Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 418 - Yemen War Mosaic 418

Yemen Press Reader 418: 3.6.2018: Jemenkrieg ist Völkermord – Saudi-Luftangriffe im April – Luftangriff auf deine Straße – Vertriebene u. Flüchtlinge – Rivalität zwischen Saudis u. Emiraten ....

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

... VAR-Foltergefängnisse – Shireen Al-Adeimi im Gespräch – Gedruckte Prothesen für Kriegsopfer – Washington Post und Jemen – USA: 3-Schritt-Anleitung zum Krieg – Französische Waffen im Jemenkrieg – Die saudische Armee – Offensive auf Hodeidah – und mehr

June 3, 2018: The Yemen war is a genocide – Saudi coalition air raids in April – If an air strikes hits your street – Refugees and IDPs – Saudi-UAE rivalry – Emirati torture prisons in Yemen – Shireen Al-Adeimi in interview – Printed prothetics for war injuries – Washington Post and Yemen – US: 3-Step Guide to war – French arms in the Yemen war – Saudi army – Offensive against Hodeidah – and more

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

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Offensive auf Hodeidah / Most important: Offensive at Hodeidah

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 Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

cp18a Cyclone Mekunu

Klassifizierung / Classification

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**

*

(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

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

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

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

(** B K P)

Is What’s Happening in Yemen Genocide?

Saudi Arabia has spent more than three years bombing Yemen into oblivion and creating a humanitarian crisis. But is what’s happening in Yemen genocide? Let’s take a look.

What Qualifies as Genocide?

Is the Saudi War Against Yemen Genocide?

It isn’t easy to keep track of the numerous war crimes in Yemen. Saudi royals, diplomats, and other elites own shares of many mainstream media outlets which has a significant impact on coverage — both in terms of quantity and quality.

If you read an article about the war in Yemen from the Washington Post, Reuters, CNN, or Fox, chances are that the information came from Saudi media, diplomats, or military members.

Killing Civilians for the Crime of Simply Being Yemeni

The U.S.-Saudi coalition warplanes deliberately target civilian infrastructure. They arbitrarily attack homes, farms, factories, schools, buses, gas stations, government buildings, water treatment facilities, and anything else imaginable.

It seems their goal is to create as many civilian casualties as possible.

Although we can’t read minds and the Saudi-coalition would never admit this, it’s very clear that their goal isn’t to kill resistance fighters: Riyadh’s goal is to kill Yemenis simply for being Yemeni.

This would indicate that what’s happening in Yemen is genocide.

Famine and Disease as a Weapon

Famine and disease isn’t just an unintentional byproduct of the blockade — it’s a weapon of war.

Saudi Arabia imposed its blockade over Yemen shortly after revolutionary forces took control of the country’s capital, Sana’a, in 2015. This land, air, and sea blockade severely restricts imports, exports, and the flow of movement.

Yemen imports nearly 80 percent of food so the blockade has devastated the country.

Inflicting psychological harm indicates that what’s happening in Yemen is genocide.

Destroying Culture and Heritage

Many people may not realize that the Saudi coalition has used this war to destroy most of Yemen’s culture and ancient sites.

Preventing Healthy Births

In 2017 after two years of war, Yemeni women began birthing babies with severe deformities such as abnormally large skulls and swollen brains — a hallmark symptom of exposure to depleted uranium.

Preventing healthy births suggests that Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen is genocide.

Rape as a Weapon of War

Controlling Children

Saudi Arabia’s current — and historical — oppression of Yemen has devastating effects on the well-being of children in several ways.

By Saudi Arabia’s Own Justification, Their War in Yemen is Genocide

Riyadh’s own justification for waging war proves that what’s happening in Yemen is genocide.

Saudi Arabia portrays the conflict as a war against rebels to reinstate the so-called legitimate government. You can read more about this in my detailed report of the war’s origins as well as here and here.

People consuming news about Yemen from mainstream sources are bombarded with matter-of-fact accusations concerning Iran’s involvement. These outlets directly name Yemen’s resistance forces — the Ansarullah (aka. “Houthi”) movement — as “Iranian-backed” militias. This couldn’t be further from the truth and again, you can read more about that in my detailed report.

Official Saudi Narrative: Ethnic Arabs Vs. Crypto-Persians

The Saudi accusation of Iran’s involvement in Yemen goes much deeper than what Western readers may realize. Rather than just accusing Ansarullah of receiving Iranian military support, Saudi military officials and clerics call members of Ansarullah “crypto-Persians.”

By using this false narrative, Riyadh does not need to present evidence of Iran armingAnsarullah because (with this false narrative) Ansarullah members are ethnically Iranian. Since (under this false narrative) Ansarullah members are Iranian, Saudi Arabia can paint itself as the Arab savior rescuing Arab Yemenis from the crypto-Persians.

However, if we use the official Saudi narrative about crypto-Persians, then what’s happening in Yemen is genocide against Persians.

What’s Happening in Yemen is Genocide

But members of Ansarullah aren’t Persian. Not to mention, members of Ansarullah aren’t the only victims of Saudi aggression — far from it.

No, this is a Saudi war against Yemenis – by Randi Nord

http://geopoliticsalert.com/yemen-genocide

(** B K)

April 2018 Saudi coalition air raids data

Targeting of civilian vehicles intensifies

Pattern of increased targeting of civilian vehicles by Saudi coalition air raids
Sixty-eight Saudi coalition air raids targeted civilian vehicles and buses in the past six months, with almost 40% of those bombings occurring in the Red Sea coastal districts where more than 100,000 civilians havereportedly been displaced in recent months as coalition ground forces continue their advance along Yemen's western coastline. In April seven air raids targeted civilian vehicles and buses bringing the total so far for 2018 to 34. The bombing of civilian vehicles and buses peaked in 2017 at 91 air raids. At the current rate the total for 2018 is set to go beyond 100.
Reported mass civilian casualty events in April

Overall, the month of April saw a 6% fall (396) in the number of air raids from the 2018 high in March of 423 bombings. Of the monthly total, 40% (159) of air raids in April targeted the northern governorate of Saada.
Of the 219 air raids in April where the target** could be identified as either military or non-military, 56% (123) hit non-military sites, of which 32% hit residential areas.
The overall pattern of air raids since the start of the air campaign in March 2015 to the end of April 2018 show almost one third of all targets (31%) were non-military, 36% military with 33% classified as unknown. In April 2018, 24% of targets were military and 31% non-military. In 45% of air raids in April the target was recorded as unknown.

A total of 396 Saudi coalition air raids targeted Yemen in March, 27 less than in the previous month of March. The number of air raids in April was 12% below the monthly average of air raids since the air campaign began in March 2015.
Air raids targeted 12 of Yemen's 22 governorates in April.
Of the 219 air raids where the targets were identified in April 2018
39 targeted residential areas
25 targeted farms
21 targeted non-military vehicles and transport
5 targeted water and electricity sites
4 targeted market places
4 targeted universities
1 targeted hospitals
1 targeted IDP camps
1 targeted social gatherings

https://mailchi.mp/f70b44574f9f/april2018-yemen-data-project-update-329055?e=c5a23e9692

and all recorded air raids fro March 25, 2015 to March 31, 2018: http://yemendataproject.org/data/

(** B H K)

A View from the Rubble of Sana’a: What Happens When an Airstrike Hits Your Street

Ignored by the Western media and unseen by the rest of the world, the Saudis abide by few rules of war, in their attempt to ethnically cleanse this nation of 27 million people, and clear a path for Western powers to seize control of its mineral resources and its gateway ports.

Suddenly, a plane’s loud whirring pierces Al Tahir’s preoccupied hum, followed by a deafening explosion, and then another, a few minutes later. When finally the thick black smoke begins to dissipate, Abdulkareem climbs from his car to discover that the orderly streetscape has been transformed into a hellish scene, like some overwrought imagining of Dante: roughly five football fields of thick, choking dust, smoldering shops, mangled metal, and charred corpses buried under mountains of rubble. Anguished moans and screams fill the air like an aria of grief and pain.

“Do not gather,” warn the paramedics rushing to the scene to warn against the Saudi tactic of “double-tapping,” intended to inflict maximum damage. “The Saudi airplanes will come back.”

Abdulkareem ignores their admonition and climbs from his car, rushing to help.

“Do not worry, you will be fine!” he assures the first casualty he stumbles upon, an elderly man sitting in a heap of twisted metal and shattered glass. His legs have been shorn off in the blast, and Abdulkareem hopes that his lie will provide the dying man with some comfort in his final moment. He helps rescue workers load the body into an ambulance where the man draws his last breath.

Across the street, men pull Al Wazi’s lifeless body from a pile of rubble. “It is him,” shouts a shopkeeper, his face covered with soot and dust. “It is the boy of the digital scale; he is dead.”

Speaking at a news conference in the Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that April has been the deadliest month this year so far with a sharp increase in civilian casualties in Yemen.

Increasingly, the UN asserts, the attacks are in densely populated areas, such as the one here in Sana’a targeting the presidential palace. The Saudi airstrikes also raise questions about whether the Saudis are adhering to the legal principle of proportional response

Bombers see a puff of smoke, a father sees the bloodied corpse of his child

Ibrahim has seen worse. In 2015, he lost his infant daughter in an airstrike, the same one that left his wife badly injured and in need of surgery on the day of the airstrikes on the presidential palace.

The night of that airstrike, Ibrahim, an engineer, told MintPress he awoke to the sound of his wife screaming. She was pinned under the rubble of their collapsed walls. His two-year-old daughter was completely buried under plaster and stone. Ibrahim told MintPress it took hours to dig out first his wife, and then his daughter from the rubble, and remove the shrapnel from the girl’s tiny body.

Said Ibrahim: I did not give up; her blood was dripping on my clothes as I ran to (the) hospital hoping to see her smile again. Doctors were trying to bring her back to life but it was too late. I fainted to the floor.”

https://www.mintpressnews.com/yemen-airstrike-your-street/243201/

(** B H)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen UNHCR Update – Yemen critical requirements, May 2018

Conflict in Yemen has left 22.2 million people, 75 per cent of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance and has created a severe protection crisis in which millions face risks to their safety and are struggling to survive.

An escalation of hostilities in late 2017 resulted in new displacement, precluded safe return and increased demands on UNHCR’s emergency response capacity, with more than two million people displaced. Protection space for 280,000 refugees and asylum seekers also continues to shrink, resulting in severe protection gaps. Refugees are at heightened risk of exploitation in the absence of livelihood opportunities and increasing aid-dependency.

Against a backdrop of intensified fighting and soaring needs, UNHCR is facing a funding shortfall despite the situation in Yemen now constituting the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. To address the gap, UNHCR needs USD198.7M in 2018 to reach the most vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and IDP returnees.

During 2018, UNHCR will place particular emphasis on the following activities, which when taken together, will advance protection and solutions for refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs and IDP returnees in Yemen;

UNHCR is requesting USD 198.7M in the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan. As a lead Agency responding to war-impacted populations, consequences of UNHCR’s funding gaps and the absence of peace is resulting in the following;

Internally Displaced Persons:

With 89 per cent of IDPs displaced for more than one year and amid severe economic decline, they and local communities are rapidly exhausting reserves to meet their needs. The lack of support for basic services see those particularly vulnerable, including those living in public buildings, collective centres or spontaneous settlements, increasingly face protection risks.

Deteriorating shelter conditions are resulting in overcrowding and unsanitary environments in IDP settings, leading to the increased spread and susceptibility to communicable diseases.

Without adequate support and provision of financial support, emergency shelter kits and CRIs, the most vulnerable IDPs living in collective centres, public buildings, spontaneous settlements and makeshift shelters are enduring deteriorating conditions,

A failure to support those most at risk will result in increased exposure to exploitation, indebtedness and possible radicalization, and has already resulted in a widespread increase in the resort to negative coping strategies including through, begging as a means of generating income, child labour, sending children to join proscribed armed groups or forces, and early marriage.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers:

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-update-yemen-critical-requirements-may-2018

(** B K P)

Saudi Arabia and UAE's dangerous rivalry over Yemen

Saudi Arabia and the UAE may be coalition partners providing military support to Yemen's Hadi, but their alliance is mostly one of convenience, rather than loyalty

Not only do Saudi Arabia's and the United Arab Emirates' differing ambitions in Yemen increasingly threaten their alliance, they also risk further destabilising the already-war-torn country.

Saudi Arabia staunchly supports Hadi as Yemen's sole leader, while the UAE supports the Southern Transitional Council (STC) which seeks an independent South Yemen state. Both sides cooperate now due to the Houthi insurgency, beginning in late 2014, which threatens their plans for Yemen.

Riyadh has received the most criticism towards the coalition's actions in Yemen, which has contributed to what the UN calls "the world's worst humanitarian crisis." While the UAE previously attracted less criticism for its role in Yemen, observers increasingly view it as divisive. Yemeni officials recently said the Emiratis are more threatening as Iran.

Alongside fighting the Houthis, both nations seek to occupy various Yemeni regions. Socotra island recently became the latest battleground between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh's aspirations, further testing the two's relations.

"Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE compete for influence, power and resources in the south of Yemen. Their current jostling over the island of Socotra is due to its geostrategic ties to the southern provinces and Aden," Dr Theodore Karasik, senior adviser at Gulf State Analytics, told The New Arab.

"They need to resolve their differences now to prevent a greater clash from scenarios like this in the future," he added.

A stronghold in Socotra would give the UAE greater influence in Aden – Yemen's de facto capital, which it has long had its eyes on.

Clashes over South Yemen

Both nations currently ignore their differing views towards Hadi, which could become more problematic in the future.
The UAE supports the southern secessionists, as a friendly Southern government would help secure Aden.

Due to the complex nature of Yemen's conflict, where factions with opposing end goals often work together, both countries will set aside their quarrels while the Houthis and other adversaries remain at large.

"Each country has its own interests in Yemen, but they don't currently diverge enough to result in a parting of ways. The UAE and KSA have been able to settle their differences in Yemen amicably and diplomatically, and I expect they will continue to do so," Joost Hiltermann, Middle East and North Africa Programme Director at International Crisis Group, told The New Arab.

Hiltermann however indicated there may be risk of a fall out after the conflict ends.

Yemen's conflict highlights that Saudi-Emirati ties are weaker than apparent. While the two ambitious powers may stem their differences for now, it is likely there could be a greater fall out in the future when the conflict dies down, and both sides are faced with negotiating a political solution. Unless they can achieve a compromise, GCC relations could further deteriorate.

In both the short and the long term, such differing policies will further destabilise Yemen, and ultimately the Yemeni people will suffer the most – by Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/5/31/saudi-arabia-and-uaes-dangerous-rivalry-over-yemen

(** B P)

Emirati prisons in Yemen (2) .. more terrifying stories from inside

“Our dignity and humanity get to an end as soon as we arrive to the Emirati prisons in Aden, they don’t have enough from humiliating and insulting us, and if we complaint about bugs or the skin rash in the cells they ask us to shut up and they insult us and they say bugs and dogs are much better than you ,you deserve to die by scabies “ a former prisoner was moving from “Shallal” prison and UAE prison at “Buriqah” describing the situation onside those prisons and how they have been violate the dignity and humanity and even the laws there.

Insulting inspection, undressing to nudity

As soon the [prisoner arrive to the gate of the Emirati prison he goes under intensive inspection where they striped off his cloths and sometimes to full nudity and perform anal inspection , then the prisoner cuffed by hands and feet and they take him eye folded to inside , two former prisoners said (Shakira) the prison dog were there to terrify them at admission.

Stripping off the prisoners is a systematic thing in most of those prisons, when they moved the prisoners from “bir Ahmed” prison to the new prison they stripped the prisoners off their clothes before admitting them.

According to Almasdaronline investigation, the prison at the beginning was as following, one steel 8 feet container which used in shipping with internal bathroom, and they stuff between 15-20 prisoners inside, beside it 4 other cells made of sand bags and wrapped by fences to hold it up.

The sand bags forms a 2X2 m cells and stuffed by 4-5 prisoners the ceiling made of wood and fences and the floor covered with sand and cartoon, each cell with small window and between each cell there is a sand bags wall or a wooden partition so the prisoners don’t talk to each other, mostly the cells infiltrated by scorpions and bugs and colonized by ants because it is not sealed, the prisoner provided with a very thin mattress.

Accordingly with the increase of the prisoners number and the change of torturing methods some changes for the prisons has been made , the sand bags cells increased to 9 cells and the 10th is a bathroom with no door, and 11 solitary cells has been built from the ordinary blocks and in one of its corner a small bathroom chair with no septum and the cell has steel door with small window , the ceiling was provided with a steel fence so they can hang the prisoners.

At the third phase of prison modification , the sand bags cells were cancelled and replaced with 2 containers (12feet ) each one divided from inside by steel plates to 3 cells each one 4 m , and has a door and small window and internal bathroom and stuffed by 6-10 prisoners , some times the prisoners transferred from one to another cell according to the need of punishment or incoming prisoners.

The urgency challenge, 2 min bathroom

Each prisoner at the sand bags prisons allowed to go to bathroom twice a day morning and evening , the UAE soldiers calls the prisoner and cuffs him and be taken to a bathroom with no door for two minutes , the prisoners used to wash with their cloths on and defecate also during that otherwise the soldier pull him out as he is at the time and return him to the cell even if he didn’t finish .

Splitting sleep during the night

The prisoners are not allowed to sleep after dawn .. the UAE soldier passes and knock all doors repeatedly and tell them they came her to be tortured not to sleep and get rest and if they tried to sleep they hose them with water.

Wither the cells are containers or sand bags they have been stuffed more than its capacity so the prisoner's cant sleep all at once so they split the sleep into two groups one sleep from around 6 pm until 11 and one from 11 until dawn.

Turning off the conditioners and sun deprivation

In addition to the previous the air conditioners inside the containers shut down after dawn until afternoon which make the containers convert into ovens and when the heat increase the prisoners knock on doors and the response to them by saying “Die”!!! and after half hour the return it on at (11-12 pm)

Rarely the detained can be exposed to sun and if it happened it is more like a punishment . they take them out at the mid day were the sun is very hot after days and sometimes weeks of sun deprivation

Scabies and skin rashes

Many kinds of skin rash spreading inside those prisons due to the lack of sun exposure and malnutrition and poor ventilation and lack of hygiene, skin rashes and blisters spreads from a prisoner to another in one cell , one of the prisoners said he was infected with scabies after being detained in a UAE container used for their dogs.

Deprivation of medicine

They don’t provide prisoners with medicine unless they are in very critical conditions , and mostly depend on the jailers moods , sometimes they treat the prisoner after torture session and some times they refuse to treat him and they say “die”

Bad food and less water

The prisoners described the food at the UAE prisons as bad in general and in small quantities , they never had enough in one meal they said

Each prisoner was given three 330ml bottles of water daily which is not even enough during the winter than the summer so the consume it in one hour and they fast from water during the day or they drink contaminated water from the bathroom.

The allied prisons are much worse

At the UAE allies prisons such as “Hani bin burik” Shallal”,”Yasran” and “Saleh Alsayed ‘” they give the prisoner only one piece of bread and ay increase according to the number of prisoners and some times prevent them from water for days.

Insulting and contempt of Yemenis

Emiratis do not address the prisoners in humanitarian way and mostly the uses bad names to call them as dogs , sissies and criminals

At the moment the Emirati solder get upset he finds any excuse to punish the prisoner and hang him from the ceiling.

The prisoner is not allowed to contact his family except on rare occasions

Another prisoner who has been detained for 15 months said that his penis swelled after they tortured him by electricity at UAE prison.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99266

(** B H K P)

Film: Robert Wright (Bloggingheads.tv, The Evolution of God, Nonzero, Why Buddhism Is True) and Shireen Al-Adeimi (Michigan State University, @shireen818)

Yemen-born Shireen on the civil war in her homeland 0:55

Why is the US helping Saudi Arabia bomb Yemen? 12:32

Shireen: The Saudis work with Al Qaeda in Yemen 24:43

A brief history of the conflict in Yemen 28:48

How the war turned Shireen into an activist 38:57

What’s the Saudi endgame? What’s the Houthi endgame? 42:52

Is the US in effect helping Al Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen? 49:14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWvAnCcClD0

(** B H)

Prints prosthetics for Jemen's war injuries

ADEN: A 3D printer, some fishing nets and a boys room. This is how a friend in Yemen helps war damage with new body parts.

In Yemen, where many tens of thousands are injured in war and where healthcare has collapsed, it was unlikely that Bashadi would have a prosthesis; He realized that he would have to live most of his life with only one hand. Then he heard about the organization Enabling Aden who makes homemade prostheses. Now he is sitting in the living room at Mohammed Kamal (24), and gets a plastic hand attached with a velcro around the stupid forearm.

What do you do to help if your homeland is hit by war and what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis? There was such a question a friend from Aden asked. As a graduate engineer and a doctor, they would be helpful in the war that has a break for three years and has taken over 10,000 human lives.

Since August last year, the boys behind Enabling Aden have invested their own money and leisure to do just that: They import a 3D printer, probably Jemens first, and print out prostheses to those who have lost body parts.

One year after the start-up, the organization still carries a self-financed and voluntary role. The recipe for the prostheses can be found on the internet. The 3D printer is in the living room or in the kid's room at Kamal's parents. Once all the parts are printed, the prosthesis is screwed together, finger jointed for finger joint. Small rubber sticks most commonly used for tooth control ensure movement in the joints, and fishing strings tie your arm and fingers together – by Kristin Solberg

https://www.nrk.no/urix/printer-ut-proteser-til-jemens-krigsskadde-1.14063613 and facebook post https://www.facebook.com/kristin.solberg.90/posts/10156187466006996

and facebook site “Enabling Aden”:

https://www.facebook.com/adenenable/

and website (worldwide):

http://enablingthefuture.org/

(** B P)

WaPo Editors: We Have to Help Destroy Yemen to Save It

Over the past year, the Washington Post editorial board has routinely ignored the US’s involvement in the siege of Yemen—a bombing and starvation campaign that has killed over 15,000 civilians and left roughly a million with cholera. As FAIR noted last November (11/20/17), the Washington Post ran a major editorial (11/8/17) and an explainer (11/19/17) detailing the carnage in Yemen without once mentioning the US’s role in the conflict—instead pinning it on the seemingly rogue Saudis and the dastardly Iranians.

This was in addition to an op-ed that summer by editorial page editor Jackson Diehl (6/26/17), which not only ignored the US’s support of Saudi bombing but actually spun the US as the savior of Yemenis, holding up Saudi Arabia’s biggest backer in the Senate, Lindsey Graham, as a champion of human rights.

In recent months, however, the Post has charted a new course: vaguely acknowledging Washington’s role in the bloody siege, but insisting that the US should remain involved in the bombing of Yemen for the sake of humanitarianism.

In two recent editorials, “Can Congress Push the Saudi Prince Toward an Exit From Yemen?” (3/24/18) and “The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis Could Get Even Worse” (5/28/18), the Washington Post board has cooked up a new, tortured position that the US should not stop supporting the Saudis––a move 30-year CIA veteran and Brookings fellow Bruce Riedel argued in 2016 would “end the war overnight”—but mildly chide the Saudis into committing slightly fewer war crimes while moving towards some vague exit strategy.

In the March editorial, the Post insisted “the United States…should use its leverage to stop this reckless venture,” and that Trump “condition further American military aid on humanitarian relief measures.” A step in the right direction, right? Quite the opposite. When one reads closer, it’s clear that while the Post wanted Trump to moderately roll back the most egregious war crimes, it still lobbied against the Lee/Sanders bill that would have actually ended the war.

Monday’s editorial took this faux-humanitarian half-measure one step further with this bit of revisionist history:

Both the Obama and Trump administrations have offered limited support to the Saudi coalition, while trying to restrain reckless bombing and the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis.

The idea that Obama and Trump offered the Saudis “limited” support is a glaring lie.

The problem is the Washington Post is charged with a contradictory task: to act as a Very Concerned champion of human rights while propping up the core tenets of America’s imperial foreign policy. It’s an extremely difficult sleight-of-hand when the US is backing a bombing campaign targeting some of the poorest people on Earth, so their support of this slaughter is actually spun as an attempt to rein it in. The US is going to bring down the system from the inside!

The most logical way the US can stop the slaughter of Yemen is to stop engaging it in it. But to the Washington Post, this runs against the US policy of bombing and/or sanctioning anything that has the most remote connection to Iran, so this simple course is just not on the table. Instead, the Post’s propaganda objective—after years of simply ignoring the US role altogether—is to paint its participation in war crimes as a way of preventing slightly worse war crimes; a good cop to Saudi’s bad cop. This permits business as usual while maintaining the pretense the US cares about human rights—in other words, the Post’s basic ideological purpose – by Adam Johnson

https://fair.org/home/wapo-editors-we-have-to-help-destroy-yemen-to-save-it/

(** B K P)

The 3-Step Guide for Tricking America into a War

The lie of why America invaded Iraq must be torn down now, though, before history is repeated. Political seismologists are even now noticing similar rumblings around Iran to those that occurred before the Iraq War. As Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest, recently wrote, “the spirit of George W. Bush has once more begun to inhabit the White House.” National security adviser John Bolton, Heilbrunn said, “is busy urging Trump to revive the regime change policies that seemed to be discredited after the 2003 Iraq War, but are now making a comeback.”

Such policies should remain discredited, and so it is necessary, if not to discard the WMD lie entirely, then to situate it in a more accurate context. The WMD narrative is not unique to Iraq and serves as a useful warning today.

The fact is that the case for invasion was made up of three components largely separate from Saddam’s supposed WMDs.

First, the White House did its utmost to link Iraq to as many problems as possible in the region, be it supporting terrorism, antagonizing Gulf states, or threatening Israel. This is not to say Iraq was uninvolved in these activities as clearly it was. Rather, Iraq’s support was too often described in ways suggesting it was decisive, essential to the activities’ survival, and unique to Saddam’s leadership.

In addition, the U.S. continually, and quickly, listed many grievances in the runup to the war. Doing this created momentum and accumulated guilt onto Saddam and his regime more than any one specific Iraqi action could have done. Furthermore, a list of grievances made them seem all the more credible and of a piece. The image created was that every grievance was part of some coordinated, even grandly strategic, and therefore dangerous, plot by Saddam’s Iraq.

Today the current White House is attempting the same with Iran. Ambassador Nikki Haley explained to the UN Security Council on May 15 that when it comes to the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and with Hamas, “the common thread in all of this is the destabilizing conduct of the Iranian regime.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo followed suit with his speech on May 21, adding injustices in Afghanistan and Europe to the list.

Second, the George W. Bush White House and its Iraq War supporters pushed the idea that there was strong local support among Iraqis, who were in fact great admirers of America.

Third, the White House and its regime-change advocates emphasized that the Iraq war would be, well, a lark. It would be an easy and achievable adventure at minimal cost.

What we should learn from Iraq is that there’s a tried-and-true recipe for beguiling the United States into war; link every irritation directly to the adversary, assert robust local support for the invasion and claim the whole conflict will be a lark. In short, link, local, lark. While the reasons why America went to war in 2003 are many and varied, the main three are encapsulated in this trio and serve as both a formula for those who want war and a warning to those who wish to avoid it – by John Richard Cookson

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-3-step-guide-tricking-america-war-25995

(** B E K P)

French arms sales: ‘indicators of presence’ in Yemen and the necessary reform of control mechanisms

Our study reveals fifteen ‘indicators of presence’ that French armament may be involved in the war in Yemen. Along with the Armaments Observatory, FIDH calls for the establishment of a permanent parliamentary committee for the control of arms exports.

The Armaments Observatory, the FIDH, the LDH and SAF reveal "indicators of presence" of French military equipment used by the Saudi coalition in Yemen and underline inconsistencies in the French arms sales system.

The report points to both massive arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before and during the conflict; an adaptation of some of the material delivered to the realities of the Yemeni terrain (notably through the Donas contract); and indications of the presence of French military equipment in Yemen.

It concerns in particular the possible use in Yemen of:
Caesar guns sold during the conflict by Nexter and allegedly used in December 2015 to pound Yemen from the Saudi city of Najran.
Leclerc tanks sold in the 1980s and 1990s to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, allegedly used during the Battle of Aden in 2015.
SDTI surveillance drones and mini Airbus DRAC drones.
Airbus Cougar helicopters dedicated to troop transport.
Armored SUVs delivered in 2016 and possibly used in 2018.
French frigates used (and sometimes attacked) off Yemen as part of the blockade imposed by the coalition, which is illegal under international law.

These "indicators of presence" were obtained through the consultation of official reports; the SIPRI database; the specialized press on defense issues; Twitter accounts specialized in military intelligence; and confidential testimony. If these indicators are not considered to be evidence, they raise serious suspicions about the presence and widespread use of French military equipment in Yemen, in addition to recent revelations by Amnesty International and ACAT.

Following the filing of a request for the creation of a commission of inquiry by Sébastien Nadot and fifteen deputies on 6 April 2018, it is urgent that a parliamentary commission of inquiry is set up to shed light on the sale and the use of French military equipment to the Saudi coalition.

France’s international legal obligations and European commitments prohibit sales, transfers or deliveries of weapons that may contribute to the human rights and international humanitarian law violations. It is essential that the French authorities undertake structural reforms to prevent the export of military equipment from rendering them complicit in war crimes.

https://www.fidh.org/en/region/north-africa-middle-east/yemen/fidh-org/en

full study: https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/yemen_french_arms_sales_indicators_of_presence_in_yemen_and_the_necessary_reform_of_control_mechanisms-2.pdf

(** B K P)

Saudi Defense and Security Reform

Saudi Arabia’s efforts at reforming its armed forces may be more about politics and PR than substantive change.

In practice however, these reforms seem to be more about trying to project a convincing battlefield capability in advance of the next war, and less about achieving a decisive victory in Yemen. Saudi armed forces have only limited—and quite disastrous—on-the-ground battlefield experience, as evidenced when the RSLA conducted a ground invasion of Yemen over the winter of 2009–2010. Furthermore, the Saudi navy is widely regarded as a joke due to it having been politically undervalued and under-resourced, an absurd situation given that the greatest threat to Saudi national security is maritime.

There are political and practical reasons for the crown prince to continue avoiding an extensive deployment of Saudi armed forces on the ground in Yemen. Saudi military and civilian casualties from this war are much more significant than officially admitted. Mohammed bin Salman, like previous Saudi leaders, also fears a potential coup if there are too many soldiers under arms. This fear was one reason why the still tribally based Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) was founded by Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (later King Abdullah) over fifty years ago as a dedicated regime security force that continues to be totally separate from the armed forces that make up SMoD.

SANG is more capable than the RSLA, but like the Border Guard which is run by the Ministry of Interior (MoI), they are also “getting hammered” in Yemen, according to a well-placed western observer. SANG, like the Border Guard and RSLA, engages in “skirmishes”ix across the Yemen border, as well as more regular interventions in north Yemen. While effective in guarding the Saudi (and Bahraini) regimes, SANG’s lack of battlefield experience, coupled with Yemeni guerrilla capabilities, weakens its capacity in Yemen, as it does other Saudi armed forces.

Despite the recent reshuffling, grand plans for fundamental restructuring to give the Kingdom a credible and self-reliant battlefield capacity, are still on the drawing board.

Without a Saudi leader devolving power to a truly empowered military general in real operational command of all Saudi forces with a military role, the meaning and substance of a joint and capable Saudi armed force will be elusive – by Neil Partrick

https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/76487

My comment: This is a very interesting statement: „the Saudi navy is widely regarded as a joke due to it having been politically undervalued and under-resourced“. We almost hear nothing about the Saudi naval blockade of Houthi-held Yemen – even less than about the saudi air raids command center. It is dubious if really the Saudi navy would be able to execute this blockade. It seems more probable that in fact the US navy – which is quite present in Yemeni waters – is excuting this blockade. This would be a fact which of course is not shouted from the housetops. – It’s obvious that almost all the stories of Iranian arms supplies to the Houthis are fake news – propaganda which is spreaded and repeated again and again for obvious political reasons.

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

(* B H)

More than two-thirds of Yemen’s population is at risk of malaria: WHO

More than two-thirds of Yemen’s population is at risk of malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

In a series of tweets published on Twitter, the organization said 21 million Yemenis live in areas at risk of malaria and more than 7 million in high-risk areas.

The Organization, with funding from the World Bank, has supported malaria control in Yemen and avoided possible setbacks.

http://www.yamanyoon.com/?p=113131&lang=en

(* A H)

A workshop on reviewing the performance of the National #Malaria Control Programme was concluded today in Sana'a, #Yemen, with the presence of 50 participants representing the malaria control programme and local/ int'l organizations working on malaria control in the country.

https://twitter.com/WHOYemen/status/1001922620604997633

With @WorldBank funding, WHO continues to support #Yemen’s health authorities to fight #malaria and avoid potential setbacks. Over 21 million Yemenis live in at-risk areas for malaria, and nearly 7 million live in high-risk areas.

https://twitter.com/WHOYemen/status/1001926491469467649

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Offensive auf Hodeidah / Most important: Offensive at Hodeidah

(* A K)

Mehr als hundert Tote bei Kämpfen im Jemen

Konflikt um Hafenstadt Hodeida bedroht Hilfslieferungen

Sanaa – Die Kämpfe zwischen Rebellen und Regierungstruppen im Jemen um den strategisch wichtigen Hafen Hodeida haben sich in den vergangenen Tagen massiv verschärft. Von Mittwoch bis Samstag seien mindestens 110 getötete Soldaten und Rebellen in Krankenhäuser gebracht worden, teilten Rettungskräfte mit.

Rettungskräfte in der Region Hodeida teilten am Samstag mit, dass ihnen allein am Freitag und Samstag die Leichen von 52 Menschen übergeben worden seien – 20 seien Soldaten gewesen, der Rest Rebellen. Von Mittwoch bis Samstag habe es damit mindestens 110 Tote gegeben.

https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000080848934/mehr-als-hundert-tote-bei-kaempfen-im-jemen

(* A H K)

Der Kampf um den Hafen von Jemen wird zu einer humanitären Katastrophe führen

Die saudischen Streitkräfte sind 13 Kilometer von der Hafenstadt Al Hudayda entfernt, wo 80% der Hilfsgüter geliefert werden. “Zuerst werden wir die Versorgungsleitungen abschneiden, dann werden wir Al Hudayda belagern und sie niedermachen, vielleicht ohne Konfrontationen”, sagte ein Sprecher der sogenannten Nationalen Widerstandskräfte am Mittwoch.

http://de.zappingnews.net/kampfhafen-jemen-ubersetzen-katastrophen-humanitare/

Mein Kommentar: Information auf Deutsch, wie so oft: Ein Trauerspiel.

(A K pH)

Ansarullah Chief: Israeli Fighters Fly over Hudaydah amid Saudi Push to Seize City

Leader of Yemen's Ansarullah movement Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi revealed that Israeli warplanes have been detected flying over the key port city of Hudaydah.

Houthi said Israeli jets have been seen in Hudaydah's skies over the past few days amid a push by Saudi mercenaries to seize the city, Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.

"Yemen is actually fighting against a Saudi-Zionist coalition," he stated, referring to a military campaign which Riyadh has been carrying out against Yemen since 2015.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970313000644 and http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/06/03/563733/Yemen-Israel-Hudaydah-Houthi

(A K P)

Gov’t spokesman dismisses reports of alleged UN initiative to hand over Hodeidah

Spokesman of the National Salvation Government Abdel Salam Jaber on Saturday denied reports of an alleged UN initiative to hand over Hodeidah port.
“Circulating reports by the pro-coalition media outlets over an alleged initiative by the United Nations to hand over Hodeidah port were baseless,” Jaber said.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497948.htm

and

(A K P)

Yemeni Gov't Rejects Rumors of Accepting UN Plan on Hudaydah Port

"The Saudi media rumors that the Yemeni government has accepted the UN initiative to take control of Hudaydah port is a lie and they have released such claims to cover up their failures," Abdolsalam Jaber was quoted as saying by Yemen's official news agency on Sunday.

"Spreading such rumors is a clear sign for the disappointing situation that the enemy has in the frontline of war," he added.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970313000518

Remark: By the Saada Houthi government.

referring to

(A K P)

UN envoy to Yemen in Sanaa to discuss plans for Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah

At the top of the agenda will be the discussions surrounding the port city of Hodeidah and persuading the Houthis to withdraw from the city and hand over supervision to UN officials.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/06/02/UN-envoy-to-Yemen-in-Sanaa-to-discuss-plans-for-Houthi-withdrawal-from-Hodeidah.html

Remark. By saudi media. Written before Griffith arrived to Sanaa, therefor just imagination.

Comment: This "surrender Hodeidah to the UN" concept is a Saudi idea. It's not clear yet whether the Houthis will agree. And it's certainly over-optimistic to expect the UAE to agree too.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1003032567879208961

(* AK)

Death toll tops 100 in fight for key Yemen port: medics

The battle for a major rebel-controlled port in Yemen has left more than 100 soldiers and insurgents dead in less than a week, medics and military sources said Saturday.

Medics in the southern Aden governorate, where the Yemeni government is based, said they had received the bodies of 52 people, including 20 soldiers, between Friday and Saturday, bringing the toll to at least 110 killed in clashes since Wednesday.

The remainder appeared to be rebels, the medics said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in the pro-government military coalition said on Saturday the Huthi rebels had ambushed a military convoy in the coastal district of al-Durayhmi in Hodeida governorate.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5798231/Death-toll-tops-100-fight-key-Yemen-port-medics.html

(* A K)

Yemeni officials say fighting along west coast kills 28

Heavy fighting in Yemen between pro-government forces and Shiite rebels killed at least 28 people on both sides, security and medical officials said Saturday.

Government forces, backed by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, have been advancing along the western coast in recent weeks as they battle the rebels, known as Houthis.

The rebels killed 18 pro-government forces and wounded 30 in an attack Friday on the government-held town of el-Faza that last eight hours, the officials said.

Government forces eventually repelled the attack, killing at least 10 rebel fighters, the officials said. Battles raged for the fourth day in a row elsewhere along the western coast, they said.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemeni-officials-fighting-west-coast-kills-28-55603487

(* A K pS)

Coalition's Fighters and artillery target Houthi sites in Al Mashrai, Al Madman and north of Hayes

Forces of the Arab Coalition led by Saudi Arabia have achieved new successes in fighting with the Houthi militia on Yemen’s Red Sea coast north of Hayes and in the eastern areas of Al Mashrai and Al Madman. Following assaults by Coalition fighters and artillery, Houthi militia lines collapsed, with their forces fleeing the front, leaving behind them their belongings, their weapons and the bodies of those who have been killed.

Seventy members of the Iran-backed Houthi militia were killed in clashes with the Arab Coalition fighters and Yemeni resistance forces in the Red Coast, a painful blow which has weakened Houthi ranks, degrading their military capabilities, as Yemeni resistance forces accelerate their progress towards Hodeidah Airport and its strategic harbour.

The joint Yemeni resistance forces captured 21 Houthi militiamen, destroying their positions on the Red Sea coast. A number of the Houthis’ medium and heavy weapons were seized in sweeps of areas adjacent to Hodeidah.

On the outskirts of Hodeidah, the Arab Coalition fighters continue to press the Houthi militias, many of whom have fled to the mountains leaving behind their belongings.

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302692533 and also https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1772620

(* A K pH)

40 mercenaries killed in unique operations in Yemen’s Western Coast

Forty of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed in an unique operation of a special unit of the army and popular committees targeted mercenaries’ gatherings in Jaha area of Yemen’s western coast, a source in the Army Operations told Saba News agency on Saturday.
15 of the mercenaries surrendered themselves to the army and committees, while three military vehicles and an armored vehicle were destroyed, killing add who were on board

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497898.htm

and

(* A K pH)

Dozens of Saudi-paid mercenaries killed,10 captured in west coast

Dozens of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and ten captured in a unique attack carried out on Friday by the army and popular forces in the Yemeni western coast, a source at Defense Ministry told Saba.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497855.htm

and photos of Houthi successes https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1002814334244966400 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1002817079375007744

My comment: Winning a battle, loosing a war.

(A K)

Folded down by one of the fleeing today from the militias Houthi . The encroachment is labeled as a crime of escape from crawling. Distributed by militia leaders after many of their followers fled from the front lines (documents)

https://twitter.com/HamedGhaleb/status/1002963191213772805

(A K pS)

Film: #Children were captured fighting in the ranks of the #Houthi militia in the Western Coast Front.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1003037562523570178

(A K pS)

The joint forces have secured the tourist resorts in a number of areas, including al-Duraihemi and al-Nakhilah, south of #Hodeidah, after the #Houthis fled these areas following fierce battles that left dozens dead, wounded or captured. (photos)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1003023912131809282

(A K pS)

The Joint Forces have captured large quantities of ammunition and weapons left behind by the #Houthis after the rebel group have fled their sites, south of the port city of #Hodeidah. (photos)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1003008738855411712

(A K pH)

Yemen shoots down Saudi-led Apache helicopter in western coast: Chief of Revolutionary Committee

Saudi-led Apache helicopter was shot down in Yemen’s western coast by the air defense forces of the Yemeni army in battles over the past few hours, chief of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said on his Twitter account on Saturday.
The chief said the Apache helicopter was shot down in the overnight battle west of Hais district.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497857.htm

(* A K pS)

Yemeni Resistance combing Al-Dorihmi area amid intensive build-up for liberating Hodeidah - Update

Backed by the UAE Armed Forces, the Joint Yemeni Resistance has launched a large-scale combing operation across vast swathes in Al-Dorihmi area as part of the ongoing build-up for liberating the city and the port of Hodeidah.

For the second time in 24 hours, the Yemeni army thwarted another infiltration attempt by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia on the country’s Red Sea Coast, inflicting heavy damage on the coup perpetrators.

A Yemeni field source has confirmed that the joint Yemeni Resistance Forces have combed the pockets used by Houthi militias across the liberated areas in the wake of a failed infiltration attempt into Al Moshair'i area.

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302692500

(** A K pS)

Trilateral Military Coordination Prepares to Liberate Hodeidah

Yemen’s pro-government popular resistance forces are preparing for anticipated battle to liberate Hodeidah, which is home to a strategic red sea port, from Iran-backed militia influence.
Ariel and naval forces are leading coordination efforts for the upcoming military operation. Arab Coalition fighters backing Yemen’s internationally-recognized government led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi continue to closely monitor Houthi supply routes near the Hodeidah west coast, destroying arms convoys sent to reinforce militias.
Houthi militiamen have been desperate in seeking proper armament to defend against pro-government forces advancing towards their strongholds in Hodeidah.
Yemeni army spokesman Brigadier General Abdo Abdullah Majli told Asharq Al-Awsat that there is coordination between army forces in Hodeidah, Arab Coalition airforces and nearby naval battleships to liberate the port of Hodeidah, pointing out that the army used the drones to uncover key militia locations inside the city.
Brig. Gen. Majli said that the military forces are advancing from south of Hodeidah towards the port according to plan.
Recognizing the intricacy of breaking into Hodeidah, Brig.Gen. Majli said army forces are employing state-of-the-art drones to survey militia-infested locations and deliver reconnaissance data. He explained that drones have succeeded in monitoring and delivering crucial information on militia positions and revealing hotspots with dense militia presence.

The military incursion managed to deliver forces in about a 20 km radius of the port. The main objective of the army is to retake control over the port, in a move designed to cut off arming cargos sent to Houthi militias.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1287631/trilateral-military-coordination-prepares-liberate-hodeidah

(* A H K)

Local media reports: All foreign nationals of UN & international NGOs were evacuated en masse on Friday on this vessel from Hodeidah port, #Yemen.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1002697960323538945

My comment: The humanitarian catastrophe is starting.

(** A K P)

Concern mounts as coalition forces advance on key Yemeni port

With Saudi- and Emirati-backed Yemeni forces reported to have advanced to within 20 miles of the key Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodeidah, some have wondered if the Donald Trump administration has softened its previous opposition to a coalition military effort to seize the Houthi rebel-held port, which is a critical humanitarian lifeline for the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

The White House said it had not changed its position.

“The United States has been clear and consistent that we will not support actions that destroy key infrastructure or that are likely to exacerbate the dire humanitarian situation that has expanded in this stalemated conflict,” a National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson, speaking not for attribution, told Al-Monitor by email June 1.

“We expect all parties to abide by the Law of Armed Conflict and avoid targeting civilians or commercial infrastructure,” the NSC spokesperson said.

Al-Monitor has learned that when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the State Department on May 14, he conveyed US opposition to a military operation to take the port, and the UAE envoy said it would not go ahead without US agreement.

A State Department spokesperson did not respond to a query from Al-Monitor June 1 on the alleged exchange.

Soon after the Trump administration came into office, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told the Emiratis that their plan for taking Hodeidah was not workable and they needed to hold off, which they did, Feierstein said.

“Now, of course, they have been engaged in this kind of steady movement up the coast for some months now,” Feierstein said. “They are taking a different tack. I don’t know if the US has been specifically consulted on this issue one way or the other. That may be more to the point.”

“I doubt we are giving a green light, but we may not be doing very much to object, and therefore the Emiratis in particular [could be] taking that as a sign that they have got a free hand,” he said.

The advance of Yemeni forces on the ground toward Hodeidah could be intended to pressure the Houthis to return to UN-backed peace negotiations, former US Ambassador to Yemen Stephen Seche said.

“They do want to do something to push the Houthis to return to [negotiations],” Seche, now with the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told Al-Monitor. “I think part of [the strategy is] to convince the Houthis they can’t win, they could lose this prize, Hodeidah, and some of their best fighters. … But it is a flip of a coin, if [the Houthis] can see the writing on the wall, they will lose some territory.”

The risk is that, with its military successes on the ground, “the coalition might decide we don’t want to negotiate now,” Seche said – by Laura Rozen

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/06/concern-mounts-coalition-advance-yemen-port-hodeidah.html

(** A H K P)

Saudi-led coalition assault on Yemen port would be disaster: aid agencies

As forces of the Saudi-led military coalition close in on the main Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, aid agencies fear a major battle that will also shut down a vital lifeline for millions of hungry civilians.

Senior aid officials urged Western powers providing arms and intelligence to the coalition to push the mostly Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab allies to reconvene U.N. talks with the Iran-allied Houthi movement to avoid a bloodbath and end the three-year war.

“The coalition ground forces are now at the doorstep of this heavily-fortified, heavily-mined port city,” Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Reuters. “Thousands of civilians are fleeing from the outskirts of Hodeidah which is now a battle zone.”

“We cannot have war in Hodeidah, it would be like war in Rotterdam or Antwerp, these are comparable cities in Europe.”

“Hodeidah, the so-called big battle, has been looming now for 18 months with ups and downs,” Robert Mardini, Middle East regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Reuters.

“It’s a densely-populated area where any military scenario will risk coming at a huge human cost.”

Egeland called for Western powers - led by Britain, the United States and France - and Iran, which is allied to the Shi’ite Houthis, to help avert disaster. “The situation is screaming for more robust diplomacy on both sides”.

“We are now in a race against the clock, to really get enough supplies in through Hodeidah which is very difficult given the continued severe restrictions on fuel and other imports by the coalition.

“War would mean nothing coming through.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-aid/saudi-led-coalition-assault-on-yemen-port-would-be-disaster-aid-agencies-idUSKCN1IX5DO?rpc=401&

(* A H K)

Hudaida: Feared coalition attack 'will destroy Yemen's lifeline'

War-torn Yemen's third largest city, Hudaida, serves as the main entry point for about 90 percent of all food imports.

Human rights groups have warned that an attack by the Saudi-led coalition and allied forces on the Yemeni port city of Hudaida could destroy the country's main lifeline and worsen a humanitarian crisis already described by the UN as the largest in the world.

About 90 percent of Yemen's food and most of its medicine is imported through Hudaida, Yemen's third largest city and home to about 400,000 people.

Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, equated Hudaida to what Rotterdam historically represented for the Netherlands and Liverpool for the United Kingdom.

"It's the place where things come in to all the civilian population in Yemen, a country that basically has to import all food," Egeland told Al Jazeera from Norway's capital, Oslo.

He said a potential attack by the coalition would make the situation "much worse".

"We must avoid war at all costs in Hudaida, not only because of the hundreds of thousands of people who would get in the crossfire but also because the port will be destroyed and the lifeline will be destroyed."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/hudeida-feared-coalition-attack-destroy-yemen-lifeline-180602180247271.html and also http://www.dw.com/en/yemen-fears-mount-as-fighting-focuses-on-port-of-hodeida/a-44055441

(* A K pS)

Liberating Hodeidah is a must for cutting the Houthi lifeline

The prevailing narrative is that impeding the capacity of the port in any way would entail a large-scale humanitarian crisis and jeopardize access to food for millions of people in Houthi-controlled areas. While this is a genuine concern, it completely overlooks any alternative solutions to circumventing the worst-case scenarios. The importance and sensitivity issue around the port also leaves Al-Houthi emboldened in enforcing his authority on the helpless regions under his control, knowing that the coalition’s hands in Hodeidah are tied.
The port has been a significant revenue generator for the militia and is the backbone of its economy. Since 2015, the Houthis have controlled its customs, imposing tariffs on the port and critical land checkpoints to collect an estimated $30 million a month, making Hodeidah their most lucrative source of income.

Without the port, the Houthis would not have the resources or the ability to either deliver services or fulfill their obligations toward civilians and fighters.

Indeed, there are no signs that the militia could relinquish this prominent city and port, and no reason for Yemeni forces and the coalition to wait indefinitely for the Houthis to surrender. Restoring Hodeidah to the control of Yemen’s internationally recognized government remains a critical priority. For Al-Houthi, it is clear that this is a moneymaking port that prolongs his powers. He is holding Hodeidah for as long as possible to maintain the perception of strength he needs and to demonstrate that his followers are worthy of significant attention in any peace plan.

There is no question that Hodeidah is going to fall into the hands of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, but the problem is how long one should wait knowing that the Houthis have no incentive to give it up.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1313916

My comment: This is a quite demasking propaganda article by a Saudi media. It clearly emphasizes: Our goal is just to win the war and to defeat the Houthis. We do not care for any humanitarian losses. Yes, we just CUT OF THE LIFELINE (openly expressed), but this would not just be the lifeline for the „Houthis“, but fort he whole population of Norrthern Yemen. And we also do this for avoiding that after any peace solution the Houthi movement will play any more role in Yemen. And also the Western world, which up to now (mainly) kept the humanitarian narrative in the Hodeidah story, should drop it and accept ours.

Comment: It doesn't get much sicker than this—from Arab News, pure Saudi mouthpiece, but it's still a shock to see artificial famine openly advocated as a "moral imperative"!...

https://twitter.com/TheWarNerd/status/1003802656501100544

(* A K pS)

Exclusive: Plan to Besiege Hodeidah, Leave Exist for Houthis to Escape

Hodeidah Governor al-Hassan al-Taher told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that Yemen’s National Army, currently on the outskirts of Hodeidah, plan to besiege the city and leave a passage for militias to escape.
Al-Taher said Army personnel were rapidly moving closer to Hodeidah, as they plan to besiege the city from the southern and southeastern sides by closing the road leading to Bajel.
This plan aims to halt the arrival of any military reinforcements to Houthis from Sana’a and Taiz. However, the Army would leave one exit in the north to allow militias escape the strategic port city of Hodeidah.
“The Yemeni Army will enter the city based on a tight plan capable to protect the rear bases of the Army while advancing to the area, and to guarantee the security of strategic positions,” the Governor said.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1286671/exclusive-plan-besiege-hodeidah-leave-exist-houthis-escape

(* A H K)

Film: Civilians must be protected Hospitals & schools are #NotATarget @ICRC_ye is concerned about the fighting along the Red Sea coast of #Yemen

https://twitter.com/ICRC_ye/status/1002235512101498881

(* A K)

Al Houthi reinforcements led by al Houthi military commander Abu Ali al Hakim arrived in al Hudaydah city from Sana’a and Dhamar governorates on June 1. Al Hakim is the second-in-command of al Houthi military forces. Al Houthi forces clashed with Saudi-led coalition-backed forces six kilometers south of al Hudaydah International Airport on May 30.[2]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-june-1-2018

(A K pS)

Journo @NabilSufii "The #Houthis have left several military vehicles behind and have buried some others, using tractors." (photos)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1002680528716402688

(A K pS)

Tribal sources have confirmed that dozens of people from the two tribes of Bani Matar and al-Haimah al-kharejiah were either killed, wounded or captured during the past week while they were fighting with the #Houthis in the Western Coast Front.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1002676087430803456

(A K pS)

Following fierce battles with the #Houthi militia, the Joint Forces have advanced on al-Madman area of al-Tahita district, south of #Hodeidah while sources confirmed the killing of ten Houthi fighters in al-Faza area. (photo9

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1002671450527010818

(A K pS)

With the Approach of Southern Giants Brigades, Images Show Al-Hodeida Empty as Al-Houthis Escaped From it

Sky News Arabic said that it has exclusive photos from inside Al-Hodeida as Southern Giants Brigades with backup of Arab Coalition troops became very close to control the Yemeni city. Photos and videos broadcasted by Sky News showed the empty streets of Al-Hodeida as most of Al-Houthi leaders and their armed militants ran away from the city heading towards Hajjah and Sanaa. Stores were closed and streets looked totally deserted. (photos)

http://en.smanews.org/with-the-approach-of-southern-giants-brigades-images-show-al-hodeida-empty-as-al-houthis-escaped-from-it

(A K pS)

Rapid Deployment Force to set to fight battle to retake Hodeidahcity

The armed forces have revealed that the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) is now stationed in the district of Dureihimi adjacent to the city of Hodeidah and is preparing to storm the city and purge it from the Houthi rebels.

That will be the last battle to retake the city after much of the province's south has been liberated by the army with help from the Arab Coalition's fighter jets and warships.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18940

(* A K)

Emirati-backed National Resistance Forces and Southern Giants Brigade forces clashed with al Houthi forces six kilometers from al Hudaydah International Airport on May 30. National Resistance Forces and Southern Giants Brigade forces also seized al Houthi ballistic missiles in al Darayhimi district, south of al Hudaydah city, on May 30. Emirati-backed forces are gathering in al Darayhimi city, 20 kilometers south of al Hudaydah city, after seizing the city from al Houthi forces on May 29.[2]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-may-31-2018

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The Joint Forces are engaged in fierce battles on the suburbs of #Hodeidah while sources confirm that the clashes are currently at a distance of 6 kilometers from the airport. This comes amid total collapse of the #Houthis. (photo)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1001920691120242693

(* A K pS)

Yemen: Battles Around Hodeidah Airport

As joint forces of the Arab coalition were rapidly moving closer to Hodeidah, battles intensified Wednesday around six kilometers away from the city’s airport, military sources said.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni Army said units from the “rapid support forces” were currently positioned in Al-Durayhmi, ahead of entering the strategic port city of Hodeidah from the south.

Yemeni army spokesman Abdo Abdullah Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that the rapid forces are trained on fighting inside small neighborhoods, and on chasing militias hiding in fortified buildings.
“Those forces will work on cleaning the buildings before Army personnel enter Hodeidah and completely liberate the city without causing civilians damages,” Majali said.
The spokesman said the liberation of Hodeidah would contribute in helping the rapid move of the Army to several other Yemeni cities, particularly that the province has joint borders with Taiz, Ibb, Al-Mahwit, Dhamar and Hijjah, in addition to being close to the international navigation.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1285641/yemen-battles-around-hodeidah-airport

(* A K pH)

Saudi-backed militants plan siege of Hudaydah despite intl. warnings

Meanwhile, Ansarullah fighters and their allied forces have stepped up their counter-attacks against the Saudi-backed militants.

On Wednesday, they destroyed the military vehicles belonging to the Saudi mercenaries.

Yemeni media also say people from other provinces are rushing to Hudaydeh to help the locals and Houthi forces foil militant attempts to enter the city.

Clashes were reported between the militants and Ansarullah fighters east of the port city, while the Saudi-led coalition carried out numerous airstrikes on Houthi positions.

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/05/31/563445/Yemen-Hudaydah-siege-Saudibacked-militants

(** A B K P)

Pressing for Peace in Yemen: An Envoy’s Challenge

If Martin Griffiths seems to be in a hurry these days, he has his reasons. The recently minted U.N. special envoy to Yemen is racing to stay ahead of a military escalation by any one of the belligerents in that country’s conflict, which would almost certainly derail his efforts to rejuvenate the moribund peace process.

Even now, the idea of a military assault on Hodeidah is eyed with some skepticism, including on the part of some senior officials in the administration of President Donald J. Trump. In fact, given the close ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it is unlikely any assault on Hodeidah will proceed without a green light from Washington, which has yet to be given. At the same time, any reticence in this regard will be counter-balanced by the Trump administration’s desire to demonstrate continued, strong support for efforts by its closest Gulf Arab allies to push back against Iranian adventurism in the region.

Perhaps because of humanitarian concerns, the focus of coalition military planners has shifted to seizing the port only, which sits northwest of Hodeidah city.

Whether the intent is to conduct a ground assault on the port or the city, or simply encircle Hodeidah and cut off supply lines to the Houthi fighters dug in there, is unclear. The Saudis apparently believe that the city’s population is so restive under oppressive Houthi rule that, given the opportunity, they will rise up in armed insurrection and break the rebels’ hold on the city. A liberated Hodeidah would be able to serve as a seat for the exiled Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which has for all intents and purposes been exiled from the southern city of Aden by fighters loyal to a secessionist-minded Southern Transitional Council that, ironically, enjoys the support of the UAE.

Griffiths must also be watching carefully news that the Trump administration has asked Congress to consider the sale of more than 120,000 precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a sale that could be worth some $2 billion.

Assured of a fresh supply of PGMs, the coalition could well be emboldened to maintain or even increase the operational tempo of its air campaign.

Of course, in a conflict fraught with irony, it turns out that the coalition use of U.S.-made PGMs designed to pound the Houthi rebels into submission often provokes exactly the opposite response, as the Houthis launch ballistic missiles deep into Saudi territory. – by Stephen A. Seche, executive vice president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, and previously U.S. ambassador to Yemen

http://www.agsiw.org/pressing-peace-yemen-envoys-challenge/

(** A B H K)

Yemen’s Hodeida braces for blitzkrieg as Tareq Saleh seeks prominence

Pro-government forces could deal a crippling blow to the Houthi rebels if they take the strategic port city

Advancing north up the coast, pro-Yemeni government forces led by Tareq Saleh are making lightning-quick progress as they close in on the port city of Hodeida.

Ambulances and military vehicles carry dozens of dead and injured fighters from the frontlines to Hodeida, and the city’s residents feel the war approaching as battleships and warplanes batter Houthi rebel positions.

The city’s loss would be a huge blow to the Houthis, who have used its port as a lifeline.

For the long-suffering people of Yemen, millions of whom are on the brink of famine, fighting in Hodeida could also mean catastrophe - as it is the country's main conduit for aid.

However, for Saleh, nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the erstwhile Houthi ally who was killed by the rebels as he plotted to turn against them, the victory would give him new status in Yemen and within the Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognised government.

Leading from Mocha

Saleh’s involvement in the west coast offensive began after his uncle’s death in December, when he arrived with his forces in the port town of Mocha in Taiz province after fleeing Houthi-controlled Sanaa.

After setting up a military camp in Mocha with the help of the Saudi-led coalition, Saleh began to lead ground operations against the Houthis to the north.

Talal al-Amari, a fighter in Saleh’s Republican Guard on the western coast, told Middle East Eye that thousands of fighters are joining the commander’s ranks in Mocha, receiving training in military camps before joining the battlefield.

"Tareq's forces and his allies on the western coast are working according to a clear plan to liberate Hodeida province," he said, promising the fighting will not stop until the strategic port city has been captured.

A city on edge

Residents of Hodeida have heard of plans to retake the city many times over the past three years, but now they sense a final battle is approaching.

"I saw myself the dead and injured fighters in Houthi military vehicles and noticed that the Houthis are not behaving normally,” a Hodeida resident, who wished to remain anonymous due to fears for their safety, told MEE.

“They are withdrawing from the city and heading towards the battlefields."

The resident said the Houthis will not surrender the city, predicting Hodeida could suffer as Taiz did when that city was retaken by forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

With Saleh’s pro-Hadi forces drawing near, the resident expressed hope the warring sides would battle far from residential areas and avoid targeting civilians and their houses.

"Fear has spread in the hearts of Hodeida's residents, as they believe that the war will not have mercy upon them."

"We expect that those who can afford to leave will do so if and when they absolutely have no other option, but it’s very possible that many could die from the direct or indirect consequences of this fighting before they have the chance," Suze van Meegan, protection and advocacy adviser at the Norwegian Refugee Council, told MEE.

"We are worried that people fleeing will lose access to safe water and be more at risk of cholera. Many will struggle to pay for the cost of transport to safety and have too little money to buy enough food."

"The scale of needs could overwhelm humanitarian organisations – we are already struggling to keep pace with needs across the country," she added.

Houthi confusion

The Houthis have indicated they are not going to leave the city without a fight.

Fadhl al-Rabie, political analyst and the head of Madar Strategic Studies Centre in south Yemen’s Aden, said the rebel leader’s speech is a clear indication that the Houthis did not expect the attack’s rapidity.

"The Houthis’ leader seemed to be mixed up in his speech, asking his fighters not to be confused and battle the pro-Hadi forces, then saying withdrawal does not mean the end of the war," he told MEE.

According to Rabie, Hodeida will be taken soon from the Houthi rebels, adding that the city’s conquest will vastly limit the rebels’ capabilities.

nother reason Saleh’s forces are able to cooperate with the many factions on the western coast is they are all closely aligned with the United Arab Emirates, which is fighting in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition.

Questionable popularity

This is not the case elsewhere in the country, however.

While Saleh may gain support and notoriety with his west coast assault, designs on taking a leading role in parts of the country where groups hold a more circumspect view of him and the Emiratis may prove more difficult.

Winning support

Despite the uproar in Taiz when Saleh set up camp in Mocha, his recent successes have now turned some critics into supporters.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-s-hodeida-braces-blitzkrieg-saleh-seeks-win-prominence-1414877896

(** A H K)

Saudi-Backed Forces in Yemen Near Strategic Houthi City

Saudi-backed troops in Yemen are approaching the strategic city of Hodeidah. Diplomats and conflict monitoring groups have warned for months that an assault on the city could disrupt aid entering the country through the port there, further jeopardizing access to food for Yemenis already on the brink of famine.

Fighting alongside the Saudi coalition is the Yemeni Republican Guard, the military branch commanded by Tareq Saleh, the nephew of the country’s former president. While in office, the elder Saleh was the recipient of Saudi patronage, but fell out with the Riyadh after popular protests led the Saudis to support a political transition

That lasted until last December, when Saleh broke with the Houthis and was promptly killed. Now, Tareq Saleh and his forces are back on the side of the Saudis after being coaxed into the fold by the United Arab Emirates. His forces are just one of many odd-bedfellow factions brought together by their opposition to the Houthis; Voice of America reports that southern Yemeni secessionists, Islamist militias, and Emirati and Sudanese troops are also participating in the Hodeidah offensive.

Tens of thousands of residents have already been displaced by the new offensive. With the stalemate breaking and the Houthis’ hold on power looking more tenuous, the Yemeni civil war may be approaching a new phase. The Saudi-led coalition is an alliance of convenience and could fracture as soon as the Houthis’ defeat appears imminent. Each group will be looking to maximize its leverage now. Some of that discord is already on display.

https://www.lawfareblog.com/saudi-backed-forces-yemen-near-strategic-houthi-city

Comment: The most disturbing lines are 'America's concern for the future distribution of aid'. As if to say the US has not played an active role in #Yemen's genocide

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1759936237392732

(* A K pS)

Film: Yemeni Army Continues To Advance To Take Control Of Al-Hodeidah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V9lldCBZ0s

(* A H K)

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect: Famine looms in Yemen as threat to Hodeidah port grows

In particular, an impending military offensive on the Red Sea port of Hodeidah could put the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk. Hodeidah is a city of 700,000 people and is the entry point for 70 percent of the aid upon which over 22 million Yemenis depend.

OCHA has reported that an estimated 140,000 people are at risk of being displaced from three southern Hodeidah districts – Zabid, Al-Garrahi and At-Tuhayat – and if fighting reaches the city an additional 200,000 people could be forced to flee.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/atrocity-alert-no-107-30-may-2018-yemen-nigeria-and-syria

(** A H K)

Yemen port city may change hands but conflict far from over

But while the Red Sea port is strategically important in both the country’s conflict and humanitarian crisis, neither are guaranteed to be resolved if it changes hands.

“About 22 million of Yemen’s 28 million people need humanitarian assistance, and about eight million of them, mostly in the north, are pretty close to starvation,” says Elisabeth Kendall, senior research fellow in Arabic and Islamic studies with Pembroke College at Oxford University.

“So this is a hugely important takeover, if it happens.”

A battle for the city could itself complicate the delivery of aid to those northern regions at least in the short term, if not longer.

“There is a chance the fighting will be long and deprive the entire population of the north of aid and food and that will worsen an already bad humanitarian situation,” says Nadwa Al-Dawsari is senior non-resident fellow with The Project on Middle East Democracy.

The densely populated area in and around Hodeida itself also risks falling into a prolonged crisis of its own.

“My worry is that the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition have not prepared a plan to mitigate civilian harm during the operation and also to establish security and governance immediately after the Houthis are pushed out,” Al-Dawsari says.

“It might create a vacuum with negative consequences on the humanitarian side as well as on the security side.”

Losing Hodeida would certainly be a blow to the Houthis, who used the port as a resource in their conflict.

“It would put them at a major military disadvantage and they would be isolated,” says Al-Dawsari.

“So it will definitely tip the scales in favour of the government and the coalition, but it’s too early to tell what implications the battle has for the Yemen conflict altogether.”

http://en.rfi.fr/20180529-yemen-port-city-may-change-hands-conflict-far-over/

(* A H K)

Battle for rebel-held Yemen port may trigger humanitarian disaster

Saudi-led forces are eight miles from Hodeidah, where 80% of aid supplies are handled

“First, we will cut off supply lines, especially between [the rebel-held capital] Sana’a and Hodeidah. Then we will place Hodeidah under siege and bring them down, perhaps without a fight,” said a spokesman for the so-called National Resistance forces on Wednesday.

Western countries in the past have successfully dissuaded Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates from bombing the port, saying its destruction would lead to widespread death and famine. About 80% of Yemen’s humanitarian and commercial aid runs through Hodeidah.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/31/battle-for-rebel-held-yemen-port-may-trigger-humanitarian-disaster

Comment: The Guardian's disturbing narrative placing too much emphasis on Iran:
'(The taking of the port) would also cast doubt on Iran’s willingness to discuss the future of the war-torn country – including any commitments to provide humanitarian aid'.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1760624310657258

(* A K)

Yemeni forces prepare for assault on vital port

A Yemeni commander says pro-government forces are planning an all-out assault on the Red Sea port of Hodeida, a lifeline for aid to the war-ravaged country.

Ahmed al-Kawkabani, who leads a force known as Tohama Brigade, said Wednesday that the troops are 13 kilometers (eight miles) from the rebel-held city, but need time to prepare for a "swift takeover with minimal casualties."

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/05/30/yemeni-forces-prepare-for-assault-on-vital-port.html

(* A K)

Yemen forces plan siege of key rebel-held port

Pro-government forces in Yemen are preparing to surround a key Red Sea port in a bid to force Huthi rebels to surrender it without a fight, military sources said Wednesday.

At least 60 fighters were killed in the latest clashes and air strikes, according to medical sources.

Loyalist fighters backed by Saudi and Emirati forces are sending reinforcements ahead of a "new operation" to enter Hodeida city and seize its port, a commander from one of the forces said.

Colonel Sadiq Duwaid, spokesman for the "National Resistance", one of three main forces taking part in the operation, said it was "being bolstered by new forces... that will take part in retaking Hodeida".

"First, we will cut off supply lines, especially between (rebel-held capital) Sanaa and Hodeida, then we will place the Huthis under siege and bring them down, perhaps without a fight," he said.

Clashes broke out east of the port city on Wednesday while the Saudi-led coalition carried out numerous air strikes on rebel positions, Yemeni military sources said.

https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/yemen-forces-plan-siege-key-rebel-held-port-doc-15g8t71

My comment: They clearly tell how they will starve out Northern Yemen: "First, we will cut off supply lines, especially between (rebel-held capital) Sanaa and Hodeida“.

And

''The people of #Hodeidah are eagerly waiting for the coalition and the resistance forces to liberate the city and rid them from the #Houthi forces of tyranny and aggression,'' Colonel Sadiq Dwaid, spokesman of the National Resistance said.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1001942684075020290

My comment: This is bizarre propaganda. They eagerly wait for beeing bombed, shelled, killed and displaced. That’s it.

And how Emirati propaganda tells it:

(* A K pS)

Liberation of Hodeidah and its port underway in line with military plan that Houthis will not expect: Spokesman of Yemeni National Resistance

Colonel Sadiq al-Duweid, Spokesman of the National Resistance in Yemen, has emphasised that the Yemeni Resistance Forces in all their formations and with the strong participation and support of the UAE Armed Forces operating within the Arab Coalition, have advanced to the outskirts of the Hodeidah city, less than 15 kilometres from the city and 11 kilometres from its airport, in a qualitative and well-planned military operation, which deprived the Houthi militias loyal to Iran of its ability to withstand and remain stationed on the ground amid a mass fleeing of their commanders from the first rank towards the mountains and a state of defeat and refraction in their ranks.

In an interview with the Emirates News Agency, WAM, Al-Duweid added that the liberation of Hodeidah is in accordance with a military plan, which the members of the Houthi militias are not expecting. A crushing and overwhelming defeat awaits them on the Red Sea Coast of Yemen against heavy military equipment with the participation and support of the Arab Coalition fighter jets, armoured vehicles, tanks and artillery in addition to massive military reinforcements in preparation for the final battle to get rid of the militias and defeat the coup plan in Yemen in record time.

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302692037

and by the Hadi government:

(A K P)

Yemen PM claims victory over Houthis in Al-Hudaydah

Army forces are on the cusp of victory against Houthi rebels in Yemen’s western Al-Hudaydah province, Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr said Wednesday.

Fighting, he said, was still underway in the province, where a Saudi-led coalition is supporting pro-government forces on the ground, Yemen’s government-run SABA news agency quoted bin Daghr as saying.

“Our victory in Al-Hudaydah will be followed by the liberation of the Taiz, Ibb, Al-Mahwit and Saada provinces,” the prime minister said.

The “liberation” of Al-Hudaydah’s strategic seaport, he added, “will allow us to secure navigation and maintain security in international waters”.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/yemen-pm-claims-victory-over-houthis-in-al-hudaydah/1160721

and

(A K P)

Yemeni Prime Minister Daghr Claims Victory Over Houthis in Al-Hudaydah

Army forces are on the cusp of victory against Houthi rebels in Yemen’s western Al-Hudaydah province, Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr said Wednesday.

Fighting, he said, was still underway in the province, where a Saudi-led coalition is supporting pro-government forces on the ground, Yemen’s government-run SABA news agency quoted bin Daghr as saying.

“Our victory in Al-Hudaydah will be followed by the liberation of the Taiz, Ibb, Al-Mahwit and Saada provinces,” the prime minister said.

The “liberation” of Al-Hudaydah’s strategic seaport, he added, “will allow us to secure navigation and maintain security in international waters”.

https://www.albawaba.com/news/yemeni-prime-minister-daghr-claims-victory-over-houthis-al-hudaydah-1139240

My comment: Propaganda „embedded“ into fighting.

And

(A P)

Bin Daghr : we will secure the freed areas and pay the salaries

The Yemeni prime minister said today (Wednesday) that the government will take responsibility in securing the freed governorates and directorates in Hodeida ( west Yemen) and provide services and pay the salaries.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99226

My comment: They could not even secure their capital city Aden, nor pay slaries to many just there.

And more propaganda, by Saudi media:

(A K P)

Hodeidah: Houthis’ Last Terminal

Abdul Malik al-Houthi frankly admitted his militias’ successive losses after Yemeni forces have become less than 20 kilometers away from the port of Hodeidah, which has been exploited by the Houthi militias to receive Iranian weapons, carry out piracy operations and looting of aid ships.
His statements revealed his militias’ military bankruptcy and reflected a clear and unprecedented spirit of defeatism. This is perhaps because the decisive period for the liberation of Hodeidah from rebels has come close, especially that Houthis have acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining the governorate, where the most important Yemeni port is located.
The Houthi leader called on the militia elements not to panic and leave the battlefields, and begged the tribes in his speech not to disperse and leave his side.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1285841/salman-al-dossary/hodeidah-houthis%E2%80%99-last-terminal

and while Houthi statements are far from reality:

(A K pH)

Al-Junaid: Coalition will face big surprises in west coast

Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs Mahmoud al-Junaid said Saudi-led coalition would face big surprises that will lead to defeating its forces it in the west coast fronts.
"The Yemeni people are on the verge of victory over the aggression forces," said al-Junaid on Wednesday evening, during a ceremony organized in the capital Sanaa in commemoration of the martyr president Saleh al-Sammad.
Al-Junaid referred to good news come successively from the west coast fronts about great victories achieved by the Yemeni army fighters.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497690.htm

(A K pS)

Film: This is how the trenches, fortifications and preparations of the #Houthi militia collapsed before the heroes of the Joint Forces in the Western Coast Front.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1001919074190921735

(A K pS)

Houthis booby trap and loot Hodeidah seaport ahead of losing it

Local and military sources told al-Sharq al-Awsat daily that the Houthi rebel militias have been booby trapping the seaport of Hodeida and plundering government facilities ahead of the expected arrival of the armed forces.

At the same time the militia has made a last desperate attempt to defend their hold on the port by mobilizing hundreds of their militants from Sanaa, Amran, Mahweet, Hajja, Raymah and Dhamar into the periphwery of the embattled city.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18914

(A K pS)

Southern Giants Troops Loots a Huge Ballistic Missiles System

After liberating new parts in Al-Hodeida, the Southern Giants Troops seized a ballistic missiles system that Al-Houthi militias used to target Saudi territories and southern resistance posts in the west coast. (photo)

http://en.smanews.org/southern-giants-troops-loots-a-huge-ballistic-missiles-system

and

The Joint Forces have seized missiles the #Houthis have prepared in the Western Coast Front in order to target the international navigation.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1001923287323172864

My comment: To target what?? Nice propaganda.

(A K P)

Houthi Militias Evacuate Iranian Advisors from Yemen’s Hodeidah

The Houthi militants in Yemen’s Hodeidah have evacuated dozens of Iranian “advisors” from the city as the Yemeni army, backed by the Arab coalition, continued its advance in the area.
Secretary of the Hodeidah district, Walid al-Qadimi told Asharq Al-Awsat that some 50 Iranian experts were evacuated from the city towards the capital Sanaa and the Hajjah region, where masses of Houthis fighters are deployed.
He revealed that the Iranians were evacuated in ambulances, in violation of international rules of war.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1284666/houthi-militias-evacuate-iranian-advisors-yemen%E2%80%99s-hodeidah

My comment: As claimed by Saudi media. It’s quite dubious whether there should be any „Iranian advisors“; this sounds like a propaganda story.

(* A K)

Iona Craig: Just back from Red Sea coast frontlines. Aside from laying thousands of land mines, Houthis not putting up much of a fight. Plus, Tihama Resistance who’ve been fighting for more than a year, not exactly delighted by presence of Tareq Saleh’s forces or them getting all the credit.

In the Houthis' wake, a collection of mines coalition forces said they retrieved from just 100 meter stretch of sand in Hodeidah governorate, #Yemen. As we moved north with anti-Houthi fighters, civilians fled in the opposite direction. (photos)

https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/1000976777169309696

https://twitter.com/ionacraig/status/1001913562825216002

cp2 Allgemein / General

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

(* B K P)

Analysis: Three reasons driving Saudi Hudaydah offensive despite UN warning

Regardless of the advancement extent, a set of reasons could be enumerated for the coalition’s push to seize the port city from the Yemeni forces.

Three years of conflict has taught the inexperienced Saudi decision-makers that they will never manage to defeat the united Ansarullah and Yemen army for the full occupation of the Arab country. A war that was scheduled to end in fall of Sana’a the capital within three weeks, has lasted three years and shows no outlook for the end. Instead, Ansarullah has solidified its military and operational capabilities. Now seizure of the significant port is high on the agenda of Riyadh and its allies to realize the partition plan. Over the history of Riyadh-Sana’a relations, the Arab kingdom worked to keep Yemen weak. An impaired Yemen, they think, serves the Saudi Arabian interests.

Riyadh’s interests rest in exploiting Yemen’s strategic position and steering out of Yemeni home developments that could pose risks to the ruling Al Saud family’s throne. A strong Yemen is potentially dangerous to Saudi rule with regard to the two sides’ dispute s in oil-rich Asir, Jazan, and Najran provinces. Yemen has the second largest population in the Arab Peninsula after Saudi Arabia. Riyadh backed the six-region federation initiative, proposed in January 2014 by the then President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, exposing its fear of a powerful central government in Sana’a.

US-Oked Saudi-Emirati expansionism

Many analysts assert that an attraction by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Yemen’s natural resources, beautiful islands, and geopolitically-important position stood as a key drive to the military campaign launching. The expansionist intentions of Abu Dhabi in Socotra Island on the southern coast substantiate the experts’ claims. The highly strategic Perim Island in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait is controlled by the Israeli regime in the absence of a strong central government.

In their push for seizing Hudaydah, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, with the US green light, are apparently disregarding the last year and recent warning about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen by the UNSC.

http://en.abna24.com/news/comment/analysis-three-reasons-driving-saudi-hudaydah-offensive-despite-un-warning_895925.html

My comment: A pro-Houthi viewpoint.

(* B K P)

Film: Max Blumenthal Reveals Surveillance Program in Yemen Run by Cambridge Analytica

Journalist Max Blumenthal published documents showing how Cambridge Analytica's parent company SCL Group ran a secret counter-insurgency operation in Yemen on behalf of a US-based military contractor, called Project Titania. The UK government likely contracted it, exploiting NGOs and spying on populations in the Middle East

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxsX42Hx7Ag

referring to the report already linked in YPR 417, cp1: https://grayzoneproject.com/2018/05/23/scl-group-yemen-surveillance-cambridge-analytica/

(* B K P)

Film: The Coalition has purposely targeted, just in the first year of war, journalists, media facilities, private homes of journalists.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1762309987155357/

(* B H K)

Film: «Le Yémen est un pays failli aujourd'hui»

De retour d'une semaine de reportage au Yémen, Georges Malbrunot, grand reporter au Figaro, livre ses impressions sur un pays anéanti par quatre ans de guerre.

http://video.lefigaro.fr/figaro/video/le-yemen-est-un-pays-failli-aujourd-hui/5792287181001/ = https://www.msn.com/fr-be/video/sport/%C2%ABle-y%C3%A9men-est-un-pays-failli-aujourdhui%C2%BB/vp-AAy6dHo

(A P)

Leaders in General public Congress (Saleh Wing) meet Mohammed bin Zayed

High officials in general public congress party ( the ex-president Ali Saleh party members abroad) met (Wednesday) the crown prince of UAE and defense minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed.

this meeting comes in the efforts of Emirates to regather the party leaders allied to the former president Saleh after collapsing of the party due to the death of Saleh and division into three wings, one allied to the president Hadi, one under Houthis control and Saleh wing which most of his members live abroad.

UAE is working on reinforcing Saleh wing by reaching the leaders who ditch Houthis after Saleh Attempt to coup on Houtis last December.

UAE also support the rebuild of the republican guard's forces under many new names such as (National resistance, republic guards) under the command of Tariq Saleh which his troops are fighting Houthis at the west coast now.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99261

(A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* B K P)

Yemen: The Anti-Houthi Coalition Is Losing Its Foundation

The coalition fighting against Yemen's Houthi rebels has long been comprised of a wide array of forces, each with their own goals, intentions and prerogatives. The numerous Yemeni actors fighting under the umbrella of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) coalition share a common cause, but that shared cause won't last forever. Once the fight against the Houthis ends, competing loyalties will take priority and new conflicts will arise in Yemen. Recently, a couple of issues have highlighted the underlying tensions within the coalition that threaten to keep Yemen in conflict long after the Houthis are defeated.

The coalition's imminent takeover of the al-Hudaydah port also underlines the uneasy unity in Yemen. The port is a major entry point for imports, and the GCC coalition is intent on reclaiming it from the Houthis to hinder Iran from equipping Houthi rebels. However, it's unclear who will govern the area or control the port once it has been taken.

The forces within the GCC coalition agree that southern Yemen should not be under Houthi control, though the disagreement has already begun over who should control the region.

https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/yemen-anti-houthi-coalition-losing-its-foundation

(B P)

Insults during the holy month: How Ramadan comedy turned political in Yemen

Critics fear the new area of conflict is the start of a cultural war which will cause long-term damage

The politics of the three-year conflict, which has killed more than 10,000 people, has started to seep into popular entertainment and manifested itself as satirical attacks on opponents.

Humour in Yemen is built around TV (there are no comedy clubs), with the focus on slapstick and sketches.

The ministry of culture takes responsibility for the arts, to the extent that many of its employees are actors. Usually, if material is deemed to be offensive, then the ministry would intervene and sometimes censor it.

But over the past three years, Yemeni channels have been taken over by each of the warring sides in the conflict: now broadcasters, who are no longer beholden to advertisers or censorship, only promote their own political views and attack their opponents.

Few TV channels and comedians now work from Yemen. Only Houthi TV channels – which used to be owned by the government until the fall of Sanaa in 2014 - are still based in the country. The government and the Islah party, which has strong links to the Muslim Brotherhood, broadcast from overseas, often from Saudi Arabia or Turkey.

This year, comedians started insulting rival sides from the first day of Ramadan. The response from political and social activists was instant.

The new strain of humour has its defenders, however. Mohammed Ridha, an Islahi member living in Taiz, says that the current crop of comedians and shows are only reflecting the everyday realities of a society dominated by war.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/ramadan-comedy-yemen-war-tv-political-war-holy-month-1040109511

(* B H K P)

Editorial: Nations could stop Yemen's deadly crisis -- but won't

The April gathering secured more than $2 billion in aid for Yemen for 2018. Just under $1 billion came from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The United States and Britain pledged $237 million and $87 million, respectively.

How's this for a dilemma: The largest donors to the international humanitarian relief effort in Yemen are also the largest contributors of the armed conflict that has reduced this nation on the Arabian Peninsula to smoldering ruins.

International players have shown little interest in peace for Yemen. In recent months, Germany, Belgium and Norway stopped arms sales to warring parties in Yemen, but France and Britain have renewed pledges of support to the Saudi and UAE coalition. In March, the U.S. State Department announced a $1 billion defense deal with Saudi Arabia that includes parts and maintenance support for Saudi tanks and helicopters and the sale of 6,700 anti-tank missiles.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is totally man-made. It could be contained and a peace process put in motion. The problem is that the nations that could stop the crisis won't.

https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/editorial-nations-could-stop-yemens-deadly-crisis-wont

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

(* A P)

An international shipping line suspend his activities Aden port

As a result of the complicated procedures at Aden port imposed by the Arabic coalition in the past few months, one of the most famous shipping lines in the world suspend its activities.

The management of “Ever Green) has notified Aden port authorities that the company suspended all its activities including the shipping, loading, and unloading from and to Aden international port.

The company added this comes after the increasing the strains imposed by the Arabic coalition on navigation activities.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99284

My comment: It is remarkable that the Saudi coalition also blocks the harbours of the “liberated” territories.

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B H K)

Film: I got out to bring a lunch food my family, then the#Saudi coalition jet hit my house, when I arrived a house I found that most of my family were killed, Salwa has lost 13 members of her family due one of #Saudi coalition attacks

https://www.facebook.com/StopTheWarOnYemen/videos/vb.319595141544022/874081039428760/?type=2&theater

(* B H)

'Shells still land in our areas': Ramadan in war-torn Taiz

Yemenis suffer from limited access to food and water during the holy month, after more than three years of war.

Most of the city has been thrust into poverty, with frequent reports of food and water shortages and hospitals struggling to function without access to medical supplies.

Typically, Yemenis shopped for food and gifts during the late hours of the Ramadan day, but a shortage of currency and a depreciation in the exchange rate has left many with little purchasing power.

About 1.2 million civil servants have not received their salaries for the past 14 months - in an effort by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis to force the group into submission.

"The war and the siege have pushed up the prices of basic goods, and people still haven't received their salaries," one resident told Al Jazeera.

With many struggling to get their hands on basic necessities, shoppers drawn to markets during previous Ramadans have disappeared.

"Prices are rising, and that's a huge burden for us," a shop owner told Al Jazeera.

"I used to buy goods for a cheap price now that's impossible."

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/land-areas-ramadan-war-torn-taiz-180531110034825.html

(A H)

Doctors without Borders Organization partially resume activities at Taiz

Doctors without Borders Organization has announced today (Saturday) resuming activities partially at the public hospitals in Taiz city after a month of suspension.

The organization said this decision comes after receiving guarantees to reinforce security on Taiz hospitals and prevent violations against medical staff by the armed militia.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99293

(A H)

Monareliefye.org delivers 50 families with special needs food aid baskets in Sanaa (photos)

https://www.monareliefye.org/single-post/2018/06/03/Monareliefyeorg-delivers-50-families-with-special-needs-food-aid-baskets-in-Sanaa

(* B H)

Film: Ali* works to help provide for his five siblings. In #Yemen 13 million children are at risk of losing out on their childhood.

https://twitter.com/savechildrenmee/status/1002521412643573760

(* A H)

International Organization for Migration: IOM Yemen Weekly Situation Report 20 May - 26 May 2018

IOM started installing one of the largest solar WASH systems in Yemen. The first 120 kw solar power system has been successfully installed on the roof of Senan Hatroum School, supporting 25,000 IDPs, host communities, and other conflict affected individuals, and the local water authorities in improving efficiency.

There was an outbreak of malaria and dengue fever in a prison in Hodeidah. IOM screened 338 prisoners to positively identify and treat 49 cases of malaria and 149 cases of dengue fever. 32 of these cases were referred to higher level healthcare facilities.

1,782 conflict-affected children benefitted from a range of activities in Child-Friendly Spaces (CFSs) in Sana’a and Aden, and four children were referred to focused PSS.

Provided healthcare assistance to 11,164 IDPs and other conflict affected Yemenis and 1,140 migrants during the reporting week through IOM-supported healthcare facilities across Yemen.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-weekly-situation-report-20-may-26-may-2018

(* B H)

Save the Children: WHERE IN THE WORLD IS IT HARDEST TO BE A CHILD?

The End of Childhood Index compares data for 175 countries, ranking the places where childhood is most and least threatened around the world.

Compare Childhood Enders by Country, and see special figures

Yemen: Index rank 145; Germany: Index rank 12; Croatia Index rank 28; United States: Index rank 36; Russia Index rank 37; China Index rank 40.

https://campaigns.savethechildren.net/end-of-childhood?hootPostID=eea2de11c48b9d5007409eb7fa2af473#googtrans(en|de)

(* B H)

Famine Early Warning System Network: Yemen Key Message Update, May 2018

Continued port functioning critical as increased conflict continues in Al Hudaydah

Large populations in Yemen continue to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity. As worst-affected households begin to exhaust their coping capacity, populations may begin to move into Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) even in the absence of additional disruptions. In a worst-case scenario, significant declines in commercial imports below requirement levels and conflict that cuts populations off from trade and humanitarian assistance for an extended period could drive food security outcomes in line with Famine (IPC Phase 5).

In recent weeks, increased conflict has continued in Al Hudaydah. FEWS NET remains concerned about any conflict that could result in damage or disrupted operations at the ports of Al Hudaydah and Salif, which could significantly affect the commercial flow of imported food and fuel. These two ports represent approximately 70 percent of monthly food imports and 40-50 percent of monthly fuel imports into Yemen.

WFP reports indicate that the first containerized cargo vessel arrival in Al Hudaydah port since November 2017 took place in late May 2018. The absence of flows of containerized cargo through Al Hudaydah is believed to be one major factor driving lower import levels for some essential commodities, such as cooking oil, through Al Hudaydah compared to levels observed in 2017.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-key-message-update-may-2018

(B H)

World Food Programme: Yemen: Emergency Dashboard, May 2018

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-emergency-dashboard-may-2018

(B H)

Audio: Emergency cash project sends money to Yemen families

UNICEF and the World Bank have commenced a joint project called the Yemen Emergency Cash Transfer Project, which has sent money to 1.5 million families in Yemen.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/emergency-cash-project-sends-money-to-families-in-yemen/9821896

(B H)

Yemen: Humanitarian Dashboard (January - April 2018)

Despite a difficult operating environment some 156 international and national partners in January through April were actively coordinating to assist people with the most acute needs in priority districts across Yemen’s 22 governorates. Together they have assisted over 7.4 million people monthly with some form of humanitarian assistance.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-dashboard-january-april-2018

(B H)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Infographic: Yemen: Organizations 3W Operational Presence (April 2018)

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-organizations-3w-operational-presence-april-2018

(* B H)

Film: Jemen - Leben auf einem Friedhof und tranken vom Abwasser bis eure Pakete kamen !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXTAkDhngW8

(* B H)

Film: Kindheits-Index: "Seit dem Luftangriff ist mein Vater bettlägrig"

Die Kinderrechtsorganisation "Save the Children" hat erneut die Situation von Kindern weltweit verglichen. Das Ergebnis: Hunderte Millionen Kinder leben unter menschenunwürdigen Bedingungen. Drei Schicksale aus dem Jemen, Kenia und dem Irak.

http://www.spiegel.de/video/kinder-in-not-save-the-children-veroeffentlicht-index-video-99017950.html = http://www.spiegel.de/video/kinder-in-not-save-the-children-veroeffentlicht-index-video-99017950.html

(A H)

@monarelief's team delivering food aid baskets to children in Hajjeh in northern #Yemen (photo)

https://twitter.com/monarelief/status/1001971804318191616

(A H)

@monarelief delivering food aid baskets in #Mahweet yesterday..(photo)

https://twitter.com/monarelief/status/1001971117563801602

(A H)

Photos: Monareliefye.org distributed today 51 food aid baskets in Amanat Al-Asimah Sana'a in a project funded by an anonymous donor in Ireland.

https://www.monareliefye.org/single-post/2018/05/22/Monareliefyeorg-distributes-51-food-baskets-funded-by-anonymous-donor-in-Ireland

(A H)

Photos: Monareliefye.org distributed today 106 food aid baskets to the most vulnerable families in Bajel area of #Hodeidah in western #Yemen
Our project was funded by Partners Relief and Development Organization for the second time during the last three months.

https://www.monareliefye.org/single-post/2018/05/30/Monareliefyeorg-distributes-106-food-baskets-in-Hodeidah

(* B H)

National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response: The Foundation supports and operates 37 health facilities in 6 governorates, benefiting 85,300 people

Since the outbreak of the war, the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response has adopted relief projects to meet the basic needs of health services during crises and emergencies, intensifying its efforts and expanding its work to move to new governorates and remote districts whose population is in desperate need of access to primary health care services.

The Foundation's chief executive Director Dr. Fares Al-Waeel confirmed that the foundation responded to the health emergencies in Yemen after the health system collapsed and stopped hundreds of health facilities from work, and dedicated all its human and material resources to deliver medical services to those in need in six governorates, classified as areas affected mainly by War and displacement.

From the beginning of 2017 until April 2018, the Foundation supported the operation of 37 health facilities in the governorates of Al-Bayda, Sana'a, Ibb, Amran, Al-Jawf and Al-Mahwit Governorates, most of which stopped working due to war conditions and lack of operational budget.

He pointed out that the Foundation has worked on rehabilitating and operating these facilities and providing them with medicine on a monthly basis. It also supplied them with medical equipment, supplies, furniture and electrical systems using solar energy, in addition to supporting the medical staff working there with monthly financial incentives.

The health facilities supported by the Foundation were distributed in six districts in Al-Bayda Governorate with 16 facilities, 7 facilities in Al-Mahwit Governorate, 3 facilities in Ibb Governorate, 3 facilities in Sana'a Governorate, 3 facilities in Amran Governorate and 3 facilities in Al-Jawf Governorate. Provided services varied from Treatment of acute water diarrhea, Primary health care, women's care, safe motherhood, reproductive health and child immunization.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/foundation-supports-and-operates-37-health-facilities-6-governorates-benefiting-85300

(* B H)

These illustrations perfectly capture how the war in Yemen has impacted one family’s life

In 2015 the war changed everything. Water, fuel, fertilizers and pesticides shot up in price. Water for the farm that used to cost £27 a day now cost £251. When the drought hit Yemen and the rain stopped, it became impossible for Abdu to keep his crops alive.

Abdu went on the search for other ways of making a living but the conflict made it unsafe to travel around the country. Besides, much of the farmlands that were once a sustainable source of income for local people were now diminished. He was able to earn some money working on one larger farm that did manage to survive – but the wages just weren’t enough to provide the basics for his family.

https://www.rescue-uk.org/article/these-illustrations-perfectly-capture-how-war-yemen-has-impacted-one-familys-life

(A H)

Real time pictures Funded by @PartnersRelief @monarelief distributing now food aid baskets to the most vulnerable families in Bajel district of Hodeidah in western #Yemen where is the battlefield is going on @monareliefye's team put their lives @ risk to save more lives n #Yemen

https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1001825131503718400

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B H)

How Yemeni Refugees Photographed Their World

As part of our series ‘Picturing Refugees,’ anthropologist Nathalie Peutz and photographer Nadia Benchallal discuss self-representation and the social significance of imagery after working with nine Yemeni refugees to document their lives in Djibouti over a year.

Around 280,000 Yemenis have managed to escape across the country’s borders since Saudi-led coalition airstrikes began in 2015. Among them are 38,000 people who took boats across the Red Sea to the small African nation of Djibouti.

Anthropologist Nathalie Peutz wanted to document the experiences of Yemeni refugees in Djibouti. Working with French-Algerian photographer Nadia Benchallal, she gave cameras to nine refugees in Markazi camp, in the coastal town of Obock. They captured images of their lives over the course of a year, as part of a project supported by NYUAbu Dhabi.

The U.N. refugee agency-run camp shelters around 1,700 Yemeni refugees, most of whom are unable to return to Yemen due to continued fighting but are unlikely to be resettled in other countries due to decreasing resettlement places.

As part of our series “Picturing Refugees,” we talked to Peutz and Benchallal about how imagery and meaning shifts when refugees are behind the lens themselves.

Peutz: Yes, they began by taking photos of things that they wanted other people to see, like the conditions in the camp. But there are only so many photos you can take of these things. People began to take photos of their everyday lives and things that were important to them. They took photographs of their children, just as I take photos of my children. (photos)

https://www.newsdeeply.com/refugees/community/2018/05/31/how-yemeni-refugees-photographed-their-world

(* B H)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen UNHCR Update, 1 - 14 May 2018

UNHCR is bracing for further displacement and a spike in humanitarian needs as hostilities intensify in frontline areas on Yemen’s west coast. The number of newly displaced people in Yemen’s southern Governorates, continues to increase and has reached 15,678 families (110,000 individuals) as of 13 May. Almost two thirds of people have fled fighting in Al Hudaydah Governorate. Since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2015, two million people have been internally displaced, 89 per cent of whom have been out of their homes for more than 12 months.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-update-1-14-may-2018

(* A H)

UN Migration Agency Helps Over 100 Ethiopian Migrants Return Home from Yemen

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, helped some 101 Ethiopian migrants leave Yemen through Hudaydah Port as clashes grew closer to the area. The migrants are currently travelling via the Gulf of Aden to Djibouti, which they will transit through on their way home to Ethiopia. IOM is providing transport assistance at all stages of the journey in cooperation with its Government partners.

The group that left Yemen around noon yesterday, included nearly 51 women and 33 children, who had become stranded in the country.

https://www.iom.int/news/un-migration-agency-helps-over-100-ethiopian-migrants-return-home-yemen

(* B H)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen Situation Report April 2018

Over the month, the violence continues to plague the war-ravaged country which has raised serious protection concerns for civilian lives and resulted in worsening the overall humanitarian situation and the suffering of Yemeni people.

In Al Hudaydah hub, there were new displacements reported in Al Hudaydah city, Al Garrahi,
Jabal Ra's and Zabid districts. It was reported that two IDP hosting sites were targeted by airstrikes in Al Hudaydah city and Hays district which resulted in a number of casualties and injuries among sites residents.

In Sana’a hub, the active fighting in Nata’ district (Al-Baydha) hindered the humanitarian access to the affected population.

In Sa’adah hub, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Sa’adah and Al Jawf governorates due to the continuation of airstrikes and fighting on the ground

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-situation-report-april-2018

(* B H)

National Human Rights Commission urges government to aid Yemeni refugees

Justice Ministry currently preventing Yemenis from leaving Jeju Island

South Korean National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) chairperson Lee Sung-ho issued a statement on June 1 urging the government to improve poor human rights conditions for Yemeni refugee applicants on Jeju Island.

According to Jeju’s local immigration office, Yemeni nationals accounted for 479 of 869 international residents who applied for refugee status on the island between January and May 24 of this year. Many of the applicants were reportedly whole families including small children.

Yemeni refugees are currently arriving on Jeju Island through a no-visa immigration system.

“The Justice Ministry is confining refugees to Jeju Island without any appropriate measures in place,” said Kim Seong-in, who heads the Refugee Network’s Jeju countermeasures committee.

“This has caused inconveniences for refugees and Jeju residents alike and urgently demands action from the central government,” Kim added.

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/847404.html

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(* A K P)

Reports: 200 orphans have disappeared at Sanaa orphanage and are believed to have been recruited by Houthi militants.

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1002966466508017665

(A P)

7 insolvent prisoners released in Mahweet

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497922.htm

(A P)

Collaborators of aggression coalition arrested in capital Sanaa

The security forces arrested on Saturday collaborators’ cell of Saudi-led aggression coalition in capital Sanaa, a security official told Saba News Agency.
The arrested were doing to collect an information for the coalition fighter jets.
The collaborators lift 350 of coordinates of military, security and government service and economic Facilities.
Some elements of the cell were working to lift the movements of the political council and leaders of the state members.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497899.htm

(A P)

Police seize recruits cell of Saudi-led aggression in Yemen’s Hodeida

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497858.htm

(A K P)

In the mosques of the capital #Sanaa, the #Houthi clerics are calling on citizens to push their loved ones (sons) to the frontlines to fight with them, saying thay this is a religous duty.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1002677120571756544

(A P)

Houthi official: 'Abu Dhabi is no longer safe'

Houthi spokesperson issues warning amid reported advances by UAE-backed forces on city of Hodeidah in western Yemen.

A spokesperson for the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen has threatened to launch missiles targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In comments carried by Saba news agency, Brigadier General Sharaf Ghaleb Loqman said on Friday that "Abu Dhabi is no longer safe after today".

Loqman also warned investors in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to take his remarks seriously.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/houthi-official-abu-dhabi-longer-safe-180601215207412.html

My comment: Looking at the damage Houthi missiles had done in Saudi Arabia so far, the Emiratis must not be quite afraid of this.

(A P)

Collaborator of aggression coalition arrested in Hajjah

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497856.htm

(A H P)

President directs emergency relief to send to Socotra

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497853.htm

My comment. Look at cp18a. The Sanaa government has its own governor of Socotra although Socotra is 0 % under their control? And all the relief would be needed even more in many parts of Northern Yemen. What a strnge political comedy.

(A P)

Sayyed Al-Houthi warns of domesticating people by int'l organizations

Leader of Revolution Sayyed Abdulmalek Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi on Friday warned against activities by some international organizations which he said "they operating under deceptive headlines but aimed at domesticating our nation."
Sayyed Al-Houthi, in his daily Ramadan lecture broadcasting by al-Masira television channel on Friday evening, said, "the Zionists do not accept any Arab or Islamic State to be strong in a way that may threatening their military superiority."
"Our nation has the right to possess power so that it can protect itself from any foreign military threat," he said.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497851.htm

My comment: Which organisations this should be?

(A P)

The #Houthis have sentenced seven of their so-called supervisors (leading affiliates) to death after being convicted of #corruption , criminal cases and national treason, according to the Houthi-controlled Criminal Court.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1002310248697384961

(A P)

Security service in Ibb release 28 insolvent prisoners

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497735.htm

(A K P)

Film: #Sanaa: rallying to slam Saudi attacks on civilian targets

Yemenis have staged a fresh rally to slam Saudi attacks on civilian targets. A group of oil workers demonstrated in the capital #Sanaa to denounce Saudi Arabia's increasing bombardments on oil supplies and gas stations.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1759357444117278/

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

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B P)

‘War of billboards’ rages in southern Yemen

A less publicized conflict is raging on in Yemen’s port city of Aden between the internationally recognized government and southern separatists.

Rival billboards and posters appear across the city’s main streets showing support to the Saudi-backed government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which calls for the separation of southern Yemen.

“This is a conflict between two rival projects; one calling for maintaining federalism and the other seeking the separation of southern Yemen,” Abdurrakib al-Hadyani, a Yemeni political analyst, told Anadolu Agency.

“Every party is seeking to achieve his goal and gain support for his cause,” he said.

https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/article/35449/ = https://www.albawaba.com/news/yemeni-warring-factions-battle-it-out-aden-demand-southern-separatism-increases-1140528

(A P T)

New Assassination in Taiz! A Yemeni official is the target

Nabeel Jamel the leader in Islah party – Taiz and the head of planning office in Taiz received serious injuries due to an attempt on his life east of the City.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99292

(A P)

Dr. Al-Khabjy: Meetings of Southern Leaders in Abu Dhabi Were Very Positive, Bridged all the Gaps and Established the Pillars of the Upcoming Southern State

Accordingly, in response to the historic, national and political responsibilities of the Southern Transitional Council under the most difficult conditions and during the most complicated stages, and in confirmation to the importance of joint work and unified southern political vision, meetings of Abu Dhabi, generously hosted by UAE, witnessed major understandings that could be described as historic as all national figures were ken on rapprochement and unifying the political vision and path of the southern national line.
Meetings were very fruitful as many points and major broadlines were agreed upon. Meeting will continue till it leads to wide working plan that includes the expansion of the council, supporting its work and improving its representative and administrative functions.

http://en.smanews.org/dr-al-khabjy-meetings-of-southern-leaders-in-abu-dhabi-were-very-positive-bridged-all-the-gaps-and-established-the-pillars-of-the-upcoming-southern-state

My comment: Southern separatists claim: The UAE support us and our goal of forming a separate Southern Yemeni state.

(A H)

father killed 4 kids & wife #Yemen Lahj city. Some said he committed crime after he found himself unable to support family. Others said he's suffering from a mental illness. Whatever motive, desperate families in Yemen killed themselves before. Thanks to warmongers (poto)

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1002758041580769280

and

I just received news with photos that a poor man killed him self and his family in Karesh area #Lahj, because he could not feed them.

https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1002654835395657728

(A P)

Calls mount for the release of Nidhal Bahweireth

The Yemen Journalists' Union in the temporary capital has joined a mounting social pressure and calls for the release of Imam of Al-Dhoheibi Mosque and senior education figure in the district of Crater in Aden, Sheikh Nidal Bahweireth.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18939

(A P)

#Saudi interest in east #Yemen's #Mahra is growing. The Saudi Ambassador + entourage flew into al-Ghayda last night. He spoke of improving electricity, water, health & subsidising fuel. Not everyone agrees Mahra's dev needs require the presence of so much Saudi military hardware (photo)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1002574812261253121

My comment: The population of mahra province had protested against Saudi military occupying the province and against the plans to erect a Wahabism propaganda center.

(A P)

Saudi ambassador arrives to Marib and announce the start of Marib reconstruction program

A local source at Marib city (east Yemen) said that the Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber has arrived today (Thursday) to Marib in his first visit to it.

The sources said Aljaber arrived at the city with a delegation and was in his reception Marib governor Colonel Sultan Alaradah , minister of public works Maeen Abdulmalik and the commander of Saudi forces at Marib Colonel Ali Alenezi.

This is the first time Aljaber visit Marib despite his recurrent visitations to Aden and Socotra island.

According to Anadolu reporter, Aljaber the general supervisor of Yemen reconstruction program announced in his speech the beginning of reconstruction program at Marib according to the Saudi king Salman instructions.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99260

My comment: Wait and see. There will be some gap between promises and what really happens.

And

(A P)

Ambassador Al Jaber announces approval of establishment of regional airport in province of Marib

Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Yemen and General Supervisor of the Saudi Program for the Reconstruction of Yemen Ambassador Mohammed Al Jaber announced the establishment of a regional airport for the Yemeni province of Marib.
He said that in implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and at the request of the legitimate Yemeni government, the Yemen reconstruction program will establish an airport in Marib to link it and its neighboring areas with Yemen's provinces and the region's countries to facilitate transportation, boost the economy and create job opportunities.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1772209

My comment: And please add: … and secure Saudi control and the opportunity to use it for military purposes. – While Sanaa airport stays to be blocked by the Saudis.

(A P)

Fear grips Taiz after mutilated bodies of soldiers found

Fear is gripping the central Yemen city of Taiz after last week's discovery of the bodies of three government soldiers mutilated and dumped in the city's eastern precinct.

Signs of torture were also apparent on the bodies.

The stink of the decomposed bodies led to their discovery in Wadi al-Modam area which has recently been at least ostensibly retaken by the city's official Security Committee from the control of Abu al-Abbas Brigade, an extremist group blamed for widespread assassinations against government soldiers, moderate clerics and political activists. The same group is blamed for killing of an employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the city last April.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18991

and

(A P)

A governmental committee to investigate soldiers mass graves

A governmental committee revealed today(Thursday) 5 soldiers dead bodies executed and buried in Taiz city (south-west Yemen).

Almasdaronline reporter said the governmental committee which assigned by the governor to investigate soldiers execution and buried them secretly, later were found at “wadi mudam” cemetery.

The committee extracted the dead bodies from “wadi mudam” cemetery two were beheaded, the bodies were extracted with an official from the Althawra hospital, the bodies were transported to the alrawdah mortuary.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99263

(A P)

Saudi crown prince meets with Yemen’s president

During the meeting, they discussed developments in Yemen and reviewed the humanitarian relief work for the country’s people

Hadi praised Saudi Arabia’s leadership of the Arab coalition and its support to Yemen against the Houthi militia

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1312926/saudi-arabia

(* A P)

Emirati-backed al Hizam Security Forces seized al Dhaleh cityfrom southern resistance forces in southern al Dhaleh governorate, southern Yemen on May 31, according to local sources. Al Hizam forces seized al Dhaleh city after southern resistance forces attacked al Hizam forces near Abud military base on the northern outskirts of al Dhaleh city on May 30.[4]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-may-31-2018

(A P)

Al-Dhala.. Yemen army leader followers blow up the commander of the special forces house

Followers of Yemeni army leaders blow up a house belongs to another leader yesterday (Wednesday) at Dhala governorate – south Yemen with no casualties.

The locals said to Almasdaronline, armed men follow the commander of the 30 brigade Colonel Abdulkareem Alsayadi blow up the house of the commander of special forces in Ibb governorate colonel Abdu Ahmed Alhalemi at “Hammam marzakha” at Qatab directorate.

This incident happened after two weeks from the last armed clash between the two parties which killed 15 from both sides including Alhalemi son.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99253

(A P)

A Seminar in Adan about “The Upcoming Negotiation Process and How Ready the South is for it”

http://en.smanews.org/a-seminar-in-adan-about-the-upcoming-negotiation-process-and-how-ready-the-south-is-for-it

(A P)

Southern Political Analyst Uncovers the Way Reform Party (Muslim Brotherhood) Controlled Presidency in Yemen

Mansour Saleh, a southern political analyst, uncovered the changes and appointment that happened and are happening on Ben Daghar’s government to empower the reform party to control the state and these changes are not in favor of the citizens or the Yemeni cause.
In a phone call with “Sputnik”, Saleh said: “These recent changes confirm the control of the reform party over presidential orders. These massive changes are not even announced in official agencies but through media leaks”.
He indicated: “The new minister of foreign affairs, Khaled Al-Yamani, is a fierce enemy of the southern transitional council and southern resistance. He is the one who complained for UN about the security belt troops, Shabwa Elites and Hadhramaut Elites, describing them as militias that are out of the state’s control. It is well-known that these troops are established and supported by the Arab Coalition, especially UAE”.

http://en.smanews.org/southern-political-analyst-uncovers-the-way-reform-party-muslim-brotherhood-controlled-presidency-in-yemen

Remark: By southern separatists’ news site, showing the conflct between the southern transitional Council and the hadi government.

(A P)

With Backup of the Arab Coalition, Shabwa Elites Launch a massive Campaign for Preventing Arms Carrying

Shabwa Elites Troops launched a massive campaign for preventing arms carrying in Shabwa. The campaign aims to restore security and order in addition to saving citizens’ lives and decreasing the tribal vengeance phenomenon in the society. The campaign came in full backup and support of the Arab Coalition for restoring security and order.

http://en.smanews.org/with-backup-of-the-arab-coalition-shabwa-elites-launch-a-massive-campaign-for-preventing-arms-carrying

Remark: UAE-backed pro-separatist Yemeni militia.

(A P)

#Yemen's instability is not just about Houthis vs Coalition. Overnight clashes between Southern Resistance & #UAE-back forces in al-Dali' are stark reminder of power struggles INSIDE the South. c.7 dead, many injured. New militias are resurrecting old political/tribal fault-lines

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1002132458136133632 b

(A T)

Human rights organization and Unions denounces assassinations in Taiz and call for measures

Human right and professional organizations denounced the continues of Assassination crimes at Taiz city and called the presidential institution and Yemeni government to support the governor to reactivate the institutions of the state.

The union denounced the criminals behind the assassinations and loos security in the city and called the security authorities to hold their responsibility and bring those outlaws to justice.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99231

(A P)

Hadi meets King Salman after a year from the last meeting

Yemeni President Abdu rabbu Mansoor Hadi met King Salman bin Abdelaziz Tuesday evening in Jeddah – Saudi Arabia.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99224

and

(A P)

King Salman receives President Hadi, renews support for Yemen

The President expressed his pleasure at meeting with King Salman.

He appreciated the king's brotherly attitude towards Yemen and its constitutional legitimacy on all levels and in all circumstances.

He said that these positions will remain present and immortal in the memory of the Yemeni people to embody the unified purpose and common destiny of the two countries.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18913

My comment: Oh my goodness.

(A P)

Yemeni interior minister to UAE after few days of describing it as “occupational State”

The Yemeni interior minister Ahmed Almysari has departed Aden today Wednesday heading to the United Arab Emirates in an official visit for few days.

According to the interior ministry official website, the visit comes after official invitation received by Almysari from his match Sheikh Saif bin Zayed to discuss the security situation in Aden.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99232

and

(A P)

rapprochement ends the dispute between UAE and the interior minister

an official source at the ministry of interior said the minister Ahmed Almaysari visit to UAE achieved rapprochement between both parties after the dispute resulted from the military attitude of UAE in Yemen recently and was described by the Yemeni minister as “State of occupation”.

The interior ministry said according to the source, the visit achieved a success regarding the security sector and discussed the support of Yemeni authorities against terrorism and ways of coordination in it.

Almaysari thanked UAE for its support what for what they provided at the liberated governorates.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99286

and

(A P)

Al-Muiasery: We Appreciate the Great Role of UAE in Supporting the Security Systems in the Liberated Governorates

According to official Yemeni Media agency “Saba”, Ahmed Al-Muiasery, Yemeni minister of interior affairs, appreciated UAE support for security systems in the Yemeni liberated governorates.

http://en.smanews.org/al-muiasery-we-appreciate-the-great-role-of-uae-in-supporting-the-security-systems-in-the-liberated-governorates

My comment: A strange change of mind, because nothing will change and the UAE will not loosen its grip.

(B P)

Elisabeth Kendall: 1 minute clip from my Al Jazeera interview on #UAE & the #Socotra crisis.

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1001856783428833283

My comment: Looking at he UAE in Yemen, there hardly can be any “balance” – one side of the balance would hang down extremely.

(A T)

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants assassinated Emirati-backed al Hizam Rapid Intervention Forces Commander Hud Saleh al Marimi in Zinjibar city, Abyan governorate, southern Yemen on May 30.[2]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-may-30-2018

(A P)

A march with candles in remember of Taiz Massacre

Dozens of people went yesterday (Tuesday) to the liberty plaza in Taiz city (south-west Yemen) after Taraweeh prayer in a march with candles through many city streets in remembrance of the 7th anniversary of liberty plaza massacre.

The march and according to our reporter called for bringing murderers and criminals to justice and consider them war criminals, and emphasis on the goals of 11th of February revolution and win for the martyrs.

The massacre was executed by the regime of the ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 29th of May 2011 in an attempt to break the revolution of February by attacking the liberty plaza and incinerate it and killing and injuring dozens of protesters (photo)

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99218

(A T)

#Yemen: #UAE-backed Rapid Reaction Force commander Hud al-Marimi assassinated in Zinjibar Abyan today. (image)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1001711909941469185

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(A P)

UN envoy Arrives to Sanaa in his last negotiations round

A navigation source at Sanaa airport said today (Saturday) that the UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffith arrived in Sanaa along with his Deputy Maeen Shareem in his last round of negotiations to stop the ongoing war at Yemen.

The source said an aircraft follow the United nations has landed at the airport two hours ago around (1:35 pm ) carrying the UN delegation and some of the Houthis militia officials were at the reception.

This is the second time Martin Griffith visiting Sanaa since he was assigned 3 months ago.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99287 and https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1002878313310904320 (photos)

(A P)

Hadi met the UN envoy to Yemen and emphasis “Peace according to the references “

Yemeni president Abdu rabbu Mansoor Hadi met today (Thursday) the UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffith at the Saudi Capital Riyadh according to Yemeni News agency.

President Hadi emphasis on the steady position in the Peace process which built on the three references (Gulf initiation, National dialog outcomes and the international decisions related especially 2216).

He added our experience with Houthis militia in peace process represent their unwilling to reach the peace since they are only tools in the hands of the Iranian regime and his expansion plans in Yemen and in the region.

Griffith said President Hadi, represent the Yemeni legitimacy which internationally recognized.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99262

My comment: Hadi’s 3 preconditions repeated aai and again since 3yearsnow,cmbined to the bias of the UN as fixed in resolution 2216, had blocked any way to peace since more than 3 years now.

(* B P)

Framing Yemen Peace Negotiations

Prodding the main parties to compromise on entrenched demands and make room for more factions at the negotiating table would be a good first step in moving from escalation to transition.

The next round of negotiations will need to include a wider range of factions, as called for by Yemenis across the political spectrum. At the moment, Griffiths appears to have the trust of the main players—a critical element in making sure that no one party becomes a spoiler. In addition to the Hadi government and the Houthis, he has met with women's groups, the STC, and both factions of the General People's Congress, among others. He may decide to expand the number of parties involved in negotiations, either right away or during an eventual transition—in fact, the GPC and STC are already claiming that they will be involved.

The next round of talks will also have to confront old issues. Past talks have failed in large part because the parties disagree on the order of concessions: the Hadi government wants the Houthis to disarm and withdraw from seized territory prior to reaching a political agreement, while the Houthis want to retain their arms until said agreement is in place, arguing that Hadi's demand would be tantamount to surrender.

Griffiths may also have to contend with each side's general unwillingness to compromise. In past negotiations, President Hadi has appeared reluctant to make decisions or offer any concessions that might undermine his political position, while the Houthis have often played the waiting game, believing the coalition cannot oust them from the capital.

If talks do occur, each side's main conditions will likely be consistent with past negotiations. The Hadi government has generally emphasized three demands: (1) the Houthis must disarm and withdraw from all seized territory, including areas of their northern home province, (2) the transition plan must fit within the framework of the 2011 Gulf Initiative, the National Dialogue Conference outcomes, and UN Security Council Resolution 2216, and (3) any future president must be chosen in elections.

For their part, the Houthis have insisted on the following: (1) the establishment of an interim transitional government led by a presidential council or consensus vice president before elections, (2) their participation in government, and (3) the removal of President Hadi and Vice President Ali Mohsen. Other unconfirmed but likely conditions are the integration of Houthi fighters into the military, reconstruction funds for their home province, and the removal of international sanctions.

U.S. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

The path to peace in Yemen is fraught, so the United States should back the UN special envoy's negotiation strategy in four ways: - by Elana DeLozier

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/framing-yemen-peace-negotiations

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A P)

Festgenommene Aktivisten in Saudi-Arabien weiter in Haft

Trotz internationaler Kritik weigert sich das ultrakonservative Saudi-Arabien, neun Frauenrechtsaktivisten frei zu lassen. Es gebe „hinreichende Beweise“, dass die fünf Männer und vier Frauen den Staat unterwandern wollten und mit „feindlichen“ ausländischen Mächten in Kontakt standen, stand in einer Mitteilung der Staatsanwaltschaft, die das Informationsministerium am Sonntag verbreitete.

Demnach wurden in dem Fall Mitte Mai zunächst 17 Personen festgenommen, von denen acht inzwischen wieder freigelassen wurden. Die neun weiterhin Inhaftierten, unter ihnen die prominente Frauenrechtlerin Ludschain al-Hathlul, haben nach saudischer Darstellung Geständnisse abgelegt.

http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/menschenrechte-festgenommene-aktivisten-in-saudi-arabien-weiter-in-haft/22637348.html

(* A P)

Saudi Arabia says it released eight people in activist crackdown

Saudi Arabia temporarily released eight people accused of communicating with organizations opposed to the kingdom and held nine others in detention, state news agency SPA reported on Saturday.

The public prosecutor said it had interrogated people arrested last month, whom human rights groups and activists identified as women’s rights activists.

In a statement, the public prosecutor said the detainees had admitted to communicating and cooperating with individuals and organizations opposed to the kingdom, recruiting people to get secret information to hurt the country’s interests, and offering material and emotional support to hostile elements abroad.

The statement did not identify the detainees, and Reuters was unable to immediately verify their identity.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arrests/saudi-arabia-says-it-released-eight-people-in-activist-crackdown-idUSKCN1IY0V7

and by Saudi media, sounds more clear:

(* A P)

Saudi Arabia holds 9 suspects for ‘links to hostile organizations’

Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution confirmed on Saturday that 9 detainees had confessed to having contacts with hostile organizations.

A statement released said the ongoing case initially included 17 suspects, eight of whom were released until the completion of the proceedings.

The prosecution said that the nine remaining suspects – five men and four women – faced questioning and were confronted with enough evidence and confessed to the following charges:

1- Having connections to individuals and organizations that were hostile against the kingdom.

2- Recruiting persons from sensitive government agencies in order to obtain confidential information and documents in order to harm the interests of the kingdom.

3- Providing moral and financial support to elements hostile toward the kingdom.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/06/03/Saudi-Public-Prosecution-9-arrested-for-links-to-hostile-organizations.html

Remark: More below and earlier, YPR 417, 416, 415, cp8.

(* B P)

The Message From Saudi's "Reformist" Crown Prince to Saudi Women: Shut Up And Drive

While gaining the right to drive certainly brings Saudi Arabia a step closer to joining the 21st century, the biggest impediment for women has not been the inability to drive--but the male guardianship system that is a form of gender apartheid. Now some of the nation's most vociferous advocates for women's equality are behind bars. Human Rights Watch said the arrests have sparked a "frenzy of fear." Kareem Chehayeb of Amnesty International says that the recent sweeping crackdown on human rights activists is not an anomaly. "While Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to present himself as a reformer, peaceful human rights activism that calls for reforms continues to be criminalized," said Chehayeb. It simply doesn't make sense."

It does make sense, however, when you look at the chilling message it sends to Saudi women. It says that he, Mohammed bin Salman, is the agent of change who will dictate the pace of reform, not the Saudi women who have been fighting for their rights for decades. It says that he, Mohammed bin Salman, deserves and will get the credit for these reforms, not those who have been imprisoned over the years for their advocacy. Bin Salman's message to women is simple: Shut up and drive.

So the next time you hear the hoopla about Saudi women driving or some propaganda story about the reformist crown prince, think about al-Hathloul and the women who have risked their lives not just to drive a car, but to drive out the extreme misogyny that forms the basis of the present-day Saudi regime -by Medea Benjamin

https://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Message-From-Saudi-s--by-Medea-Benjamin-Apartheid_Driving_Gender-Apartheid_Prince-Mohammed-Bin-Salman-180601-392.html

(A P)

Saudi king replaces labor minister, promotes culture, environment

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Saturday replaced the labor minister and set up new government bodies to promote culture and protect the environment as the kingdom seeks to modernize and create jobs for an overwhelmingly young population.

Getting hundreds of thousands of unemployed Saudis into the workforce is a major challenge for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who oversees economic policy for the world’s top oil exporter, where unemployment stands at 12.8 percent.

The Gulf Arab state, which has struggled for years to create jobs for its nationals, aims to create 1.2 million jobs by 2022 to reduce unemployment to 9 percent, a senior labor ministry official has told Reuters.

King Salman on Saturday also appointed Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al al-Sheikh as minister of Islamic affairs, call and guidance. He has previously headed the kingdom’s religious police, whose powers were curbed two years ago as part of broader reforms.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-government/saudi-king-replaces-labor-minister-promotes-culture-environment-idUSKCN1IY00B

(A P)

Saudis answer speculation with video of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Arabia released video said to be shot on Tuesday that showed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a meeting, amid recent speculation about his whereabouts.

The kingdom provided CNN with video that it said showed the crown prince chairing a Council of Economic Affairs and Development meeting in Jeddah on May 29. State-run television aired video of the same meeting.

CNN is unable to verify when the video was shot. (film)

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/30/middleeast/mohammed-bin-salman/index.html

(* B P T)

Bin Laden’s return: Meet the terrorist threatening to overthrow Saudi monarchy

Hamza bin Laden, a son and heir to the infamous terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, has big plans for the future, including overthrowing the Saudi monarchy, capturing Islamic holy cities and taking revenge on the West for his father’s death. Speaking to Sputnik, Russian counterterrorism experts outline the dangers posed by the young jihadist.

But, according to intelligence experts, nowhere is concern with Hamza’s rise greater than in Saudi Arabia, where the young bin Laden has called for a tribal revolt against the monarchy. Riyadh’s recent efforts at moderate social reforms have further complicated the situation, with al-Qaeda taking advantage of conservative attitudes among some segments of Saudi society.

Speaking to Sputnik, Grigory Kosach, professor of Middle East studies at the Russian State University for the Humanities, pointed out that anytime Hamza bin Laden is mentioned in Saudi Arabia, it is always stressed that he is a terrorist and Saudi only by birth, not by citizenship, having been stripped of the latter in 2016 amid repeated denunciations of the monarchy. According to the expert, given the importance of the tribal structure and mentality of Saudi society, the al-Qaeda leader’s calls for an uprising against the monarchy, as dangerous as it is, is not without significance for Riyadh.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/bin-ladens-return-meet-the-terrorist-threatening-to-overthrow-saudi-monarchy/

(B E)

'An enormous, long-standing Ponzi scheme': A court rules that a Saudi business empire was complicit in defrauding more than 100 banks

A dispute involving a Saudi-Arabian business empire ended after the judge ruled it was complicit in defrauding more than 100 banks for billions of dollars.

Liquidators called it "the largest Ponzi scheme the world has ever seen," and the judge labelled it a "cauldron of corruption."

The verdict ended the longest and most expensive case in Cayman Islands history, which began in July 2016 and cost more then $100 million.

A Cayman Islands court ruled the collapse of family owned Saudi conglomerate, Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers ​(AHAB) in 2009, was the result of an $6 billion fraud from within, which the judge labeling the scheme as a "cauldron of corruption."

This case began in July 2016 and produced a 1,348 page verdict, the Cayman Compass reported.

https://www.businessinsider.de/saudi-business-empire-cayman-ruling-2018-6?r=UK&IR=T

(A P T)

Al-Qaeda warns Saudi crown prince over 'sin'

"The new era of Bin Salman replaced mosques with movie theatres," the Yemen-based jihadist group said in its Madad news bulletin, picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group.

He "substituted books that belonged to the imams... with absurdities of the atheists and secularists from the east and the west and opened the door wide for corruption and moral degradation," it said.

In its statement, AQAP slammed April's WWE Royal Rumble event in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, near the Islam's most holy sites in Mecca.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/al-qaeda-warns-saudi-crown-prince-over-sin-085338498.html

(** B P)

Cambridge Analytica’s Parent Company Helped Shape Saudi Arabia’s Reform Movement

The price of oil was in free fall and a youthful population restive.

So the government of Saudi Arabia turned in recent years to the parent company of the political data firm Cambridge Analytica for help, according to Western consultants who worked in the kingdom, company executives and a review of public documents.

The work by Cambridge’s parent, a secretive defense and intelligence contractor called SCL Group, presaged the tumultuous changes that are reshaping the kingdom. The company, now mired in scandals related to its corporate practices and the use of Facebook user data, conducted a detailed population study. It provided a psychological road map of the kingdom’s citizenry and its sentiment toward the royal family, even testing potential reform steps as they charted a path forward to preserve stability.

The consultants and executives spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were bound by nondisclosure agreements.

One proposal tested by the company was lifting a 35-year ban on cinemas in the kingdom, an action that was subsequently taken in December. Another was allowing women to drive, a move that was made last September.

SCL has a long history of quietly helping governments control their populace and wield power. Last year, it was hired by the government of the United Arab Emirates, a close Saudi ally, to conduct a social media campaign against its rival Qatar.

The notion that the company’s psychological research played a role in plotting out the Saudi reform efforts could fuel renewed debate about the intentions of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The prince is variously seen as his region’s most important social and economic reformer, a ruthless opportunist or some combination of the two. To what extent the company influenced the kingdom’s plans is hard to say. But in Prince Mohammed’s telling, winning over the population has been a critical first step – by Danny Hakim

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/31/business/cambridge-analytica-scl-group-saudi-arabia.html

(* B E P)

Saudi housing crisis tests Crown Prince's reform drive

Buying a home is out of the question. A 250-square meter (2,691 square feet) house in Saudi cities costs from 700,000 to 850,000 riyals ($186,000 to $226,000), said Ibrahim Albuloushi, head of U.S. property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle in Saudi Arabia.

That is up to 10 times the annual salary for a low-income family in the Gulf Arab state.

The housing minister says there are plans to build 1 million houses in five years with an investment of over $100 billion, mainly through public-private partnerships. Deals have been signed with South Korean and Chinese firms and U.S. companies have expressed interest.

“Real estate is the mirror of the economy. You cannot build homes if people cannot afford to buy them,” said Abdullah al-Sudairy, chief executive of mortgage finance company Amlak International. “Affordable housing means cost is five to six times annual income... We are not there yet.”

The ministry wants 60 percent of Saudis to own homes by 2020

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-housing-insight/saudi-housing-crisis-tests-crown-princes-reform-drive-idUSKCN1IW0FP

(A P)

'Shameful': Vogue lauds Saudi driving reform amid crackdown on women activists

Magazine puts princess on its cover and celebrates 'trailblazing' women, as Riyadh arrests those who campaigned for ban to be lifted

Social media users were quick to call out the magazine for celebrating the lifting of the driving ban on women while forgetting to mention the Saudi women’s rights activists who first championed lifting the ban. Many of them were arrested earlier this month.

Many commentators also expressed surprise a member of the Saudi ruling family was championed by the magazine when many activists who have campaigned for women's rights for years have been incarcerated.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/shameful-vogue-arabia-celebrates-saudi-driving-ban-lift-activists-remain-locked-1622984711

referring to

(A P)

Exclusive: HRH Hayfa bint Abdullah Al Saud is Vogue Arabia’s June Cover Star

This month, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is putting women in the driving seat – and so are we. HRH Hayfa bint Abdullah Al Saud is the cover star of Vogue Arabia’s history-making June 2018 issue, which celebrates the women of the Kingdom and their wide-reaching achievements.

The landmark issue, which is the first-ever Vogue edition dedicated to Saudi Arabia, places Her Royal Highness in the driving seat for the cover.

https://en.vogue.me/fashion/news/inside-vogue-arabias-groundbreaking-first-ever-saudi-issue/

(* B P)

Time to expose Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman for the tyrant that he is

The recent arrests of at least 11 prominent women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia should finally dispel popular illusions that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, known as MBS, is a progressive force.

For months, commentators in North America and Europe have been fawning over MBS as the shining light of Muslim “reform.” Political leaders and pundits have showered the Saudi prince with hosannas for allowing women to drive and attend sports events, and swooned over his pledge to “return” Saudi Arabia to “moderate Islam” (while also salivating at the prospect of signing lucrative oil and military deals with the kingdom).

These plaudits display a remarkable wilful blindness to the ruthlessly autocratic nature of Mohammad Bin Salman’s role — which has long been evident, even before the current assault on activists campaigning for the very same freedoms he claims to champion.

Saudi’s rate of executions — already among the highest in the world — has doubled since Bin Salman’s ascent to power, according to international human rights organization Reprieve.

MBS has also been responsible for the severe deterioration of human rights in Yemen.

MBS says he wants to restore “moderate Islam,” but continues to exercise extreme state violence in violation of the Islamic legal tradition — which imposes strict prohibitions on targeting civilians in war, and severe restrictions on the use of capital punishment.

As London School of Economics professor Madawi al-Rasheed observes, “the prince’s moderate Islam is a new specific project … that ironically justifies, sanctions, and praises the most radical government practices.”

The Saudi crown prince is, in reality, a pauper on human rights. His valorization continues a long tradition of acclaiming brutal Muslim autocrats friendly to Western interests as salvific reformers of Islam.

“We [the West] count on dictators who will reform, alter, mutilate, mutate, or reconstruct an Islam that is more consistent with our interests,” writes UCLA Distinguished Professor of Law Khaled Abou El Fadl. “These dictators are relied upon to shove the Islam we want down their citizens’ throats, and to silence dissenting voices.”

The support for tyrants like Mohammed Bin Salman relies on several myths long debunked as racist Orientalist fallacies: that the problems in Muslim countries are attributable to faulty interpretations of Islam — as opposed to oppressive political, military, and economic forces that Western governments have been complicit in creating; and that despotic leaders are necessary to reformulate Islam and bring Muslims into modernity.

The enduring popularity of these canards not only produces flawed analyses, but is an insult to the activists throughout the Middle East bravely struggling against authoritarian regimes for justice, freedom, and human dignity – by Azeezah Kanji

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/05/30/time-to-expose-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-for-the-tyrant-that-he-is.html

(A P)

VIOLENT clashes in Saudi Arabia after ARMED militia attack National Guard

VIOLENT clashes have erupted at a Saudi Arabian National Guard building, among report of militants in the building.

Local news site Sabq reported attackers stole the officer’s vehicle before forcing their way into the military location.

The officer is believed to have been on duty at the time.

The armed attackers exchanged fire with the security men in the Taif city building.

The man was taken to hospital, but later died of his injuries.

One attacker is thought to have been detained wounded, but the other has fled the scene.

There have also been additional injuries among security personnel.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/967320/saudi-arabia-violence-armed-attack-national-guard-taif-city

and films:

https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin/status/1001946911035838464

https://twitter.com/zaidbenjamin/status/1001945626421186560

https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1001967674975571968

(* A K P)

TRUMP'S NEW ARMY? SAUDI ARABIA IN TALKS TO BUILD SYRIA ARAB FORCE, REPORT SAYS

Saudi Arabia has reportedly begun talks to bolster the Arab element of a U.S.-backed force tasked with defeating the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Syria.

Turkey's official Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday that three Saudi Arabian military advisers flew to the northern Syrian town of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, to meet with representatives of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which is dominated by Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) but also includes Arab fighters. The Saudi advisers reportedly sought to create a new union of Arab groups in cooperation with Arab tribal Al-Sandid army.

The Turkish report said that Saudi Arabian authorities had set up checkpoints in the Kurd-held northeastern Syrian towns of Al-Hasakah and Al-Qamishli seeking to recruit Arab fighters, who would be paid $200 upon joining.

http://www.newsweek.com/trumps-new-army-saudi-arabia-talks-build-syria-arab-force-reports-say-950023?piano_t=1

My comment: Keep in mind that “legitimacy” in Syria is the Assad government.

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B P)

A Courtroom Appeal for Yemen – Statement

Sentencing Statements by Kathy Kelly and Richard Ochs

In a Washington, D.C. courtroom this past Tuesday, Voices’ Kathy Kelly and her fellow activist Richard Ochs accepted guilty pleas for their part in a January 2018 action at the D.C. office of House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer. They had been protesting the devastating, ongoing three-year war on Yemen, waged with intense U.S. support by the U.S.’ client dictatorship in Saudi Arabia, in coalition with regional allies. We present Kathy’s and Richard’s sentencing statements below, followed by an account of the initial arrest.

Below please find our friend Justin Alexander’s analysis of comparable Senate legislation capable of bringing the issue far more squarely before the American public, and, in his analysis, of ending the war:

http://www.eurasiareview.com/01062018-a-courtroom-appeal-for-yemen-statement/

(* B K P)

America’s Big-Brother ‘News’ Media

The way it works was well displayed, May 25th, on the opinion page of America’s largest-circulation newspaper, USA Today. Each of the three articles there presumed that the US Government is fighting for the public’s interests, and that the countries it invades or threatens to invade are evil. It is all, and always, propaganda for the US military, which is the reason why the US military is the most-respected institution in the United States, despite being the most wasteful and the most corrupt of all federal Departments.

The US public don’t think of the military as being driven by the military corporations — Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, etc. — each corporation deriving that multi-billion-dollar profit annually from selling weapons to the US and to its allied governments, but the public are indoctrinated constantly to think of the US military instead in an admiring way, as if it were being led by and represented the US troops who are operating those weapons to kill foreigners in countries that actually never had invaded nor threatened to invade America, and those troops are America’s presumed heroes, when Americans rate the military as America’s best institution.

The market for these weapons cannot continually expand — meet corporate executives' constant and (in the military field) cancerous growth-addiction — unless new targets for the public to fear and hate (Iran, North Korea, Russia, China, Venezuela, etc.) can be developed and intensified in its public’s deceived mind. America’s ‘news’ media perform that function, for corporate America, to open up extraction-lands (for oil, metals, etc.), and to establish new military anchors there (such as the US now is doing, for example, in Syria’s oil-producing region). This isn't only for corporations such as Lockheed Martin, which manufacture those weapons, but it is also for corporations such as ExxonMobil, which are extractive industries and require extractions from countries all over the world, not merely within America.

Here, then, is how this mass-indoctrination is done, to “manufacture the public’s consent” for continual invasion-and-occupation:

https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/05/29/america-big-brother-news-media.html = https://www.globalresearch.ca/americas-big-brother-news-media/5642443

(* B P)

A Conversation About U.S. Credibility

Those who worry about U.S. credibility have a notion that U.S. exceptionalism means the U.S. keeps its word when all other countries don’t, or more optimistically, that politicians can be trusted. That’s a pleasant fiction. The U.S. is a country like any other, and it can be trusted to act in its interests at all times. The problem isn’t so much that the U.S. cannot be trusted, but that the U.S. is often unclear about what those interests are, an unfortunate byproduct of thinking about politics as an algebra problem.

https://geopoliticalfutures.com/conversation-u-s-credibility/

(* B H P)

Trump’s Travel Ban Is Devastating to Families

My neighbor, Qais, came to the United States from Yemen in the 1970s. With less than $100 in his wallet, he set out to create a better future for his family. Accustomed to warfare and violence, Qais sought peace and freedom from chaos. Little did he know that his family would be separated due to policies set forth by the Trump Administration in 2017.

Qais lives in the suburbs of Chicago with this wife and four children along with two grandchildren, Noha and Saleh, who have parents in Yemen. (All names are pseudonyms, to protect the family.) The parents have been stuck in Yemen since March 2017, unable to return due to the new travel restrictions.

http://progressive.org/op-eds/trump-travel-ban-devastates-families/

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

(* B K P)

The UK government sneaks out its sickening plan to ‘work with’ the Saudi butchers in Yemen

The UK government has snuck out a sickening plan to “work with” the Saudi butchers in Yemen. The UK is essentially joining the Saudi-led coalition in its assault on the impoverished, brutalised country as the UN warns that 10 million more people in Yemen could be on the brink of famine by the end of the year.

So the UK is joining forces with a country largely responsible for the possible starvation of 18.4 million people.

Commitment

Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon put out a written statement on 23 May. In it, he relayed a statement by foreign secretary Boris Johnson. The focus of the foreign secretary’s statement was Yemen. In particular, he detailed the ‘threat’ posed to Saudi Arabia by the Houthis – rebel forces in northern Yemen. Johnson wrote:

Saudi Arabia continues to be the subject of regular missile attacks from the Houthis in Yemen.

Johnson also reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s “security needs”. And he said it is in the UK’s “national interest” to stop the Houthi attacks. To that end, he revealed:

The UK has now agreed to work with the Saudis to mitigate the threat from these missiles. This will involve UK personnel providing information, advice and assistance limited to this particular objective.

A number of countries have ‘worked with’ Saudi Arabia in its assault on Yemen. As such, they’re consideredpart of the Saudi-led coalition. But Johnson clearly doesn’t want the UK to be put in that same category.

Being in the Saudi-led coalition means that the responsibility for the actions of the coalition, including Saudi Arabia’s, lands at your door.

The government appears to feel emboldened by the fact that it’s got away with its role in, well, murder. So much so that it’s now embedded itself deeper in the conflict by announcing it will “work with” the Saudis regarding the ‘missile threat’ from Yemen.

This revelation is, however, likely to bolster further legal action against the government. Let’s hope so. And let’s pray it inflames people enough to take action at the ballot box too.

https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2018/06/01/uk-government-sneaks-sickening-plan-work-saudi-butchers-yemen/

referring to:

(A K P)

Saudi Arabia: Written statement - HLWS693

The Houthis have consistently failed to adhere to UN Security Council Resolutions, including by launching missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and shipping in the Bab al-Mandab strait. Saudi Arabia continues to be the subject of regular missile attacks from the Houthis in Yemen. Since November 2017, Riyadh has been targeted on at least six occasions. In addition, the Houthis continue to launch frequent rocket attacks against the southern cities of Jizan, Najran and Khamis Mushayt. The Houthis have stated their intention to continue these attacks against Saudi Arabia and to launch additional attacks against neighbouring countries, seriously endangering regional security. The UK supports the legitimate right of Saudi Arabia to respond to this critical threat. The UK has a national interest in stopping Houthi missile attacks that serve only to escalate the conflict and worsen the humanitarian situation.

The United Kingdom remains committed to supporting the legitimate security needs of Saudi Arabia and guarding against the danger of regional escalation. The UK has now agreed to work with the Saudis to mitigate the threat from these missiles. This will involve UK personnel providing information, advice and assistance limited to this particular objective. To be clear, the UK is not a member of the Saudi-Led Coalition. We do not have any role in setting Coalition policy, or in executing air strikes. All UK military personnel in Saudi Arabia remain under UK command and control.

The UK’s partnership with Saudi Arabia also demands that we provide them with honest advice. We regularly remind the Saudi Government, and other members of the military Coalition, of the importance of compliance with international humanitarian law.

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Lords/2018-05-23/HLWS693/

My comment: Bizarre.

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

(* B K P)

Fast zwei Drittel der Deutschen wollen Stopp aller Rüstungsexporte
Eine deutliche Mehrheit der Deutschen will alle Rüstungsexporte stoppen. Besonders ein Land soll keine deutschen Waffen mehr bekommen.
Eine deutliche Mehrheit der Deutschen lehnt den Verkauf von Waffen und anderen Rüstungsgütern an andere Staaten ab. Wie aus einer am Dienstag vorgestellten, repräsentativen Online-Umfrage des Meinungsforschungsinstituts YouGov hervorgeht, sind 64 Prozent der Befragten gegen Waffenexporte. 80 Prozent sprechen sich gegen jegliche Waffenlieferungen in Kriegs- und Krisengebiete aus.
Besonders groß ist die Ablehnung bei Waffenexporten an den Nato-Partner Türkei: 83 Prozent der Befragten lehnen die Lieferung von Waffen und anderen Rüstungsgütern dorthin ab.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/fast-zwei-drittel-der-deutschen-gegen-ruestungsexporte-15613393.html

(* B K P)

Gegen tödliche Waffenexporte

Die Mehrheit der Deutschen möchte nicht, dass Waffen aus Deutschland ins Ausland verkauft werden.

Diese regelmäßig hohen Umfragewerte gegen Rüstungsexporte müssten eine Aufforderung an die Politik sein, eine restriktivere Rüstungsexportpolitik umzusetzen. Doch das Gegenteil ist der Fall.

Die neue Regierung macht dort weiter, wo die alte aufgehört hat. Kaum war sie im Amt, genehmigte der Bundessicherheitsrat im März die Lieferung von acht Patrouillenbooten an Saudi-Arabien. Dabei steht im Koalitionsvertrag, dass Waffenexporte an Staaten, die am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt sind, ausgesetzt werden.

Dieser laschen Rüstungsexportpraxis will ein breites Bündnis von Menschen aus Friedensbewegung, Kirchen, Entwicklungsorganisationen, Kulturschaffenden und Sportlern nicht länger tatenlos zusehen. Sie organisieren den Staffellauf gegen Rüstungsexporte „Frieden geht!“, der über eine Strecke von mehr als 1100 Kilometern und 80 Etappen in 13 Tagen nach Berlin führt.

http://www.fr.de/politik/meinung/gastbeitraege/frieden-geht-gegen-toedliche-waffenexporte-a-1516023

(* B K P)

83% of Germans don’t want weapons given to Turkey

According to a recent poll in Germany, 83% of participants don’t want any weapons to be given to Turkey at all. 80% of Germans think, “War zones shouldn’t be supplied with weapons”.

Public research institute YouGov published the results of the online poll they ran about Germany’s controversial weapons exports. Most poll participants agree with unions, opposition parties and peace movements: “Weapons should not be sold to conflict, war and instability zones.”

80% of the participants object to weapons sales to conflict zones. 64% of Germans say, “Germany should not aid any other country’s armament.” One of the issues the German public objects to most is the weapons sales to the Turkish state, as the poll shows once again.

83% of Germans want no weapons or military equipment to be sold to Turkey, despite the country’s NATO membership.

https://anfenglishmobile.com/news/83-of-germans-don-t-want-weapons-given-to-turkey-27053

(* B E P)

Der Kronprinz ist verstimmt

Saudi-Arabien blockiert deutsche Unternehmen.

In Riad ist es unter Managern ein offenes Geheimnis, dass deutsche Konzerne bei Geschäften und Ausschreibungen unten auf der Liste stehen. Das saudische Gesundheitsministerium soll offenbar keine Aufträge mehr an deutsche Firmen erteilen. Im öffentlichen Nahverkehr stehen angeblich Verträge auf der Kippe. Unternehmen, die früher gut im saudischen Geschäft waren, kommen nicht mehr zum Zuge. Oliver Oehms, Delegierter der deutschen Auslandshandelskammern in Riad, sagt, die Firmen seien "beunruhigt". Ihre Chefs fürchten, außen vor zu bleiben zu einer Zeit, in der Saudi-Arabien unabhängiger vom Öl werden will und Milliarden Dollar in neue Städte und Industrien steckt. Offen dazu äußern möchte sich kein Unternehmensvertreter.

Die Saudis, so sagt ein der Regierung in Riad nahestehender Beobachter in Riad, seien nicht erst seit Gabriels Ausrutscher verstimmt. Die deutsche Rüstungsexportpolitik habe sie schon vorher genervt.

https://www.zeit.de/2018/23/saudi-arabien-deutsche-unternehmen-handel-blockade

(* B H K P)

The Crisis in Yemen: An Interview with Ambassador Haber

In March 2018, the Vision Hope communications team had the opportunity to conduct a written interview with the German ambassador to Yemen, Hansjörg Haber, about the political conflict and current humanitarian crisis, as well as what Germany is doing to alleviate the human suffering of the Yemeni people. Below, you can read his responses to our interview questions.

Haber: The war in Yemen shows characteristics both of a traditional civil war and of a proxy war. It is the task of the international community to untie this nexus at the diplomatic level. On the ground, we need to rely on something I would call “NGO diplomacy” to work its way around the fall-out of the different cycles of conflicts.

Haber: I think peacekeeping is the most challenging one. Ultimately, Yemenis will have to do this themselves. But on the other hand, traditionally they have been quite good at it. As to peacemaking, we support the UN-led process but also have our own contacts within the parties to the conflict. And on peacebuilding, we still have a large GIZ presence, with over 140 staff as well as many German NGOs working on the ground. Their experience and contacts are valuable assets and will be even more so once we have a holistic international approach to peacebuilding in Yemen.

https://vision-hope.org/de/the-crisis-in-yemen-an-interview-with-ambassador-haber/

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

Siehe cp1 (Frankreich, Emirate) / Look at cp1 (France, Emirates)

(A P)

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed meets Putin, signs 'strategic partnership'

The two leaders also issued a joint call for a coalition to fight terrorism and extremism

Mr Putin said "The UAE has been a reliable partner over the years in the Middle East region and we will today sign a declaration on a strategic partnership as a further step on the path toward strengthening our relations.

"We have a large number of joint projects, joint interests. I do hope and believe that today's visit will contribute to strengthening our mutual relations," he added.

Reuters reported that the agreement included continued cooperation in the oil and gas industries. “This cooperation is aimed at providing balance and stability on the global oil market”, the declaration said.

Meanwhile, Russian state media, which had also seen the declaration, reported that the two called for the establishment of an international coalition to fight terrorism and extremism.

https://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/sheikh-mohammed-bin-zayed-meets-putin-signs-strategic-partnership-1.736011

My comment: Russia wants to again more influence in the region.

(A P)

Zimbabwe: Huge Boost for Vic Falls As UAE Investors to Build World Class Hospital, Motor Racing Course, Shopping Mall and a Hotel

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) says Victoria Falls will soon become the best world destination following a visit by investors from United Arab Emirates (UAE) who have expressed interest in developing state-of-the-art medical, grand prix, hotel and shopping mall facilities.

A technical team from UAE was in the resort town on Tuesday where it held a meeting with ZTA officials and Victoria Falls Municipality to assess the state of affairs in the country's prime destination.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201806010551.html

My comment: Destructing the wonders of the world by investment, in Zimbabwe as at Socotra island.

(* A P)

Mahathir’s reforms could put Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the spot

Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Mahathir is adopting policies that could reshape the Southeast nation’s relations with powerful Gulf states.

A series of anti-corruption measures as well as statements by Mr. Mahathir and his defense minister, Mohamad (Mat) Sabu, since this month’s upset in elections that ousted Prime Minister Najib Razak from office, are sparking concern in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Mahathir, who has cautioned in recent years against widespread anti-Shiite sectarianism in Malaysia, has questioned together with Mr. Sabu Malaysia’s counterterrorism cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Mahathir has also reinvigorated anti-corruption investigations of Mr. Razak, whom Qatari media have described as “Saudi-backed.”

https://medium.com/@mideastsoccer/mahathirs-reforms-could-put-saudi-arabia-and-the-uae-on-the-spot-a6f77bd149f2

(A P)

Bahrain: Exonerate, Free Nabeel Rajab

Prosecution Should Drop Charges in ‘Tweets Case’

The Bahraini government should drop its charges against a prominent Bahraini human rights defender for peacefully expressing his views and order his immediate release, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Bahrain High Criminal Court on February 21 sentenced Rajab to five years in prison for tweets criticizing alleged torture in Bahrain’s Jaw Prison and the Saudi-led military operations in Yemen.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/03/bahrain-exonerate-free-nabeel-rajab

(A P)

Bahrain Sentences Six More Activists to Life Imprisonment

A court in Bahrain has handed down life sentences to six more activists over their alleged role in a 2014 bombing that hit the flashpoint village of Diraz, the second such verdict in a matter of two days.

http://www.newnewss.net/bahrain-sentences-six-more-activists-to-life-imprisonment/

(A P)

Activists’ Arrests Escalate in Middle East: Another Emirati Activist Jailed for 10 Years For ‘Criticizing Govt'

Prominent Emirati activist Ahmed Mansoor was handed a 10-year sentence in jail in addition to AED 1 million ($272,000) fine on charges of criticizing the Emirati government on social media, according to the Abu Dhabi-based news website, the National.

Mansoor’s charges varied from using social media accounts to publish “false information” and “spread hatred and sectarianism”, insulting the “status and prestige of the UAE and its symbols” in addition to seeking to damage the UAE’s relationship with its neighbouring. Mansoor was also cleared of conspiring with a terrorist organisation.

https://www.albawaba.com/loop/activists%E2%80%99-arrests-escalate-middle-east-another-emirati-activist-jailed-10-years-%E2%80%98criticizing-g

and a report from Nov. 2017: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-12/the-forgotten-story-of-ahmed-mansoor/9142004

and

(A P)

Emirati blogger gets ten years in prison for posting “false reports”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled by the ten-year jail sentence that Ahmed Mansoor, a well-known blogger and human rights defender, received yesterday from a court in the United Arab Emirates for criticizing its policies. RSF regards the sentence as absurd and disproportionate and calls for his immediate release.

https://rsf.org/en/news/emirati-blogger-gets-ten-years-prison-posting-false-reports

(A P)

UAE to Supply Jobs to Afghans

The United Arab Emiratesand Afghanistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on manpower recruitment on the sidelines of the 107th International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday.

http://wadsam.com/afghan-business-news/uae-supply-jobs-afghans-233/

(A P)

Le discret voyage de six parlementaires français au Yémen

[The quiet visit of 6 French parliamentarians to #Marib has been orchestrated by #Riyad.]

Aucune délégation officielle française n'était entrée depuis 2014 dans ce pays en guerre. La visite a été orchestrée par Riyad avec l'aval du Quai d'Orsay.

Au palais du Luxembourg, il avait été demandé à la direction des relations internationales de garder le secret, et de ne surtout rien publier sur le site du Sénat concernant le déplacement au Yémen de cinq membres de la haute assemblée, accompagnés d'un député.

Les parlementaires français répondaient à l'invitation de la coalition d'une dizaine de pays arabes dirigée par l'Arabie saoudite, coalition qui a organisé et financé leur voyage.

http://www.lepoint.fr/politique/le-discret-voyage-de-six-parlementaires-francais-au-yemen-30-05-2018-2222748_20.php

Comment: The delegation did not visit #Sanaa, #Hodeidah, #Saada: just Hadi-government Marib. Message is clear.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1760716303981392

and

(A P)

Just spoke to French Senator Nathalie Goulet who has just returned to France from Yemen after seeing first hand the amazing humanitarian work Saudi Arabia and UAE are doing there. (thread)

https://twitter.com/gnuseibeh/status/1001937046414544896

The photos show that in the presence of Saudi forces, someone accompanying you on your visit to #Yemen asked the children to make the V sign.

In Arabic culture, the V sign means victory or martyrdom. So is it a food-for-loyalty swap? Or is it a new recruitment process for children to participate in the war?

https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/1003050503994052612

She said in French that it was the fault of houthis. . She stands with Saudi Arabia and went to visit" the king Salman aid ".. when I asked her about the involvement of France in this war and blockade she blocked me

https://twitter.com/2flamesburning1/status/1003053751857483777

and

(A P)

Yémen: situation "apocalyptique" à Marib, selon des parlementaires français

Une délégation sénatoriale française de retour du Yémen a fait état jeudi d'une situation "apocalyptique" dans la ville de Marib, rendant "plus que jamais nécessaire" la conférence humanitaire prévue fin juin à Paris.
Cette conférence a été confirmée il y a une semaine par l'Elysée à la suite d'un entretien téléphonique entre le président français Emmanuel Macron et le prince héritier d'Arabie saoudite Mohammed ben Salmane.
"Marib est passée de 400.000 habitants à un peu plus de 3 millions", a souligné la sénatrice Nathalie Goulet à l'initiative de la visite des parlementaires, la seule d'une délégation étrangère au Yémen depuis 2014, dans la perspective de la conférence.

https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1118508/yemen-situation-apocalyptique-a-marib-selon-des-parlementaires-francais.html

My comment: A propaganda conference for the benefit of the Saudi crown prince does not solve the problems of Yemen. The only solution is an end of the war.

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

(* A P)

Saudi threatens military action against Qatar over S-400: report

In letter to French leader, King Salman warns of 'all necessary measures' if Doha buys defence system, Le Monde reports.

Saudi Arabia, one of the countries blockading Qatar, has threatened military action against its Gulf neighbour if it acquires the Russian-made S-400 aerial defence system, French daily Le Monde reported on Friday.

In a letter addressed to President Emmanuel Macron of France, Saudi King Salman expressed his "profound concern" with talks under way between Moscow and Doha for the sale of the advanced anti-aircraft weapon system.

The Saudi monarch, who asked that France increase its pressure on Qatar, said he was worried about the consequences of Doha's acquisition of the mobile surface-to-air missile system which he said threatened Saudi security interests.

"[In such a situation], the Kingdom would be ready to take all the necessary measures to eliminate this defence system, including military action," King Salman was quoted as saying in the letter, whose content Le Monde obtained via a source close to Elysee Palace.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/saudi-threatens-military-action-qatar-400-report-180601165304449.html and also https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-qatar-france/saudi-threatens-military-action-if-qatar-deploys-anti-aircraft-missiles-report-idUSKCN1IY0IW referring to https://mobile.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2018/06/01/l-arabie-saoudite-menace-le-qatar-de-represailles-militaires-s-il-se-dote-de-missiles-s-400_5308285_3218.html

My comment: Saudis warmongering again. The scheme of the Yemen war is going tob e repeated: A smaller neighbouring country is threatened with war if it is going to be stronger and does not fit to Saudi interests.

Comment: War on Yemen was recklessness. This, this is is clinical insanity.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1002654861731778563

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B K)

American Missile Defenses' Repeated Combat Failures; Implications for East Asia and the Middle East - Part Two

It remains critical for the United States to give its allies a sense of security against the missile capabilities of U.S. adversaries - be they Iranian, Russian, North Korean or otherwise. Much like the Gulf War, evidence strongly indicated that the missile fired by Yemen's Ansurallah Coalition, thought it was no more advanced than those fired by Iraq, was not intercepted and that the United States claimed a victory for its weapon systems for political gain. Much as had been the case in the Gulf War, 26 years later the the Patriot proved wholly effective against a single extremely dated and primitive missile.

http://militarywatchmagazine.com/read.php?my_data=70273

(B K P)

Saudi Ambassador to Russia Rayed Krimly, in an interview with Sputnik journalist Anastasia Dmitrieva

Sputnik:As for the Saudi-Russian military cooperation, what is the latest update on Saudi Arabia's purchase of Russian S-400 systems?

Rayed Krimly: We are still continuing technical details of the agreement. We signed the contract during the King's visit, what is now happening is the implementation requires technical details of technology transfers, other technical details between experts of both sides.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201805311064966255-russia-saudi-arabia-s-400/ and also http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/06/01/563526/Saudi-Arabia-Russia-missile-system-S400-Yemen-United-States-patriot

(* B K P)

World military spending in 2017 was $1.74 trillion

Explore how the world spent $1.74 trillion (that’s $1 739 000 000 000) on the military in 2017 and how this has changed over the past 10 years

Biggest military spenders

Global military spending in 2017 was $1.74 trillion.

The 10 countries with the highest military spending accounted for nearly three quarters (73%) of this total. These countries are the USA, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, France, UK, Japan, Germany and South Korea.

US military spending in 2017 was $610 billion—nearly 3 times as much as China's military spending, which was the second highest in 2017 at $228 billion. US military spending is larger than the next 7 biggest military spenders combined.

Saudi Arabia was the third largest spender in 2017 following a 9.2 per cent increase in military expenditure to $69.4 billion. Among the 10 largest spenders, Saudi Arabia had the highest ‘military burden’ - military spending as a share of GDP’ in 2017, at 10 per cent of GDP.

Russia’s military spending fell by 20 per cent to $66.3 billion, making it the fourth largest spender.

http://visuals.sipri.org/

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

(A E P)

Another tranche of the detained cash arrives to Aden central bank

A tranch of the Yemeni currency bills printed abroad have arrived at the central bank in Aden {temporary capital) which was released by the port authorities allied to UAE.

According to a source in the central bank, this tranche is a part of the detained money at the port since 12th of February which is in total around 170 billion Yemeni Riyals.

He added those are the salaries of the governmental employees.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99265

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

(A T)

Does jihad in-fighting in #Yemen reflect coalition tensions between #UAE & #Saudi? New #AQAP media org posts 5-page “Advice for Jihadists in Ta’iz”. Warns of pro-UAE Salafi Abu al-‘Abbas recruiting youth to fight #jihad vs #Islah (linked to Muslim Bros & Saudi but hated by UAE) (image)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1002228954068119552

(A T)

#AlQaeda in #Yemen releases Madad bulletin 3. Slams #Saudi for “replacing mosques with cinemas”. #AQAP party-poopers should remember that THEY launched open air cinemas in Dec 2015 to screen “Guardians of Sharia”. (image)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1002093749089046528

(A T)

Important: Key #jihad youth recruiter &coordinator for #IslamicState in #Yemen was Abu Karam al-Hadrami (Ahmad bin Sa’id al-‘Amudi). Born in Riyadh. Radicalized in #Saudi prison. Wanted martyrdom op but #ISIS said he was too useful. Killed by Houthi rocket in al-Bayda' 7weeks ago (photos)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1001791024359006208

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Iran and the Gulf: Let’s start with facts and then move forward

Contrary to commonly held perceptions, the US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal has been well received in many capitals. The perspective of the Middle East — particularly the sentiments and interests of Arabian Gulf region, which is situated close to the Khomeinist regime — should always be taken into serious consideration.

The signatories of the deal with Iran live at a great distance from the region, whereas we are in the neighborhood. For decades, the most immediate security threat to the stability of The Middle East has emanated from Tehran.

The rights of navigation are now threatened in two of the most vital arteries of the global economy, Bab Al Mandeb and Hormuz. These threats emanate from Tehran. It is not simply nations of The GCC who use these channels, but the entire world’s commercial fleets. In Yemen, US-led coalition ships have been targeted that are fighting Iranian proxies and terrorists.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2018/06/02/Iran-and-the-Gulf-Let-s-start-with-facts-and-then-move-forward.html

My comment: The old stories told again and again.

(A P)

Tehran plays the Yemen card

Tehran appears to be willing to sacrifice the Houthis to ensure the Europeans serve as a protective shield against the United States.

Under pressure from the United States and trying hard to persuade the European Union of its willingness to play a positive regional role, Iran is signalling interest in a ceasefire in Yemen.

It is unclear whether Tehran is sacrificing its Houthi allies to keep the Iran nuclear deal or if negotiations are meant to gain time to reverse Houthi setbacks. However, it’s clear the European Union truly wants to believe Tehran’s good intentions.

What neither Ansari nor the anonymous European official pointed out was that Tehran appears to be willing to sacrifice the Houthis to ensure the Europeans serve as a protective shield against the United States. After all, if Tehran considers the war in Yemen a lost cause, abandoning the Houthis would be a small sacrifice. However, it may not only keep the nuclear deal alive, Tehran’s manoeuvre could gain the Houthis valuable time to improve their fortunes.

Europe, at any rate, desperately seems to want to believe.

https://thearabweekly.com/tehran-plays-yemen-card

My comment: This is propaganda. Iran always requested a ceasefire in Yemen, propagated an Iranian peace plan. Iran is not willing to „sacrify“ the Houthis, as the Iran-Houthi connection is much to weak as if they could do so. – Not Iran, but the Europeans had asked Iran to speak on Yemen and the Houthis. Of course Iran wants to keep the Nuclear deal and therefor also is willing to speak about Yemen.

(A P)

Hodeida will turn the tide of Yemen war

Al Houthis in Yemen have posed a particular challenge for Saudi Arabia, which has endured hundreds, if not thousands, of rocket attacks by Al Houthi militants into Saudi territory.

The last major port city under Al Houthi control is Hodeida and its capture effectively means that they will lose the ability to receive Iranian weapons and thus the beginning of the end of their grip on the country.

This is why as of late, Iran has said it is open to negotiations, changing its stubborn tune which has blocked several past attempts to foster a political solution to the crisis.

Newly appointed UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths has been in communication with rival sides and plans to announce the conditions for a new peace plan in early June.

It is expected that the list of demands, this time, offers Al Houthis, weakened from recent military losses, much less than past agreements.

This will be music to the ears of Yemenis fighting to end the devastating war that has caused so much suffering to innocent people.

It will also please Saudis and Emiratis, the chief backers of the Yemeni government, who have made major sacrifices in the war by providing boots on the ground as well as massive amounts of financial and humanitarian support to the Yemeni people.

A victory in Yemen will send a powerful message to Iran that its regional adventurism will no longer go unchecked and will be confronted wherever it rears its ugly head in the Arab world.

https://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/hodeida-will-turn-the-tide-of-yemen-war-1.2229859

(A P)

Saudi Crown Prince tells Hadi the goals of the Decisive Storm will earn victory

During a meeting with Hadi in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday, the Crown Prince spoke highly of the strong brotherly relations between Yemen and the Kingdom, saying the two countries are united by one option and shared destiny.

He pledged to earn victory for and fulfill all the goals of the Decisive Storm and the Hope Restoration operations that Saudi-led ARAB Coalition has launched in Yemen.

The two operations are vital in protecting security and stability of Yemen and peace in the region.

"The Kingdom will remain with its brothers in Yemen and in support of its legitimate leadership represented by President Hadi until all the goals and aspirations of the brotherly Yemeni people are achieved," the Crown Prince said .

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18938

(A P)

Saudi Envoy to Russia: Riyadh Supports Political Solution in Yemen, Syria

Saudi Ambassador to Russia Rayed Krimly, in an interview with Sputnik journalist Anastasia Dmitrieva

Rayed Krimly: We have always asked our neighbors in Iran to behave in accordance with the norms of the international community that are not mysterious to anybody. It is total respect for the independent sovereignty of each other, good neighborly relations, opening up avenues for cooperation.

Unfortunately until now, on the ground, we don't see this. We see continuing efforts to interfere into internal affairs of others, to arm, establish and finance sectarian militias in other Arab countries from Lebanon to Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait. For us, these groups are really terrorist groups...

In the end, it should not be allowed for armed groups to establish sectarian militias whether Sunni or Shiite and to target innocent civilians to do all these civil wars that are tragically inflicting in many Arab countries so much damage and so much suffering of the people. We are for the political solution not only in Yemen, in Syria, everywhere. [They] have to be based on international law and international legitimacy.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201805311064966255-russia-saudi-arabia-s-400/

(A P)

Intellectual, Writer Mohammed Azzan Attacks Houthi Leader

The Founder of al-Shabab al-Moamen movement (aka Young Believers), Intellectual and Writer Mohammed Azzan, has attacked the Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, describing him as a “warlord”.

In a post on his Facebook account, Azzan said, “I don’t believe in a religion that allows warlords to drag young and inexperienced people – and those whose families don’t allow them to go – to death fronts”; in reference to the Houthis pushing young people to fight in the frontlines.

http://republicanyemen.com/archives/6896

My comment: Which Yemeni leader is NO warlord and is NOT dragging young people into war??

(A P)

In Bid To Save Nuclear Pact, Iran Pushes Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Into Negotiations

For his part, Ali al-Bukhaiti, a Yemeni political analyst based in Jordan, contended to The Media Line that “Iran is using the blood of Yeminis as a card in the negotiations over saving the nuclear deal. Destruction is in our state but the benefits go to Iran, which is now speaking in a strong tone that reflects its direct involvement in the Houthi issue.”

Abdulkhaleq al-Shahari, a Senior Military Adviser in Yemen’s National Army, told The Media Line that “the international community is responsible for Iran’s negative role in the region,” adding that Tehran is playing with “Yemen’s dossier to gain points in the nuclear talks.” He further noted that an advance by Yemeni government forces on Hodeida may have prompted Iran to alter its course.

http://www.themedialine.org/news/in-bid-to-save-nuclear-pact-iran-pushes-yemens-houthi-rebels-into-negotiations/

(A P)

Iran Offers Yemen Up for Negotiation

While Yemeni legitimate forces march towards Hodeida, which is the most important port for the rebels, Tehran is offering to negotiate on Yemen.

The Iranian government is trying to dance around Washington’s demands and only execute them superficially. It’s negotiating over Yemen because it has become a losing card as the coalition advances and Iran’s ally, the Houthis, suffer from accelerated losses.

It is clear that the Iranians, with their well-known realism, respect power more than they respect international agreements and customs. They would not have accepted to agree over Yemen if it hadn’t been for their ally’s accelerating losses there.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1285906/abdulrahman-al-rashed/iran-offers-yemen-negotiation and also https://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/iran-under-pressure-to-curb-al-houthi-support-1.2229148

(A P)

Hodeidah: Houthis’ Last Terminal

Moreover, developments in Hodeidah indicate that the Yemeni crisis was entering a decisive military phase after the Houthis had rejected all the political opportunities given to them by the Arab coalition to end this war. The coupists expressed their intransigence towards all UN roadmaps to resolve the conflict.
Despite the relentless attempts by all UN envoys to end the crisis, the Houthi arrogance has made it impossible to reach a political solution.
Even with the visit of the UN envoy to Yemen on Saturday, whom the Houthis refused to receive for a long time, the chances of reaching a political solution unfortunately diminish day after day.
All previous experiences prove that Houthis’ intransigence is backed with its insistence to prolong the crisis and increase human suffering, hoping to exploit those sufferings to gain the world’s sympathy and incite against the Arab coalition as the party leading the war against Yemenis.
However, the truth is that the party fighting Houthis on the ground is represented by the Yemeni legitimate forces, who are backed by the coalition and control 85 percent of the total area of Yemen.
And all these attempts by Iran to exploit the war for other purposes hide the fact that the first reason for this war is the Houthi coup against the legitimate government.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1285841/salman-al-dossary/hodeidah-houthis%E2%80%99-last-terminal

(A P)

Yemeni families return to Saada as Houthis are driven back

Civilians were driven out when Iran-backed rebels seized the northern province

Yemeni families who fled Houthi violence in Saada province began returning to their homes this week as government forces expand their control in the rebel stronghold.

On Wednesday and Thursday, dozens of families returned to their homes in Saada's Kitaf district after government forces drove Houthis from the area, said Ismail Al Sharafi, a journalist from Saada who works with the army.

"Many families who were forcibly displaced by the Houthis from Kitaf, which is one of the main strongholds of the Houthi movement in Saada, returned home after years of displacement," Al Sharafi told The National.

More than 10 families returned to the Al Farea area of Kitaf on Wednesday and were welcomed back by Major General Radad Al Hashimi, commander of the army's 83rd Brigade deployed there, and Sheikh Mohammed Salem bin Arkal, the local tribal leader.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemeni-families-return-to-saada-as-houthis-are-driven-back-1.735912

My comment: This is bizarre propaganda. Saada province ist he Houthis‘ heartland. This province was most horrily bombed by the Saudi coalition – the popultion certainly did not flee because of „Houthi violence“ but because o fair raids and permanent shelling by the saudi coalition.

(A P)

VIDEO: @AlEkhbariyaTV reporter met with some of returned residents of Wadi Alfare in #Saada, who praised the coalition for preserving their homes and land saying that they found it as intact as when they left.

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1002019817057148928

Displaced families from Kitaf district are now returning back to their homes under the rule of the legitimate government of #Yemen highlighting the #Houthis major ground losses in their stronghold governorate of #Saada as Joint Forces continue consolidating & expanding gains. (photos)

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1001989295631200256

My comment: Bizarre – Saada province had been destroyed by Saudi air raids even more than any other province.

(A P)

Mattis says rocket used in Houthi attack on Saudi tanker was delivered by Iran

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that a rocket used by Yemen’s Houthis in an unsuccessful attack on a Saudi commercial ship in April was delivered by Iran.

“The threat to the Red Sea shipping was pretty obvious when you saw the tanker get hit by an Iranian-supplied missile to the Houthis. So the implications of this are not insignificant if we don't get this under control,” Mattis said a press briefing late on Tuesday.

https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2018/05/30/Mattis-says-rocket-used-in-Houthi-attack-on-Saudi-tanker-was-delivered-by-Iran.html

My comment: The same fairy tale again. But, even worse than Nikki Haley, Mattis not even can show the bomb which he claims tob e Iranian. And he never had seen it.

(A P)

More Saudi / UAE „We are benefactors“ propaganda

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/erc-continues-humanitarian-programmes-hadramaut-yemen

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1771771

http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302692170

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/kingdom-saudi-arabia-provides-humanitarian-aid-yemen-face-cyclone-mekunu

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A K pH)

Saudi coalition air raids day by day:

May 29: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1527692603./1035868453230186/?type=3

(A K pS)

Arab Coalition Targets Al-Houthi Militias' Locations in Northern Hays, Yemen

Jetfighters of the Arab Coalition being led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and with participation and support of the United Arab Emirates Forces have targeted groups and locations of Al-Houthi Militias in two districts of Al-Hudaydah and Sana'a and North of Hays, west coast of Yemen, as the Al-Houthi Militias are greatly collapsing.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1772620

(* A K)

Now in #Yemen : 2 more #Saudi airstrikes, this time on the already much-bombed Hodeidah International Airport. The UN envoy is still in capital Sanaa, trying to arrange peace.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1003050276012679168

Now: Large explosions heard in Hodeidah city due to intense #Saudi airstrikes on Houthi-controlled 5th Military Region HQ & surroundings of Hodeidah Airport.

https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1003045068213800966

(* A K pS)

Arab Coalition Jet Fighters Launch Intensive Air strikes on Locations of Houthi Militias in Sana'a and Taiz, Yemen

Arab coalition jet fighters launched a number of air raids against a group of Iranian-backed Houthi Militia positions in the capital, Sanaa, in northern Yemen, yesterday.
Local sources have confirmed in a statement to the September Net Website of the Yemeni Ministry of Defense that coalition fighters launched an air strike on a Militias gathering at Ghaa Al-Ghethy area, south of the capital Sanaa, and three raids on Garban Region in Sinhan Directorate, southeast of Sanaa.
In the same context, the Arab coalition jet fighters launched several air raids last night against positions and gatherings of coup Militias in the front of Magbana, west of Taiz.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1771314

(* A K pH)

More Saudi coalition air raids reported on:

June 3:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497952.htm Sanaa p.

May 31:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497791.htm Amran p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497790.htm Saada p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497733.htm and http://almasdaronline.com/article/99254 and https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1002073961054785536 Sanaa city

May 30:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497686.htm Saada p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497632.htm Saada p.

(A K pH)

Sanaa’s oil company station inflicted losses of 500 million riyals

The Yemeni oil company's station on 60th Street in the capital Sanaa was inflicted losses of 500 million Yemeni Rials, as a result of targeting by the US-backed Saudi-led warplanes.

Musaybi added that the station is a civilian establishment served vital sectors of society and the .international law criminalizes targeting these facilities

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497702.htm

Remark: For this raid, YPR 416, cp16.

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1b

(A K pH)

5 civilians injured in Saudi ground attacks in Saada

Five civilians, including a child, were injured when artillery and missile force of the US-backed Saudi-led shelled several areas of Saada province during the past hours, a security official told Saba News Agency.
Three civilians were injured in artillery and missile shelling which targeted several areas of Munabeh border district, added the official.
A child and her father were injured in missile bombing hit their home in Dhaher district.
Furthermore, several areas of shada border district were shelled by artillery and missile, the official said.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497950.htm

(* A K pH)

Report: Over 100 mercenaries killed, wounded, dozens captured in attacks operations over 24 hours

More than 100 of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and wounded and dozens were captured when the army and popular committees carried out military offensive operation during the past 24 hours, according to military reports combined by Saba News Agency on Sunday.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497969.htm

(A K pS)

Four Saudi soldiers killed in clashes with Houthi militia

Saudi media reported that four Saudi soldiers were killed in clashes with the Houthi rebels in the borders between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18992 b

(A K)

Huthi-Rebellen sollen Militärhubschrauber in Saudi-Arabien abgeschossen haben

Jemenitische Huthi-Rebellen haben am Donnerstag nach Angaben aus Militärkreisen des Landes einen Militärhubschrauber in Saudi-Arabien abgeschossen. Alle Insassen der Maschine sollen ums Leben gekommen sein.

Der Hubschrauber vom Typ Apache sei über der Provinz Dschazan im Südwesten des Königreichs abgeschossen worden, erfuhr Sputnik aus dem jemenitischen Verteidigungsministerium. Die Besatzung sei tot.

https://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20180531320960919-huthi-rebellen-militaerhubschrauber-saudi-arabien-abgeschosen/

(A K pH)

Army shoots down Apache plane in Jizan

The air defenses of the Yemeni army on Thursday shot down an Apache plane and killed its crew in border province of Jizan, an official in Defense ministry told Saba News Agency.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497732.htm

(A K pS)

The #Houthis have bombed the house of citizen Mos'ad Ali Nasser in al-Hoal village in the district of #Nehm, east of #Sanaa, increasing the number of houses that were bombed in this village alone to 7 houses (photo)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1002668144073297920

(A K pH)

2 Civilian killed in Saudi ground attack in Saada

A woman and a civilian were killed and a woman, the civilian’s wife, was injured in the Saudi missile shelling which targeted Saada province on Friday morning, a security official told Saba News Agency.
The missile bombing targeted several areas of Razih border district

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497800.htm

(A K pS)

One woman killed another injured by Houthi landmine

A woman was killed and another was wounded by landmine in Aljawf province, local sources said on Friday.
According to the sources, the landmine left by the Houthi rebels exploded in Al-Afeef area north of the district of Bart Al-Anan as one of two women, Pasha Naji and Hana Hadi, stepped on the landmine which resulted in the death of Pasha and injury of Hana.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18989

(A K pS)

Houthi landmine injures woman and her two children in Taiz

a mother and her two children, when they stepped on a landmine in the village of Al-Qooz in Jabal Habashi area in the central Yemen province of Taiz.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-18937

(A K pS)

Yemeni Army makes progress in Sa'dah

The Yemeni National Army made today qualitative progress in the center of the Kataf district of Saada province, the main stronghold of Iran's Houthi militia

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1772019

Remark: By Saudi Press Agency. „Yemeni Army“: Saudi-backed „president“ Hadi militia.

(A K pS)

Demining engineers of the #Yemeni National Army in Hajjah backed by the #Saudi-led coalition remove more than 600 land mines planted by #Houthi militia clearing the way for advancing #JointForces at Hayran district front south of Harad. (photos)

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1001935612352528385

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1001966697329373185

(A K)

Al Houthi forces fired a Qaher M-2 ballistic missile at a Hadi government training camp in al Jawf governorate, northern Yemen on May 30. The missile fell in a desert area in al Jawf and caused no damage, according to anti-al Houthi sources.[1]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-may-30-2018

(A K pH)

Air defenses down spying plane of coalition in Asir

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news497678.htm

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(* B)

'F*** war' graffiti artist helps locals reclaim Yemen's neighbourhoods

Since war erupted in Yemen, graffiti artist Murad Subay has been painting on the walls of the capital city, Sanaa. His work denounces the war crimes, forced disappearances, poverty and epidemics that go hand-in-hand with conflict. Nicknamed the Arab Banksy by Western media, Subay has organised a series of collaborative graffiti projects to help people reclaim the walls of their neighbourhoods and express themselves freely.

Murad Subay, age 30, is an artist and painter who lives in Sanaa. In 2011, he was involved in the country's anti-government protests. Since the start of the conflict between Houthi separatists and pro-government forces in 2014, Subay has been decorating the city’s walls with graffiti that stands as a commentary on the political situation and denounces the horrors of war.

Recently, he finished a piece called "F*** war". Photos of his graffiti were widely shared on social media.

Subay often paints on the ruins of buildings destroyed by bombs dropped by the Saudi-led coalition, which supports the pro-government forces.

His works, also, often depict the impact of war on sanitation (photos)

http://observers.france24.com/en/20180601-%E2%80%9Cf-war%E2%80%9D-yemeni-graffiti-artist-invites-citizens-paint-about-conflict

cp18a Cyclone Mekunu

(* A)

Death toll in Oman, Yemen from Cyclone Mekunu rises to 30

United Arab Emirates — Authorities say Cyclone Mekunu killed at least 30 people when it barrelled across Oman and Yemen last month.

The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement that the majority of the fatalities happened on the Yemeni island of Socotra, where 20 were killed.

The federation said in a statement Thursday another four were killed in Yemen’s al-Mahrah governorate, which borders Oman.

In Oman, authorities had previously said at least six people were killed by the storm.

http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/death-toll-in-oman-yemen-from-cyclone-mekunu-rises-to-30

(A H)

Navy sends ship to Socotra island in Yemen to rescue 38 stranded Indians

Around 38 Indians are stranded in and around Socotra island in Yemen after a cyclone hit the area and the Indian Navy has launched an operation to rescue them.

The Navy has already deployed its ship INS Sunayna as part of the ‘operation Nistar’ to evacuate the Indians.

A Navy spokesperson said INS Sunayna, which was deployed in Western Arabian Sea, is now heading towards Socotra for the humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operation.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/navy-sends-ship-to-socotra-island-in-yemen-to-rescue-38-stranded-indians/article24069246.ece

(*A H)

Just hearing horrific news in from colleagues on the island of #Socotra it's estimated half of the Island's livestock base has been wiped out by #Cyclone #Mekunu effecting drastically #livelihoods for the 80,000 islanders.

https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/1002644637386002438

(A H)

WHO: Responding to the serious consequences of cyclone #Mekunu, 30 metric tons of medicines & medical supplies arrived today in #Socotra Airport. The shipment, delivered by @WHO, includes trauma kits, antibiotics, intravenous (IV) fluids, malaria kits, and surgical supply kits.

https://twitter.com/WHOYemen/status/1002254518518800391

(A H)

IOM Assists Island of Socotra Following Devastating Cyclone Mekunu

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, is supporting the island of Socotra after it was devastated by Cyclone Mekunu on 23 May. Working with inter-cluster partners and local authorities on the ground, IOM has determined the most urgent needs to be food and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-assists-island-socotra-following-devastating-cyclone-mekunu

(* A)

Yemen: Cyclone Mekunu - Information bulletin No.2

  1. Socotra: After Search and Rescue failed to find the missing sailors, and after finding 5 more bodies, the missing people were considered dead. This increased the number of dead casualties in Socotra island to 20. Property and infrastructure on Socotra are badly damaged. Cattle, palms, fishing boats and nets are all around the island. Five cars were destroyed by water, many water wells and water networks in Haribo and Qalansiyah are partly damaged.
  2. Al Mahrah: In Al Mahrah, 20 persons are reported injured and four dead (two in Hawf and two in Al Ghaydah). The roads in and between Hadhramaut and Al Mahrah governorates are partly damaged or blocked by floods, rocks or quicksand. In Alaibri, 2,000 persons have been isolated by flood for the last three days. Fifty persons are evacuated to a school in Alaibri. Floods damaged or destroyed many buildings and vehicles. A lot of agricultural equipment and warehouses were damaged in Al Gaydah. Large areas remain without electricity because power lines and generators are destroyed.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cyclone-mekunu-information-bulletin-no2

(* A)

Floods kills 4 and two missing in Almahrah

The governor of Almahrah (east Yemen) “Rajeh Bakreet said today (Wednesday), the floods killed 4 peoples and 2 others still missing until now.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/99229

(* A)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: Cyclone Mekunu Flash Update 3 | 30 May 2018

Almost a week after Cyclone “Mekunu” flooded the island of Socotra and parts of Yemen’s eastern mainland, initial indications are that food and WASH assistance remain critical priority needs. A UNOSAT rapid satellite assessment of the impact over Qalansiyah city shows that some areas along the wadis may be flooded and some roads potentially affected by water and mud as of 27 May.

Overall, the impact of the cyclone on the island and eastern mainland governorates is less severe than originally feared. However, some 120 fishing boats were reportedly lost to the cyclone, along with 500 fishing nets and some farmland. A search is ongoing for missing fishermen. The vessels that sank on 23 May were understood to be bringing stocks of supplies required to cover the monsoon season (June to August), when strong seasonal winds make shipping to the island difficult. Missions are planned in coming days to assess the impact of the cyclone on the population outside Hadibo.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cyclone-mekunu-flash-update-3-30-may-2018

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-417-yemen-war-mosaic-417

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-417 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-417:

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/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
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Dietrich Klose

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

Dietrich Klose

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