasters and other people in need, he added.
He said the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief) is an international portal to deliver humanitarian, relief and charitable aid.
Al-Asheikh also said the Kingdom will continue exerting humanitarian efforts to preserve humans’ dignity, without any political motivations but in line with the instructions of King Salman, one of the world’s pioneers in the field of humanitarian and charitable work.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1273136/saudi-arabia
Comment: I just laughed my balls off in Yemen capital Sanaa. Again.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/977827395712495616
(A P)
l Houthis will not prevail in Yemen
Three years ago, alarmed by the usurpation of political power in Yemen by a militia allied to Iran, a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign. The aim was clear: To uphold the legitimacy of the internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and check the advance of Al Houthis, Tehran’s proxies in the Arabian peninsula.
At a strategic level, the countries of the coalition, especially politically stable Gulf states with their sophisticated economies, simply cannot allow an armed militia on their doorsteps that answers to their regional adversary.
But Al Houthis must come to grips with the fact the coalition will not allow them to spread Iran’s agenda in the region.
http://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/al-houthis-will-not-prevail-in-yemen-1.2194198
Comment: The truth is no-one will prevail. There are so many 'sides' and even if the Houthis gave in to Saudi demands war would not stop - it would just break out somewhere else. There are so many mini-wars going on in Yemen and so many warlords making money from it. Whilst the people are dying.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156525278808641
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K PH)
Saudi coalition air raids day by day:
(A K)
Houthis Film Attempted Downing Of UAE F-16s Amid Claims They've Gotten New Iranian Missiles
Though the jets appear to have escaped unscathed, the Yemeni rebels appear to be increasingly able to challenge their opponents in the sky.
For the second time in as many weeks, the Houthis in Yemen claim they have successfully challenged aircraft belonging to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the skies over the country, saying they drove off a pair of F-16E/F Viper fighter jets belonging to the United Arab Emirates with surface-to-air missiles.
On March 27, 2018, the Houthis released a video showing the operation through social media and other outlets, including via Yemen's Al Masirah television network, which the group controls. The clip shows a unknown type of missile speeding into the night's sky, followed by footage of at least one F-16 that the rebels shot with a FLIR Systems infrared camera (with film)
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/19687/houthis-film-attempted-downing-of-uae-f-16s-amid-claims-theyve-gotten-new-iranian-missiles and also https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803271062965376-yemen-uae-jet-attack/ and film also https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/978795007493763073
(A K PH)
Yemen anti-aircraft defenses prevented 2 UAE F16 from hovering over Sanaa,this morning forcing them to leave. This is the first time, for Yemenis, to do so! After three years of US-backed Saudi-UAE countless war crimes against Yemen humans Developing self-defense is natural
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/978537198726377472
(A K PH)
Photos: One of the rockets did not explode and thankfully fell
In the area of # Bait_shaya Wadi Rummaneh Directorate Directorate # Al-Khabt Governorate of Al-Mahwit and according to what has not caused us any damage.
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1793785804250739
(* A K PH)
The Saudi Army on Sunday evening targeted residential areas of Shida and Ghamer border districts in the northern governorate Saada.
Al-Masirah Net correspondent stated that different areas of Shida border district and Al-Ghor area in Ghamr district were targeted by rocketry and artillery shelling, causing material damage to the property and houses of citizens.
Two citizens were martyred and two others were injured yesterday in Shida area by an airstrike on their car in Burrakan area on Razeh, in addition to killing a citizen in Al-Sheikh area on the border district Manba in the same governorate by a cluster bomb explosion.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1691569600896063
(A K PH)
Civilian killed by cluster bomb of aggression remnants in Saada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news491234.htm
More Saudi coalition air raids reported on:
March 27:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news491387.htm Hajjah p.
March 26:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news491338.htm Saada p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K PS)
Houthis kill old woman in western Taiz
Houthi rebels besieging the city of Taiz have killed an old woman as they shelled Himyar villages in Maqbanah district in the city's west.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16834
(* A K PS)
Houthis kill civilians in false flag attacks in Hodeidah
Local sources said that the rebels shelled houses in Hays district in Hodeidah on Thursday killing four members of Barrah's family and only a teenage son from the family, Shuayb Shaher Barrah survived.
The rebel militiamen, according to the sources, fired artillery shells on the village under the pretext that the village members did not donate to the war campaign but later blamed the attack through their media on the Arab Coalition's airstrikes.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16759
Remark: By anti-Houthi Islah Party media.
cp17a Kriegsereignisse: Huthi-Raketen / Theater of War: Houthi missiles
(* A B K)
Film: Yemen's Houthis warn of further attacks against Saudi
A series of missiles were launched into neighbouring Saudi Arabia on Sunday night, killing one and injuring several others.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/yemens-houthis-warn-attacks-saudi-180327080140136.html
(A K P)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards deny giving missiles to Yemen’s Houthis – reports
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have denied Saudi Arabia’s accusations that Tehran provided the Houthi movement in Yemen with ballistic capabilities. “Everyone knows that all routes to send arms to Yemen are blocked,” political deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Yadollah Javani said on Tuesday.
https://www.rt.com/newsline/422432-iran-missiles-yemen-houthis/
(* A K P)
Houthis vow further missile attacks unless Saudi Arabia ends Yemen bombin
A Houthi leader hailed the attack, which took place as Yemen marked the third anniversary of the start of the war.
“We praise the successful advance of military capabilities,” Houthi political council chief Saleh al-Samad told tens of thousands of supporters in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
“If they want peace, as we have said to them before, stop your air strikes and we will stop our missiles,” he said. “If you continue your air strikes, we have a right to defend ourselves by all means available.”
Western countries have urged Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies to protect civilians and find a quick end to the war. But they also support Riyadh’s argument that it needs to defend itself from cross border strikes and limit the spread of Iranian influence in territory overlooking important trade routes.
[and more, background]
(* A K)
With first death in Riyadh, the Saudi-led war in Yemen hits home
Thirty-eight-year-old Abdul Muntaleb Ali, sleeping on a thin blue mattress on the floor beside three others, had been killed when debris from a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia group crashed through their roof shortly before midnight on Sunday.
With that, he became the first person to die in the Saudi capital as a result of a Saudi-led coalition’s three-year military campaign against the Houthis and their allies
The attacks, which coincided with the third anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, marked a sharp escalation in the conflict and stripped away the sense of calm in a city that, until recent months, had never quite felt at war.
Discussion of Sunday’s missile attack flooded Twitter on Monday, with pleas to keep Saudi Arabia secure and condolences for Ali topping the list of trending hashtags in the kingdom.
Many prominent Saudis, including newspaper columnists, clerics and members of the advisory Shura Council, urged people not to share videos and photos of the attacks, saying they would feed into Houthi propaganda.
In malls, cafes and supermarkets around Riyadh, Saudis digested the escalation in their own ways.
(* A K)
US 'Strongly Condemns' Missile Attacks Against Saudi Arabia - State Dept.
The United States strongly condemned the ballistic missile attack by Yemen's Houthis on several Saudi Arabian cities, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on Monday.
"The United States strongly condemns the dangerous Houthi missile attacks aimed at several cities in Saudi Arabia Sunday night," Nauert said.
Nauert went on saying that the United States supports Saudi Arabia's right to defend itself against these missile threats.
All parties, including the Houthis, need to resume political negotiations in order to end the conflict in Yemen, Nauert added.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201803261062910374-us-saudi--arabia-missile-attacks-yemen/
My comment: And always again the myth of Saudi self-defense, while it was Saudi Arabia starting the aerial war and the Houthis &allies just fighting back 10 weeks after. – And as again, no US condemnation of Saudi air raids.
And
(A K P)
Heather Nauert: The United States strongly condemns the dangerous #Houthi missile attacks aimed at several cities in #Saudi Arabia Sunday night. Our condolences go out to the families of any who were killed or injured.
https://twitter.com/statedeptspox/status/978237459082498048
Comment: Hypocrites in #Washington claim #Yemen-i missiles are “dangerous”, but #Saudi ones are messages of peace & love
https://twitter.com/alihmourad/status/978339500362432512
(* A K)
UN chief condemns Yemen missile attacks on Saudi Arabia
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday strongly condemned missile attacks on Saudi Arabia from rebel-held territory in Yemen and said military escalation was not the solution to ending the three-year war.
(A K)
Yemen: Huthi missile attack on Saudi cities was a possible war crime
Samah Hadid, Amnesty International’s Middle East Campaigns Deputy Director, said:
“Launching indiscriminate attacks is prohibited by international humanitarian law and can constitute a war crime.
“A high death toll may have been averted, possibly due to the missiles being intercepted, but that doesn’t let the Huthi armed group off the hook for this reckless and unlawful act. These missiles cannot be precisely targeted at such distances, so their use in this manner unlawfully endangers civilians.
(A K P)
Islamabad condemns missile attacks on Riyadh
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/03/26/islamabad-condemns-missile-attacks-on-riyadh/
(A K P)
Arab states condemn Houthi rocket attacks targeting Saudi Arabia
(A K P)
Kuwait, Bahrain condemn Yemen rebels’ missile attacks on Saudi Arabia
Kuwait and Bahrain said they stand by Saudi Arabia and support all of its efforts to protect itself
UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain condemn Yemen rebels’ missile attacks on Saudi Arabia
Fellow GCC states say they stand by Saudi Arabia and support all of its efforts to protect itself
(A K P)
GCC chief deplores Houthi missile attack on Saudi Arabia
https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2705091&Language=en
My comment: Did they ever condemn Saudi air raids at Yemen? They should have started doing so at the beginning of the war. Saudi air raids against Yemen started 10 weeks BEFORE the Houthis fired their first missile against Saudi Arabia in this war.
(A K PS)
Muslim World League condemns Houthi militias’ criminal missile attacks on the Kingdom
http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/613b7f496c164fae85d09b1e771b5b3a
(A K P)
Qatar condemns Yemen Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia
(A K P)
Libyan Foreign Ministry Denounces Ballistic Missile Attack From Yemen Against Saudi Capital.
(A K P)
[Yemen] Endowment Minister condemns Houthi missile attack on Saudi Arabia
"The launching of rockets into the Saudi cities filled with civilian population is a clear challenge and a clear declaration" by Houthis that they "will continue the war and decline to the proposals for peace and handover of arms."
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-16837
My comment: While he never complained about "The launching of bombs into the Yemeni cities filled with civilian population”– as a Yemeni minister!
(A K P)
'No justification' for targeting civilians: Singapore condemns missile attacks on Saudi Arabia
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/no-justification-for-targeting-civilians-singapore-condemns-10078248
My comment: This league again is nothing else than a Saudi mouthpiece.
(* A K PH)
Yemen army targets King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh
Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters and allied army units have carried out more retaliatory missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, targeting several positions in the kingdom.
Yemen’s military targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and as well as Abha, Najran and Jizan Regional Airports with ballistic missiles. The Saudi air force intercepted some of the missiles over the northeastern part of the capital Riyadh late on Sunday night, Saudi state television said.
According to SPA news agency, Yemeni forces fired seven missiles into the kingdom, killing an Egyptian resident and wounding two other Egyptian nationals.
Saudi coalition's spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said the death and injuries occurred in a residential house and were caused by falling debris.
The missile attacks come on the third anniversary of Saudi Arabia’s onslaught against its southern neighbor.
Comment: Why on earth do they do this? It benefits no-one at all and just intensifies the war and gives Saudi Arabia justification for tightening the embargo and increasing bombing raids.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156527307838641
(* A K PS)
Command of Joint Forces of Alliance "Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen": Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces intercept, destroy 7 ballistic missiles launched towards kingdom
Official spokesman of the coalition forces "coalition to support the legitimacy in Yemen," colonel Turki al-Maliki said that on Sunday evening, the air defense forces of the coalition detected the launch of seven ballistic missiles from within the territories of Yemen towards the territories of the kingdom.
According to Colonel al-Maliki, three of them were in the direction of the city of Riyadh and one towards Khamis Mushait and one towards Najran and two towards Jazan and were launched in a random and absurd manner to target civilian, populated areas. They all were intercepted and destroyed by the Saudi Royal Air Defense forces. Interception of the missiles led to the fall of fragments on some residential neighborhoods. According to preliminary information and until the preparation of this statement, it resulted in the martyrdom of an expatriate of the Egyptian community and material damage to civilian objects. Details in this regard will be announced later by the competent authorities.
Al-Maliki said that this hostile and indiscriminate action by the Houthi group backed by Iran proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime's support for the Houthi armed group.
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1744178
Remark: It seems the victims occurred due to debris falling down from a failing Saudi Patriot rocket, as films show (see below).
(* A K PS)
Saudi-led coalition threatens retaliation against Iran over missiles
The coalition threatened retaliation against Tehran, accusing it of being behind the multiple attacks on the Kingdom.
We “reserve the right to respond against Iran at the right time and right place,” coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki told a news conference, calling the development a “dangerous escalation.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1274016/saudi-arabia
(* A K)
Saudi forces intercept new Yemen rebel missile over Riyadh
Saudi forces intercepted a Yemeni rebel missile over Riyadh on Sunday, in the latest strike on the capital which coincides with the third anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition's intervention in Yemen.
The Iran-aligned Huthi rebels claimed their target was Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, with residents reporting loud explosions and bright flashes in the sky shortly before midnight.
Authorities reported no immediate casualties from the attack, which comes after the US defence secretary last week urged Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to Washington to pursue "urgent efforts" to end Yemen's wrenching conflict.
The Huthi-run Al-Masira television channel claimed the rebels also fired multiple missiles at airports in southern Abha, Jizan and Najran provinces, but Saudi state television only reported the attack on Riyadh.
(* A K)
Saudi Arabia shoots down missiles from Yemen; one dead from debris
Saudi air defenses shot down seven ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia on Sunday, with debris killing a man in what was the first death in the capital during the Saudi-led coalition’s three-year military campaign in Yemen.
Saudi forces destroyed three missiles over northeastern Riyadh shortly before midnight, as well as others fired at the southern cities of Najran, Jizan and Khamis Mushait, the coalition said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.
Debris from the missiles fell on a home in Riyadh, killing an Egyptian resident and wounding two other Egyptians, said coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki, according to SPA.
Reuters reporters in Riyadh heard several booms and saw smoke in the air. Another witness said he saw a long stream of light followed by additional explosions.
In al-Malqa neighbourhood, emergency personnel gathered near a crater in the ground and inspected shattered glass in nearby homes.
(* A K)
Saudi-led coalition says one dead after missiles fired from Yemen: SPA
The Saudi-led military coalition said Yemen’s Houthis fired seven missiles into Saudi Arabia from Yemen, killing an Egyptian resident in Riyadh, state news agency SPA reported.
The missiles, fired late on Sunday night, also wounded two Egyptian residents in the Saudi capital, coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said, according to SPA.
It said the death and injuries occurred in a residential house and were caused by falling debris.
and by CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/25/middleeast/saudi-arabia-intercepts-missile/index.html
(* A K)
Videos raise questions over Saudi missile intercept claims
As with nearly every ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Shiite rebels targeting Saudi Arabia, the kingdom overnight said it intercepted all seven fired — but online videos raise new questions about those claims.
One video appears to show a Patriot missile launch on Sunday night go rapidly wrong, with the missile changing course midair, crashing into a neighborhood in Riyadh and exploding. Another appears to detonate shortly after being launched in the Saudi capital.
Saudi Arabia's Information Ministry did not respond to requests for comment Monday from The Associated Press. However, the videos appear to show the kingdom being yet another country overstating the capability of the missile defense system, a tradition dating back to the 1991 Gulf War.
"It's more likely that none of the missiles have been intercepted than it is that the Saudis have shot down any," said Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, who watched the videos and previously has studied other Saudi Patriot missile launches.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/videos-raise-questions-saudi-missile-intercept-claims-54010518 = https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saudi-arabia-yemen-houthi-ballistic-missiles-intercepted-videos-patriot/ and also https://taskandpurpose.com/saudi-arabia-patriot-missile-video/
and
(* A K)
Patriot anti-missile batteries in Saudi Arabia called into question
As with nearly every previous missile launched by Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels, Saudi officials said all seven fired were intercepted, but online videos raise new questions about those claims.
One video appears to show a Patriot missile launch on Sunday night go wrong, with the missile changing course midair, crashing into a neighborhood in Riyadh and exploding. Another appears to detonate shortly after being launched in the Saudi capital.
Col. Stephen Ganyard, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and ABC News contributor, said he would not be surprised if some of the Patriot missiles failed to hit their targets due to the system’s technical limitations.
and
(A K PH)
Saudi Arabia’s Information Ministry did not respond to requests for comment Monday from The Associated Press. However, the videos appear to show the kingdom being yet another country overstating the capability of the missile defense system.
“It’s more likely that none of the missiles have been intercepted than it is that the Saudis have shot down any,” said Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, who watched the videos and previously has studied other Saudi Patriot missile launches.
This is not the first time experts question Saudi claims on missile interceptions.
The Houthi “Burkan,” or “Volcano,” missile used in attacks on Riyadh also have warheads that separate from the missile fuselage, making them even harder to hit.
http://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/yemens-houthi-missiles-keep-saudi-arabia-confused-in-conflict/
and
(* A K PH)
Egyptian Killed by Malfunctioning Saudi Missile Defense Shield Strike
An Egyptian man working in a Saudi prince palace was killed after a missile fired by the Saudi army's air defense system to intercept an incoming Yemeni army missile went astray and struck residential areas in the Saudi capital on Sunday night.
Spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen war Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that the Yemeni missile had targeted King Khalid International Airport, 35km away from Riyadh.
The Saudi air defense units which should have traced and intercepted the missile hundreds of kilometers away after it entered the country's airspace picked up the enemy missile on radar screens only after it flew over Riyadh to hit the airport.
Video footages that have gone viral revealed that the missiles fired by Saudi Arabia's Patriot air defense systems malfunctioned and veered off the specified course to make a U-turn and come back to hit the residential areas in the Saudi capital. The incident killed Egyptian Abdolmotaleb Ahmed Hussein Ali and wounded a number of other civilians.
Another appears to detonate shortly after being launched in the Saudi capital.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970106000703
(* A K)
Riyadh Just Came Under Ballistic Missile Attack Resulting In These Crazy Videos
(A K)
Photos: Egyptian killed by shrapnel of one of the three ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis on the capital.
https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin/status/978044184555859968
(A K)
Film: Saudi missile malfunctioned and crashed in #Riyadh during the attempt to shoot down the #Yemeni ballistic missile.
https://www.facebook.com/NotoWahabism/videos/1982421575351653/
(A K)
Film: Saudis' rockets response tonight to intercept Yemen-i missiles
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1690308854355471/
(A K)
Film: More footage from #Saudi tonight. This one seems to confirm my last tweet. American Patriot air defence missile seems to fail and crash in a residential area inside Riyadh.
https://twitter.com/IraqiSecurity/status/978019296529010689
More films:
https://twitter.com/Turkii_moh/status/978034307599142912
https://twitter.com/faisaledroos/status/978016555488264192
(A P)
Al Jazeera under fire for Houthi bias after KSA missile attack
The Qatari news network Al Jazeera has prompted a Twitter storm over its coverage of a ballistic missile attack targeting civilians in Saudi Arabia that was launched by Houthi militias in Yemen.
Al Jazeera was, however, accused of providing a “platform” for the Houthi militias, having aired comments by the group just “minutes” after the attack.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1274161/media
(A P)
Top Saudi clerics condemn Qatar's Al Jazeera after missile attacks: SPA
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(* B)
THREE YEARS INTO THE YEMEN WAR, A COLLECTIVE OF WOMEN STREET ARTISTS COPE WITH THE DESTRUCTION
After months of growing frustration, Subay decided to do something to combat this silence. “I realized the politicians and the media were not going to see us, so I had to make them see,” she told me. She would take her message to the public the best way she knew how — with her art. On August 17 last year, armed with her personal arsenal of brushes and paint, Subay took to the hot streets of Sana’a. By the end of the day, sweaty and exhausted, she stood back to see her handiwork: a mural depicting a cluster of women and children huddling around a dark corner. The piece, which she titled “Behind the Destruction,” would be the first in her ongoing #SilentVictims campaign, a series of murals highlighting the human cost of Yemen’s continuing war.
Subay’s group is comprised totally of females, with the team focusing their work exclusively on the experiences of Yemeni women and children. “This was a choice from the beginning,” Subay said, “because these are the most overlooked people in the war. And they suffer terribly.”
https://theintercept.com/2018/03/26/yemen-war-three-year-anniversary-haifa-subay-street-art/
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-396-yemen-war-mosaic-396
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-396 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-396:
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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