Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 433 - Yemen War Mosaic 433

Yemen Press Reader 433: 13. Juli 2018: Hodeidah: Ruhe vor dem Sturm?; Not der Flüchtlinge; UNO sucht Frieden – Vorsätzliche Hungersnot im Jemen – Landminen und Minensucher ...

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

... Friedensbemühungen stecken fest – Wieder: Foltergefängnisse der Emirate im Jemen – Söldner der Emirate – Ein entlarvender Times-Artikel – USA und Iran – Deutsche Waffen im Jemen – Thailands Höhlendrama, westliche Medien und Jemen – Separatisten im Süden beanspruchen eigenen Staat – und mehr

July 13, 2018: Hodeidah: The quiet before the storm?; Refugees are suffering; UN looking for peace – Intentional starvation in Yemen – Landmines and deminers – Peace efforts are stuck – UAE’s torture prisons in Yemen again – The Emirates‘ mercenaries – A debunking Op-Ed in “The Times” – The US and Iran – German arms in Yemen (in German) – The Thai cave drama, western media and Yemen – Southern separatists claim own state – 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

cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German

cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English

cp2 Allgemein / General

cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

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

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

cp9 USA

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner

cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

cp15 Propaganda

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

Klassifizierung / Classification

***

**

*

(Kein Stern / No star)

? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating

A = Aktuell / Current news

B = Hintergrund / Background

C = Chronik / Chronicle

D = Details

E = Wirtschaft / Economy

H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions

K = Krieg / War

P = Politik / Politics

pH = Pro-Houthi

pS = Pro-Saudi

T = Terrorismus / Terrorism

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

Neue Artikel / New articles

(* B H)

Film: Crisis in Yemen | UNICEF USA

Three years of intense civil war have pushed chronically underdeveloped, overlooked Yemen to the brink of collapse. Peace is the only way forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0vtGs4SMxk

cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

Separatisten im Süden: cp6 / Southern separatists: cp6

(** B H K P)

Is Intentional Starvation the Future of War?

A blockade of the rebel-held area is intermittently enforced by the Saudis, with all shipments of food and other imported goods subject to U.N. or coalition approval and inspections, driving up prices. Saudi-led aerial bombing has destroyed infrastructure and businesses, and has devastated the economy inside rebel-held areas. The Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemen’s airspace, has enforced an almost complete media blackout by preventing reporters and human-rights researchers from taking U.N. relief flights into Houthi-controlled areas for much of the last two years.

On June 13th, while I was in Houthi-controlled territory, the Saudi-led coalition launched a military offensive in the port city of Hodeidah. The attack demonstrated the far-reaching humanitarian consequences of economic disruption caused by the war. Yemen typically imports more than eighty per cent of its food, and no other port in the rebel-held parts of the country comes close to being able to handle the amount of cargo that Hodeidah can. The port is also an important strategic prize. Losing Hodeidah would cut the Houthis off from the outside world, most likely marking the beginning of the end for their movement.

The Saudis have ignored pleas from every humanitarian organization operating in Yemen to halt the offensive in Hodeidah.

Human-rights groups question the legality of the Hodeidah offensive, as well as the Saudi-led blockade and aerial bombing campaign, on the grounds that they have created widespread hunger. The Geneva Conventions prohibit the destruction of “objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.” Alex de Waal, the author of the book “Mass Starvation,” which analyzes recent man-made famines, argued that economic war is being waged in Yemen. “The focus on food supplies over all and humanitarian action is actually missing the bigger point,” de Waal told me. “It’s an economic war with famine as a consequence.”

Under international law, waging economic warfare is more of a gray area than the use of overt siege-and-starvation tactics. Stopping activities that are essential for people to feed themselves, such as closing off businesses and work opportunities, is not explicitly covered. “That is a weakness in the law,” said de Waal, who is also the executive director of the World Peace Foundation. “The coalition air strikes are not killing civilians in large numbers but they might be destroying the market and that kills many, many more people.”

The situation in Yemen goes to the heart of the major legal dispute regarding economic warfare: intent. Military and political figures can claim that they never intended to starve a population, and argue that hunger is an unintended side-effect of war for which they do not bear legal responsibility.

Despite this, some human-rights lawyers argue that a case can be made against the kinds of economic warfare being waged in Yemen. All of the parties are aware of the human impact of their tactics; continued refusal to modify them, despite warning of a famine, could leave some culpable. “If you move from negligence to recklessness and you continue with recklessness in the knowledge of the impact it’s having on the civilian population, eventually a judge will be able to see intent on your part,” Wayne Jordash, the head of Global Rights Compliance, a Hague-based human-rights group that monitors violations of the laws of war, told me.

The issue of legal culpability could extend to Washington, D.C. The Obama and Trump Administrations have provided support for the Saudi-led coalition since it intervened in Yemen.

Human-rights groups say that if intent can be proved, some types of Saudi-led air strikes may be found to have violated the Geneva Conventions, because they make it difficult for Yemenis to access food.

Martha Mundy, a retired professor of anthropology from the London School of Economics, has, along with Yemeni colleagues, analyzed the location of air strikes throughout the war. She said their records show that civilian areas and food supplies are being intentionally targeted. “If one looks at certain areas where they say the Houthis are strong, particularly Saada, then it can be said that they are trying to disrupt rural life—and that really verges on scorched earth,” Mundy told me. “In Saada, they hit the popular, rural weekly markets time and again. It’s very systematic targeting of that.” – by Jane Ferguson

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/is-yemen-intentional-starvation-the-future-of-war

and also, emphasizing the US role: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/killing-yemen-with-hunger/

(** B H K)

Deminers. Life journey amid death

A life-safety journey by Alhanishi and other volunteers, amidst death lurking every second, because they lack the necessary equipment and sometimes the required expertise in such difficult tasks.

Mabkhout was not an expert on a mission that required expertise and specialization but risked dismantling the mines planted, putting his life at stake with each operation.

Mabkhout, 65, spoke in an interview with Anadolu agency, about a unique experience of de-mining in the town of "shaking" four years ago, over the bloody war between government forces and al-Houthi.

At the beginning of 2015, when al-Houthi took control of Sanaa (still under their control), Mabkhout was forced to leave his home in Jabal Yam- Nehm east of the capital Sanaa.

When he returned to it the beginning of the following year, the Houthi had planted hundreds of mines in his area in anticipation of an attack by government forces.

"Mined land", as he says, has caused sheep to die and threatens people's lives, prompting the Mabkhout to try to get rid of those buried packages that destroy life every inch.

As for his story, which he puts every day in a new challenge with death, Mabkhout said: "I had no experience in mine clearance, but the necessity forced me to practice this profession."

"At first, I was throwing bullets at them, or hitting them with stones to detonate them, before I gained limited experience in their types and methods of disposal," he said.

Field experience has given Mabkhout the tools to deal with mines more professionally, as he is able to differentiate between their different types.

Also, he tested the ways to neutralize them either by defusing the explosion or by cutting the wires in case they are attached to them.

Over the days, about experts had become a de-mining expert even in the eyes of the citizens of his region, where women and girls were prevented from herding sheep and going to fetch water through the roads that have not yet been explored, the people of his village now ask for his advice and do not take a path they were not allowed to.

An extraordinary "professional" march of a man who chose the path of death to banish his ghost from the citizens of his region, but his valor cost him two injuries from mines.

Colonel Saleh Turaiq, head of the engineering division of the third Military region of the government forces, said there is a weak capacity in of the division, in addition to the leniency of the officials on demining and the lack of substantial support for the operations, significantly hamper their work.

"Turaiq" to Anadolu added that the engineering team had disarmed some 34,000 mines, a container and a missile from the governorates of Marib and Shabwa.

His team was "very small and does not perform all the tasks, in addition to the fact that more than 25 individuals were injured during the demining operations and some limbs were amputated, as well as six members of his engineering team were killed."

The Colonel pointed out that the more easily the mine industry is, the Houthi makes it from raw materials available on the market, such as agricultural fertilizers and so on.

According to the same source, "it is a very important to for big demining teams ", especially since the area cleared in the governorate of Marib does not exceed 50% of the mined areas.

Late June, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani said the preliminary statistics indicate that the al-Houthi Militia planted about 1 million mines in various parts of Yemen.

"Since the beginning of 2018, the National Mine Action Program (the government) has removed more than 282,319 mines, containers, and remnants of war," Yamani Minister said in media statements.

He noted that the figures for mine victims between March 2015 to the same month in 2018 indicated that more than 1194 people had been killed and 2287 injured, most of them civilians.

He pointed out that, among the victims, 216 were children and 72 were women, while the Taiz Governorate is the top of the list of victims of the Houthi mines.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100145

(** A P)

Prospects for Yemen remain dim

The UN’s special envoy for Yemen is facing criticism, though little progress has been made on negotiations and peace from any other quarters

According to a number of Yemeni sources Al-Ahram Weekly contacted, the Yemeni government took exception to the wording the UN special envoy used when briefing the UN on Yemen last week which allegedly cast the two sides of the conflict — the legitimate government and the Houthi rebel movement — as “equal”. According to these sources, the Houthis also refused to hand over the port entirely, proposed to act as a partner in administering the facility and insisted that it should still receive its revenues. The sources also say that the government continues to insist on obtaining full control over the port city and that the Houthis must turn in their heavy weaponry before the start of any negotiations.

If the situation is as the sources describe, Griffiths has a problem. These sources, moreover, have levelled some harsh criticisms against his approach. Some hold that his professional background makes him prioritise the solution to the humanitarian crisis in a way that will impact negatively on the solution to the conflict. Griffiths has stressed the need to put the Hodeida port back into operation so that the flows of urgent humanitarian relief can resume. The critics fear that this will induce Griffiths to side with the view of the Houthis, who currently control the port, or lead him to reject the option of handing over the port to another party for fear that this would trigger a counter-assault and, again, halt operations in the port. Indeed, he made such concerns clear in his briefing to the UN last Thursday in which he underscored the need to keep the ports of Hodeida and Al-Salif open and functioning in view of the extremely grave humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Yemeni Ambassador to the UK Yassin Said Noman is among Griffiths’ critics. He holds that the UN special envoy is still “fact-finding” whereas he should be carrying out UN Security Council resolutions on Yemen, most notably Resolution 2216 adopted in 2015. “The confusion arising from the way he conducts his mission has lead and continues to lead to failure to formulate a diplomatic framework for political action. The envoy should accommodate to his assigned role to end the conflict or, at least, to tell the UN Security Council the truth about the party that refuses to abide by international resolutions,” Noman said, adding: “Hodeida is one facet of the crisis caused by the coup against legitimacy and the Houthi militias’ seizure of control of the country.”

Yemeni sources close to the Hadi government say that Griffiths’ approach tries to combine the “Kerry-2 plan”, referring to mediating efforts of former US Secretary of State John Kerry, with former UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s initiative on Hodeida.

The Kerry proposal called on the Houthis to surrender their heavy weaponry to a third party, to transform themselves into a political party, and to help set into motion a new interim period characterised by an agenda that guaranteed them a place as a political partner. The Houthis rejected the proposal on the grounds that, like the proposal in the negotiations in Kuwait in 2016, it failed to furnish sufficient guarantees. The Ould Cheikh initiative, which he explained in detail in an exclusive interview with the Weekly before the end of his tenure, aimed to create a model for political and security transition in Hodeida that could then be expanded and built on. However, he said, the necessary political will for such an initiative did not exist on either side – by Ahmed Eleiba

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/24937.aspx = http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsPrint/306838.aspx

My comment: This article clearly shows the dilemma of all peace efforts for Yemen. The UN is biased, due to the UN Security Council resolution 2216, which had been formulated by the Saudis and had been pushed by the Saudis Western allies. This resolution is definitely biased, it is anti-Houthi and favors the Hadi government and lets the Saudis and their allies act freely in Yemen. Peace only is possible when both sides are treated equal. The Hadi government and its backers pf course insist on a biased procedure, which requires a de facto capitulation of the Houthis – to which they never would agree, and therefore the war goes on and on. – It’s demasking that the Saud7 UAE / Hadi side even rejected and rejects the Kelly plan, which tried to secure a political future for the Houthis. Thereby they clearly show that they do not want this – that the Houthis should not just capitulate, but evidently should totally disappear from Yemen’s political life.

The UN envoy Griffith is trying to achieve the impossible – to get a solution while he is fixed to this biased base for all he does.

(** B P)

Folter-Vorwürfe von Amnesty: Kriegsverbrechen im Jemen?

Systematische Folter, Verschleppung, Vergewaltigung und Haft in sogenannten Geistergefängnissen: Amnesty International erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen einen der Koalitionspartner der jemenitischen Regierung im Jemenkonflikt - die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate.

Laut Amnesty hätten Antiterroreinheiten und unabhängig von der Armee agierende Sicherheitskräfte im Jemen zahlreiche Menschen willkürlich verschleppt, verhaftet, monatelang ohne Rechtsgrundlage weggesperrt und mit Elektroschocks, Schlägen und sexuellem Missbrauch versucht, Geständnisse zu erpressen. Amnesty International spricht von eindeutigen Kriegsverbrechen und appelliert unter anderem an die USA, einem Verbündeten der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, ihren Einfluss geltend zu machen, um diese grausamen Zustände in den illegalen Haftanstalten im Jemen zu beenden.

Die Menschenrechtsorganisation dokumentierte die Fälle von 51 Jemeniten, die ohne Rechtsgrundlage verschleppt und gefoltert wurden. 19 seien bis heute verschwunden, ohne dass ihre Familien Informationen über den Verbleib der Männer hätten. "Ich habe Dinge gesehen, die niemand jemals sehen und erleben sollte", zitiert Amnesty einen Betroffenen, der ebenfalls mit Elektroschocks gefoltert und als Terrorist beschuldigt wurde, bis die illegalen Antiterrorkämpfer ihn eines Tages mit dem Hinweis entließen, man habe ihn verwechselt.

Die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate bestreiten jede Verwicklung in die illegale Haftpraxis im Jemen, während die amtierende jemenitische Regierung behauptet, keinen Einfluss auf die Sicherheitskräfte des Koalitionspartners im Land zu haben.

https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/jemen-amnesty-101.html

und

(** B P)

Amnesty International: Entführungen, Folter und Misshandlungen im Jemen

Amnesty International erhebt schwere Vorwürfe gegen Soldaten der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, die im Jemen im Einsatz sind. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation will, dass die Vergehen als Kriegsverbrechen verfolgt werden.

Seit vier Jahren herrscht Krieg im Jemen - die Regierung wird dabei von einer Militärkoalition unterstützt, zu der auch die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate gehören. Deren Soldaten hätten "ungeheuerliche" Menschenrechtsverstöße begangen, so Amnesty. Häftlinge seien verschleppt und in inoffiziellen Haftanstalten gefoltert worden. Die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate betreiben diese Gefängnisse laut Amnesty im Jemen.

Die Menschenrechtsorganisation untersuchte die Fälle von 51 Männern, die zwischen März 2016 und Mai 2018 offenbar von Sicherheitskräften im Jemen verschleppt wurden. 19 der Männer sind demnach immer noch verschwunden. Amnesty hat nach eigenen Angaben Berichte von freigelassenen Häftlingen und von Angehörigen der Vermissten dokumentiert.

Amnesty: "Verstöße als Kriegsverbrechen behandeln"

Ein früherer Häftling sagte demnach, in einem Stützpunkt der Militärkoalition in Aden hätten Soldaten der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate "mehrmals einen Gegenstand in seinen Anus eingeführt, bis er blutete".

Zudem sei er in einem "Loch im Boden" festgehalten worden, aus dem nur sein Kopf herausgeragt habe. Diese Menschenrechtsverstöße müssten als Kriegsverbrechen geahndet werden, sagte die Leiterin des Krisenreaktionsteams von Amnesty International, Tirana Hassan. Die Organisation fordert eine Untersuchung der Vorwürfe durch die Emirate und ihre Verbündeten, darunter auch die USA.

https://www.dw.com/de/amnesty-international-entf%C3%BChrungen-folter-und-misshandlungen-im-jemen/a-44643326

Am Montag traf sich die Ministerin für internationale Zusammenarbeit der Emirate, Rim al-Hashimi, laut Berichten der jemenitischen Staatsmedien mit dem Präsidenten und dem Innenminister des Jemen. Dieser habe darauf gedrungen, "die Gefängnisse zu schließen und sie einer gerichtlichen Kontrolle zu unterwerfen

https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000083336171/amnesty-erhebt-schwere-vorwuerfe-gegen-emirate-im-jemen

Mein Kommentar: Fordert Amnesty wirklich, dass die Kriegsverbrecher ihre eigenen Verbrechen untersuchen sollen?

(** B P)

Amnesty International: UAE forces operating network of secret prisons in Yemen - new report

Scores have been held in ‘parallel security structure’ - where electric-shock torture and sexual violence rife, and detainees ‘disappear’

‘We should be using our influence with the Emiratis to ensure their dirty war of torture and disappearances in Yemen is ended immediately’ - Kate Allen

The United Arab Emirates has been carrying out the enforced disappearance and torture of scores of people in southern Yemen, said Amnesty International today.

In a new 34-page report - ‘God only knows if he’s alive’ - Amnesty shows how scores of men have been “disappeared” after being arbitrarily arrested and detained by Emirati and Yemeni forces operating outside the command of their own government. Many have been tortured (see below), with some thought to have died in custody.

Since entering the Yemeni conflict in March 2015, the UAE has created, trained, equipped and financed various local security forces known as the “Security Belt” and the “Elite Forces”. The UAE has also built alliances with Yemeni security officials, bypassing their leadership in the Yemeni government.

Amnesty investigated the cases of 51 men detained by these forces - between March 2016 and May this year - in Aden, Lahj, Abyan, Hadramawt, and Shabwa governorates. Most of the cases involved enforced disappearance, and 19 of these men remain missing. Amnesty interviewed 75 people, including former detainees, relatives of those still missing, activists, and government officials.

The UAE is a key member of the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition in Yemen, active since March 2015. Its involvement with the Security Belt and Elite Forces has the ostensible aim of combating “terrorism”, including by rounding up members of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State armed group. However, critics say many arrests are based on unfounded suspicions and personal vendettas. Critics of the coalition and the practices of UAE-backed security forces have themselves been among those rounded up, including community figures, activists and journalists, as well as sympathisers and members of the al-Islah Party, Yemen’s Muslim Brotherhood branch.

Relatives of suspected AQAP and ISIS members, as well as men who initially helped the coalition fight the Huthis but are now seen as a threat, have also been targeted.

Witnesses have described how detainees have been dragged from workplaces or the street, in some cases being beaten to the point of losing consciousness. Others were seized in terrifying late-night raids on their homes by balaclava-clad, gun-toting security forces referred to as “the masked ones”.

Meanwhile, the authorities have intimidated and even attacked female relatives of detainees and the disappeared who’ve held numerous protests in Aden and al-Mukalla during the past two years.

The UAE has repeatedly denied it is involved in unlawful detention practices in Yemen, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Meanwhile the Yemeni government has stated to a UN panel of experts that it does not have control over the security forces trained and backed by the UAE.

Electric shocks and sexual violence

Amnesty’s report documents the widespread use of torture in the Yemeni and Emirati facilities. Current and former detainees and families gave horrific accounts of abuse, including beatings, use of electric shocks and sexual violence. One said he saw a fellow detainee being carried away in a body bag after being repeatedly tortured.

Another former detainee who was held at Waddah Hall, a notorious unofficial detention facility in Aden operated by a local counter-terrorism unit, said:

“I saw things I do not want to see again. In that place, you do not even see the sun. They were making all sorts of accusations. They started beating me … Then one day, they released me at night, they said they had me confused with someone else … ‘It was a mistaken identity, sorry.’ It was as if they had done nothing after all the suffering I endured from electric shocks.”

Another former detainee said UAE soldiers at a coalition base in Aden repeatedly inserted an object into his anus until he bled. He said he was also kept in a hole in the ground with only his head above the surface and left to defecate and urinate on himself in that position.

Amnesty also documented the case of a man who was arrested at his house by the UAE-backed Shabwani Elite Forces and then dumped next to his family’s house a few hours later, badly injured with visible marks of torture. He died shortly after being taken to hospital.

Mothers, wives and sisters of the disappeared

Mothers, wives and sisters of those forcibly disappeared have been holding regular protests for nearly two years, going from government and prosecution offices, security departments, prisons, coalition bases, and various entities handling human rights complaints.

The sister of a 44-year-old man who was arrested in Aden in late 2016, told Amnesty:

“We have no idea where he is, God only knows if he’s alive. Our father died of a broken heart a month ago. He died not knowing where his son is. We just want to know our brother’s fate. We just want to hear his voice and know where he is. If he’s done something, aren’t there courts to try them? At least put them on trial, let us visit them. What is the point of courts? Why disappear them like this?”

Some families said they were approached by individuals who told them their relatives had died in custody, only for this to be denied when they checked with the leadership of the UAE-backed Yemeni forces.

“If they would just confirm to us that my brother is alive, if they would just let us see him, that’s all we want. But we can’t get anyone to give us any confirmation. My mother dies a hundred times every day. They don’t know what that is like,” said the sister of a detainee who was forcibly disappeared after his arrest in September 2016 and who is widely rumoured to be among those who died in custody.

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/uae-forces-operating-network-secret-prisons-yemen-new-report and very similar https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/07/disappearances-and-torture-in-southern-yemen-detention-facilities-must-be-investigated-as-war-crimes/ (with map of prisons)

and this is the full report:

https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/2018-07/GOD%20ONLY%20KNOWS%20IF%20HES%20ALIVE%20-%20MDE%2031.8682.2018.pdf?kT0bZMswTnXhCiowQQDTiw2m3axQHY8Y

and abridged:

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/detention-and-torture-in-yemeni-prisons-are-war-crimes-human-rights-group-says-1.537207

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-emirates/amnesty-calls-for-probe-of-torture-claims-at-yemen-detention-centers-idUSKBN1K2015

https://www.dw.com/en/amnesty-international-accuses-uae-yemen-forces-of-torture/a-44646087

and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctyNS3xcnlY

and film by Aljazeera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsMMyMNNfmU = https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/amnesty-calls-for-probe-of-torture-claims-in-yemen-prisons/vp-AAzXZ74

and

(** B P)

Amnesty International: Timeline: UAE’s role in southern Yemen’s secret prisons

July 2015

The “liberation” of the southern city of Aden by Yemeni and coalition forces is announced on 17 July, shortly after the arrival of United Arab Emirates (UAE) ground troops. Analysis of satellite imagery from the time shows the installation of the perimeter for the UAE base in Aden’s Bureiqa district, and later imagery shows the construction and expansion of a detention centre there.

March 2016

UAE-backed Security Belt Forces are formed (now totalling up to 15,000 troops active in several southern governorates, including Aden, Lahj, and Abyan).

April 2016

Construction starts on a detention facility in the UAE/coalition base in Aden’s Bureiqa district, according to satellite imagery analysis. Imagery shows the detention area expanding throughout 2016 and early 2017, aligning with the waves of arrests documented by Amnesty International and others.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/07/timeline-uaes-role-in-southern-yemens-secret-prisons/

and

(** A P)

Yemen demands Emirates shut down prisons where abuses rife

Yemen’s interior minister on Monday demanded the United Arab Emirates shut down or hand over secret prisons that The Associated Press reported are under the control of the UAE and its allied militias.

At least 80 detainees have been freed from the facilities in recent weeks since an AP investigation detailed sexual abuse and torture at the sites.

It was the first time Interior Minister Ahmed al-Maysari has gone public with the demand in talks with an Emirati official, seeming to contradict the UAE’s repeated denials that it has authority over any prisons in Yemen.

On Sunday, Anwar Gargash, the UAE state minister for foreign affairs, dismissed as “fake news” reports that his country controls prisons or has set up a base on the Yemeni island of Socotra.

Al-Maysari, who has come under pressure from families of detainees who have disappeared into the prison network, has previously said he has no authority over the prisons and that he can’t even enter the southern city of Aden without Emirati permission.

Ostensibly, the Emiratis and Hadi’s government are allies in that fight. But tensions have been high between them.

Al-Maysari stressed the “necessity to shut down the prisons and put them under the authority of the Yemeni judiciary and prosecution,” the state-run SABA news agency said.

Al-Maysari visited the Emirates last month for talks that officials said drew up plans to shut down the prisons. His visit came after repeated TV appearances in which he said he has no control over the prisons.

A senior government official told the AP on Monday that “the prisons are still under the Emiratis’ full control.”

“There are promises by the Emiratis to hand them over. We hope so,” he said. “All we have are promises.”

Recent weeks have seen several prisoner releases, apparently aimed at easing some of the pressure.

The Wadah facility was found empty Sunday during a visit by the state-run National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations in Human Rights, the commission said. It is not clear how many detainees were there or what happened to them. Former detainees say there were several cells, some containing up to 70 people.

In recent weeks, there appears to have been an effort to paper over the conditions at Beir Ahmed. Prisoners say on one occasion, wardens forced detainees to play volleyball and chess in front of cameras, and that TV screens were installed to allow them to watch the World Cup. The prisoners spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Al-Maysari was expected to visit the prison on Sunday, according to three relatives of prisoners who met with him on Wednesday. “He told us he will get in, search for the missing ones, and get a full list of detainees. He will be in charge,” a mother of one of the three said.

Ahead of the visit, prisoners were given new clothes and meals, and buildings were painted. But on Sunday, al-Maysari failed to show up. Maj. Gen. Ali Lakhsha, his deputy, arrived instead.

In comments aired on TV during the visit, Lakhsha said there was no evidence of secret prisons outside government control. That prompted an angry protest by families of detainees outside al-Maysari’s house the next day, accusing the government of “whitewashing their (UAE) crimes.” – By AHMED AL-HAJ and MAGGIE MICHAEL

https://apnews.com/aef556abb5d245daaab75ba6f85e9184/Yemen-demands-Emirates-shut-down-prisons-where-abuses-rife

and these are the former AP reports:

https://apnews.com/b2a5ecfd1adb442a86df5bd05bc6599e

https://www.apnews.com/7994b4508e9c4a5eaf8a1cca9f20322f/Detainees-held-without-charges-decry-Emiratis%27-sexual-abuses

and more details excerpted from the main study:

(** B P)

Tortured, detained, disappeared: UAE abuses rife in southern Yemen

The detainees were only accounted for after they were moved to facilities under the Yemeni Prosecutor General's supervision and families were allowed to visit.

Some of the detainees were released after interrogation, with others referred to trial in Aden. In June and July 2018, scores of detainees were freed months after prosecutors had ordered their release, with many held incommunicado for up to two years without charges.

The authorities failed to disclose the lists of names of detainees who "re-appeared" after they were transferred to official detention and the judiciary was given access to them, nor were their families officially notified.

One year after the UAE prison network was exposed, dozens of detainees still remain unaccounted for and are thought to be held in unofficial detention sites across southern Yemen, with fears many have already died in custody.

"Shouldn't they [the detainees] be given a trial? Why else are there courts? They shouldn't be disappeared this way – not only are we unable to visit them, we don’t even know if they are dead or alive," the wife of a detainee who has been held incommunicado for more than two years told Amnesty.

As months, and even years, pass without any official information, families have communicated with prison guards on an unofficial basis and reached out to former detainees for any news.

Often they are simply exposed to rumours, unconfirmed reports, or false information, further exacerbating their anguish.

"If they would just confirm to us that my brother is alive, if they would just let us see him, that's all we want," the sister of one detainee, who disappeared in 2016, told Amnesty.

"But we can't get anyone to give us any confirmation. My mother dies a hundred times every day. They don't know what that's like."

'If you run, we will shoot'

Media reports have quoted security officials as saying that at least 13 of the 50 detention cases investigated by Amnesty have described detainees as AQAP members, with others members of the Hadi-affiliated al-Islah party, Yemen's Muslim Brotherhood offshoot.

In Aden, fighters and former volunteers with the anti-Houthi resistance forces have also been detained.

Families, lawyers and officials, however, have told Amnesty that many of the detentions have been completely arbitrary.

Several families said when security forces showed up at their door or picked up their loved ones from the street, someone who appeared to be an informant was in their vehicle, pointing at the person that was arrested.

Critics of the coalition arrests, including journalists and community activists, have also been arrested.

"There are financial incentives [for arrests] and they also have informants who work for them on the street and get rewarded in exchange. They gather names in a primitive way," a security official told Amnesty International.

In at least five of the cases documented by Amnesty International, families said security forces also stole valuables from them during house raids.

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/7/12/tortured-detained-disappeared-uae-abuses-rife-in-southern-yemen

and

(** B P)

TRT: Film: Is the UAE torturing prisoners in Yemen?

In recent weeks, the Associated Press has reported on the sexual and physical abuse in Yemen, at locations ranging from Emirati-run military bases to a nightclub operated by a UAE commander. Mixed up in the allegations is the United States, which reportedly has interrogated Al Qaeda suspects at these facilities. Guests: Najib Ghanem, Yemeni MP and former health minister; Hussain Albukhaiti, Yemeni Journalist; Michael Page, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Division Human Rights Watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkdm8Tm_WBA

and

(* A P)

UAE Denies Allegations of Secret Prisons in Yemen

The UAE has rejected allegations mentioned in an Amnesty International report regarding its management of prisons in Yemen, stressing in a statement issued on Thursday that Yemeni prisons are within the jurisdiction of Yemeni authorities and are solely managed by Yemeni institutions.

The report was based on political motives aimed at undermining the UAE's efforts within the framework of the Arab Coalition supporting Yemen’s legitimate government, according to the statement published by WAM.

The statement read: "The Government of the United Arab Emirates has reviewed the report issued by Amnesty International with regards to prisons in Yemen and absolutely rejects it for it is contrary to truth and reality. The UAE does not run any prisons in Yemen."

The UAE confirmed that it has called on the Yemeni government to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.

“For follow-up, measures are currently being taken in this regard such as planning Red Cross visits to some prisons, and the UAE will continue to work closely with the Yemeni government in this regard,” concluded the statement.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1330141/uae-denies-allegations-secret-prisons-yemen and also http://almasdaronline.com/article/100183

My comment: Of course. This really is not convincing. And, it seems the Interior Minister is quoted wrong here - for propaganda purposes.

(** B K P)

Outsourcing war: How foreigners and mercenaries power UAE's military

Gen Toumajan, a former lieutenant colonel in the US Army, is the commanding officer of the United Arab Emirates' military helicopter branch. He wears the UAE’s uniform, gives orders to Emirati troops and - when he meets with American counterparts - is identified as a general of a foreign force.

The UAE’s futuristic cities and booming economy were built on foreign know how and labour funded by petro dollars - and its military is no different. At war in Yemen - and with aspirations of becoming a dominant land, air and sea power in the Middle East - the UAE is leaning heavily on foreign expertise to transform and guide its military.

From commanders like Toumajan to mercenaries and trainers, foreigners have been central to the rise of the UAE’s military.

"It seems to me that it is the way that the UAE is using, integrating and learning from foreigners that has been probably - if we had to choose one - it has been the central enabling factor for Emirati military capability," said David Roberts, an assistant professor at London’s King’s College and an expert on Gulf affairs.

"All Gulf military forces employ many foreigners, but in the UAE there is a different, more effective military outcome."

Foreigners in UAE uniform

Toumajan is not the only foreign commander in the UAE’s armed forces.

Australian Mike Hindmarsh heads the UAE’s Presidential Guard, which is considered to be among the most elite fighting forces in the Arab world today and is active in Yemen.

The role Toumajan and Hindmarsh play is not exactly clear.

Roberts, the King’s College Gulf expert, said the commanders are more than figureheads and likely play a key role.

“I presume they have been influential in the planning process working alongside senior Emiratis,” he said.

Other western officers wear the UAE’s uniform and hold rank as well, but they appear to be confined to training roles.

Keeping UAE military afloat

An Emirati company called Knowledge Point employs a large number of former American officers tasked with training and advising Emirati forces.

Becca Wasser, a policy analyst at the Rand Corporation who specialises in US defence and foreign policies in the Middle East, said Emirati forces have benefited from training alongside US and French forces, as well as their deployments to Afghanistan. But she added that the UAE's military depends on foreigners it contracts to keep it up and running.

"Security cooperation activities are bolstered by a high degree of contract support throughout the Emirati Armed Forces, particularly in logistics and maintenance,” she said. “These contractors include former US and other military personnel, and often take on the lion’s share of the unglamorous work that helps keep the military afloat.”

Outsourcing war

The UAE military’s reliance on foreigners is not exactly new.

Back in 2010, Blackwater founder Erik Prince was tasked with putting together a mercenary army in the UAE that would confront any potential worker or pro-democracy uprisings.

Before he joined the Trump administration, US Defense Secretary General Jim Mattis received permission from the US Marine Corps to serve as a military advisor to the UAE in 2015.

The UAE has also been accused of sending hundreds of Latin American mercenaries - members of the hired gun army Prince founded - to fight in Yemen.

While Emirati troops have deployed to Yemen and played a key role, they have outsourced much of the fighting to their local anti-Houthi allies, limiting their own casualties.

McFate, the former mercenary, said the policy lowers the barriers of entry to war.

“Being able to outsource war seems to promise more war in the future; that’s what’s so dangerous about it,” he said.

Emirati military ambitions only appear to be growing.

The UAE is at war in Yemen. The country reportedly considered using military action against Qatar. In east Africa, it has built a base in Eritrea and is planning to establish a base in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia.

Legally ambiguous

From bombing civilian targets to torturing prisoners in detention centres, the UAE stands accused of a number of war crimes as its war in Yemen enters its fourth year.

So what happens if troops serving under a foreign commander commit a war crime?

Rebecca Hamilton, an assistant professor of law at American University in Washington, DC, said it’s hard to prosecute war crimes, especially when the role of a commanding officer is opaque.

With foreign commanders continuing to serve a military that is accused of war crimes and facing no repercussions, others could be tempted to follow their path.

“In general, whenever you have a law on the books that people are seeing is not being enforced in practice, then you don’t have much deterrence going on,” said Hamilton, the assistant law professor.

“If prohibitions on war crimes are not enforced, that sends a signal to people who might perpetrate them that they don’t need to be worried.” – by Josh Wood

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/outsourcing-war-how-foreigners-and-mercenaries-power-uaes-military-90958187

(** B K P)

Yemen war 'a swamp for S Arabia, UAE economy': The UAE's armed forces in Yemen

The UAE has three types of forces in Yemen: first, the UAE troops, and then Yemeni mercenaries who are commanded by Emirati forces and finally mercenaries from other countries that the UAE has hired to fight. The UAE has not announced the number of their troops in Yemen but reports indicate that about 1,500 troops and soldiers from the UAE Special Forces are directly involved in the war and training allied mercenaries. Hundreds of UAE soldiers forces have been killed in Yemen since 2015, according to reports. The emirates have also deployed and trained more than 35,000 Yemenis. They are recruited through tribal sheikhs. The Emiratis just in Aden employed 14,000 people while 2,000 were hired in Abyan, 3000 in al-Mahriya, and 2000 in Socotra to go to war with the military and popular committees in Yemen.

Mercenaries from Latin America, Australia, South Africa, El Salvador, Chile and Panama and Colombia have been deployed by the UAE. They are engaged in torture and field executions, in addition to fighting against the army and popular committees in Yemen. These mercenaries might receive $530 a month in their own countries, but the Emiratis give them more than $2,800 per month.

According to Yemen Net, African mercenaries fight alongside Brigadier General Tareq Saleh, the nephew of slain President Ali Abdullah Saleh, on the western coast of Yemen. They include forces from Sudan, Somali, Senegal, Uganda, Chad, Kenya and Eritrea. These mercenaries have been trained in the Hadramaut desert and are based in a camp between Zobab and the port of Al-Muqa in western Yemen.

Mercenaries from the countries of East Asia, including Filipinos, Bangladeshis, Afghans, Chechens and Pakistanis, have been hired by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In addition to military missions, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Filipino mercenaries are used in Yemen's logistical and other services, many are working in hospitals and kitchens of the Saudi-led coalition.

Emiratis use former prisoners, bandits and gangs in the war against the army and Yemeni popular committees and spy agencies. Takfiri and Salafi mercenaries also serve Emiratis.

Latin American mercenaries may receive a monthly salary of $2,000 to $3,000 dollars while in their own countries they do not receive a salary of more than $400 a month.

The cost of it all for the UAE is enormous, an estimated $16 billion annually. This is apart from the cost of 30 Emirati fighter jets and the UAE military vessels in the Red sea contributing to the Yemen war.

Yemenis, meanwhile, are concerned about the UAE’s dominance over Bab al-Mandab, oil-rich regions and also by the spread of al-Qaeda and Takfiris.

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/135600/Yemen-war-a-swamp-for-S-Arabia-UAE-economy

(** A K P)

The Times of London Publishes Another Troubling Op-Ed on Yemen

Yemen in suffering from one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century. But some members of British establishment seem to be advocating for more war in Yemen.

Another recent article published in the Times of London, one of Britain’s oldest and most prestigious papers, is a perfect example of this subtle and worrying trend. In the article Peter Welby, the son of the Archbishop of Canterbury and a former consultant at the Tony Blair Institute for Change, argues that Houthi rebels in Yemen are equivalent to the Islamic State (ISIS). The article is entitled “Yemen’s Houthi rebels should be treated like ISIS.” The Times newspaper has a troubling track-record on the Yemen question, in particular.

But the question remains: why push fake news about the Houthis being ISIS? Towards what end does this comparison contribute? Who stands to gain from this? And who stands to lose?

The article conforms to a wider trend of support for the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which has killed around 15,000 and thrown the poorest country in the Arab world into what is considered the most urgent humanitarian catastrophe happening today.

Al Bawaba spoke directly to Welby, over the phone from Amman, to try to pick apart some of the statements made. The responses we received were baffling, to say the least.

“How, they say, could they have done this [capture Yemen’s capital, Sanaa] if it weren’t for God’s support? In their mind, the territory is a gift from God,” submits the author on the Houthis. “If that sounds familiar, it’s because Islamic State said the same after the Iraqi army melted before them in northern Iraq.”

Speaking with Al Bawaba over the phone, Welby argued that he meant the Houthis were just as immoral and extreme as ISIS, and that “the Houthis are not plucky freedom fighters… they are trying to conquer a whole load of people.”

Welby is quick to cite the largely Shia Houthi’s reliance on religious rhetoric to justify their politics and compares their stance to Iran. When Saudi Arabia was mentioned to be doing the same and even trying to export its hard-line wahhabi branch of Islam around the world, Welby made exceptions for Saudi before trying to change the subject.

Saudi Arabia, one of the key allies to the Yemen government, also claims a type of divine right to rule.

Denying the Existence of the Aid Blockade

Welby went on to claim that the humanitarian situation in the country is improving, that reports of the suffering in Yemen are “skewed towards the suffering the Coalition is causing,” while minimizing Houthi’s own crimes. These claims conflict with well-documented reports from Yemen showing the humanitarian crisis deepening as the conflict drags on with crimes committed by all sides.

“A lot of the suffering in Yemen is due the Houthi failure to distribute aid effectively,” he argued. Stunningly, when asked about Saudi’s naval and air blockade of Yemen that many NGOs say is largely responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Welby denied the existence of any such blockade.

“As far as I’m aware, there isn’t an aid blockade,” Welby states bluntly, only admitting to there being a brief blockade in late 2017 that was then lifted. Aid workers on the ground disagree.

No Good Guys in the Yemen War

It is safe to say that the ongoing war in Yemen has no ‘good guys.’

“Yes there are good guys.” Welby said in the interview.

“I think that the… forces of the Saudi-coalition, of the Arab coalition under the U.N. resolution authorizing the use of force, are entirely good. They’re about defending their borders and supporting the legitimate government against rebel groups,” he added.

In brazenly picking a side, denying and manipulating realities on the ground and calling for a more intense military involvement in Yemen, The Times’ article would stand as a moral tragedy: an example of propaganda that justifies one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century.

British, US & French Arms Sales in Yemen

The article’s sentiments more or less capture the official stances of the U.K., French and U.S. governments.

To many experts on Yemen and millions of citizens of the U.K., The Times’ article is fake news. For government themselves, this kind of writing is exactly what they need to justify the continued military support of Saudi-led Coalition, despite the warning cries from non-governmental organizations including the U.N., Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The ugly truth that all sides in the war have committed human rights violations and show little respect for humanity has been abandoned to the more convenient take that the Yemeni government are the ‘good guys,’ and the Houthis are essentially evil incarnate.

The victims of this take, which calls for deeper war and alignment with a murderous government, will inevitably be Yemeni civilians, who were already the poorest and most deprived people in the Arab world before the war began.

https://www.albawaba.com/news/times-london-publishes-another-troubling-op-ed-yemen-1157842

(** B P)

Trump Is Seeding War Clouds Over Iran

Trump and Pompeo are squeezing Iran where it hurts. They are trying to prevent Iran from selling oil internationally. They are applying maximum pressure upon Iran. This is overt. It is announced policy. For example, the State Department says

“Very broadly, Saudi Arabia is a key partner in our effort to isolate and pressure Iran.

The economic isolation of Iran via an economic blockade deprives Iran of essential revenues. In essence, the U.S. policy is an act of war. Trump is seeding war clouds over Iran. He wants Iranians to overturn their government. Failing that, he appears to want Iran to attack American assets or engage in some other act of retaliation, perhaps in Europe or the Persian Gulf, that can be made into a cause of war so that the U.S. and its allies (NATO, Israel, Saudi Arabia) can attack Iran in force. At least, that is what he is risking.

Trump’s policy on Iran augments the longstanding U.S. policy of sanctioning Iran and treating Iran as an enemy. Trump is escalating the past low-level and medium-level pressure upon Iran into higher-level and much more serious warfare. The U.S. cannot blockade Iran, if such a blockade via sanctions is successful, without causing serious consequences.

In the imaginations of American leaders, Iran has assumed the shape of a demon whose appearance must be exorcised in order to obtain psychological relief. Not peculiar to Trump, this has been the case for the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Executive and Israel ever since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

Is war with Iran necessary for American security? How does Iran threaten America and Americans? The largest possible threat was the nuclear threat, but that was mitigated through the deal that Trump abandoned. Iran does not threaten America and Americans directly. Iran is said by General Votel to be “the major threat to U.S. interests and partnerships in the Central Region”. A threat to the U.S. (government) is not the same as a threat to America and Americans. The Central Region includes “Egypt to Pakistan and from Kazakhstan to Yemen”. The threat appears to be oil supply, but it is not. Iran needs to sell oil as a source of revenue. The U.S. fears the political influence of Iran in the region.

That is why Votel warns:

“Iran has extended its tentacles across the region through numerous proxies, including Lebanese Hizballah operating in multiple countries, hardline Iranian-backed Shia Militia Groups (SMGs) in Iraq and Syria, and Iranian support has enabled the Houthis.”

The U.S. fears Iranian influence in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen; and it fears further influence in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kazakhstan. To prevent the growth of that influence, the U.S. wants a government in Tehran that is not expansionary or revolutionary. The U.S. long-term aim is to have this entire region be under the wing of America. No U.S. government will be satisfied until this happens, whether it takes 50-100-200 years.

Supposing that the expansion of the American empire is the fundamental aim of the U.S. government, what means are more likely to achieve it? War measures against Iran or peace measures that bring other countries into the American fold through mutual gains? War in Afghanistan has proven fruitless. War against Iraq has augmented Iranian influence. The attempt to bring Syria’s Assad down by war has amplified Iran’s presence in Syria. The support of Saudi Arabia’s war against Yemen is leading to a genocide.

The U.S. cannot expand what it claims to be a “good” empire by means of war and imperialism that produce mass evils. It cannot build nations, states and nation-states. It cannot manufacture wholesome governments that are free of corruption. It cannot accomplish that even in this country. It cannot elevate the economies of foreign countries by means of government projects and investments.

The extension of property rights, sound law, sound government and free markets to backward regions is simply not something that the U.S. government knows how to do or can do. Our government is attempting to do this through military special forces who are trained to work with foreign security forces and peoples. This won’t succeed. Successful social systems do not arise and persist via the injection of some foreign elements that are thought to be critical or missing, be they capital projects, laws, leaders, literacy, or security forces.

The U.S. government is implementing incorrect theories of social improvement, both abroad and here. The U.S. government doesn’t know how civilizations form, succeed and fail. The federal government of America doesn’t know how to foster civilized life, even the particular brand of civilized life that we call American or Western – by Michael S. Rozeff

https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/trump-is-seeding-war-clouds-over-iran/

(** B E K P)

Jemens Krieg und Deutschlands Beitrag

Alle Konfliktparteien dort setzen deutsche Kleinwaffen ein – obwohl die Bundesregierung einen Exportstopp beschlossen hat. Wie kann das sein?

Recherchen der ZEIT zeigen, dass Kämpfer aller Kriegsparteien mit deutschen Sturmgewehren und Maschinengewehren im Jemen und im saudischen Grenzgebiet feuern – und dass die Waffen sich unkontrolliert weiterverbreiten.

Augenzeugen aus dem Jemen haben der ZEIT den Einsatz des G36 bestätigt. "Ich habe Huthi und regionale Stammeskämpfer im ganzen Jemen mit dem G36 gesehen", berichtet ein Konfliktanalyst aus dem Land. "

Auch die sudanesische Armee hat G36 erhalten." Zudem hätten die saudischen Streitkräfte viele G3 an die jemenitische Armee und an Söldner abgegeben, die für die Regierung kämpfen. Seine Angaben bestätigen Fotos und Filme, auf denen deutsche Waffen zu sehen sind: Neben dem G36 taucht häufig das Sturmgewehr G3 auf, das in Saudi-Arabien und im Iran in Lizenz nachgebaut wird.

Auch die Maschinengewehre MG4 und MG3, alles Waffen, die von der Bundeswehr genutzt werden und in Deutschland entwickelt wurden, sind auf den Fotos aus den Kampfgebieten zu sehen. Das Maschinengewehr 4 (MG4) ist eine neue Waffe, sie wurde erst seit 2005 bei den deutschen Streitkräften eingeführt und wurde in den Auslandseinsätzen in Afghanistan oder Mali genutzt.

"Das ist eine Schande und zeigt ganz deutlich, dass es dringend ein Exportverbot von Kleinwaffen geben muss", sagt Stefan Liebich, außenpolitischer Sprecher der Linkspartei.

Jedes Wort des Bedauerns über die vielen zivilen Opfer im blutigen Jemen-Krieg ist Heuchelei, wenn weiter Waffenexporte an die brutale Kriegsallianz gehen", sagt Agnieszka Brugger, stellvertretende Fraktionsvorsitzende der Grünen. Ihre Partei und auch die Linke fordern einen völligen Exportstopp nach Jemen.

Dabei gibt es bereits lange einen bekannten Fall: Im Frühjahr 2015 hatten Verbündete von Saudi-Arabien zahlreiche G3-Gewehre erhalten. Flugzeuge warfen die Sturmgewehre in Kisten verpackt an Fallschirmen ab. Die Tagesschau zeigte, wie diese Kisten von jemenitischen Kämpfern geöffnet und G3 herausgeholt wurden. Sie sollen aus saudischer Produktion stammen.

"Über die genaue Herkunft der Gewehre liegen derzeit keine eigenen Erkenntnisse der Bundesregierung vor", teilte das zuständige Bundeswirtschaftsministerium 2015 in der Antwort auf eine parlamentarische Anfrage mit. Daran hat sich bis heute, drei Jahre später, nichts geändert. Im Jemen schießen die Kämpfer unterschiedlicher Kriegsparteien weiter aufeinander, mit dem G36, dem G3 und dem MG4. Mit Gewehren also, die einst "made in Germany" waren und die sich nun unkontrolliert verbreiten – von Hauke Friederichs

https://www.zeit.de/2018/29/waffenexporte-bundesregierung-jemen-krieg

(** A B P)

Starving and Bombed Children of Yemen Seek Entrapment in Flooded Thai Cave

Why did the world’s corporate media highlight the flooded Thai cave story so graphically and why do so many ordinary people respond with such interest – meaning genuine emotional engagement – in this story? But not the others just mentioned?

And what does this tell us about human psychology and geopolitics?

Needless to say, a great deal.

During the Thai cave drama, major corporate media outlets, such as the Washington Post and the BBC, were routinely releasing ‘breaking news’ updates on the status of the rescue effort. At high points in the drama, reports on this issue were overshadowing major political and other stories of the day. At the same time, there were no ‘breaking news’ stories on any of the many myriad forms of violence against children, which were (and are still) killing 50,000 children each day.

So why the corporate media interest in this essentially local (Thai) story about a group of 12 children trapped in a cave? And why did it attract so much support, including foreign cave divers, engineers and medics as well as technology billionaire Elon Musk, who flew in to investigate rescue options and assist with the rescue effort. They and their equivalents are certainly not flying in to rescue children in a vast number of other contexts, including where the provision of simple, nourishing meals and clean water would do wonders.

Well, in essence, the story was a great one for the corporate media, simply because it reported on something of little consequence to those not immediately impacted and enabled the media to garner attention for itself and other (western) ‘heroes’ drawn into the story while engaging in its usual practice of distracting us from what really matters. And it was an easy story to sell simply because the media could use a wide range of safe emotional triggers to draw people into the dramatized story without simultaneously raising difficult questions about the (appalling) state of the world and responsibility for it.

In simple language: like sports events and other forms of entertainment, the cave rescue provided a safely contained time and space for people to feel emotionally engaged in (this case) a real-life drama (with feelings like fear and relief allowed an outlet) while carefully reinforcing their unconscious feeling of powerlessness to do anything about it and their acceptance of this. This is why it was so important that expert rescue efforts were highlighted: the key media message was that ‘there is nothing you can do’.

Of course, in this context, this was largely true. The problem is that the corporate media coverage wasn’t aimed at this context. It was aimed at all those other contexts which it wasn’t even discussing, let alone highlighting: the vast range of issues – including the many ongoing wars and endless military violence, the threat of nuclear war, the climate catastrophe and innumerable threats to our biosphere posed by such activities as rainforest destruction, the refugee crisis, military occupations, as well as the ongoing violence against children in so many contexts as touched on above – that need a great deal of our attention but for which the elite uses its corporate media to distract us and reinforce our sense of powerlessness.

Another aspect of the story was the way in which it highlighted the ‘accidental’ nature of the incident: no one was really responsible, even the hapless coach who was just trying to give his young players an interesting excursion and whom, according to reports, none of the parents blamed.

In short, while the 12 boys and their coach were rescued after 17 days trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand which required a sophisticated and expensive international effort, during the same period around the world, 850,000 children were killed by human adults. Even in Thailand during this 17-day period, apart from those children violated and killed as a result of sex trafficking and other violence, 119 children drowned (at the rate of seven each day). See ‘Swim Safe: Preventing Child Drowning’. Obviously, these children were ignored because there was no profit in reporting their plight and helping to mobilize an international effort to save them – by Robert J. Burrowes

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1807/S00040/starving-and-bombed-children-of-yemen-seek-entrapment.htm

Hierzu auch lesenswert (Nur im Abo von Zeit Online und in der Druckausgabe vom 12.7.): https://www.zeit.de/2018/29/hoehlenrettung-thailand-jungen-mitgefuehl und in cp2.

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

(* B H)

WHO warnt vor Verbreitung von Krankheiten im Jemen

Laut dem Webportal dieser Organisation sind verdächtige Fälle von Cholera-Infizierten in al-Hudaida berichtet worden.

Die WHO gab ferner bekannt, dass es außer Cholera-Erkrankungen auch 209 Fälle von erkankten Personen an Diphterie und 252 Masern-Fälle gegeben habe.

Ein hoher Rangträger dieser Organisation unterstrich, dass die Eskalation der Auseinandersetzungen in al-Hudaida sich nicht nur direkt auf Menschen mit einer Vielfalt von Krankheiten auswirke, sondern auch die weiteren 70 Prozent der Bewohner dieser Gebiete davon betroffen seien, jene Menschen, die ausländische Hilfe zur Deckung ihrer lebenswichtigen Bedürfnisse wie Gesundheit und medizinische Versorgung benötigen.

http://parstoday.com/de/news/world-i42306-who_warnt_vor_verbreitung_von_krankheiten_im_jemen

cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German

(* B K P)

Die Kriegsgegner in Jemen sollen wieder verhandeln

Die Kämpfe um die wichtige jemenitische Hafenstadt Hudaida sind etwas abgeflaut. Die Uno versucht zwischen den Kriegsparteien zu vermitteln.

Das Militärbündnis hatte einen schnellen Sieg angekündigt, auch um die Kritiker zu besänftigen, die davor warnten, dass die Offensive das Elend der Jemeniten noch verschlimmert. Die Hafenstadt ist der wichtigste Knotenpunkt für die humanitäre Hilfe im Land, fast drei Viertel der Güter kommen über sie in das kriegsversehrte Land. Vier Wochen nach Beginn der Militäroperation sind die Angreifer indes weiterhin weit von einem Sieg entfernt.

Für die Truppen des kleinen Golfstaats ist es der grösste Militäreinsatz in seiner Geschichte. Dabei geht es für das Herrscherhaus nicht nur darum, die Huthi an den Verhandlungstisch zu zwingen, wie es offiziell heisst, sondern auch darum, seinen Einfluss in der Region auszuweiten. Doch gegen die Guerillataktik der kampferprobten Huthi-Milizionäre haben sie bisher kein Rezept gefunden.

Die Kämpfe um Hudaida sind in den letzten Wochen etwas abgeflaut. Ende Juni stellte das saudische Militärbündnis die Angriffe für eine Woche ein, diese Woche gab der Aussenminister der VAE, Anwar Gargash, eine Verlängerung der Feuerpause bekannt, um einem neuen Anlauf für eine Verhandlungslösung eine Chance zu geben. Mehrfach hat sich der Uno-Sondergesandte für Jemen, Martin Griffiths, in den letzten zwei Wochen mit Vertretern der Huthi und der jemenitischen Regierung getroffen. Beide Seiten seien nach zweijähriger Unterbrechung zu neuen Verhandlungen bereit, teilte Griffiths zum Auftakt seiner Gespräche mit.

Die Huthi sind bereit, die Kontrolle über den Hafen von Hudaida im Rahmen eines Waffenstillstandsabkommens an die Uno zu übergeben. Im Gegenzug fordern sie jedoch, dass sich das Militärbündnis aus einer anderen Region zurückzieht. Die VAE und die Saudi verlangen wiederum, dass die Huthi aus der gesamten Küstenregion abziehen.

Das Einzige, worauf die Jemeniten derzeit hoffen können, ist, dass das Nadelöhr am Hafen von Hudaida offen bleibt. Andernfalls droht im gesamten Land nach Angaben der Uno eine Hungersnot – von Onga Rogg

https://www.nzz.ch/international/die-kriegsgegner-in-jemen-sollen-wieder-verhandeln-ld.1402792

cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English

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Integration of 7,000 resistance fighters into the brigades of the Giants in the West Coast

The merger of thousands of resistance members into new military brigades, under the command of the government Giants ' brigade forces (composed of six military brigades), began on Thursday on the west coast of Yemen.

Military sources informed Almasdar online that this was part of a field military plan to rehabilitate and train pesonnel and to give them salaries and military equipment , while the media center of the Giants forces said that 7,000 elements of the Tuhami resistance were included in the Giants.

According to the sources, the resistance members decided to put an end to the randomness , and to engage in special brigades within the brigades giants, to take part in the control of the city of Hodeidah, under the leadership of general Abu-Zaraah al-Mahrami and the leadership of the Arab coalition.

Recently, the first Hodeidah brigade (consist of 2000 soldiers) , led by Yahya al-Wahsh, joined the Giants ' brigades, called the 9th Brigade Giants and completed their training with the aim of participating in the battle to liberate Hodeidah City.

In the past, hundreds of resistance forces were involved in the Giants, and their own brigade was established, and the brigade was named the seventh giants, led by Ali al-Kanini, are stationed in the Hees, and its mission is to secure the city from the Houthi attacks.

The Martyr Hassan Duballa Battalion, led by Mustafa Duballa, deployed in Hees, is to be transformed into a new brigade within the Giants ' brigades and will participate in the liberation of Al Jarahi and Zabeed, according to the sources.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100179

My comment: This is the way the Hadi government already had taken before: Militia are inegrated into the regular Hadi government Yemeni army. And at the same time, they insist that disarming militia must be a precondition for any peace talks: Well, of course they want to limit this demand to the Houthi militia, not to their own ones. – The Houthis should be integrated into the regular Houthi government’s army as well, and there are much less militisa which could be demanded they should disarm.

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Yemeni, international media reveals the coalition’s misleading news about the west coast battle

Yemeni and international media keep giving evidence to reveal the false claims of the US-Saudi-led coalition of its acheivements in the west coast battle.

The coalition forces claim to have entered the main compound of the airport in the western Yemeni city of Hodeidah as they press ahead with a military offensive to capture the flashpoint port city in defiance of international warnings.

Almasirah channel , on july 8the, visited Al-Tuhaita city center, which the US-Saudi led coalition claims to control. This visit comes to defeat all misinformation and propaganda published by the media of the coalition.

Almasirah showed the normal life lived by people in the markets, roads and their activities in the central market of the city. Despite the great escalation launched by the coalition more than ten days ago, the city seems to go about its normal life.

On June 25 ,The Yemeni army media documented scenes of a military offensive carried out by the Yemeni army on the positions of the US-Saudi-led coalition in Hodeidah province.The military assault took place at Aljah district on the west coast area, resulting in cleansing and securing the rest of the areas in the district.

The coalition said on June 20 that it had taken over Hodeidah airport, but local army and relief groups told Reuters there was no full control of the airport and the surrounding area, which spans 20 kilometers to either side.

The agency quoted the head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohammad Ali al-Houthi as saying: The coalition did not control the airport at all.

A pro-coalition Yemeni army source, loyal to the coalition, said the Houthis control the northern suburbs of the area as coalition-backed forces try to maintain their positions on the southern outskirts.

A senior relief official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said coalition forces initially penetrated the perimeter of the airport “but it lasted only less than 24 hours and then they were taken out of there”.

http://www.yemenextra.net/2018/07/11/yemeni-international-media-reveals-the-coalitions-misleading-news-about-the-west-coast-battle/

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Fight for Port of Hodeidah Stalls

The Saudi- and UAE-backed campaign to retake the port of Hodeidah, Yemen from Houthi rebels has come to a near-halt, one month after Yemeni government forces began their offensive. Despite promises of a quick, decisive victory that would give the Saudi-led coalition new leverage in negotiations with the Houthis, the battle lines remain stalled at Hodeidah's airport, which lies on the other side of the city from the port complex.

While the fighting has slowed, the coalition has not indicated any change in its desire to retake the port and expel Houthi forces from the city. In UN-facilitated negotiations, the coalition's members continue to insist that the Houthis must withdraw, unconditionally. As a compromise, Houthi leaders have offered to transfer control of port operations to the United Nations if they can remain in the city.

Some international observers - notably the Democratic party leadership in the United States Congress - have expressed support for this arrangement, and have encouraged the coalition to accept it as an alternative to a protracted seige.

However, a political agreement to end the fighting may take some time to materialize.

https://maritime-executive.com/article/fight-for-port-of-hodeidah-stalls#gs.Q2SQvVs

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Yemenis who fled battle for Hodeidah struggle to survive

For days, Amal would pull her four children back from the windows each time Apache helicopters attacked the rooftop snipers in her neighborhood south of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.

Eventually the fighting got too much so the family fled the al-Tahita district to seek shelter in the heavily-defended city center.

Amal, who declined to give her last name, is one of thousands of Yemenis displaced by a Saudi-led coalition offensive launched on June 12 to take control of the Red Sea port city from the Iran-aligned Houthis.

“Rockets were falling constantly ... Most families have left their homes because they are afraid of being killed,” she told Reuters by telephone.

“Houthi fighters were stationed on rooftops of buildings and in the alleyways and coalition helicopters would attack them.”

Many Yemenis who have fled their homes and farms in and around Hodeidah to head north to the Houthi-held capital Sanaa or to safer areas along the western coast and the southern port city of Aden say they are struggling to survive.

In Sanaa, some families from Hodeidah have only been able to find shelter in crumbling one-room cement structures with no running water or furniture and have no source of income.

“We are in bad shape here ... Our men have no jobs, they can’t find work,” said Khairiya Shou’y.

Women squatted over a fire outside to boil milk and cook chicken skin as children played in the dirt. Inside the rooms, families sit on a sole mattress, blankets or on the floor.

“We got here and didn’t get anything, there are no organizations (to help), nothing,” said Abdulrahman Fare, adding that this shelter had been provided by a fellow tribesman.

In the port of Khokha on the western coast, coalition forces have set up more than 300 tents to house the displaced. Women gather palm leaves to carve out some privacy for their families while children play outside under the scorching sun.

“The assistance we are receiving is not enough. We have elderly people with us, there are people who have special needs but treatment is not available” said Ali. “We had no choice but to leave our homes and we hope the war ends so we can return.” – by Mohammed Ghobari (with photos)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-displaced/yemenis-who-fled-battle-for-hodeidah-struggle-to-survive-idUSKBN1K21VY

Comment: They die if they stay. They die if they leave. The world just doesn't seem to care as if Yemenis are a lower breed of human.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156837901948641

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World Health Organization: WHO Al Hudaydah Operation - Yemen: Situation Report #3, 01 - 07 July 2018

Hospital-based casualty data: Based on hospital-based figures of casualties in Al Hudaydah, 46 people were killed and 328 others injured. The actual number of casualties including those flighting is much higher but not reported.

Movement of IDPs: According to the National Authority for the Management and coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (NAMCHA), over 12,000 displaced families, who fled from Al Hudaydah, have been registered in Sana’a. Other IDPs also fled from Al Hudaydah to Dhamar and Ibb governorates.

Humanitarian partners have registered over 17,000 displaced families.

Hospital and health facilities situation: Although the recent Health Resources Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS) data shows that 91% of health facilities in Al Hudaydah are functioning, many of those facilities are struggling to cope with the increasing health needs and they are at increased risk of damage if the fighting continues to progress towards the city. Reports continue to be received of limited health services due to a lack of staff. Interrupted electricity constitutes a major challenge to hospitals in Al Hudaydah, especially the main two hospitals (Al-Thawra and Al-Olofi).

Impacts on public health and WHO operations:

The conflict in Al Hudaydah is impacting WHO’s ability to respond to the needs of hospitals and health facilities, affecting the delivery of medical supplies, including complete trauma kits, which are much-needed to meet the needs of patients requiring surgical/trauma care.

The rainy season, compounded with the ongoing conflict in Al Hudaydah, results in limited access to safe drinking water and damaged sewerage systems increase the risk of cholera transmission.

Some IDPs fleeing Al Hudaydah are already suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer and there have been significant shortages in required medicines for the treatment of these and other chronic diseases.

Low immunization coverage of IDPs in their areas of origin increases their risk of contracting and spreading vaccinepreventable diseases.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-al-hudaydah-operation-yemen-situation-report-3-01-07-july-2018

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UAE-backed forces seize important coastal areas in west Yemen – map

The UAE-backed forces continued their military operations along the western coast of Yemen, today, targeting several areas controlled by the Houthis.

Led by the Southern Resistance Army and Yemeni Republican Guard, the UAE-backed forces captured the strategic Tuhaytah area near the Hodeideh provincial border.

It took the UAE-backed forces nearly a week to capture Tuhaytah, as the Houthis refused to concede the area without a fight.

In addition to their advance at Tuhaytah, the UAE-backed forces also managed to capture to several points in southern Hodeideh this morning after a fierce battle with the Houthis.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/uae-backed-forces-seize-important-coastal-areas-in-west-yemen-map/

(A K pS)

Brigadier Tariq Saleh, Commander of the Republican Guards' Brigades stated that he is currently preparing for the post-Hodeidah-battle, stressing that he will continue to march forwards until restoring the state and the capital #Sanaa from the #Houthis.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1017166519233630214

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Reports from #Hodeidah: pro-Govt forces backed by coalition are pushing toward historic & densely populated town of Zabid. Battles won't only besiege & starve 155K ppl but also destroy heritage sites. Plz somebody tell UN envoy war is continuing & humanitarian crisis worsening (photos)

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1017203139991261184

My comment: Zabid lies SE of Hodeidah, just 25 km from the coastline which totally had been taken by the UAE forces. Zabid, a UNESCO world heritage site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabid and https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/611

(A H)

Shelter materials distribution to displaced people kicked off in Hodeidah

Acting of the Governor of Hodeidah, Mohamed Ayash Quhaim, inaugurated on Wednesday the distribution of shelter materials to the displaced persons of Duraihimi district.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501717.htm

Remark: This is by the Houthi government’s governor.

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UN Department of Public Information: Regular Press Briefing by the Information Service, 10 July 2018 - Yemen

Tarik Jašarevic, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said that conditions in Hudaydah, even before the escalation of the conflict, had been some of the direst in Yemen. Hudaydah had registered the highest incidences of suspected cholera cases (around 14 per cent of reported cases countrywide since the start of the epidemic in April 2017) and diphtheria (209 suspected cases). In addition, there had been 252 suspected cases of measles.

The intensification of fighting in Hudaydah endangered not only those directly affected but also the 70 per cent of the population who depended on vital supplies, including health-care supplies, that flowed through Hudaydah port. The port constituted a lifeline not only for the city but for all the northern governorates.

According to local health facilities, a total of 328 injured and 46 deaths had been recorded in Hudaydah between 13 June and 7 July. However, fighting had decreased in the city and the port remained operational.

The governorate of Hudaydah had one of the highest malnutrition rates in the country, and the current escalation of fighting would likely further exacerbate that situation. According to a survey conducted in 2018, the Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate in Hudaydah stood at 25.2 per cent and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) at 5 per cent. There were currently seven fully functioning therapeutic feeding centres in the governorate and seven in neighbouring governorates. The centres were being supported by WHO and UNICEF.

There was a narrow passage to Hudaydah with many checkpoints, but no blockade. The main pillars of WHO operations in the city were: trauma care, cholera, malnutrition, and continuity of care. The country office was working on strengthening hospital capacity to stabilize and refer trauma patients. WHO had positioned trauma supplies; essential supplies for 200,000 medical consultations; cholera treatments; and supplies for children who had SAM accompanied by medical complications. WHO had also procured 30 new ambulances for Hudaydah to improve early trauma care and the transport of patients to health facilities.

WHO had two cargo planes with medical supplies arriving in Sana’a that week with trauma kits, cholera kits and supplies for the management of severe malnutrition. In addition, 100 metric tons of supplies were due to arrive by ship from Djibouti.

WHO provided trauma supplies for 500 surgeries, both major and minor, to four hospitals in Hudaydah. WHO also provided extra patient beds and mattresses along with intensive care beds to Alolofi Public Hospital in Hudaydah. In addition, WHO was also supporting the monthly operational cost of seven ambulance vehicles to six hospitals.

WHO had deployed six surgical teams, trained five surgeons on management of vascular injuries and 60 health workers in mass casualty management. It was also providing over 100,000 litres of fuel per month to seven hospitals, and 450,000 litres of water to three hospitals. Health workers at primary health-care facilities in affected areas were being trained in psychological first aid. Finally, WHO was very grateful for a generous donation from Kuwait of USD 59 million to support its operations in Yemen.

Responding to journalists’ questions, Mr. Jašareviæ said that 90 per cent of health-care facilities in Hudaydah were functioning although one – a dialysis centre – had been damaged by an explosion on 27 June. Health facilities and health workers should never be targeted.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/regular-press-briefing-information-service-10-july-2018-yemen and abridged https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/07/1014391

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From hell of war to displacement camps: Hodeida's families struggle to survive

While reports have said the fighting has killed 165 combatants, it has also displaced thousands of families, sparking a fresh humanitarian tragedy and a new chapter of misery.
One month into the fighting for the port, it is unclear if these displaced families will be able to return to their city or when.

A complete cessation of hostilities in Hodeida is unlikely any time soon, and the exodus of people is set to balloon over the coming days. More than 121,000 people have been displaced from Hodeida since the beginning of June, the UN reports.
They fled to Sanaa, Aden and Taiz, seeking relatively safer shelter. This huge wave of displacement is unprecedented in this city, and accommodating these people properly is never an easy mission. Neither of the conflicting sides can provide them with appropriate makeshift shelters, nor can the humanitarian organisations cope with this burst of war escapees.
Today, the displaced have been surviving through heart-rending conditions since their sorrowful escape from their homes, farms and lands.

Multi-faceted ordeal

Hodeida's displaced residents are in dire need of food and shelter. Volunteers, aid organisations and charities may provide meals to these people and fend off daily hunger, but housing remains a tremendous agony.

"We escaped from Hodeida to Sanaa due to the war," Muhammed Abdulmunem, a displaced person from Hodeida, told Saeeda TV, a Yemeni network.
"We have been searching ten days to rent a house. So far, we have not found even a flat. The house rent in Sanaa has skyrocketed since the influx of Hodeida's displaced families."
Abdulmunem added: "I can pay the rent, but I have not found any flat or house. What about those who cannot pay? Where can they go?"
Although the Houthi-held Sanaa city has been bombed sporadically by the Saudi-led coalition since 2015, those displaced here feel safe that there is no ground fighting. Sanaa has been under Houthi control since September 2014.
Abdulla Abdu, another displaced person, arrived in Sanaa ten days ago. He says he is now safe, but is appalled by the accommodation on offer.
"The displaced people live in school classrooms," said Abdu. "If you visit them, you will see about 50 people in one classroom. Others are left on the streets. We have escaped from the ground war in Hodeida to economic war in Sanaa.

Several families attempted to head to Aden as the violence kicked off in their areas of Hodeida. But secessionist voices have grown tremendously louder and sterner over the past two years, and checkpoints held by separatists in Lahj prevented those fleeing from Hodeida from passing, saying they were coming from the north.
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr reacted, saying the roadblocks stopping the displaced travelling south were illegal.
"Banning the northern families from entering Aden is not in our traditions, norms and morals," he said. "Risking the lives of children, women and the elderly is prohibited."

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/comment/2018/7/10/hodeida-from-hell-of-war-to-displacement-camps

cp2 Allgemein / General

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Over 577 Martyrs and Wounded During First Half of 2018

More than 577 Yemeni civilians, mostly women and children, were killed and wounded in the first half of 2018 by the US-Saudi aggression raids ,rocketry and artillery bombings on Sa'ada. This doesn't include all victims because there are many martyrs and wounded who do not reach the health centers or hospitals or areas where there is no communication.

According to statistics, the number of martyrs were 277 and 300 were wounded, the martyrs are divided to 79 children, 38 women and 160 men, while 91 children, 55 women and 154 men were wounded, all of them were innocent civilians.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1611&cat_id=1

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What side those the majority of Yemeni people support in this war?

Neither one. All sides have failed ppl. This is the truth when it comes to majority. Well, majority of Yemenis live in Houthi-run areas, nearly 23mn out of 29mn population, but they're not supporting Houthis who have deprived em of everything. Employees unpaid since Sep 2016.

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1017514841651769344

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The Inflection Point: The Middle East’s Rulers Are Facing Crisis and Playing for Keeps

The environment that 1967 and its aftermath created lasted for another half-century.

Today, the rulers of the Middle East see the region at a similar tipping point, and they see the stakes as similarly high. It is the only explanation for a series of actions, especially from the Gulf Arab states, that would be utterly confounding in any other environment. The future of the Middle East will turn on whether their analysis is correct, and whether their actions are sufficient to shape the region’s trajectory.

The region is at a tipping point in part because of three ongoing civil wars: Libya, Syria, and Yemen. In the first, Arab states are backing opposing sides; in the latter two, they are fighting proxy wars against Iranian allies. The wars create an enduring sense of crisis in the region, and they heighten states’ feelings of vulnerability. But they also help persuade previously restive populations that an unhappy present is preferable to a catastrophically unstable future, building grudging support for existing governments.

The prospect of a world in which Middle Eastern oil and gas are less central to the global economy is distressing both for countries that export hydrocarbons as well as for countries that export workers for hydrocarbon-driven economies. That encompasses virtually all of the Arab world.

Understanding this context of uncertainty helps explain why Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are engaged in an unprecedented set of military operations in Yemen, intended to beat back Iranian adventurism. It also helps explain why those countries are leading a small Arab coalition against Qatar

Middle Eastern governments are commonly described as conservative and cautious, but conservatism and caution won’t do in an era in which the stakes are so high and the future is so uncertain.

As for the United States, it can choose how much influence it seeks to exercise in the region in the coming years. It can act directly, it can assist, or it can stand by while its friends take their chances—and learn new lessons. Recently, the temptation has been to lean strongly toward the latter. The consequences will lay the groundwork for the next half-century, for better and for worse – by Jon B. Alterman

https://www.csis.org/analysis/inflection-point-middle-easts-rulers-are-facing-crisis-and-playing-keeps

My comment: Some interesting ideas, but a typical US political mainstream article stressing Iran and taking for granted that the US must exercise a major influence in the region.

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What The Saudi-Led Coalition Is Striking In Yemen

Reliable statistics about the conflict in Yemen are notoriously difficult to come by. A non-profit organization called The Yemen Data Project has been monitoring airstrikes by the Saudi coalition and their findings help build a picture of the scale of the air campaign. There have been around 17,000 airstrikes in total since March 2015, the following infographic provides an overview of some of the targets struck. While around 3,400 military sites have been hit, residential areas have been targeted on 1,543 occasions. There have been 70 airstrikes on medical facilities, along with 266 on educational institutions and 45 on mosques.

https://www.statista.com/chart/14254/what-the-saudi-led-coalition-is-striking-in-yemen/

My comment: This statistics and figures seem to let uncounted lots of civilian targets and label “military” what definitely is not:

https://twitter.com/LCRDye/status/1016595349899792384

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Die Höhlenrettung in Thailand und die humanitäre Heuchelei des Imperialismus

Der selbstlose Einsatz und das immense Können der Rettungskräfte, die internationale Zusammenarbeit und die scheinbar unbegrenzten Mittel, die für die Operation aufgewandt wurden, sind eine Inspiration. Allerdings ergibt sich daraus auch unweigerlich die Frage, warum man bei den vielen weitaus größeren Tragödien, denen Millionen Arbeiter und Jugendliche weltweit jeden Tag ausgesetzt sind, nicht ebenso großherzig vorgeht.

Die Antwort liegt in der globalen Herrschaft des Kapitalismus. Das Profitsystem ordnet das Allgemeinwohl dem Streben wohlhabender Eliten nach Bereicherung unter. Darüber hinaus verhindert die Aufteilung der Welt in rivalisierende Nationalstaaten – trotz ihrer enger wirtschaftlichen Verbindung – dass internationale Ressourcen auf rationale Weise genutzt werden können. Der Weltkapitalismus, allen voran die USA, befindet sich zutiefst in einer unlösbaren Wirtschafts-, Gesellschafts- und geopolitischen Krise. Das einzige, was noch wächst, ist der Finanzparasitismus, die soziale Ungleichheit und der Kurs auf den nächsten Weltkrieg.

Millionen junge Menschen sind im brutalen Bombenkrieg eingeschlossen, den Saudi-Arabien mit US-Unterstützung im Jemen führt. Acht Millionen Menschen sind vom Verhungern bedroht. Alleine im letzten Jahr sind 50.000 jemenitische Kinder verhungert. Weitere Tausende haben durch Bomben und eine um sich greifende Cholera-Epidemie ihr Leben verloren. Für sie gibt es keine internationale Rettungsmission; auch die Medien interessieren sich nicht für ihr Schicksal. Stattdessen verstärkt die US-Regierung ihre Unterstützung für diejenigen, die sie ermorden.

Die Kriege der USA und die wirtschaftliche Ausbeutung durch den Imperialismus haben 68,5 Millionen Menschen zur Flucht aus ihrer Heimat gezwungen. Ein Teil dieser Menschen, darunter sehr viele Kinder, erreichen die Grenzen Europas und der USA. Doch anstatt sie zu retten, behandeln die Regierungen Europas und Amerikas sie wie Verbrecher, die ihre Länder „überschwemmen“ und „verseuchen“. In Deutschland und in ganz Europa werden Konzentrationslager für Flüchtlinge errichtet.

Während sich in Thailand die Blicke der Welt zum Großteil auf die Eltern der Eingeschlossenen richteten, die vor dem Höhleneingang Wache hielten und auf die Rückkehr ihrer Kinder warteten, wurden in den USA gleichzeitig Tausende von Immigrantenkindern aus den Armen ihrer Eltern gerissen, um Flüchtlinge zu bestrafen und abzuschrecken.

Die Heuchelei der kapitalistischen Regierungen angesichts der Höhlenrettung kennt keine Grenzen.

http://www.wsws.org/de/articles/2018/07/12/thai-j12.html

Bemerkung: Hierzu auch cp1.

Remark: For this subject, also cp1.

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As World Rejoices Over Rescue of Thai Boys, Yemen’s Kids Are Forgotten

The successful rescue of the Thai youth team undoubtedly stands as a testament to how international collaboration stemming from international awareness – thanks in part to in-depth news coverage – can overcome impossible odds to save the lives of children and others in need. Yet, while the now-rescued Thai youth recover out of harm’s way, children elsewhere whose lives are also in danger cannot expect similar treatment.

This is particularly true for the tens of thousands of Yemeni children facing death from starvation, a preventable cholera outbreak, and a daily barrage of airstrikes among other threats posed by a Saudi-led war on the country. These children’s lives have become reduced to a grueling fight for survival as the Saudi-led coalition’s fight to dislodge the Houthi Ansar Allah government from power

Much of the suffering is not necessarily caused by the fighting itself but by the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade of the country that – with U.S. and U.K. support – has prevented most international aid from reaching those in Yemen who need it most.

However, unlike the lucky boys in Thailand, the Yemeni people and their children are largely invisible to the rest of the world. There is no combined international effort to save them. Instead, efforts are underway to undermine a recent UN report blaming 67% of child casualties in Yemen on the U.S. backed Saudi-led coalition by baselessly asserting the data is “unreliable.”

There is no coverage of the plight of innocents in Yemen on CNN, BBC or Good Morning America. No mainstream news pundits are cheering them on. The media is silent as some of the most powerful countries in the world are not only unwilling to help those facing death in Yemen but are instead complicit in the atrocities.

http://theantimedia.com/thai-boys-yemen-children/

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Interactive map of Yemen war

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* B H K)

Ein Krieg auf Kosten des jemenitischen Volkes

Während sich die Kriegsparteien im Jemen mit dem Status Quo arrangiert haben, drohen immer mehr Zivilisten Armut, Krankheit und Hungertod. Darüber sprach Kai Schnier mit Wafa'a Alsaidy, Koordinatorin der Jemen-Mission der Hilfsorganisation "Ärzte der Welt".

Alsaidy: Es ist mittlerweile so, dass viele Zivilisten auf beiden Seiten des Konflikts am Existenzminimum leben. Seit dem Beginn des Krieges sind die Lebensmittel- und Benzinpreise in die Höhe geschossen. Die Arbeitsmarktsituation hat sich derweil natürlich stark verschlechtert.

Während des Ramadan, der erst vor kurzem endete, sind die Verkaufsläden in Sanaa normalerweise zum Bersten voll und die Straßen verstopft. In diesem Jahr gab es aber weder Schlangen an den Kassen noch Staus in der Innenstadt. Die Menschen haben schlicht kein Geld mehr. Auch in anderen Belangen wird die Lage immer schlechter.

Wenn man morgens um zehn Uhr auf die Straße geht, sieht man Kinder in Schuluniformen umherwandern. Sie haben nichts zu tun, weil viele Lehrer wegen fehlender Bezahlung entweder streiken oder nur unregelmäßig zum Unterricht kommen. Die institutionelle und wirtschaftliche Infrastruktur des Landes droht komplett zusammenzubrechen.

Wir sind vor allem damit beschäftigt, den vollständigen Kollaps des Gesundheitssystems zu verhindern. Derzeit sind nur rund 50 Prozent der benötigten Einrichtungen in Betrieb. Es gibt weder Geld für die Belegschaften in Krankenhäusern noch für die nötigen Instrumente und Medikamente. Deshalb unterstützen wir verschiedene Gesundheitszentren und Krankenhäuser im Land. Über unseren Hauptsitz in Paris und unsere Basis in Djibouti importieren wir Medikamente. Vor Ort bieten wir Beratungen an und stellen unsere Experten zur Verfügung. Unser Hauptaugenmerk liegt darauf, der Landbevölkerung den Zugang zu medizinischen Versorgungseinrichtungen zu erleichtern

Nicht nur die Kampfhandlungen, sondern auch andere äußere Umstände behindern uns. Eines der größten Probleme ist die Blockade jemenitischer Häfen durch die Koalitionskräfte. Offiziell ist die Blockade längst aufgehoben. Tatsächlich werden die wichtigsten Hafenstädte – wie etwa Al-Hudaida im Westen des Landes – jedoch weiterhin vom Meer aus kontrolliert.

https://de.qantara.de/inhalt/interview-mit-wafaa-alsaidy-ein-krieg-auf-kosten-des-jemenitischen-volkes

(A K P)

Saudi Arabia: Houthis recruitment of child soldiers disregard to int'l law

Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah Al-Muallimi, asked the Council to condemn these violations and those who support the militia which seeks to promote Iran—inspired sectarian agenda.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-19987

My comment: This is not very convincing when coming from Saudi Arabia, a deflection from the UN report which had clearly stated that the Saudi coalition is Yemen’s childrens’ killer No. 1.

(* A P)

As the World Rejoices Over the Rescue of a Boys Soccer Team in Thailand, Yemen’s Dying Children Remain Forgotten

If the world can unite so overwhelmingly for 12 boys in Thailand, why can’t it unite for millions of Yemen’s dying children?

The successful rescue of the Thai youth team undoubtedly stands as a testament to how international collaboration stemming from international awareness – thanks in part to in-depth news coverage – can overcome impossible odds to save the lives of children and others in need. Yet, while the now-rescued Thai youth recover out of harm’s way, children elsewhere whose lives are also in danger cannot expect similar treatment.

This is particularly true for the tens of thousands of Yemeni children facing death from starvation, a preventable cholera outbreak, and a daily barrage of airstrikes among other threats posed by a Saudi-led war on the country.

Much of the suffering is not necessarily caused by the fighting itself but by the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade of the country that – with U.S. and U.K. support – has prevented most international aid from reaching those in Yemen who need it most. The blockade, which was “lifted” by the coalition in name only, has worsened as the coalition now fights to wrest the port city of Hodeidah from Houthi control.

Things aren’t much better in areas of Yemen “liberated” by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a reality that betrays the fact that the coalition is not interested in the welfare of the Yemeni people, but instead seeks to claim control of much of Yemen’s territory due to its strategic location.

However, unlike the lucky boys in Thailand, the Yemeni people and their children are largely invisible to the rest of the world. There is no combined international effort to save them.

There is no coverage of the plight of innocents in Yemen on CNN, BBC or Good Morning America. No mainstream news pundits are cheering them on. The media is silent as some of the most powerful countries in the world are not only unwilling to help those facing death in Yemen but are instead complicit in the atrocities.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/as-the-world-rejoices-over-the-rescue-of-a-boys-soccer-team-in-thailand-yemens-dying-children-remain-forgotten/245717/

(* B K)

What The Saudi-Led Coalition Is Striking In Yemen

Reliable statistics about the conflict in Yemen are notoriously difficult to come by. A non-profit organization called The Yemen Data Project has been monitoring airstrikes by the Saudi coalition and their findings help build a picture of the scale of the air campaign. There have been around 17,000 airstrikes in total since March 2015, the following infographic provides an overview of some of the targets struck. While around 3,400 military sites have been hit, residential areas have been targeted on 1,543 occasions. There have been 70 airstrikes on medical facilities, along with 266 on educational institutions and 45 on mosques.

https://www.statista.com/chart/14254/what-the-saudi-led-coalition-is-striking-in-yemen/

My comment: This statistics and figures seem to let uncounted lots of civilian targets and label “military” what definitely is not. Look at https://twitter.com/LCRDye/status/1016595349899792384

cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade

Siehe / Look at cp1

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

(* B H)

Mohammed will nicht sterben

Der Jemen war schon vor dem Krieg das Armenhaus Arabiens. Seit Krieg herrscht, hangelt sich die Bevölkerung von Katastrophe zu Katastrophe. Auch die Kinder.

Der kleine Mohammed ist schwer unterernährt. Nicht, weil es im Jemen zu wenig zu essen gibt. Sondern weil er einen gespaltenen Gaumen hat und deshalb nicht trinken kann. Aber weil Krieg herrscht im Jemen und weil deshalb die Spitäler keine Medikamente haben, keinen Strom, keinen Sauerstoff, weil es an allem mangelt, was man für eine solche Operation braucht, kann der kleine Mohammed nicht behandelt werden. Und weil er nicht behandelt werden kann, wiegt er viel zu wenig und droht zu sterben.

Im Jemen funktioniert laut IKRK höchstens noch ein Viertel der Gesundheitsversorgung. Vier von fünf Jemeniten sind auf humanitäre Hilfe angewiesen. 400'000 Kinder sind lebensgefährlich oder akut mangelernährt.

Dem Arzt ist anzusehen, dass er kaum Hoffnung hat für den kleinen Mohammed. Als wir Mohammed an diesem Abend verlassen, tun wir es mit dem Gefühl, dass wir das Baby nicht noch einmal lebend sehen werden.

Mehr als 160 Spitäler oder Gesundheitseinrichtungen sind bei den Luftangriffen der von Saudi-Arabien geführten internationalen Koalition zerstört worden. Der Jemen muss mit allem von aussen versorgt werden: Nahrungsmittel, Wasser, Elektrizität, Treibstoff, Medikamente. Doch wegen der Blockaden gelangt nur ein Bruchteil dessen ins Land, was benötigt würde (mit Filmen)

https://www.srf.ch/news/international/der-vergessene-krieg-im-jemen-mohammed-will-nicht-sterben

(* B H)

Do Yemenis children suffer only or parents more?

Even when a child is taken to the hospital, there are no guarantees.

Ali Humeit and his wife, who live less than a mile from Bani Saifan district, Hajjah province, took their 5-year-old son, Rayaan, to the malnutrition ward of Hajjah hospital.

It was a return visit.

In October, Rayaan was hooked up to an drip and given nutritional supplements and medicine. He recovered his appetite in 10 days. But when he returned home, he began to lose weight fast. His parents could only afford to feed him water, milk, tea and bread.

“Since the war began, I have not been working,” said Humeit, who was a construction worker before the war.

For the first hospital visit, Humeit borrowed $150 from othervillagers. This time, he was forced to beg on the street, he said. At night his wife sleeps with their child at the hospital, and he beds down free on the floor of a nearby mosque.

With four other children to feed, Humeit has prepared himself for the most agonizing decision of his life if Rayaan gets ill again.

“If I don’t have money, I can’t bring him back,” he said, looking at his son, who was visibly irritated and crying. “I’ll have to leave him at home, and let God handle it.”

As well as, Abdul Fatah Baashami and his wife never got to see their only child, Nabil, walk or talk.

Eight months ago, the signs of hunger emerged: swollen stomach, loss of weight. Nabil refused to breast-feed. So his parents carried him to nearby private hospitals. But he still teetered between life and death.

Then last month, Baashami’s father died. As the eldest son, he was suddenly responsible for 18 relatives. He earned $1 to $3 a day as a laborer — whenever he found work.

“I owe a lot of people money — $650,” he said.

When Nabil’s health deteriorated, the couple borrowed more money to take him to the hospital in Hajjah.

“My son was just skin and bones,” recalled Najua Showken, his mother.

In the morning, an hour before their trip, she tried to breast-feed Nabil. Too weak to respond, he began to fade away. Drifting in and out of consciousness until his “eyes were rolling up,” he finally went silent, his mother said.

“He died in my arms,” she said.

Nabil had lived for 14 months, he died of hunger.This is the case with thousands of children in Yemen.

http://www.yemenextra.net/2018/07/12/do-yemenis-children-suffer-only-or-parents-more/

(* B H)

Film: Dialysis patients in Yemen

Seham, 10, is one of more than 5,000 kidney patients in Yemen who struggle to access regular dialysis sessons

https://www.facebook.com/WHOYemen/videos/2141699602784303/

(* B H)

Reading, Writing and Jihad: Child Soldiers and a Lost Generation

There is "Saeed," 18, who told a reporter that "brave men become martyrs on the battlefields." As a soldier, he said, he learned quickly because "my favorite subject at school was Islamic education" with its tales of Mohammed's battles. "I do my best to imitate him."

There is 13-year-old Younis, who was taught to use a machine gun as a child, according to a CNN profile, and Saleh who drove rocket launchers, also at 13. And 13-year-old Basheer fired Katyusha rockets at the "infidel enemy" – Yemen's government forces who are backed by Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, and the UK.

All are or have been part of Yemen's growing child armies, children recruited to fight on both sides of the city's four-year-old civil war. The United Nations has reported child soldiers as young as 11. Many are sent by their parents, either for the high salaries soldiers receive, or hopes that the children will achieve martyrdom.

As the war there rages on, children are the most victimized. Besides the boys who become soldiers, there are the girls who are sold off as wives, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told a conference in Geneva last spring. "Nearly two-thirds of girls are married before 18, and many before 15." In addition, food, water, and medication shortages mean that "every ten minutes, a child under five dies of preventable causes," he said. The UN has declared Yemen "the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

The use of child soldiers is hardly unique to Yemen. A newly-released UN Security Council Report describes a "large increase" of recruitment of child soldiers in 2017 over 2016, primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1,049), Somalia (2,127), and South Sudan (1,221).

The effects of those traumas do not end, however, just because the war does. Child soldiers may suffer lifelong effects of PTSD. Others, radicalized from their earliest years, hold tight to their indoctrination and seek out other groups sympathetic to their cause as they grow older. Others who return home find that they are not welcomed back as heroes, but rather, are ostracized and shunned.

This is particularly true for the girls, who may have been raped and are rejected by their families and communities as no longer "pure."

https://www.investigativeproject.org/7525/reading-writing-and-jihad-child-soldiers-and

(B H)

World Food Programme, Emergency Telecommunications Cluster: Map: Yemen ETC Services July 2018

https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-etc-services-july-2018

(A H)

Emergency call by dialysis center, Dhamar hospital (image)

https://twitter.com/heip_yemen/status/1017040922520031232

(* A H)

UN Migration Agency Launches One of the Largest Solar Powered Water Initiatives in Yemen

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, handed over a large-scale solar power water project to the Government of Yemen. Hamoud Obad, Governor of Sana'a, and Abdalah Al Hadi, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation Authority, represented the Government at the official ceremony, while Stefano Pes, IOM Yemen Head of Emergency, Transition and Recovery represented IOM.

Utilizing the roofs of three high schools in Amanat Al Asimah and Sana'a Governorates, IOM installed 940 solar panels. These solar panels support the provision of approximately one million litres of water per day in the Shu'aub, Al Madinah Al Syahya, and Sho'ob neighbourhoods, which means 55,000 people can access adequate water every day. IOM estimates that more than 150,000 litres of diesel and 500 tonnes of carbon emissions are saved every year due to this environmentally friendly water system.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/un-migration-agency-launches-one-largest-solar-powered-water-initiatives-yemen

(A H)

Bonyan Foundation distributes 2500 food baskets in Ibb

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501567.htm

Remark: Bonyan is Houthi-affiliated.

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

Siehe / Look cp1b2

(* A H)

UN Migration Agency Resumes Voluntary Humanitarian Returns from Yemen

After a careful assessment of the current situation in Hudaydah by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and through high-level coordination with stakeholders, a voluntary humanitarian return of 53 Ethiopian migrants was organized from Yemen.

On Thursday (12/07), utilizing IOM expertise in such complicated situations, a safe corridor was charted to move the migrants from Hudaydah Seaport; a ship with proper clearances transported the 53 migrants (48 men, 5 boys) out of war-torn Yemen to Djibouti, where IOM staff will receive them and coordinate their onward journeys.

“It was important to focus the evacuation on the migrants present in Hudaydah and move them as soon as possible due to the escalation of fighting around Hudaydah,” said Stefano Pes, IOM Yemen Officer in Charge. “We are pleased that we were able to evacuate them.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/un-migration-agency-resumes-voluntary-humanitarian-returns-yemen

(* B H)

Saba relief: Film: Visiting the refugees from Al Hudaydah in Aden – Yemen

SABA Relief is visiting the #refugees camp from Al-Hudaydah in Yemen to find out what they needed and what the struggles they face every day.

We found that they lack the basic necessities and require urgent assistance from SABA Relief and our donors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CohD5Y4Q92U

Remark: I do not know this relief organization.

(* B H)

Yemeni asylum-seekers spark backlash in South Korea

A few hundred asylum-seekers from Yemen have sparked an unprecedented wave of xenophobia in ethnically homogenous South Korea, echoing the anti-immigrant sentiment that has swept Europe and helped propel Donald Trump to the White House.

But when just 550 or so people from war-ravaged Yemen arrived over several months in South Korea, the reaction was uncompromising.

"Is the government crazy? These are Muslims who will rape our daughters!" was one of the top comments, liked by thousands, on Naver, the country's top Internet portal.

Hundreds protested in Seoul last month urging authorities to "kick out fake refugees" while nearly 700,000 -- a record -- signed a petition on the presidential website calling for tightening what are already some of the world's toughest refugee laws.

"Europe may have historical baggage with countries (former colonies)... but South Korea has no such moral obligation," the petition said.

Refugees are largely an alien concept in the Asian country where only around four percent of the population are foreigners, mostly from China and Southeast Asia.

Discrimination against them is widespread. Many are openly mocked on public transport for being "dirty" or "smelly", and refused entry to fancy restaurants or public baths.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemeni-asylum-seekers-spark-backlash-south-korea-032306777.html

and

(* B H)

Yemeni refugees in South Korea face fake news and friction

People fleeing civil war mix uncomfortably with locals on resort island of Jeju

Yemeni refugees who have come to this resort island after fleeing civil war at home face difficulty fitting in with local society, as anti-refugee fake news and cultural differences fuel acrimony.

"We just tried to escape war and massacre," said one 23-year-old Yemeni man. Many Yemeni refugees are disheartened and wounded by misinformation spreading through South Korea, he added.

The surge in Yemeni refugees owes in large part to the establishment of direct flights from Malaysia to Jeju in December 2017. In an effort to draw tourists, the island lets people from many countries stay without a visa for up to 30 days. But last month, the South Korean government added Yemen to the dozen or so exceptions.

Most Yemeni exiles in Jeju are men, because they are much more likely to be sent to the battlefield. They are generally not fleeing poverty and are decently dressed, but that very fact has led some to call them "fake refugees," as they differ from the unkempt image many associate with the term.

Unsubstantiated rumors on the internet are also spreading anxiety. Some point to alleged increases in sexual assault in Europe after parts of the bloc began accepting more refugees, while others claim crime by foreigners is on the rise in South Korea.

"Mothers with daughters are warning them not to go out alone," said one woman running a cafe in Jeju. "I'm worried there might be more crime."

The government in Seoul has been trying to control the situation.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-Relations/Yemeni-refugees-in-South-Korea-face-fake-news-and-friction

and

(A P)

Genial Hosts: S Korean Protesters Up in Arms Against Yemeni Refugees

The presence of refugees from Yemen on South Korean soil has fanned anti-immigrant sentiment among the local populace as people call for the asylum seekers’ eviction.

The arrival of only about 550 refugees from Yemen to South Korea – as compared to, for example, hundreds of thousands of migrants flocking to Europe – polarized the South Korean society, with thousands of people demanding their expulsion.

According to AFP, one of the top comments on the matter posted on the Naver web portal, and liked by thousands of users, was: "Is the government crazy? These are Muslims who will rape our daughters!"

Last month, hundreds of protesters staged rallies in Seoul calling upon the government to "kick out fake refugees."

https://sputniknews.com/asia/201807121066300875-south-korea-migrants-reaction/

and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF-6LoJKROo

Comment: In South Korea: demonstrations against #Yemen-i refugees and a few showing solidarity.
Those who have waged a war on Yemen have no idea how mortifying for Yemenis all this is.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1820174898035532

and

(* B H)

Influx of refugees from Yemen divides South Korean resort island

Arrival of refugees has sparked debate about country’s role in accepting asylum seekers

The arrival of Odaini and more than 550 other Yemeni refugees has sparked an intense debate in South Korea over the country’s role in accepting asylum seekers, with the population split between calls for compassion and immediate expulsion. Much of the anti-refugee rhetoric has taken on Islamophobic overtones, and detractors point to the European refugee crisis as a lesson of the woes of unchecked migration.

The Yemeni refugees never imagined they would end up on a resort island in South Korea. The asylum seekers described looking at a map of the world to see where they could flee to without applying for a visa. Then in December, the budget airline AirAsia began a direct flight from Malaysia to Jeju, two places with visa-free access for Yemenis.

Amid the influx of asylum seekers, the government in June removed Yemen from the list of countries allowed visa-free access to Jeju. Immigration authorities have barred the refugees from travelling to mainland South Korea, and while they are allowed to work, employment has been restricted

The refugees are stuck in limbo, unable to leave the island and unsure how long they will be allowed to remain

Hundreds protested in Seoul against accepting them, calling them “fake refugees” and accusing the Yemenis of being economic migrants. Online forums for mothers on Jeju that usually discuss pram reviews or the best preschool have turned overwhelmingly political in recent months.

Despite the animosity, people on Jeju have been largely kind to the Yemenis in their midst, with hotel owners giving discounted rates and people donating food, blankets and clothes.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/12/refugees-from-yemen-divides-south-korean-resort-island-of-jeju

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(A P)

Killing of Houthi gunman and injury of another and the militia burns home and farm in Dhamar

The al-Houthi gunman was killed and another wounded after clashes with a citizen in the Directorate of Otmah, Dhamar Governorate, south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Witnesses and residents said to "Al Masdar online " that the gunmen had raided the area of "Team" in the OtmaH directorate and tried to kidnap the citizen of Saddam Hussein Maodah, who refused to surrender and resisted the gunmen, caused clashes between the two sides, killing one of the al-Houthi gunmen and injuring another.

Witnesses added that the Houthi had sent another military campaign to the area, looting and burning the citizen's house and damaging its Qat farms.

According to witnesses, al-Houthi carried out a massive campaign of raids and abductions in the area for weeks, during which they broke into houses and shops, including Al-Kuraimi Exchange branch.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100173

(A P)

Houthis’ Almasirah: UAE Prisons in Yemen Resemble Abu Ghraib Prison

Yemeni Rights activists condemned, during a seminar in the capital Sana'a, the failure of international organizations to take effective steps towards Saudi and UAE crimes and violations in Yemen. This comes after an Amnesty International report documented the UAE and its mercenaries torture of detainees in recent months, in a network of secret prisons in southern Yemen.
The network of secret prisons, run by the UAE in southern Yemen, are still the talk of international and local organizations working in Human Rights field. The finger of accusation continues to be directed at the UAE as the prime suspect committing humane abuses and torture practices against thousands of southern detainees.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1613&cat_id=1

My comment: Stay quiet. Your prisons are not better.

(A P)

He arrived to Marib. Houthis is releasing a French abductee two year after he was kidnapped.

Houthi militia in the capital Sanaa on Thursday released a French citizen kidnapped by its gunmen in a prison since early January 2016, during which he was subjected to torture.

According to the source, the kidnapped Maroc Abdul Qadir , a 42-year, arrived in the city of Marib (east of Sana'a) under the control of the Yemeni government, the authorities have assigned a medical team from the Al-Marib General Hospital to conduct the necessary care for him.

He added that he had been kidnapped and transferred to national security, accompanied by a number of Yemeni and American prisoners, including American John, who he died under torture, and al-Houthi announced his suicide, along with Yemeni Jamal al-Ma'mari, who was released for a prisoner exchange and is handicapped by torture.

He said the Houthi was torturing him and bringing a camera in order to confess that he was working in intelligence, but he refused and then returned him to torture again.

He said the al-Houthi had looted his money and the gold in his family's possession.

After nearly two years of torture and intervention by the French government, they had been released and kept under in Sana'a, after communicating with the French foreign and paying a large amount of money, they allowed him to leave to Marib.

The extent of the torture suffered through scars and effects on his body was revealed by the Maroc.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100181

(A P)

Ansar allah holds festival to celebrate movement’s slogan” Sarkha” in Mahweet

Ansar allah held on Thursday a festival to celebrate movement’s slogan” Sarkha” in Mohaweet province.
The famous slogan is : God is great, death to the US, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam"

Ansar Allah uses this slogan to mobilize the Arab nation to confront the dangers and Zionist colonial projects and expose them.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501794.htm

Ansar Allah sets Bab-al-Yemenfor holding Sarkh rally

The Organizing Committee of Ansar Allah set Bab-al-Yemen in the capital Sana'a a place for holding on Friday afternoon movement’s slogan” Sharkha” mass rally.

In a statement received by Yemen Press Agency, the committee called upon the people of Yemen to rally and participate in this rally, which comes on the occasion of the anniversary of Sarkha.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501796.htm

(A K P)

IBB announces public mobilization to deter Saudi-led coalition

People and sheikhs of Ibb province on Thursday held tribal mass rallies to announce a public mobilization to reinforce the Yemeni army against Saudi-led coalition' escalation in the western coast.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501766.htm

(A P)

Houthis militia kidnap educational inspector in Mahweet

The Houthi militia abducted an educational inspector from one of the educational centers in the Bani Saad district of Al-Mahweet Governorate.

A local source confirmed that the Houthis kidnapped Mr. Mohammed Hamid al-Haykami, the financial and administrative inspector, while he was leaving the exam center at A-Zubairi school in Juma'at Sare'a area.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-19986

(A K)

Activists have posted this photo on Facebook: martyr Abdurrahman Khaled Ahmed Al-Mahaqri. I don't know whether this child already died while fighting for the Houthis or not. But what I am sure of is that Houthi militants have recruited thousands of children. #Yemen: save children

https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1017183128081846272

(A K P)

2 collaborators of aggression coalition arrested in Hajjah

The two arrested persons have lifted twenty coordinates of a number of civilian and military sites in Abs district to be targeted by warplanes of coalition, the official added.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501715.htm

(A P)

After looting a number of houses and arresting several people in the district of Otmah in the province of Dhamar on Wednesday, the #Houthi militia has also bombed three houses belonging to #civilian citizens. (photo)

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1017156081963995136

(* B P)

Religious Minority of Baha’is in Yemen Relive Iranian Nightmare

The Houthi regime in Yemen claims that Baha’is are waging a “Satanic war” against Muslim Yemenis. The escalation of hateful rhetoric conjures up frightening memories of what Baha’is in Iran faced immediately after the 1979 revolution.

Hamed bin Haydara, a leader of the Baha’i faith in Yemen, has been imprisoned since 2013 over charges of apostasy and insulting the Islam. He has reportedly been tortured and denied both medical and legal assistance. Over the past five years, his trial date has repeatedly been postponed, raising and dashing the hopes of his community. When the Houthi courts of northern Yemen finally issued a ruling on January 2, 2018, their decision brought shock, not relief. Not only is bin Haydara sentenced to public execution, but the country’s Baha’i institutions are to be legally disbanded, leaving the community leaderless and in fear of further persecution.

Tragically, in the five months since this blatant act of religious persecution, conditions for Baha’is in Yemen have worsened, prompting the U.S. State Department to issue a statement in May condemning “actions and rhetoric by Houthi leaders [that] exemplify the vilification and oppression of the Baha’is in Yemen” and calling on the Houthis to “end their unacceptable treatment of Baha’is” and to “allow the Baha’i community to practice their religion without fear of intimidation or reprisals.”

This comes following a baseless claim by the leader of the oppressive Houthi regime that Christians, Baha’is, Ahmadi Muslims, and other religious minorities are waging a “Satanic war” against Muslim Yemenis. He urged his followers to engage in cultural and religious warfare against these religious minorities and since, Houthi authorities have organized official training on fighting this “soft war.” Houthi-affiliated media and clerics have also warned of the dangers posed by Baha’is, and a prominent Houthi activist has called for the slaughter of all Baha’is.

https://www.theglobepost.com/2018/07/11/religious-minority-bahais-yemen/

My comment: The Bahai are prosecuted by the Houthis; nevertheless this article, by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Commission_on_International_Religious_Freedom ), is a part of the US anti-Iranian propaganda campaign.

(A P)

Four civilians killed by Houthi supervisor shooting in Hodeidah

Four citizens were shot dead on Tuesday by a supervisor of the al-Houthi militia in Hodeidah Governorate, west of Yemen.

A local source told Almasdar online that the educational supervisor of Bit Faqih, in Hodeidah Governorate, shot and killed four people.

The source explained that there had been disagreements between the supervisor, Hasan Daoud Dahl, and his relatives on a piece of land in the village "ALmadahlah" in the Husseinieh area of Beit Faqih”, opened fire on them with his weapon and killed four of them.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100144

(A P)

One woman and another person killed by al-Houthi's shooting at a security point at Rada’a

A woman and another man were killed by gunmen of the al-Houthi militia, a local source said on Wednesday, in the Rada’a district of al-Baydha governorate, central Yemen.

The source told the Al-Masdar online that the al-Houthi gunmen opened fire directly at a car carrying Faisal's Kadshah family, killing the driver and Umm Faisal, Zainab Hamza Fadil, while some children were slightly injured.

He noted that the Houthi had shot at the car after the driver had crossed the point by about 5 meters.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100141

(* B K P)

Houthis are conscripting Yemeni children, residents say

The rebels are monitoring family members and coercing them into their ranks, according to reports

The Houthi rebels in Yemen are conscripting children for front-line fighting and refusing to help civilian families unless they provide members to fight for them, Hodeidah residents said.

The Iran-backed group has cut exit routes from the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and is not allowing civilians to escape to areas under control of pro-government forces.

“Those who want to flee are allowed to do so to rebel-held Sanaa, on condition they leave behind at least two male members of the family to be recruited by the Houthis,” said one resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

“The also have a system in which they distribute two kilos of rice and promise monthly aid to families that have members registered to fight with the Houthi militia.”

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/houthis-are-conscripting-yemeni-children-residents-say-1.749210

My comment: By UAE news site; seems to be quite biased.

(A P)

Al-Houthi releases the journalist al-Wasmani

The journalist Iyad al-Wasmani, who was kidnapped in the central Yemeni city of Dhamar, was released late Monday evening by the al-Houthi militia.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100126

(A K P)

A tribal woman kidnapped, Arhab tribes outraged and pledge retaliation

The tribes of Arhab released on Monday a statement filled with outrage that threatened the Saudi- paid militias after they kidnapped a woman from Arhab in al-Jawf province.

The statement said that the Saudi mercenaries in al-Jawf kidnaped one of the women, who is a member of their tribe, calling on the tribes of Arhab to head immediately to the fronts in order to take revenge.

http://www.yemenextra.net/2018/07/10/a-tribal-woman-kidnapped-arhab-tribes-outraged-and-pledge-retaliation/

and

(A P)

Women mass rally in Sanaa to denounce kidnapping of woman

Women's Association of Ansar Allah in the capital Sanaa organized on Tuesday protest rally condemning the crime of kidnapping a woman by Saudi-backed militiamen and hiding her from her family in Jawf province.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501566.htm

and

(A P)

WOFRD condemns coalition’s militiamen crime of kidnapping woman

Women organization for Rights and Development on Tuesday condemned the crime of Saudi-backed militiamen of kidnapping a woman from her home in Jawf province, in a statement obtained by Saba News Agency.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501568.htm

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

Siehe cp1 (Foltergefängnisse / Look at cp1 (Torture prisons)

(A P)

Yemenis in far eastern province of Mahra,in border with Oman, have been protesting for 2 weeks now, against Saudi occupation. Saudi occupation forces use stick&carrot policy to put down protests. Saudi-appointed governor, Rajeh Kurait, threatened to use apache against protests (photos)

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1017419157078495233

Qestion, answer. What do the Mehris want? I see a notable absence of Southern flags but I see a flag of the Mahra Sultanate.

The Mahris refuse the Saudi military presence, the Saudi occupation. It turned out now to them that Saudis have been planning to annex Mahra, and from it, have a corridor to Arab Sea, waterway to Arab Sea.

https://twitter.com/JamesGDahl/status/1017542862097899520

(A T)

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) ambushed Shabwani Elite Forces in Nuqbah valley, Shabwah governorate, eastern Yemen on July 9. AQAP militants clashed with the Shabwani Elite Forces for 15 minutes. No deaths were reported.[2]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-july-12-2018

(A T)

Police officer killed by unknown gunmen in Yemen’s Aden

Unknown attackers on Thursday killed a senior police officer -- and a companion -- in Yemen’s southern Aden province, according to eyewitnesses.

Witnesses told Anadolu Agency that unidentified gunmen had opened fire on Police Colonel Fahmi al-Subaihi, head of the Bir Fadl police station, while the latter had been attempting to resolving a dispute over land in Aden’s western Bir Fadl district.

Al-Subaihi and a companion -- identified as Majed Saleh -- were both rushed to a nearby hospital, where they quickly succumbed to gunshot injuries.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/police-officer-killed-by-unknown-gunmen-in-yemen-s-aden/1202106

(* A P)

This is important for the future of #Yemen. STC [Southern Transitional Council] concluded its first National Assembly and released key conclusions. The first being that the STC's objective is to fully restore the "sovereignty of the South State in accordance with the borders of May 21, 1990"

STC plans to structure the #SouthYemen state as a federal system and give each local region significant authorities. Its constitution will determine the special status of #Aden. The "central authorities" will conduct foreign relations, declare war, and sign treaties.

The STC assembly also announced it is monitoring "northern military forces" in Abyan, Shabwah, and Hadramawt and stated that northern forces are the source of social and security tension in these regions.

If the STC actually pursues a fully independent #SouthYemen state, this has significant consequences for future talks to resolve the conflict. Other parties will not agree to this. The demand could lead to a second phase of the #Yemen war in the South.

https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1016809746735730689

https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1016815187675025408

Remark: Earlier reporting, from separatists’ news site: YPR 432, cp6.

and

(* A P)

At the End of Its First Round, the Southern National Assembly Forms a Commission for Writing the Constitution Draft of the Southern State and Establishing Military and Security Systems

At the end ot its first round, the Southern National Assembly issued a statement including several recommendations, the most important of which is to restore the southern state. The final statement demanded the dismissal of Ben Daghar’s government publicly through local councils of governorates and directorates. The statement also asserted the importance of forming a commission for writing the constitution draft of the new southern state that may include a number of academic legislative experts. The statement also warned the corrupt government from manipulating the state’s assets and held it responsible for all consequences of such a miss. The southern national assembly also asserted the importance of establishing a southern media organization that may represent the media arm to narrow the space of other media tools that work on disturbing the southern political scene through spreading rumors and speeches of conflicts. The final statement also identified the form of the southern state as a federal state according a southern constitution that regulates the relationships between the central government on one hand and regional governments, legally independent, on the other.

http://en.smanews.org/at-the-end-of-its-first-round-the-southern-national-assembly-forms-a-commission-for-writing-the-constitution-draft-of-the-southern-state-and-establishing-military-and-security-systems

and

(* A P)

The Political Transitional Council of the South (STC) announced plans to form an independent southern state following its first National Assembly between July 8 and 10 . The STC blamed corruption in the Hadi government for the humanitarian crisis in southern Yemen. The National Assembly announced that the STC will establish a federal system of governance in the south and demanded that all northern forces leave southern Yemen. The STC stated its support for the UN negotiations but demanded international recognition and inclusion in the negotiations.[1]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-july-11-2018

referring to

(** A P)

The National Assembly concludes its first session with a concluding statement and a number of recommendations

Final communiqué issued by the first session of the National Assembly of the Southern Transitional Council, held from July 8-10, 2018

After extensive discussion of all the above points and reports, the National Assembly affirmed that the main and fundamental objective of the Southern Transitional Council is to restore the full sovereignty of the South State in accordance with the borders of May 21, 1990,

First: The state of the south is a federal state under a southern constitution that regulates the relationship between the central government and other legally independent regional governments.

Second: The people are the source of authority.

Thirdly, the Constitution of the State regulates the relations between the territorial governments among themselves.

Fourth: The Constitution of the State to determine the special status of the capital Aden.

Fifth: Each region shall have a local government representing all legislative, executive and judicial authorities

Sixth: The distribution of powers and competencies under the Constitution between the central authority and the governments of the provinces in a manner that ensures the rule of the people in the provinces.

Seventh: The Constitution contains the principles and principles on which the equitable distribution of wealth between the producing regions and the central authority is based.

Eighth: The peaceful transfer of power, taking into account the equitable distribution of the public office, including the high positions of the State.

Ninth: Islam is the religion of the state and the source of legislation.

Tenth: The State works to consolidate the principle of equality of citizenship for all the South in rights and obligations based on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Eleven: Ensure the participation of women in political, economic, social and cultural life, and enable them to hold senior positions and administrative positions in the State.

Twelve: The central authority retains the right to administer foreign relations and represent the southern state in front of other countries, to hold peace and declare war, to conclude international conventions and treaties, and to take responsibility before the international community.

Thirteen: Ensure the commitment of the South State to the international conventions established on the regions of the South, which have been signed and ratified in a manner that does not contradict the highest standards of transparency applied in the world.

Fourteen: The State of the South shall respect the Charter of the United Nations, the Charter of the League of Arab States, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and generally recognized principles of international law.

The National Assembly stood at length in front of the bad and deteriorating situation of public services in general, including in particular safe and easy access to electricity and fuel, access to clean and safe water, the right of society to education, prevention of fraud and widespread systematic leakage of exam questions. Was not a partner, which threatens the future generations and should not be tolerated or turn a blind eye to him. Here, the National Assembly calls upon all groups of society to participate in fighting this matter and to not encourage or justify it in any way.

The National Assembly also considers that the ineffectiveness of the government, the corruption of most of its executive bodies, its incompetence and seriousness, and often its unwillingness to good governance of the state, have led to many social and economic problems, high unemployment, widespread poverty, currency deterioration, social insecurity, Signs of frustration of the community .. All these things the National Assembly believes that it is sufficient to be a cause and commitment and ethical and sovereign right of President Abdurbo Mansour Hadi to use in the dismissal of this government and change its corrupt administrative body and a government executive management.

It is an important occasion for this session to take place in the capital of Aden in the presence of His Excellency President Abd Rabo Mansour Hadi. The National Assembly believes that all southerners must actively participate in securing the presence of President Abdurbo Mansour Hadi, who sought and threatened the life of the coup d'état and the forces of evil.

The National Assembly stood very much in front of the battles and the war waged by the Houthi coupists and their allies of the tribes and the military and with the clear and explicit support of the enemies of the nation, first and foremost the state of Iran, which is classified as a rogue state by the international community, In accordance with the ambitions of power-addicts and warlords. The National Assembly believes that the cessation of this destructive, destructive and depleted war against the resources and wealth of our people and nation and which is threatened by our national security and regional and international security is vital and important.

In this context, the National Assembly considers that the cessation of war is a noble principle, and no one disputes it.

The National Assembly believes that the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the other allies who have come to meet their humanitarian, religious and national duty to protect the people from the South and the North deserve our appreciation and praise. The Assembly reaffirms its principled commitment to brotherly and brotherly relations with blood and will work with all its means to maintain, consolidate and further develop this relationship.

Members of the National Assembly affirm that all national forces in the south will support and support the coalition forces of brothers and sisters in the implementation of the goal they came for and to meet the appeal of legitimacy represented by His Excellency President Abd Rabo Mansur Hadi, and will stand with them until the end with the conviction that it will not allow that at the expense of rights and interests Our people in the south in any way, and that our stand here comes in accordance with the partnership baptized blood and ties of kin and the realization of the religious, national and national constants.

http://stcaden.com/news/8629

and trandslation:

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ar&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fstcaden.com%2Fnews%2F8629&edit-text=

(A P)

NGOs and Media Agencies Visit Bear Ahmed Corrective Facility in Aden

Director of Bear Ahmed Corrective Facility welcomed the visitors who met prisoners and talked to them about their conditions. Prisoners expressed their relief of meeting media agencies and human rights representatives. Visitors appreciated the efforts of the facility’s administration in fulfilling prisoners’ needs in addition to establishing a dentistry clinic, a pharmacy, a medical lab and psychological support team. Visitors indicated that prison rooms and halls are clean. Sky news Arabic, Al-Ghad Al-Mushrek and Aden TV channels in addition to Nabil Al-Quaity, Fawaz Al-Hanashy and Anwar Al-Hadramy attended the visit.

http://en.smanews.org/ngos-and-media-agencies-visit-bear-ahmed-corrective-facility-in-aden

My comment: By UAE-backed separatists’ news agency. For propaganda shows of this kind look at cp1.

And

(A P)

Aden: Forcibly disappeared Nedhal Bahweireth and others finally found

The Security Belt and the Counterterrorism units of Aden have finally unveiled the whereabouts of a number of people they had forced into disappearance including mosque preacher and Islah senior member Nedhal Bawhweireth who had been abducted on 28 March. The units have now transferred their detainees to Beer Ahmad, a prison where they will be subject to investigations by the Criminal Investigations Court and released if no charges are leveled against them.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-19988

My comment: “Finally found”: This sounds really strange. – It seems the pressure had grown so a propaganda show visit had to be arranged.

(A P)

Al-Zubaidi Receives UN Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs

President Al-Zubaidi discussed with UN delegate means of fostering joint cooperation between the council and Un in humanitarian field to serve al sectors of the society and decrease citizens’ suffering in all southern governorates and other territories through establishing the desired atmosphere for initiating developmental projects that help improving local communities and the whole country.

http://en.smanews.org/al-zubaidi-receives-un-envoy-for-humanitarian-affairs

My comment: The separatists STC and representatives are more and more acting like the representatives of a state.

(* B P)

The UAE and its allies in southern Yemen have secret prisons, maybe 18 in all, according to Arabic 21. Americans have been involved in interrogation at these prisons, too. They are run by the UAE or by Yemeni forces created and trained by the Persian Gulf nation. Human Rights Watch has uncovered the detention of scores of men and even some children.

The secret prisons are located on military bases, basements of villas and even inside a nightclub. Some detainees have been transferred to the Emirates. Two thousand detainees have been registered in secret prisons in the UAE. More than 400 prisoners have disappeared after being detained in al-Muqla in southern Yemen. In Aden, more than 1,500 people have been detained and many of them have disappeared

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/135600/Yemen-war-a-swamp-for-S-Arabia-UAE-economy

Remark: This has often been reported; here some more special details.

(A P)

After a controversy over the secret prisons in Aden: Transported forcibly hidden to Bir Ahmed prison

Families of who were forcibly hidden in the southern capital Aden said they had received calls from security authorities telling them that their relatives were in Bir Ahmed prison and could visit them.

Sources close to the family of a forcibly hidden, Nidal Bahawirth (leader of the Aden Islah Party) said that the family received a call Tuesday morning telling them that their relative in Bir Ahmed prison and they can visit him and the sources confirmed that they had actually been able to visit him several months after his arrest and his enforced concealment .

Dozens of detainees have been transferred to the same prison, which was visited by leaders of the Interior Ministry and officials of the judiciary on Tuesday, the sources said Deputy Interior Minister General Ali Nasser has released his controversial statement denying the existence of secret prisons in Aden and later retracted the statement.

In the same vein, the local authorities in the province of Hadramawt (south-eastern Yemen) released 15 detainees who had spent varying periods of time in prison without being charged with specific charges or undergoing judicial proceedings.

However, the transfer of those who are forcibly hidden and carried out in secret raises more doubts about the treatment of the UAE-backed armed formations for this the file and worried about the people of the detainees for fear of liquidating some of the detainees that the UAE does not want to release.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100138

(A P)

A plastic bag that causes heavy gunfire over the palace of the Maashiq in Aden

The presidential palace protection forces in the temporary Yemeni capital Aden (southern Yemen) spotted a UFO in the sky and fired at it with heavy weapons.

A local authority source in Aden was quoted by the Russian agency Sputnik as "the Presidential protection forces in charge of the protection of the Maashik Palace, in which he resides Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, suspected of being a UFO flying in the sky, on Tuesday, thinking it was a drone, targeting him with fire.

"It turns out that the alien body is only a plastic bag pulled by the wind, following the sandstorm in Aden last hours," he added.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100128

(A T)

Security Belt of Lahj Dismantles an Explosive Package and Arrests A Suspect

http://en.smanews.org/security-belt-of-lahj-dismantles-an-explosive-package-and-arrests-a-suspect

(A T)

Taiz: Explosive device defused near security outpost

Experts from the Army foiled an attempt to detonate an explosive device near a security forces checkpoint in Taiz on Monday.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-19960

(A P)

Maysari stresses to UAE minister imperative of subjecting informal prisons to prosecution

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Eng. Ahmed Al-Maysari imperative of closing the informal prisons and subjecting them to the supervision of the public prosecution and the judicial authority and tackling the stick points in this issue.

During his meeting with the visiting UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashemy, Maysari stressed the need to consolidate and raise the level of partnership between the two countries in the field of security, in light with the results of his visit to the UAE and his meetings with the security leaders there.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-19958

Remark: Earlier reporting: YPR 432, cp6.

(* A P)

The Great Robbery: Aden Refinery to Be Sold to Reform Party Through Influential Officials

Arms of Reform Party inside the government are trying to pass a deal refused in 2016 to steal the most important “southern Gain” through selling Aden Oil Refinery as part of the so-called privatization project. Some economic experts described the deal as “The Great Robbery” because it comes in an illegal way in an unstable country with a disabled parliament. Some patriotic power demanded the people to demonstrate against these recent decisions as it is illegitimate.

http://en.smanews.org/the-great-robbery-aden-refinery-to-be-sold-to-reform-party-through-influential-officials

My comment: By southern separatists’ news site. The Hadi government being totally corrupt is well known since 2014 at least.

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A P)

Ould Cheikh Ahmed: We Reject Any Threat to the Yemeni Government

Foreign Minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the former UN envoy to Yemen, stressed that his country considered any threat to the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries as a threat to Mauritanian national security.
Ould Cheikh made his remarks on the sidelines of the eighth session of the ministerial meeting of Arab-China Cooperation Forum, which concluded on Wednesday in Beijing.
In response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat regarding his opinion on the situation in Yemen, based on his experience as a former UN envoy, the Mauritanian foreign minister said: “We, in Mauritania recognize the legitimate government of Yemen, led by President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi; we encourage this government to reach a solution to the Yemeni issue, and we reject anything that threatens this government.”
“The second point is that we reject any threat against Saudi Arabia, the UAE or the Gulf states. We consider any such threat as also targeted against Mauritanian national security,” he added.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed touched on the role of international organizations in Yemen, saying that his country “fully supports the UN efforts to reach a peaceful solution based on Security Council Resolution 2216.”

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1329146/ould-cheikh-ahmed-we-reject-any-threat-yemeni-government

Comment: You might ask yourself: Oud Cheikh Ahmed who, whom, what?
He was the former #UN special envoy to #Yemen, now foreign minister of #Mauritania and now, simply, continues to side with the government in exile, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1820002378052784

My comment: This shows in a nutshell how biased the UN so-called “peace efforts” had been in the past when making this man the chief envoy to bring peace to Yemen. A period of more than two years simply had been wasted for achieving peace.

(A P)

UN envoy meets with Yemen's president in Aden

Yemen's news agency says a U.N. envoy has met with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the southern city of Aden in an effort to revive peace negotiations with Shiite rebels.

SABA quoted U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths as saying he discussed "the humanitarian side in Yemen and the release of all captives and detainees from all parties" at Tuesday's meeting.

https://www.thestate.com/news/nation-world/world/article214614365.html

and

(A P)

UN envoy meets Yemen president in push for truce

The UN envoy for Yemen met with the country's embattled president Tuesday in another round of talks aimed at brokering a truce between the government and rebels.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi discussed "the prospect of peace" with the UN's Martin Griffiths, the state-run Saba news agency reported.

The internationally-recognised Hadi government is allied with a Saudi-led military coalition in a war against Yemen's Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.

Griffiths told state media that he and the president had discussed the possible resumption of political negotiations between Yemen's government and rebels.

He also floated the idea of "prisoners being released and exchanged", following press reports of secret prisons in Yemen where inmates have been subject to torture.

The Yemeni government has announced it would be investigating prisons in areas under its control.

http://www.france24.com/en/20180710-un-envoy-meets-yemen-president-push-truce

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

(A T)

Islamic State claims responsibility for Saudi checkpoint attack: IS newspaper

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack on a security checkpoint in Saudi Arabia, the group’s online publication said on Friday.

A Saudi security force member and a foreigner were killed in the attack in Buraidah, a city in Qassim Province north of the capital Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday.

Islamic State said in its Al-Naba newspaper that three of its fighters were killed in an attack on police forces in Buraidah. It did not provide evidence to support its claim.

Qassim, a heartland of the kingdom’s ultra-conservative Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam, is one of the most conservative pockets of the country.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-islamic-state/islamic-state-claims-responsibility-for-saudi-checkpoint-attack-is-newspaper-idUSKBN1K30BR

(* A B P)

800,000 expats have left Saudi Arabia, creating a hiring crisis: 'Employers say young Saudi men and women are lazy and are not interested in working'

The Saudisation policy of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has coincided with an "expat exodus" and a drop in foreign investment.

Saudi businesses are complaining that locals don't want to do "low-status" jobs that many expats worked — creating a real problem for the economy.

In November, a paper by the Institute of International Finance projected capital outflows in 2017 at $101 billion, 15% of gross domestic product.

A recent rebound in oil prices has temporarily rescued the ailing Saudi economy, but it will not be a long-term solution.

And though a much-publicised tour of Western capitals earlier this year enabled MBS to burnish his self-image as a social and economic reformer to largely uncritical audiences, it's unclear whether the round of diplomacy has salved the concerns of the Saudi business community and Western investors.

Fortunately for MBS, a rebound in the price of oil has provided some financial respite. Foreign reserves, which have in part been used to finance the budget deficit, experienced a month-on-month rise of just over $13 billion, to nearly $499 billion, in April, still way down from their peak four years ago, when they stood at $737 billion.

While he may have more funds at his disposal, MBS can't continue indefinitely to draw them down, nor rely on bond issues, to plug budgetary shortfalls. Yet he might have no choice. With Saudi business and foreign investor confidence in the economy at such a low ebb, and Saudisation under strain, it will be a while before private sector wealth-generation will be able to help him balance the books.

http://uk.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-foreign-capital-flight-expat-exodus-and-business-unrest-2018-7?IR=T

(* B P)

Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’: Will It Save Or Sink the Middle East?

Saudi Arabia’s mega development project ‘Vision 2030’ has now entered its third year. Launched in April 2016, Vision 2030 aims at fundamentally reforming the Saudi economy and society. It is primarily an economic blueprint that seeks to transform the Kingdom from a petro-state to an industrial manufacturing-based productive economy. Its overarching goals are to achieve a private sector-led self-sustaining economy, an open and vibrant society, and an ambitious nation. In short, Vision 2030, announced by the young and ambitious Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, is a bold initiative to change the image of historically oil-dependent and traditionally conservative Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Lofty goals notwithstanding, ‘Vision 2030’ is a hard sale, both domestically and internationally. There are big question marks about its potential to succeed, with some critics predicting its slow demise and others cautiously projecting its future.

Viewed realistically, ‘Vision 2030’ looks more hanging in the balance. Its potential to succeed is seriously undermined by a series of domestic and regional obstacles, most notably portrayed in problems to reform the Saudi social contract, lack of openness and transparency, absence of a domestic scientific and technological base to drive economic modernization on a sustained basis, and a regional environment unfavorable to a business boom in Saudi Arabia. Whether it succeeds or fails, ‘Vision 2030’ may prove to be a double-edged sword: its failure may unleash domestic chaos and instability with regional spillover effects; its success may further embolden ambitious Mohammad bin Salman to promote Saudi nationalist narratives to strongly push for a regional preeminent position breeding more conflicts and violence in the Middle East.

http://www.e-ir.info/2018/07/10/saudi-arabias-vision-2030-will-it-save-or-sink-the-middle-east/

(A P)

Saudi Prince Alwaleed pledges support for crown prince's reforms

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who was detained for three months in an anti-corruption campaign under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, pledged support on Thursday for the young leader’s program of sweeping reforms.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-corruption-alwaleed/saudi-prince-alwaleed-pledges-support-for-crown-princes-reforms-idUSKBN1K232X

My comment: Well, Talal always was more “westernized”. – And what else could he do than supporting the crown prince, when he wants to stay unharmed?

(A P)

Saudi Scholar Arrested Amid Crackdown On Dissent

Saudi Arabia has taken into custody a prominent Muslim scholar as part of an ongoing campaign to silence dissidents in the kingdom.

Human rights campaigners and online activists said on Thursday that Sheikh Safar al-Hawali had been detained, without providing further details.

Hawali is a leading figure in Saudi Arabia’s Sahwa (Awakening) movement, which opposes the presence of US troops in the Arabian Peninsula.

http://www.newnewss.net/saudi-scholar-arrested-amid-crackdown-on-dissent/

(B P)

MSNBC political analyst Howard Fineman reports on Hardball, based on Israeli sources, that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is now relying on Israel's spy agency, the Mossad, for security.

Personally, I find it hard to believe that MBS would be 'relying' on Mossad for security. More likely, Israel may have provided him with information that's helpful to security.

Let's keep in mind this is an unconfirmed report. Fineman is a serious analyst, but he is not an investigative reporter. There is little doubt that there is cooperation between Israel and SA, but claim of security "dependence" is something of a different order.

https://twitter.com/ShibleyTelhami/status/1017198026262241281

(A E P)

Israel Draws ‘Red Lines’ On Saudi Nuclear Ambitions

Israel has reportedly drawn a number of “red lines” it expects the United States to observe regarding a deal being finalized for the sale of nuclear reactors to Saudi Arabia.

According to Israel's Channel 10 News, Israeli officials have realized that they would not be able to thwart the deal because of billions of dollars which it would bring in profit to the US.

Israel’s energy minister and top nuclear official Yuval Steinitz met with his US counterpart Rick Perry in Washington and presented him with a series of steep demands about the need to keep a strict tab on the kingdom's activities.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/09/567516/Israel-Saudi-Arabia-nuclear-United-States-Trump-Perry

(* A K P)

Saudi Arabia pardons soldiers over Yemen conflict

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday issued a sweeping royal pardon for its soldiers deployed in Yemen, lifting any "military and disciplinary" penalties for troops taking part in its support of pro-government forces in the devastating conflict.

A statement announcing the pardon, published by Saudi Arabia's government news agency SPA, did not mention any particular crimes, but said the move was to show appreciation for the "heroics and sacrifices" of the country's soldiers.

The statement announced the order "pardoning all military men, who have taken part in the Operation Restoring Hope of their respective military and disciplinary penalties, in regard of some rules and disciplines".

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5940655/Saudi-Arabia-pardons-soldiers-Yemen-conflict.html

and also https://www.rt.com/news/432907-saudi-pardon-soldiers-yemen/

and original statement

(* A K P)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Pardons all Military men, Taking Part in Restoring Hope Operation, of Military, Disciplinary Penalties

In appreciation of the services of all military men, across the armed forces, taking part in the Operation Restoring Hope and due to the heroics and sacrifices they offer and his noble willingness to pay interest to whatsoever act they may bring pleasure and happiness into the military men and their families, and based on reports submitted by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Defense, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has issued a noble royal order pardoning all military men, who have taken part in the Operation Restoring Hope of their respective military and disciplinary penalties, in regard of some rules and disciplines.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1783696

Comment by Kristine Beckerle, HRW: 1. #Saudi King Salman issues royal order "pardoning all military men who have taken part in the Operation Restoring Hope [in #Yemen] of their respective military and disciplinary penalties."

This is not okay.

Let's be clear: Int'l law *requires* states to investigate war crimes by their nationals and *fairly prosecute* those responsible. Given evidence of #Yemen war crimes, this pardon appears to be #Saudi-once again-failing to abide by laws of war refering to https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1_rul_rule158

A "pardon" now, while war continues, #Saudi coalition carries on conducting strikes, a major offensive on "pause," but could restart any minute --> Sends exactly wrong message to current Saudi officers operating in #Yemen.

#Saudi pardon sends message to officers in #Yemen: Green light. No consequences to fear. #Yemen gov should use this as moment to finally stand up, accede to Rome Statute and join International Criminal Court. So all those who commit war crimes can be called to account.

#Yemen giving ICC jurisdiction would send opposite message of #Saudi pardon: That accountability does matter, that war crimes can be investigated and that those who commit them -- be they with Houthis #Saudi #Yemen or #UAE -- can be fairly prosecuted

https://twitter.com/K_Beckerle/status/1017045737782239232

(A P)

Saudi defense ministry official arrested on bribery charges

Saudi Arabia has arrested a defense ministry official on charges of receiving a 1 million riyal ($267,000) bribe and abusing his position, the SPA state news agency reported on Tuesday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-corruption/saudi-defense-ministry-official-arrested-on-bribery-charges-idUSKBN1K02QK

(B P)

This heartbreaking photograph captures martyr Yousef AlMishaikhis's grieving father, who had just collapsed upon being informed that #Saudi authorities unjustly executed his son

27YO martyr Amjad AlMoaybid was brutally arrested in June 2013. He was held in solitary confinement, tortured, electrocuted, and forced to sign a false confession. #Saudi executed him on July 11, 2017, for "protesting" and other fabricated charges.

https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1017087340471373824

(* B P T)

Das saudische Komplott hinter dem Anschlag von 9/11 (Teil 3)

Saudis mit Diplomatenpass waren vorinformiert. Unbekannte spekulierten kurz vor 9/11 auf Kursstürze betroffener Unternehmen.

Red. Der erste Teil mit dem Titel «Terror von 9/11: Die USA schützen die Hintermänner» zeigte auf, wie drei US-Administrationen zu verhindern versuchten, dass das Ausmass des saudischen Komplotts hinter dem Terroranschlag von 9/11 aufgeklärt wird. Ein zweiter Teil fasste zusammen, was über das saudische Netzwerk hinter den Attentätern bekannt ist. Dieser dritte und letzte Teil rundet vorhandene Informationen über das saudische Komplott ab.

Unbekannte 9/11-Vorwisser spekulierten an der Börse

Der Verdacht ist brisant und beruht auf wissenschaftlicher Analyse: In den Tagen vor dem 11. September 2001, als Terroristen mit Flugzeugen die Türme des World Trade Centers in New York zum Einstürzen brachten, haben Unbekannte massenweise auf stark sinkende Börsenkurse der betroffenen Fluggesellschaften, Banken sowie der beiden am meisten betroffenen Rückversicherungs-Konzerne gesetzt und damit Gewinne von rund 30 Millionen Dollar erzielt.

In einer wissenschaftlichen Studie mit dem Titel «Detecting abnormal trading activities in option markets» waren Finanzprofessor Marc Chesney der Universität Zürich, Assistenzprofessor Loriano Mancini vom «Swiss Finance Institute» der ETH Lausanne sowie der UBS-Analyst Remo Crameri den Auffälligkeiten mit Put-Options nachgegangen. Unter dem Titel «Erhärteter Verdacht auf Insiderhandel vor 9/11» hat Infosperber am 21.11.2016 ausführlich darüber informiert.

«Die statistische Studie deckt eindeutig äusserst dubiose Geschäfte auf, die möglicherweise von Insidern getätigt wurden», erklärt Chesney. Der Finanzprofessor ist überzeugt, dass die Frage «Insiderhandel oder glücklicher Zufall» schnell beantwortet wäre, wenn die Behörden die Namen der Käufer dieser Put-Optionen bekannt gäben und deren Netzwerke analysieren würden. Die US-Behörden sollten die Untersuchung neu aufrollen.

https://www.infosperber.ch/Artikel/Politik/Die-Verschworung-hinter-dem-Terroranschlag-von-911-Teil-3

cp9 USA

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A B P)

US Is Helping ‘Bloodthirsty Cult’ – the MEK – to Overthrow Iran’s Government

In pursuit of regime change in Iran, the Trump administration and prominent Republicans and Democrats alike are supporting the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), which former top US official Larry Wilkerson says is a “bloodthirsty cult.

BEN NORTON: The MEK was considered a terrorist organization by the United States government until 2012. Larry Wilkerson, a former top George Bush administration official, told The Real News Network that the MEK is a bloodthirsty cult that is widely considered by Iranians to be full of traitors.

https://therealnews.com/stories/us-is-helping-bloodthirsty-cult-the-mek-try-to-overthrow-irans-government

(A P)

Pompeo to stress need to boost pressure on Iran on NATO sidelines

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Brussels on Tuesday, where he plans meetings on the sidelines of the NATO summit aimed at stepping up pressure on Iran and reassuring allies about alternative oil supplies, a State Department official said.

Pompeo flew from Abu Dhabi, where he discussed Iran with leaders of the United Arab Emirates. Senior State Department officials have also completed three days of talks on Iran in Saudi Arabia, and “discussed new ways to deprive the regime of revenues,” a State Department official told reporters traveling on Pompeo’s plane.

“In our meeting with the Saudi energy minister, we discussed maintaining a well-stocked oil market to guard against volatility,” he said. “We discussed U.S. oil sanctions to deny Iran revenue to fight against terrorism. We talked about minimizing market disruptions and helping partners find alternatives to Iran oil.”

At NATO, Pompeo would discuss Iran with ministers from Britain, France and Germany, and in other bilateral meetings, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-usa-iran/pompeo-to-stress-need-to-boost-pressure-on-iran-on-nato-sidelines-idUSKBN1K02JV

and Pompeo interview on Iran: cp15.

(A P)

US State Department: Background Briefing on Meeting With Saudi Officials

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, the Secretary has talked of the role that Iran has played to really worsen and deepen the humanitarian situation in Yemen. When Iran supplies missiles that are fired into a commercial airport, it threatens people from every nation who are flying into another country’s airport. So we talked about how to better deter Iran, how to cut off their supply lines so that they’re not able to supply the Houthis with material to conduct bomb attacks inside Saudi Arabia. We think a role – that Iran has played a very large role in contributing to the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.

QUESTION: What about Saudi or Yemenis’ responsibility in Yemen, Saudi or the UAE?

MODERATOR: Guys, we – we got to – we got to go, but I can – I can – I think I can probably connect you with David Satterfield, who’s been involved in the – he’s our Yemen guy.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: On the political track, yes.

MODERATOR: On the – yeah (inaudible).

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, we very strongly support the work of Martin Griffiths and we know that there’s been a lot of – Martin has been working very hard on this and so we strongly support those efforts that are led by Martin Griffiths.

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/07/283983.htm

and

(* A P)

The Trump Administration’s Warped View of the War on Yemen

This exchange from a background briefing with State Department officials shows just how distorted the administration’s view of Yemen has become.

The Saudi coalition air and sea blockade has been starving Yemenis for three years while Iran has done nothing to impede commercial goods and humanitarian aid, so of course Iran is the one that U.S. officials claim has a “very large role” in contributing to the crisis. The Emiratis and their proxies are right now engaged in an attack on a port that is essential to the survival of millions of people, but there is no mention of how this threatens to exacerbate a crisis that the coalition created. The administration isn’t interested in identifying the real causes of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, because it was caused in large part by the coalition acting with U.S. support, and so U.S. officials cynically feed the public this propaganda to shift the blame anywhere but where it really belongs.

This in keeping with the administration’s habit of dishonestly blaming Iran for anything that happens in the region, and it is also proof of the disgraceful carte blanche that the U.S. continues to give the Saudis and Emiratis in Yemen. The official giving the briefing can’t even be bothered to address the question of Saudi and Emirati responsibility for the humanitarian crisis. The administration’s determination to cover for the Saudi coalition and ignore their numerous crimes against Yemeni civilians means that U.S. officials won’t even mildly criticize the coalition governments in a briefing – by Daniel Larison

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-trump-administrations-warped-view-of-the-war-on-yemen/

(* A P)

Top Democrats urge Gulf to drop demand for Houthi surrender in Yemen

Key Democratic leaders in Congress are pressing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to drop their demands for Yemen’s Houthi rebels to unilaterally surrender the key Red Sea port of Hodeidah.

In a letter to the countries’ ambassadors in Washington, five members of the House Democratic leadership raise concerns about the humanitarian toll in the war-plagued country. The letter marks the latest blow to a Gulf coalition that has continued to hemorrhage support in Congress, which has the power to block arms sales and refueling support to the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.

“We urge you to be flexible with regard to your requirements to avert escalation at [Hodeidah] — specifically your demands that the Houthis unconditionally leave the city and port, and more recently the entire Red Sea coast, immediately,” the lawmakers wrote to Emirati Ambassador Yousef al-Otaiba and Saudi Ambassador Khalid bin Salman Abdul-Aziz Al Saud.

As part of United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths’ efforts to forestall a bloody offensive, the Houthis have offered to turn over management of the port to the UN. The Saudis and Emiratis, however, are demanding a full withdrawal from the area. Democratic leaders also expressed concern that even if the coalition were to retake Hodeidah, the war would continue as the Houthis double down.

“To the extent the Houthis will continue prosecuting the war and that previous major assaults have failed to provide de-escalation opportunities, we are concerned this assault will deepen, not reduce, coalition engagement in Yemen,” they wrote.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/07/top-democrats-urge-gulf-drop-demand-houthi-surrender.html

My comment: They are perfectly right. The demands for Houthis’ unconditional surrender have proofed to be an obstacle for any peace in Yemen – since more than 3 years now.

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

(* A P)

A Journalist Who Works With British And US Reporters In Yemen Has Been Denied A UK Visa

Ahmed Baider won a bursary to undertake vital training in the UK. He told BuzzFeed News he had recommendation letters from several news outlets but the Home Office refused his application.

A respected journalist and fixer who works with British and US reporters covering the ongoing civil war in Yemen has been denied a visa by the Home Office, meaning he cannot undergo potentially life-saving medical and security training.

Ahmed Baider told BuzzFeed News that he applied for the visa in Egypt and had all required paperwork and recommendation letters from several news outlets, and that a British friend had agreed to sponsor his stay in the UK.

He believes his application was rejected purely based on the fact that he carries a Yemeni passport. He was "unhappy with British foreign policy", he said.

Baider told BuzzFeed News he had won a bursary to attend hostile environment training in London from the Rory Peck Trust, a well-known and respected NGO that supports freelancers from around the world.

"In addition," he said, "I managed to get recommendation letters from well-known media outlets such as ITV, ABC News, Sky News, and other letters [from] British friends. Therefore, I applied for a visa in visa centre in Cairo that cost me £407.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahalothman/a-journalist-who-works-with-british-and-us-reporters-in

Comment: Well I can believe this. Apparently not even one Yemeni has been granted asylum in U.K. during this war, and when trying to get a visa for a child to have surgery in U.K. at the beginning of the war I was told it was impossible. This man works in an extremely dangerous environment and he deserves the right to learn how to take care of his safety, and the safety of other UK media professionals who work with him. Shame on the UK government.

https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156837890828641

cp11 Deutschland / Germany

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* A K P)

Linksfraktion: Kriegsparteien in Jemen schießen mit deutschen Waffen

Antwort der Bundesregierung (PDF)vom 28.06.2018 auf die schriftliche Frage "Welche Klein- und Leichtwaffen von den Kriegsparteien im Süden der Arabischen Halbinsel von den Kriegsgegnern dort eingesetzt werden" von Stefan Liebich, außenpolitischer Sprecher der Fraktion DIE LINKE im Bundestag.

Die Kriegsparteien in Jemen schießen mit deutschen Waffen aufeinander. Die Bundesregierung bestreitet das nicht, stellt sich aber ansonsten dumm. Reden will sie darüber aber nicht. Stefan Liebich, der von der Bundesregierung in einer Schriftlichen Frage wissen wollte, welche Klein- und Leichtwaffen von den Kriegsparteien im Süden der Arabischen Halbinsel von den Kriegsgegnern dort eingesetzt werden, findet das mehr als besorgniserregend: „Die Kontrolle des Verbleibs dieser Waffen hat die Bundesregierung nicht im Griff und es zeigt, dass es dringend ein Exportverbot von Kleinwaffen geben muss“, sagt er der Wochenzeitung „Die Zeit“, die in ihrer aktuellen Ausgabe ausführlich darüber berichtet.

https://www.linksfraktion.de/themen/nachrichten/detail/kriegsparteien-in-jemen-schiessen-mit-deutschen-waffen/

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(B E P)

World’s Largest Vertical Farm Being Built In Dubai

The United Arab Emirates and Dubai, in particular, seems to be obsessed with making the largest and tallest of structures but its latest undertaking has more to do with their future than it is with bragging rights. The world’s largest vertical farm is going to be built in Dubai. Since water scarcity is a major issue in the UAE, it’s imperative to use high-tech, low-water agriculture methods for farming.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2018/07/worlds-largest-vertical-farm-being-built-in-dubai/?utm_source=mainrss

Comment: Every day a farm in #Yemen comes under Saudi/Emirates' bombs.
We wished Yemen had the same right to continue farming

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1817674241618931

(* A K P)

Rwm, la fabbrica si allarga. Pigliaru: “La Sardegna non sia terra di bombe”

[#RWM, #Italy's armament company producing bombs sold to the Saudis and dropped on #Yemen's soil, is expanding.
War is a profitable business but there are those who oppose turning #Sardinia in the land of bombs]

Sull’ampliamento della fabbrica di armamenti di Domusnovas, nel Sulcis, interviene in modo duro il presidente della Regione, Francesco Pigliaru. In una nota istituzionale chiede che il governo italiano attui le risoluzioni del Parlamento Uesull’esportazione di armi – in questo caso le bombe della Rwm Italia, casa madre tedesca – verso paesi in conflitto, come l’Arabia Saudita, con vittime tra i civili come succede da anni in Yemen.

http://www.sardiniapost.it/politica/rwm-la-fabbrica-si-allarga-pigliaru-la-sardegna-non-sia-terra-di-bombe/

(A K P)

Vente de blindés à l’Arabie saoudite: Turp veut aller en Cour supreme

[#Canada's sale of armoured vehicles to #SaudiArabia: a Law Professor intends to take the case to the Supreme Court]

Le professeur de droit Daniel Turp ne rend pas les armes, malgré le revers que vient de lui infliger la Cour d’appel fédérale: il compte porter la cause de la vente de blindés en Arabie saoudite devant la Cour suprême du Canada.

C’est ce qu’il a signalé mardi, quelques jours après avoir pris connaissance du verdict défavorable dans la cause qu’il défend depuis des mois: la contestation de la décision du gouvernement canadien d’accorder des licences d’exportation de véhicules militaires à l’Arabie saoudite.

«On a décidé de le porter en appel parce qu’on n’est pas très contents — pas contents du tout — de ce jugement. Il est pire que le premier, selon nous, au plan du droit», a exposé le professeur Turp en entrevue à La Presse canadienne.

https://lactualite.com/actualites/2018/07/10/vente-de-blindes-a-larabie-saoudite-turp-veut-aller-en-cour-supreme/

(A E P)

India deepens ties with UAE, Saudi

In a sign of deepening energy ties, India, one of the fastest growing consumers of petroleum products in the world, has attracted the interest of oil-rich countries UAE and Saudi Arabia. While the UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) to acquire a stake in India’s $44-billion West Coast refinery, both companies are also looking to invest in the entire value chain, including fuel retailing, here. At the same time, Indian oil companies as a consortium will be bidding for hydrocarbon fields in UAE.

“It is a vision of the government that to fulfil our long-term energy security needs, just a buyer-seller relationship is not adequate and the engagements should be at various levels,” petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters.

https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/india-deepens-ties-with-uae-saudi/1220254/

and

(A E P)

India cuts Iranian oil imports in June ahead of U.S. sanctions

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-iran-oil/india-cuts-iranian-oil-imports-in-june-ahead-of-us-sanctions-idUSKBN1K10CC

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

(* B P)

Katar trotzt der Saudi-Blockade mit neuem Selbstbewusstsein
Statt in einer von saudischen Interessen dominierten Region einfach still und leise an den Katzentisch des Juniorpartners zurückzugehen, hat Katar begonnen, seine Identität zu verändern – wer es ist und was es bieten kann. Wenn die Blockade nicht verhängt worden wäre, ist es unwahrscheinlich, dass dieses neue Katar so schnell entstanden würde.
Vor zwölf Monaten begann die Blockade gegen Katar durch Saudi-Arabien, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, Bahrain und Ägypten mit der Absicht, das widerspenstige Land in die Knie zu zwingen. Spannungen wurden geschürt, Forderungen wurden gestellt und eine Frist gesetzt, nach der sich Katar unterwerfen sollte. Doch diese Frist verstrich bald – und was seitdem passiert ist, hat viele Beobachter überrascht. Die Blockade ist gescheitert. Akademiker und politische Kommentatoren haben als Gründe für den anhaltenden Widerstand des kleinen Golfstaates alles angeführt, von Katars enormen finanziellen Ressourcen bis zu politischem Taktieren des Landes.
http://justicenow.de/2018-07-11/katar-trotzt-der-saudi-blockade-mit-neuem-selbstbewusstsein/

Comment: In case anyone wants to pretend that Qatar is the "good guy" in the Qatar vs UAE/KSA feud. Both sides are corrupt, amoral, and not above cynically using any cause to their advantage, it just happens that the UAE/KSA are more blatant.

https://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi/status/1017380805432233984

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B K P)

Informe: Riad usa “misiles prohibidos” israelíes para atacar Yemen

[Saudis use "forbidden missiles" supplied by the Tel Aviv regime to attack areas under the control of the Ansarallah, including areas of #Hodeidah
Saudi Arabia uses Israeli weapons in #Yemen to "test" them and "evaluate" their destructive power, in addition to the "effects" they leave on the human body]

Un informe revela que Arabia Saudí ha usado armas de fabricación israelí para bombardear las ciudades yemeníes, en concreto, el puerto de Al-Hudayda (oeste).

Fuentes cercanas al Comité de Inteligencia de la Cámara de Representantes de EE.UU. indicaron el viernes al portal de noticias árabes Al-khaleej online que el régimen saudí usa “misiles prohibidos” suministrados por el régimen de Tel Aviv para atacar las zonas que están bajo el control del movimiento popular yemení Ansarolá, incluida Al-Hudayda, que se ha convertido en nuevo blanco de ataques de los saudíes y sus aliados.

“Israel ha equipado a la Fuerza Aérea saudí con misiles prohibidos y Riad los usa para bombardear varias de las provincias controladas por Ansarolá”, indicaron las fuentes estadounidenses que hablaron en condición de anonimato, sin detallar el tipo de estos misiles.

De hecho, Arabia Saudí usa los armamentos israelíes en Yemen para “probarlos” y “evaluar” su poder destructivo, además de los “efectos” que dejan sobre el cuerpo humano, añadieron.

https://www.hispantv.com/noticias/yemen/381915/armas-israelies-arabia-saudi-ataques-hudayda-agresion

(* B K P)

Fragwürdige EU-Waffenexportpolitik: Das Beispiel Ägypten
Die Existenz einer schlagkräftigen und unabhängigen Rüstungsindustrie, die alle „nötigen“ Waffensysteme ohne Abhängigkeit von anderen Staaten bereitstellen kann, wird als wesentliche Bedingung für den Aufstieg in die Riege ernst zu nehmender Großmächte dargestellt. Aus diesem Grund steht dieses Interesse auch bei den Entscheidungsträger*innen der Europäischen Union weit oben auf der Prioritätenliste, wenn es etwa in der EU-Globalstrategie vom Juni 2016 heißt: „Die Mitgliedstaaten [benötigen] bei den militärischen Spitzenfähigkeiten alle wichtigen Ausrüstungen, um auf externe Krisen reagieren und die Sicherheit Europas aufrechterhalten zu können. Dies bedeutet, dass das gesamte Spektrum an land-, luft-, weltraum- und seeseitigen Fähigkeiten, einschließlich der strategischen Grundvoraussetzungen, zur Verfügung stehen muss. […] Eine tragfähige, innovative und wettbewerbsfähige europäische Verteidigungsindustrie ist von wesentlicher Bedeutung für die strategische Autonomie Europas und eine glaubwürdige Gemeinsame Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik (GSVP).“
Allerdings ist die heimische Auftragslage schlicht zu klein, um das Überleben einer Rüstungsbranche zu garantieren, die tatsächlich alle für wesentlich erachteten Komponenten herstellen kann. So stellte etwa eine von der EU-Industriekommissarin Elżbieta Bieńkowska einberufene „Group of Personalities“ (GoP) im Februar 2016 fest: „Die Steigerung der Exporte trägt wesentlich dazu bei, die kritische Masse europäischer Rüstungsunternehmen zu erhalten. […] Ohne Exporte würden viele EU-Unternehmen aktuell aufgrund der tiefen Einschnitte in den nationalen Rüstungsausgaben ums Überleben kämpfen.“ Besagte Gruppe, die sich zu großen Teilen aus Vertretern der Rüstungslobby zusammensetzte, präsentierte dann auch gleich Vorschläge, wie der Rüstungsindustrie „besser“ unter die Arme gegriffen werden könnte, damit sie ihre Waffen künftig „erfolgreicher“ im Ausland absetzen kann. Im Kern wurde damals die Forderung erhoben, einen EU-Rüstungsforschungshaushalt im Umfang von 500 Mio. Euro jährlich aufzusetzen, um so die „Wettbewerbsfähigkeit“ und damit einhergehend auch die Exportfähigkeit der europäischen Rüstungsindustrie zu „verbessern“.
http://www.imi-online.de/2018/07/10/fragwuerdige-eu-waffenexportpolitik-das-beispiel-aegypten/

cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner

Siehe / Look at cp1, cp1b2.

cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy

(* A E P)

The riyal is retreating again in front of the foreign exchange and the price of the dollar breaks the 500 barrier

The Yemeni riyal continues to collapse in front of foreign currency on Thursday, according to two bankers who spoke to the Almasdar online, the price of the dollar broke the 500 SR barrier and reached in the city of Aden, the temporary capital (south of the country) 503 riyals.

They said in identical talks that the dollar price in the capital Sanaa had reached 495 riyals, with the local currency falling significantly over the past few days, which could herald a new wave of price hikes.

To date, the central bank of Yemen, under its new leadership, has been unable to find any solutions to prevent the rapid deterioration of the local currency, although Saudi Arabia has deposited two billion dollars in its account to prevent the currency from deteriorating and maintaining cohesion.

The Yemenis feared of the bank's repeated failure to invest the new deposit, especially after the squandering of one billion dollars in the first deposit, which was also from Saudi Arabia, after which prices had more than doubled.

The bank has announced its resumption of funds for the import and exchange of commodities since the beginning of June, but so far it seems unable to do so.

The real collapse comes after months of consolidation at a rate of 485 riyals.

According to two bankers, the cause of the riyal collapse was to increase the demand for the dollar and the Saudi Arabian traders in the city of Aden, especially after the bank failed to cover subsidies for the importation of basic commodities.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100166

My comment: The main reasons are the crash of the Yemeni economy due to the war, and president Hadi’s chaotic Central Bank policy, having created a rivaling new Central Bank at Aden just for political reasons.

(A E P)

Zammam: All revenues from gov-administered areas transferred to central bank

The Governor of Yemen's central bank Dr. Mohamed Zammam said that all public revenues levied in areas administered by the Yemeni government are transferred to the bank, including the proceedings from crude oil sales.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20019

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

(* A T)

Clashes between militants following ISIS and others following al-Qaeda in Qifa

Clashes erupted Thursday morning between militants of the al-Qaeda and others following ISIS in the region of Yakla in Qaifat Radaa in Albaidha province in central Yemen.

"The confrontations broke out between the two sides and the voices of the clashes were heard at long distances," a local source told Almasdar Online.

A private source said that al-Qaeda gunmen attacked a camp of armed men in the dawn of the day in response to an attack on al-Qaeda militants before two days, according to the source, the clashes, which continued intermittently until the moment of writing, led to the deaths and injuries of both sides.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100185

and

(* A T)

Breaking: For first time, reports of #ISIS forces attacking #AQAP (Ansar al-Shariah) in #Yemen, killing 13; In retaliation, #AQAP “attacked an #ISIS HQ and killed more than 25 members & seized weapons & military cars" according to pro-#alQaeda sources. Locations unspecified.

As I’ve stated, instability in #Yemen makes fitting conditions for groups like #AQAP and #ISIS to fester. And, as seen in #Syria, #Afghanistan, #Somalia, & now #Yemen, ISIS-AQ competition only makes for increased violence and recruitment efforts

https://twitter.com/Rita_Katz/status/1017430662968684544

and

(A T)

In the past #AQAP and #ISIS have cooperated on the tactical level in al Bayda in central #Yemen, though leadership from both groups would often take shots at each other in propaganda. #AlQaeda and #IslamicState clashing in Yemen is new.

https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1017444787920756738

Some weirdness with this claim of #AQAP clashing w/#ISIS in #Yemen for the first time. Official & unofficial AQAP channels have not commented on the clashes, it was reported by an #alQaeda media channel. The claim also did not include a location of the clashes, which is unusual.

https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1017531406250135552

(A T)

Al-Bayda' remains #alQaeda's focus in #Yemen. #AQAP claims: 7/10 4 Houthis killed in Tayyab incl commander Abu Asil 7/7 2 Houthi guards of Investigations Director killed Also informal claims: 7/7 11 Houthis killed in al-Qurayshiyya & Dhi Kilab 7/5 7 Houthis killed near al-Rawda

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1017024197258891265

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

Waffenschmuggel statt Hilfslieferungen

Die Houthi-Rebellen missbrauchen den Hafen von Hodeidah im Jemen.

Vergangenen Sonntagabend wurde die saudische Hauptstadt Riad zum wiederholten Male von Raketen der Houthi-Rebellen getroffen. Obwohl die Raketen abgefangen werden konnten, landeten viele der Trümmer im Botschaftsviertel von Riad. Im Zuge der Angriffe werden immer wieder saudische Zivilisten verletzt und getötet. Diese Vorgänge sollten die internationale Gemeinschaft zum Nachdenken anregen: Woher erhalten die Houthi-Rebellen Raketen, die eine Bedrohung für die Zivilbevölkerung des Jemen und seiner Nachbarländer darstellen?

Die Antwort ist einfach: Mit dem Iran haben sie einen willigen Lieferanten, der sie über den Hafen von Hodeidah mit Raketen versorgt. Die Houthi-Milizen werden radikalisiert und mit dem religiösen Extremismus und den Waffen des Iran versorgt. Die Bedrohung, die die Houthi-Rebellen für die Zukunft des Jemen darstellen, und die Gefährdung der Sicherheit einer ganzen Region werden vor allem durch den Diebstahl von Hilfslieferungen und den Schmuggel von Waffen über den Hafen von Hodeidah ermöglicht.

Doch die bisherigen Versuche der jemenitischen Regierung, der UNO und der Koalition, die Houthi-Rebellen an den Verhandlungstisch zu bringen, sind bisher gescheitert. Sie verweigern ihre Teilnahme an ernsthaften Verhandlungen. Die wiederholte Forderung, die Hafenstadt Hodeidah unter die Kontrolle der UNO zu stellen, lehnen sie ab. Selbst UN-Sicherheitsinspektionen konnten den Schmuggel von iranischen Waffen über den Hafen nicht verhindern, und die Pläne, die Kontrolle des Landes an eine neutrale Partei abzugeben, werden von den Houthi-Milizen blockiert.

So bleibt der Militärkoalition kaum eine andere Wahl, als die Hafenstadt Hodeidah gewaltsam einzunehmen. Nur wenn der Hafen unter der Kontrolle der legitimen Regierung des Jemen steht, wird eine effektive Verwaltung in der Lage sein, humanitäre Hilfe zu leisten und den Schmuggel iranischer Raketen und anderer Waffen zu verhindern. Und nur dann können die Houthi-Rebellen an den Verhandlungstisch gezwungen und eine dauerhafte politische Lösung erreicht werden. Die Kräfte, die Hodeida befreien werden, sehen sich dazu verpflichtet, die Schäden für die Zivilbevölkerung so gering wie möglich zu halten und dafür zu sorgen, dass sie die nötige Hilfe wieder erreicht – Von Khaled Hussein Alyemany, Außenminister der Hadi-Regierung des Jemen

https://www.wienerzeitung.at/meinungen/gastkommentare/976645_Waffenschmuggel-statt-Hilfslieferungen.html

Mein Kommentar: Dieser Artikel des Außenministers der von den Saudis unterstützten Hadi-Regierung ist ein Propaganda-Rundumschlag, der letztlich dazu dienen soll, den Angriff der Anti-Huthi-Allianz auf die Hafenstadt Hodeida zu rechtfertigen. Eine solche Rechtfertigung hält man seitens dieser Allianz offenbar für notwendig, da einstimmig alle internationalen Hilfsorganisationen und die UN vor den verheerenden humanitären Folgen eines solchen Angriffs warnen.

Die Raketenangriffe der Huthis auf Ziele in Saudi-Arabien (sie werden in den meisten Fällen abgefangen, ihr tatsächlicher Effekt ist gering), werden als Problem herausgestellt, die wirklich katastrophalen Luftangriffe der saudischen Koalition dagegen nicht einmal erwähnt. Und nach welcher Logik sollen die Raketen der Huthis sogar eine „Bedrohung für die Zivilbevölkerung des Jemen“ darstellen, so, als gäbe es die saudischen Luftangriffe überhaupt nicht?

Die angebliche Lieferung von Waffen aus dem Iran an die Huthis über den Hafen von Hodeidah ist ein Stereotyp der Anti-Huthi-Propaganda. Es wird von den Saudis und ihren Verbündeten (Emirate, Hadi-Regierung) sowie von den USA und ihren Verbündeten (Großbritannien) ständig gebraucht, obwohl solche Lieferungen dank der Blockade und totalen Kontrolle der Zugänge zu den Häfen durch die Saudis und die USA völlig unmöglich ist. Welche Technik tatsächlich iranisch ist und wann sie überhaupt in den Jemen kam, ist und bleibt eine offene Frage. Derartige Propaganda soll „beweisen“, dass 1) man die Huthis unbedingt aus Hodeidah herausbringen muss, und 2) dass der Iran der Übeltäter der Region ist und man gegen ihn vorgehen muss.

„Doch die bisherigen Versuche der jemenitischen Regierung, der UNO und der Koalition, die Houthi-Rebellen an den Verhandlungstisch zu bringen, sind bisher gescheitert.“ Darum geht es gar nicht. Die Hadi-Regierung und ihre saudischen und emiratischen Verbündeten bestehen vielmehr klar darauf, dass solche Verhandlungen überhaupt nur zu ihren eigenen Vorbedingungen ) stattfinden dürfen (wozu auch die völlig parteiische UN-Resolution 2216 gehört, die von den Saudis diktiert und von den USA und ihren Verbündeten gepusht wurde. Diese Vorbedingungen sollen von den Huthis schon erfüllt werden, bevor sich Saudis, Emirate, Hadi und Co. überhaupt zu einem Beginn der Gespräche herabließen; sie bedeuten, dass die Huthis schon vor dem Beginn solcher Gespräche de facto kapitulieren müssten. Das tun sie natürlich nicht; zu Verhandlungen sind und waren sie tatsächlich aber bereit.

Dieselbe verquere Propagandalogik taucht noch einmal weiter unten in dem Satz auf: „Und nur dann können die Houthi-Rebellen an den Verhandlungstisch gezwungen und eine dauerhafte politische Lösung erreicht werden“.

„Die wiederholte Forderung, die Hafenstadt Hodeidah unter die Kontrolle der UNO zu stellen, lehnen sie ab.“ Das ist falsch. Die Huthis sind seit nunmehr einiger Zeit ausdrücklich bereit, den Hafen von Hodeidah unter UN-Kontrolle zu stellen. Es ist vielmehr die saudische Koalition einschließlich der Hadi-Regierung, die das ablehnen und auf einem bedingungslosen Abzug der Huthis aus ganz Hodeidah bestehen; und mittlerweile auch nicht nur auf einem Abzug aus Hodeidah, sondern mal aus der ganzen Provinz, mal von der gesamten Küste, mal sogar aus allen Städten…

„Pläne, die Kontrolle des Landes an eine neutrale Partei abzugeben, werden von den Houthi-Milizen blockiert.“ Solche Pläne für das ganze Land gibt es überhaupt nicht, es gibt sie nur für Hodeidah. Die Hadi-Regierung wäre sich die letzte Gruppierung, die einer solchen Kontrolle des ganzen Landes durch eine dritte Partei zustimmen würde.

„So bleibt der Militärkoalition kaum eine andere Wahl, als die Hafenstadt Hodeidah gewaltsam einzunehmen“: Das ist des Pudels Kern. Dieses ganze Propagandafeuerwerk dient nur dazu, die gewaltsame Eroberung von Hodeidah zu begründen und zu rechtfertigen (und dann die gesamte daraus resultierende Katastrophe den Huthis anzulasten).

Nur wenn der Hafen unter der Kontrolle der legitimen Regierung des Jemen steht, wird …“: Hier zeigt die Hadi-Regierung selbst, dass sie es ist, die eine Kontrolle des Hafens durch die UN ablehnen (s. oben).

„ … wird eine effektive Verwaltung in der Lage sein, humanitäre Hilfe zu leisten“: Die Hadi-Regierung zeigt seit drei Jahren sogar in ihrer eigenen Hauptstadt Aden, das sie zu einer „effektiven Verwaltung“ nicht in der Lage ist; wie soll sie das dann ausgerechnet in Hodeidah?

„Die Kräfte, die Hodeida befreien werden, sehen sich dazu verpflichtet, die Schäden für die Zivilbevölkerung so gering wie möglich zu halten und dafür zu sorgen, dass sie die nötige Hilfe wieder erreicht“: Genau diese Kräfte tun seit über drei Jahren mit ihren Luftangriffen und der Blockade das exakte Gegenteil von dem, was hier behauptet wird. Mit der Eroberung von Hodeidah würde sich daran nichts ändern, eher im Gegenteil.

(A P)

Nach Syrien könnte der Jemen der zentrale Konflikt in der Region werden

Der iranische Einfluss ist für ihren Erfolg entscheidend und ihre Niederlage wäre ein Rückschlag für Teheran. Im Jahr 2009 wurden täglich siebzehn Millionen Barrel Öl durch das Rote Meer transportiert, 2015 waren es nur noch vier Millionen. (…)

Die Schlacht um die am Roten Meer gelegene Stadt Hodeidah, die im Juni begann, ist von entscheidender Bedeutung, wenn die Huthi vom Roten Meer in die Berge zurückgetrieben werden sollen. (…) Die Huthi werden als schwache Kraft dargestellt, die von den mächtigsten Golfstaaten und dem Westen bekämpft werden. Doch fragen Kritiker sich, wie sie an ballistische Raketen, Seezielflugkörper, ferngesteuerte Sprengsätze und Drohnen gelangt sind, wenn sie so schwach sind.

Conflict Armament Research hat nachgewiesen, dass die Drohnentechnologie der Huthi aus dem Iran stammt. Ende Juni sollen acht Kämpfer der Hisbollah getötet worden sein, als sie im Jemen Seite an Seite mit den Huthi kämpften.

Derartige Entwicklungen zeigen, dass der Krieg im Jemen für Teheran und seine Verbündeten einen regionalen und globalen Konflikt darstellt. Wenn die Lage in Syrien sich beruhigt, könnte sich im Jemen, der für Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate von hoher strategischer Bedeutung ist, der nächste entscheidende Konflikt in der Region zutragen.“

https://www.mena-watch.com/nach-syrien-koennte-jemen-der-zentrale-konflikt-in-der-region-werden/ , Übersetzung aus https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Rolling-back-Iran-in-battle-for-Red-Seas-Hodeidah-561974

Mein Kommentar: Hier wird wieder einmal Vieles zusammengekramt, was zeigen soll, eine wie große internationale Bedrohung die Huthis sein sollen (sind sie nicht) und dass der Iran auch hier wieder dahintersteckt (tut er nicht). Es geht nur in zweiter Linie und vordergründig gegen die Huthis, tatsächlich aber gegen den Iran. Die Saudis wie auch die USA sind schon pathologisch auf den Iran fixiert (s. Beitrag oben in cp1); einer Konfrontation mit dem Iran (in logischer Konsequenz auch einer militärischen) soll durch derartige Propaganda der Weg bereitet werden. Zu Vielem aus diesem Artikel s. meinen Kommentar zum vorigen.

Zu „Conflict Armament Research“: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_Armament_Research

(A P)

A year ago, he was a groom and today he became a martyr in Nehm east of Sana'a

About a year ago, Hilal Khamis, a soldier in the government forces, was a groom in the mountains of the rugged Nehm district (east of Sana'a), with the drums of joy mingled with the drums of war.

http://almasdaronline.com/article/100168

My comment: Regrettable. But: He was a soldier, in war. Why this article?

(A P)

Al Jaber confirms Saudi Arabia's stand by Yemen's side in health field

The Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber, affirmed that the Kingdom's commitment to stand by Yemen's side in these circumstances in the health field as in other fields.

Al Jaber pointed out that the Kingdom is ready to implement health projects in all governorates of Yemen and to rehabilitate hospitals in a number of governorates and train Yemeni medical staff and provide them with expertise at the highest levels in coordination with the Ministry of Health and relevant authorities in the Yemeni government.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20018

My comment: This is achieved by: 1) Bombing hospitals, 2) creating more patients by bombing, 3) cutting the supply of medicines and medical equipment, 4) forcing international medical staff out by bombing campaigns.

(A P)

UAE efforts appreciated by every Yemeni: Minister

A senior official from the Yemen Higher Relief Committee has hailed the great efforts exerted by the UAE to help Yemenis in need, saying they have significantly contributed to alleviating the suffering of people, and bring back normalcy to life in areas liberated from the Iranian-backed Houthi militias.
Speaking from Aden Port upon the arrival of the latest UAE aid ships, Dr. Ibtihaj al-Kamal, Yemeni Minister of Social Affairs and Labour and Deputy Chairman of the Yemen Higher Relief Committee, said, "The humanitarian work carried out by the UAE is appreciated by every Yemeni and demonstrates the depth of brotherly relations between Yemen and the UAE."

http://gulftoday.ae/portal/32cf9a83-240d-40bc-9fa7-3657b2709b61.aspx

Comment: We wonder where the starving of a nation, the blockade, the 3+ years of air raids on schools, hospitals, homes, markets, weddings and funerals, the secret prisons in Southern #Yemen stand in the self-praising madness of the #UAE

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515.1073741828.961126490607048/1819296858123336/?type=3&theater

(A P)

Interview With Mina Al-Oraibi of The National

Interview: Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State. Fairmont Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, July 10, 2018

QUESTION: I want to ask you about Iran, basically, because of course, here in the region, we have a lot of concerns about Iran’s expansionist policies, and you recently said that Ayatollah Khamenei has to be held to account for destabilizing the Gulf’s security. How can he be held to account?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So there are lots of ways. First, a united opposition is very important, and it’s one of the reasons I’m here. We have great partners here in the United Arab Emirates, we have great partners with the Saudis and the Bahrainis, many countries pushing back, demonstrating that what we’re asking is pretty simple: Iran to become a more normal country.

The tools we’ll use will be varied. They’ll often be diplomatic. You see the U.S.-led efforts on sanctions, so economic tools. And then it’s also the case that we will be prepared to make sure that when Iran does things like launch missiles that come here or go to Riyadh, that we’re prepared to defend the region as well militarily.

QUESTION: Now, if we look at Yemen, we see an uptick of activity from Hizballah and from Iran’s support for the Houthis. What can the international community do to stop that and how can we see an end to the war in Yemen?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So I do hope that there ultimately is a political resolution there. The UN, through Mr. Griffiths, is working hard to achieve that political resolution. But at the end of the day, it’s going to require a global effort to convince the Iranians that this kind of meddling, this kind of interference, this kind of promotion of violence directed at Arab countries outside of Yemen doesn’t make sense for them. And so all the same tools that I described previously are the ones that will ultimately lead to the Houthis and others in Yemen realizing that the war is not worth continuing, that a political resolution is the one that’s best for the people of Yemen.

https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/07/283943.htm

My comment: Focused mainly on Iran and showing the strange taking sides by the US – taking sides with states which are even much less “normal states” (for using Pompeo’s words) than Iran actually is. But this does not matter. – Quite bizarre is the stance on Yemen. Pompeo objects to Iran its “kind of meddling, this kind of interference, this kind of promotion of violence“, while Iranian interference is much, much smaller than the interference by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the US and the UK.

(A P)

Yemen: A Very Public Defeat Back In Iran

The UN persuaded the Arab coalition to pause its offensive in late June so the UN could attempt to negotiate an end to the battle for the Red Sea port of Hodeida. But so far all the rebels will offer is to turn over control of the port to the UN (something the UN has been demanding for years) while the government demands that the rebels move away from the coast. The rebels will not consider this because it would cut them off from the weapons and equipment the Iranians smuggle in as well as opportunities to attack ships in the Red Sea. The rebels show no signs of surrendering control of Hodeida or any portions of the Red Sea coast.

The rebels apparently prefer to see the Hodeida port facilities put out of action for months (or longer) by battle damage and see much of the city turned to rubble by fighting rather than give it up. Severe destruction of the port will force all the foreign aid to come in via the two main southern ports (Aden and Mukalla) on the Gulf of Aden.

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/20180711.aspx

My comment: A very twisted overview on Hodeidah fully packed with propaganda and connecting all this with Iran. And again, this article tries to put the blame for all damages and consequences of the Hodeida assault from the offenders to the defenders: “The rebels apparently prefer to see the Hodeida port facilities put out of action for months (or longer) by battle damage and see much of the city turned to rubble by fighting rather than give it up.”, as if it would be a natural right of offenders that defenders must retreat to avoid war damages. According to this twisted logics,

Poland was responsible for the German bombing of Warszaw in 1939,

The Netherlands were responsible for the German bombing of Rotterdam in 1940,

The Soviet Union was responsible for the mass starvation in Leningrad in 1942.

(A P)

Yemen files complaint against Hezbollah to UN

Nasrallah's speech was a 'blatant intervention' in Yemen's internal affairs, foreign minister says

Yemen’s Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani filed a complaint to the UN against the Iran-backed Lebanese group, Hezbollah, which has declared their support for the Houthi rebels.

In his letter of complaint, a copy of which was seen by The National, Mr Al Yamani addressed Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil saying he “regretted to point out that Hezbollah has abandoned the brotherly approach [between Yemen and Lebanon] … and abused the strong and established relations by its participation in training, planning, inciting and supporting the Houthi militias since the 2014 coup”.

He said that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s June 29 speech, in which he publicly expressed support for the Iran-backed Houthis, was “a blatant intervention in the internal affairs of my country, which would cause great damage to Yemen’s supreme interest and national security”.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/yemen-files-complaint-against-hezbollah-to-un-1.749112

https://www.albawaba.com/news/khaled-al-yamani-denounces-hezbollahs-meddling-yemeni-war-1157904

My comment: Why declaring support for the Houthis should be “a blatant intervention' in Yemen's internal affairs“, and when a government declares solidiarity with the Hadi government this should not be the same? – The claim of Hezbollah direct interference, mixed here with the complaint about Nasraklah’s speech, is an old propaganda narrative.

(A P)

Reem Al Hashemy lauds ERC efforts in Yemen

Minister of state for international cooperation said they were an exemplary model of humanitarian work

Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, minister of state for international cooperation, has praised the humanitarian efforts of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) in alleviating the hardships of various vulnerable people and communities who are suffering at the hands of the Houthi militias.

Ms Al Hashemy stated that the ERC’s efforts in Yemen have become an exemplary model of humanitarian work – which she said has had an effective and rapid impact – while praising the organisation’s efficient field workers who are operating under a challenging and unsafe environment.

https://www.thenational.ae/uae/reem-al-hashemy-lauds-erc-efforts-in-yemen-1.749088

My comment: Destructing half a country, killing thousands by air raids and ten thousands by blockade, this is “an exemplary model of humanitarian work”, according to UAE.

(A P)

UAE, Arab coalition focused on humanitarian situation in Yemen

The Arab coalition launched a major military and humanitarian aid operation in Western Yemen in mid-June. The objective is to ensure the unimpeded supply of humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people by liberating the Red Sea port city of Hodeida from the Houthi rebels.

Under the authority of the legitimate Yemeni government, the Arab coalition force was spearheaded by the Yemeni National Army and local Yemeni resistance fighters, as well as military elements from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other nations.

The UAE and the Arab coalition continue to strongly support the efforts of Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, consistent with UN Security Council Resolutions.

The operations around Hodeida aim to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population, and to create conditions favourable to achieving a negotiated settlement by cutting off the supply of illicit arms that has fuelled the insurgency.

The Arab coalition’s most pressing concern is to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen. With rampant corruption and mismanagement while under the control of the Houthi rebels, Hodeida and other Red Sea ports have been operating far below capacity, severely limiting the flow of aid.

In keeping with UN Security Council Resolutions (2216, 2286), the Arab coalition is calling on the Houthi rebels to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, to ensure the safety of civilians, to ensure the respect and protection of all medical personnel and humanitarian personnel, and to facilitate the rapid, safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30349790

My comment: This really is an odd piece of propaganda, resuming and repeating the well-known propaganda absurdities by C+P’ing them together.

(A P)

Tehran and its proxies ignore welfare of Yemenis

Iran’s support to the Houthis is consistent with two pillars of its regional security policy, the first of which is taking the fight abroad to avoid fighting at home. If Saudi Arabia remains mired in a war on its own doorstep, it might be less capable and therefore less inclined to challenge Iran head-on with its conventional forces.

The second pillar is to rely on Iran’s asymmetric strengths, especially its ability to train or equip proxies who can fight wars and infiltrate governments on Tehran’s behalf.

In Yemen, Iran is perfecting this strategy with a much lighter footprint and with a comparatively lower cost. Rather than create a militia, Iran is co-opting and supporting local Houthi forces, who have their own grievances with Saudi Arabia as well as the Yemeni state.

Tehran has provided the Houthis with rifles and other field weapons, anti-tank missiles and even a modified short-range ballistic missile called the Burkan-2H – also known by its Iranian name, the Qiam-1 – that has permitted the Houthis to strike the Saudi capital Riyadh, that lies several hundred miles from the Yemeni border. Few in the West appreciate that the Yemeni war enables the regime in Tehran to injure and kill Saudi civilians while its own elites remain secure.

This bring us to the current battle for the deep-water port of Hodeidah located on Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Over the course of the next few weeks, criticism of the coalition will likely reach an apogee over the predictable humanitarian fallout from the battle in Hodeidah - a matter that the coalition is both aware of and trying to mitigate against.

Thus far, the Houthis and their Iranian backers have avoided bearing the brunt of public scrutiny, despite their determination to prolong the war.

Yet whatever the outcome of the battle for Hodeidah, one thing is certain. Iran and its partners in crime remain willing to sacrifice the welfare of ordinary Yemenis in order to keep the conflict raging and pursue their ideological aims – by Behnam Ben Taleblu, research fellow focusing on Iran at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies in Washington, DC

http://www.theindependentbd.com/arcprint/details/155175/2018-06-25 = https://irannewsupdate.com/2-uncategorised/5020-iran-agreed-to-no-military-solution-to-yemen-because-they-want-no-solution-at-all.html

My comment: This is really putting facts upside down – the author wants to make us believe that on the contrary the Saudi coalition is caring for the welfare of the Yemenis. – This article repeats the standard anti-Iranian propaganda, closely linking Yemen to the Iranian subject. Background: It’s worth to read the Wikipedia article on this Foundation for Defense of Democracies, one more of these ominous “Think Tanks”.

This is a Iranian reply:

(A P)

Explaining Iran’s stance on Yemen

Iran's policy on the crisis in Yemen was clear since the very first day and it is based on Yemeni-Yemeni negotiations, opposition to any foreign military intervention and at the same time dispatching humanitarian aids to the desolate and helpless people of Yemen.

Iran hopes international community would understand the Yemeni people's hardships and Iran hopes international community would understand the Yemeni people's hardships and while persuades the parties engaged in the war to stop fighting, sends more humanitarian aids, especially medicine to the country. As an undeniable fact, the Saudi airstrike against Yemen has driven the impoverished country towards humanitarian disaster and the ordinary people who face severe shortage of medicine and medical services have no option to go to neighbouring countries for treatment

The Islamic Republic of Iran is of the view that ending the nightmare of war in Yemen is our collective responsibility and that there is no military solution to this problem.

http://www.theindependentbd.com/home/printnews/157338

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

(* A K pH)

Saudi coalition air raids day by day

July, 10: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1531307269./1072176682932696/?type=3

(A K pS)

#JointForces Command releases aerial imagery of a #Houthi missile launcher destroyed in an airstrike earlier today in Sahar district, Sa'dah.

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1017497204091686912

(A K pH)

2 civilians killed in 10 Saudi-led airstrikes on Hodeidah

Two civilians were killed on Thursday when the US-backed Saudi-led coalition aggression launched ten air strikes on Hodeidah province, an official told saba News Agency.

The civilians were killed when the warplane launched nine airstrikes on civilians’ farms in Shajan village and Monaqem area of Duraihimi district, added the official.
Furthermore, the warplane launched a strike on a farm in Kilo-16 area of Hali district, the official said.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501797.htm

(A K pH)

At least 2 civilians killed in 21 Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen over 24 hours

http://en.abna24.com/news/middle-east/at-least-2-civilians-killed-in-21-saudi-led-airstrikes-on-yemen-over-24-hours_901462.html

(A K pH)

2 Saudi-led airstrikes hit Sanaa international airport

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501687.htm

(A K pH)

Civilian killed in 2 airstrikes in Lahj

A civilian was killed and another injured when the US-backed Saudi-led coalition aggression on Wednesday launched two air strikes on Lahj province, an official told Saba News Agency.
The air strikes targeted two trucks in Ethnain market in Qabaita district

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501692.htm

(* A K pH)

9 civilians killed in Saudi-led air strikes on Hodeidah, Saada

A total of 9 citizens were killed and over 10 others injured on Tuesday in Saudi-led coalition air strikes on Hodeidah and Saada provinces, local officials told Saba.
In Saada, the warplanes hit houses of the citizens in districts of Baqim and Kutaf, killing five citizens and injuring three others, including a women an child.
In Hodeidah, the fighter jets targeted two cars carrying the citizens in Zabid city, killing four citizens and wounding over seven others.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501552.htm

and, quoting more victims:

(* A K pH)

Yemeni Civilians Killed ,Injured BY Saudi Air Strike on A Car in Yemen’s Hodeida

Local source stated that the US-KSA aggression’s warplanes targeted a citizen’s car while returning from Aljrahi market . The raids led to kill eight and injure eight others (photos)

http://www.newnewss.net/yemeni-civilians-killed-injured-by-saudi-air-strike-on-a-car-in-yemens-hodeida/

Same figures, photos better: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1848116645484321

film: https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1016744215345336320 = https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1017384282443124738

One of the car was carrying sheep's and goats.

(* A K pH)

Saada raid (http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501465.htm) caused 5 deaths: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501564.htm

(* A K pH)

More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:

July 11:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501718.htm Sanaa p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501697.htm Taiz p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501694.htm Hodeidah p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501678.htm Hajjah p.

July 10:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501572.htm Taiz p.

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501564.htm Saada p.

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

(A K pS)

Jemen: 21 Huthi-Rebellen getötet

Bei Zusammenstößen zwischen Regierungstruppen und Huthi-Rebellen in den Städten Dali und Beyda im Jemen sind 21 Huthis getötet worden.

Der Meldung, die sich auf die Internetseite der jemenitischen Armee 26sepnews.net beruft, sei der Angriff der Huthis auf Stellungen der Volkswiderstandskräfte im Norden von Dali vereitelt worden. Bei den Gefechten seien 13 Huthis getötet worden.

In der Stadt Beyda hingen seien acht Huthis getötet worden, die in den Hinterhalt der Volkswiderstandskräfte geraten waren.

http://www.trt.net.tr/deutsch/welt/2018/07/13/jemen-21-huthi-rebellen-getotet-1011488

(A K pS)

Army experts extract new stone-like landmines in Taiz

Army experts have extracted a new group of carefully hidden and disguised landmines the Houthi group had planted in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz, military sources said.

The 35th Brigade of the armed forces posted on facebook on Wednesday a story and photos of the landmines that had been extracted after the withdrawal of the extremist Islamic theocrats from al-Selw rural district to the southeast of the city. (photo)

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20020

(A K pH)

Civilian injured in Saudi ground attacks in Saada

A civilian was injured on Thursday when the US-backed Saudi-led coalition shelled by artillery and missile Saada province, a security official told Saba News agency.

The shelling targeted residential areas of Razih border distric

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501800.htm

(A K)

MEDIEN: SAUDISCHES KAMPFFLUGZEUG BEI GRENZE ZUM JEMEN ABGESTÜTZT

Vor wenigen Minuten behaupteten die Houthi-Truppen über ihren offiziellen Medienflügel, dass ein saudisches Kampfflugzeug in der Nähe der jemenitischen Grenze abgestürzt sei.

Dem offiziellen Medienflügel der Houthi-Truppen zufolge stürzte das saudische Kampfflugzeug in der südlichen Provinz Asir, die teilweise von ihren Truppen kontrolliert wird.

https://de.news-front.info/2018/07/12/medien-saudisches-kampfflugzeug-bei-grenze-zum-jemen-abgestutzt/

Bemerkung: Nach den Houthis wurde es abgeschossen, nach den Saudis ist es wegen eines technischen Problems abgestürzt.

(A K pH)

Yemeni forces shoot down Saudi jet in Asir: Ministry

Yemen's Defense Ministry says the country's air defense forces shot down a fighter jet in southwest Saudi Arabia in retaliation for fresh airstrikes by the kingdom against its impoverished neighbor.

In a statement, the ministry said on its website Thursday that the fighter jet belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force had been hit in the Asir region as it was returning from Yemen's northern province of Sa'ada.

According to Yemeni military officials, the invading aircraft had taken part in deadly airstrikes against residential neighborhoods in the Arab country. (photo9

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/12/567920/Saudi-Arabia-Yemen-Asir-Houthi-Ansarullah-movement

and

(A K pH)

Yemeni Air Defense Dropped Tornado Fighter Jet In Asir , Saudi Spokesman Admits

Yemeni military source in the Yemeni Ministry of Defense confirmed the fall of a Saudi warplane in the Aser region. The source added that the hostile plane fell after returning from conducting hostile missions in Sa’ada governorat.

Spokesman for the Alliance of US-Saudi Aggression, Al-Maliki, said that ” A Tornado coalition aircraft belonging to Royal Air Force (RAF) went down while returning from a training mission due to a technical fault that led to the crash of the aircraft in the Aser region.

http://www.newnewss.net/yemeni-air-defense-dropped-tornado-fighter-jet-in-asir-saudi-spokesman-admits/

(B K)

Houthi Rebels In Yemen Have Technical Trucks Armed With Vulcan Cannons

Earlier in July 2018, images emerged on one of these vehicles, which appears to be based a heavily stripped down Toyota Hilux 4x4 pickup, engaged in operations against the elements of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition

It’s not clear how many of these Vulcan-armed technicals the Houthis actually have.

The original source of the weapons is also unclear, though they almost certainly came by way of former Yemeni military stocks or members of the Saudi coalition.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/22094/houthi-rebels-in-yemen-have-technical-trucks-armed-with-vulcan-cannons

(* A K pS)

In a quality operation in the Baqim district of Saada province, the Forces of the Border Guards 5th Brigade have reseized a huge quantity of Weapons and munitions belonging to the #Houthi militia.

https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1017064036519809024

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(B H)

From a farm in northern Yemen to Internet science sensation — the journey of Hashem Al-Ghaili

Hashem Al-Ghaili has come a long way from his family’s qat farm in northern Yemen, he now communicates complex theories of physics to millions of followers.

As a young boy growing up in northern Yemen, Al-Ghaili already knew he wanted to be a scientist — but his father had other ideas.

Al-Ghaili senior grows qat, the mildly narcotic herb beloved of Yemenis and the people of the Horn of Africa, and he expected Hashem, 10th of his 12 children, to work on the farm with him. Indeed he demanded it, brushing away any dissent.

“I tried because it is very difficult in Yemen to go against your parents’ wishes, but in the end I had to follow my dream,” said Al-Ghaili.

Today, Al-Ghaili, 27, is a scientist and a media star with an army of fans avidly following his online mini-films in which he explains science to non-scientists.

At age 16 when he graduated from high school, he secretly applied for a government scholarship to study abroad. He had to go to the capital, Sanaa, to fill out the paperwork and made the six-hour journey without telling his father.

https://www.mysalaam.com/en/story/from-a-farm-in-northern-yemen-to-internet-science-sensation--the-journey-of-hashem-al-ghaili/SALAAM10072018064422

(* B C)

Film: JEMEN Im Land der Königin von Saba. 1992 Dokumentation des damaligen Nordjemens. Ein Film von H+ R Dockal- Der Film wurde auf DS8 Material aufgenommen digitalisiere und nachbearbeitet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHG6DngMzYk

(B)

An Israeli Singer Returns to Her Yemeni Roots – and Fans in Yemen Approve

Singer Shiran Avraham combines Yemeni tradition with an African groove. Admirers in Yemen are urging her to perform in Sana’a

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-an-israeli-singer-goes-back-to-her-yemeni-roots-and-fans-in-yemen-1.6264895

My comment: People like her could build bridges where no one else could…

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-432-yemen-war-mosaic-432

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-432 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-432:

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.
Geschrieben von

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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