... Erinnerung an den Luftangriff auf Trauergesellschaft von 2016 – Die Rolle der Emirate im Jemen – Die Hadi-Regierung widersetzt sich der Besetzung und Teilung des Landes durch die Emirate – Der Verfall von Jemens Rial – Die USA und Kriegsverbrechen im Jemen – und mehr
Verschwinden und wahrscheinliche Ermordung von Jamal Khashoggi: Es folgt später eine eigene Pressezusammenstellung hierzu
October 11, 2018: Yemen, the forgotten war – Shocking photos of starving children – Situation of pupils – Strategies of the Coalition: Aerial bombardment and food war – Commemorating the 2016 Funeral Hall air raid – The role of the Emirates in Yemen – The Hadi government opposes UAE occupating and dividing the country – Collapse of Yemeni rial – The US and war crimes in Yemen – and more
Disappearance and probable murder of Jamal Khashoggi: There will be a separate Press Review later
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13 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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H K)
Film: Jemen: Der vergessene Krieg
Ein Film gegen die Ignoranz des Westens
Dass im Jemen ein brutaler Krieg stattfindet, ist im Westen kaum ein Thema. Zwei Schweizer Filmemacher sind nun in das arabische Land gereist, um den Menschen vor Ort eine Stimme zu geben.
Die beiden Schweizer Filmemacher Pascal Weber und Marine Pradel hatten es sich daher zur Aufgabe gemacht, in das kriegsgebeutelte Land zu reisen, um vor Ort von der (laut offiziellen Angaben der UN) weltweit grössten humanitären Katastrophe zu berichten. Der Zugang wurde ihnen zwölf Monate lang verwehrt, doch ihre Hartnäckigkeit sollte sich auszahlen. Schlussendlich erhielten sie die Erlaubnis und begaben sich auf die riskante Reise in den Süden des Landes. SRF 1 zeigt ihr erschütterndes filmisches Dokument «Jemen - Der vergessene Krieg» zu später Stunde.
Die Reportage «Jemen - Der vergessene Krieg» gibt diesen Leuten nun eine Stimme und sorgt dafür, dass sie nicht nur blosse Zahlen in einer Statistik sind. Unter anderem porträtiert der Regisseur und Reporter gemeinsam mit seiner Kamerafrau die Menschen in den Flüchtlingslagern, aber auch einige Stammeskämpfer auf dem Weg in den Kampf und sogar den gerade mal drei Monate alten Mohammed. Er leidet unter einer Fehlbildung, die mit einem kleinen operativen Eingriff behoben werden könnte. Doch im Spital in Aden ist diese lebensnotwendige OP derzeit nicht durchführbar...
Es ist ein Schlag in die Magengrube, wenn einer der jungen Jemeniten über seine Heimat sagt, sie sei «elend, verwüstet, und ein hoffnungsloser Fall.» Doch den beiden Filmemachern und Journalisten gelingt es auch, das kostbarste Gut aufrechtzuerhalten - die Hoffnung. So sagt das zwölfjährige Mädchen Noor: «Ich will Architektin werden und mein Land wiederaufbauen!» Eine Aussage, die zeigt: Der Jemen ist noch nicht verloren.
Im Jemen tobt ein Krieg, über den der Westen kaum etwas erfährt. Grosse Teile des Landes liegen in Schutt und Asche, die humanitäre Situation wird von Experten als zunehmend katastrophal bezeichnet. Westliche Journalisten schaffen es kaum, aus dem Land zu berichten. Eine Reportage von Pascal Weber.
Mit Swisscom TV Replay können Sie die Sendung bis zu sieben Tage nach der Ausstrahlung anschauen.
https://tvair.swisscom.ch/details/tv/single/Jemen-id-t0399c42a662cf07
https://www.bluewin.ch/de/entertainment/tv/ein-film-gegen-die-ignoranz-des-westens-157841.html
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Shocking images of starving children show reality of the war in Yemen
Shocking images have laid bare the horrific realities of the civil war in Yemen, which has now been raging for almost four years.
In government-held Daleh, medics at Nasr Hospital are desperately looking for ways to treat patients – most of whom have not yet learned to read, tie their shoelaces or even walk – as supplies dwindle and hunger spreads.
A sign outside Nasr Hospital reads ‘funded by the World Health Organization’. The hospital is a lifeline for three provinces with a combined population of more than 1.5 million.
‘We take cases from Daleh as well as Ibb and Lahaj,’ Hassan said. ‘Most cases we receive are malnourished children. We get three to four cases a day. The ward is always full. It’s full right now. ‘We are in desperate need of medical supplies. ‘We need orthopaedic equipment, and everyone says they’re trying – the government coalition and other sides – and yet we haven’t gotten supplies yet.’
Dr. Ayman Shayef, head of the emergency room at Nasr hospital, says three to four children die under his watch every week of preventable causes, mainly linked to neo-natal care. ‘We have serious issues with the total absence of pre-natal care and the inability to open an obstetrics department,’ Shayef said (photos)
(** B H)
Feature: Poverty-stricken Yemeni pupils struggle to continue schooling amid years of devastating war
In a public elementary school in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, more than 200 pupils crammed inside a small classroom that normally accommodated no more than 20 students.
Wearing ragged green uniforms and shabby shoes, these students only had several broken chairs to share, as most of them had to sit on the bare cold ground.
More late students, aged between seven and 13, were still arriving in the early chilly winter morning, most of whom came barefoot.
Some of the students carried one notebook and some did not have money to buy a single pencil. Hundreds of them even did not afford a school bag.
Omar Mukhtar al-Hashedi, a 12-year-old sixth grade student at 26 September School in downtown Sanaa, said his father lost his job because of the war and deteriorating economy.
"We do not own a house, and my father has to wash cars in the streets in order to pay rent for our small apartment," Omar told Xinhua.
"He has no money to buy me a pen or a bag," he said
According to recent UNICEF figures, 2 million children have dropped out of school since the conflict in Yemen escalated in early 2015.
Meanwhile, almost three quarters of public school teachers have remained unpaid for more than two years, putting the education of 4.5 million children at grave risk.
More than 2,500 schools have been damaged or destroyed, while others are now used as shelters for the displaced or as bases of armed groups.
Ahmed Abdulhadi al-Soufi, manager of the state 26 September School, told Xinhua that the number of students is decreasing day by day.
"Like thousands of teachers, I haven't been paid for more than two years. Many teachers quit the job because they have to work on anything else to earn income to feed their families," he said.
"We still have a very few number of teachers to teach without pay, but several classrooms remain for hours everyday without a teacher and students wait and wait and leave," the school manager lamented.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-10/11/c_137523876.htm
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Tufts University: Strategies of the Coalition in the Yemen War: Aerial bombardment and food war
Report by Martha Mundy distributed by the World Peace Foundation documents patterns of Coalition targeting of civilian, agricultural and fishing sites.
The World Peace Foundation at The Fletcher School (Tufts University) has published a report by Professor Martha Mundy, The Strategies of the Coalition in the Yemen War,” that provides comprehensive analysis of patterns of targeting civilian, agricultural and fishing sites by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the on-going Yemen war. The Coalition is backing the internationally recognized government of Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, in the war against the “Houthi rebels” – the “Salvation/Rescue Government” of Ansarallah and its allies based in Sana’a. The war has brought Yemen to the brink of famine, with an estimated 22 million people in need of food aid.
The Report offers unique data and graphics documenting:
The pattern of aerial bombardment across the duration of the armed conflict, including information about: the proportion of military, civilian and unknown targets; and the timeline, frequency, and location of targeting;
The pattern of targeting agricultural sites in Yemen: displayed over time and across governorates, the types of agricultural sites targeted, and the frequency of targeting;
The systematic pattern of targeting fishermen, boats and installations.
The report presents data collected by several organizations within Yemen: the civil society organization, the Yemen Data Project, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MAI), and the Ministry of Fish Wealth (MFW). Together, the data detail the overall levels of targeting civilian, military and unknown sites (2015 – 2018); the systematic targeting of agricultural areas including the character of the site, and the frequency and timeline of targeting (2015 – 2016). The Report also documents the killing of fishermen along the Yemeni Red Sea coast, destruction of boats and infrastructure required to support small-scale fishing (2015 – 2017) that otherwise could provide life-saving food for a civilian population on the brink of famine.
“This report gives an overview not available elsewhere of the impact of the Coalition bombing campaign on food production and distribution in rural Yemen and on fishing along the Red Sea coast. The timing of its release appears opportune. Press coverage of this forgotten war has increased; there is some diplomatic and political movement; and the report on human rights violations during the Yemen war, prepared under the aegis of the Group of Eminent Experts, has been submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Warnings of the risk of mass starvation echo ever more shrilly… It is high time that citizens, parliamentarians and civil organisations to do all they can to end a conflict now well into its fourth year. […]
If one places the damage to the resources of food producers (farmers, herders, and fishers) alongside the targeting of food processing, storage and transport in urban areas and the wider economic war, there is strong evidence that Coalition strategy has aimed to destroy food production and distribution in the areas under the control of Sanʿaʾ. As described above, from the autumn of 2016, economic war has compounded physical destruction to create a mass failure in basic livelihoods.
Deliberate destruction of family farming and artisanal fishing is a war crime. Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United Kingdom and France are signatories to the 1977 Protocol I additional to the Geneva Conventions, which gives the fullest statement in International Humanitarian Law on the protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.”
“The increased risk of famine globally today, after decades of decline, is a result of the pursuit of military objectives and political priorities without any regard to human suffering,” said Alex de Waal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation. “Today, starvation is being inflicted on people in South Sudan, northern Nigeria, Syria, and Yemen . Yemen poses a particularly acute challenge for the United States and United Kingdom, who are key allies of Saudi Arabia, which leads the Coalition, and supporters of a war effort that systematically and repeatedly flaunts international law, destroys the national economy and devastates the civilian population.”
The timing of the Report’s release is opportune. Press coverage of this neglected war has recently increased; there is some diplomatic and political movement; and the report on human rights violations during the Yemen war, prepared under the aegis of the Group of Eminent Experts, has been submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Further, in May 2018, the United Nations Security Council affirmed that “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare may constitute a war crime” (UNSC Res. 2417).
This seminal report advances the World Peace Foundation’s mission to educate the world about the waste and destructiveness of war and to promote international peace.
The Report concludes with a call to action:
“If the Coalition war in Yemen is not to mark the erasure of legal referent in war, other forces and institutions will need to call into question the blanket ‘legitimacy’ accorded the Coalition to date by the world’s highest legal body, the UN Security Council. If UN Security Council resolution 2417 (24 May 2018), condemning starvation of civilians in wartime, is to be meaningful, then it is necessary for the UNSC and its member states to halt such crimes in Yemen, to investigate them, and to call to account those responsible for perpetrating them.” – by Martha Mundy
https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/strategies-of-the-coalition-in-the-yemen-war/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/strategies-coalition-yemen-war-aerial-bombardment-and-food-war
and full report: https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/files/2018/10/Strategies-of-Coalition-in-Yemen-War-Final-20181005-1.pdf = https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Strategies%20of%20Coalition%20in%20Yemen%20War.pdf
(** A K)
Feature: Yemeni children commemorate lost parents on anniv. of 2016 funeral hall airstrike
Remains of missiles and ash are still in the place, as hundreds of children who lost their fathers in one of the most deadliest airstrikes through Yemen's three-year war gathered Monday in the capital Sanaa to commemorate their parents on the second anniversary of a 2016 funeral hall airstrike.
The children and relatives gathered in a large crowd near the wreckage of the giant funeral hall in the southern part of Sanaa to watch the scene, to recall final memories with their parents who were among 140 civilians killed here by that air attack that also injured over 500 others.
The children sat next to each other along with their young widowed mothers on ranks of chairs under a very long tent that cast its shadow across the opposite side of the wreckage of the funeral hall building.
Some carried red roses, white flowers, while the others held posters showing their dads and uncles. Most of the children are still too young to remember details of the terrible tragedy.
"I bought a red rose for my dad," Hashim Radhwan al-Khazan, a 12-year-old boy who lost his father in the airstrike, told Xinhua.
His brother, five-year-old Ahmed, repeated "red rose...I love you dad."
Their 15-year-old sister, Huda, could not tell much besides tears mixed with words. "I will never forget my father," she sobbed.
The young widowed mother said the "airstrike killed her husband Radhwan into pieces."
Radhwan was among nearly 1,000 civilians packed in the hall on Oct. 8, 2016 to mourn the death of the father of a rebel official who was then close to the then Houthi-allied former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
"Radhwan was all our lives, he said goodbye to me and kissed his three children before leaving our house to the funeral hall," the 33-year-old mother, Sameerah, recalled.
Mohammed, a 31-year-old man who is a cousin of Abdulelah and Haytham, was accompanying his uncle Ahmed on that day to the funeral hall.
"I went with my uncle Ahmed to mourn al-Ruwayshan's family in this hall," Mohammed recalled as rising his prosthesis left arm pointing to the funeral hall five meters away in front of the commemoration tent.
"We arrived early at noon and shooke hands with the family members of al-Ruwayshan," Mohammed recalled. "After a while, we were about to leave the hall ... at the gate, we heard the big screaming sound of a jet and then a bombing with big pressure... shrapnel ... fire ... intensified black smoke ... everything turned upside down," he remembered.
"I stood again and found my hand and arm on the ground ... Everyone was screaming and crying ... My uncle was lying on a pool of blood ... He shouted to me ... go go run to the hospital and save your life," Mohammed recalled.
"I picked up my hand and arm while blood flooded from my right side and ran.. After I was a few steps from the hall, a second strike hit the tent," Mohammed, who is now wearing his new fitted prosthesis that replaced his missing left arm and hand in the strike, told Xinhua.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-10/09/c_137518945.htm
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EXPORTING (IN)STABILITY: THE UAE’S ROLE IN YEMEN AND THE HORN OF AFRICA
Over the past decade, the UAE has been increasingly projecting its power west toward the African continent. Until recently, this deployment had gone relatively unnoticed. In March 2015, however, Abu Dhabi joined Riyadh in its military intervention in Yemen. The surprisingly large military capacities displayed by the UAE, in comparison with its relatively small size, have contributed to calling into question the relevance of the ‘small state theory’ put forward by some international relations schools of thoughts. Robert Mason asserts that Abu Dhabi “has been able to break the mold of small state classification” (Mason, 21 March 2018).
While the UAE had built its reputation on being a regional financial centre and an international business hub, it is now a military power on the rise within an increasingly militarised region. This has earned it the nickname of “Little Sparta”, coined by a number of US generals, including James Mattis, current US Secretary of Defense and former Commander of US forces in the Middle East (The Washington Post, 9 November 2014).
As the UAE expands economically, it has increasingly found itself engaged in a complex security environment, and has responded by engaging militarily, providing training, equipment, and direct battle assistance in Yemen and the East African Horn. This is likely due to “the importance of the Red Sea as a vital artery for the transportation of the country’s hydrocarbon exports” (Reuters, 27 August 2018).
Yet, as it seeks to assert its influence on this vital passageway, it appears that Abu Dhabi has increasingly found itself involved in a set of incredibly messy political affairs and complicated conflicts that have reached disastrous levels. The Yemeni Civil War, for instance, has resulted in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world
The UAE as a Global Oil Producer and the Importance of the Red Sea
In addition to securing its own economic interests, Abu Dhabi’s projection on the opposite side of the Peninsula is also a way to position itself as one of the major players of international trade.
The UAE’s Engagement in Yemen: There to Stay?
While the UAE remains economically interested in Yemen and the surrounding waterways, its engagement in the country is first and foremost military, with two distinct missions: to fight the Houthis on the one hand, and to fight AQAP on the other. The UAE says that it has trained 60,000 Yemeni soldiers, of which half are trained for counter-terrorism purposes (The Independent, 15 August 2018). This suggests that the UAE has equally divided its military efforts, training 30,000 soldiers for counter-terrorism, and 30,000 more for fighting the Houthis. Although they do not overlap, the UAE’s two missions in Yemen sometimes come in contradiction with each other, raising questions about the long-term repercussions of Abu Dhabi’s interventionism.
Such reports highlight the contradictions between Abu Dhabi’s two missions in Yemen: hardened AQAP fighters have proven to be crucial elements of the fight against the Houthis, and allowing them to escape southern areas to move north fills the ranks of anti-Houthi forces.
As the old adage goes, however, actions speak louder than words, and a number of the UAE’s actions raise doubts about, at least, its ability to successfully eradicate AQAP, and, at worst, its real intentions in Yemen.
Moreover, although the counter-terror forces supported by the UAE in southern Yemen are officially part of the command and control structure of the internationally-recognised government of President Hadi, they are virtually the armed wing of the Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist body claiming to represent former South Yemen and asking for independence from the North.[5] If the current conflict has amplified the call for southern independence, it has, at the same time, led to increased competition within South Yemeni politics.
If the South were to suddenly become independent, these divisions could very well develop into an all-out conflict.
The UAE’s Engagement in East Africa: A Tale of Ports
The UAE’s Growing Military Power: To What End?
Inevitably emboldened by the successes of its soft power, and amid growing economic interests outside of its borders, Abu Dhabi’s increasing military projection abroad appears as the logical next step. This was most likely rendered possible by its initial soft power strategy. Winning the hearts and minds of major global powers has decreased the potential for reluctance on their part at seeing the UAE empower itself. Moreover, within the context of an increased perception of the Iranian threat in Abu Dhabi, the Obama administration’s ‘leadership from behind’ doctrine has further contributed to the Emirati sentiment that it had to take on a military role in the region.
The exact nature of the relationship between the UAE’s emerging hard military power and its soft investment power, however, remains yet unclear.
Lately, the UAE indeed seems to be increasingly willing to engage itself militarily and diplomatically with actors that are not necessarily linked to internationally-recognised states, ultimately upsetting local and regional orders – by Braden Fuller
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The government has difficult choices. Is Saudi mediation successful in convincing the UAE to stop Yemen's dividing arrangements?
For days, The UAE has stepped up its military arms movements in the provinces of south and southeast Yemen, and it is clear that there are preparations to impose the secession of South Yemen from its north as a matter of fact for All.
These movements were reinforced by the control of the Emirates ' military factions at the Nashima and Belhaf oil ports in the southeastern province of shabwah, while the city of Aden witnessed the development of military positions, reinforcements and crowds of factions and military formations supported by the UAE and affiliated to the so-called "Southern transitional council", which It adopts the requirement of separation, observed by followers over the past few days, and aimed to strengthen the grip on vital installations and important sites in the City.
The Yemeni government has recently stepped up its meetings, but it seems to be smothered to the moment and unable to raise its voice in the face of the movements of one of the most important countries of the Arab coalition, which enters the country militarily at the request of the legitimate President under stated and clear objectives, most notably the attribution of the Yemeni government and enable it to assert its control On the country, as well as maintaining the security, stability and unity of Yemen.
In its latest statement, the government expressed its rejection of any armed formations outside the official state institutions in reference to factions and formations that the UAE is working on in the Indian Ocean island of Socotra.
The government has raised its protest to the Saudi government and asked it to intervene to rein in its ally in the UAE and stop its suspicious movements south of the country, aimed at imposing the secession of South Yemen as a fait accompli through the use of military arms, formations and factions established by it trained, financed and followed its directions.
According to the government source for the Al Masdar online, the president and the government spoke to the Saudi authorities this time in a different tone that bears the tone of impatience toward the movements of the UAE that strike the entity of the Yemeni state in depth, and goes towards the dismantling of the country in the further disruption and conflicts.
The relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the Yemeni government has been strained, culminating when the UAE forces carried out a heavy armed landing on the island of Socotra in May, a move that began to resemble the occupation of the island, which was rejected by the government before Saudi intervened to calm the situation and withdraw part Of the UAE military forces and the entry of Saudi forces into the Island.
however, the crisis recently surpassed the previous stages after the UAE troops stepped up their military movements in the southern and southeastern provinces of the Country.
The UAE military commanders went to act as occupiers without any calculations of the existence of the Yemeni government, which is prevented from returning to the temporary capital of Aden, which is the case with the Yemeni president, who is insisting that the UAE keep him away from Aden.
A senior government official confirmed that the government is awaiting the outcome of the Saudi mediation, which intervened to contain the crisis between the UAE government and the Yemeni government over the military moves that followed a statement issued by the UAE-backed Transitional Council and its leadership in Abu Dhabi.
The southern transitional statement called for control of the revenue institutions of the State.
Over the past few days, the city of Aden has witnessed intense military movements that have strengthened the control of the UAE’s military arms (Yemeni military and security factions established and funded by the United Arab Emirates to carry out its agendas) at the port, Airport and important institutions.
The Yemeni government official, who is currently in Riyadh in the case of the forcible removal of the government, considered the movements to be totally unacceptable and said that the Elites and Belts set up by the UAE are armed militias that have nothing to do with the Yemeni government and receive direct guidance from the Forces Command UAE in Aden.
Many of the observers argue that the UAE, through its presence map, is seeking full control of the port of Aden, which is the qualifying port for the UAE port of Jebel Ali, and the coastal strip of Yemen, which oversees one of the most important international waterways (bab Al-mandeb strait).
The question remains open, is Saudi Arabia this time able to rein in the movements of the Emirates
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159324
and
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Yemeni government rejects any presence of military or security formations in Socotra
The Yemeni government said Monday it rejected any military or security formations on the southern Indian Ocean island of Socotra.
This follows reports that the UAE has begun creating security forces on the island loyal to it, such as security forces in Aden, the interim capital, the south of the country, and other southern provinces, to which it owes Allegiance.
In the presence of Socotra governor Ramzi Mahrous, who presented a report to the Government on the security and military situation on the island, the government said in a meeting that the Government rejects any forces being created away from the defense and interior ministries, the state news agency Saba Reported.
It warned that these security and military formations "will be doomed to the fate of armed militias that do not have any legitimate presence", and condemned "calls for the dividing of the Socotrian class".
It called for "the Island to remain in a state of internal peace for its people, who have printed a state of harmony, which is far from being divided and fragmented."
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159311
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Yemen’s Escalating Currency Collapse and the Slow Death of Its People
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen, already considered the worst in the world, is set to worsen as its currency, the Yemeni rial (YER), rapidly loses its value.
The rial has lost more than 75 percent of its value since 2015, which has ground the economy to a halt and forced millions of Yemenis, already dependent on humanitarian aid and donations, to need it more than ever.
Because of the ongoing Saudi-led Coalition blockade on Yemen’s ports and the mismanagement of Yemen’s central bank, Yemen’s people are slowly dying, unable to afford or access basic goods and services.
Al Bawaba, using rough tallies from U.N. agency figures, estimates that over 100,000 have died since the war began, ten times that of the official figure.
The Rial’s Vicious Downward Spiral and the Central Bank of Yemen
Yemen’s currency is simultaneously experiencing depreciation and inflation. Depreciation occurs when the local currency loses value compared to an international currency like the USD. Inflation reflects the increase in the price of goods in the country, meaning if staple items like fuel and bread are becoming more expensive, then the currency is inflating.
Both work together to choke Yemen’s economy and restrict access to basic goods by impacting local purchasing power.
The war has caused the rial lose value, but the recent and rapid depreciation indicates that it’s not merely the three-year war causing the currency to slide. One of the biggest culprits behind the currency’s collapse is the CBY itself, which is broken and may be beyond repair.
Savaged by corruption and mismanagement, the CBY, which is tasked with stabilizing Yemen’s economy and currency, has become impotent.
Much of its leadership is actually outside of Yemen, preferring to reside either in Amman or Riyadh, preventing them from directly managing and overseeing the CBY’s policies. As a policy paper co-authored by the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies and the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient puts it, “A properly functioning central bank is not possible without the physical presence of CBY leadership on location in Aden.”
The CBY reportedly maintains foreign currency accounts, which are technically illegal. One such account is with Ahli Bank in Saudi Arabia which had revenues from oil revenues deposited into it in other currencies.
Its leadership has also ordered the CBY to collects state revenues in cash taken from local banks. This method normally indicates high levels of corruption in revenue collection, since cash is untraceable and easily exchanged. It also depletes local banks’ reserves, restricting banks from being able to pay people’s salaries.
The CBY is being used as a tool of war.
In September 2016, about a year and a half into the war, Yemen’s president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is backed by the Saudi-led Coalition, moved the CBY from Houthi-controlled Sanaa to government-controlled Aden.
This effectively blocked thousands within Houthi-controlled territory from having access to the bank’s funds. Tens of thousands of Yemen’s public servants have not been paid in about two years.
According to Martha Mundy, a professor emeritus at the Londons School of Economics, “whereas until that time the bank had been paying the salaries of civil servants and persons on government payroll, this includes many medical staff, across the divides of Yemen, since then the bank has paid no government salaries in the areas under the control of Ansarullah [the Houthis] and its affiliates from the former Yemeni army.”
But even in Aden, the city the CBY operates in, thousands have taken to regularly taken to the streets to protest their economic vulnerability.
Having people rely on humanitarian assistance isn’t necessarily a death sentence, but in Yemen it is: the ongoing aid blockade of the county’s ports is cutting off the only lifeline for most Yemenis.
“The minute you have inflation… it becomes more difficult to have access to basic foods, especially in a country that has already suffered tremendous poverty and malnourishment rates,” Ai Kadri, an economist at the London School of Economics, told Al Bawaba.
“Depreciation in the currency when you have a high dependency on food imports, which the war has made much more severe, definitely taxes people out of their lives, not only out of their pockets.”
Though more people rely on imports than ever before to live, imports have actually significantly decreased since the war began. In 2014, Yemen was importing over $15 billion worth of goods. In 2016 and 2017, it has only imported about $7.1 billion.
This slow death will continue even after the country stabilizes. “The devaluation of the rial is something that is going to exacerbate the humanitarian situation by making it even more difficult for Yemenis to afford basic food products, the bulk of which are imported,” said Baron of the ECFR.
“This isn’t something that will simply go away if the conflict ends—the hangover of Yemen's continuing economic collapse will continue to loom long after the end of the conflict.”
(** B K P)
American Officials Could Be Prosecuted for War Crimes in Yemen
Under international law, Washington—during both the Obama and Trump administrations—has been a co-belligerent with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Saudi coalition, which includes the United Arab Emirates, was not the only party potentially implicated in war crimes. The attack on the funeral hall, which targeted services for the father of a prominent Houthi leader, renewed international attention on the United States and its deepening involvement in the Saudi-led war.
Even before the attack on the funeral hall, some US officials were worried that American support to the Saudis—especially weapons transfers, assistance in identifying targets, and midair refueling of Saudi and allied aircraft—would make Washington a co-belligerent in the war under international law. That means the United States could be implicated in war crimes and American personnel could, in theory, be exposed to international prosecution.
Documents obtained by Reuters under the Freedom of Information Act showed that US officials were especially worried about a 2012 ruling from an international tribunal at The Hague that convicted Charles Taylor, Liberia’s former president.
Soon after Trump took office, he escalated US military involvement in Yemen, with little public attention or debate.
The Yemen war is a complex conflict with a shifting set of alliances.
While the Saudis are quick to label the Houthis as Iranian proxies, the Houthis did not receive significant assistance from Iran before the Saudi war in 2015. (Tehran, by contrast, is far more heavily invested in Syria, where it has sent billions of dollars in aid and thousands of troops and Shiite militia volunteers to help preserve Bashar al-Assad’s regime.) Iran has increased military support to the Houthis since the war, but it’s far short of the costs incurred by Saudi Arabia and its allies. For Tehran, which has been fighting a series of proxy battles with Riyadh across the Middle East, the Yemen conflict became a cheap way to bleed Saudi resources.
The Saudi and Emirati focus on the Houthis as instruments of Iran resonates with Trump and many of his top officials—including National Security Adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis—who blame Iran as the source of all the Middle East’s turmoil. Trump and his advisers rarely single out Saudi Arabia and the UAE for their destabilizing actions, especially in Yemen. And the Trump administration’s obsession with Iran is making the prospect of a settlement in Yemen even more remote because it portrays the Houthis as posing the same kind of threat as other Iranian-backed groups in the region, such as Hezbollah.
Lieu, who has been one of the most vocal critics in Congress of the US role in Yemen, noted that, under international law, aiding and abetting war crimes “requires only knowledge that support could assist a potential crime—not direct intent on the part of the abettor to achieve the criminal result.”
Ryan Goodman, a law professor at New York University and a former special counsel at the Defense Department, has noted that there is a flaw in the Pentagon’s Law of War manual that could leave US officials with the false impression that “they are not at risk of aiding and abetting war crimes if they do not desire the Saudis to engage in bad acts.” But, Goodman argued, that’s a misreading of international law and rulings by past war-crimes tribunals. “It would be wholly sufficient for the officials simply to have knowledge of the Saudis’ actions to trigger liability,” he wrote, adding, “the executive branch has surely built up knowledge of Saudi actions over time.”
So far, the Trump administration has shrugged at suggestions that the United States could be exposed to charges of aiding war crimes. When asked by journalists about whether the Pentagon refueled the warplane that attacked the school bus, or if a US-made bomb was used, US officials demurred, saying they don’t keep track of such information and would need to ask the Saudi military to provide it. “Well, what difference does that make?” one senior US official said when questioned by reporters at a briefing in Cairo.
That continuity in US foreign policy across Democratic and Republican administrations—a policy that favors weapons sales and alliances with autocratic regimes—has made it difficult for early critics of the Yemen war to gain traction in Congress. But as the Saudi-Emirati alliance causes more civilian casualties and as concerns grow over US complicity in war crimes, the Trump administration’s blind support for its allies could backfire in Congress.
Few Americans realize how deeply the United States is implicated in potential war crimes in Yemen—and both the Trump and Obama administrations have been unwilling to stop the bloodshed. It’s now up to Congress to constrain this war – by Mohamad Bazzi
https://www.thenation.com/article/american-officials-could-be-prosecuted-for-war-crimes-in-yemen/
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
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Film: Katastrophe im Jemen
Kirchen und Hilfsorganisationen warnen vor einer Verschärfung der humanitären Katastrophe in dem Bürgerkriegsland: Die Cholera breitet sich ungehindert aus.
https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute-sendungen/videos/katastrophe-im-jemen-100.html
(A H)
A girl with Dengue fever dies in Taiz city
A local source told the source online that the child, Noor Marwan Saeed Ali (4 years old), died today ten days after she was infected with dengue fever (photo)
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159360
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Film: Oral cholera vaccination campaign
More than 306,000 people in #Yemen were vaccinated against #cholera as part of a joint #WHO/ #UNICEF campaign that concluded earlier this month. Before the end of the year, many more people will need to be vaccinated against cholera.
https://www.facebook.com/WHOYemen/videos/982008005334594/
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
Siehe / Look cp4
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Civilians Killed in US-Saudi Aggression Raid on Hodeidah
According to Al-Masirah Net correspondent, five citizens were killed by US-Saudi airstrikes that targeted them during they evacuate water from a mosque in Al-Jah area.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3197&cat_id=1
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T19MxlU4qkQ&bpctr=1539231941
(A K pH)
Yemenis target Saudi military boat in counter-strike'
Yemeni naval forces have targeted and destroyed a Saudi military boat off the war-torn country’s northwestern coast, killing all aboard the vessel.
The al-Masirah television network reported that the retaliatory attack by Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement took place off the Midi coast on Wednesday.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/10/576589/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-hUdaydah = http://en.abna24.com/news/middle-east/yemenis-target-saudi-military-boat-in-counter-strike_912266.html
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Yemen raids kill 79 rebels in 48 hours
Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Yemen have killed almost 80 Huthi rebel fighters over 48 hours in the western province of Hodeida, military and medical sources said Tuesday.
The strikes on Hodeida, site of a vital port and target of a renewed coalition offensive, also left seven civilians dead, they said.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/yemen-raids-kill-79-rebels-48-hours-doc-19w4j61
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WHO Al Hudaydah Operation - Yemen: Situation Report #5, September 2018
The road connecting Sana’a and Al-Hudaydah is blocked due to severe fighting and people have to use a longer road to reach Al-Hudaydah City through the Bajil-Al-Dhahi road.
Hospital-based casualty data: Based on hospital-based figures of casualties in Al Hudaydah, 170 people were killed and 1,514 others injured from June to September 2018. The actual number of casualties is likely to be much higher
Hospital and health facilities situation: Most health facilities in Al Hudaydah are functioning but are still in urgent need for essential medicines and other medical supplies as number of injured people and patients are on the increase.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-al-hudaydah-operation-yemen-situation-report-5-september-2018
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"Red Sea Ports Authorities" respond to government charges of detaining ships at Hodeidah Port
The Red Sea Ports Authorities operator of Al-Hodeidah port (western Yemen), which is under the control of al-Houthi, responded, according to local Administration Minister Abdel-Raqeeb. fatah, from charges to the Houthis for detaining and preventing the unloading of ships at the Port.
The foundation said in a statement on Monday that it was working with all its cadres and port workers on the speed of unloading of incoming shipments to the Port.
The Distya pushti, which holds 11,000 tons of diesel and 10,000 tons of gasoline, unloaded its cargo and left the port, and the Rina vessel, carrying 5,700 tons of flour and sugar, is still unloading its cargo, she said.
The Sincero ship, with 15,000 tons of diesel, is still on the wharf to unload its cargo, she said.
It said that the port of Hodeidah is a round-the-clock regular mechanism for entry of ships to the port by the time and date of arrival to the submersible with high accuracy and PROFESSIONALISM.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159264
(A K pS)
Yemen: Senior Houthi leader killed in coalition strikes in Hodeidah
A prominent leader in the pro-Iranian Houthi militias, Hisham Abdul-Samad al-Khalid, was killed with other associates in airstrikes launched by the Arab coalition backing the Yemeni national army, targeting positions in the western coast of Hodeidah governorate.
Remark: As claimed by the Saudi side.
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Coalition raids in Hodeidah, Houthis try to force residents to flee their homes
Saudi Arabia's led Coalition fighters on Monday dawn heavy air raids on Houthi militants ' positions in the western city of Hodeidah, while the Houthis are trying to force residents to flee their homes.
According to the Al-Masdar online reporter, the fighter jets launched four air raids on the guard camp at Kilo 16 east of the city, while other raids targeted the air defense camp in the AL Jabbana area and the Ras Katheeb naval base.
The raids are likely to have resulted in casualties among the Houthis.
On the one hand, the Houthis are trying to force the remaining residents of Al-ja'bli area in the Rabsa neighborhood to leave their homes in various ways and arrived to break into some houses and empty their inhabitants and enter and centralize them by force, according to our Correspondent.
Local residents were quoted as saying that the same was happening in the vicinity of Al-50 street, the city of Al Qaied and Al-Dhabibi and the vicinity of the Al Halaqa market, in an attempt to force the residents of those areas or those remaining there, to leave and evacuate them, in order to turn those houses into military barracks.
The Houthis also seek to erect their cannons and to plant mines on the outskirts and entrances of those areas and to close them militarily.
He said the Houthis gave a deadline for those who remain out, especially the areas close to their cannons, but some of the residents of those neighborhoods are still determined to stay with their family at any Cost.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159268
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Eine neue Tragödie im Jemen: Saudi-Luftangriffe tötet Imkerfamilie auf ihrer Farm
Eine Familie von Imkern wurde getötet, als die von den Vereinigten Staaten unterstützte saudi-geführte Koalition am Montag in einem Wohngebiet von Hodeida ihre Bienenfarm mit mehreren Luftangriffen ins Visier nahm.
Lokale Zeugen berichteten MintPress News, dass Luftangriffe auf die Bienenfarm von Ayesh Clip in Deir Essa im Bezirk Bajjel im südlichen Hodeida gerichtet waren, wobei Ayesh und vier seiner Familienmitglieder getötet wurden. Der Angriff zerstörte auch die Farm, die die einzige Einnahmequelle der Familie in einem Land war, das von Hungersnöten und einer verheerenden humanitären Krise heimgesucht wurde.
Bemerkung: Mitlerweile ist die Zahl der Toten auf 5 gestiegen.
(* A K pH)
4 citizens kills by Saudi aggression air raids in Hodeidah
Four citizens were killed when the US- Saudi –led aggression coalition airstrikes waged a raid in al-Haly district in Hodeidah province, a local official told Saba on Monday.
The Saudi fighter jets targeted four air raids in citizens' farms in al-Haly district, killed four citizens.
Meanwhile, the coalition waged a raid in a citizen' farm in al-Marowah district.
In Kamaran island, the air forces of the enemy launched drones airstrikes in south fishermen's huts in Makram village.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510682.htm
and
and by AP: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/saudi-led-airstrike-kills-civilians-yemens-hodeida-58360670, also stating 4 killed, and by Almasdar Online, recording 5 killed: https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159287
photos: http://www.almshhadalyemeni.net/92374/
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1912609395701712
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1049335504301424642 = https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1049346164645138434
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Film: the crime of targeting the air aggression of a family in the village of Deir Issa, the Directorate of Bajil, Hodeidah 08-10-2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-xRvoA1fWI
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Death Toll From Saudi Aerial Aggression On Yemen’s Hodeidah Rises To Five Martyrs
A local source in Hodeidah said that 3 citizens were killed and a fourth was seriously injured by the bombing of US-Saudi aggression coalition on market of city of Drehemi.
While on Monday ,the death toll from the Saudi aerial aggression on al-Hali area dawn rose to five martyrs, according to Masirah TV network.
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Saudi-Led Coalition Sends Additional Forces to Hodeidah - Yemeni Military
The Yemeni military announced on Sunday the deployment of additional army troops, consisting of Sudanese servicemen and supporting the Saudi-led coalition, in the vicinity of the embattled Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, controlled by the Houthi militants, also known as Ansar Allah movement.
"The aim of the arrived Sudanese servicemen will be to reinforce troops already deployed there in order to fully liberate the territories which remain under the Houthis' control," the military said in a statement.
https://sputniknews.com/military/201810081068685882-yemen-forces-hodeidah-military/
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159269
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Saudi naval battleships and artillery target houses in Hodeidah
The US-Saudi aggression’s naval battleships and artillery targeted citizens houses and public and private facilities in al-Dowryhme district in Hodeidah province, an official told Sab on Sunday.
The strikes hit since five days until today, inflicting heavy casualties among the citizens and 30 houses were damaged.
In al-Dowryhme, three citizens were killed and other injured.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510658.htm
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3152&cat_id=1
My comment: THIS is the real threat to international shipping in the Red Sea.
(A K pH)
7 Saudi-led airstrikes wage citizen’ properties in Hodeidah The air raids hit farms and property of citizens in the western Tuhaita district.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510662.htm
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen War
(B P)
The international media has (rightfully & justifiable so) unilaterally condemned the #KSA regime in the case of Jamal Khashoggi, however they haven’t spared 10% of the coverage & condemnation in regards to #Yemen, which has been bombarded for over 3 years, all by the same regime
https://twitter.com/YemenSource/status/1050209230274342912
(A K P)
I hear voices from US & UK saying Saudi Arabia mustn't investigate Khashoggi's disappearance "or murder" because it's the suspect. But Saudi Arabia has exclusive right to investigate its crimes in #Yemen and US & UK are against an Int'l probe into Yemen crimes "to protect trade"?
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1050092935033876480
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The scramble for the Red Sea
The Red Sea has been the focus of accelerating competition in recent years, with many Gulf and Middle Eastern countries expressing their interest in the region
The Red Sea region has been the focus of a struggle for power and influence in recent years, especially since the outbreak of the civil war in Yemen in March 2015. The whole of the East African coast from Sudan to Somalia is now in the sights of competing Arab Gulf and Middle Eastern countries.
The competition was accentuated with the intensification of the crisis in the Gulf in 2017, with Qatar on the one side and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt on the other. The present rivalry over the African coastline of the Red Sea has produced geopolitical realignments that will have lasting consequences.
The UAE played a leading role in coordination with the Saudis in pushing Addis Ababa to settle its border dispute with Asmara. As a sign of recognition, Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders Ahmed and president Isaias Afwerki accepted Saudi Arabia as a mediator in sealing their reconciliation.
The civil war in Yemen largely explains the interest of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in this strategic area of the southern Red Sea, which is crucial for the success of military operations against the Houthis and the effectiveness of the blockade imposed by the international coalition on the Yemeni coastline to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Iran.
Since October 2015, Saudi Arabia has obtained the use of Camp Lemonier on the Red Sea from Djibouti to support its military operations in Yemen. It announced in December 2016 that it would turn the Camp into a large military base.
For its part, the UAE opened a military base in September 2015 in the Eritrean port of Assab for use in the war in Yemen. In February 2017, the Emiratis, through the company Dubai Ports World (DP World), also signed a 30-year concession with the government of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed state that was formerly part of Somalia, for the development and use of the port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden, which they intend to use to support military operations in Yemen.
Securing their oil exports to Europe and the United States is another reason for the rush of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to set up outposts in the Red Sea.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/25572.aspx
(B K)
Film by Press TV Iran: Yemenis have all rights to defend themselves: Pundit
The Yemeni people are entitled to doing whatever they can to defend themselves in the face of Saudi-led aggression, says a commentator.
Jalal Fairooz, commentator and Middle East expert, told Press TV on Wednesday that “the Yemenis have all the rights to defend themselves against the big aggression, which is now incorporates not only the Saudis but also the Americans, the British [and] the Israelis.”
“All that (Saudi-imposed war and famine) will force the Yemeni [fighters] to defend themselves, to try to target whoever is doing the boycott,” Fairooz said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/10/576589/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-hUdaydah
(* B H K)
Activists demand accountability for Yemen at UN Human Rights Council
This writer had the honor of amplifying the voice of Yemenis at the 39th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, held on September 10-18.
Non-governmental organizations that have gone through the process of applying for U.N. status had the opportunity to deliver oral interventions to the council and hosted side panel events throughout the session. I was invited to attend as a guest on behalf of the Iraqi Development Organization and Arabian Rights Watch Association.
For my participation in the first side panel, I chose to discuss the U.S. role in these airstrike casualties. I pointed out several instances that proved these bombs were manufactured by U.S. companies such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. I also challenged the official line that Washington plays a passive role by merely supporting their Gulf allies, pointing out U.S involvement on the ground training troops and providing logistical support for selecting airstrike targets.
However, the report fell short in many respects. That’s where we (myself and the organizations I worked with) came in. Although we supported the detailed airstrike investigations, we had a lot of questions, comments and concerns regarding the report, which we voiced in written and oral statements to the council as well as in our side panels.
Some of these demands and questions included the following:
These massacres still take place on a daily basis in Yemen. In fact, coalition airstrikes continued to target civilians throughout the duration of my participation in the UNHRC session.
What will be done to stop the carnage from happening right now?
The [UN report on war crimes in Yemen] report provided no tangible accountability mechanisms to transfer these blatant war crimes to the U.N. Security Council or International Criminal Court. Many crimes detailed in the report took place over two years ago. The report assigns a clear perpetrator and victim.
Why is no one held accountable and why is the coalition allowed to continue investigating their own war crimes?
Women and children are the main victims of this war in several ways (airstrikes on homes and schools, famine, lack of access to nutrition for lactating mothers and pregnant women).
What measures will be taken to ensure their safety and health?
Though the report claims that the airstrikes have produced the largest number of civilian casualties, this wasn’t our biggest concern.
Our main complaint was that the report did not manage to address the devastating, coercive and unlawful blockade, which has effectively turned Yemen into an open air prison.
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Starvation and Child Soldiers: On the Ground in Yemen
International Rescue Committee chief sees the devastation firsthand and calls on the United States to end support for the Saudi-led coalition.
In health centers across Yemen, children are weighed and measured for signs of severe malnutrition. At checkpoints from Sanaa to the port city of Hodeida, child soldiers stand guard, knowing full well it is American bombs that are falling from the skies.
These were some of the scenes that David Miliband, the president of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), witnessed during a September visit to Yemen
“When the war has been going on for so long, three and a half years, with no real movement in the front line, you realize that the so-called stalemate is far from static—it is actually imposing enormous human suffering,” Miliband said.
The IRC has one of the largest humanitarian operations in Yemen and has been able to reach 1 million people across the country with about 800 staff working in both Houthi- and government-controlled areas. Miliband’s staff is training Yemenis to provide essential services.
“It’s really important to understand that aid workers are local people,” Miliband said. “We are hiring in vast bulk Yemenis and local people, and we train them, and they then have local intelligence, the local credibility, the local consent to be able to do their work.”
But the blockade of Hodeida, where 70 to 80 percent of Yemen’s commercial and humanitarian imports enter the country, means that aid workers do not have enough medicine, fuel, or essential items to do their work. Not only does the blockade obstruct access to food and medicine, but it also means that the cost of fuel is skyrocketing, making it vastly more difficult for IRC staff to travel around the country. Meanwhile, humanitarian workers have had a hard time obtaining the necessary permits required to pass safely through checkpoints due to bureaucratic red tape.
The violence in Yemen poses political dangers as well, Miliband stressed. As the conflict metastasizes, radical militant groups, such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State, have been “thriving on the chaos,” he said. While U.S. involvement aims to reduce Iranian influence, Tehran is actually becoming more influential, he added.
Miliband called on the international community to agree to an immediate cease-fire.
He also called on the U.S. government to end its support for the Saudi-led coalition and take a more forceful approach to halting the violence. He disputed the claim that the coalition is doing everything possible to minimize civilian casualties. This argument “obviously sits askance with the reality on the ground,” he said.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/10/09/starvation-and-child-soldiers-in-yemen/
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In Yemen, Cracks in the Saudi Alliance Begin to Show
The UAE doesn’t need a unified Yemen to secure its interests, but Saudi Arabia does.
If or when Yemen’s civil war draws to a close, another one may well be waiting. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have different end games in mind, despite fighting in the same coalition against the Iranian-sponsored Houthis. In fact, their shared interest in Yemen begins and ends with eliminating, or at least curbing, Iran’s influence on the Arabian Peninsula. Their diverging needs already have led to clashes between Emirati- and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen.
In January, for example, a fight broke out between members of the Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist group supported by the UAE, and forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, head of Yemen’s internationally recognized – and Saudi-approved – government. And on Oct. 3, the STC took aim at the exiled president once again, calling for an uprising against his government. The latest incident highlighted the cracks in the Saudi-UAE alliance, which will probably only grow as the Yemeni conflict contines [paywalled]
https://geopoliticalfutures.com/yemen-cracks-saudi-alliance-begin-show-1/
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Calls for accountability as Yemen suffers genocide by starvation
Deliberate famine in an armed conflict can be prosecuted as a war crime or a crime against humanity if it is used as a weapon of war
An end to the conflict is not currently in sight. However, there are already calls for accountability under the rules of international criminal law and international humanitarian law. It has long been argued that state-designed famine can constitute a form of genocide. The Irish potato famine — one of the quintessential examples of a famine that could have been prevented — was a form of genocide by the British. Famine as genocide has, however, not been prosecuted as a self-standing crime.
Deliberate famine (famine orchestrated by a state) in the context of armed conflict can also be prosecuted as a war crime, or a crime against humanity, if it is orchestrated by a state or used as a weapon of war. Deliberate famine differs from preventable famine in the sense that famine that may be preventable could also have been caused by government negligence. Deliberate famine is famine that is engineered by a government to paralyse its enemies. Although the deliberate starvation of an enemy population is as old as war itself, the crime has been under-recognised in international and domestic law.
The web of accountability is wide and the rhetoric is duplicitous. Countries such as the UK continues to call for an end to the bloodshed and hostilities while benefiting from the business of war by selling weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Apart from the countries supporting the Saudi collation, many countries with the means to alleviate the famine have been culpably passive.
https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2018-10-09-calls-for-accountability-as-yemen-suffers-genocide-by-starvation/ = https://mg.co.za/article/2018-10-10-00-the-world-ignores-yemens-humanitarian-crisis
(* B H K)
Video: Yemeni children's message to the world
On the occasion of international children's day, Yemeni children have sent out their message to the world.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/138488/Video-Yemeni-children-s-message-to-the-world
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Saudi Petro-Dollars Keep Washington at War in Yemen
Ironically, the same war industry officials on the Capitol Hill who are calling on Saudi Arabia to lift the illegal blockade on Yemen, are also endorsing additional requests from their Arab allies fighting Yemen – mainly Saudi Arabia and the UAE - for thousands of new US-made weapons, including missiles and bombs, to rebuild depleted arms stockpiles. This shows how Saudi Arabia has become the world’s largest importer of weapons and fourth largest military spender.
Adding to the concern is the fact that the spending spree on arms comes against the background of a marked increase in military interventions by the US and its Arab allies in the region. In addition, a new Saudi-led military alliance – announced this year and dubbed the “Arab Nato” – appears primarily designed as a new foil to Iran to advance the United States' agenda at the cost of Arab states.
All this is just the thin edge of the wedge. The Saudi-led war on Yemen is the latest manifestation of Arab interventionism, a trend that has been gaining momentum in the Middle East since the Saudi intervention in Bahrain during the Arab uprisings. These autocratic regimes appear to be increasingly willing to use their American weapons to attack any neighbor that doesn’t like them and pursue their illicit interests in crisis zones across the region.
On top of that, when it comes to how the US perceives its destabilizing arms sales to the Middle Eastern dictatorships, it tends to be seen as a domestic economic issue – “protecting our factories” or “making America great again” - instead of averting humanitarian disaster or institutionalizing a non-violent conflict-resolution mechanism following a war. That neglects the regional political dimensions too, with arms sales taking place with a lack of regard for that context and without international accountability at the United Nations.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970716001116
Remark: From Iran.
(B P)
UAE said today it will leave Yemen after Houthi terror & blockade on Yemeni people end. Recently, it said it would leave Yemen after defeating Al-Qaeda. Well, who is besieging & starving Yemenis? Most importantly, who enabled Houthis to seize power & is backing & using Al-Qaeda?
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1049341394979045377
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UAE Steals Yemen’s Fish Resources
The international campaign for the boycott of the UAE has accused the UAE authorities and their mercenaries in Yemen of stealing and looting Yemen's fish resources and transferring them to the UAE through large fishing vessels.
The boycott campaign confirmed that there is a fishing boat arriving in the UAE daily from the shores of Yemen loaded with all kinds of fish to sell for the benefit of UAE military leaders. UAE military forces earlier stole rare Yemeni antiquities, trees and birds from different islands and parts of the country.
The international campaign called for the intervention of the United Nations, the European Parliament, human rights institutions and the international community to stop the human rights violations committed by the UAE authorities against Yemen and to force the authorities in the UAE to respect human rights laws.
About 50,000 residents of the Mukhaba and Zabab districts rely on fishing, according to data from the Fish Wealth Bureau of Taiz Governorate, of the total population of the 81,000 districts,
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3148&cat_id=1
(* B E K P)
Saudi looting of Yemeni oil resources blatant violation of international law: Oil ministry
Yemen’s Oil and Mineral Ministry has denounced the looting of the country’s oil resources by Saudi Arabia, saying the move is a blatant violation of international law.
The ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Saudi Arabia transports Yemeni oil to the Arabian Sea through a pipeline which extends from the Rub' al Khali desert to Hadhramaut and al-Mahrah provinces south of the country.
It said that Riyadh’s move to plunder Yemen’s wealth is done with the complicity of the country’s former Saudi-allied government.
Stating that Saudi Arabia's recent move has sparked protests by residents of al-Mahrah and other provinces, the statement called on the United Nations and the UN Security Council to counter Saudi aggression, occupation and looting of Yemeni resources through legal mechanisms.
Experts say the pipeline would allow the kingdom not to be constrained to the Strait of Hormuz or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, both strategic choke points that affect its current oil shipping routes.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/06/576241/Yemen-Oil-Ministry-Saudi-Arabia
Remark: Sanaa government oil ministry.
(B K)
All Yemeni factions are recruiting children. That's what travellers from Houthi-run Sanaa to coalition-run Aden notice. In Sanaa, Houthis are searching people thoroughly: phones especially social media interests, bags, pockets and every thing.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1050082531318599681
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* A E P)
Yemen's Dairy and food industry threatens to stop with decision to ban imports of raw materials
Merchants and local factory owners in Yemen complained of the recent decision of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia to ban the importation of a number of raw materials entering the industry, including materials used in the food and Dairy Industries.
The Ban which included a number of goods--includes chemical substances and solutions used in the sterilization and manufacture of dairy and foodstuffs, and its prevention threatens the process of industrial production, a trader told Al-Masdar online on Tuesday.
"they know that a number of prohibited items are involved in the manufacture, canning, and sterilization of foodstuffs, and are imported only by factories, which makes the decision on prevention mainly aimed at halting the local production process," he said.
He referred to the list of prevention expanded in the recent period, to include heavy machinery spare parts used in Factories.
The Arab coalition has directed a list of Yemeni customs at sea and land outlets to ban the importation of dozens of materials and goods and to prevent customs from transporting such materials.
These include SUVs, motorcycles, bicycles, and batteries used for solar power generation, including solar panels, construction pipes, Communications software, military communications equipment, and heavy-duty spare parts, among other items.
The ban also includes solutions and chemical reagents, including those used in factories, gold and jewelry plants, as well as preventing the importation of weapons, gunpowder, drones, and Others.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159325
Remark: This refers to “liberated” Southern Yemen!!
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
Yemen: Catastrophe of the hungry
A breaking point has been reached in Yemen, with thousands in Taiz taking to the streets, enraged as their children die of starvation before their eyes
On 6 October, in Taiz, the liberated areas in the south and other parts of the country, demonstrators filled the streets and squares to protest their humanitarian plight. The major exception was Sanaa, where police and military forces were deployed throughout the city and its inhabitants warned that demonstrators would risk the harshest of penalties.
What has brought Yemen to the brink of famine? Yemen is under a blockade by land, sea and air because of the war between the Houthi movement and the Arab Coalition. Yemeni civilians are caught in the crossfire. They are the first and foremost victims of this war.
Costs of living have skyrocketed due to the collapse of the local currency
Government employees, who make up a large portion of the Yemeni workforce, have not received their salaries for aeons. The Yemeni Central Bank now has four separate administrations: one in Sanaa, one in Mareb, one in Aden and another abroad in another Arab country. The Central Bank’s move from Sanaa to Aden was one of the causes of the economic collapse, in part because the move left behind its staff of experts and specialists. It was a prime instance of the fissure and multiple bifurcations of sovereign institutions. The four separate bank administrations consume four times the revenues and do nothing to serve the welfare of the people.
The legitimate government is another cause of the collapsing economy. It mints money with nothing to back it up. In the latest shipment, 24 billion riyals was unloaded at the port in Aden. This is a government, moreover, with 36 ministers, plus deputy ministers, general-directors and others, all living abroad and all receiving salaries in hard currency. As for the political parties, they do nothing for the people.
The cost of petroleum derivatives has soared. Same for butane cylinders, if you can find one.
The state of humanitarian aid is chaotic. Some international organisations target certain sectors, such as widows or orphans. Other international organisations distribute relief quotas, but without engaging local organisations, with the result that the relief is not reaching its intended recipients.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/25593.aspx
(B H)
World Food Programme: Yemen - Humanitarian Imports Overview, September 2018
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-imports-overview-september-2018
(A H)
@monarelief's team continued today delivering school backpacks to orphan students in the capital Sana'a in order to encourage them to continue learning. Our project was funded by @monareliefye's online fundraising campaign (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1050075728505659394
(* B H)
Over 8,000 Yemeni dialysis patients on verge of death: Health minister
Yemen's health minister has warned that more than eight thousand hemodialysis patients will lose their lives if the Saudi-imposed blockade on the country persists and medical supplies run out.
Dr. Taha al-Mutawakel told Arabic-language al-Masirah television network on Tuesday that patients with chronic kidney diseases have to undergo three sessions of treatment weekly, but the crippling siege has resulted in the scarcity of dialysis solutions.
“Over the past four months, patients with renal failure were in need of a million sessions of dialysis; but we could not cover more than ten thousand sessions as we were in dire need of relevant solutions,” he pointed out.
Mutawakel further noted that Yemeni medical officials are doing their best to prevent the collapse of the health system in the crisis-hit Arab country.
Remark: Sanaa government minister.
(B H)
Map: World Food Programme: Yemen: Access Constraints as of 9 October 2018
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-access-constraints-9-october-2018
(A H)
Bischof fordert Hilfe für den Jemen: "Tragödie nicht länger ignorieren"
Kirchenvertreter und Hilfsorganisationen warnen vor einer humanitären Katastrophe im Jemen. "Dort ist ein Krieg im Gange, aber die Welt scheint nicht sehr interessiert zu sein", sagte der Schweizer Bischof Paul Hinder.
(A H)
International Organization for Migration: IOM Donates 22 Ambulances for Humanitarian Assistance in Yemen
Following the escalation of violence in Al-Hudaydah this June, IOM donated the first five ambulances to the Ministry of Health in Sana’a in July. Last week, another seven ambulances were provided to the Ministry in Sana’a, while seven ambulances are being handed over in Aden today (09/10).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-donates-22-ambulances-humanitarian-assistance-yemen
(* B H)
Gender equality, 2017.
- Turkey 138. Saudi 144. Yemen (Global Gender Report)
https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/1049351219926487046
(* B H)
Home-turned-school helps Yemen children return to classroom
By converting his home into a makeshift school, a teacher in Yemen's southwestern city of Taez has helped hundreds of children in the war-torn country return to the classroom.
Three years of fighting between the Saudi-backed government and Shiite Huthi rebels have left Yemen's education system in tatters.
Around two million children across the country now have no access to schooling, according to the United Nations children's fund (UNICEF), and the war that has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine shows no sign of waning.
But for more than 700 boys and girls of primary school age, Adel al-Shurihi's three-storey home in the government-held neighbourhood of Wadi al-Slami is a welcome chance to keep up their studies.
"There are two options, either these children end up on the streets or they gather inside the building to study because most schools are closed," Shurihi told AFP.
"Inside, at least, they are protected from stray bullets."
The home-turned-school has been taking in students since 2016, with the government providing used books for the classes.
But with no budget and a crew of volunteer teachers, Shurihi wants the authorities to do more.
"This initiative began as a charity and a good deed, but now the relevant government entities must continue what we started," he told AFP.
and film by TRT: https://twitter.com/trtworld/status/1049977846536527872
and
(* B H)
A teacher in Taiz transforms his home into a public school for 700 students
A teacher turned his home into a government school, where hundreds of poor students were studying as a result of not being able to study at their school in the middle of a clash area west of Taiz city in central Yemen.
The teacher Adel Al-Shuraihi told "Al Masdar online " that he initiated three years ago to transfer his home to a government school that accommodates hundreds of poor students and girls unable to attend private schools.
According to Adel al- Shuraihi, he has been working for three years with displaced teachers, seconded from the Education Bureau and volunteer students from Taiz University to teach more than 700 students of basic education in Wadi al-salami, west of the air defense Camp.
The school is called the "Al Nahdha school", consists of six classrooms in the house and three outsides, and the students are sprayed with the land, and is considered an alternative school for the charity school located in the middle of a seam zone between government forces and the Al-Houthi Militias.
The Nahdha School is the state school in the neighborhoods surrounding the air defense Camp northwest of the city, and the school is surrounded by 13 community schools that are unable to enroll the children of poor citizens as a result of their expensive fees.
The initiative comes in the light of the exploitation of the ongoing war conditions by merchants and the public schools to open dozens of private schools in the city of Taiz, where the children of the rich and able to pay their high fees are taught.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159251
(B H)
Film: Yemen families search for food in rubbish dump to survive
Saudi blockade of food &medicine in war-torn Yemen is economic genocide.
https://www.facebook.com/gisele.turgeon.71/videos/2159555454286976/
(B H)
They say “Necessity is the mother of invention” it’s true! The drought has made farmers in #Burra think of other solutions to cope with the scarcity of rain! They dug the reservoirs to save the rain water & that’s how they became #PartOfSolution (photo)
https://twitter.com/SMEPSYEMEN/status/1048963240682766337
(B H)
This farmer deserves to shed lights on him! He was one of the first farmers in #Hadhramout to start using drip irrigation systems in his area. After the positive results, farmers who did not get supported by #SMEPS replicated and started using modern agriculture technologies. (photo)
https://twitter.com/SMEPSYEMEN/status/1048965215906385920
(* A H P)
UN Children's Fund: In Yemen, UNICEF’s Emergency Cash Transfers for 9 million people resume
UNICEF resumed the third cycle of cash assistance today, across Yemen. Nearly 1.5 million of the poorest families in Yemen – an estimated 9 million people – will benefit from emergency cash transfers with generous funding from the World Bank.
“A lifeline for nearly one third of the people in Yemen, this cash assistance is so vital to help families in Yemen make ends meet” said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Nearly every child in the country requires assistance amid a serious threat of famine and reoccurring outbreaks of diseases including diphtheria, cholera and acute watery diarrhea. Intense conflict that killed and injured more than 6,000 children in the past 3.5 years has almost entirely paralyzed vital infrastructure like water, sanitation and health.
“I used to sell vegetables for a living but now all prices have sky-rocketed so I am not working anymore. Thanks to the cash assistance I just received, I will be able to send my daughters back to school” said Ahmed, a father of six children.
Most families in Yemen have depleted their financial resources. Many were forced to resort to negative means just to bring food to the table. Child marriage and child labour are increasing and many children are fighting a conflict not of their making. More than 2 million children are out of school; their future and the future of their country are at a grave risk of loss.
“Due to this little cash families are getting from the programme, families are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Some are able to send their children back to school and buy some of their basic daily commodities. This is the very minimum for human dignity in the 21st century” added Cappelaere
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unicef-s-emergency-cash-transfers-9-million-people-resume
Remark: The obstructions by the Houthi side seem to have been stopped.
(B H)
World Food Programme: Yemen: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Fuel Provision Services - October 2018
This document provides an overview of the fuel services provided by WFP, how humanitarian actors responding to the crisis in the Republic of Yemen may access these services through the Logistics Cluster, and the conditions under which these services are to be provided.
The objective of these services is to enable responding organisations to establish an uninterrupted supply chain that supports the delivery of humanitarian relief items to the affected population.
(B H)
World Food Programme: Yemen Situation Update, September 2018
Due to ongoing fighting around Hodeidah and a resulting increase in humanitarian activities targeting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the Logistics Cluster has been tasked with coordinating Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) deliveries to Humanitarian Service Points (HSPs) and Transit Points (TPs) which were established as locations to provide IDPs with relief items.
The Logistics Cluster is in charge of cargo consolidation at the common warehouse (WFP IRR, UNICEF hygiene kits and UNFPA transit kits into RRM kits) and the coordination of deliveries of the consolidated cargo to RRM implementing partners.
Within the framework of the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), there were significant delays in the dispatch of Phase 9 kits due to deconfliction requests not being granted
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-situation-update-september-2018
(B H)
Yemen: Organizations 3W Operational Presence (August 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-organizations-3w-operational-presence-august-2018
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(A H)
A report reveals Yemeni refugees tortured by police in Morocco
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights in Nadhor, Northern Morocco, has called on the authorities to stop the violence of Yemeni asylum-seekers and to hold accountable the police officers Involved.
The association published photographs of two Yemeni asylum-seekers, whose bodies showed traces of violent beatings, which the association said had been subjected to at a police station in Beni Ansar province of Nadhor. Scores of Yemenis live in the region in difficult circumstances, hoping to reach Melilla to apply for asylum.
Yemeni asylum-seekers are beaten and insulted with insults at the Bani Ansar gate, which separates the Nadhor region of northern Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Melilla.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159317
(B H)
Cross Border Movements - Somalia (August 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/cross-border-movements-somalia-august-2018
(* B H)
World Health Organization: Internally displaced persons from Hudaydah endure harsh circumstances in Sana'a
Dissipated sense of security
With the recent escalation of conflict in the port town of Al-Hudaydah, thousands of people were forced to flee to the capital city Sana’a to escape the insecurity and increasing poverty, malnutrition and disease outbreaks. These displaced people include Yemen’s most vulnerable: the elderly, pregnant women, people who carry the burden of chronic illnesses, and caregivers who bear the responsibility of providing for their children.
Abu Bakr school in Sana’a serves as a transit facility for many displaced families from Al-Hudaydah who have nowhere else to go. Through its partnership with the World Bank under the Emergency Health and Nutrition Project (EHNP), WHO has provided the transit facility with emergency medicines and health supplies for 1000 medical consultations.
Weighed down by harsh circumstances and forced displacement
Being from Al-Hudaydah, many displaced families are not used to the colder weather in Sana’a and have not yet acclimated to it. Their living space is crowded, with several families often living together in one classroom. Their main concern is the safety and well-being of the children.
Many of the displaced families are headed by women, some of whom are weighed down by old age, chronic illnesses, children to care for, and empty stomachs to feed. Many are sitting on the ground in the schoolyard. They look tired. They have been all been faced with unique circumstances during their displacement, but they all have one thing in common: uncertainty of the future.
There are children playing in the schoolyard, oblivious to the fact that they are far from home. They run around giggling and playing as children usually do. They look joyful, but beneath the surface lingers untold trauma. Memories still seared in their minds, and the perplexing reality they are now forced to live. No child is supposed to face violence of such magnitude at such a tender age, yet displaced children in Yemen experience this daily.
Nada is a mother of four and was displaced from Al Mina district in Al-Hudayah. She took an overcrowded bus to Sana’a. Upon her arrival, she had nowhere to go. Prior to the conflict, Nada had nothing and was hardly able to provide the day to day necessities for her family. “We heard the sounds of aircrafts and missiles hitting the city, and the battle tanks were already in the neighborhoods. I was terrified for my family and I had to leave,” says Nada while describing the situation after the armed conflict had gripped the city.
“Hospitals and pharmacies were closed; people didn’t know where to go. It was a ghost town. All you could hear was the shelling,” She added. Nada does not have a room, so she sits on one of the school corridors where her 2-year-old lies sick on a mattress they all share. “I don’t know what she is sick with, and I can’t afford medical care.”
“We have nothing; we are not part of this. Yet we bear the burdens of this war”
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Somalia Situation: Population of Concern to UNHCR (31 August 2018)
256,733 had fled to Yemen.
https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-situation-population-concern-unhcr-31-august-2018
(B H)
International Organization for Migration: Yemen: Emergency Tracking Tool Report #13 - Displacement from Al Hudaydah (1 June - 26 September 2018)
From 07 August to 26 September, IOM identified an increase of 13,355 displaced households.
The largest increases being within Amanat Al Asimah , Al Hudaydah and Taizz Governorate,
(A P)
Two Koreans questioned for allegedly assaulting Yemenis
Two Korean men are being investigated on suspicion of assaulting two Yemeni men on Jeju Island last week, police said Sunday.
http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=256608
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(B P)
When you enter #Houthies prisons You feel time rapidly goes ages back. Far back than 26th Sep 1962 Revolution, to the darkest ages." Says former detainee, Journalist Abdullah Al menefi to @YeMonitor
https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1049573304422592512
(* B P)
Open-Air Prison: Houthi Violations Spike as Yemen War Intensifies
Under Houthi authority, forced disappearances, torture and executions have become a greater risk for Yemenis, who are already plighted by critical humanitarian conditio
Under Houthi authority, forced disappearances, torture and executions have become a greater risk for Yemenis.
“The Houthis’ actions are based on neuroticism and paranoia,” Abdullahfrom Hodeida told The Globe Post. “Without such brutality, their rule would not exist. They owe their existence to violence and domination.”
While the Houthis had relied on brutal measures to solidify the rule after the uprising, its reign has recently further tightened as the coalition pushes to capture Hodeidah – under siege since June 12.
“Here in Hodeidah, there is an increasing atmosphere of terror. People cannot enter the city, due to suspicions they might be a spy,” Manel, a Yemeni reporter, told The Globe Post.
“Arrests here have sharply risen since the coalition’s assault began. I have even witnessed people dragged off the streets just for taking pictures on their phone. They (the Houthis) seem to target anyone who acts slightly different,” she added.
Along with Hodeidah’s central political prison, a historic castle is used as a storage for prisoners who have unfriendly opinions to the Houthis – and has filled rapidly recently.
Anyone showing signs of criticism towards the regime faces jail, in all Houthi-controlled areas.
“Social media is heavily monitored, and anyone showing criticism of the Houthis faces severe consequences,” Mohammad from Sana’a told The Globe Post. “Countless Yemenis have been thrown in jail for posting negative things about them on social media.” – by Jonathan fenton-Harvey
https://theglobepost.com/2018/10/10/yemen-houthi-violations/
(* B P)
Charges against Baha’i in Yemen must be dropped: UN experts urge release of detainees
A group of UN independent human rights experts have called for the immediate release of 24 people, mostly from Baha’i minority, who have been held by authorities in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, since the middle of last month.
The detainees face charges of apostasy – or abandoning the state-sanctioned religion - teaching the Baha’i faith and spying; the latter, is subject to the death penalty.
The five UN experts said that charges “must be dropped and discriminatory practices based on religion, outlawed”.
At least 22 of those being held are Baha’is, including eight women and one minor. The individuals were prosecuted on 15 September without investigation or warning prior to the start of the trials.
UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed said the recent wave of detentions in Yemen appears to be an intimidation tactic intended to pressure Baha'is into recanting their faith.
In a statement last May, he stressed that “it is unacceptable for anyone, including persons belonging to religious minorities, to be targeted or discriminated based on religion or belief.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/10/1022762
(A P)
Houthi militias arrests relatives of women participating in demonstrations
Houthi militias arrested during the past days relatives of women who participated in demonstrations against starvation polices adopted by the Houthis.
Local sources in Sana’a affirmed that the Houthis tighten security measures in Sana’a streets and entries in light of popular discontent over the Houthi policies and behaviors.
The sources affirmed that the chairman of their political council Mahdi al-Mashat held a meeting with security leaders and ordered them to severely crack down on any activists or oppositionists who call for demonstration.
Female protesters took into streets last week in Sana’a
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24414
(A P)
A pregnant woman killed by Houthi sniper in Al-Jawf
A sniper from the Houthi militia fired at a woman called "Shafe’ah Mabkhout" while grazing sheep in a remote area of the conflict, in the area of "Hajal ", in the Al- Jawf district
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159310
(* A P)
Houthis create new prisons in Sana’a
Houthi militias have created new prisons in the capital Sana’a, local sources told Sky News.
The sources affirmed that the militias created a prison inside the 48 military camp and put dozens of abductees inside them, pointing out that the abductees are tortured to obtain confessions.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24386
(A P)
Houthis kill civilian during protesters ' demand for handover of Supervisor, accused of killing a citizen in Al-Baydha
One person was killed and two others injured on Monday after being shot by Houthi gunmen in the central Yemeni province of Al- Baydha.
According to a local source of “Al Masdar online ", that protesters from the Directorate of the Al Arash- Radaa in Al- Baydha province, carried out a protest to demand the extradition of a supervisor, who had previously killed one of the sons of the directorate, Adnan Al-humidi after refiling the car of Houthi supervisor with gas.
The source added that the Houthis opened fire on the protesters and killed the citizen “abdou Nasser Ismail al-humaidi", from al-humaidi, the Al-Jiaf area, the Directorate of the Al Arash- Radaa, and wounding two Others.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159313
(A P)
Now Houthis slogan "Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews, Victory to Islam" is stamped on public university student and staff IDs (photo)
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1049572799969447936
(A P)
Parliament entrusts gas company to provide domestic gas
The Parliament, in its meeting held on Tuesday, entrusted the gas company with the task of providing domestic gas to the capital Sanaa and all provinces at the specified price.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510841.htm
(A H P)
FM meets UN Humanitarian Coordinator
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf met on Tuesday with the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande.
The meeting touched on the UN efforts to alleviate the suffering of Yemeni people as a result of the humanitarian disaster caused by the Saudi-led aggression coalition, and how to address the deteriorating economic situation.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510787.htm
(* A K P)
Film: Yemen: Sanaa commemorates anniversary of Saudi funeral airstrike
Hundreds of people held a commemorative ceremony in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Monday to honour the second anniversary of the 2016 Saudi airstrike that claimed the lives of 155 people. Family members, friends and locals took to the streets with portraits of their loved ones and flowers to mark the commemorative event. Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Aziz bin Habtoor also attended the ceremony. The 2016 Saudi-led air strike, which targeted the funeral of former interior Minister Jalal al-Rowaishan’s father, claimed the lives of 155 people and injured over 525.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbtkrzADfhE
(* A P)
A Houthi court in Sanaa on Tuesday handed down death sentences to two Yemenis on charges including espionage for Saudi Arabia. Politically motivated justice is not justice, but a heinous crime.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1049647382542110720
My comment: A pretense; those who had been arrested because of their Bahai faith?
(B P)
In this photo is a girl called Ruba from #Taiz. She is member of @WoSolidarityYe. She hasn’t seen or heard from her father, Abdulhameed Jafaar, in photo, since 2016 as Houthis assaulted him, kidnapped, and was forcefully disappeared.
https://twitter.com/RashaJarhum/status/1049383748507119616
(A P)
The #Houthis march on deploying their militiamen across the campus of #Sanaa University as inspection of students' phones continue with the indirect support of the college staff, who are loyal to the militia. It is worth mentioning the campus witnessed arrests against #students.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1049412270562918401
(A P)
Women detained yesterday beleive that some of the houthis women thugs were actually men wearing women cloths. This was sent to me by a relative of one of the girls who were protesting yesterday and who were beaten and detained for demonstrating against hunger #Sanaa (photos)
https://twitter.com/RashaJarhum/status/1049059123277393921
Remark: For Houthis’ detainments look at Yemen War Mosaic 466, cp5.
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B)
Film: Socotra Island
https://www.facebook.com/groups/tribunalgroup4Yemen/permalink/1882334525136676
(* A B P)
Deputies pack their bags to Riyadh. Attempts to revive the ageing and frozen Yemeni parliament? (special report)
Almost four years after his last meeting in the capital Sana’a, Yemen's legitimate authority has recently resumed new arrangements to try to revive the house of Representatives.
According to the history of the meetings of the Yemeni parliament, the institution concerned with legislation and censorship, the last meeting was on the 18th of December 2014
AL- Masdar online also received information about the arrival of a number of Members of the House of Representatives to the Saudi capital Riyadh and others arranged for their travel there from the various contrary after they received invitations from the Presidency of the Council and through the parliamentary blocs of Parties.
Al-Masdar online has spoken to a number of Members of Parliament to know the details of these arrangements and the meeting to be held and the purpose of this meeting, and one member assured the source online that the ongoing arrangements aimed at resuming the House of Representatives inside Yemen, and likely to be held in the city of Sayoon In Wadi Hadramawt (eastern Yemen) amid military and security complications in the interim capital Aden, which is controlled by UAE forces and their local military arms, and although the city of Sayoon is an option for the venue of the Council but another deputy said that the Council could be held even in Aden despite the complications The Phenomenon.
He predicted that the purpose of the invitation to the meeting would be limited to the selection of a new presidency of the council, which would have been arranged beforehand, according to the parliamentary source, "in this case many deputies hesitate to attend and feel that they will be just decorative to legitimize the procedures to be returned to the margin as they have been frozen for the past years “.
According to the source, what makes many members hesitant to attend is the lack of clarity of the agenda of the meeting, but it is likely that the move of Parliament at this time is to try to put pressure on the legitimate authority and give it a power sheet in response to the transgressions by the UAE, and the parliamentarian pointed to the developments The conditions in Aden and the military movements that the UAE runs there through its local military arms for the purpose of imposing Secession.
Fifteen years after the election of the Yemeni House of representatives, which makes him a candidate for the World's longest-running parliament, more than 30 of his members have died, 10 percent of the Council's strength and others have been recognized as old Age.
"it seems that the president is now more in need of Parliament to support him in the face of transgressions that have increased," he says, "there is an insistence on removing the president and the Government from the country and keeping the legitimate authority out of the game."
According to the sources, the heads of parliamentary blocs of political parties supporting the legitimacy met in Riyadh a few days ago to reach preliminary understandings on the selection of names for a new president of the Council.
The information says that summoning deputies to Riyadh is a first step ahead of their transfer to the Council's meeting place inside Yemen, and the information also indicates that the number of Members of Parliament who joined the legitimacy reached about 170 deputies, which is the number on the payroll that was disbursed from Government Treasury but is all of them ready to attend or many of them still trapped inside the Houthi control areas.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159373
My comment: There had been several attempts to reestablish parliament at Aden u nder president Hadi’s control. But actually, a great part of MPs still is at Sanaa under Houthi control, and the parliament still is working there (it’s wrong – as is claimed here – the last meeting had been in Dec. 2014). The Sanaa parliament still had hit the quorum which is required by the constitution, but it’s quite doubtful whether it still does after the Houthi-Saleh divide in Dec. 2017. – Anyway, it is also quite doubtful, whether any parliament the Hadi government could call together would hit the quorum, as is claimed here.
(A T)
The Director of the Department of Supervision and Inspection of the Ministry of Defense survived the assassination attempt in Aden
two gunmen on a motorcycle shot at the car of Brigadier Mesfer al-Harthy, director of the Supervision and Inspection Department of the Ministry of defense while passing the Sea Road.
The shots were targeted at the front of the Al- Harthy car, but the brigadier general escaped and was not injured in the incident
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159369
(A P)
Journalist Mokhtar Al-Rahbi complains to the syndicate about the campaign of incitement by a channel affiliated to the UAE
Journalist Mokhtar Al- Rahbi complained about a campaign of incitement by a channel operating within a package of UAE-affiliated channels to Yemen.
"as Yemeni journalists live in the worst stages in the history of journalism and media in Yemen, and the abduction of colleagues and journalists in the prisons of the putschists, which we have been opposed to since the first day, is a rejection of what affects all of us, but there are voices that target journalists and media professionals through Different media outlets” He added.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159377
(A P)
Hadhramaut. Government official suspends his work after opposition and coalition refuses to meet protesters ' demands
A government official in Hadramawt province, southeast Yemen, suspended his work against the backdrop of the government and the Arab coalition not responding to the demands of Wadi Hadramawt.
Sources close to the provincial undersecretary of Hadramawt for Valley and Sahara affairs Issam Al kathiri said to "Al-Masdar Online ", that the official will suspend his work for a full month in protest against the failure of the legitimate government and the Arab coalition to the demands of the people of Wadi Hadramawt.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159381
(A P)
Security committee of Hadramawt warns of deviating the path of peaceful protest and confirms standing alongside protesters
Local authorities in Hadramawt province, southeast Yemen, announced on Tuesday that they stood by protesters refusing to deteriorate the economy while warning of the deviation of a peaceful demonstration.
Several southern cities, including Hadramawt, are witnessing protests and strikes that paralyzed commercial traffic, due to the deteriorating economy and the collapse of the local Currency.
According to a statement issued by the Security committee in Wadi and desert of Hadramawt, they stand by the demands of the demonstrators and their right to peaceful expression and to their opinions.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159330
and
(A P)
Hadhramout security warns against any suspicious agendas
The security department in Wadi Hadhramout has said that it will not allow any suspicious agendas which may lead to riots and instability in Hadhramout.
In a statement, it said that security services in Hadhramout would shoulder responsibility in maintaining security and stability, and put an end to any attempts to spark conflicts and seditions.
It further affirmed that all citizens have the rights to protest peacefully, cautioning against any attempts to damage the state institutions.
(A P)
Civilian killed by ' security belt ' forces in Al-Dale’a
A person was killed by the forces of the so-called "security belt " on Tuesday in the southern Yemeni province of Al- Dale’a.
A local source told "Al Masdar online" that clashes took place in Senah market in Al- Dale’a province, on Tuesday noon, between the forces of the "security belt ", loyal to the UAE, and gunmen, which resulted in the death of a citizen in the Market.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159342
(A P)
4 Yemeni parties loyal to Hadi demand new consensual government
Four Yemeni parties on Tuesday called for the establishment of a consensual government between the parties and political forces against the Al-Houthi coup, gaining the confidence of the House of representatives, and enjoying the support of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
This came in a statement signed by the parties loyal to President Abdoulaye Mansour Hadi, the Socialist Party (the ruling party in the south of the country before unification in 1990), the Nasserite organization, the justice and construction party, the National Solidarity Party and the Republican Party.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159359
My comment: There is little to no loyalty to “president” Hadi all over Yemen.
(A P)
Yemeni Prime Minister: We Reject Any Practice for Splitting Yemen
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr affirmed today the importance of the leading role of Yemeni media institutions in serving the national issue and supporting legitimacy in Yemen in facing the coup and its dangerous repercussions.
According to the Yemeni News Agency, bin Daghr affirmed the rejection of any practice that may split Yemen.
He said that the Houthi militias have practiced a systematic destruction process on all Yemeni entities , particularly the information institutions.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1823782
(A P)
2 Girls Found Murdered After Being Raped in Aden
People found two dead girls on Monday in front of the Friendship Hospital in Mansoura district of the occupied southern province of Aden, a local source said, stressing that the effects of torture were clear on their bodies.
Activists on social media confirmed that the two girls had been tortured and raped by gunmen , loyal to the so-called “Security Belt”.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3175&cat_id=1
(* A P)
Hadi regime officials flee Yemen as UAE moves to take over Aden
Several senior members of the Hadi regime have left Yemen on Sunday for refuge in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, while UAE forces and South Yemeni separatist militias are reported to have effectively taken control over the city of Aden.
According to observers in Aden, the departure of Hadi loyalists means that de facto the city’s institutions have been handed over to Emirati-backed militias, effectively fulfilling the STC’s demands of Wednesday.
Coinciding with the emigration, Sunday also witnessed the deployment of the Emirati military units to Aden International Airport. Local sources reported by Yemen Press Agency speak of at least eight main battle tanks moving on the airport.
The apparent takeover of Aden by the UAE and its allied separatist organisations comes as the latest in a long series of tensions and even clashes between the Hadi regime and South Yemeni separatists. Organisations such as the STC, while originally supporting the Saudi-backed coalition, have increasingly turned against the Saudi satellite regime and instead have focused on building their own separatist project.
https://yemen-rw.org/hadi-regime-officials-flee-yemen-as-uae-moves-to-take-over-aden/
(* A P)
Military mobilizations in #Aden underway, sparking fears of fierce fighting between the @STCSouthArabia forces and the Yemeni government.
https://twitter.com/MuradAbdu/status/1049349550388011012
(A P)
UN Accuses US-Saudi Aggression Paid Fighters for Arresting Ukrainian Experts in Aden Airport
US-Saudi Aggression mercenaries of the so-called Southern Transitional Council, loyal to the UAE forces, on Sunday held a cargo plane with six Ukrainian experts on board as it arrived at Aden International Airport.
The militias refused to allow passage of the cargo plane, which carries spare parts of Al-Hasawah power plant and a shipment of free medicines to the wounded people in the city of Aden.
The head of the United Nation’s investigation team on the Yemen war has accused Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of hindering its work on documenting evidence of possible war crimes, they have committed throughout their military aggression against the country.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3157&cat_id=1
(* A P)
Thousands of Yemenis take to Taiz streets to protest against Saudi influence
Southern city just the latest area of government-held Yemen to express dismay and disquiet over Riyadh's presence
Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of the southern city of Taiz on Friday, railing against the government's mishandling of the economy and a Saudi-led coalition fighting on its behalf.
The scene was quite different three years ago, when the city's residents also flooded its streets and squares, then thanking the coalition for intervening against the Houthi rebels in support of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi's government.
Now, the people of Taiz accuse the Saudi-led coalition of being the main reason behind Yemen's worsening situation.
Where once images of the Saudi king were put up with fondness, now they are being torn apart by Yemenis sick of war, poverty and dwindling sovereignty.
"Instead of supporting the legitimacy, the coalition has turned into an occupier," one banner seen on Friday read.
"Instead of opening the door for Yemeni asylum-seekers, Saudi exiles Yemeni expatriates," read another.
Masani was working in marketing with a local company, but he lost his job in 2015 and is now unemployed. He believes that the intervention of the Saudi-led coalition has not helped his country.
"We were stupid to believe the Saudis in 2015, they have not helped us to liberate Taiz from the Houthis, they have not helped us to revive public institutions and they have not done anything good. Moreover, they hinder any solution in Taiz," he said.
Friday’s protest was a follow-up to an equally large one the day before, and Masani said he and thousands of other Taiz residents will not stop protesting against the coalition.
"Yemenis are starving to death because of the increase of basic commodities' prices, while the Saudis are enjoying their life and they have not rescued Yemenis from famine," he said.
Masani accused Saudi Arabia of preventing the Hadi and his government from returning to Yemen, and said Yemeni wealth is under the control of the coalition.
"We do not beg the Saudis to help us, we demand that they leave our country, and we will manage our wealth ourselves," he said.
"The oil wells in Marib, Shabwa and Hadhramout are under the control of the Saudis, and they closed the oil fields. We want President Hadi to return to Yemen and resume the production of oil."
Essam al-Sharjabi, another protester in Taiz, told MEE: "Saudi Arabia looks out for its interests and it is not willing to help Yemenis because Saudis will not get any benefit from such a humanitarian attitude."
"Saudis launched the war in Yemen and they exile Yemenis from Saudi Arabia, forcing them to return their war-torn country,” Sharjabi, 43, added.
Sharjabi believes that after the price increases and the spread of malnutrition around the country, Yemenis should protest everywhere to end the war.
Masani’s sentiments are widely shared across Taiz province. Not everyone, however, believes that protesting is the answer.
Some, such as 28-year-old Taiz resident Walid Abdulqawi, worry that political parties will attempt to exploit the protests for their own goals.
(* A P)
Seiyun, Wadi Hadhramaut this morning: Soldiers of 1st Military Region open fire to disperse demonstrators protesting against worsening economic conditions & collapse of the #Yemen riyal. Arrests made.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1049250352334360576
(A P)
Source: civilian death in the UAE-backed "al-Shabwanya elite" prisons in Shabwah
A civilian died in the jails of the UAE-backed "al-Shabwanya on Sunday evening in the Azzan district of the Mayf’ah directorate, local sources in the southeastern province of Shabwah said Monday.
The source told the Al-Masdar online that Sarhan Saleh Bushmail, a member of the Al-Hawtah district of Mayf’ah directorate, was arrested by elite forces on Wednesday, after controversy and quarrel with his neighbors.
He added that on Sunday evening, a source of troops contacted his family, who were asked to attend and receive his body, following his death in Prison.
But the Bushmail family refused to receive the body from the elite forces, the source Said.
The source did not indicate the reasons for the death of Bushmail in prison.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159270
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24387
and
(A P
UAE-backed Al-Shabwani "elite" militias in Houta tortured 28-year Sarhan Saleh Boshamel to death, local activists said on Monday (photo)
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1049174831005138944
(* A K P)
It is not clear at all why U.S. forces have arrived tonight in Al Ma'ashiq Palace, Aden city.
The doctor says U.S. forces arrived at Al Ma'ashiq Palace in Aden upon the request of #Yemen president Hadi, to protect 'legitimate govt' institutions. U.S. military protection against UAE-backed MBT-armed southern militias???
Has the U.S. decided to crack the whip against the UAE & its far-fetched wet dreams in south #Yemen? That would be interesting.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1049081949611065345
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1049084608221011968
(A K P)
UAE pushes tanks and other military reinforcements to Aden airport
The UAE forces in Aden on Sunday pushed further military reinforcements to Aden airport, south of Yemen.
Local sources told Al-Masdar Online that the UAE troops had sent a number of tanks, military armored vehicles and other reinforcements to Aden Airport.
She said the reinforcements were landed at the oil port and passed from Buriqah via Caltex cross, to Aden Airport (photo)
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159228
(* A T)
Yemen : Journalist assassinated in Dhale city
Yemeni journalist Zaki al-Saqaldi, the editor of al-'Ataa newspaper, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen on Friday 8 October in front of his house in Dhale city. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its Yemeni affiliate, the Yemeni Journalist Syndicate, in strongly condemning the killing and in expressing serious concerns about increasing hostility and harassment against journalists in Yemen.
According to local media reporting, unidentified gunmen opened fire on al-Saqaldi and killed him instantly. The attackers fled and have not been arrested yet.
This crime is the latest in a series of targeted attacks against journalists and political activists in the country. In a statement, the YJS denounced the “targeting campaign” against journalists “amidst the absence of security”.
“The YJS holds the security authorities of Al-Dhale fully responsible for this crime and for protecting journalists in the governorate. The YJS also reiterates its demands to not include journalists in the conflict or to incite against them because of their opinions”, said the YJS.
http://www.ifj.org/news-single-view/backpid/50/article/yemen-journalist-assassinated-in-dhale-city/
Remark: This assassination already had been recorded in Yemen War Mosaic 466.
(* B P)
Separatisten rufen zu Volksaufstand im Jemen auf
„Nach tagelangen Protestens in der südjemenitischen Hauptstadt Aden wegen des Scheiterns der Regierung im Umgang mit der Wirtschaftskrise verlangte eine separatistische Organisation am Mittwoch die Unabhängigkeit des Südens und rief zu einem Volksaufstand auf. Angesichts der verheerenden Wirtschaftskrise befindet sich der Wert des Rial im Tiefflug und die Preise aller lebenswichtigen Güter sind stark gestiegen. Vor diesem Hintergrund hat der Südliche Übergangsrat (STC) das Volk des Südjemen, der von 1967 bis 1990 ein eigener Staat war, zu einem Aufstand gegen die Regierung aufgerufen.
Der STC wurde im vergangenen Jahr gebildet, um die Wiederherstellung des ehemals unabhängigen Südjemen zu erwirken. ‚Die korrupten herrschenden Banden stehlen unser Geld, die Nahrung unserer Kinder und die Einkünfte des befreiten Südens für ihren eigenen Zwecke‘, hieß es in der Erklärung des STC. ‚Sie leben mit ihren Kindern im Luxus, während unsere Kinder und Enkel darben und an Krankheiten und Unterernährung leiden. Mit ihrer Leichtfertigkeit haben sie den Zusammenbruch der Wirtschaft und der Währung verursacht, die Gesellschaft destabilisiert, die öffentlichen Dienste in Mitleidenschaft gezogen und die Entwicklung im Südjemen gestoppt.‘ Die Regierung brachte ihre Sorge zum Ausdruck, dass der Aufruf zu massiven Ausschreitungen führen könnte, ‚die der Sicherheit und Einheit des Jemen und seines Volks nur schaden können‘, und drängte den STC, seine Pläne aufzugeben. Der Aufruf kam in Aden gut an. Viele meinten, er nehme das Leid der Menschen ernst. Von den Bewohnern der Stadt, mit denen Middle East Eye sprach, gaben viele an, es sei höchste Zeit, dass die Regierung aus dem Südjemen verdrängt werde. (…)
https://www.mena-watch.com/separatisten-rufen-zu-volksaufstand-im-jemen-auf/
Bemerkung: Jetzt auf Deutsch, die Meldung ist aber schon einige Tage alt: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemens-southern-separatists-announce-popular-uprising-1595446795
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(B P)
Fuad Rajeh: And peace in #Yemen requires sponsors of peace process to guarantee that the UAE acts as a helper not as a destabiliser through backing separatists and terrorists and weakening a government it is restoring. Being a US ally must not mean its acts of terror can go unpunished!
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1049004345172344834
(A P)
US Ambassador: Political Settlement Only Solution to Crisis in Yemen
The ongoing conflict in Yemen cannot be resolved militarily, rather efforts should be made by all parties to the conflict to find a political solution, the U.S. ambassador to Yemen told U.S.-funded Alhurra TV last week.
"I do believe that we have a path forward with a strong international consensus to continue to push towards a political solution," U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller said. He added the U.S remains committed to finding a political solution to the conflict in the war-torn country.
"I believe ultimately that Yemenis themselves know that there must be a political solution,” Tueller said.
Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, the Yemeni Ambassador to the U.S, told VOA that while his government supports U.S. and U.N. efforts to find a political solution to the war, military pressure is needed.
My comment: Ambassador Tueller is one of the most extreme backers of the Saudi coalition. He has a very great influence – much more than an ambassador to a failed 3. World government would have – and seems to be an important and horrible puppet master in the background: https://theintercept.com/2017/12/13/yemen-war-peace-talks-matthew-tueller/
(* A B P)
UN Panel: Saudi Arabia and UAE “Interfering” in Documentation of Yemen War Crimes
Since the UN panel released its critical report in August, its leader Kamel Jendoubi asserts that the Saudi coalition has been directly interfering with the panel’s activities in regards to documenting alleged war crimes in Yemen.
The coalition has repeatedly denied accusations of its complicity in human-rights abuses and war crimes in the conflict in Yemen.
A likely reason for the coalition’s sharp response to any criticism regarding Yemen owes to the role of the U.S. and U.K. governments’ support for the Saudi-led war, as official UN condemnation of coalition war crimes in Yemen could weaken the U.S. and U.K.’s willingness to publicly justify that support. Indeed, following the coalition’s bombing of a school bus full of children in August, the U.S. government stated that its support for the coalition was constantly under review and was not unconditional. Further negative publicity could potentially lead to a reduction in U.S. or U.K. support for the coalition.
Remark: This already had been reported earlier. One interesting idea is highlighted here.
(A P)
UN renews historic investigations into Yemen war crimes despite Saudi threats
The 39th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council was held September 10-28, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) engaged with the Council on five countries: Yemen, Palestine, Libya, Syria and Egypt.
The advocacy of CIHRS and its Yemeni partner organization, Mwatana for Human Rights, contributed to a renewed mandate for the Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) on Yemen, representing a significant step towards justice for Yemeni victims of war crimes and human rights abuses. The mandate’s renewal will allow the GEE to continue conducting impartial and independent investigations into violations of international law by all parties to the conflict in Yemen. As part of its advocacy for a renewed and strengthened GEE, CIHRS co-sponsored two side events: “Yemen: Millions of Civilians at Risk: Human Rights Council must Renew and Strengthen the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen,” and “Accountability and the Need to End Impunity for Human Rights Violations in Yemen: Human Rights Defenders including Bloggers, Internet Activists and Journalists at Extreme Risk of Persecution.”
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
(* B P)
Iranian-Saudi detente could transform the region, and US power is there to prevent
The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has for decades roiled the Middle East with sectarian conflict, instability and war. Thinking about how the region would look if these two powerhouses normalized relations is intriguing.
Indeed, the decades-old rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has come at a blood-soaked cost. The Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) was largely stoked by the Saudi rulers sponsoring Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
More recently, the war in Yemen, in which millions of children are facing starvation, has been fueled by Saudi claims that Iran is trying to destabilize its Arabian backyard by supporting Houthi rebels. Both Iran and the rebels deny the claim.
There are also ongoing sectarian tensions in Lebanon and Bahrain where Saudi Arabia and Iran face off through local proxies.
Surely, the wars in Syria and Iraq have been greatly exacerbated by Saudi interventions driven by Riyadh’s geopolitical antagonism with Iran.
But, as noted, the chances of normalization between Iran and Saudi Arabia are slim, if not negligible.
It must be said the ideological disposition of Saudi rulers militates against mutual engagement. The fundamentalist Wahhabi religion at the core of Saudi state power is premised on an abiding hostility towards Shia Islam, the dominant form of Islam in Iran.
The Saudi heir – and de facto leader at the young age of 33 –claimed that Iran wants to overthrow the House of Saud and impose its Shia religion over the Arabian Peninsula, usurping the Holy Mosques of Mecca and Medina.
This theological obsession with Iran runs through the House of Saud, but the Crown Prince seems to have a particular aversion towards Iran. Given that he could potentially be the ruler of Saudi Arabia for decades to come his irrational hostility does not bode well.
But perhaps more important as an obstacle to detente is the power relations between the US, Saudi Arabia, the other Sunni Arab kingdoms and Israel.
Washington’s ambitions to dominate the oil-rich region have always depended on patronizing the Saudi and related monarchs, as well as Israel. Like Israel, Washington has always seen advantage in keeping the region divided and ultimately weak as a bloc.
That is why the aspirations of Iran’s Zarif about “regional unity and strength” are somewhat naive or misplaced. A united Middle East of Arab and Muslim oil-producing nations is exactly what the US and its ally Israel do not want. It would be anathema to them.
To avoid such “calamity”, Washington has assiduously encouraged the bitter Sunni-Shia divide that most characterizes the Saudi-Iranian relationship – by Finian Cunningham
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/440796-iran-saudi-arabia-rivalry/
(* B P)
How Iran and the Gulf Arab States Can Start a Dialogue Again
It’s hard to overstate the regional impact of the rivalry between Iran and several Gulf Arab states—most notably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—bordering in recent years on enmity.
Yet few believe there is a military solution to the tensions between Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Tehran may wish to become a revolutionary regional superpower, but its leaders understand that its appeal is limited to certain, largely majority Shia or Shia-dominated areas.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that Iran has been more open to dialogue in recent years, believing it’s entering any such discourse from a position of strength.
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, by contrast, are resistant to a direct dialogue under the current circumstances, believing Iran would be shaking with one hand and sticking the knife in with the other. And, of course, they hope that Washington’s newly aggressive posture towards Iran will lead to strategic setbacks that allow them to negotiate with Tehran on more equitable terms, if not from a position of relative advantage.
So, eventually, dialogue will be necessary. But it’s impossible to imagine a leap from the current estrangement and widespread proxy confrontation to a new norm of cooperation and comity. To put it plainly, any rapprochement will have to be realized in stages, and the creation of a functional dialogue itself would be a major accomplishment.
Such a framework for progress could form by demonstrating the mutual gains, building confidence, and laying the groundwork for the next constructive step, as well as reducing the chances of additional irritants and sources of tension.
Ending the war in Yemen is an obvious first step in the process, given its centrality to Saudi concerns and Iran’s limited interests in the country. It’s hard to imagine a working dialogue going forward until this conflict is contained and possibly resolved.
Second, both sides can and should agree on the political independence, territorial integrity, and need for stability in Syria and Iraq.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(* B P)
The totalitarian prince: Trump's questionable friend in the Middle East
The mysterious disappearance of Saudi writer and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week has cast a spotlight on the Saudi regime, which is dominated by 33-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known commonly as MBS).
This, in turn, raises questions about the nature of the big bet that the Trump administration has placed on the Crown Prince.
For every positive move that MBS has made -- giving women the right to drive, allowing concertsin his kingdom, trying to open up the statist, oil-dependent Saudi economy and curtailing the powers of the feared religious police -- he has also accumulated a long list of errors.
Why is MBS doing all of this? Because he is moving Saudi Arabia toward a totalitarian dictatorship in which all aspects of society are controlled by him and all forms of dissent are stifled, an approach which is further reinforced by the disappearance of Khashoggi. It's an old playbook going back to Louis XIV of France, who is thought to have said, "L'état, c'est moi," which means, "I am the state."
This is of particular concern given the Trump administration's warm embrace of MBS.
Since then, the Trump administration has made little effort to critique the Saudi kingdom, neither for the thousands of civilian casualties in Yemen, nor its imprisonment of businessmen, royals, clerics and civil society activists at home.
The Trump administration properly put sanctions on Russia earlier this year after evidence showed that a former Russian agent and his daughter living in the United Kingdom were the targets of a Russian assassination plot using a nerve agent. Why should the Saudis be treated differently?
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/10/opinions/mohammed-bin-salman-saudi-dictatorship-bergen/index.html
My comment: The Yemen war and other MBS political crimes are labeled as „errors“ here. – But the last parapgraph quoted here certainly hits the spot.
(* B P)
Saudi Arabia's Weakness Is Showing After a Week of Bad Publicity
The fate of Khashoggi, whatever the outcome of the present furore, carries an important message about the present state of Saudi Arabia. If he has been forcibly detained, as the Turkish government says, then it is a self-harming act of stupidity. It elevates him from being a minor irritant to a cause célèbre and a continuing mystery about his whereabouts ensures that the story is not going to go away.
It is early days yet but the Khashoggi disappearance has released a torrent of negative publicity about Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This was wholly predictable. It is a curious fact about publicity that horrendous events – like the Saudi-led war in Yemen that has brought five million children to the verge of starvation – has failed to make its way to the top of the international news agenda. The slaughter is too great and the place too distant and ill-reported for most people to take on board and react to the horrors underway there.
Something on a smaller scale, like the disappearance of a critic of the Saudi government while his fiance waits for him in the street, is much easier to understand and respond to. Often, the all-too-common disappearance of journalists has the simple objective of silencing them and intimidating others. “Let them hate us so long as they fear us,” is the point being crudely made.
But the crown prince had hoped for a more positive image in the international media and his expectations have seldom been disappointed.
Hagiographic journalistic reports on Saudi Arabia may be more difficult to retail in future in the wake of the Khashoggi scandal. Already, some longtime backers of the country are jumping ship.
The proposed economic reforms in Saudi Arabia have always sounded like wishful thinking. Deep scepticism is the correct approach to government-backed radical change in any country dependent on revenues from oil and other natural resources. Anticorruption campaigns simply redistribute the spoils to a new gang of well-connected predators.
The list of failures is impressive.
http://www.unz.com/pcockburn/saudi-arabias-weakness-is-showing-after-a-week-of-bad-publicity/
(B P)
Lies, murder and deceit: the daily reality of Mohammed Bin Salman's war on dissent
The disappearance and alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has cast a spotlight on Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman's relentless crackdown on dissent, with civil society activism brutally suppressed to stifle all criticism.
"The Gulf Kingdom routinely uses draconian laws to crack down on peaceful dissent at home, and has even arrested dissidents abroad in the past," the group said in a statement.
"But the enforced disappearance – and now reported assassination – of one of its citizens who had sought asylum abroad should set alarm bells ringing".
Wave of arrests
In September 2017, more than 20 influential clerics and intellectuals were detained for allegedly acting on behalf of "foreign parties"
'Corruption purge'
In November 2017, several months after announcing the end of a driving ban on women, bin Salman detained over 200 top Saudi officials and businessmen in a purported anti-corruption drive in the country.
Experts say it was also a way of consolidating his grip on power.
Crackdown on activists
In May 2018, just one month before the driving ban on women was lifted, at least 12 leading female rights activists were detained without charge in Saudi Arabia.
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/10/7/lies-and-murder-riyadhs-war-on-dissent
(* B P)
AP Analysis: Missing writer shows Saudi Arabia’s dark side
For activists, opponents and others willing to speak out against the 33-year-old heir apparent in the world’s largest oil exporter, it looks increasingly like it’s hard to escape his reach either at home or abroad.
The kingdom long has been known to grab rambunctious princes or opponents abroad and spirit them back to Riyadh on private planes. But the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, who Turkish officials fear has been killed, potentially has taken the practice to a new, macabre level by grabbing a writer who could both navigate Saudi Arabia’s byzantine royal court and explain it to the West.
The disappearance also peels away a carefully cultivated reformist veneer promoted about Prince Mohammed amid the kingdom allowing women to drive, instead exposing its autocratic tendencies.
Prince Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., sought to convey sympathy with carefully moderate criticism in a note to friends in English the embassy shared with reporters.
That sharply contrasts with the tone taken by Saudi local media, as well as Saudi-owned satellite channels and other broadcasters. There, newspapers have called Khashoggi’s disappearance a plot ginned up by Qatar, who the kingdom has been boycotting with three other nations since last year. Al-Jazeera, Qatar’s state-funded broadcaster, has focused extensively on the case in recent days.
Online, the smears have been worse, describing Khashoggi as an al-Qaida supporter for the interviews he did with Osama bin Laden in the years before he turned firmly against the West
That harshness corresponds with the growing concerns internationally about the direction Saudi Arabia is taking under Prince Mohammed and his father.
If the worst is confirmed about the journalist’s fate, that may push even more critics underground and leave fewer still willing to speak frankly about the kingdom.
As Khashoggi wrote in his first column in the Post: “That is how breathtakingly fast you can fall out of favor with Saudi Arabia.”
https://apnews.com/df30df73446b4455b5720114399ca1a8
(* B P)
Mohammad bin Salman Is Scared of Saudi Expats
The crown prince will stop at nothing to silence his growing number of critics, regardless of where they live.
If the Saudi government is eventually shown to have been involved in Khashoggi’s mistreatment, much less his death, the big question would be why. At a time when Mohammed bin Salman has spent billions of dollars to revamp his image abroad, why would Saudi Arabia go after such a well-known writer who had made a home for himself in Washington? Even high-profile commentators who have previously praised Mohammed bin Salman’s reforms have warned that kidnapping and possibly killing Khashoggi would prove to be a disaster for the Saudis.
The rationale behind the alleged act becomes easier to understand when it is properly seen as part of a larger pattern. Khashoggi’s rise to prominence was part of an unprecedented—and generally underappreciated—development in recent Saudi history that Mohammad bin Salman has been treating as a threat to his rule: More Saudis than at any time in recent memory have fled the kingdom, with many seeking asylum in Western countries.
The trend started just as the young prince rose to power in 2015, when he became defense minister, and continued as he became crown prince in June 2017.
Just as important are the reasons that Saudis are fleeing. Whereas they once tended to leave because of social oppression related to sectarian tensions or discrimination against gender or sexual orientation, Saudis are increasingly leaving because they feel their freedom of expression—especially the right to criticize their government—has become unduly restricted at home.
The Saudi government has responded by trying to intimidate the growing number of expatriates. This has become evident in Canada
Even in Canada, some Saudis say they are still not safe. The case of Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi with political asylum in Canada, sheds light on the circumstances surrounding Khashoggi’s disappearance. Abdulaziz says he was approached in August by two men allegedly carrying a verbal message from Mohammed bin Salman to return home, where he would be officially immune from harm. After refusing to go back, two of his brothers and a handful of his friends were arrested. Saudis living in exile believe that such attempts are designed to contain criticism outside the country and are wary of fellow Saudis who approach them with similar messages.
“If [you] do not side with the government, you are seen as a traitor. The number of dissidents is unprecedented,” said one Saudi national living in exile in the United States. “I know a lot who were tricked to go back and then were arrested. This has been done [many times]. It’s traditional practice, I guess, to trick people to go back.”
At home, the number of Saudis punished for dissent is staggering.
Those arrested in Saudi Arabia, according to their families, were also approached to make similar pledges or even asked to spread pro-government messages on social media to millions of followers in some cases. As a result, Saudi public figures today tend to echo government rhetoric, publicly stay out of politics, or find themselves serving an indefinite jail sentence.
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Khashoggi is likely to exacerbate the issue of Saudi dissent under Mohammad bin Salman’s rule. Saudis abroad have grown too scared to return home or even to visit their country’s oversees missions – by Ola Salem
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/10/09/mohammad-bin-salman-is-scared-of-saudi-expats/
(B P)
From Yemen carnage to Hariri exit to journalist’s alleged hit, controversies under Saudi Prince Mohammed surge
Saudi Arabia has been engulfed by several controversies since Mohammed bin Salman was named crown prince and heir to the throne in June 2017.
Despite moves by the young prince to modernize the economy and society — including lifting a ban on women driving — the kingdom has stepped up repression of religious, intellectual and feminist dissidents.
And the crown prince’s guiding hand is seen behind an increasingly assertive foreign policy.
My comment: Read carefully! In the case of Saudi Arabia, leading a war killing scores and destructing a country; detaining the prime minister of another sovereign state; killing a dissident in a consulate are “controversies”, this is an “assertive” foreign policy!! Western wording shows Western position.
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B P)
Trump und die USA: Ein Abgesang auf die größte Pseudodemokratie der Welt
Donald Trump ist für viele ein Schock, die an Amerika geglaubt haben. Tatsächlich haben sie schon immer in einer Traumwelt gelebt. Es gibt keine zweite Nation auf der Erde, die so wenig mit Demokratie und Menschenrechten wie die USA zu tun hat und es gleichzeitig dennoch jahrzehntelang so gut verstanden hat, der ganzen Welt – oder zumindest dem Großteil der westlichen Journalisten, aber die halten sich ja für “die Welt” – weißzumachen, dass sie der Inbegriff von Demokratie und Menschenrechten sei. Dass nun plötzlich ein autoritärer, nach einer weit verbreiteten Lesart sogar geistig umnachteter Geldaristokrat die USA regiert, dem die Menschenrechte und die Rechtsstaatlichkeit schnurzegal sind, das erscheint folglich vielen als ein vollkommener Bruch. Tatsächlich aber können hier nur diejenigen erschüttert sein, die auf jenes von vornherein idealisierte Amerikabild hereingefallen sind, das in unserem Teil der Erde jahrzehntelang konstruiert und gepflegt wurde.
Demgegenüber muss festgehalten werden: Donald Trump ist nicht aus dem Nichts gekommen, Trump ist nicht vom Himmel gefallen. Und dass gerade ein Trump nun die USA regiert, ist alles andere als ein Zufall. Es gibt kaum etwas Amerikanischeres als Trump. Eine Figur wie Trump ist in genau demjenigen durch und durch amerikanischen Milieu groß geworden und von ihm geprägt worden, das von westlichen Journalisten zumeist glorifiziert, selten ernsthaft in Frage gestellt wurde: in der Schicht des freien, erfolgreichen, tüchtigen Unternehmertums.
Womit wir wieder beim Anfang sind: In der Tat muss es für all jene, die ihr Leben lang ein idealisiertes Bild der USA in sich herumgetragen haben, ein tiefer Schock sein, dass da etwas zum Vorschein kommt, von dem sie nicht glauben können, dass das Amerika sein kann.Auch schon vor Trump haben diese Träumer über vieles hinweggesehen müssen, um sich die Vereinigten Staaten als Hort der Demokratie und Menschenrechte zurechtzuzimmern.
(* B P)
How Trump enabled the abuses of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince
TWO YEARS ago it would have been inconceivable that the rulers of Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally, would be suspected of abducting or killing a critic who lived in Washington and regularly wrote for The Post — or that they would dare to stage such an operation in Turkey, another U.S. ally and a NATO member. That the regime now stands accused by Turkish government sources of murdering Jamal Khashoggi, one of the foremost Saudi journalists, in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate could be attributed in part to the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s 33-year-old de facto ruler, who has proved as reckless as he is ambitious. But it also may reflect the influence of President Trump, who has encouraged the crown prince to believe — wrongly, we trust — that even his most lawless ventures will have the support of the United States.
Unlike previous presidents, Mr. Trump did not raise human rights issues with Saudi leaders, though the crown prince has imprisoned hundreds of liberal activists, including women who advocated the right to drive. When scores of businessmen and royal family members were detained in late 2017 in what amounted to a massive shakedown — most were released after turning over assets to the regime — Mr. Trump was approving.
When the crown prince visited Washington in March last year, Mr. Trump received him at the White House and again made no mention of human rights.
Could this record have encouraged the crown prince to believe that he could take drastic action to silence one of his most prominent critics without damaging his relations with Washington? If so, the administration’s response thus far would not have altered his conclusion. Not until Monday, six days after Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance, did Mr. Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speak out; even then they offered no criticism, only expressions of concern and an appeal for investigation – by Editorial Board
Comment: How much more money will Saudi need to spend on think tanks, lobbyists, and academic centers to undo the damage done by such headlines? “How Trump enabled the abuses of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince”
https://twitter.com/BazziNYU/status/1049837157907660800
(* A P)
UN-Botschafterin Nikki Haley tritt zurück
(…) Vor wenigen Minuten berichtete die US-amerikanische Website Axios, die US-Botschafterin bei den Vereinten Nationen, Nikki Haley, habe zum Ende des Jahres ihren Job bei der UN gekündigt.
Präsident Trump habe am Dienstagmorgen (Ortszeit) in einem Gespräch mit Haley im Oval Office deren Kündigung akzeptiert, so das Nachrichtenmagazin weiter.
Trump nannte Haley bei dem Gespräch eine „sehr besondere“ Persönlichkeit, die „es drauf hat“, beide hätten „viele Probleme zusammen gelöst“.
Bevor sie in die Trump-Administration eintrat, übte Haley stets harsche Kritik an Trump – den „Sirenengesang der wütendsten Stimmen“ des Landes, die keinen Respekt für die Einwanderer Amerikas hätten, so Haley, die selbst indisch-amerikanische Sikh-Roots hat.
Nikki Haley gehört in der Trump-Administration zum extrem kriegstreiberischen Flügel und galt als Sprachrohr aggressiver US-Politik im UN-Sicherheitsrat und damit vor der Weltöffentlichkeit.
(…) Nikki Haley reiht sich ein die lange Liste hochrangiger Mitarbeiter der Trump-Regierung, die gefeuert wurden oder aus anderen Gründen zurücktraten.
http://justicenow.de/2018-10-09/un-botschafterin-nikki-haley-tritt-zurueck/
Anmerkung WM: Im Prinzip eine gute Nachricht für alle, die auf Verständigung statt auf Konfrontation setzen. Aber bedeutet der Rücktritt von Haley auch eine Wende in der Außenpolitik der USA? Wohl kaum. Man wird schon geeigneten Ersatz für Haley finden.
Und
(* A P)
Rücktritt der US-Botschafterin: Freundliche Worte aus der UN-Zentrale
Die USA sind nach wie vor der größte Beitragszahler der Vereinten Nationen. Entsprechend freundlich äußerten sich UN-Vertreter über Haleys Arbeit, auch wenn sie resolut US-Interessen durchsetzte.
Mittelkürzungen, Austritte aus UN-Organisationen wie der UNECSO und dem UN-Menschenrechtsrat sowie der Ausstieg der USA aus dem Pariser Klimaabkommen und dem UN-Pakt zur Migration prägten die knapp zwei Amtsjahre Haleys.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/un-usa-haley-103.html
(* A P)
Nikki Haley to Resign as Trump’s Ambassador to the U.N.
Last month, Ms. Haley collided with Mr. Bolton after she announced that Mr. Trump would lead a session of the United Nations Security Council devoted entirely to Iran. After European officials protested that doing so would showcase divisions in the West because of Mr. Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the White House broadened the theme to countering weapons of mass destruction.
Mr. Bolton did not criticize Ms. Haley. But he drove the decision to shift the agenda. White House officials noted that under United Nations rules, Iran would have been entitled to send its president to the meeting — setting up the awkward possibility that Mr. Trump would have sat across a table from Iran’s leader.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/us/politics/nikki-haley-united-nations.html
and also https://www.vox.com/2018/10/9/17955418/nikki-haley-resign-trump-un
Comment: She has played a major role in exacerbating the war on #Yemen and the humanitarian catastrophe by defending the crimes of the Saudi-led coalition in the UN Security Council.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/1954935747892779
(A P)
@SecPompeo spoke with #Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today, thanking the Crown Prince for his continued, strong partnership. The leaders discussed a broad range of regional and bilateral issues, including #Yemen and countering #Iran's malign activities in the region.
https://twitter.com/statedeptspox/status/1047573542919974913
My comment: LOL.
(* B K P)
Rethinking US Involvement in Yemen
Despite the blatant human rights violations and immoral actions surrounding the war, the United States has involved itself in the attacks led by Saudi Arabia by supplying them with arms and intelligence. Given the recent strikes and the high toll of civilian casualties, the United States must reevaluate its involvement in Yemen’s vicious war.
US military efforts in Yemen are intended to impede the growth of terrorism in the Middle East, specifically to counter the growth of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the war crimes perpetrated by anti-Houthi forces should deter the United States from continuing its financial and logistical support to the Saudis. But given that the administration has not considered these violations to be serious enough, it will take more than than human rights violations to change US policy.
Yemen has historically been a graveyard for interfering foreign powers that chose to involve themselves in its conflicts.
In addition, the initial US motivation for involvement—thwarting the spread of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations—has not been achieved. Conflict-ridden areas are unstable and weak, and therefore appealing to terrorist organizations. Al-Qaeda and ISIS have recognized the opportunities for growth in Yemen and have made territorial gains as a result of the war. Further destabilizing the region will only perpetrate terrorism, not minimize it.
Furthermore, the majority of Arab countries in the Saudi-coalition are involved because they want to thwart Iran’s influence in the Middle East. While US policy aligns with that objective, Iran poses a more dire territorial threat to Arab states in the Middle East than it currently does to the United States.
Ultimately, the United States needs to reconsider whether its relationship with Saudi Arabia is worth being dragged into horrific conflicts like the war in Yemen. Continued involvement in the war could inflame regional terrorism and will quickly become too expensive relative to its minor potential value to United States interests. Though the high death toll and loss of innocent lives should be incentive enough, staying in Yemen, given its history, would also be an incredible foreign policy miscalculation by the United States. With these considerations in mind, the United States ought to withdraw its assistance to the Saudi-led coalition – by Noa Levin
http://uchicagogate.com/articles/2018/10/7/rethinking-us-involvement-yemen/
(A P)
Zwei US-Kongressmitglieder kritisieren Komplizenschaft der USA bei Tötung von Menschen im Jemen
Zwei Mitglieder des US-Kongresses haben Washington die Mitverantwortung für die humanitäre Katastrophe im Jemen vorgeworfen und ein Ende der Komplizenschaft der USA bei den von Saudi-Arabien begangenen humaniären Verbrechen in diesem Land gefordert.
Der Website von CNN zufolge haben Elizabeth Warren, eine demokratische Senatorin aus Massachusetts und Ro Khanna, ein demokratischer Abgeordneter aus Kalifornien am Montag in einer Erklärung auf die menschliche Katastrophe im Jemen infolge der dreijährigen Angriffe der von Saudi-Arabien geführten Militärkoalition hingewiesen.
(* A P)
Senators Challenge Pompeo on the Bogus Yemen Certification
Seven senators are challenging Secretary Pompeo’s bogus Yemen certification and questioning the Trump administration’s support for the Saudi coalition war.
The senators’ letter is a good start in holding Pompeo accountable for lying to Congress about Yemen, but in the meantime Congress should press ahead with blocking arms sales and cutting off military assistance to the Saudis and Emiratis. The letter says that the senators “find it difficult to reconcile known facts” with the decision to certify that the Saudis and Emiratis are seeking to reduce harm to civilians. That’s a diplomatic way of saying that Pompeo’s certification was baseless and unjustified. We know from earlier reporting based on a State Department memo that Pompeo issued the bogus certification in order to protect current and future arms sales, and members of Congress should demand answers from him about that as well.
Instead of continuing the charade of conditioning support for the war on Yemen on improvements in coalition behavior, members of Congress should vote to end all military assistance as soon as possible. That is the only thing that will get the attention of the Saudi and Emirati governments, and it is the only way to get through to them that the U.S. won’t give them a blank check any longer.
referring to
(? A P)
U.S. Lawmakers Challenge Trump’s Support for Saudi War In Yemen
Bipartisan group of senators to seeks answers from Sec. of State Pompeo over backing of Gulf allies
U.S. lawmakers from both parties are challenging the Trump administration’s support for Gulf allies battling Iran-aligned fighters in Yemen, putting new pressure on the U.S. president to scale back ties with Saudi Arabia during an especially sensitive time.
A bipartisan group of senators plan to demand answers on Wednesday from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after he backed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the objections of most of his Yemen experts.
In a letter expected to be delivered to Mr. Pompeo on Wednesday, the lawmakers, including Sens. Susan Collins (R., Maine), Chris Murphy (D., Conn.), and Todd Young (R., Ind.), write that they have “significant concerns” with his support for the Gulf allies. (subscibers only)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-lawmakers-challenge-trump-support-for-saudi-war-in-yemen-1539178974
and the letter in full https://www.young.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2018.10.10%20Letter%20to%20Secretary%20Pompeo%20(Yemen%20Certification).pdf
(* A P)
End US complicity in Yemen's humanitarian disaster
This humanitarian catastrophe didn't happen overnight. For more than three years, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has been bombing Yemen as part of a proxy war to counter the Iran-supported Houthi militias.
During this period, the United States has been quietly providing intelligence and military advice to the Saudi-led coalition.
The administration's decision to double down on US support for the bombing campaign makes a mockery of congressional oversight authority. Overlooking the Saudi-led coalition's apparent disregard for international norms and laws of armed conflict does nothing to improve US standing in the world. And continuing to support an ill-conceived proxy war in Yemen does not make America safer.
The framers of our Constitution believed that the decision to involve ourselves in a conflict like the one in Yemen requires the consent of the people, expressed through their elected representatives. But Congress has never authorized our involvement in this conflict. That's why we have supported bicameral, bipartisan efforts to end the US involvement in Yemen's civil war unless Congress specifically authorizes it.
The Yemeni people are suffering. Instead of supporting more bombing, the United States can help bring peace to the region. Congress has an urgent responsibility to act – By Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ro Khanna
https://us.cnn.com/2018/10/08/opinions/end-us-complicity-in-yemen-war-opinion-warren-khanna/index.html = https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/10/09/end-us-complicity-yemens-humanitarian-disaster
(A P)
This is a registered lobbyists for the Saudi government, writing a piece in WaPo accusing the Democrats of “mob tactics..” Meanwhile, his clients are accused of murdering a fellow WaPo writer.
https://twitter.com/AASchapiro/status/1049758070400634880
referring to https://efile.fara.gov/docs/5430-Short-Form-20160315-184.pdf and https://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/11179/2018-08-21/bgr-signs-960k-saudi-arabia-pact.html
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(* B P)
Andrew Mitchell: If Trump’s America can hold the Saudis to account for their actions in Yemen, then so can we
Every day, Cabinet Ministers – and hardworking civil servants – are balancing twin imperatives: protecting British citizens and improving the lives of some of the world’s most desperate people. For the most part, these imperatives complement and even enhance one another.
And of course, tackling the extreme of international poverty make us safer in the UK, too. All of British development policy serves the British national interest; it is mutually beneficial: ‘a win-win’. However, I fear that the British Government’s response to the conflict in Yemen does not pass this test.
We are told – as we have been told for the past three and a half years – that instead, they are having a private word; urging the Coalition to uphold International Humanitarian Law and improve its targeting behind the scenes.
I understand what is driving this. Saudi Arabia is a crucial ally. There is no doubt that our security relationship with Saudi Arabia is saving the lives of UK citizens, and that our economic relationship is creating British jobs. But I believe that we are selling ourselves short.
In order to change behaviour, actions must have consequences. This is a universal rule; if actors think that they can get away with a certain behaviour, or it remains in their interests, then they will not change. At present, with the public support of their UK allies, there are few consequences for the Saudi-Emirati-led Coalition when they bomb children.
When we decide not to speak out, even when we know the action is plain wrong, we are grossly underestimating our strength – and underestimating the extraordinary potential power of Global Britain.
If Global Britain is to be a force for good in the world, we must stand up for these values and for good, old-fashioned British common sense. If we fail to act, we undermine all our efforts to deliver prosperity and security to the world and will be remembered on the wrong side of history.
(* C)
Here are many of the UK declassified files I used to piece together the story of the brutal UK covert war in Yemen in the 1960s, largely deleted from history by mainstream media /academics.
Yemen: Declassified
January 19, 2018
Documents
Yemen and Aden, 1962-5 (Mark Curtis files from the National Archives)
Articles
Mark Curtis, The covert war in Yemen, 1962-70 (Extract from Unpeople, 2004)
‘GCHQ documents raise fresh questions over UK complicity in US drone strikes’ (Guardian, 24 June 2015)
‘The International History of the Yemen Civil War, 1962-1968’ (Asher Orkaby, Harvard University, 2014)
http://markcurtis.info/2018/01/19/yemen-declassified/
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(* A K P)
Bundesregierung will weiter Rüstungsexporte nach Saudi-Arabien genehmigen
Die Bundesregierung will einem Medienbericht zufolge auch weiterhin Waffenlieferungen an Saudi-Arabien und andere Länder genehmigen, die unmittelbar am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt sind.
„Spiegel Online“ zitierte am Mittwoch aus einem Brief des Bundeswirtschaftsministeriums an den SPD-Bundestagsabgeordneten Thomas Hitschler, in dem ein grundsätzliches Embargo für Rüstungsexporte an die beteiligten Staaten trotz einer entsprechenden Festlegung im Koalitionsvertrag ausgeschlossen wird.
Stattdessen werde „weiterhin stets im Einzelfall“ über Exportgenehmigungen entscheiden, heißt es dem Bericht zufolge in dem Brief von Staatssekretär Ulrich Nussbaum. Bei diesen Einzelfallprüfungen werde zwar die Verwicklung einzelner Staaten in den Jemen-Krieg geprüft. Wichtig sei aber auch die Art der angefragten Waffen und wozu sie eingesetzt würden.
Im Koalitionsvertrag hatten Union und SPD festgelegt: „Wir werden ab sofort keine Ausfuhren an Länder genehmigen, solange diese unmittelbar am Jemen-Krieg beteiligt sind.“
Wie der „Spiegel“ berichtete, gab es in den vergangenen Monaten jedoch intensive interne Diskussionen zur Umsetzung dieses Satzes. Anfangs sei eine rote Liste mit den Ländern geplant gewesen, die im Jemen Luftangriffen fliegen. Später sei nur noch von Kriterien für spezielle Waffentypen für Rede gewesen.
Bei der SPD sorgt diese Linie dem Bericht zufolge für heftigen Widerspruch.
(* A K P)
Germany open to selling arms to Saudis despite Yemen war: report
Germany's government has left the door open to exporting arms to Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Yemen conflict, the news weekly Der Spiegel reported Wednesday, seemingly in spite of a deal within the country's ruling coalition.
There would be no German arms embargo on countries taking part in the Yemen conflict, which has left 10,000 people dead since 2015, the news weekly said on its website. It cited a letter to that effect sent by the economy ministry to Social Democratic Party (SPD) MP Thomas Hitschler.
But part of a March coalition deal between Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CSU party and the centre-left SPD appeared to rule out arms exports to countries "directly involved" in the conflict.
The letter to Hitschler, however, said that export licences will be granted on a case by case basis, Der Spiegel reported.
The issue provoked a sharp dispute within the SPD's parliamentary group
(A P)
"Aufhebung des Frauenfahrverbots" – Außenamtssprecher nimmt erneut Saudi-Arabien in Schutz
Der Fall des verschwundenen saudischen Exil-Journalisten Chaschukdschi sorgt für Aufsehen. Die Menschenrechtslage in Saudi-Arabien spricht dem Image des Kronprinzen als Reformer Hohn. Der Außenamtssprecher plädiert für "eine differenzierte Betrachtung".
Konkret fällt beim Thema gesellschaftliche Reformen in Saudi-Arabien jedoch stets das eine Stichwort: die "Aufhebung des Frauenfahrverbots". Derweil geraten auch Frauenrechtlerinnen immer wieder ins Visier der saudischen Sicherheitsbehörden.
Beim Thema Chaschukdschi ergriff RT Deutsch auf der Regierungspressekonferenz spontan die Gelegenheit, den Sprecher des Auswärtigen Amts auf die vermeintlichen außenpolitischen Prinzipien der Bundesregierung im Umgang mit dem absolutitistischen Königreich anzusprechen.
(A P)
Nach Entführungsfall Kaschoggi: Ist Heiko Maas zu weich gegenüber Saudi-Arabien?
Außenminister Heiko Maas wird in den eigenen Reihen kritisiert: Viele SPD-Bundestagsabgeordnete stört sein Umgang mit dem Regime im saudischen Riad.
Bis sich das Auswärtige Amt im Fall Kaschoggi zu einem Statement durchringen konnte, dauerte es fast eine Woche. Am Montag forderte ein Ministeriumssprecher rasche Aufklärung. Die zögerliche Reaktion der Bundesregierung passt ins Bild. Seit Monaten versucht Maas, das angeschlagene Verhältnis zu Saudi-Arabien zu reparieren. Er fährt einen völlig anderen Kurs als sein Amtsvorgänger und Parteikollege Sigmar Gabriel.
Das Ende der diplomatischen Eiszeit zwischen Berlin und Riad kann Maas als Erfolg verbuchen.
Jetzt gibt es wieder Kritik am Umgang der Bundesregierung mit Saudi-Arabien. Sie kommt ausgerechnet von Maas’ Genossen. Einige SPD-Bundestagsabgeordnete stören sich daran, dass die Groko weiterhin Waffen an Riad liefert.
Post sieht sich mit seiner Kritik an den Waffenexporten auf einer Linie mit der eigenen Partei. „Das ist Beschlusslage der SPD“, sagt er dem Tagesspiegel.
und
(A P)
SPD-Fraktion berät über Verbote von Rüstungsexporten
SPD-Fraktionschefin Andrea Nahles hat eine "intensive Debatte" ihrer Fraktion über Rüstungsexporte und deren Verbot angekündigt.
(A P)
Saudi ambassador back in Berlin a year after leaving over Lebanon comments
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Germany has returned to Berlin, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Tuesday, almost a year he left over comments by German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel about the political crisis in Lebanon.
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
UK student held for 5 months in UAE on suspected spy charges
Durham University researcher in solitary confinement as he awaits court case
A British student apparently accused of spying is facing trial in the United Arab Emirates after being held in solitary confinement for five months. Matthew Hedges, a 31-year-old PhD student at Durham University, attended his second hearing at an Abu Dhabi court on Wednesday, which was adjourned until October 24. His wife, Daniela Tejada, said the family had received no information about the charges against him. Mr Hedges was detained at Dubai airport on May 5 after a two-week visit to carry out interviews relating to his doctoral thesis on the impact of the UAE’s foreign and security strategy. In an apparent reference to Mr Hedges, local press reports last month said that a foreign national had been accused of “seeking confidential information about the UAE” to pass to an overseas agency. The reports, which did not name him, said the suspect had confessed to spying during questioning.
https://www.ft.com/content/b27fe71e-ccb1-11e8-9fe5-24ad351828ab
(A P)
Bahraini Clerics Urge Boycott Of ‘Fake’ Elections
Bahraini clerics have denounced the planned parliamentary elections as “a sham,” saying such a vote in a kingdom, which has stripped a majority of its people of their basic rights, will fail to deceive the world’s public opinion.
In a statement carried by Arabic-language Lua Lua TV network, the clergymen highlighted the Manama regime’s oppressive policies against the entire Bahraini nation, including the majority Shia Muslims as well as the Sunnis.
They said the Al Khalifah regime “cannot fool anyone in the world” by holding “fake” and “unacceptable” elections.
The ruling system in Bahrain, the statement said, is based on denying people their rights, undermining the role of their lawmakers and suppressing the kingdom’s political majority.
The clerics also called for a boycott of the elections slated for November 24.
http://www.newnewss.net/bahraini-clerics-urge-boycott-of-fake-elections/
(A P)
Yemeni community leadership follows up on prisoners, gets them released in Malaysia
After several follow-up visits and meetings with officials in the Imigresen jail in Terengganu Sultanate, the secretary general of the Yemeni community in Malaysia Tawfeek al-Qurashi facilitated the release of a number of Yemenis imprisoned on routine charges released and repatriated.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24385
(A K P)
VIDEO: #Saudi, #Tunisian Air Forces conclude their first joint air exercise
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1050105253063008256
#RSAF and #TAF to conclude the Saudi -Tunisian Joint Air Exercise tomorrow at #Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed AB#RSAF and #TAF to conclude the Saudi -Tunisian Joint Air Exercise tomorrow at #Bizerte-Sidi Ahmed AB (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1049728522732867585
My comment: Ofeering your country and your air force for a joint exercise with Saudi air force killers makes you complicit.
(A P)
Iran, Sweden Discuss Yemen Crisis in Tehran
Hossein Jaberi Ansari, a senior assistant to Iran’s foreign minister for political affairs, has discussed the ongoing crisis in Yemen with Swedish envoy for Yemen and Libya.
https://ifpnews.com/exclusive/iran-sweden-discuss-yemen-crisis-in-tehran/
cp13 Wirtschaft / Economy
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A E P)
The Riyal is almost stable at 720 per dollar, but prices have not been reversed
The Yemeni riyal has seen a fragile stability since last week, after a week of great collapse, and bankers said the dollar was 720 riyals in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, 710 or less in the interim capital markets of Aden (south of the country).
They said in identical statements to Al Masdar online, that the exchange rate for the dollar in Sana'a on Tuesday, is 715 while the sale price reaches 720, while the exchange rate of Saudi Riyals 182 and sold 187 Yemeni Riyals.
In Aden, the exchange rate is equal to 700 riyals, the selling price is 705, the Saudi riyal exchange rate is 180 riyals, and the sale price is 185.
Last week, the dollar reached a price of 760 riyals, while the selling price Stopped.
The relative stability of the riyal, a temporary stability, is due to the Saudi Arabian Grant announced by Saudi Arabia, with the deposit of 200 million dollars in the central bank of Yemen, said economist Abdulwahid Al-Awubali to Al Masdar Online.
He added that if this amount is depleted, the Yemeni riyal will return to the deterioration and it could reach 1,000 riyals per dollar, as long as the government is not able to find a solution to the revenue and reduce expenses.
He noted that it was necessary to resume the export of oil urgently.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159315
(* A P)
Al-Houthi: Countries of Aggression Hamper Solution of Deterioration of Yemeni Riyal
Head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi said on Monday that the countries of aggression on Yemen impede the solution, which was presented as one of the solutions to the deterioration problem of the Yemeni riyal.
Al-Houthi stated that the offer included the demand of international organizations to transfer the amounts they provide to Yemen to the Central Bank of Yemen and not to private Yemeni banks.
The obstruction comes as the countries of aggression adopted the solution but in the central bank of Aden and not Sana’a. "They are now blocking the solution we have presented by adopting it in Aden," he said.
Al-Houthi pointed out that aggression has declared war on the economic field and an end to the economic truce, as Ould Cheikh stated.
"They say they gave $ 11.18 billion, where is it? where are their banks, and who they looted the money, why did not that money keep the riyal stable as it was before the bank was transferred to Aden?" Al-Houthi said.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3174&cat_id=1
(A P)
SA calls UN for practically contributing in improving Yemeni currency’s value
The Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber has called the United Nations organization working in Yemen to practically contribute in improving the Yemeni currency’s value.
Al-Jaber urged the UN organizations to deposit their funds in the Yemeni Central Bank instead of other private banks, pointing out that these banks use these funds in currency speculation and causing the collapse of currency.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24359
My comment: This is propaganda. They will know very well why they do NOT deposit their funds in Hadi’s Chaos Bank at Aden.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) Wilayat al Bayda claimed that its militants attacked al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants in Qayfa area, al Bayda governorate, central Yemen on October 7. ISIS claimed it cut AQAP supply routes with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), small arms, and ambushes. ISIS and AQAP clashed for the first time in Yemen in July.[2]
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
No truth to claims that Saudi led coalition killed Yemeni citizens, says Yemen's Envoy
There is no truth at all to claims by some parties that the nine-member coalition of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia were killing the people of Yemeni, said Yemen's Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Adel Mohamed Ali BA Hamid.
Indeed, the Houthi rebels with the help of Iran, are the ones who have been killing Yemeni citizens everyday without any pity, he alleged.
http://www.bernama.com/en/world/news.php?id=1652285
My comment: Ahhhh, Houthi air strikes every day???????????????
(A P)
Trump's Allies in Yemen
In Yemen, U.S. forces are fighting there and Yemen's government and U.S. forces had to face an even deadlier foe: Iran-backed militias mostly populated by Houthis, an off-shoot of Shi'ite Islam.
With a common religious bond, Iranian agents built political alliances with Houthi clans with flattery, funds, and strategic marriages.
The conflict, escalated hugely by a Houthi and Iranian bombing campaign, has caused significant problems for Yemen’s food supply, with rising prices and food becoming less available.
Houthi forces have deployed sea mines in the Red Sea, which could impede access to humanitarian assistance through Red Sea ports — and could remain a threat for up to ten years.
USAID Acting Deputy Administrator David H. Moore highlighted that the U.S. government has provided more than $1.2 billion in total humanitarian funding to the Yemen response since FY 2017
The UAE has focused on building a humanitarian infrastructure to head off mass tragedy.
https://www.newsmax.com/ahmedcharai/trump-saudi-arabia-yemen-iran/2018/10/09/id/885533/
My comment: EEEEEEEEEEH. “The conflict, escalated hugely by a Houthi and Iranian bombing campaign”?????????????? – “The UAE has focused on building a humanitarian infrastructure”????? They certainly focused on bombing and occupying.
(A P)
Bin-Dagher received Wednesday US Ambassador to Yemen
Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid Bin-Dagher received Wednesday US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller.
The Prime Minister voiced Yemeni government's and peoples' appreciation for the American's principled stance in supporting legitimate Yemeni leadership against Iran-backed Houthi militia's coup.
Bin-Dagher stated that grass-roots and reasons of the crisis in Yemen are political correlating to a militant militia's coup against official state's authorities, resulted in economic deterioration and ended up in the whole troubles the country has been struggling with.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1824750
(A P)
GCC Member States' Aid Coordinating Office, for Yemen, Holds 26th Meeting, at King Salman Relief Center
The Office of Coordination of Relief and Humanitarian Assistance, sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states to Yemen, held its 26th meeting here today, at the headquarters of King Salman Center for Humanitarian Relief, headed by Assistant General Supervisor of the Center for Planning and Development Dr. Aqeel bin Jumban Al-Ghamdi.
The meeting strongly condemned targeting of Houthi terrorist militias last Friday, in Hodeida province, King Salman Center for Relief with random rockets, resulting in the death of a woman and wounding 13 people, including 8 children, in a development that caused great damage to the camp.
Participants stressed the need to condemn this terrorist act by international and humanitarian organizations, calling on the international community to stand firm against this humanitarian crime carried out by the Houthi militias violating all international principles and human rights.
They also pointed out that the silence about these actions makes the militias continue to target humanitarian centers, especially that the Houthi militias have already targeted the rehabilitation center for recruits funded by King Salman Relief Center, in the governorate of Marib
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1824731
(A P)
Qatar’s tendency to cross the red lines
The current state or relations between Qatar and The Gulf Cooperation Council are not good. They have not been good for a little while nor is there the prospect of improvement in the short term. At the recent summit in Riyadh between The United States, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the heads of state from the 55 nations presented a unanimous and abundantly clear articulated statement of purpose.
That the region, world, and especially the Islamic world, would no longer be indifferent to terror, those who sponsor it, and those who willing host in exile hostile and destabilizing elements for the region. The United States and The Middle East both know the feelings of the aftermath of terror and share the firm resolve to purge it from the face of the earth.
(A P)
Yemeni Parties Hold Houthis Responsible for Crisis in the Country
Yemeni political parties and organizations that support the legitimate government have held Houthi militias responsible for all the disasters in the country since their coup against national consensus and the transitional process.
They said Houthis are also responsible for destroying the economy, plundering resources and imposing war on Yemenis.
This came in a government statement issued by seven parties, representing the largest political constituencies in support of legitimacy, especially the “General People's Congress” and “Yemeni Congregation for Reform”, in the context of these parties’ renewed positions in regards of the developments in the country’s conditions.
“The Houthi militias bear full responsibility for the war it has waged against the Yemenis and the resulting tragedies affecting the lives of all Yemenis,” the statement said.
My comment: The Houthis are responsible for the Saudi coalition bombing war and for the Saudi blockade? This is rather ridiculous.
(* A P)
The Exceptionally Weak Case for Supporting the War on Yemen
Husain Haqqani makes a tedious, unpersuasive case for continued U.S. involvement in the war on Yemen.
Almost everything Haqqani says about the war is wrong or misleading. Yemen is in no danger of being “lost” to Iran. The Houthis are still not Iran’s proxies, and war supporters’ frequent repetition of this falsehood over the last few years has not made it any more true. None of the warring parties in Yemen is capable of winning the war outright, and continuing the war risks causing massive loss of life among civilians that can still be avoided. The “legitimate” government has virtually no support in the north or south of the country, and any enduring peace settlement will have to reflect that. There is no way that a government that is widely loathed can be put back in charge of all of Yemen, and the U.S. needs to recognize that the “legitimate” government lost its legitimacy in the eyes of most Yemenis years ago.
Haqqani objects to criticism of coalition war crimes:
The humanitarian criticism of the Arab coalition’s tactics has also led most observers to ignore that the fight against the Houthis is backed by a UN resolution supporting the restoration of the legitimate government’s control over Yemen.
Critics of the war don’t ignore that the Security Council passed this resolution. We are well aware that the resolution gave a green light to the coalition to cause massive suffering in pursuit of an unachievable political goal. The problem is that supporters of the war keep clinging to UNSCR 2216 as if its outdated and inflexible set of demands from three and a half years ago is still a valid basis for a political settlement today. That resolution has given the coalition political cover for waging an atrocious war that they cannot win, and it has encouraged the coalition and the Hadi government to reject any compromise that doesn’t get them everything.
Haqqani’s idea for what post-war Yemen should look like is completely unrealistic
No matter what else happens, the Houthis are going to retain control of at least some of northern Yemen. That is where they are from, and there is no way that they are going to be forced to yield that part of the country. Insisting on depriving them of control of any part gives them no incentive to negotiate or compromise. If they can expect to have nothing once the war ends, they are going to keep the war going for as long as they can.
Haqqani also complains that critics of the war focus too much on coalition war crimes
The U.N. has reported several times that coalition airstrikes are responsible for the majority of civilian casualties. The Yemen Data Project has determined that roughly a third of all airstrikes hit non-military targets – by Daniel Larison
referring to
(A P)
Ending the Not-So-Futile War in Yemen
Humanitarian criticism of the war in Yemen should not blind us to the serious threat posed by the Houthis and the strategic case for U.S. involvement.
But the historic complexity of Yemen’s politics, and its fraught relationship with Saudi Arabia, should not blind us to Iran’s efforts to establish a bridgehead in the Arabian Peninsula by empowering Yemen’s Houthi militia.
Americans tend to view events in Yemen solely through the prism of that country’s humanitarian crisis and Saudi Arabia’s role in it. But even if the ambition and miscalculations of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) have aggravated the situation, there is more at stake in Yemen than the humanitarian critics of the war acknowledge.
Those stakes begin with the openly acknowledged designs of Iranian strategists, who have voiced their expectation of adding Sana’a to the list of Arab capitals—Beirut, Damascus, and Baghdad—which are in “Iran’s hands and belong to the Iranian Islamic Revolution.”
Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, serves as the role model for the Houthis.
But the threat posed by the Houthis has been eclipsed by denunciations of the Saudi air campaign against them, which is blamed for avoidable civilian casualties. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent certification to Congress that the Saudis and other Arab allies were making greater efforts to protect civilians has not dented that criticism.
Just as Hezbollah’s Iran-backed propaganda machine covers up its violence and terrorism through the outcry about civilian casualties resulting from Israel’s counterterrorist operations, the Houthis and their international supporters have managed to avoid discussion of Yemen’s complex politics and the Houthis’ excesses by focused criticism of the Saudi-led coalition’s conduct of the air war. Legitimate concerns about civilian casualties from the Saudi aerial bombardment have led many commentators to ignore both Iran’s role and the unlikely prospect of stability in Yemen if the Houthis—a minority within a sectarian minority—somehow manage to establish their rule over the entire country.
The humanitarian criticism of the Arab coalition’s tactics has also led most observers to ignore that the fight against the Houthis is backed by a UN resolution supporting the restoration of the legitimate government’s control over Yemen.
Consolidation of control of any part of Yemen by the Houthis would be as destabilizing as the rise of Hezbollah has been in Lebanon. Just as Hezbollah ended up supporting the Assad regime in Syria after surviving Lebanon’s civil war, the Houthis could become the major subversive force in the Gulf region.
For its part, Iran has much to gain by fueling the war in Yemen. Even if the Houthis do not win, Iran secures regional advantage at relatively little cost; its partner in the Gulf, Qatar, defrays some of the expenses.
But from the U.S. perspective, losing Yemen to Iran permanently would only enlarge the threat Tehran poses to U.S. interests. If one side must win Yemen’s civil war, it would be in America’s interest that it is the legitimate government backed by U.S. allies rather than the Houthis backed by Iran – by Husain Haqqani
https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/10/04/ending-the-not-so-futile-war-in-yemen/
(A P)
Arab Coalition Accuses Houthis in Yemen of Blocking Aid
The Arab coalition for the support of Yemen’s legitimacy accused the Iran-backed Houthi militias of hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid through safe corridors that it recently opened in cooperation with the United Nations.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said on Monday that despite the opening of three corridors for the movement of citizens and the delivery of humanitarian assistance from Hodeidah to Sanaa, “Houthi militias are still impeding their passage through these routes.”
During a press conference in Riyadh, he noted: “We have received inquiries from the UN organizations on the safe corridors from Hodeidah to Sanaa, and we confirm that the militias are deliberately hindering the delivery of oil derivatives and food aid from Hodeidah to Sanaa, although the three corridors operate from 6 am to 6 pm, in coordination with the United Nations.”
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1420971/arab-coalition-accuses-houthis-yemen-blocking-aid
My comment: This sounds like propaganda. These “safe corridors” the Saudi coalition had proclaimed sound like a propaganda scam to whitewash the coalition’s assault at Hodeidah. It’s actually this assault and the fighting it has caused which block transport from Hodeidah to Sanaa.
(A P)
Denying Iran’s role in Yemen muddles peace process
The Iran Action Group, which was created by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in August, released its findings in a 45-page report last month. Amid the many issues that the paper examined, Iran’s activities in the Middle East came under intense scrutiny, including its role in arming and supporting the Houthi militia in Yemen. The report marks one of the first times in recent years that the US administration has compiled evidence pointing to the destructive role of Iran in Yemen’s economic, social, regional, and humanitarian fronts. However, despite the increasing evidence of involvement by the Iranian regime, skepticism of Iran’s support still permeates among Western policy experts. This resistance to understanding the linkages between the Houthis and Iran further muddies the waters surrounding the true nature of Yemen’s war, as well as the necessary policy solutions for peace.
Although much of Iran’s immaterial involvement with the Houthis has not been immediately apparent, the military evidence presented itself through Iran’s missile program, which it has implemented in Yemen. Both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and liberated territories in Yemen have been on the receiving end of lethal missile attacks launched by the Houthis. Evidence suggests that Iran supplied the missiles, helping to advance the Houthis’ military capabilities. Although the Saudi defense system intercepted these missiles, their frequent usage constitutes a significant threat to the Kingdom and Yemen’s residential areas.
It is apparent that the Houthis, who were mountainous tribesmen cut off from technology, would never have been able to gain any military advancements and momentum without Iran’s help.
There is no doubt that Iran’s support for the Houthis is resulting in a dangerous dynamic that has helped in lengthening Yemen’s civil war. Underplaying the assistance that the Houthis obtain from Iran, or alleging their complete independence from their Iranian patron, has unfortunately led to myopic policy conclusions that could not advance peace in Yemen. Responsibility should compel us to deal with the evidence presented instead of denying it.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1385156
(A P)
The legitimacy of UAE War in Yemen
Constant disagreements over economic and religious policies adopted by Iran and the UAE had marred historical relations between the two countries.
Iran supported the activities of the Houthi militia in Yemen and if they ascend to power, they will be Iran’s hand at the UAE borders.
Yemen's profile makes it susceptible to the proliferation of radical ideologies since it exhibits characteristics that lead to revolutions. It has poor infrastructure and social services with deficient basic amenities such as health and education; thus, poverty is rampant since the government lacks a clear policy on national development. As such, the assumption of state power by the Iran-backed Houthi militia could severely impact the region geopolitically.
The first implication would be the spread of radical, religious and political ideologies across the Arab peninsula. Houthis would expose the nation to increased radicalism as Iran would use the region as a foothold to enhance its activities in the Middle-East. Given the current relationship between the UAE and Iran, it is likely that Tehran would use state power in Yemen to incite and sponsor radical action against the UAE. Such an outcome is possible given Iran’s vehement and open opposition towards the UAE governance structures.
https://middle-east-online.com/en/legitimacy-uae-war-yemen
My comment: This article even is less propaganda than simply bullshit. – The first sentence quoted here: Who can show the Yemen-UAE border on a map???
(A P)
Arab coalition spokesman: Houthi militia looting worsening Yemeni crisis
Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab coalition, said that the Houthis were causing problems that were directly affecting the Yemeni economy, Saudi news channel Al-Ekhbariya reported on Monday.
Colonel Al-Maliki highlighted the ongoing looting by the Houthi militia as the worst these problems, which he claimed has already exceeded more than $5.2 billion. The Houthis have collected more than 800 billion Yemeni riyals worth of taxes in ports that they controlled, he added, during a press conference of the coalition forces supporting the internationally recognized government of Yemen, which was held at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Riyadh.
Al-Maliki said that the Houthi militia, backed by Iran, also stole a billion dollars from the General Organization for Insurance in Sanaa, and noted that all these hostilities by the Houthi militias were not of interest to the Yemeni people.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1384826/middle-east
My comment: Calling „looting“ a government’s (the Houthi government at Sanaa) collection of revenues and taxes, this is a quite simplistic and propaganda view.
(A P)
How Houthi criminal violations are ‘covered up’ in Yemen
It has been observed that when international organizations condemn the violations committed by Houthi militias, the Houthi sympathizers working in these organizations are keen not to mention the word “Houthis” or “Ansar Allah” in their statements.
These statements are then translated and widely circulated so that they are noticed by organizations outside Yemen and international media channels as a reference document.
On the other hand, when there is a botched air bombing, offices representing international organization, including the UN, rush to specify the perpetrator without hesitation or bothering to corroborate.
The case of bombing of al-Thawra hospital gate and the fish market in al-Hodeida probably toward such an approach.
The international organization assumed from the beginning that the coalition planes are the ones who committed the crime. It was only later that people realized that it was the Houthis who bombed the mortars according to their own media, which broadcast live pictures showing the Houthi mortar shells clearly.
Despite the fact that 17 hours had passed since the Houthi militia had committed its crime against peaceful protestors in Sana’a University, Tahrir Square and Ibb governorate, no UN nor international organization has condemned the violations.
My comment: This really is somewhat putting upside down, and it is simply wrong. – In even much more cases, any hint to the Saudi coalition had been omitted and only „air strikes“ had been mentioned. The former UN Special envoy did so all the time – as if any other warring party in Yemen possibly also could have committed any air raids. – The case of bombing of al-Thawra hospital gate and the fish market in al-Hodeida would not be a good example, as there in any case the Saudi coalition would be to blame, either for air raids, or for artillery shelling. – The Saudis lamenting the UN staying quiet on the Houthis‘ „crime against peaceful protestors“ really is a bad joke; would normally happens to any peaceful protesters in Saudi Arabia??
(A P)
Trump and Saudi Arabia: A mistake and a response, and a remaining alliance
I do not know why some Arab media figures, and maybe some Saudi ones, chose to focus on a certain part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s interview with the Bloomberg.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman clearly responded to the strange expressions made by American President Donald Trump about Saudi Arabia and King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
He decisively responded and reminded those who forgot or who pretend to have forgotten of Saudi Arabia’s history that dates back as far as 1744, i.e. that is before the American constitution was even declared. He also conveyed a clear message that Saudi Arabia is not as Arab or western lunatics depict it as a country that wastefully scatters money but is a state that has institutions and laboratories that mature major decisions. Buying weapons and knowing weapons and other products, services, technology and “knowledge” are the product of studies and the summary of experiences, and they are not bestowments. This applies to the US and others.
But what’s important in the prince’s interview is that he put the dispute in its normal size and emphasized that for Saudi Arabia, the relation with the US “especially” during Trump’s era is serious and there’s no room for emotional outbursts.
In brief, Trump was wrong in the statements he made against Saudi Arabia, and a response was a must but, excuse us Arab and foreigner “fighters,” he’s still the most important international alliance in striking the sources of chaos and evil in the world.
(A P)
Has Lebanon been handed to Hezbollah?
The stories about Lebanon with its difficult situation and nightmares never end.
When writing about the country’s several crises, one cannot overlook the internal political weakness as moderate liberal forces, the leftist parties that oppose Syria and Iran and Christian factions which have revolted against murderous parties have succumbed to the power of de facto, i.e. the fundamentalism represented in Hezbollah.
The biggest problem is in the nature of democratic interpretation. The concept of “consensual democracy”, a common term in the rhetoric of Lebanese political leaders to note the impossibility that one side can cancel the other, is considered a long truce.
Civil powers in Lebanon wrongly placed their bet on Hezbollah as a political power that can gradually evolve into a civil party.
My comment: Hezbollah IS a political party. And it won the elections. Of course, Saudis hardly would accept the result of democratic elections. Why not ask Saudi propagandists to apply the same standards to Saudi Arabia than those they claim for any other country.
(A P)
Sep. 27: A Conversation With Anwar Mohammed Gargash
Mr. Gargash is a longtime fixture of governance in the Emirates, and he is currently a Cabinet member—minister of state for foreign affairs—and he serves in many other roles in addition to the ministerial positions: chairman of the National Elections Committee, and many other roles.
Gargash: And I think this leads me to Yemen, and Yemen has also been, I have to admit, a very, very difficult task for us. But let us look at Yemen—and I read Kristof’s op-ed today on Yemen—but let us look at the situation here.
I think, first of all, we were faced with a challenge that would have created a new geostrategic reality in Yemen. We would have had, within the next ten years, a southern Hezbollah being built up by Iran with thirty-, forty-, fifty-thousand capable militia supported by Iran, and this is not something that we would consider lightly.
As a result, we also understood that the old rules of getting the United States or others engaged in confronting Iran in Yemen have changed. The world is changing. The American role is still important, but it is still—it’s a different world, and from that perspective, it was very important that we intervene in Yemen to defeat the Houthi militia supported by Iran.
So we are, really, confronting two different enemies there. One enemy is an enemy that we are worried will become Hezbollah II, and the other enemy is an enemy that is AQAP in the south, which has been, you know, a scrooge for, you know, international, you know, peace and stability for a long time.
That’s the first component. The second component in Yemen is political. We realize that whatever we are doing in Yemen today will not endure, wherein, will not be a military victory or a military operation. But we have to change some of the landscape to ensure that the Yemeni parties come to the table.
https://www.cfr.org/event/conversation-anwar-mohammed-gargash
(A P)
Houthis loot humanitarian assistances in Hajjah
Houthi militias looted on Sunday humanitarian assistances provided to people of Aslah district, Hajjah governorate.
Deputy governor of Hajjah Ahmed al-Jabali expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Alsam district, pointing out that epidemics and famine have broken out in this district.
He called international human rights organization to shoulder their responsibility, indicating that the behaviors of Houthis worsen the suffering of civilians.
He spelt out that the Houthis were exploiting assistances, selling them in black markets and funding their wars.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24360
Remark: Hadi-government appointed “governor”, who even is not in charge of the Houthi-held district in question.
(A P)
Governor of Saada confirms that end of Houthi militia is imminent
https://www.spa.gov.sa/1823462
Remark: Hadi-government appointed “governor”.
(A P)
More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302712897
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids day by day:
Oct. 8: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1539092970./1153060564844307
Oct. 7: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1539004524./1152432834907080
(* A K pH)
Aggression’s Daily Update for Wednesday, October 11th, 2018
In Al-Hodeidah, 5 civilians were killed by US-Saudi Aggression raids targeted them near a mosque in Al-Jah area.
In Sa'ada, a citizen was killed and another was injured by three air raids targeted Razih border district, while the US-Saudi Aggression launched a raid in Maran area.
In Najran, the US-Saudi Aerial Aggression launched four raids on Tala site
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3202&cat_id=1
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3197&cat_id=1
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3200&cat_id=1
film of Hodeidah raid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T19MxlU4qkQ&bpctr=1539231941
(A K pS)
Saudi-led coalition airstrikes destroyed an al Houthi ballistic missile arsenal in Hajjah governorate, northwestern Yemen, on October 8.[4]
Remark: As claimed by Saudi media.
(* A K pS)
Yemen raids kill 79 rebels in 48 hours
Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Yemen have killed almost 80 Huthi rebel fighters over 48 hours in the western province of Hodeida, military and medical sources said Tuesday.
The strikes on Hodeida, site of a vital port and target of a renewed coalition offensive, also left seven civilians dead, they said.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/yemen-raids-kill-79-rebels-48-hours-doc-19w4j61
(* A K pH)
Aggression’s Daily Update for Monday, October 8th, 2018
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3167&cat_id=1
and
(* A K pH)
Saudi-US aggression war jet launch 15 raids on number of Yemeni provinces
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510750.htm
(* A K pH)
Film: the crime of targeting the air aggression of a family in the village of Deir Issa, the Directorate of Bajil, Hodeidah 08-10-2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-xRvoA1fWI
(* A K pH)
4 citizens kills by Saudi aggression air raids in Hodeidah
Four citizens were killed when the US- Saudi –led aggression coalition airstrikes waged a raid in al-Haly district in Hodeidah province, a local official told Saba on Monday.
The Saudi fighter jets targeted four air raids in citizens' farms in al-Haly district, killed four citizens.
Meanwhile, the coalition waged a raid in a citizen' farm in al-Marowah district.
In Kamaran island , the air forces of the enemy launched drones airstrikes in south fishermen's huts in Makram village.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510682.htm
and
and by AP: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/saudi-led-airstrike-kills-civilians-yemens-hodeida-58360670, also stating 4 killed, and by Almasdar Online, recording 5 killed: https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159287
photos: http://www.almshhadalyemeni.net/92374/
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1912609395701712
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1049335504301424642 = https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1049346164645138434
(* A K pH)
Death Toll From Saudi Aerial Aggression On Yemen’s Hodeidah Rises To Five Martyrs
A local source in Hodeidah said that 3 citizens were killed and a fourth was seriously injured by the bombing of US-Saudi aggression coalition on market of city of Drehemi.
While on Monday ,the death toll from the Saudi aerial aggression on al-Hali area dawn rose to five martyrs, according to Masirah TV network.
(A K pS)
Yemen: Senior Houthi leader killed in coalition strikes in Hodeidah
A prominent leader in the pro-Iranian Houthi militias, Hisham Abdul-Samad al-Khalid, was killed with other associates in airstrikes launched by the Arab coalition backing the Yemeni national army, targeting positions in the western coast of Hodeidah governorate.
Remark: As claimed by the Saudi side.
(* A K pH)
3 Workers Killed by US-Saudi Aggression Strike Targeted Stone Factory in Sanaa
Three workers were killed and 4 others were injured by US-Saudi Aggression raid on Sunday evening that targeted a stone factory in Sanhan district south of the capital Sanaa.
A local source said that the raid, which took place just before midnight, targeted a stone, killing three workers, injuring 4 others, and burning a truck was carrying stone.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3155&cat_id=1
(* A K pH)
US-Saudi Airstrikes Left Three Killed And Four Wounded In Yemen’s Sanhan
On Sunday evening, warplanes of the aggression coalition targeted innocent civilians who were carrying out their daily work in extracting stones in al-Ajirf area east of Sanhan district.
The raid resulted death of three citizens as well left four wounded moderately wounded (photos9
http://www.newnewss.net/us-saudi-airstrikes-left-three-killed-and-four-wounded-in-yemens-sanhan/
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1912076002421718
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9yqfD53GqE
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
Oct. 8: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510669.htm Sanaa city
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3167&cat_id=1 Marib p., Saada p.
Oct. 7: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news510662.htm Hodeidah p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3151&cat_id=1 Saada p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K pH)
Yemeni ballistic missile hits military base in Saudi Arabia’s Asir: Report
Yemeni armed forces have fired a domestically-developed ballistic missile at a military base in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border region of Asir, in retaliation for the regime's campaign of military aggression, according to a report.
Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television network, citing an unnamed military official from the missile unit of the Yemeni army, reported that the military base had been hit with a short-range Badr-1 missile late on Wednesday, adding that the projectile had struck its target with precision.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/11/576664/Yemen-ballistic-missile-Saudi-Asir-Jizan
Remark: As claimed by the Houthi side.
(A K pH)
In the villages of Razih, Shida, al-zaher, Baqim border districts, the Saudi missiles and artillery shells caused damages to citizens homes and property.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3202&cat_id=1
(A K)
Saudi-led coalition air defense systems intercepted an al Houthi explosive drone near the Red Sea coast on October 10. Emirati news claimed the drone was an Iranian-made Qasef 1.[5]
(A K pS)
Four Saudi soldiers clashed with Houthis on the border between the two countries
Four Saudi soldiers were killed on Tuesday in clashes with the Houthi militia on the Yemeni-Saudi border in the north of the Country.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159331
(A K pS)
Houthi shell kills elderly woman in "Hayfan " in Taiz
Local sources told "Al Masdar online" that a shell landed on the “ Lahjmah” area in the Directorate of Hayfan, causing the death of the elderly "Welayah Saeed " 60 years, "which was next to her house (photo)
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159362
(A K pH)
Downing Two US-Saudi Aggression Spy Drone
Air defenses of the Army and Committees downed Tuesday evening two spy planes belonging to the US-Saudi aggression eastern Al-Dood mountain in Jizan Frontline.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3182&cat_id=1
(A K pS)
Fifty-three Houthis killed in raids by Coalition jets West of Taiz
Fifty-three rebels from the Iran-backed Houthi militias, including field commanders and snipers, were killed in raids by Arab Coalition jet fighters and in clashes with the Joint Yemeni Resistance Forces across Al Barah front in Maqbana District, Taiz governorate.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302712887
Remark: As claimed by Emirati News Agency.
(* A K)
Saudi Coalition attempts to encircle strategic province in northern Yemen
The Saudi Coalition is currently attempting to encircle the strategic Hajjah Province in northern Yemen.
Led by the Hadi loyalists, the Saudi Coalition is on the offensive inside the Hajjah Province as they look to cutoff the Houthi forces from the northwestern border region of Yemen.
Over the last two weeks, the Saudi Coalition has captured several areas in the Hajjah Province, forcing the Houthi troops to withdraw towards the coast.
If the Saudi Coalition is successful, the Houthi forces will no longer be able to reinforce their troops that are currently on the offensive in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan, Asir, and Najran provinces (map)
(A K pH)
In Sa'ada, a civilian was injured by Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Shida border district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3167&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Saudis suffer heavy blow in Jizan from Yemeni forces
According to Almasirah news website, during the operations, Yemeni Army and popular committees captured a number of villages and Saudi forces’ positions.
They also destroyed three spying drones and three Abrams tanks, killing a number of Saudi forces.
Yemeni Army’s special operations took place concurrent with the second anniversary of the Saudi air raid on a funeral ceremony in Sana’a.
http://www.irna.ir/en/News/83059270
Remark: Claimed by the Houthis. Jizan is Saudi territory.
(A K pS)
Government forces teams continue demining in Baqem district
The engineering teams of the government forces in the A’leb axis in Sa'dah Governorate (northern Yemen) destroyed new quantities of mines and improvised explosive devices, which were planted by the Houthis in the Baqem district.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159261
(A K pH)
In Taiz, a civilian was injured and his house was destroyed by the US-Saudi aggression mercenaries' artillery shells in Khadir district.
In Sa'ada, an African migrant was injured and a civilian's car was burned with Saudi guards gunshots in Munnabih district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3151&cat_id=1
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3153&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Saada: villages populated in the border districts of Razih was hit by Saudi rocketry and artillery shelling, while aerial aggression launched two raids on Razih district, there were no reports of civilian casualties until the moment.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3159&cat_id=1
(* A K pS)
Film (Sep. 5): The Shelling Massacre of Bir Pasha: a Full-Fledged War Crime
A Houthi's shell hit by the side of a house, killing nine people, including five children.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxIxLOVQsoE
and excerpt: https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1050079688876613632
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(* C)
Telling the Story of Yemen's Jews, and Their Legendary Poet
A new documentary about Shalom Shabazi doesn’t try to discover the absolute truth about Yemenite Jewry’s greatest poet. Instead, it offers a host of captivating, scholarly perspectives. The result is a concentrated Yemenite experience never before seen on the Israeli screen
First-ever photos of Yemen's Jews stunned the Jewish world
The little-known language spoken by Jews across the Medieval Arab world
An Israeli singer returns to her Yemeni roots – and fans in Yemen approve
(B)
Yemeni smiths beat missiles into knives, not ploughshares
[Die jemenitischen Goldschmiede machen sich dieses Elend nun zunutze: Aus den Raketenfragmenten schmieden sie traditionelle Dolche, «Jambiyya», die jemenitische Männer als Zeichen von Prestige und Mut tragen und deren Anfertigung sie sich sonst aufgrund der hohen Importpreise für Stahl nicht leisten könnten.]
Yemeni artisans are taking the refuse of war - fragments from missiles fired by a Saudi-led coalition - and making them into their famous ornamental knives.
The daggers - jambiyya (jam-BEE-yah) - were once made of imported steel, but high prices have led craftsmen to buy metal from foragers. They are worn as part of traditional Yemeni male attire - tucked into a sheath at the center of ornate belts.
Missiles fired by Saudi-led coalition jets rain down on militiamen and civilians alike, killing and maiming thousands.
Children, farmers and others collect shrapnel from their farmlands, from dirt alleys in impoverished neighborhoods, and offer it for sale to artisans.
One kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fragment steel costs about 500 rials (less than $1), half the price of Turkish steel (photos)
film: https://www.volksblatt.li/Nachricht.aspx?src=sda&id=291736
film: https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1050149384359432192
(* A P)
Cyclone Luban looms over Yemen, countries lining Gulf of Aden
Cyclonic Storm Luban will bring the risk for widespread flooding along with mudslides and damaging winds to parts of Yemen in the coming days.
Luban is the third cyclonic storm of the year in the Arabian Sea and is expected to become the first to make landfall in Yemen.
The previous storms made landfall in Oman and Somalia; however, both storms brought impacts to Yemen. Nearly 300 people were killed by the two tropical cyclones.
While Yemen is forecast to endure the worst conditions from Luban, both Oman and Somalia could again undergo impacts.
Luban’s current northwest track will shift to the west by midweek, taking the powerful cyclone between Socotra and the Yemen coastline.
Prior to reaching Yemen, Luban will pass near or north of Socotra, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to the island.
The slow movement of Luban could result in downpours affecting the island from Thursday into Saturday and bring a risk for flooding, mudslides and locally damaging winds.
Impacts across Yemen are not expected until at least Friday night; however, the entire southern coastline could be lashed by the storm as it tracks westward through the weekend and into early next week.
Torrential downpours can produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides while powerful winds will elevate the risk for power outages and property damage.
http://www.somtribune.com/2018/10/10/cyclone-luban-looms-over-yemen-countries-lining-gulf-of-aden/
(A P)
Yemen, Oman - Tropical cyclone LUBAN update
Tropical cyclone LUBAN continued moving north-west over the West Central Arabian Sea. On 10 October at 0.00 UTC its centre was located 644 km south-east from the city of Salalah (Oman) and it had maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h (equivalent to Category 1 in the Saffir Simpson Scale).
Over the next 48 hours, it is forecast to keep moving north-west over the Gulf of Aden toward the north-eastern parts of Yemen slightly strengthening. Heavy rain and strong wind may affect south-west Oman and north-east Yemen
(* A)
Tropical Cyclone LUBAN. Warning n.10 (10 October 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/tropical-cyclone-luban-warning-n10-10-october-2018
(* A )
Oman could escape Luban but fears grow for Yemen
Oman is likely to escape the worst of tropical storm Luban, and will probably head towards Yemen instead, Omani forecasters said on Wednesday.
But as it heads towards Yemen, the storm is likely to develop into a category one cyclone, over the next 12 hours, Oman met office added.
Meteorologists warned that heavy rainfall and strong winds would hit Oman as the storm makes landfall. And residents have been warned to take precautions.
Meanwhile, Yemen, worn by an ongoing conflict that has weakened the country’s infrastructure, will face the full force of the storm.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1385401/middle-east
(A)
Film: Luban Closing In On Yemen
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/lubin-closing-in-on-yemen
(* A)
Tropical storm threatens coastal cities of Oman, Yemen
The southern coastal cities of Oman and Yemen are bracing themselves for a battering as Tropical Storm Luban heads their way just months after Cyclone Mekunu left a path of destruction, killing 30 people and dozens more missing.
It is not clear what direction the storm will take, but if it hits Oman, forecasters say it will be as strong Cyclone Mekunu.
Both Oman’s and Yemen’s Meteorology centers have released warnings on the tropical storm heading towards the Arabian Peninsula.
Dubbed Luban, the storm is expected to become a category 1 Tropical Cyclone within the next 12 hours.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1384946/middle-east
(A )
Socotra.. Preparations for an emergency caused by tropical storm
The Socotra governorate authorities held a meeting to discuss preparations for an emergency that would result in the tropical storm that surrounds the Arabian Sea Today.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/159320
(A)
My recent works
Acrylic on Canvas
70x70cm each
Yemen (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/mazher.nizar/posts/1925799567457952
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-466-yemen-war-mosaic-466
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-466 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-466:
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:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
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