.... Prinz deckt Spannungen unter den Emiraten wegen Jemenkrieg auf – “Nationalversammlung” der Separatisten im Süden verabschiedet Erklärung, Verfahren, Grundlagen zum Aufbau eines eigenen Staates – und mehr
July 17, 2018: Hodeidah: Calm in Hodeidah city, assault directed against Zabid – Disastrous Saudi, UAE strategy in Yemen – Prince exposes tensions between Emirates because of Yemen war – Southern separatists “National Assembly” passes statement, proceedings and principles to build a Southern Yemeni 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
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13b 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
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 K)
1,200 Days of War Has Destroyed Enough Yemeni Homes to Fill a Large City: 400,000+
What has 1,200 Days of War in Yemen Destroyed?
Yemen’s Legal Center for Rights and Development (a local organization for tracking statistics) released the figures below just days ago reflecting destruction from airstrikes and military action. These numbers demonstrate the U.S.-backed Saudi coalition’s intention to wipe out all aspects of Yemeni life including those required for survival, cultural heritage, and even Yemenis themselves.
Civilian Casualties from the War in Yemen
U.S.-backed airstrikes and military operations have killed or injured nearly 38,000 Yemeni civilians. That’s enough to fill a small city. No matter how hard Western media parrots the official Saudi line, the war in Yemen is clearly not a war against Iranians — it’s a war against Yemenis.
Children constitute over 17% of all casualties (6,530) while women make up over 12% (4,662). For every three casualties, at least one is a woman or child.
In fact, many terror attacks specifically target women and children. Warplanes have no qualms about striking multiple civilian homes in the same day or circling back to attack rescue crews and reporters entering the scene. The U.S.-backed Saudi coalition also has a thing for targeting densely packed gatherings like weekend markets, large funerals, and buses.
To top it off, 2,650,000 internally displaced Yemenis live as refugees in their own country.
Obliterating Resources and Culture
Although the large numbers seem overwhelming, it’s important to take a close look at the list below. These are absolutely not accidents, miscalculations, mistakes, or whatever Riyadh and Washington want to call them. (If they decide to comment at all.)
Every number on that list reflects a community’s source of education for their children, food to put on the table, fuel to cook and get to work, somewhere to go for emergency medical care, roads to get from A to B, income to pay the bills, fun places to go on the weekend, and literally everything average people take for granted in their daily life.
…And that doesn’t even include civilian dwellings. The Saudi coalition has destroyed or severely damaged over 400,000 homes: enough to fill a large city akin to those you’d find in an average U.S. suburb.
The U.S.-Saudi coalition distinctively targets basic utilities necessary for daily survival like sources of electricity and water treatment facilities.
Even mosques and ancient archeological sites are not safe from the wrath of U.S.-backed warplanes.
Isolating Yemen from the International Community
The Saudi coalition’s strategy also includes isolating Yemen from the international community. A large part of this involves a smear campaign about Iran so the coalition can discredit Yemen’s actual grievances. (Grievances which just so happen to include U.S. imperialism and exploitation from the Gulf kingdoms.)
The coalition accomplishes this goal by destroying Yemen’s telecommunication equipment like cell phone towers (421 to be exact). Airstrikes and military bombardment also specifically target government buildings (over 1,700) which prohibit public sector employees and government administrations from functioning. Public sector jobs constitute a large portion of Yemen’s workforce and several industries including healthcare, education, sanitation, and engineers.
It’s worth mentioning that the financial portion of the blockade has crippled Yemen’s central bank which means that all public sector salaries remain chronically behind if they’re paid at all. Many have reluctantly sought employment in the private sector or for international NGOs.
The coalition’s land, sea, and air blockade has likely killed tens of thousands more from starvation, famine, and disease. The United States supplies the bulk of weapons, air fuel, vehicles, and ships for carrying out Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes and ground invasion. Washington also provides the Saudi coalition with training for ground troops as well as logistical and intelligence support. In other words: the help Saudi Arabia select airstrike targets – by Randi Nord
http://geopoliticsalert.com/war-in-yemen-1200 = https://medium.com/@GeopoliticsAlert/1-200-days-of-war-have-destroyed-enough-yemeni-homes-to-fill-a-large-city-400-000-6334b5979097
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K P)
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates Have a Disastrous Yemen Strategy
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’s deepening intervention in Yemen is the triumph of hope over experience. Riyadh’s latest campaign in Yemen began in 2015 to topple the then-triumphant Houthi rebels, whom Saudi leaders considered too close to Iran. Rather than dissuading their good buddies in Riyadh from this dangerous course, the UAE too has plunged into the morass, also hoping to set back Iran.
Saudi Arabia has intervened periodically in Yemen since the start of the modern Saudi state
Aside from territorial disputes, Saudi Arabia feared the wrong faction would come to power in Sanaa. In 1962, when Yemen plunged into civil war between Imamate and Arab nationalist factions from Yemen’s military, the Saudis (in addition to Iran and Jordan) intervened on behalf of the Imamate.
During these [Saleh years; from 1990] years, Saudi Arabia meddled from time to time, trying to buy local leaders, stop terrorists linked to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, weaken Marxist forces in the South, undermine the government in Sanaa when it went against Riyadh’s wishes, and otherwise spread its influence. Yemen’s politics and leaders seemed to get under the skin of the al Saud family. To change the country from the bottom-up, Riyadh encouraged the spread of Salafism in Yemen, funding mosques and preachers and otherwise trying to advance its austere and anti-Shiite interpretation of Islam. However, while Saudi Arabia at times won over a particular leader or killed or stopped a terrorist, most Yemenis remained fiercely nationalistic and suspicious of Riyadh. They were happy to take Saudi money, but they often stopped short of fulfilling Riyadh’s ambitions.
Instability intensified in the 2000s. Houthi rebels based primarily in the Saada region posed a particular problem. The Houthis resented their poor treatment by Sanaa and loss of state patronage.
Enter the Houthis
The latest round of intervention began in 2015.
At first, the Saudi and Emirati campaign seemed to make progress, helping forces loyal to Hadi take Aden and then much of southern Yemen. Riyadh supported an array of tribal and military forces that worked with Islah, Yemen’s most important Sunni Islamist party and an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. The UAE loathes the Brotherhood (and has undermined its power in Libya, Egypt, and elsewhere) and supports southern secessionists and Salafists, who distrust Islah and see the Houthis as apostates.
Progress slowed and then largely came to a halt, however, as Saudi and Emirati-backed forces tried to move on areas closer to the Houthi heartland. Saudi hopes of a quick victory, like most of their hopes for Yemen, proved an illusion.
The intervention today: The UAE Takes the Lead
Although Saudi Arabia is the historic meddler in Yemen and many usually describe the intervening coalition as “Saudi-led,” today the UAE plays an important and often leading role.
What’s next?
An outright coalition military win is unlikely, though the UAE-backed forces have a tremendous advantage in weaponry, numbers, and money, making the capture of Hodeida seem likely. However, the Houthis will continue to hold territory in their heartland, where much of Yemen’s population lives. Additionally,even if they lose Sanaa and other major cities, they have proved that they can and will wage a relentless guerrilla campaign. To back their claim, they still have tens of thousands of men under arms. Even putting the Houthis aside, it is not clear what political solution would satisfy the disparate coalition the UAE and Saudi Arabia have put together.
Even ignoring the disaster in Yemen, the Saudi and Emirati intervention failed on its own terms. They are caught in the Yemeni quagmire. Hadi is not in power, their allies fight one another, Al Qaeda is stronger, and Yemen is less stable than before. Additionally, and most importantly from the Saudi and Emiratis’ perspective, Iran is stronger.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE both look incompetent and cruel, a deadly combination. An end to their interventions would leave both of them, and Yemen, better off – by Daniel Byman
https://www.lawfareblog.com/saudi-arabia-and-united-arab-emirates-have-disastrous-yemen-strategy
(** A B K P)
Emirati Prince Flees to Qatar, Exposing Tensions in U.A.E.
The defection of an Emirati prince to Qatar has provided a rare glimpse into tensions among the rulers of the United Arab Emirates and added an awkward complication to its feud with Qatar, its regional rival.
The prince, Sheikh Rashid bin Hamad al-Sharqi, 31, is the second son of the emir of Fujairah, one of the smaller and less wealthy of the seven monarchies that form the United Arab Emirates.
Early on the morning of May 16, Sheikh Rashid unexpectedly turned up at the airport in Doha, the capital of Qatar, asking for asylum.
He told Qatari officials that he feared for his life because of a dispute with the rulers of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich city-state that dominates the U.A.E., as Sheikh Rashid and a Qatari close to the ruling family confirmed in interviews.
Sheikh Rashid’s flight to Doha appears to be the first time in the nearly 47-year history of the U.A.E. that a member of one of its seven royal families has publicly criticized its rulers, according to scholars of the region. In an interview with The New York Times, Sheikh Rashid accused Emirati rulers of blackmail and money laundering, though he provided no evidence to support his claim.
He also spoke publicly about tensions among the Emirates that were previously discussed only in whispers — notably resentments over Abu Dhabi’s leadership of the U.A.E.’s military intervention in Yemen.
The rulers of Abu Dhabi, he charged, did not consult the emirs of the other six Emirates before committing their troops to the war, now three years old, against an Iranian-allied faction in Yemen. But soldiers from smaller emirates, such as Fujairah, have filled the front lines and accounted for most of the war deaths, which Emirati news reports have put at a little more than 100.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/world/middleeast/emirati-prince-qatar-defects.html
und kürzere deutsche Version:
(* A B K P)
Emiratischer Prinz legt Differenzen zwischen Scheichtümern offen
Ein aus den VAE nach Katar geflüchteter Prinz hat von Differenzen im Scheichtum in Bezug auf den Jemenkrieg gesprochen.
Indem er auf Differenzen zwischen den Scheichtümern in Sachen Jemenkrieg hinwies, betonte er: Ohne Rücksprache mit den weiteren sechs Scheichtümern haben Regierungsverantwortliche in Abu Dhabi Militärkräfte nach Jemen geschickt. Nach einem dreijährigen endlosen Krieg werden immer noch Streitkräfte der kleineren Scheichtümer in den Krieg im Jemen geschickt, wo die meisten von ihnen fallen.
Laut Al-Sharqi werden die Zahlen der im Kampf gefallenen Soldaten in den Medien nicht veröffentlicht und man hört lediglich, es habe bislang nur 100 Tote gegeben.
Der 31-Jährige ging ferner auf seine Differenzen mit dem emiratischen Geheimdienst und den Vorwurf der Korruption und Geldwäsche ein und hob hervor, Sicherheitsbeamte in den VAE hätten ihn dazu gedrängt, zig Millionen Dollar an Personen in anderen Ländern zu übergeben, die er nicht einmal kannte.
(** A P)
National Assembly of the Southern Transitional Council Ends Up the Proceedings of its First Round with a Final; Statement and Recommendations
The first round of the National Assembly of the Southern Transitional Council was held in Aden from July 8th, to July 10th, 2018.
This round was held while our south, the region and the whole world are under concerning unstable conditions including economic conflicts, social disturbances and direct or agent-launched wars that aim to disrupt the security and stability of our region and to control its economic resources and strategic locations. This round was also held while our southern people are under difficult conditions, suffering from two consecutive wars imposed on on us in 1994 and 2015 by influential military and tribal powers of the north (Arab Republic of Yemen) that occupied the south and ran it according to colonization policies, according to statements of their leaders.
After detailed discussions for these reports, the national assembly asserted that the main goal of the southern transitional council is to restore the free sovereign state of the south on the borders of May 21st, 1990. According to our vision, this state is based on the following principles:
• First: The Southern State is a Federal State according to a southern constitution that regulates the relationship between the central government and other legally independent regional governments.
• Second: the southern people are the sources of authorities.
• Third: The constitution regulates the relationship between the central government and regional governments.
• Fourth: The constitution identifies a special status of the capital, Aden.
• Fifth: Each region has its regional government representing all legislative, executive and judicial authorities.
• Sixth: the constitution distributes authorities and specializations between the central government and regional governments to guarantee the people’s self-governance in the regions.
• Seventh: the constitution defines the main principles of fair distribution of fortunes between regions and central authority.
• Eighth: Peaceful Exchange of Authority with special consideration of fair distribution of public offices including supreme positions of state.
• Ninth: Islam is the official religion of the state and the source of legislations.
• Tenth: the state works on establishing equality among all southern citizens based on respecting human rights and basic freedoms.
• Eleventh: guaranteeing the inclusion of women in the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of life and empowering women to hold supreme and administrative offices of the state.
• Twelfth: Central authority is intitled with full responsibility of running foreign affairs, representing the southern state in other countries, declaring state of war, signing peace treaties, signing international conventions and treaties and assuming full responsibility in front of the international society.
• Thirteenth: the southern state is fully committed to all international conventions and treaties concerning regions of the southern state that are previously signed according to the highest international standards of clarity.
• Fourteenth: the southern state respects UN convention, Arab League convention, World Declaration of Human Rights and all recognized international laws.
The national assembly asserts the invitation of southern national dialogue launched by president Aidarous Kassem Al-Zubaidi, on behalf of the presidency of the southern transitional council.
The national assembly closely observed the poor conditions of public services, especially safe and easy access to electricity, fuels and fresh water, in addition to the right for education, cheating and exams leaks that the government is uncapable of stopping, if not be part of it in one way or another. Such issues endanger the future of upcoming generations.
The southern transitional council thinks that the government’s inefficiency and corruption of most of its executive systems, its incapability, and in most cases its lack of desire in rationalizing the state’s administration, caused a lot of economic and social crises including high levels of employment, deterioration of national currency, disturbance of social security, lack of clear vision about the future and evidences of social disappointment. The national assembly thinks that all these reasons are more than enough to be a social commitment and sovereign right of president Abd Rabu Mansour Hady to use his power to dismiss this government and replace the corrupt administrative system with a national government an administrative system that are efficient, capable and integrate, to run the state’s administrative organizations, resources and fortunes in a rational way to decrease the suffering of our people.
The national assembly calls for the international society not to allow the southern capital “Aden” or any other liberated southern territory to be hostage for compromises to enforce particular political agendas that contradict with the rights and interests of the southern people.
It is a major occasion that this round is held while his excellency president Abd Rabu Mansour Hady is in Aden. The national assembly thinks that it is an undoubted obligation for all southern citizens to actively participate in securing the presence of president Hady in Aden as coup forces and other vicious forces are trying to threaten his life.
The national assembly thinks that Saudi Arabia, UAE and other allies who assumed their humanitarian, religious and national responsibilities in protecting peoples of the south and north deserve all recognition and appreciation. The national assembly confirms its full commitment with blood-baptized brotherly relations with our allies and we will exert all possible efforts to maintain and strengthen these relations and developing them in the future.
Members of the national assembly assert that all patriotic powers of the south will backup and support our brothers in the Arab Coalition who responded to the call of legitimacy represented in his excellency president Abd Rabu Mansour Hady and will stand with them to the end with full convection that this will never be at the expense of the rights and interests of our southern people anyway.
My comment: This is a better translation of the session’s final document. Earlier reporting (and a worse translation) in YPR 433, cp6. – Step by step, Southern separatists form their own state.
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(*A H)
Yemen: Cholera Response Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin: W26 2018 (Jun 25 - Jul 01)
The cumulative total from 27 April 2017 to 1 July 2018 is 1,115,378 suspected cholera cases and 2,310 associated deaths
cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German
(* A K)
Seemine tötet Fischer im Jemen
Mindestens fünf jemenitische Fischer sind am Sonntag durch die Explosion einer Seemine getötet worden. Sie soll von den Ansarollah-Rebellen nahe des Hafens Hudeida im Westen des Landes ausgebracht worden sein. Allein zwischen 2014 und 2016 sollen im Jemen mehr als 1.500 Menschen durch Minenexplosionen getötet und weitere 3.000 verletzt worden sein.
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/336038.seemine-t%C3%B6tet-fischer-im-jemen.html
cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English
(* A H K)
35,000 Yemeni households displaced in Al-Hudaydah: UN
OCHA says Al-Hudaydah city is relatively calm following an announced pause in military operations
Around 35,000 families have been displaced from Yemen’s coastal city of Al-Hudaydah amid fighting between government forces and Houthi rebels, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“As of 13 July, approximately 35,000 displaced households have been verified, and 20,000 of them have received RRM assistance,” OCHA said in a statement on Monday.
OCHA said intense artillery shelling and airstrikes in Al Tuhayata and Zabid districts in Al-Hudaydah continue to trigger displacement and disrupt access to basic services.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/35-000-yemeni-households-displaced-in-al-hudaydah-un/1205854
(A K pS)
Al-Houthi is raiding houses and abducting several civilians in Zabid
Militants of the al-Houthi group are carrying out raids on several houses in the town of Zabeed, south of the western province of Hodeidah, and abducted a number of civilians, the source said on Monday.
Our correspondent said the Houthi had broken into a number of houses, most notably the houses of Al-Ezzi al-Hadhrami, Alaa Mazen Bahkle and Alaa Mezher, downtown which is still under their control, kidnapped the Hadhrami and the brothers Bahkle and Mezher.
He noted that the raids and abductions of civilians have been going on for days.
This follows the progress of the government forces towards the historic city and its recent takeover of the city of Al-Tahita (11 kilometers west of Zabeed city) last week.
On the one hand, al-Houthi continues to dig trenches along the highway linking the city of Zabeed towards the Al Jarahi city, to hinder the progress of government forces.
The town of Zabeed is the second largest city of Hodeidah province, after the city of Hodeidah with the same name.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100260
My comment: As claimed by anti-Houthi media. It seems reports like this one now show up to justify the looming UAE assault against Zabeed.
(A K pS)
A military commander and five of his escorts were killed in an explosive device explosion in western Yemen
A military commander of the government forces and five of his entourage were killed on Saturday following the explosion of an explosive device planted by al-Houthi in Hodeidah governorate, west of Yemen.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100233
(A K pS)
Government forces blocking intensive attacks on the town of Hees south of Hodeidah
The government forces on Sunday repelled a fierce attack by the al-Houthi gunmen on the town of Hees, the center of the same-named Directorate, south of Hodeidah Province, in the western part of the country.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100240
(A K pS)
Raids destroyed four Houthis tanks at Hodeidah and the militia stormed and stationed in the displaced homes
On Sunday, Arab Coalition fighters launched raids targeted Houthis militia tanks in Hodeidah Governorate, western Yemen.
Eyewitnesses told the "Almasdar online" that raids of coalition fighters destroyed four tanks at the "Alabraqi" farm in front of the Kamran plant, located in the Hodeidah-Sana'a road.
They indicated that violent explosions caused by the missiles lasted for nearly 20 minutes.
In a related context, residents said to “Al masdar online" that the al-Houthi militia had stormed the homes of displaced people in several neighborhoods in the city.
They said that Houthis had entered and positioned in displaced houses, set up mortar and Katyusha bases in the center of the homes yards, and bombard Hodeidah airport and the "Mandhar" village from those houses.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100243
(* A H K pS)
A massive exodus of Zabeed residents - south-east of the Hodeidah as the battles approach
The residents of Zabeed, south-east of Hodeidah city, west of Yemen, began to flee their homes as battles between the joint government forces and the al-Houthi militia approach.
The sources indicated that most of the residents began to leave their homes, with the al-Houthi militia deployed throughout the city's neighborhoods and being barricading into the town.
According to the sources, the al-Houthi have been storing and stockpiling weapons in the Zabeed neighborhoods, firing missiles towards the city of al-Tahita.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100204
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1018263669086609408
My comment: They flee the threatening assault by UAE forces, which are in control of the ost line just 25 km away from Zabeed. It’s hardly the Houthis taking positions in the town what is driving them out.
(* A K)
46 people killed and 328 injured during a week of fighting in Hodeidah
The World Health Organization (WHO) said 46 people were killed and 328 injured in the province of Hodeidah (western Yemen) during last week's fighting, and the number of victims was monitored on the basis of several hospital figures in the province.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100189
(* A K pS)
,Al-Amaleqah Military Brigades have announced that at least 7,000 fighters have joined their forces in the port city of #Hodeidah to participate in the battle to liberate the West Coast. (photo)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1017792988628561920
(B H K)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: Al Hudaydah Update Situation Report No. 8 - Reporting Period: 4 - 13 July 2018
Intense artillery shelling and airstrikes in Al Tuhayata and Zabid districts continue to trigger displacement.
As of 13 July, approx 35,000 displaced households (HHs) have been verified and 20,000 of them have received RRM assistance.
Al Hudaydah and Saleef sea ports are operational. The WFP-chartered vessel VOS Theia that covers the Djibouti-Hudaydah route has resumed its voyages.
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* B K)
The use of internationally prohibited weapons by the #US_Saudi aggression against the residential areas in #Yemen has negatively impacted to children in general and fetuses in particular. There are more than 70 fetuses suffering from deformed and disability due to the use of internationally prohibited weapons that carry dangerous chemicals to humans (graphic photos)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen
(* A K P)
Spokesman of JIAT confirms the procedures of Coalition Forces military operations in Yemen carried out in accordance with Int'l humanitarian law and its Customary Rules
The official spokesman of the Joint Incidents and Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen Counselor Mansour Al-Mansour reviewed the results of incidents assessments coming in five allegations by international bodies, organizations and media on alleged errors committed by the Coalition Forces for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen, confirming the correctness of the measures carried out by the Coalition Forces which strictly observed the bases of military engagement and humanitarian international law and its customary rules.
This came at the press conference, Al-Mansour held at King Salman air base during which he refuted the said allegations as follows:
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1785160
and
(* A K P)
Claims of illegal coalition airstrikes in Yemen denied
Accusations that the coalition conducted illegal airstrikes on five sites were denied at a press conference by the Joint incident Assessment TEAM (JIAT) on Sunday.
JIAT spokesman Mansour Al-Mansour said: “The number of assessments that the team is currently undertaking is 70 cases and we have completed five assessments.”
The team refuted the allegations made against the Arab coalition in Yemen, producing evidence and a team of experts, including legal consultants accredited by international organizations and military professionals.
The first case concerned a Human Rights Watch report on June 11, 2016, which claimed that the coalition dropped a bomb in the neighborhood of Hasbah in Sanaa targeting the Chamber of Commerce. It injured a security guard and destroyed the eastern wing of a three-story building.
“The team received intelligence from coalition forces regarding the Houthi militias’ use of the building as military barracks.
“Therefore, the coalition forces at the time bombed the building in Sanaa, which fell from the legal protection prescribed by international conventions, as it was a legitimate target that held Houthi militia. As a legitimate military target, attacking it achieves a military advantage,” said Al-Mansour.
The second case concerned a report from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Aug. 6, 2015, which said that the coalition carried out an airstrike on Bab Aden Water Reservoir on July 8, 2015.
JIAT found that the coalition forces executed a mission on three legitimate military targets in Aden. The closest target to Bab Aden Water Reservoir was approximately 5,500 meters. Al-Mansour said: “JIAT found that the coalition air forces did not target Bab Aden Water Reservoir.”
The fifth case concerned news broadcast in the Yemeni media that the coalition forces executed an airstrike on a health center for cholera patients at 4:30 p.m. on June 3, 2017, which was crowded with cholera patients and their companions in Qahza district, Sadah city. The airstrike caused dozens of injuries, destroyed the building and the center’s medical facilities, putting it out of service.
“JIAT found that on June 3, 2017, the coalition air forces executed three air missions on military targets used by Houthi militia as missile storages in Sadah, that represented a legitimate military target, located 3km away from the claimed location, and were direct hits,” Al-Mansour said.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1339431/saudi-arabia
My comment: “JIAT”, the Saudi coalition’s body which is claimed to investigate Saudi coalition’s air raids and to be independfent, actually is nothing more than a propaganda mouthpiece to whitewash the coalition’s war crimes. – What to expect when the criminal is investigating his own case? But in this case, the West prefers exactly this farce: Thus, there will be no independent international investigation, and arms sales can continue.
These films show the air raid against the Cholera Treatment Center on June 3, 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGPSdMiu_No
https://twitter.com/akram1_1/status/871504925678751745
Look at former cases, JIAT whitewashing the Saudi coalition:
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733461 with http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733463 and http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733464
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733467
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733470
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733473
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733474
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733475
http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1733476
On JIAT, read:
http://www.securityassistance.org/blog/two-us-lobbying-firms-push-discredited-information-yemen-conflict
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen war
(* B H K P)
David gegen Goliath- Der Krieg gegen den Jemen spitzt sich zu
Seit mehr als drei Jahren spielt sich die größte humanitäre Krise unserer Tage im Jemen ab. Eine Kriegsallianz unter Führung der saudischen Herrscherfamilie bricht im Jemen täglich die Menschenrechte und das Völkerrecht. Alle zehn Minuten stirbt im Jemen ein Kind an Hunger oder vermeidbaren Krankheiten, Tausende sind der größten jemals erfassten Cholera-Epidemie zum Opfer gefallen. Die Infrastruktur ist fast gänzlich zerstört oder zum Erliegen gekommen.
Um eben diesen Widerstandsgeist der Mehrheit der Jemeniten zu brechen, wird die gesamte Bevölkerung des Landes gezielt einer Kollektivstrafe unterzogen. Dazu gehören Flächenbombardements auf dicht besiedelte Wohngebiete, die gezielten Bombardierungen von Hochzeitsgesellschaften, Trauerfeiern, Krankenhäusern und weiteren öffentlichen Einrichtungen. Auch Streubomben aus britischer Produktion sind wiederholt im Einsatz. Es sind Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit.
Eine militärische Niederlage könnte auch das Machtgefüge und die Machtkämpfe innerhalb der saudischen Herrscherfamilie in Bewegung bringen.
Auch deshalb ist davon auszugehen, dass der völkerrechtswidrige Krieg gegen den Jemen weiter andauern wird. Das bedeutet mehr Elend, mehr Flüchtlinge, mehr Tote.
(* B K pH)
97 Yemeni fishermen killed in coalition bombing on Hodeidah port: official
A total of 97 Yemeni fishermen have been killed and 47 others injured in a bombing of the Saudi-led coalition warplanes and warships on Yemen's Red Sea city port of Hodeidah since the beginning of 2017 to so far, in a statement reported by an official of Yemeni coast guard.
The statement said that the fighter jets and warships destroyed 134 fishing boats in the same term.
According to the statistics issued by the coast guard, the coalition's battleships carried out many piracy operations and detained 110 fishermen.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501997.htm
(* B H K)
Photos: Jemen, die schlimmste humanitäre Krise im Nahen Osten
(* B K)
The Saudi-Yemeni Border Conflict
In addition to Saudi ground troops, soldiers combatting Houthi fighters and missile barrages reportedly include Salafist militiamen from the southern regions of Yemen and a number of other coalition troops, such as Sudanese soldiers and Green Berets from the US army.
Media reports from the border conflict area are heavily polarized, with pro-Houthi sources often claiming to have inflicted “dozens” of casualties per attack. Saudi media sources only occasionally report on the border conflict, intermittently publishing the names of soldiers killed on the frontline or issuing reports on civilian casualties as a result of Houthi missile strikes. Figure 1 visualizes the number of events and of reported conflict-related fatalities in Saudi Arabia’s southern provinces, as reported in media sources monitored by ACLED (with the pro-Houthi Saba News Agency reporting the vast majority of the events). Reports issued in 2016 suggest that Saudi authorities have evacuated many of the southern towns and villages, with some of them seized by the Houthi forces.
The historical homeland of the Houthi movement in Sadah governorate of Yemen has borne the brunt of the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing campaign. While coalition warplanes continue to conduct airstrike raids within the governorate, Houthi forces have responded by firing artillery across the border and an increasing number of long-range ballistic missiles at targets within Saudi Arabia, in particular after the breakdown of the alliance with Ali Abdullah Saleh. Ballistic missiles fired into Saudi Arabia are usually shot down by air-defense systems, with civilians occasionally being killed or wounded by shrapnel (see Figure 2 for the Houthis’ use of remote violence in Saudi Arabia).
Throughout the war, Al-Houthi officials have made it clear that missiles were launched at targets within Saudi Arabia in response to airstrikes on Yemeni territory. As the war in Yemen escalates with a recent coalition advance on the port city of Hodeidah, Houthi border incursions and missile strikes in Saudi Arabia have continued at a steady pace, posing a constant threat to those in Saudi Arabia’s cities. Renewed attempts by coalition members, including the UAE, to take territory from Houthi forces in the north and western coastal areas of Yemen most likely represent a reaction by coalition officials who view Houthi threats as increasingly dangerous.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/saudi-yemeni-border-conflict and in full https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/acleddata.com-The%20Saudi-Yemeni%20Border%20Conflict.pdf
(* B H K)
Film: Patience and War | MOSTAFA HUSSEIN MOHAMMED HUSSEIN MUTAHER
Patience is bitter, but it's fruit is sweet". Patience is the important aspect of our daily lives. Mostafa describes the consequences of the war that is happening in his country to let us know about the importance of patience. Patience is an essential element for healthiness, love and better relationship. Mostafa is 23 years old and born in Yemen. He studies Business Administration with minor in Logistics at UUM since 2016 and currently in his fourth semester.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd54RhBVFyM
Comment: Mostafa Hussein Mohammed Hussein Mutaher is an eloquent representative of the dignity and grace of the Yemeni spirit at its best; four years of war, endless aggression, constant death from airstrikes, disease, or starvation, and he has turned his experience into a positive reflection on the nature of patience.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1825572954162393
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(B K P)
Arab Coalition to Continue to Grant Permits for Ships to Dock in Yemen Ports
The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced on Friday that permits will continue to be granted to ships seeking entry to Yemeni ports
Comment: When foreign countries 'allow' ships to dock #Yemen, it is called occupation.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Save the Children: Yemen: Humanitarian Response Situation Report, June 2018
Most of Save the Children’s projects in Hudaydah governorate and city remain open and the team is regularly updating on the needs of those projects in the current situation.
Despite a reduction of the number of staff on the ground, the majority of Save the Children programmes are still running, and the team in Hudaydah have done a lot of preparedness work in the past weeks to mitigate the impact on children and their families. Around 600 IDP’s inculding children have received cash transfer in Bait Al Faqih district. In addtion, the team have distributed medical supplies to Save the Children supported health facilities to ensure they have sufficient supplies for the next three months, increased the number of Community Volunteers in districts where people may be displaced, distributed cash, and are carrying out essential Child Protection activities.
KEY MESSAGES
Save the Children is urgently calling on all warring parties to:
Save the Children calls on governments, especially in the UK, the US and France, to pressure the warring parties to:
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-situation-report-june-2018
My comment: “the UK, the US and France” are warring parties in Yemen as well.
(* B H)
Relief and Development Peer Foundation: Yemen: Monthly Situation Report No 3 (June 2018)
Humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to assist people in need and prepare for all possible scenarios. Over the last several weeks, agencies have procured and pre-positioned additional supplies, aiming to deliver 70,000 rapid response kits mainly to local warehouses in Al Hudaydah Governorate and adjacent districts of neighbouring governorates. Those kits include immediate food rations, hygiene supplies and dignity kits.
Fighting has reportedly de-escalated in Taizz Governorate, except in Maqbanah District where it has continued unabated. However, no improvement in humanitarian access has been noted. A new field hospital funded by Turkey has been inaugurated in At Turbah District in Taizz Governorate. The hospital has a 50-bed capacity, an intensive care unit, two operations rooms and is equipped with x-rays machine and a laboratory.
In Ibb Governorate, IOM provided the medical supplies for 3,000 renal dialysis sessions to Al-Thawrah Hospital to cover the needs of about 180 kidney failure patients for an estimated period of two months. Displacement from active conflict areas in Hudaydah continues to occur to various locations within the Governorate. During the reporting period, local authorities reported that an estimated 2,587 newly displaced families have fled their homes to Hudaydah City, Bait Al Faqih, Al Hussynyah, At Tuhayat, Ad Durayhimi, Zabid, Al-Garrahi. However, only 625 households of these were verified.
As of 3 June 2018, a cumulative total of 1,850 suspected diphtheria cases have been reported including 98 associated deaths.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-situation-report-no-3-june-2018
(A H)
MONA Relief: Based on a fund by our #Kuwaiti donors. Blankets and beds are ready to be delivered by @monarelief's team in Sanaa to IDPs fled from #Hodeidah to the capital Sanaa due to the ongoing fighting there. Million thanks to all our donors (photos)
https://twitter.com/monarelief/status/1018905699022245888
(B H)
World Food Programme: Yemen - Humanitarian Imports Overview, June 2018
The chart represents WFP food imports for its programmes in Yemen, and it includes food commodities imported through commercial vessels as well as chartered vessels for humanitarian cargo.
Sea cargo transport in m3 facilitated by the Logistics Cluster
The Logistics Cluster facilitates the cargo transport via sea on board the WFP-chartered vessels VOS Apollo and VOS Theia.
The Logistics Cluster facilitates combined chartered airlifts from Djibouti to Sana’a, on a frequency contingent on needs and funding.
In June, the Logistics Cluster coordinated cargo airlifts on behalf of IMC, MSF France and UNICEF. for a total of 18 mt/61 m3
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-imports-overview-june-2018
(B H)
#Sanaa Airport, which is occasionally allowed by the Coalition to operate for humanitarian purposes, received today two World Health Organization cargo planes transporting almost 50 tons of therapeutic aid, relief and medical supplies.
(* B H)
The #Dialysis Center in Dhamar Public #Hospital is still suffering acute shortages in medical supplies and might stop functioning soon; a thing that threatens the lives of thousands of kidney failure patients.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1018557671501369345
(B H)
Infographic: World Food Programme: Logistics Cluster - Yemen Operation - January to June 2018
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/logistics-cluster-yemen-operation-january-june-2018
(* B H)
Film: 2+ years attacks & blockade; Yemen's children face severe starvation
Infants in #Yemen face severe malnutrition, some of millions children left to starve
https://www.facebook.com/StopTheWarOnYemen/videos/vb.319595141544022/917078795128984/?type=2&theater
(B H)
Film: What does it feel if you have nothing to eat or drink? And how bad it is to see your son or daughter die of hunger or diseases that can be treated ?
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1018165789038469121
(* B H)
Film: Mangelernährung im Jemen | Ärzte ohne Grenzen
Drei Monate alt und nur 1,7 Kilo schwer: Das kleine Mädchen war schwer mangelernährt, als es in unserem Krankenhaus im Nord-Jemen ankam. Mangelernährung ist im Jemen schon lange ein Problem, doch durch den Krieg verschärft sich die Situation der Menschen massiv. Millionen Menschen leben im Jemen unter widrigsten Bedingungen, oft ohne Schutz und Hilfe und ohne ausreichend Nahrung. Häufig wird angenommen, dass Mangelernährung eine Folge von zu wenig Nahrung ist. Im Jemen ist es jedoch meist ein ökonomisches Problem, da sich die Menschen das Essen nicht leisten können. Besonders schwer trifft es dabei Kinder wie dieses kleine Mädchen. Da seine Mutter auch mangelernährt war, konnte sie nicht mehr stillen. In unserem Krankenhaus in Khamer helfen wir: Nach drei Wochen im Krankenhaus wog das kleine Mädchen bereits 2,2 Kilo. Damit sie zunimmt, haben wir sie mit spezieller Milch behandelt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVAoN053tIA
(A H)
Watch this video if you want to know what is happening in #Yemen! #TogetherStronger
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1017894654648487936
(A H)
US Agency for International Development: Yemen - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #9, Fiscal Year (FY) 2018
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan and USAID Administrator Mark Green discussed the humanitarian impact of the fighting in and around Al Hudaydah city with non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives on June 22. The representatives emphasized that unhindered commercial and humanitarian imports through Al Hudaydah Port were crucial to preventing the further deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Yemen.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-complex-emergency-fact-sheet-9-fiscal-year-fy-2018
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-active-usg-programs-yemen-response-last-updated-071318
(B H)
World Food Programme, Emergency Telecommunications Cluster: Yemen Conflict - ETC Situation Report #24 (Reporting Period: 18/05/18 to 30/06/18)
The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) has developed a contingency plan based on a worst-case scenario and presented it to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) during the Cluster Defence meetings.
The ETC is currently developing a project proposal for an additional Services for Communities (S4C) project in Sana’a University, which would involve the ETC rehabilitating the IT infrastructure at the university to allow students to continue their studies.
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(A H P)
Govt. allows 7 Yemeni asylum seekers to leave Jeju for other areas
Seven Yemeni asylum seekers have left the southern island of Jeju for other parts of South Korea after the government allowed them to do so for family reunions and medical treatment, officials said Monday.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180716000593
Remark: For Yemeni refugees in Korea: YPR 433, 432, 431.
(B H)
Infographic: UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: Shelter/NFI/CCCM Cluster Dashboard for June 2018
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-shelternficccm-cluster-dashboard-june-2018
(B H)
Map: UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: IDPs Hosting Sites (as of July 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-idps-hosting-sites-july-2018
(B H)
Map: UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: Contingency In-Country Stocks and Pipelines (as of July 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-contingency-country-stocks-and-pipelines-july-2018
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(* A P)
Report: Houthi militia has executed Baha'i leader, Hamed Haydara. A militia court sentenced Haydara to death in January for his beliefs & alleged links to Israel. Militia has harassed Baha'i minority #Yemen, arresting leaders & activists, storming houses & closing Baha'i centres
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1018985616946720769
(A K P)
Yemeni armed tribesmen standing for their country against US-backed Saudi-Emirati invaders. Bani Hushaish tribes,eastern Sabaa,sent thousands of fighters to battlefields on Monday,July 16th, 2018. (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1018921208941817856
(A K P)
Two coalition collaborators arrested in Amran, Ibb
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502172.htm
(* A P)
Dhamar.. Al-Houthi transports 41 abductees from Otmah District prison to unknown locations
The al-Houthi militia on Sunday evening transferred 41 abductees from the directorate prison to unknown places in the central Yemeni city of Dhamar, the kidnapped families said.
They said to Almasdar online, they were surprised by the disappearance of their abducted relatives from the District Prison of the Directorate, who were kidnapped to it four days ago, and when they asked about them, they found that the kidnapped had been transferred to the city of Dhamar.
They said that the kidnapped had no charge to imprison them, demanding that they are released as soon as possible, as these actions further strained the situation and dragged the Directorate into chaos and Conflict.
They bore Houthis full responsibility for the lives and fate of their relatives.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100268
(A P)
The #Houthis have stormed al-Thulaya #school in the province of Dhamar and arrested #student Bassam al-Fatemi while he was taking his high-school final examinations. Al-Fatemi was taken to the Political Security Prison in the province.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1018888052855406593
(A P)
#Houthi militia gunmen have stormed the house of Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid Bin Daghr in the Bait Bous neighborhood in the capital #Sanaa and looted everything inside, after wounding two of the guards, who tried to stop them.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1018886045239259138
(A P)
Parliament approves report to exempt domestic gas from customs duties, taxes
The Parliament on Monday approved the report of the Finance Committee on the government's request to exempt domestic gas from customs duties, taxes and commission of the gas company.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502142.htm
My comment: parliament is still working; but does it still meet the quorum?
(B K P)
Exclusive - Houthis in Yemen Force Inmates to Perform Iranian Chants
Iran-allied Houthi militias in Yemen sent several of its hardline clerics to the West coast and Hodeidah provinces, hoping that religious fatwas issued by them will aid in recruiting more Yemenis to fight among coup ranks.
After suffering a shortfall in the number of fighters on battlefronts, the Houthi political wing ordered the full recruitment of all supporters and their dispatch to frontlines.
In the meantime, militias responded to Brigadier Tariq Saleh’s call to unite Yemenis against the Iran-backed coup with more brutality in areas under their control.
Resorting to sectarian discourse, Houthis urged the issuing of fatwas calling for fighting on the West coast.
In sermons given at mosques in Hodeidah and its subordinate districts, clerics underscored to the masses the need to rally up behind the militias and confront government forces.
My comment: By Saudi newssite, biased and for propaganda purpose. Wahabism-spreading Saudis who blame opponents to their religious claims as “Takfir” (infidels) should better be quiet on such a topic.
(B E P)
Exchangers in Yemen are being imprisoned and blackmailed
Private sources for the "new Arab" revealed that the exchangers in Sanaa, capital of Yemen, had been subjected to extortion by influential people and investors from the al-Houthi group, in some cases imprisoned them. This threatens to arrest and bankrupt their work, as well as to discredit them in the commercial and banking market.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100237
My comment: And a lot more of dubious propaganda (look at cp15).
(A K P)
Yemeni Tribes Back Ansarullah Forces, Vow to Defeat Saudi, Allies in Hudaydah
Local tribes gathered in the capital Sana’a to voice their support for the Yemeni army and allied fighters from the Ansarullah movement in their fight for Hudaydah, which has been under Saudi-led attacks for weeks.
Cars, loaded with ammunition, on Sunday carried fighters to Sana’a where tribal heads pledged to take their battle to Hudaydah to confront the Saudi push for the Red Sea port, a lifeline for the majority of Yemen’s population, presstv reported.
"The representatives will gather by the coastal area so as to defeat the Saudi and American enemies, and all of their mercenary and hypocrite allies," Mohamed al-Sanhani, a tribesman, said.
"Today, we tell the enemies that there are men headed to the coast. We are ready for the battle [of Hudaydah] on all battle fronts. We are ready for the enemies, more than they can ever imagine," another participant in the gathering added.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970425000876
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCjsfsOwTvQ
(A P)
SSC agrees to form joint team to investigate detainees' cases
The Supreme Security Committee (SSC) on Sunday approved the formation of a joint team to investigate cases of detainees from those who have stood by Saudi-led aggression coalition side.
The committee called on all those who were misled by the aggression coalition to return to the right path and stand by the homeland against the occupation forces.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502059.htm
(A P)
Saudi-led coalition collaborator arrested in Ibb
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502067.htm
(* A P)
Four sentenced to death in Sanaa
Four people were sentenced to death on Saturday by judicial authorities in the capital Sana, an official told Saba.
The convicted were accused of communication with a foreign country and raising information to the Saudi-led coalition's fighter jets.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501969.htm
and by anti-Houthi newssite, stating only 3 sentences: http://almasdaronline.com/article/100223
(A P)
Al-Houthi is sieging “Maswar” in RimaH and massing reinforcements to storm the area.
The Houthi militia has sieged "Maswar" area in Mezhar District, Rimah Governorate, west of Yemen, and called for further reinforcements to break into it.
Local sources told the Almasdar online claiming the Houthi militia was besieging the area, allegedly the presence of a wanted in the region, "army officer", accused by al-Houthi for communicating with the son of former President Tariq Saleh.
The sources said the Houthi were seeking to arrest the man, but the residents of the area refused to allow them to enter the area.
Clashes occurred on Saturday morning between elements of al-Houthi, who had developed a point at the entrance of the "Maswar" area, in Mezhar district, and armed members of the area.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100215
(A K P)
SSC discuses reinforcing Yemeni army in western coast
The Supreme Security Committee (SSC) on Saturday held a regular meeting to discuss reinforcing of the Yemeni army in the battle fronts, especially the western coast.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501979.htm
(A P)
Parliament continues to discuss anti-terrorism bill
The Parliament continued in its meeting on Saturday to discuss articles and provisions of the anti-terrorism bill in light of the report prepared by a joint parliamentary committee.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501925.htm
My comment: Parliament is still working; but we are not told whether the quorum is still met.
(B P)
The #Yemeni Community in #New_York, along with #Maonah Org for Human Rights & Migration have documented the killing of four #American citizens of Yemeni origins by the #Houthi militia.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1018261433073782784
(* B P)
Houthis detain at least three more journalists in late June and early July
The Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, detained at least three current and former Yemeni journalists--Iyad al-Wasmani, Abdulsalam al-Doaiss, and Abed al-Jaradi--between June 27 and July 7, 2018, according to news reports and the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate.
Iyad al-Wasmani was detained alongside his brother Qissam by Houthi gunmen the evening of July 7, 2018, in the city of Dhamar, according to the independent newspaper Al-Masdar and the independent news website Watan Al-Adeniya. Al-Wasmani recently started his own Facebook news page, Huna Dhamar, but does not appear to have widely published on it before being detained. He is also a freelancer who has written for a number of Yemeni publications, and contributed reporting to the Sanaa TV channel on allegations of human rights abuses against children committed by the Houthis.Hu
On July 2, 2018, Houthi gunmen detained Abdulsalam al-Doaiss in the Yemeni capital Sanaa
As of December 2017, the Houthis were detaining at least 13 journalists, CPJ reported at the time.
https://cpj.org/2018/07/houthis-detain-at-least-three-more-journalists-in-.php
(* A P)
Family of physician who lost memory in Houthi jails move him to Marib for treatment
The family of Muneer al-Mashriqi a physician who was driven mad as a result of torture by the Houthi militia have moved him to the government-held Marib city to experiment with his rehabilitation.
Al-Mashriqi was arrested by the Shia extremist rebels in Dhamar after he had refused the rebels' orders to move to the warfront to carry out first aid to militants who sustain wounds in the battles. Ever since he had been subjected to horrific torture including the abrasion of his skin.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20080
and
(* A P)
How Houthis reduced a good-looking doctor to a mad man in his raw skin
Houthis have their own exclusive torture methods that the worst terrorist organizations on earth like ISIL have not even thought of doing.
The latest of their methods rendered a once handsome doctor and outspoken political activist Muneer al-Mashriqi into a mad person in his raw skin.
The Shia Islamist terrorists abducted Al-Mashriqi in Dhamar, south of the capital Sana'a, a year ago and threw him in jail.
He has since been exposed to various forms of torture including electrocution and skinning alive with abrasive solutions poured on his body.
Having driven him mad, the extremists took him by car out of the jail and dropped him in one of the roads of the city where he was found and started to make headlines in the local media and on social networking websites.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20056
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100200
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1017798586988466176
(A P)
Gunmen kill lawyer wanted by Houthis in Hajjah
Unknown gunmen killed Mohammed Al-Abdali a lawyer that Houthi militia have been cracking down on for his political dissent.
The Houthi rebels deny their responsibility and say they have arrested the killer without further details.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20057
(* A P)
The Houthi kidnap dozens of people in a village in Dhamar and continue to siege it for third day
The al-Houthi militia continued its siege of a village in Dhamar Governorate, south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, for the third consecutive day.
Residents said to the "Almasdaronline " that al-Houthi was continuing their siege of the village, "Qadam", in the district of Otmah, in Dhamar Governorate, and abducted dozens of its sons.
Clashes broke out between a number of villagers in the village of "Qadam" and Houthi militia three days before, killing the Houthi gunman and injuring others.
The militia sent extensive reinforcements to the village, burnt the house and farm of a citizen and kidnapped some 40 citizens.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100202
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1017794344772915201 (photo)
(A P)
Jemen: Großdemonstration gegen Imperialismus
Aus Anlass "Tag des Schreis gegen Imperialismus" sind gestern Millionen Menschen in Sanaa, der Hauptstadt Jemens, Al-Hudaida, Saada, Haja und Omran, auf die Straße gegangen, um ihrer Abscheu gegen die USA, Israel und Saudi-Arabien Nachdruck zu verleihen.
Wie der Sender "Al Masira" berichtete, wurde der Tag im Jahr 2002 durch den Märtyrer "Hussein Bardaldin Houthi" ins Leben gerufen.
Bardaldin Houthi, Schiitenführer im Jemen, wurde 2004 in der Provinz Saada bei Gefechten mit der Armee des alten Regimes, getötet.
Die Demonstranten skandierten "Nieder mit den USA", "Nieder mit Israel" und "Nieder mit Saudi-Arabien".
http://parstoday.com/de/news/middle_east-i42359-jemen_gro%C3%9Fdemonstration_gegen_imperialismus
(A P)
Thousands of Yemeni People Commemorate Al-Sarkha Anniversary In Sanaa ,Saada Provinces
Thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets of the northern city of Sa’ada and Sana’a provinces to denounce the deadly campaign led by the Saudi regime and supported by the United States against their country .
Friday morning, a march came out to commemorate Al-Sarkha anniversary, the week in which the slogan (God is Greater, Death to America, death to Israel, Damn the Jews and Victory to Islam) of Ansarallah in the face of the worlds’ arrogant forces was launched by Sayyed Hussein Al-Houthi.
Demonstrators called for a boycott of American and Israeli products. They urged banning the sales of Western-made arms to Saudi Arabia.
In Sana’a, the participants stressed that this slogan embodies an attitude of faith and humanity towards the enemies of God and Islam and it has proved its impact and created in the hearts of enemies horror and humiliation. This slogan was raised by the Martyr Commander before the occupation of Iraq.
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Eni_TQSr0k
(A P)
Mass rally in #Sanaa today condemning the occupying forces and #US imperialistic agenda in #Yemen carried out by #UAE and #SaudiArabia
The participants raised national flags and chanted slogans condemning US intelligence, military and weapons support to the Coalition (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1821949681191387
(A P)
Thousands take to streets in Sa'ada, censure bloody Saudi-led war on Yemen
Thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets of the northern city of Sa'ada to denounce the deadly campaign led by the Saudi regime and supported by the United States against the impoverished Arab country.
“Death to America and Death to Israel;” that was what banners read during the demonstration on Friday.
Demonstrators called for a boycott of American and Israeli products. They urged banning the sales of Western-made arms to Saudi Arabia.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/13/567998/Yemen-Saada
(A T)
Security dismantles Explosive device in Bayda
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501874.htm
(A P)
Al-Houthi says: Yemen’s Western Coast is most suitable area to defeat coalition
Leaders of Yemeni Revolution Sayyed Abdulmalik Al-Houthi on Friday condemned that coalition mobilized his force into the battle of the Western Coast, which requires everyone to feel responsible for this escalation and confront it.
Al-Houthi said, during his speech on the anniversary of Ansar Allah movement’s slogan” Sarkha”, that the leaders of the aggression on Yemen are running their battle from the reality of dependence on America and Israeli and what drives Yemenis to battle is to defend their freedom and independence.
Al-Houthi noted that despite the escalation of the aggression, this does not mean the end of the battle, adding that the field of Tihama in western Yemen is a suitable place to inflict losses on the coalition forces due to the nature of geography, which will lead to the dispersion of the forces of aggression.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501847.htm
(A P)
Yemen rebel chief praises Iran, Hezbollah
Yemen's rebel chief on Friday praised Shiite power Iran and its ally Hezbollah, singling out the Lebanese group's leader Hassan Nasrallah for his "solidarity".
But Abdulmalik al-Huthi, whose fighters are battling Yemen's Saudi-backed government, again denied accusations of receiving smuggled weapons from Iran.
In a speech broadcast on the rebels' Al Masirah TV, Huthi praised "the glory and dignity of Iran" and thanked Nasrallah for "solidarity with the people of Yemen from his position of greatness".
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5951705/Yemen-rebel-chief-praises-Iran-Hezbollah.html
and
(A P)
Saudi Arabia, UAE pushing US projects in Middle East: Houthi
The leader of Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement says Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are going to great lengths to further the agenda of the US administration in the Middle East region, and please their masters.
Addressing his supporters via a televised speech broadcast from the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a on Friday afternoon, Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi stated that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi regimes are struggling with mounting economic crises as they are pouring huge sums of money into the pockets of US statesmen.
He warned that the United States and Israel are doing their best in order to bring all aspects of Yemenis’ lives under their control, stressing that utter humiliation awaits the Yemeni nation in case it cedes to arrogant powers’ plots.
Comment: Well he would say that wouldn't he, but there is more than a grain of truth in it.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156840514233641
(* A P)
Moneer Mohammed Qaed Al-Sharqi after a year of detention and torture inside Houthi prisons. Pictures have been circulated by human rights activists.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1017728307813634049
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Hadi's government deployed armored vehicles throughout the roads leading to his palace in Aden and around Sirah castle.
The deployment came just one day after southern military commanders announced their rejection of northern forces existence in #Aden and other provinces.
https://twitter.com/MuradAbdu/status/1018837714035138566
(A P)
Pro-independence forces in #Aden announced military escalation against the northern forces led by @tarikyemen who is unwelcome and unwanted in southern #Yemen. #SouthYemen #UAE (image)
https://twitter.com/MuradAbdu/status/1018711770490433536
But Saudi, UAE, Colombian, Sudani, Australian, American, British forces are kosher in southern #Yemen. See what money buys in Aden?
Please, let me render my unsought advice: This is not what independence of southern Yemen means. It is merely a change of a prostitute's preferred pimps.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1018811453317541893
and
(A P)
Supporters of President Hady Demand Him to Expel Northern Troops from Aden
Supporters of President Abd Rabu Mansour Hady demanded him to expel northern troops from Aden and not to legitimize the existence of troops of the criminal “Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar”. Activists launched a hashtag on social media demanding the expel of northern troops from the southern capital Aden. These demands came as Ahmed Saleh, a media activist, asserted that troops of Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar “are flowing to Aden”. The campaign also demanded president Hady to expel troops of “Tarek Saleh”.
http://en.smanews.org/supporters-of-president-hady-demand-him-to-expel-northern-troops-from-aden
My comment: By Southern separatists news agency. The separatists try to embrace Hadi because he is the source of legitimacy (according to the Saudi coalition, the West and also the UN; in fact, he is not), but try to occupy him for their goals: Northerners out! Very special: Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar is Hadi’s vice president.
And
(* A P)
Commander of the al Hizam Security Forces First Brigade Brigadier General Abu Yamama (Munir Mahmoud Yafa’i) vowed to expel the Hadi government from southern Yemen within a few days in a July 15 speech from Aden city, southern Yemen. Yamama accused the Hadi government of corruption and criticized it for failing to provide basic services to citizens. Yamama also stated his commitment to expel all forces loyal to President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi from the south. President Hadi deployed armored vehicles near his home in Aden City in response to Yamama’s speech.[1]
And
(A P)
Media threats between the forces of Tariq Saleh and a leader in the Aden security belt
An exchange and threats between the leaders of the Aden security belt and the forces loyal to Tariq's son former President Ali Abdallah Saleh against the backdrop of the first threats directed to Saleh son to kick him out of Aden in “Robe”.
The commander of the support and logistics brigades in the security belt, Brigadier Munir Abu al-Yamamah al-Yafeaai, made statements in which he said: "Brigadier Tariq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh came to Aden with a robe and will come out with a robe".
The short video of Abu Al Yamama, speaking at a new graduation ceremony of security belt forces, was spread in the temporary capital of Aden two days ago.
"As you know Tariq Afash came to us wearing a robe and we will get him out of Aden in the same robe
The forces of the security belt loyal to the Emirati forces contributed to the entry of the forces of Tariq Saleh and provided them with different possibilities, at a time when it was and still was preventing the entry of citizens from the northern regions and displaced persons.
Following those statements, the forces of the so-called "Republican Guards", affiliated to Tariq Saleh, came out with a statement expressing their dissatisfaction with what they called by "the abusive and irresponsible statements made by Munir Al YAfiaai, Commander-in-Chief of the First Brigade, support and Logistics in the security belt".
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100279
(* B H P)
Film: Yemen island Socotra struggles to recover months after cyclone
The storm-stricken island is facing a major shortage of basic needs as the military standoff between country's government and UAE sets back efforts to rebuild.
The people of the Yemeni island of Socotra are facing a shortage of essential supplies.
Cyclone Mekunu damaged the island's port and sank ships carrying food imports upon which the island relies.
Reconstruction efforts have been further delayed by the Emirati military presence on the island - a force that the UAE insists is humanitarian, but locals view as an occupation.
My comment: After the cyclone, there was a plenty of (propaganda?) reports by Saudi and Emirati media on Saudi and Emirati humanitarian relief.
(A P)
Hadi Pledges to Clear Yemeni Army of Corruption, Fictitious Names
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi pledged on Sunday to rid the military institution of corruption and fictitious names.
During a meeting with senior commanders of Ministry of Defense and Fourth Military Zone, the President asserted that all divisions of the military institution should witness a new phase that is free of corruption and of fake names causing unnecessary spending.
“The military institution should set a good example for patriotism and success as, if established on professional bases, it represents the country's fortified fence and bastion. Here is your responsibility, you must lay down these foundations,” he said.
My comment: A look into the corruption within the Hadi army – and its largely money-based character of a mercenaries’ militia.
(A P)
Southern activist held in UAE secret prisons in Aden released
The UAE occupation forces on Sunday released the kidnapped southern activist, Ansam Abdul-Samad, after a year of the forced disappearance in one of their secret prisons in the city of Aden.
Abdul-Samad, the Criminal Investigation employee in Aden, was arrested in mid-September last year, by raiding her house, and confiscating her personal and personal devices, according to southern media sources.
She remained hidden for almost a year, while her relatives could not reach her, and no charges have been brought against her
(A H P)
This man is Yemeni.l He's from north He's working in the south. In Aden He was beaten up yesterday only because he's northerner! (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1018415987857743872
(A K P)
Demonstration in Taiz to demand the liberation and dismantling of the city siege
Hundreds of residents of Taiz (southwest) of Taiz staged a demonstration Saturday to complete the liberation of the city from the control of the al-Houthi group and to break the siege imposed by the group's militants on the city since August 2015.
The participants in the rally, which took place on the city's downtown Jamal street, raised slogans demanding the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to support government forces in their battles against the al-Houthi.
A statement issued by the demonstration said that the siege imposed by al-Houthi is a war of extermination in international law.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100210
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20058
(A T)
#Aden: police chief Shalal Shayea on Saturday escaped an assassination attempt,
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1018270335521710080
(A P)
Saudi-affiliated snipers shoot down civilians in Lahj
Two citizens were killed Saturday and a woman was wounded by snipers of the Saudi-led coalition in the province of Lahj.
Two killed and a woman sustained injuries in the Hawamra area, a local source confrmed to YemenExtra.
http://www.yemenextra.net/2018/07/14/saudi-affiliated-snipers-shoot-down-civilians-in-lahj/
(* A B P)
Saudi-UAE forces give up Yemen’s eastern airport
After months of local protests, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates-led coalition has given up control of Al-Ghayda airport in eastern Yemen according to Al Jazeera.
Local tribes in Al-Mahrah governorate have protested against Saudi-UAE military presence, undermining its goals in the country. The residents of Al-Mahrah had announced an open sit-in nearly three weeks ago, demanding the preservation of national sovereignty, the handing over of the two land outlets of Shahn and Sarfit and the Saudi military forces’ withdrawal from Nashtoon Port and Al-Ghaydah International Airport.
With conflict dynamics shifting in southern Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s projects in Al-Mahrah governorate are becoming tense. In November 2017 the Saudi-led coalition had an altercation with Al-Mahrah governorate security forces when it prevented Saudi forces from taking control of Al-Ghaydah airport. Whether the latest withdrawal from Al- Ghaydah is a display of frustration over Al-Mahrah governorate is yet to be seen.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180716-saudi-uae-forces-give-up-yemens-eastern-airport/
and
(* A B P)
Yemen civil authorities take charges of the Al Ghaydah airport
Following months of protests, the Saudi-led alliance is handing control of a Yemen airport near Oman to civil authorities roughly a year after seizing it.
Yemen's civil aviation authorities are back in control of a local airport.
Until recently, the Al Ghaydah Airport, near Yemen's border with Oman, was supervised by the Saudi-led forces.
The change in control appears to be inspiring protests in other parts of Yemen.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/yemen-civil-authorities-charges-al-ghaydah-airport-180714161050386.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jptns8RFACQ
and
(A P)
President Hadi meets the governor of the Al Maharah after a day of ending tension in the Al Ghaidhah with the Saudi forces
"Security and stability is the key to building and development anytime and anywhere," President Hadi said, referring to what he termed "The unique and distinctive situation represented by the Governorate of the Al Mahrah in terms of security, stability, tranquility, and privacy of its children, which has been positively reflected in The stability of the governorate and the trend towards construction and reconstruction.
"To put an end to those who want to sow unrest, segregation and the diaspora among the people of the province under the guise of unbenign goals," Hadi said, praising the time with Saudi Arabia's support for the province of Al Mahrah among all the projects it adopts in the governorate of Al Mahrah which he said will constitute a positive qualitative leap for the province and its children.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100220
My comment: And what Saudi puppet Hadi is doing to solve this problem of Saudi occupation? Making bla bla bubbles and supporting the Saudis:
(A P)
Reports from #Mahrah: Pres. Hadi has appointed a Yemeni-Saudi national "linked to Saudi intelligence" as security chief. He fired former deputy governor and security chief who supported local protests that forced Saudi troops to hand over ports and terminals to local authorities.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1018597989093466113
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100231
and a 2013 film on Mahrah governorate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI7ASx4FtjY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6wdzCQ_hPM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a8oWspuhJ0
(B E P)
In His Meeting with Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs, Zemam Asserts that Mareb Refrains from Supplying Revenues to Aden
Dr. Mohamed Zemam, governor of Central Bank of Yemen indicated that the governorate of Mareb refrains from supplying its revenues to the headquarters of the bank in Aden. He added that Mareb is administratively and financially separated from the Central Bank of Yemen in Aden as Saba News, the Yemeni Official Media Agencies published a piece of news saying that “Zemam is working on finishing technical arrangements to link Mareb Branch to the Headquarters in Aden”.
My comment: The governor of Marib tries to rule his province independent from the corrupt and ineffective Hadi government.
And
(A P)
Plans of Muslim Brotherhood in The Yemeni legitimacy to Divide Hadhramaut
http://en.smanews.org/plans-of-muslim-brotherhood-in-the-yemeni-legitimacy-to-divide-hadhramaut
Remark: By southern separatists’ news agency, which is strictly anti-Islah Party.
(* B P T)
Der Bezwinger von Al-Kaida
Shalal Ali Shaiya ist Chef der südjemenitischen Sicherheitskräfte und gilt als der Mann, der Aden von Al-Kaida und IS befreit hat. Es geht um den Kampf gegen Terroristen – und um die Unabhängigkeit Südjemens.
Seine Männer gehören zu den gefürchtetsten Kämpfern im ganzen Südjemen: Shalal Ali Shaiya ist Chef der Polizei von Aden, oder besser: einer der mächtigsten Milizen-Führer, und er hat sich auf die Fahne geschrieben, den Südjemen von Al-Kaida und IS zu befreien. An Shalal lässt sich am besten beschreiben, wie kompliziert das Machtgefüge an der Südspitze der arabischen Halbinsel heute ist.
Im Clinch zwischen Saudi-Arabien und den Emiraten
Shalal ist der Chef der südjemenitischen Sicherheitskräfte. Diese werden von den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten unterstützt, operieren aber de facto autonom. Shalal – wie die Emirate – will einen unabhängigen Südjemen, losgelöst vom Norden rund um Sanaa.
Trotzdem muss Shalal Rücksicht nehmen auf den Willen von Saudi-Arabien, welches einen geeinten Jemen anstrebt und zusammen mit den Emiraten die iranisch unterstützten Houthi im Norden bekämpft. Hier im Süden rund um Aden aber kämpft Saudi-Arabien gegen die eigentlich verbündeten Emirate um Macht und Einfluss und andere Vorstellungen (mit Filmen)
https://www.srf.ch/news/international/der-vergessene-krieg-im-jemen-der-bezwinger-von-al-kaida
(A P)
US-Saudi Aggression Withdraws from Al- GhaydahAirport Eastern Yemen
US-Saudi Aggression forces began withdrawing from the airport of Al-Ghaydah, in Al-Mahra governorate in eastern Yemen, after demonstrations demanding its withdraw from governorate.
A source in the committee organizing the sit-in told Sputnik, News agency, that the withdrawal of Saudi forces came in agreement with local authorities and the protesters.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1625&cat_id=1
and
(A P)
Agreement between the picketers and local authorities and Saudi forces in Al Maharah
The Picketers in the eastern province of al-Maharah reached an agreement with the local authority and the Saudi forces on Thursday evening to withdraw from the city's airport, an activate sarfait port and Shehen.
According to a source in organizing committee said to Al Masdar online, the commander of the Saudi forces signed the minutes of the agreement with the provincial security chief, while the protesters signed the agreement with the Director of security.
He noted that the Director of security is from the conservative Governor Saeed Bakrit in the signing, as the latter is visiting Riyadh.
He said that the record signed between the three parties and included the six demands and that the Saudi Arabian troops had now begun withdrawing from the civilian side of the airport, while the rest of the claimant needed time.
The picket will be suspended on Friday, according to the source.
The residents of the city of al-Mahrah had staged a sit-in in the public park in the city of Ghaidhah since June 26, and were still going to the moment to demand six demands:
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100188
Remark: On protests in Mahra province YPR 433, cp6.
(A P)
The 'Alliance internationale pour la défense des droits et des libertés' is bringing the #UAE officials involved in torture cases in Southern #Yemen to Court
The confirmation came from the President of the human rights alliance, Mohamed Ismail AL Shamiwho stated they have gathered a complete, comprehensive legal file on the crimes of torture, private prisons and enforced disappearances committed in Yemen by armed southern factions directly affiliated with the UAE.
The case will be brought directly to the International Criminal Court and a French Court.
(A P)
A New Patch of Prisoners Released from Bear Ahmed Corrective Facility in Aden
This is the fourth patch of prisoners and included seven persons who were detained for interrogation in several cases and their release was done according to court orders of the partial prosecution office of Aden. Release of prisoners started in May 2018 as recently 250 prisoners were released under supervision of human rights organizations and representatives of IRC.
http://en.smanews.org/a-new-patch-of-prisoners-released-from-bear-ahmed-corrective-facility-in-aden
Remark: reporting on UAE’s torture prsions in Yemen YPR 433 cp1, cp6.
(* B H K)
Minority Languages of the Middle East Further Endangered by Conflict
In Yemen, a creeping Emirati military presence has changed the face of the island of Socotra, which Independent reporter Bethan McKernan describes as having been “all but annexed” by the Emirates. The UAE has not only established a military base and communications network on the island, but also made lucrative offers to re-settle Socotrans in the Emirati state. If the island’s people leave en masse, the continued existence of their language will be threatened. Soqotri’s vitality is attributed, in large part, to the geographic isolation and concentration of its 70,000 speakers. In fact, until 2014, it was an unwritten language. As such, the language’s existence is very much dependent on verbal exchange. If Soqotri speakers are dispersed, then there will be fewer opportunities for them to speak the language, thus endangering its future.
The loss of a culture and language can be much less visible or initially traumatizing as the extinguishing of human life—but its depletion has profound consequences. Through language comes the documentation of life; with its loss, the entire history of a people can disappear.
(* A P)
Brig.Saleh Speaks in Aden, Calls for Expelling Houthis from Sanaa
A week after his first field speech, Yemeni Brigadier Tareq Saleh appeared once again to give a new speech from a training camp set up west of the internationally-recognized government temporary capital, Aden.
Brig Saleh, who is the nephew of slain Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, gave his speech on the occasion of a new brigade joining his forces fighting off Iran-backed Houthi militias under the name Popular National Resistance.
Broadcast on Wednesday evening by Yemen's Al-Watan television channel, Brig Saleh welcomed new force members who arrived in the city of Aden.
In his speech, he praised the people of Aden, who he said they “embraced all the men who came from different provinces”
He said that former coup allies that were accepted back into pro-legitimacy ranks helped in driving Houthi militias from many areas.
He also praised army efforts, popular resistance undertakings and Arab coalition support which freed much of southern Yemen from coupist militias.
The Yemeni Republican Guards Brig. Saleh said that he is “preparing for the post-Hodeidah-battle,” and will continue to advance until the Houthi capital at Sanaa is retaken.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1330271/brigsaleh-speaks-aden-calls-expelling-houthis-sanaa
Remark: The nephew of former president Saleh; after the death of his uncle, he joined the Hadi forces, bringing the rests of Saleh’s Republican Guard with him.
Comment: According to rumour this is the man the UAE are lining up as Yemen's next president.
And more comments to comment: He has no political record، unlike his uncle, I doubt it he is the one, blus no body likes him after escape and left his uncle alone, he should stay and fight like a man.#
A UAE trumpet. In his first speech since he fled Sanaa, he criticized Turkey. UAE is backing him and told him what to say. In other words, he is an idiot.
Well, there is no denying the man is being backed and promoted by the UAE to be a savior. However, all of this is mere speculation that has nothing to do with reality. The UAE is just using him to achieve its objectives, PERIOD. I don't see anybody becoming a President from those involved currently in the conflict.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156840521698641
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A H P)
UNICEF thanks The State of Kuwait for its continuous and exemplary generous support to children in the Middle East
UNICEF welcomes the latest contribution of US$59 million from The State of Kuwait to support the most vulnerable children throughout Yemen affected by chronic underdevelopment and a brutal conflict.
“The State of Kuwait has once again proven to be a friend for children of the Middle East and North Africa Region and committed to the principles of good partnership. Over the years, Kuwait has generously contributed to UNICEF´s work for children including in Syria and Iraq.
My comment: “Kuwait has once again proven to be a friend for children “?? Kuwait is taking part in bombing children in Yemen. Thanking for this is really inadequate.
(A P)
Lamlas to Consultant of UN Envoy: We Support Un Peace Efforts that Will Never be Achieved but with Doing Just to the South and Responding to Legitimate and Rightful Demands of the Southern People
Ahmed Hamed Lamlas, Secretary General of the Southern Transitional Council, received Mr. Mohamed Khater, political consultant of UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Mr. Martin Griffith, in the council’s headquarters.
Lamlas asserted to Khater that the council is very careful for the success of UN envoy efforts as the council supports all political settlements and solutions that stop bloodshed and achieve justice but these solutions cannot be reached unless the southern cause is solved as it is the doorway to solution for the southern people await response to their legitimate and rightful demands represented in restoring their state.
My comment: By Southern separatists. There are much more parties having their own claims for any peace solutions, making negotiations even more difficult.
(A P)
Bin Daghr Committee Responds to Proposal by Griffiths on Hodeidah
The Yemeni Foreign Minister revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat the first step to be taken by the committee that was established by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and headed by Yemeni Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed bin Daghr.
The step is to write a response representing the Yemeni legitimate government's point of view regarding the recent proposal by UN envoy Martin Griffiths on Hodeidah this week.
The foreign minister did not point out to a forthcoming meeting of the committee with the envoy, who will head to Sanaa soon after the militia leaders asked him an opportunity to respond to the same proposal.
Griffith's solution on Hodeidah revolves around three points, sources close to the decision-makers in Yemen told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The first is the UN supervision of the port of Hodeidah, the second is the supply of resources to the Yemeni Central Bank, which was moved to Aden in 2016 and finally the withdrawal of militias.
The Yemeni foreign minister stressed that the Yemeni government's response will contain irreversible headings, most notably the UN references, non-fragmentation of the solution and the complete withdrawal of militias from Hodeidah.
Houthi militia’s Leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi preceded the visit of the UN envoy to Sanaa by saying that he does not rely on UN efforts.
My comment: The Hadi government insists that the Houthis de facto capitulate, and for this, the government even ahs the based UN resolution 2216 backing it. This resolution has been an obstacle to pesce for more than three years now. But the UN envoy is forced to stay based on this bad resolution – thus the “Back to Square One” game is continuing like “Groundhog Day”.
And
(A P)
Yemeni prime minister lands in Riyadh ahead of peace talks
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr arrived in Riyadh on Sunday to take part in peace talks. Yemeni government negotiators are expected to meet with deputy UN envoy to Yemen Maeen Sharim in a sign that discussions about Hodeidah with Iran-backed Houthi rebels could resume.
UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths said last month he hoped to get the warring parties to the negotiating table in the next few weeks to end fighting in the port city.
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
(A P)
Iran's Khamenei criticizes Saudi Arabia over management of haj pilgrimage
Iran’s top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized Saudi Arabia over its management of the haj pilgrimage and called for a fresh investigation into a 2015 crush that killed hundreds, Iranian state TV reported on Monday.
The criticism comes ahead of this year’s haj and amid tension between Tehran and Riyadh over proxy wars in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen in which the two support opposing sides.
Riyadh says nearly 800 pilgrims died when two big groups of pilgrims collided at a crossroads in Mina, a few km (miles) east of Mecca, on their way to performing the “Stoning of the Devil” ritual at Jamarat.
Counts by countries of repatriated bodies showed over 2,000 people may have died, including more than 400 Iranians.
“A fact-finding committee, with Iran’s presence, should be formed to investigate these cruelties. Relevant Iranian authorities should mobilize all legal resources to follow up the tragedy,” Khamenei said in a speech to Iran’s haj organizers.
“The holy lands of Mecca and Mina belong to all Muslims ... it does not belong to rulers of Saudi Arabia,” said Khamenei.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
VOX to open first multiplex cinema in Jeddah by December
VOX Cinemas will also open an IMAX theater at the Red Sea Mall, featuring the largest IMAX screen in Saudi Arabia
The cinema will feature 12 screens, including three GOLD by Rhodes, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1340081/saudi-arabia
My comment: With our without gender separation?
(A P)
Saudi aviation academy to train first women pilots
A flight school in Saudi Arabia is opening its doors for women, following the end of a decades-long driving ban in the deeply conservative Muslim country where many social restrictions are easing.
Oxford Aviation Academy, a leading trainer and crew recruiter, has already received applications from hundreds of women hoping to start lessons in September at a new branch in the eastern city of Dammam.
(A P)
Activists Detail Saudi Arabia’s Arrest Of Outspoken Scholar
New details have emerged in the case of Saudi Arabia’s arrest of an outspoken religious scholar, with activists taking to social media to share information about how the story unfolded.
Sheikh Safar al-Hawali, known for his chronic opposition to some of the kingdom’s policies and the presence of American troops on Saudi soil, was arrested on Thursday amid Riyadh’s ongoing crackdown on political and religious dissent.
A Twitter account under the name “Prisoners of Conscience” has now released some information about the 68-year-old’s detention.
It says the authorities had ordered his arrest despite having full knowledge of his frail health condition, adding that the scholar had earlier suffered brain hemorrhage and had not yet fully recovered.
In addition to the preacher himself, three of his sons as well as his brother were also arrested. Al-Hawali was taken to Riyadh, while his sons were transferred to the port city of Jeddah, the account revealed, noting that his brother was arrested in a “barbaric” manner and that his whereabouts remain unknown.
The Middle East Monitor website, meanwhile, has reported that al-Hawali was arrested following the publication of a book attributed to him, which is critical of the kingdom’s “rapprochement” towards the US, its siege of Qatar, and “internal differences” among members of the ruling Al Saud family.
http://www.newnewss.net/activists-detail-saudi-arabias-arrest-of-outspoken-scholar/
(A)
Three killed as worker opens fire at Saudi-Yemen border
Three people were killed at a Yemen border crossing when a Saudi immigration worker opened fire, killing a colleague and police officer before being shot himself, Saudi authorities said Sunday.
The 34-year-old employee of the Wadia crossing shot two of his colleagues at the frontier post on Saturday night, after they accused him of missing shifts, the Najran province administration said via Twitter.
One died instantly while another was injured and hospitalized.
The gunman went on to kill a police officer before being shot dead as he tried to flee the scene.
(A P)
Un média saoudien appelle à l’ouverture d’une ambassade israélienne à Riyad
[Saudi media calls for opening of Israeli embassy in Riyadh. Establishing diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, inviting MBS to the Knesset, abandoning the Palestinian issue in favor of the confrontation against Tehran and Ankara: these would be the keys to peace according to a Saudi editorialist]
Établir des relations diplomatiques entre l’Arabie saoudite et Israël, inviter MBS à la Knesset et abandonner la question palestinienne au profit de la confrontation contre Téhéran et Ankara : telles seraient les clés de la paix selon un éditorialiste saoudien.
« Nous serions très contents de voir une ambassade israélienne à Riyad et une ambassade saoudienne dans la capitale israélienne, Jérusalem-Ouest. » Signe de l’air du temps, dans une tribune parue le 5 juillet dans Al-Khaleeg, média en ligne saoudien, intitulée « Oui à une ambassade israélienne à Riyad », l’éditorialiste saoudien Dahame al-Anzi montre combien la normalisation des relations entre l’Arabie saoudite et Israël n’est plus un sujet tabou.
My comment: In Saudi Arabia, the press could not publish anything without approval by the government.
(* A K P)
Saudi-König verkündet Blanko-Amnestie für Verbrechen von saudischen Soldaten im Jemen-Krieg
Ein Dekret des saudischen Königs Salman hat alle Truppen, die im Jemen kämpfen, von möglichen Strafen für einige nicht genauer bezeichnete Gesetzesverstöße freigezeichnet. Der dortige Krieg ist mit besonders schweren Folgen für die Zivilbevölkerung verbunden.
Eine von der staatlichen Nachrichtenagentur Saudi-Arabiens, SPA, veröffentlichte Erklärung, die diese Blanko-Amnestie ankündigt, besagt, dass die Entbindung sich auf "alle Männer des Militärs innerhalb der bewaffneten Kräfte" erstrecke, die an der Operation "Restoring Hope" teilnehmen. "Restoring Hope" ist der amtliche Codenamen der von Riad geführten Militärkampagne im Jemen.
Das königliche Dekret wurde demnach auf der Basis diverser Berichte verkündet, die an den Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman herangetragen worden wären. Dieser ist gleichzeitig auch amtierender Verteidigungsminister des Königreichs.
Die Verfügung entlastet die an den Kriegshandlungen beteiligten Truppenangehörigen von "militärischen und disziplinarischen Strafen in Bezug auf einige Regeln und Vorschriften". Die von der SPAveröffentlichte Erklärung ging allerdings nicht spezifisch darauf ein, welche Vergehen konkret umfasst sein sollen, sondern spricht ganz allgemein davon, dass der Schritt darauf abziele, die "Heldentaten und Opfer" der Soldaten zu würdigen.
https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/72890-saudi-konig-amnestie-verbrechen-jemen/
Bemerkung: Frühere Berichte YPR 433, cp8; hier mehr Details.
(A P)
Reports: Saudi authorities have arrested a woman who hugged a male singer on stage. Yeah, modernisers of Saudi Arabia are opening cinemas and organizing entertainment events, concerts and sports, but they arrest women who dance or look at performers. Wahhabism-based modernizationI have a suggestion for Saudis: blindfold and handcuff women who go to entertainment events or ask singers and other performers to entertain people from behind curtains.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1018292958116896768
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1018298528798593024
film: https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1018189783238135808
cp9 USA
(* B P)
Map: The 193 foreign countries the NSA spies on and the 4 it doesn't [from 2014]
(* B P)
When will the Saudis learn that Trump is toxic?
Sooner or later, Trump will discard his Gulf allies too
If the penny, or cent, has not dropped by now, it never will: Donald Trump presents a greater danger to his allies than he does to his foes. He imperils America as a world power.
Gulf leaders have gambled that they can buy the service of a man such as this. Their efforts to insert themselves and their plans on the truly blank page of Trump's mind, and that of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, attempting to influence whom he hires and whom he fires, are now a matter of public record.
In successive reports by Middle East Eye, the New York Times, the New Yorker , the BBC, The Washington Post and the Associated Press, we now know from emails written by the key players of this unholy cabal, that Tom Barrack, Trump’s billionaire friend, offered to exchange inside information on top cabinet appointments with Yousef al-Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to Washington; that the Emiratis successfully lobbied to get Rex Tillerson, when US secretary of state, sacked; that Israeli, Saudi and Emirati officials pushed Trump to strike a bargain with Putin - to trade Iran's presence in Syria in exchange for lifting the sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine.
All these trades were greased by substantial amounts of money , principally in arms deals. But the money for Trump was never enough. He always came back for more, for Syria, and the latest humiliating demand for Saudi to raise oil production.
Trump's attitude to his donors is contemptuous. "They wouldn't be there except for the United States. They wouldn't last a week. We are protecting them. They have to now step up and pay for what is happening," he told French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking about Saudi Arabia.
This is not a man who repays loyalty. It's a man who tosses his closest mates under a bus
Its crystal clear, too, now that all the foreign powers who homed in on Trump, either during his election campaign or afterwards, had an agenda to which the US president was the key.
Correctly reading that America was a power in retreat, they seized on the opportunity to fill the vacuum and attempt to become the dominant regional power themselves.
The war in Yemen, the siege of Qatar, the "deal of the century" which will impose a settlement on the Palestinians without some of their fundamental, and internationally recognised rights, and finally a war against Iran are all part of the same plan, conceived and implemented by the same group of people - Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Israel.
For the Middle East, the lesson of Trump is obvious. However much you pay him, he will use you for his purposes and then discard you. Merkel has realised this. May has too: this is a man with whom you should sup with a very long spoon – by David Hearst
(* A K P)
Kuwait to host largest US aerial port in Middle East
The temporary structure will serve the Kuwaiti air force and US military
The largest US aerial port in the Middle East is set to open in Kuwait in August, the US Air Combat Command said.
"Cargo city" is almost complete and will serve as a military logistics point for the Kuwaiti Air Force and the US military.
The project cost $32 million (Dh117.5m), spans 33,000 square metres and will function as the largest air loading terminal for troops and military equipment.
The airfield is located next to Kuwait International Airport and will be used as a temporary station until its replacement, West Al Mubarak Air base, is complete in 2023.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/gcc/kuwait-to-host-largest-us-aerial-port-in-middle-east-1.750485
(* A K P)
US to open new military bases in Iraq, Kuwait: Reports
New reports says the United States will open new bases in Iraq and Kuwait in defiance of widespread calls to end its military presence in the region.
The Erbil-based BasNews reported on Friday that the US is planning to inaugurate its third military base in Iraq, near the town of al-Qa’im in western Anbar Province bordering Syria.
The report quoted a source from Anbar Province as saying that the new American facility will join the already operating US airbases in Iraq, namely Ain al-Assad in Anbar and Habbaniya, both in Anbar.
http://parstoday.com/en/news/middle_east-i89792-us_to_open_new_military_bases_in_iraq_kuwait_reports
(* A B P)
Regional Challenges Dominate U.S.-UAE Discussions During Pompeo Visit
Pompeo’s meetings on July 10 with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and other senior UAE officials were evidently warm, friendly, and cooperative, and signaled the growing strength of U.S.-UAE relations.
The length of the trip and breadth of engagement with what seems a geographically and demographically small ally involves some clear messaging about the disproportionate importance of the UAE to U.S. Middle East aims. The relationship was already deep and extensive, but since Donald J. Trump became president has grown closer on a range of issues, above all new U.S.-led efforts, strongly supported by the UAE, to increase pressure on Iran. Pompeo reportedly took the same Iranian-centered agenda to Brussels, where he arrived immediately after leaving Abu Dhabi.
The United States and the UAE have moved much closer on Iran strategy since Trump was elected, but whether the scope and range of U.S. pressure on Iran will ultimately satisfy Gulf Arab expectations, let alone achieve their goals, remains to be seen. That will be determined, to a large extent, by the U.S. approach to several key ongoing Middle East battlegrounds.
The UAE has been Saudi Arabia’s key partner in the Arab intervention in Yemen against the Houthi rebels and their allies. The United States and the UAE have been partners in a parallel campaign against al-Qaeda and other extremist groups in the southern part of the country.
It seems that the coalition views Hodeidah as the key to reducing the war-fighting and missile capabilities of the Houthis in the immediate term and, in the longer run, to negotiating with the rebels on more advantageous terms for a political solution to the Yemen conflict. Both would be welcomed by the United States, if true. Yet Abu Dhabi and Washington appear to be hesitant to take the final step, and, because of the high risks at stake, will probably only do so with mutual agreement and when all alternatives are exhausted.
http://www.agsiw.org/regional-challenges-dominate-u-s-uae-discussions-pompeo-visit/
(* B P)
Poll: Arab Views Of US Low, Support For Palestinians High
A year and a half into his presidency, Donald Trump’s two biggest beneficiaries in the Middle East have been Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
For both men, Trump has fulfilled their every wish when it comes to trying to isolate and weaken Iran.
Thus the narrative that Trump is resetting the U.S. position in the Middle East, returning it to a more traditional alliance structure after the aberration of Obama’s diplomacy with Iran and his less-than-friendly relationships with Netanyahu and the Saudis. But this narrative ignores the effect that Trump’s policies are having on the perception Arabs have of the United States. New polling from the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Qatar suggests that, instead of resetting the U.S. in the Middle East, Trump is hastening its loss of support among Arabs.
Arabs are opposed to U.S. foreign policy across a range of areas. Only six percent support U.S. policy toward Palestine and only eight percent support U.S. policy toward Israel. Nine percent of respondents supported U.S. policy toward Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that an overwhelming 84 percent of respondents see the United States either “certainly” or “to an extent” as a threat, rather than an ally.
https://lobelog.com/poll-arab-views-of-us-low-support-for-palestinians-high/
(* B H P)
The travel ban in numbers: Why families and refugees lose big
On June 16, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the 9th Circuit’s nationwide injunction against the third version of President Donald Trump’s travel ban. This ruling marks Trump’s first court victory since he issued the original travel ban back in January 2017.
Thousands now face indefinite separation from family members from the affected countries. Thousands more will be denied safe harbor from persecution.
Trump asserts the travel ban is necessary to protect national security. This claim is contested by many, including 26 retired generals and admirals, who filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the travel ban.
As a researcher who studies the effect of U.S. immigration laws and policies on human rights, I consider it important to explain the significant numeric scale of the ban’s impact on refugees and U.S. families.
Refugees and family members are not the only categories of foreign nationals from the enumerated countries in the travel ban who will be denied entry. Students, tourists, business travelers and workers will also be turned back. But refugees and family members raise the most compelling human rights and humanitarian reasons for people to care.
President Trump has reduced the levels of refugee flows into the U.S. to historic lows. This will affect all refugees. Venezuela, for example, which today reports 1.5 million refugees, is unlikely to find safe harbor for most of its refugees in this current climate.
Not unlike family immigration, the indefinite ban on temporary visas will affect the ability of nationals from all of these nations to travel to the U.S. to seek asylum.
The U.S Supreme Court’s ruling forecloses judicial oversight over much of President Trump’s immigration policies, at least those affecting the entry of foreign nationals. This includes those facing high stakes at the border: family separation or lack of safe harbor from persecution. For now, the nations included in the travel ban face an indefinite iron locked door, with no hope that their knocking will be answered.
https://theconversation.com/the-travel-ban-in-numbers-why-families-and-refugees-lose-big-99064
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A E K P)
Controversial UK arms fair begins, which will enable 'Yemen atrocities for years to come'
BAE Systems, MBDA, and Raytheon, which make combat aircraft and bombs used by Saudi forces in Yemen, will attend an international arms fair in the UK this week.
(A P)
Productive meeting with Foreign Minister al-Jubeir and Undersecretary Mirdad of Saudi Arabia @KSAmofaEN. We discussed regional issues, including the situation in Yemen. We agreed that we must find a political solution to the crisis.
https://twitter.com/AlistairBurtUK/status/1018747997683879936
Comment: If #Britain was serious about finding a political solution to the crisis in #Yemen we would obviously: #StopArmingSaudi Stop our military support for the coalition Stop frustrating diplomatic efforts to find a political solution at the UN We could probably end the war in weeks.
https://twitter.com/SamWalton/status/1018832047442407424
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A K P)
Ventes d’armes et conflit au Yémen: l’enquête bloquée
[Some 60 MPs support the creation of a commission of inquiry into the sale of French arms to the international coalition engaged in the conflict in #Yemen.
The initiative is blocked by Marielle de Sarnez, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee]
Une soixantaine de députés soutiennent une proposition de résolution pour la création d’une commission d’enquête sur les ventes d’armes françaises à la coalition internationale engagée dans le conflit au Yémen. L’initiative est bloquée par Marielle de Sarnez, la présidente de la commission des affaires étrangères, résume Amnesty international.
(A K P)
Bahrain royal makes history; Kingdom’s first female fighter pilot
Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman watched on Thursday as his granddaughter made her inaugural flight as the kingdom’s first female fighter pilot.
http://www.gulf-insider.com/bahrain-royal-makes-history-kingdoms-first-female-fighter-pilot/
My comment: A new killer for Yemen.
(B P)
UAE urges Arab nations to enter space race
The Middle East and North Africa region is catching up with the global race to space, thanks to the leadership of the UAE. As the recent Global Aerospace Summit concluded in Abu Dhabi, the region geared up to establish an Arab space organisation.
“In spite of our advanced mature space programme, we have a moral obligation, which is the vision of our leadership, to help Arab countries to set up some sort of space programmes and, at least, start thinking about space,” said Mohammed al-Ahbabi, director-general of the UAE Space Agency.
My comment: Somewhat crazy when you think of the Yemen War.
(* B P)
Gulf debacle threatens stability of Horn of Africa
The political crisis between some countries in the Gulf has had an unexpected consequence – a rush to build ports all down the Somali coast and some fear it could tear the Horn of Africa apart. After nearly 30 years of conflict and instability, Somalia is particularly vulnerable.
The disagreement between Somalia and Somaliland centres around two deals, both connected with the UAE.
The UAE is building a massive military base in Berbera. It is a highly strategic location. The US and the former Soviet Union built bases there decades ago, plus one of the continent’s longest runways, which is more than 4km (2.5 miles) long.
For the Emirates, Berbera is conveniently close to Yemen where it is part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The UAE has another military facility up the coast in Eritrea’s port town of Assab.
and
(* B P)
Beyond the Red Sea: A new driving force in the politics of the Horn
This is the first part of The Thin Red Line, an African Arguments series focusing on dynamics around the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia and UAE: a new driving force
Saudi Arabia has also begun developing its own security doctrine as US involvement in the region has diminished. Its principal fear is Iran and the possibility that it might interrupt the shipment of oil through the Straits of Hormuz to Saudi Arabia’s east. This led the Saudis to develop strategic options in the Red Sea and prepare measures to protect its southern and western flanks.
These plans include a Red Sea fleet and efforts to uproot Iran’s presence in Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia. In 2014, Saudi Arabia pressed those countries to shut down Iranian cultural missions and expel diplomats; they complied. Things then escalated in 2015 when Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (“MBS”) began military operations against the Houthi rebels in Yemen on the grounds that they were supported by Iran.
Eritrea and Sudan promptly started competing for Saudi favour. Eritrea expelled the long-standing Houthi mission in Asmara and offered up troops and bases. For Eritrea’s President Isaias Afewerki, this was a welcome escape from the country’s isolation, imposed by Ethiopia. Sudan also offered troops, ultimately supplying 7,000 paramilitaries. For Sudan’s President Omar al Bashir, Saudi patronage meant not only money but advocacy support in persuading the Americans to lift sanctions.
The UAE joined the Saudi-led coalition shortly afterwards. It soon became the senior partner in the air war on Yemen’s coastal strip and opened an air base in Eritrea’s coastal town of Assab. Meanwhile, the UAE company Dubai Ports World aggressively sought control of the ports in Berbera and Bosaso, located in the self-declared republic of Somaliland and the Somali federal state of Puntland respectively. It has also maintained a close political relationship with Egypt.
The UAE’s foreign policy is the most assertive and patronage-based of all the Middle Eastern powers. It is Salafi at home and secular abroad. The key figure is Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed (‘MBZ’) of Abu Dhabi, who is supreme commander of the armed forces and shares many of the same concerns as his Saudi counterpart.
Recently, the UAE has also found itself invested in Ethiopia as well as Eritrea.
Taking advantage of Middle Eastern interest
Today, the Horn of Africa increasingly resembles the ‘great game’ of 19th century colonial power projection as regional and world powers scramble for naval bases. But the African countries are not passive clients. They have turned their links with the Middle East to their advantage – by Alex de Waal
http://africanarguments.org/2018/07/11/beyond-red-sea-new-driving-force-politics-horn-africa/
(A E P)
Dubai’s DP World takes Djibouti to London court
In February, Djibouti terminated the contract for running the Doraleh port facility.
The firm insists that its concession agreement for the Doraleh Container Terminal (DTC) remains in force, warning that the government’s seizure of the facility does not give the right to any third party to violate the terms of the concession agreement.
Comment: Nothing can quench the thirst of the #UAE for ports to conquer/handle/manage.
This time, though #Djibouti has slammed its door to Dubai's Port Authority and it will be handled in Court
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1823365337716488
(* A E P)
Wall Street Journal: UAE supported Haftar’s scheme to seize Libya’s oil
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Friday that the United Arab Emirates officials had engaged in secret talks with the commander of the self-styled army in eastern Libya, Khalifa Haftar, seeking the UAE’s assistance in exporting Libya’s oil outside of United Nations-approved channels, which should be the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation (NOC).
The American newspaper said the attempts were aimed to sell Libyan oil though UAE companies, citing Libyan, Emirati and European officials as the source for this new episode of the UAE intervention in Libya.
(A P)
Film: At a high school ceremony, the man tells Mohammed bin Zayed - Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Dpty Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, that the girl says: "If they want me to go #Yemen I will go".
Then girl confirms her words to MbZ directly: "Where do you want to take me, take me, civilian or military. If you want me to burn Yemen, I have no problem." The problem? The Sheikh applauding hatred
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1822109254508763/
(A K P)
#RSAF AS532 Cougar CSAR helicopters at Anatolia's Phoenix 2018
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1017770860718055424
My comment: Saudi aerial killers trained by a NATO country.
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(* A P)
Saudi-Arabien droht Katar mit Militärschlag – Grund: russische Waffenkäufe
Saudi-Arabien warnte Katar, ein russisches Raketensystem zu kaufen und drohte mit einem Militärschlag gegen seinen Nachbarn, berichtete die französische Tageszeitung Le Monde.
Die Zeitung berichtete von einem Schreiben Riads an den französischen Präsidenten Emmanuel Macron, in dem das Königshaus Macron bat, Katars Rüstungsdeal, das S-400 Flugabwehrsystem von Russland zu erwerben, zu Fall zu bringen – aus Gründen der Stabilität in der Region.
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(B K P)
LAS ARMAS VENDIDAS A ARABIA SAUDI PUEDEN ESTAR ALIMENTANDO EL CONFLICTO.
España ha vendido armas a Arabia Saudípor valor de 932 millones de euros desde 2015 a junio de 2017. Este armamento podría acabar en Yemen.
https://www.oxfamintermon.org/minisites/conyemen/
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(* A K)
Der Untergang des Jemen
65 antike Orte im Jemen liegen durch Bomben und Raketenbeschüsse in Schutt und Asche, darunter auch UNESCO-Welterbestätten. Eine Ausstellung im Islamischen Museum Berlin zeigt nun Bilder des Anthropologen Trevor Marchand. Darauf ist zu sehen, welcher Schatz an Architektur durch Kriege verloren ging.
Mitten im historischen Zentrum von Sanaa klafft jetzt ein fußballfeldgroßer Krater. 65 antike Orte im Jemen wurden durch Bomben und Raketeneinschlag zerstört. Alle Museen sind geschlossen. Das Museum von Dhamar mit seinen 12.500 Objekten wurde geradezu pulverisiert. Das wunderbare Minarett in Taiz, der drittgrößten Stadt, geriet zwischen die Kriegsfronten. 18 antike Stätten, ganze Moscheen und Minarette sind durch fanatisch-religiöse Bombenattentäter, zum Teil sechzehnjährige Jungen, in die Luft gesprengt worden. Iris Gerlach vom Deutschen Archäologischen Institut in Sanaa, eine der besten Jemen-Kennerinnen:
"Wir haben einmal eine enorme Zerstörung durch Bombardements der Koalition, wir haben durch Bodenkämpfe tiefe Zerstörungen an Ruinenstätten, und wir haben Zerstörungen durch Raubgrabungen. Aber wir haben auch religiös motivierte Zerstörungen, vor allem im Hadramaut, dass man dort Heiligengräber zerstört oder auch Museen plündert, also auch religionsbedingt und nicht nur, um sich diese Schätze anzueignen. Das ist sowohl Al Qaida als auch IS."
Fotos, die jetzt schon historisch sind, allein deshalb, weil ein Teil der Bauwerke zerstört ist. Heute blicken Archäologen von außerhalb des Landes auf Satellitenbilder, die die Zerstörungen zeigen, und kartographieren sie. Iris Gerlach:
"Das DAI hat eine Liste erstellt mit allen Koordinaten von wichtigen Monumenten, archäologischen Stätten, Museen etc. und haben sie über die UNESCO an die saudische Militärkoalition geschickt. Die Antwort war: Herzlichen Dank, sie werden sich berühren, aber sie können für nichts garantieren und keine Rücksicht nehmen."
und
(* A K)
Ausstellung in Berlin: Der Untergang des Jemen
Mächtige Festungen, Turmhäuser und auf Bergspitzen gelegene Dörfer – die Architektur im Jemen ist spektakulär. Doch der Krieg droht, alles zu zerstören. Eine Ausstellung im Berliner Pergamonmuseum zeigt Fotografien der architektonischen Meisterwerke.
Überall Zerstörung
Geradezu abrasiert wurde Sanaas prominenteste Häuserzeile und hinterlässt eine klaffende Leere, ein Nichts von der Größe eines halben Fußballplatzes. 65 antike Orte im Jemen wurden durch Bomben und Raketeneinschlag zerstört. Alle Museen sind geschlossen. Das Museum von Dhamar mit seinen 12.500 Objekten wurde geradezu pulverisiert, lediglich einige Objekte konnten gerettet werden.
Ganze Moscheen und Minarette sind durch fanatisch-religiöse Bombenattentäter, zum Teil 16-jährige Jungen, in die Luft gesprengt worden. Iris Gerlach, vom Deutschen Archäologischen Institut in Sanaa, eine der besten Jemen-Kennerinnen: "Wir haben enorme Zerstörungen durch Bombardements der Koalition, wir haben durch Bodenkämpfe tiefe Zerstörungen an Ruinenstätten und wir haben Zerstörungen durch Raubgrabungen. Wir haben auch religiös motivierte Zerstörungen, dass man Heiligengräber zerstört oder auch Museen plündert, religiös bedingt, nicht nur, um sich diese Schätze anzueignen. Das ist sowohl al Qaida als auch IS."
Filme: https://www.sr.de/sr/sr2/themen/kultur/20180713_ausstelllung_jemen_islamisches_museum100.html = https://www.sr-mediathek.de/index.php?seite=7&id=63291
https://www.rbb24.de/kultur/beitrag/av7/video-pergamonmuseum-berlin-architektur-jemen.html
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
(A E P)
Central Bank of Yemen Issues a Statement About Rumors of Currency Withdrawal
The Central Bank of Yemen issued a statement denying the intention of withdrawing currencies of the Yemeni market. SMA News publishes the statement as it is:
Statement by the Press & Media Department of the Central Bank of Yemen
The Central Bank of Yemen denied the false allegations and statements concerning the issuance of any data or initiatives for the withdrawal of currencies from the Yemeni market as inferred by those illegitimate source leaks that lack credibility. The official source confirmed that all currencies issued by the Central Bank of Yemen have been fully vetted and hold legal status in the country.
http://en.smanews.org/central-bank-of-yemen-issues-a-statement-about-rumors-of-currency-withdrawal
Remark: President Hadi’s new Central Bank at Aden.
(A E)
Because of the increase of dollar price , Aden Oil company lifts fuel prices
Yemen's oil company on Saturday lifted the price of fuel at its terminals in the temporary capital of Yemen - Aden City (south of the country), and the price of one liter of petrol reached SAR 330, up from the previous price of 150 riyals.
The company's statement attributed the sudden rise to the price of the dollar, which reached 503 riyals in the city of Aden, while the central bank of Yemen failed to develop any solutions to the collapse of the local currency.
The hike came after a large crowd of car queues in front of the fuel stations in Aden.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100222
and
(A E)
Relative rise of oil derivative prices in Aden
Oil derivatives in the interim capital Aden have seen a relatively high price since Sunday morning.
The Yemeni oil company raised the price of fuel on Saturday at its stations in Aden, where the price of one liter of gasoline reached 330 riyals, up from the previous price of 15 riyals.
The sources added that the price of petrol (20 liters) rose from 6,300 riyals, which was approved by the company about a month ago, to 6,600 riyals.
Surveyed people told al-Sahwah the rise came after days of long lines of cars were seen queuing in front of petrol stations in the temporary capitl Aden and the dominance of the oil black markets in city's streets.
The rise brings a new suffering upon the citizens
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20083
(A E P)
IsDB, OECD to support capacity building in Yemen
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have signed an aide-mémoire marking the commencement of a new project to help rebuild institutional capacitates in post-conflict Yemen.
The project, “Building Institutional Capacities to Prepare for Recovery and Reconstruction in Yemen”, is being funded by the G7 Deauville Partnership Mena Transition Fund. It builds on the Government of Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference Outcomes, first adopted in 2014, which represents a roadmap to building a new Yemen whereby citizenship, justice and the rule of law are achieved in accordance with principles of good governance.
The project is being implemented by the IsDB and the OECD in close coordination with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Yemen. It aims to translate the outcomes into actionable programmes for when peace arrives in Yemen to aid the country’s recovery by focussing on building institutional capacities at the central and local level, said a statement.
http://tradearabia.com/touch/article/BANK/342783
Comment: Crazy. They need their country back and an end to war or this is purposeless.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10156843497423641
(B P)
20 million Yemenis threatened by poverty. And the salary of the Governor of the bank is equal to trump salary and more than the salaries of world presidents
A financial document attributed to the Central Bank of Yemen reveals the huge salary of the bank's governor, Mohammad Reins, in a country where 6 million people live in danger of hunger and do not afford to buy a meal, while 20 million live in poverty.
According to the document, the bank's governor's salary, 15 million and 160 thousand riyals per month, amounts to $32 thousand dollars, in time that the governor is still out of the country and since he was appointed governor of the bank failed to put any solutions to the collapse of the Yemeni riyal.
To date, there has been no comment from the bank on that document, which was passed on by bloggers and activists on social media sites, who confirmed that it was an official document (deed) issued by the bank, revealing the governor's monthly salary.
If the document is correct, the bank's governor is paid a salary equal to US President Donald Trump, 33, 000 dollars, while his salary is higher than that of the heads of the industrialized countries.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100207
My comment: Just one more signo f how corrupt this whole Hadi government is.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(* A T)
After fierce battles Al Qaeda controls the sites of ISIS in Al Baidhah
Al-Qaeda militants have taken control of the positions of Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Qifa district, following fierce fighting between the two sides since last Thursday, a local source said Saturday.
The source told the Masdar online that al-Qaeda militants had taken control of the Abel-Shahara area and a training camp in the area of El-Humidhah, and had also taken control of all positions in the areas of Dhahrah, Al Saloul, and Alskhar road.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100209
and
(* A T)
Alleged clashes between #alQaeda & #IslamicState in #Yemen: New #ISIS film of its alleged #AQAP captives in Qayfa, al-Bayda'. But are they really AQAP? Only half have beards. (This follows unconfirmed claim on 12 July by so-called Guardians of Tawheed re AQAP-ISIS lethal clashes) (photo)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1018531003722358785
and
(* A T)
The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) released a video of captured al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants in Qayfa area, northwestern al Bayda governorate, central Yemen on July 15. The video showed 12 alleged AQAP militants who spoke about clashes with ISIS after failing to stop at a checkpoint.. An AQAP-affiliated Telegram channel claimed ISIS brutally killed the AQAP militants after producing the video, reflecting their “moral failure.” It also stated that ISIS only released the video to blame AQAP for the attack.[2]
(A T)
Further tensions are appearing between #AQAP & #IslamicState in #Yemen. Yesterday a prominent Sheikh (AQAP's former judge in Ta'izz) called on the men of Qayfa, mujahidin & resistance to kill "the heart of evil, today's Kharijites, #Daesh". He justifies this with a Bukhari hadith
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1018589235128004610
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Col. Al-Malki: Houthi militias marginalize various segments of society
The spokesman of the Coalition Forces Col. Turki Al-Malki stressed that the Iran-backed Houthi militias have tampered with the capabilities of the Yemeni state and marginalized all segments of the society.
Col. Al-Malki said this at a press conference at the Armed Forces Club in Riyadh, which was attended by a number of Sheikhs (tribal leaders) of Saadah tribes, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Monday.
Col. Al-Malki said that everyone knows and has seen the violations committed by Houthi militias every day against the Yemeni people, adding that there is a public rejection of the sabotage and sectarian acts being committed by Houthi militias.
For his part, Sheikh Abdulkhaliq Bishr said that despite the passage of more than a decade and a half of the conflict with the Iranian militias, the people of Saadah Province are still making all kinds of sacrifices, pointing out that Saadah is resisting so as to preserve its Arabism and reject Iranian interference.
Sheikh Bishr paid tribute to the heroes of the Yemeni National Army and the supporting forces of the Coalition for their sacrifices, urging the legitimate elected government represented by President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi as well as the Coalition supporting the legitimacy to continue the battle to liberate the Saadah Province and Yemen.
Col. Al-Malki said that Gen. Prince Fahd Bin Turki Bin Abdulaziz, commander of the Joint Forces, had met with the Sheikhs of Saadah to discuss many issues of interest to the people of Saadah Province and to set up a mechanism for communication with the Joint Forces.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/539185/SAUDI-ARABIA/Col-Al-Malki-Houthi-militias-marginalize-various-segments-of-society and also https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1333491/arab-coalition-houthis-yemen-have-marginalized-segments-society
and
(A P)
Tribal leaders from Saada demand the Saudi-led coalition continue military operations in Yemen
Condemning Iranian interference in Yemen and its support for the Houthi militia, tribal leaders of Yemen's Saada province expressed their unflinching support to the Arab military coalition seeking to restore the legitimate government in the war-torn country.
The Yemeni tribal chiefs attended the coalition press conference in Riyadh on Monday to convey a message to the world on behalf of the inhabitants of Saada province and the Yemenis in general.
“Saada region is an extension of the Arab tribes — a fact that strengthens our fraternal bonds,” said Fahad Al-Sharafy, a tribal leader.
He said Iran is bent on destroying these ties and is making efforts to drive a wedge between Arab countries using its proxies.
“The sons of Saada have always opposed Iranian designs. For a decade, we resisted Iran and offered stiff resistance,” he said.
Al-Sharafy categorically said Saada does not belong to the Iranian-backed Houthis.
“Saada does not follow a certain sect. Saada is for all of Yemen. Today, we stand hand-in-hand with our brothers from the coalition,” he said.
Abdul Khalek Bishr, another tribal leader, said “the sons of Saada’s governorate still raise the banners of sacrifice and struggle against the Iranian-backed militia, which has lasted more than a decade and half until now.”
“We appeal to our legitimate government and the coalition to continue the battle for Saada’s liberation.”
“We have opposed and resisted for years. The Iranian militia does not represent us and we do not accept the Persian interference,” he added.
Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki denied signing of a formal agreement with the tribal elders. He called it mutual cooperation that is necessary for “post-military operations.”
Al-Maliki said the Houthis are trying to portray the Arab military alliance as an occupying force. “Through effective communication, we wish to dispel this wrong image.” Al-Sharafy said the tribal leaders of Saada have agreed on a mechanism with their brothers in the coalition.
“Our message is that we are coming in peace, and for the reconstruction of buildings and the coexistence of all groups in Saada,” he said.
Al-Sharafy told Arab News that people of Saada had become used to the war before the intervention of the Arab coalition.
He said: “We stand by the coalition and resist all anti-Yemen forces.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1339821/saudi-arabia
and
(A P)
Elders of Sa'dah: Al-Houthi does not represent the province and we resist to eradicate them
Elders from Sa'dah Governorate said that the al-Houthi militias do not represent the province, which rejects Iran's agenda, stressing that the Sa'dah is the most affected by the coup guerrillas.
A joint press conference was held Monday in Riyadh with the spokesman of the Arab Alliance forces, Col. Turki al-Maliki.
“The Sons of Sa'dah Governorate still carry the brigade of sacrifice and struggle despite a decade and a half of conflict with the Iranian militia," said Sheikh Abdel Khaleq Fayez Beshr in his intervention.
"Forced displacement and the confiscation of rights and property all did not and will not deter us from our legitimate struggle and stand before the whole world to say the sa'dah of its children," he said. sa'dah resists remaining on her orbit. They are not represented by Iranian militias and do not accept the Persian intervention and are not represented by Iran's agenda, which has transformed it as a tool of murder, criminality, disturbing and neighborliness. "According to Sky News.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100272
My comment: What an odd propaganda. Saada province has been destroyed by Saudi coalition air raids more than any other part of Yemen. Certainly nowhere it’s a problem to find two idiots for parroting exactly your propaganda parols.
(A P)
Colonel Al-Maliki: Houthi Militias Tamper with Yemen's Capabilities and Marginalize various Society Segments
Spokesman of Coalition Forces Colonel Turki Al-Maliki stressed that Iran-backed Houthi militia has tampered with the capabilities of the Yemeni state, and marginalized all segments of the society.
This came during a press conference held by Colonel Al-Maliki at the Armed Forces Club in Riyadh, which was attended by a number of Sheiks (tribal leaders) of Saada tribes.
Colonel Al-Maliki said that everyone observes the violations committed by Houthi militias every day against the Yemeni people, adding that there is a public rejection of the sabotage and sectarian acts being committed by Houthi militias.
For his part, Sheikh Abdulkhaliq Bishr said that despite the passage of more than a decade and a half of the conflict with the Iranian militias, the people of Saada province are still presenting all kinds of sacrifices, pointing out that Saada is resisting to maintain its Arabism and rejecting the Iranian interference.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1785478
(B P)
Breaking Houthi Military Morale is Key to the Political Solution
Yemen is suffering on a daily basis from these Houthi actions, which, honestly, we are not surprised with from a terrorist militia. We would be surprised if it did not commit them given that its actions do not differ from al-Qaeda and terror groups in Syria, Iraq and Libya.
Efforts have been ongoing to search for a political solution in Yemen and Arab coalition members have given the UN envoy a new chance to stop the military operations on the basis that he be able to hold dialogue with the Houthis to persuade them to completely withdraw from Hodeidah. The Houthis had repeatedly refused to meet with him, but this all suddenly changed when the coalition and national Yemeni army made advances in liberating Hodeidah city. The Houthis promptly informed the envoy that they agree to place the port under UN supervision, a demand the militias have been rejecting for three years.
This confirms, based on past experience, that the Houthis consent to returning to political dialogue only when their military losses become too great. This is a temporary measure that would allow them to regroup. They will ultimately end up reneging on all agreements when they feel that they have made gains on the ground. The Arab coalition and Yemeni army are well aware of this and they will not be deceived again.
It is true that the doors for the political solution will always remain open until the UN envoy succeeds in convincing the militias to make real concessions that can ease the people’s suffering and end the war based on international resolutions
My comment: And so on. What this propaganda article simply shows: “Peace” is no real option, just “victory” is, whether by military means or achieving the goal of pushing back the enemy by political means.
(B E P)
Exchangers in Yemen are being imprisoned and blackmailed
“The al-Houthi militia, following the capture of Sanaa and the control of the Central Bank of Yemen, and the confiscation of the Government's monetary reserve has created a parallel financial market for the Yemeni banking system, thus becoming the sole controller of the monetary movement In the country. According to an expert in financial matters Dr.Mohammed Zoubah.
A group of new exchangers who own the government's financial stock after being distributed to them by al-Houthi group are manipulating heavily in the purchasing power of the Yemeni riyal, which led to its devaluation as a result of the absence of a formal, controlled and known legal financial cover, and also because of the absence International supervision of the Government banking entity represented by the Central Bank of Yemen, thus the result was a decrease in the Yemeni riyal credit capacity at the international level in conjunction with the absence of clear foreign exchange earnings.
According to Zoubah, in addition to the influence of certain people on al-Houthi, extortion of money-changers and the effects of the matter on the Yemeni market, the market parallel to the banking business in a severe crisis led to the destruction of the state's monetary movement in general and a significant reduction in the purchasing power of the Yemeni riyal.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100237
My comment: Blaming the Houthis for the downfall of the Yemeni currency is quite odd – this decline is due to the destruction of the Yemeni economy by the war, and the Hadi government’s manipulation of the Central Bank by founding a second central Bank at Aden for political reasons.
(A P)
Citizens of Al-Hodeida Appreciate the Bravery of Southern Giants Brigades
Citizens of directorates of Al-Hodeida Yemeni governorate liberated from Al-Houthi militias, expressed their appreciation of the significant role of southern giants’ brigades and their bravery in defeating Al-Houthis. Citizens appreciated the security role of giants brigades and Arab Coalition troops in the liberated territories as the troops work on securing every liberated area and delivering aids to it.
Citizens of Heis said: We thank the southern giants troops who sacrificed their lives for liberating Al-Hodeida that suffered from the vicious acts of Al-Houthis for long till southern giants troops defeated them and are still fighting in a very brave way for final victory.
http://en.smanews.org/citizens-of-al-hodeida-appreciate-the-bravery-of-southern-giants-brigades
My comment: By Southern separatists, praising UAE-backed pro-separatist militia.
(A P)
Reactions Blasting Houthi Militia Looting of Humanitarian Aid, to Yemeni People, Continue
Yemeni scholars and advocates continued to denounce and condemn the Houthi terrorist militias, for looting humanitarian aid, calling it aggressive criminal behavior.
The official spokesman for the Yemen Scholars Association Mohammad al-Hazmi said that the Houthi militia has established several affiliated organizations in areas under their control and linked them with international relief organizations, in order to seize aid without distributing it to the beneficiaries.
Al-Hazmi called on international relief organizations not to hand over aid to the Houthi militia organizations.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1784817
My comment: By Saudi Press Agency. Propaganda for justifying the assault against Hodeidah.
(A P)
Gerald Feierstein, ex-US ambassador to Yemen: The Saleh family allied with the Houthis to bring this conflict down on Yemen. The Houthis bear responsibility for what has befallen the Yemenis but the Salehs are equally guilty.
https://twitter.com/j_feierstein/status/1018159389767761921
Haykal Bafana: And of course, we are supposed to simply believe that ONLY fresh air and bright sunshine stream forth from American and Saudi backsides, and that neither US nor KSA bear ANY responsibility for tens of thousands of Yemen civilians killed by Saleh & Houthi airstrikes.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1018172644238282752
F: I know you’re desperate to whitewash the Salehs’ role in this. But AAS started plotting against the transition the day he walked out of the Pres. Palace. No matter what else happened, the blood from this war is on the Saleh family’s hands.
https://twitter.com/j_feierstein/status/1018176079717072897
B: To plot and plan is what every politician does, including Ali Abdullah Saleh. It is called politics. But what killed over 10,000 Yemeni civilians are your American Saudi-manned airstrikes in Yemen. That Yemeni blood is on you and the American government you represent. Not Saleh.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1018177294735761409
F: I don’t know what universe you live in but plotting to undermine governments, destroy infrastructure, and mount coups d’etat is not called politics in any normal place. It’s called treason
https://twitter.com/j_feierstein/status/1018178873308123136
B: This "government" which cannot even stop Yemeni shit & piss from bubbling up from the sewers into Aden's streets daily, allows US-Emirati spitfire barbeques of southerners : THEY are the US-aided, 1-candidate election, "Yes, massa" coup d'etat of the Republic of Yemen.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1018180728708792320
(A P)
Yemeni diplomat: Houthis targeted international maritime routes through Hodeidah port
The Houthi militia turned the port of Hodeidah into a military operations platform and a focal point for smuggling weapons, Yemen’s ambassador to Moscow said on Saturday, according to Saudi state-news channel Al-Ekhbariya.
Ambassador Ahmad Al-Wahishi said that the base targeted international shipping routes and humanitarian aid ships.
During a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bejdanov, the ambassador said that the Yemeni government is keen to end civilian suffering in Hodeidah, adding that “the government and the Arab coalition are abiding international law while the militia keep planting land and sea mines.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1338661/middle-east
My comment: This propaganda to justify the assault against Hodeidah is repeated again and again: The Houthis misuse Hodeidah, and thus the city must get inti our control. The whole arguments are twisted. Why a base of the Saada government’s Yemeni navy should be a detestable matter? From there, “international shipping routes and humanitarian aid ships“ never had been targeted. Targets attacked from there had been saudi coalition and US warships threatening the Yemeni coast line. – “the government and the Arab coalition are abiding international law while the militia keep planting land and sea mines” is a bad propaganda joke when looking at Saudi coalition air raids.
(A P)
Eryani to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Planting Mines Without Maps
Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that one of the greatest crimes committed in Yemen by the Houthi insurgents is the sporadic planting of landmines.
“Yemen will face a big problem in the coming years” as a result of the crimes committed by the Houthis, he said.
Al-Eryani said the second visit of UN envoy Martin Griffiths to the temporary capital Aden and his meeting with President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi reflects the ethical responsibility practiced by the legitimate leadership in dealing with the international efforts on a peaceful political settlement in Yemen based on the three basic references represented by the Gulf Initiative and its executive mechanisms, the outcomes of the comprehensive national dialogue and Security Council resolutions in support of legitimacy.
Asked about guarantees provided by the Houthis on their willingness to withdraw from the port city, the minister said that in the past, rebels had rejected the idea of meeting with the UN envoy.
My comment: More propaganda. Eryani seems to take it as an evident value that the Houthis must withdraw from Hodeidah. And according to Eryani, the only purpose of the UN envoy’s efforts seems to be to force the Houthi to capitulate and submit. – The claim that “rebels had rejected the idea of meeting with the UN envoy“ is a lie: They had rejected to meet the former envoy Ould Sheikh because they demanded he should be replaced because of his bias in favour of the Saudi coalition. This allegation had been fully true.
(A P)
Drawing on Past Lessons for Lasting Peace in Yemen
The Houthi militia’s track record of betrayal and broken promises shows that it only calls for negotiations and is willing to discuss compromises when the group is at a disadvantage. These negotiations allow the group’s fighters to catch their breath, reposition themselves, and launch a new round of violence. Thus, we ought to learn from the past and avoid repeating the same terrible mistakes that have hindered the Yemeni people’s dream for a civil, democratic, and pluralistic country.
While new talks appear to be in the pipeline, in light of the Houthi militia's political ideology, which is based on their absolute faith in the sanctity of their leader and his divine right to rule, it is unlikely that they are truly willing to cooperate. The Houthi militia's ideology endorses the transformation of Yemen into a nation in which imams, rather law and order, are sacred, and shuns the democratic path that the Republic of Yemen has followed since its founding on May 22, 1990.
The United States and the international community have refrained from labeling the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization in the same way that they have the Islamic State. The reason for this appears to be the assumption that the group operates similarly to a political party, and thus could be a potential political partner under the right circumstances.
In reality, the Houthi militia is a doctrinal and ideologically driven combatant group that operates as an Iranian proxy, helping Teheran expand its influence in the region. This group strives to upset security in the Gulf and threaten international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important trade routes.
As such, it would be a mistake to engage in peace treaty negotiations without addressing Houthi disarmament. Such negotiations will not serve the interests of the Yemeni people, nor achieve their broader goal of ending the coup and mitigating its repercussions. Instead, any talk of peace that does not call for the Houthi militia to discard their means of violence and coercion will only prolong the conflict and delay our nation’s ability to confront its hardships in a productive manner.
My comment: A propaganda roundup by the Hadi government’s foreign minister. This should show why there should be no peace with the Houthis, just submission. Thus, there should not be peace, but more war.
(A P)
More Saudi / UAE “We are benefactors” propaganda
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1340086/saudi-arabia
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100239
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1784940
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1784929
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/erc-distributes-food-baskets-villages-abyan-yemen
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids day by day
(* A K pH)
7 civilians killed, 6 injured in 12 Saudi-led airstrikes on Hodeidah
At least seven civilians were killed and six others wounded on Monday in 12 airstrikes by Saudi-led aggression coalition on several areas in Hodeidah province, a local official told Saba.
An airstrike hit a citizen's home in Zabid district, killing six people, including women and children.
A citizen was killed and five others were wounded when the aggression warplanes targeted several vehicles, including a passenger bus, in al-Jarrahi district.
Two airstrikes hit a stone crusher in Bajel district
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502157.htm
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1853462788283040 = https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2348102798548294&set=pcb.2348106215214619&type=3&theater = http://www.newnewss.net/the-us-ksa-jets-committed-war-crimes-in-yemens-hodeida-16-july-2018/
Film: https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1018922935283798016 = https://twitter.com/A_mtrz/status/1018914800997367808
and how Saudi coalition propaganda puts it:
(A K pS)
Arab coalition fighters carry out intensive raids on the sites of Hodeidah
On Monday, coalition fighters launched raids targeting the al-Houthi militia positions in Hodeidah.
Residents said to" Almasdar online " said that Arab coalition fighters launched four raids on the al-Houthi positions on the Kamran island in the district of Saleef in Hodeidah.
A raid was also carried out on two Houthis vehicles in Zabeed district, southeast of the city.
It was reported that two civilians were killed and wounded in the raid, in addition to casualties in another raid in the AL jarahi district, but that information could not be confirmed.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100276
(* B K)
Cluster Bombs Violate Laws of War But Saudi-Led Coalition Still Uses Them
Throughout the devastating Yemeni conflict, the Saudi-led coalition has insisted that it takes care to avoid endangering civilians during its bombardment of Houthi rebels. But the coalition’s obedience to the laws of war been repeatedly found wanting by international legal experts, who see little evidence of attempts to distinguish between civilians and military targets.
Legal opinions are disputable. But the coalition makes its case much harder to argue when it continues to use weapons that are indiscriminately deadly by design. The repeated use of these munitions suggests that cornerstones of international humanitarian law, which demand distinction between civilians and armed combatants, are being violated as a matter of routine, or perhaps even by design.
Saudi military representatives, when caught using cluster munitions in the past, have tried insinuating that it was a temporary misconduct that they will not repeat. But again and again, cluster munitions resurface, and the munitions’ origins reveal a variety of different international manufacturers. It seems the coalition have every intention to keep using these weapons despite full knowledge of the risks they present to civilians, and that they seek out new stockists when old ones dry up.
More recent coalition uses of cluster bombs in Yemen from other stockists have answered that question. They are not only from American made stocks. Rasha Abdul Rahim from Amnesty International said:
“Our investigations have shown continued uses of cluster munitions. As recently as last year, we investigated the use of Brazilian manufactured cluster munitions on the city of Sa’da. Therefore, Asiri’s comments may be interpreted to refer to the use of British manufactured cluster munitions in specific. But the coalition did not cease the use of cluster munitions overall.”
It is impossible to take any of the Saudi-led coalitions’ claims of concern for the civilian population of Yemen seriously so long as cluster munitions continue to be used. The coalition’s supporters tend to riposte by pointing to the Houthi rebels own grim human rights record, and use of anti-personnel landmines.
No one should deny or defend the Houthi’s own crimes. But if the coalition is claiming to intervene on behalf of legitimate state power, then it needs to have the moral high ground. And right now, it isn’t even close.
(* A K pH)
Report :6 civilians killed in 47 Saudi-led air strikes, missile attack over 48 hours
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502064.htm
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502036.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression’s Daily Update for Saturday, July 14, 2018
Six civilians were killed and five others wounded in 47 Saudi-led aggression coalition air strikes and missile attack on Yemeni provinces over the past 48 hours, an official told Saba on Sunday.
In Hodeidah province, five citizens were killed and two others wounded in 17 Saudi-led air strikes on Zabaid and al-Duriehmie and al-Hali districts.
In Mawait province, a citizen was killed and two others injured in two air strikes of the coalition on a farm of the citizen in Malhan district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1644&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Child injured in bomb blast in Saada
A child was injured on Saturday in a cluster bomb blast in Saada province, an official told Saba.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501995.htm
(A K pH)
Aggression’s Daily Update for Friday, July 13, 2018
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=1626&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Civilian killed, 2 injured in 2 Saudi-led airstrikes on Mahweet
A civilian was killed and two were injured on Friday in the two airstrikes which launched by the US-backed Saudi-led coalition warplanes on Mahweet province, an official told Saba News Agency.
The airstrikes targeted Malhan district
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501849.htm
(A K pH)
Saudi-led airstrike hits tanker in Saada
The US-backed Saudi-led coalition aggressionon Friday lunched an airstrike on Saada province, an official told Saba News Agency.
The air strike hit a cement tanker in Aal-Ammar area of Safra district
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501851.htm
photos: https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1018200482689552385
(A K pH)
3 civilians killed in Saudi-led airstrike on Hodeidah
Three civilians were killed and two injured when the US-backed Saudi-led coalition aggression warplane on Friday launched a strike on Hodeidah province, an official told Saba News Agency.
The airstrike targeted a civilian’s farm in Badawah area of Zabid district
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501814.htm
(* A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air strikes recorded on:
July 16:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502106.htm Hodeidah p.
July 15:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news502053.htm Sanaa p.
July 14:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501994.htm Hodeidah p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501957.htmal-Majda'a school, al-Dhaher district, Saada p.
July 13:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501869.htm Nehm, Sanaa p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501813.htm and http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501853.htm Najran, KSA
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501812.htm and http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501854.htm Saada p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(* A K pH)
Saudi shelling kills 3 children, injures two others in northwestern Yemen
At least three children have lost their lives when Saudi artillery units launched an indiscriminate attack against a residential area in Yemen’s mountainous northwestern province of Sa’ada as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its devastating military campaign against its impoverished southern neighbor.
Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that the artillery rounds slammed into an area in the Shada'a district of the province, located 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of the capital Sana'a, on Monday afternoon, leaving three children dead and two others injured.
(* A K)
Saudi Arabia says 3 wounded in projectile attack from Yemen
Saudi Arabia says three civilians, including a 10-year old child, were wounded when a projectile fired by Yemen's Shiite rebels struck the kingdom's southwest border region of Jizan.
Saudi civil defense spokesman, Lt. Col. Yahia al-Kahtani said on Monday that the attack by the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, took place late on Sunday night and targeted the city of al-Aridha.
Al-Kahtani did not identify the type of projectile used.
He says the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-5958351/Saudi-Arabia-says-3-wounded-projectile-attack-Yemen.html and also https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/7/16/three-injured-in-saudi-arabia-following-yemen-projectile-attack
(* A K pS)
Five civilians, including two children, killed by Houthi rocket in Yemen
Five civilians, including two children, were killed in Yemen when a rocket launched by the Houthi rebels hit a wedding celebration in the Al Hazem district in the centre of Al Jawf province.
Tariq Razzaz, an Al Jawf-based journalist for Aden TV, said that the Houthi rebels intentionally targeted the all-female party with a Katyusha missile. At least 10 women were injured.
“Three women and two children were killed,” he told The National.
“The wedding quickly turned from a celebration to a funeral, sparking a wave of anger among the residents.
http://almasdaronline.com/article/100261 (photo)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1018896221832871936 (photos)
(A K pS)
The Army Forces have found a network of sophisticated #explosive devices in a number of areas in al-Qabaidhah front in the province of Lahj. The demining teams were able to dismantle them after liberating those areas from the #Houthi militia. (photos)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1018256994367655937
(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.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-20020
(* A K pH)
Short-range ballistic missile hits Saudi camp in Najran
The missile force of the army and popular committees fired on Saturday a short-range ballistic missile toward the Saudi National Guard camp in Najran region, a military official told Saba.
The missile hit its target and a loud explosion was heard in the camp, the official added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news501906.htm
and
(* A K pH)
Yemeni ballistic missile pounds Saudi National Guards camp
Yemeni army forces, supported by allied fighters from the Houthi Ansarullah movement and those from Popular Committees, have fired a domestically designed and developed ballistic missile at a military camp in Saudi Arabia’s southern border region of Najran in retaliation for the Riyadh regime’s campaign against the impoverished country.
Yemen's official Saba news agency, citing an unnamed military official, said the short-range missile was launched at Saudi National Guards camp on Saturday, adding that the projectile hit its designated target with great precision.
There were no immediate reports of possible casualties or the extent of damage.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/07/14/568105/Yemen-missile-Najran
and
(* A K)
Saudi Arabia intercepts Yemen rebel missile
The ballistic missile was fired from the northern Yemeni province of Saada
Saudi Arabia on Saturday intercepted a missile fired from militia-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, where a Riyadh-led Coalition is fighting Al Houthi insurgents, state media said.
A coalition statement published by the state-run SPA news agency said the ballistic missile had been fired from the northern Yemeni province of Saada towards the southern Saudi city of Najran. No casualties were reported.
https://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/saudi-arabia-intercepts-yemen-rebel-missile-1.2251443
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(* B H)
British schoolgirl, 14, destined for Oxford forced into marriage and raped by man twice her age on wedding night
Hawaa was duped by her own parents into becoming a child bride when she was a teenager - but managed to escape 13 years later
When Hawaa Ayoub turned 14, she was dragged screaming to her own marriage and raped on her wedding night by a man 16 years older than her, who she did not know.
Hawaa, who is now 42, tells of how she went from being a prize student destined for Oxford or Cambridge, to being imprisoned in a primitive mountainous region of the Yemen, without electricity or running water.
Fighting back tears, Hawaa recalled the 13 nightmare years she spent in her forced marriage.
Hawaa was brought up in Wales and was taken on what she believed was a family holiday to the land of her parents in the Arab Peninsula state.
She had three children with her husband, but her marriage was considered illegal even in Yemen, where 15 is the minimum age to wed.
Luckily, the mother-of three escaped after 13 years and is now living in Wolverhampton.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/british-schoolgirl-14-destined-oxford-12925384
(* A)
Starkes Erdbeben vor der Küste von Jemen - keine Tsunami-Warnung
Ein Erdbeben der Stärke 6,2 vor der Küste von Jemen hat die Region erschüttert, wie die amerikanische Behörde U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) berichtete. Laut dem Deutschen Geoforschungszentrum (GFZ) in Potsdam hatte das Beben eine Stärke von 5,6 und ereignete sich in relativ geringer Tiefe von zehn Kilometern.
Das Beben passierte 213 Kilometer nordwestlich der Insel Socotra im Golf von Aden. Es wurde keine Tsunami-Warnung herausgegeben. Bisher gibt es keine Angaben zu Schäden oder Opfern.
https://www.nzz.ch/panorama/starkes-erdbeben-vor-der-kueste-von-jemen-ld.1403663
(* A)
Earthquake of 6.2 magnitude strikes off Yemen
An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude struck off Yemen on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported, but there were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties.
The quake struck 213 km northwest of Socotra island in the Gulf of Aden. There was no immediate no tsunami warning.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-433-yemen-war-mosaic-433
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-433 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-433:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
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