... Anmerkungen zu Pompeos Zertifizierung des Jemenkriegs – US-Söldner als Killer im Dienst der Emirate – Der Mord an Khashoggi und 50,000 getötete Jemeniten – Ali AlAhmed über Khashoggi, Saudis, Jemen – und mehr
Oct. 17, 2018: 1300 days of Saudi aerial war – Mental health of children – Food costs compared – Saudis stealing Yemen’s oil – US wars in failed states – Annotation of Pompeo’s Certification of Yemen War – US mercenaries as killers hired by the Emirates – Khashoggi murder achieved what 50,000 killed Yemenis did not – Ali AlAhmed on Khashoggi, Saudis, Yemen – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Zyklon Luban / Cyclone Luban
Klassifizierung / Classification
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**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
Neue Artikel / New articles
(* B H K)
Photos: Yemen on verge of worst famine in 100 years as civil war rages on
There are just three months left to avoid what could be ‘the worst famine in 100 years’, according to the United Nations. Yemen is in the grip of a civil war that began three years ago with air strikes by Saudi Arabia contributing to the humanitarian crisis. There are now 13,000,000 people who are on the brink of starvation.
(* B H K)
Why is Yemen the world's worst humanitarian crisis?
The war in Yemen is contributing to what the United Nations says could become "the worst famine in the world in 100 years."
Yemen is facing the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. Over 22 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, the country is on the brink of famine, and a million people have suffered from the worst cholera outbreak in modern history.
But these deaths represent only a fraction of the impact of the airstrikes. Many more people suffer when the damage and destruction left by the attacks cut off their access to health care and clean water.
The attacks not only violate international humanitarian law, but they also make it dangerous and difficult for humanitarian organizations like the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to deliver aid. Even worse, the governments of the United States and United Kingdom thus far have failed to use their leverage as diplomatic allies and military supporters of the Saudi and Emirati-led coalition to end the violence
This crisis only continues to grow as conflict rages on and those in need are prevented from receiving lifesaving assistance.
Here’s what you need to know about why Yemen is home to the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
What is the impact of the conflict on access to food, health services and education?
Who is hit hardest by this crisis?
What is the most critical flashpoint right now?
What are the most concerning threats on the horizon?
What needs to be done to stop the suffering?
https://www.rescue.org/article/why-yemen-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis
(* B H K)
Yemen civil war: The facts about the world's 'forgotten war'
Brutal conflict between Houthis and Saudi Arabia-backed coalition forces sparks humanitarian crisis, leaving as many as 10,000 dead and 8.4 million people facing devastating famine
As many as 13 million people in Yemen are facing starvation in what could be the “worst famine seen anywhere in the world for 100 years”, according to the UN.
The Middle Eastern nation has been embroiled in violent conflict for more than three years, its people suffering desperate privation and living under the constant threat of air strikes.
Here’s how the “forgotten war” started.
Who are the two sides?
Why are the US and UK supporting Saudi Arabia?
How many people have died or been forced to flee as refugees?
My comment: The figures of killed are much higher. The UN stopped counting nearly two years ago. The presumed victims of the blockade (more than 50,000 children alone a year) are not mentioned). – “Houthi rebels” 4 years after their rebellion meanwhile is odd western propaganda wording which should not been repeated.
The same must be said for this short introduction: http://www.thejournal.ie/explainer-yemen-famine-4286802-Oct2018/
And here another short explainer: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/explained-yemen-conflict_uk_5bc4a91ae4b0bd9ed55c6dca
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
Mord an Jamal Khashoggi / Murder of Jamal Khashoggi:
Saudi Dissident Khashoggi: Medienschau Teil 2 / Press review 2
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/saudi-dissident-khashoggi-medienschau-teil-2 (Oct. 15)
Saudi Dissident Khashoggi: Medienschau Teil 3 / Press review 3:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/saudi-dissident-khashoggi-medienschau-3a
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/saudi-dissident-khashoggi-medienschau-3b (Oct. 18)
(** B K)
Saudi-led military aggression left over 15,000 civilians dead: Rights group
The Legal Center for Rights and Developments in Yemen says the ongoing Saudi-led military campaign against the impoverished and conflict-plagued Arab country has claimed the lives of more than 15,000 civilians.
The center, in a statement released on Monday, announced that the aggression has resulted in the death of 15,185 civilians, including 3,527 children and 2,277 women.
A total of 23,822 civilians, among them 3,526 children and 2,587 women, have also sustained injuries, and are currently suffering from the lack of medicine, medical supplies and poor treatment due to the crippling Saudi siege.
The center further noted that the Saudi military aggression has also caused the death of nearly 2,200 Yemenis from cholera.
It highlighted that aerial assaults being conducted by the Saudi-led alliance have resulted in the destruction of 15 airports and 14 ports, and damaged 2,559 roads and bridges in addition to 781 water storage facilities, 191 power stations and 426 telecommunications towers.
The statement went on to say that the incessant Saudi-led bombardment campaign has destroyed more than 421,911 houses, 930 mosques, 888 schools, 327 hospitals and health facilities plus 38 media organizations, halted the operation of 4,500 schools and left more than 4 million people internally displaced.
In addition, the Saudi-led coalition has targeted 1,818 government facilities, 749 food storehouses, 621 food trucks, 628 shops and commercial compounds, 362 fuel stations, 265 tankers, 339 factories, 310 poultry and livestock farms, 219 archaeological sites, 279 tourist facilities and 112 playgrounds and sports complexes.
(** B H K)
Save the Children: Mental health in Yemen: Save the Children speaks with children that survived August bus attack
"I feel my friend's pain and my pain. I don't feel anything else"
12-year-old Yemeni boy in severe distress following deadly school bus attack in Saada
A generation of children in need of mental health support to avert lifelong psychological damage, warns Save the Children
Sanaa, 15 October - 12-year-old *Khaled was on his way to a picnic when a deadly airstrike hit his school bus, killing 40 children in northern Saada province, Yemen, on August 9. Not only was he badly injured in the attack, putting him in a wheelchair since, the horrifying experience has also left him feeling anguished and numb.
*Khaled told Save the Children: "We were happy, we were going to [play]. When we reached the market there were people there, and everything [was as usual]. Then there was firing. I couldn't find my friends. I feel my friend's pain and my pain. I don't feel anything else."
Following the airstrike, *Khaled told Save the Children staff that he has trouble sleeping at night and becomes scared when he hears the sound of airplanes soaring overhead.
*Khaled: "I wish that the war stops so I can continue to learn and build my life and achieve my dreams. I want the war to stop so they stop killing children, women and men. What is their sin?"
*Khaled's mother told Save the Children: "Suddenly I saw people hurry to the bus. What is wrong? What happened? They said the bus was hit, that no kids survived. Everyone was looking for their kids... Then they admitted [my son] to the intensive care unit... We spent 22 days [in hospital]. There was pus coming out of his eyes, his ears bleeding, his nose was stitched, they have operated everywhere on him, behind his ears, fragments in his head. They said his leg is damaged; they [took] 16 x-rays [of him]."
Yemen is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child today. A child in Yemen has already lived through more than 18,000 airstrikes in his or her lifetime. The ongoing brutality means children are being consistently exposed to extreme violence, further heightening the risk of psychological damage.
The children of Yemen have watched their friends and family members die before their eyes or be buried under the rubble of their collapsing homes. They have watched their schools and hospitals be targeted and destroyed, been denied access to life-saving food and medicine, and have been torn apart from the life they once knew. The prolonged exposure to war, stress and uncertainty can be extremely upsetting for children and create issues and challenges that last a lifetime.
Yet Yemen has barely any mental health services or sufficient support for children suffering from distress. More than half of all health facilities have closed or are only partially functioning.
Save the Children is warning that there could be long-term psychological damage to a generation of children as a result of this conflict unless more mental health and psychosocial support is provided. With the right help, many of the harms can be mitigated and healed.
A survey published in 2018 that spoke to nearly 1,000 children in Sana'a, found that 79 per cent showed signs of serious psychological consequences as a result of the conflict. The study reveals that in the first year of the conflict family members began noticing children bedwetting, refusing to be alone or not wanting to leave the house.
Research in other parts of the Middle East by Save the Children last year found exposure to prolonged conflicts has a devastating effect on children's mental health and wellbeing. We found evidence of what experts call 'toxic stress'-the most dangerous form of stress a child can experience, which is caused by strong, frequent or prolonged adversity without adequate caregiver support. If left untreated, 'toxic stress' can have a lifelong impact on children's mental and physical health.
Kelly McBride, Save the Children's Regional Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Technical Advisor, said:
"Children in Yemen, who make up nearly half of the population, are exposed to a myriad of stress factors. Given the developmental stage that children are in, they are extremely vulnerable in times of crisis. Without security in their lives, they are unable to learn the very basic skills that are needed to thrive. This can severely impact their immediate and long-term mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.
"Children in conflict zones often experience bedwetting, nightmares, hypervigilance, grief, depression, anxiety, aggression, feeling withdrawn, and numerous other challenges. This can impair their ability to engage in daily life, including an inability to focus or perform well in school, learn new information, form relationships and attachments, or find a sense of safety.
"There is little community awareness in Yemen of how to support children and families whose mental health and wellbeing are suffering. Also, many of those who suffer from severe distress do not have access to the services they need due to general lack of trained staff and stigma. This is a gap the international community is trying to fill during this critical time."
Save the Children specialists on the ground are supporting *Khaled and other children affected by the bus attack through intensive psychosocial support and covering their families' transportation costs to and from hospital. Save the Children has reached more than 12,500 children like *Khaled through its mental health and psychosocial support programmes in Yemen this year, but we need to reach many more.
(** B H)
Food costs should cause “shock and outrage” as countries in conflict see spiralling prices
Fresh research by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), released to coincide with World Food Day, shows food becoming ever less affordable in countries in conflict or subject to political instability. In dozens more countries, persistently high food costs are putting the hope of a nutritious meal beyond the reach of millions.
Now in its second edition, WFP’s Counting the Beans index covers 52 developing nations. The aim is to give consumers in wealthy, industrialized countries an idea of the share of daily income needed to secure a basic plate of food in poorer parts of the world.
The index assumes an identical per capita average income across the globe and calculates what percentage of it people must spend for a 600kcal home-cooked meal. It then works out an “as-experienced” price against that standardized income. Daily GDP per capita figures have been used – or, where not available or reliable, personal income numbers based on remittance records and other sources.
Taking food costs in New York, USA as a reference point, WFP has found that a resident of the Empire state might spend US$1.20 to cook a simple soup or stew (say, some beans or lentils, a handful of rice, plus water and oil). By contrast, a citizen of South Sudan would need to fork out more than two days’ income – the NY equivalent of US$348.36 – for a similar meal; a resident of North-east Nigeria, US$222.05; and a Yemeni national, US$62.37.
All three are countries or regions where famine is a looming threat. In all three, rising food costs closely track the trajectory of conflicts. For many people there, survival would not be possible without assistance from WFP and other partners.
https://cdn.wfp.org/2018/plate-of-food/
(** B E P)
Saudi Arabia Stealing 65% of Yemen's Oil in Collaboration with Total: Report
A Yemeni economic expert disclosed that Saudi Arabia is stealing his country's crude reserves in bordering regions in collaboration with the French energy giant, Total.
"63% of Yemen's crude production is being stolen by Saudi Arabia in cooperation with Mansour Hadi, the fugitive Yemeni president, and his mercenaries," Mohammad Abdolrahman Sharafeddin told FNA on Tuesday.
"Saudi Arabia has set up an oil base in collaboration with the French Total company in the Southern parts of Kharkhir region near the Saudi border province of Najran and is exploiting oil from the wells in the region," he added.
Late in last year, another economic expert said Washington and Riyadh had bribed the former Yemeni government to refrain from oil drilling and exploration activities, adding that Yemen has more oil reserves than the entire Persian Gulf region.
"Saudi Arabia has signed a secret agreement with the US to prevent Yemen from utilizing its oil reserves over the past 30 years," Hassan Ali al-Sanaeri told FNA.
"The scientific research and assessments conducted by international drilling companies show that Yemen's oil reserves are more than the combined reserves of all the Persian Gulf states," he added.
Al-Sanaeri added that Yemen has abundant oil reserves in Ma'rib, al-Jawf, Shabwah and Hadhramaut regions.
He noted that a series of secret documents by Wikileaks disclosed that the Riyadh government had set up a committee presided by former Saudi Defense Minister Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz. "Former Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and the kingdom's intelligence chief were also the committee's members."
(** B K P)
America's Failed State Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen: Still Less Than Half a Strategy
The U.S. needs to make critical and time-sensitive decisions regarding the future of its wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen – as well as in its broader struggle with terrorism and extremism, and its dealings with Iran. The U.S. is now trapped in four “failed state” wars where there are no clear prospects for lasting “victory” unless the current threats can be defeated at the military level and the host country can both develop forms of politics and governance that can create an enduring peace and also make enough progress in recovery and development to sustain peaceful stability.
At this point, it is unclear that tactical victories against a current enemy can create a temporary peace in any given war. It is all too clear that any form of real and lasting peace requires “victory” at the civil level as well as the military one, and that such a victory has three critical components: political unity, effective governance, and economic progress. Economic progress must mean progress for all of the elements of a country’s population in order to provide a lasting incentive for unity and cooperation among the major factions.
The U.S. cannot go on lurching from withdrawals to new commitments and back or hoping that some limited additional military commitment will somehow sustain a war of attrition that mysteriously has a happy ending. Political, military, and economic forces are at work in all four of America's current wars where the U.S. needs far clearer strategies. And, if the United States is to have any lasting success, it must be a strategy that has all three elements of a successful grand strategy – warfighting, peacemaking, and lasting stability
More broadly, the U.S. needs to learn how to apply strategic triage, and when and if it should commit forces and resources to “failed states.” The answer in many cases may be to focus on containment and the support of states where U.S. support can clearly make a critical difference. In those cases, the U.S. must learn to address both the military and civil dimensions of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. It must not only act in ways that defeat a given enemy but deal with the civil failures that empower that enemy in the first place.
The Burke Chair at CSIS has completed a study that addresses the key civil challenges in each war, as well as the need for a U.S. approach to counterterrorism and counterinsurgency that address the civil as well as the military dimensions of all such conflicts.
Yemen
The practical problem for the U.S. is that the real-world legitimacy of the Yemeni government is based on a tenuous one candidate "election" that replaced Yemen's previous dictator – Ali Abdullah Saleh – with Field Marshal Abd Rabuh Manur Hadi as "President" in late February 2012. Hadi had been Vice President since 1994, and he was selected as a compromise candidate when Saleh was pushed out of power as a result of the upheavals that came as part of the broader upheavals in the region that began with the Arab spring in 2011.
Hadi showed little real ability to govern, however, or for coping with Yemen's deep sectarian and tribal divisions and uncertain unity between its north and south. Saudi Arabia also encouraged his limited efforts to federalize the areas occupied by Yemen's Houthis who had formed their own paramilitary faction called Ansar Allah, and who were centered in Northwest Yemen near the border with Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi were reacting in part to both the fear of Iran becoming a dominant influence in Yemen and the entrance to the Red Sea, and Houthi threats that included invading Saudi Arabia and seizing Mecca. Just how "legitimate" Hadi was relative to the Houthi is debatable, but the Houthi-Hadi fighting also initially gave AQIP an opportunity to seize towns and territory in other parts of Yemen, confronting the U.S. with the threat that AQIP could become far more effective as well as the expansion of Iran's influence into a strategically important new area.
The bombing also has made Yemen's humanitarian situation far worse, and as the following sections show, Yemen has the potential to become the worst of America's four wars in human terms.
At this point, there is no clear end to the fighting and simply prolonging the fighting has a massive impact on a country as poor and dependent on outside civil aid as Yemen. There also is no clear way of creating a lasting peace settlement given both the internal and external actors shaping the war. Effort after effort to reach a ceasefire or create a new government has failed to bring the Houthi, Hadi government, and other factions together – and the long-standing tensions between the country's north and south seem to be reemerging. Worse, Yemen is now part of the power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the other Arab Gulf countries – by Anthony H. Cordesman
This study is entitled America's Failed State Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen: Still less than Half a Strategy, and it is available on the CSIS web site at https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/181015_Failed_Wars.pdf?ZrioMAScr0LNi_pWu0E.WJQylgDRQpcg.
My comment: The author of course is right: These wars are disastrous, they must end, a new phase of nation building and restoration of the countries and their economies must come. – But, you very well can see the frame this US “mainstream” elite thinker is staying in: He never generally questions US worldwide interfering; the US [elite’s] pursuing its interests worldwide; the US claim to control everything, to have everything in its grasp. He just claims that at least in these “failed” states (which largely failed due to US interference) the US not should keep off, but just should change its methods of interfering. He claims these wars could not be won; would he promote a war by the US or US proxies, with all its killing and destruction, in case the US could win it and it would benefit US [elite’s] interests? – Nevertheless, an interesting read.
(** B K P)
Annotation of Sec. Pompeo’s Certification of Yemen War: Civilian Casualties and Saudi-Led Coalition
Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that the Saudi-led Coalition fighting a war in Yemen is taking sufficient steps to reduce civilian casualties in its military operations. The Secretary’s decision whether to issue a certification is required by a recent statute: section 1290 of the McCain National Defense Authorization Act. Under that provision, a failure to certify (or issue a waiver in its stead) would have automatically triggered suspension of congressional appropriations for the refueling of Coalition aircraft conducting missions in Yemen.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of Senators sent a brief letter to Secretary Pompeo challenging his certification and calling on him to return to Congress with more specific information by the end of this month. “We find it difficult to reconcile known facts with at least two of your certifications,” the Senators wrote, referring to the Secretary’s claim that the Coalition has taken demonstrable actions to reduce civilian casualties.
I share the general concerns raised in the Senators’ letter. Below I provide my annotation of the Secretary of State’s unclassified Memorandum of Justification. I assess the memorandum in detail and spell out specific concerns as well as some areas of praise.
Reducing the Risk of Harm to Civilians and Civilian Infrastructure
The Administration assess[sic] that the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] and UAE [United Arab Emirates] are undertaking[1] demonstrable actions to reduce[2] the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure resulting from military operations of the Government of Saudi Arabia and the Government of the UAE, including by complying with the applicable agreements and laws regulating defense articles purchased or transferred from the United States, and that they are taking appropriate steps[3] to avoid disproportionate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure.
[1] “Are undertaking” might be positive in the sense that the KSA and UAE are still pursuing these efforts and have not abandoned them. It might also be somewhat positive if this statement refers to actions of recent vintage that may yet yield a reduction in civilian harm. On the other hand, “are undertaking” might also mean that some actions are still in the stages of being pursued and have not been implemented despite three and a half years of war and U.S. and U.K. efforts to have the Coalition fully adopt particular reforms.
[2] How the phrase “demonstrable actions to reduce” functions in the memorandum is key to understanding the State Department’s posture and position. The memorandum relies throughout on purported positive activity that relate almost entirely to actions on paper or in process, but not the actual execution of military strikes. The memorandum, in fact, admits that Coalition airstrikes continue to produce civilian casualties at far too high a rate. A fundamental problem with this line of justification is that, if anything, it means that the “demonstrable actions” have actually proven ineffective to date. This unusual product from the State Department may be due to Secretary Pompeo’s issuing the certification over the objections of his legal advisers and most of the State Department’s military and area specialists (see the Wall Street Journal reporting for that background).
At best, the Secretary of State is asking Congress to accept a certification that claims the KSA and UAE have adopted process-inputs (formally accepting a no-strike list, changing rules of engagement, and committing to training programs in humanitarian law) while the Coalition nevertheless reportedly frequently kills civilians and targets civilian infrastructure such as a shrine, a funeral home, a school bus, a wedding party, a bridge vital to humanitarian relief, a refugee boat, and medical clinics and hospitals.
As a matter of international law, targeting operations that either purposefully or recklessly kill civilians can amount to war crimes – by Ryan Goodman
(*** B K P T)
American Mercenaries Were Hired To Assassinate Politicians In The Middle East
“There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen. I was running it. We did it.”
Cradling an AK-47 and sucking a lollipop, the former American Green Beret bumped along in the back of an armored SUV as it wound through the darkened streets of Aden. Two other commandos on the mission were former Navy SEALs. As elite US special operations fighters, they had years of specialized training by the US military to protect America. But now they were working for a different master: a private US company that had been hired by the United Arab Emirates, a tiny desert monarchy on the Persian Gulf.
On that night, December 29, 2015, their job was to carry out an assassination.
Their armed attack, described to BuzzFeed News by two of its participants and corroborated by drone surveillance footage, was the first operation in a startling for-profit venture. For months in war-torn Yemen, some of America’s most highly trained soldiers worked on a mercenary mission of murky legality to kill prominent clerics and Islamist political figures.
Their target that night: Anssaf Ali Mayo, the local leader of the Islamist political party Al-Islah. The UAE considers Al-Islah to be the Yemeni branch of the worldwide Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE calls a terrorist organization. Many experts insist that Al-Islah, one of whose members won the Nobel Peace Prize, is no terror group. They say it's a legitimate political party that threatens the UAE not through violence but by speaking out against its ambitions in Yemen.
The operation against Mayo — which was reported at the time but until now was not known to have been carried out by American mercenaries — marked a pivot point in the war in Yemen.
The bombing was the first salvo in a string of unsolved assassinations that killed more than two dozen of the group’s leaders.
The company that hired the soldiers and carried out the attack is Spear Operations Group, incorporated in Delaware and founded by Abraham Golan, a charismatic Hungarian Israeli security contractor who lives outside of Pittsburgh. He led the team’s strike against Mayo.
“There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen,” he told BuzzFeed News. “I was running it. We did it. It was sanctioned by the UAE within the coalition.”
The revelations that a Middle East monarchy hired Americans to carry out assassinations comes at a moment when the world is focused on the alleged murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabia.
Golan said that during his company’s months-long engagement in Yemen, his team was responsible for a number of the war’s high-profile assassinations, though he declined to specify which ones. He argued that the US needs an assassination program similar to the model he deployed. “I just want there to be a debate,” he said. “Maybe I’m a monster. Maybe I should be in jail. Maybe I’m a bad guy. But I’m right.”
Spear Operations Group’s private assassination mission marks the confluence of three developments transforming the way war is conducted worldwide
With Spear Operations Group’s mission in Yemen, these trends converged into a new and incendiary business: militarized contract killing, carried out by skilled American fighters.
Experts said it is almost inconceivable that the United States would not have known that the UAE — whose military the US has trained and armed at virtually every level — had hired an American company staffed by American veterans to conduct an assassination program in a war it closely monitors.
One of the mercenaries, according to three sources familiar with the operation, used to work with the CIA’s “ground branch,” the agency’s equivalent of the military’s special forces. Another was a special forces sergeant in the Maryland Army National Guard. And yet another, according to four people who knew him, was still in the Navy Reserve as a SEAL and had a top-secret clearance. He was a veteran of SEAL Team 6, or DEVGRU, the sources told BuzzFeed News. The New York Times once described that elite unit, famous for killing Osama bin Laden, as a “global manhunting machine with limited outside oversight.”
Whether Spear’s mercenary operation violates US law is surprisingly unclear. On the one hand, US law makes it illegal to “conspire to kill, kidnap, maim” someone in another country. Companies that provide military services to foreign nations are supposed to be regulated by the State Department, which says it has never granted any company the authority to supply combat troops or mercenaries to another country – by Aram Roston
and as a shorter survey: https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2018/10/16/uae-hired-american-death-squad-to-assassinate-yemeni-opposition
and https://www.newsweek.com/american-mercenaries-assassinate-yemen-saudi-1172352
and https://www.rt.com/news/441472-mercenaries-targeted-killings-yemen/
and film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbSmMp2GpYo = https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1052293148007981056
Comment: But this quote from @Dr_E_Kendall is spot-on. How much damage have we done to international norms through the war on terror? (text in image)
https://twitter.com/EmmaMAshford/status/1052176416413011970
Remark / Comment: More in cp13d. - You simply call this: terrorism. In this case, it is terrorism by state actors.
and the attack which is shown in the film, by a witness:
(* B P T)
Journalist gives details of the moment of the bombing of the Office of the Deputy of the "Mayo" by American mercenaries recruited by the UAE
a Yemeni journalist recalled the moments he lived inside the building at the time of the bombing.
Journalist Abdallah Doubella wrote an article for the AL-Masdar online, about the moments of the bombing that sparked horror and panic while he was with ten fellow journalists within the office of Deputy “Mayo”, who is also chairman of the Islah party in the southern city of Aden.
According to Doubella, a few minutes were separated between the Mayo departure of the office and the explosion, which sparked panic and terror in the neighborhood where the building is located.
He pointed to the important part of what people in the neighboring houses moved that they heard the masked attackers speak English, which was not absorbed by the day, where the explanation of what happened in a local conflict and in Aden specifically takes a regional or party character.
Memories of a terrifying night in Aden how can one recall his memories of a terrifying night that almost led to his life in a terrorist attack recently discovered by US mercenaries hired by a sister country that was said to have come to help Yemen and Yemenis.
On the evening of December 29, 2015, it was normal day in the office of the parliamentary member, Kraiter Aden, the head of the Yemeni rally for reform in the province, and we took from the top of our role as journalists fleeing from Sanaa from al-Houthi's crackdown and harassment of media professionals, as well as a place of work and a session of "Qat" chewing.
At approximately 10 p.m., we left the deputy, and he did not leave for a few minutes until we heard where we were on the third floor a large and double explosion targeting the exterior door of the small building and also a car bomb for an attacker near the door.
We were less than ten, journalists from several governorates, and the head of the media department for the rehabilitation of Aden Khaled Haydan and the bodyguard who did not have more than Kalashnikov rifle.
We lived a terrible horror, and we imagined that the attackers would break into the building at any moment to wipe us out, the guard was asking us not to leave the third floor, and after more than a quarter of an hour of firing bullets from the central bank guard at the end of the street, citizens of the building's neighbors entered us and told us that the attackers who they cover their faces with masks. They are gone and they told us that they heard the attackers speak English then we did not grasp it and it seemed to us that there was an exaggeration caused by the panic left by the explosion, where I thought the attackers were following extremist elements of the Southern movement disturbed by the existence Journalists from the north in the office of the Reformist Deputy.
However, the report published at the U.S. Web site by the attackers explained the issue
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159700
(** B P)
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance has accomplished what 50,000 Yemeni deaths could not
Recent condemnations of the Saudi government are welcome, but the kingdom's brutality in Yemen has not drawn nearly as much attention.
The allegations of state-sponsored torture and assassination triggered a rare backlash from U.S. businesses, media and importantly, some U.S. government officials.
Though long overdue, these condemnations of the Saudi government are welcome. Saudi Arabia has been a close U.S. ally for decades, but during that it has engaged in numerous violations of human rights including creating what is currently the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
By using starvation as a weapon and causing the collapse of the Yemeni economy, health care and educational systems, Mohammed bin Salman has proven himself to be a ruthless monarch, and not the progressive reformer that many in the Western press have, until very recently, been happy to paint him as.
The crown prince’s actions in Yemen have not drawn nearly as much attention from his U.S. allies. Quite the opposite in fact.
And until the brutal killing of 40 Yemeni children on a school bus, the U.S. mainstream media remained largely uncritical of its government's role in the war on Yemen.
Thus far, Trump’s relationship with Saudi Arabia seems to be enduring this rare moment of public outcry. Asked whether the U.S. would consider halting arms sales to Saudi if they are found responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance, Trump gave a transparent — if unsettling — response.
It is understandable that many within the U.S. government want to remain uncritical of Saudi’s actions in Yemen; after all, they were (and remain) partners in alleged war crimes and so condemnations of Saudi’s brutality in Yemen cannot ignore America’s helping hand in these atrocities.
Still, the hypocritical nature of the recent mainstream change of heart is especially painful for those who have tried for years to bring attention to the suffering of Yemeni men, women and children. How many deaths will it take before investing in Saudi Arabia becomes a problem? Or do human rights only matter when a prominent figure is the subject of such brutality?
Regardless of the reason, it remains to be seen whether this latest tragedy will be the catalyst that finally leads the United States to publicly distance itself from Saudi Arabia.
Whatever the outcome, Khashoggi's disappearance pulls the curtain back on the callousness, arrogance and perceived invincibility of Mohammed bin Salman — while also revealing how selective Washington’s outrage really is – by Shireen Al-Adeimi
(** A B K P)
Film: Saudi Arabia's murderous rampage: Dissident Ali al-Ahmed on killings of journalists & Yemenis
Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by Saudi journalist and analyst Ali al-Ahmed to discuss Saudi Arabia's assassination of dissidents. Ali addresses the suspected killing of Jamal Khashoggi, and explains the power struggles inside the royal family. We also talk about the Western corporate media's systematic whitewashing of autocratic Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), and the Saudi monarchy's execution and oppression of Shia activists. We conclude on the war in Yemen, where Riyadh — with crucial support from the US and UK — has unleashed the largest humanitarian catastrophe on Earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iCu9Xee53g
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* B H)
Outbreak update – Cholera in Yemen, 11 October 2018
The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen has reported 15201 suspected cases and 37 associated deaths during epidemiological week 38 (17 September – 23 September) in 2018. 14% are severe cases. The cumulative total number of suspected cholera cases from 27 April 2017 to 23 September 2018 is 1207596 and 2510 associated deaths (CFR 0.21%). So far, 2980 samples have been confirmed by culture.
Children under 5 years of age represent 30.5% of the total suspected cases. So far, the cholera outbreak has affected 22 out of 23 governorates and 306 out of 333 districts in Yemen.
This week, the governorates reporting the highest number of suspected cases are Amran (2542), Al Hudaydah (2459), Dhamar (1965), Sana’a (1942) and Amanat Al Asimah (1611). At the country level, there has been an upward trend for 15 consecutive weeks and from week 35 to week 37 the trend of suspected cases is increasing by 16%. Eight governorates are presenting an increase of suspected cases which include Aden (+65%), Amran (+45%), Al Hudaydah (+27%) and Taizz (+22%).
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/outbreak-update-cholera-yemen-11-october-2018
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K pS)
A civilian was killed by an anti-aircraft coming back bullet launched by Houthis in Hodeidah
A civilian was killed early Monday by shrapnel from an anti-aircraft bullet in the city of Hodeidah (western Yemen).
The Al-Masdar online correspondent said that the Houthi militants had intensively fired anti-aircraft against the Saudi Arabian coalition fighters
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159597
(* A K pS)
7 civilians killed, dozens injured by Houthi mines south of Hodeidah
Seven civilians were killed and scores injured in the area of al-Shajan in the outskirts of the city of Tahita, south of Hodeidah, in western Yemen as a result of mines planted by the Houthis while they took control of the area, government troops said Tuesday.
A medical source was quoted by the Media Center of the government giants as saying that mines exploded in a group of civilians, killing 7, and injuring scores who were taken to a hospital in the Tahita district.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159649
(* A K pS)
Houthi militias plant landmines in Hajjah farms
Security sources affirm that The Houthi rebel militias have planted large numbers of landmines in large areas along the coastline of Hodeida province.
Local residents told Alsahwa Net that the rebel militia issued warnings to the local communities along the coastline no to approach large areas in the western coast of Hodeidah province, due to the fields of mines indiscriminately planted.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24565
(* A H K)
On the frontline of world's worst humanitarian crisis
Civilians have fled Hodeida, Yemen, as an offensive draws closer and aid agencies say hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk.
Commanders of Yemeni forces fighting under the Saudi-led coalition have told Sky News they expect to advance on the rebel Houthi-held port city of Hodeida soon.
It comes as the United Nations is warning that a military offensive there by the coalition, including militias loyal to the internationally recognised government in exile, will have an "incalculable human cost".
https://news.sky.com/story/on-the-frontline-of-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-11525269
(* A H K)
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen: Attacks on passenger buses in Hodeidah leave scores dead and injured
At least 15 civilians have been reported killed and 20 others injured when the minibuses they were traveling in yesterday were struck in Jabal Ras District in Hodeidah Governorate. A number of injured have been transported to Zabid and Bait al Faqiah hospitals where they are being treated.
“This is a horrific incident,” said Ms. Lise Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen. “The United Nations agencies working in Yemen unequivocally condemn the attack on civilians and extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims.”
“Under international humanitarian law, parties to the conflict are obliged to respect the principles of precaution, proportionality and distinction,” said Ms. Grande. “Belligerents must do everything possible to protect civilians—not hurt, maim, injure or kill them,” said Ms. Grande.
Humanitarian agencies are rushing to assist the injured. The World Health Organization and its partners are supporting the hospitals in Bait al Faqiah and Zabid which are treating the wounded; agencies are on standby to provide whatever other assistance may be needed.
and
(A H K)
Norwegian Refugee Council: Attacks that kill civilians are no longer an anomaly in Yemen’s war
"The Norwegian Refugee Council is aghast at reports of more Saudi-led coalition strikes on Yemeni civilians travelling by bus in Hodeidah yesterday afternoon. We note with anger an unacceptable pattern of attacks on civilian women, men and children by parties to the conflict who profess concern for the interests and welfare of Yemeni people. We extend our condolences to Yemeni families experiencing untold loss as a result.
Attacks that kill and maim civilians are no longer an anomaly in Yemen’s war.
Repeated, emphatic calls on parties to the conflict for measures that protect civilians from violence continue to be disregarded.
and
A newly-surfaced video shows a mangled bus littered with groceries and a woman's hand bag after a Saudi airstrike on Yemen’s Hudaydah Province that killed civilians.
Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement released the video footage on Sunday as a proof that the passengers were civilians.
According to Yemenis sources, many women and children were among the casualties, including five members of the same family who were killed in the aerial attack on the vehicle.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/15/577053/Video-minibus-Saudi-jets
and
For his part, the spokesperson of the Arab coalition said that they are dealing with this incident, very seriously and will be fully investigated like all similar reports, noting that it is not appropriate to comment on the matter before the investigation.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159549
My comment: LOL.
More films:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgDbFA_CEaY
https://www.facebook.com/PRESSTV/videos/292168868062759
https://www.facebook.com/almayadeen/videos/285016088778504
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/15/577053/Video-minibus-Saudi-jets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnjAznYPzR0 (auf Deutsch)
Remark: Earlier reporting: Yemen War Mosaic 468.
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* B P)
Saudi Arabia under spotlight over Khashoggi, but drastic Yemen famine ignored
Following the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, believed to have been dismembered inside the Saudi embassy in Turkey on October 2, the media is starting to pay more attention to the Kingdom and cast a more critical eye on Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MbS). The latest developments in the Khashoggi case are the main agenda in news programs and critical commentaries are appearing in countless mainstream outlets. The story is inspiring far more outrage than the death of some 10,000 Yemenis.
Khashoggi’s last column in the Post highlighted the dire situation in Yemen, and suggested the Kingdom go from being “warmaker to peacemaker.”
Khashoggi’s fate has inspired a number of journalists to highlight other human rights abuses the Kingdom is accused of, with some shining a light on Yemen, prompting others to accuse them of hypocrisy.
In some cases, these media outlets and journalists are guilty of having sung the praises of the young Crown Prince, despite the war’s atrocities and human rights abuses not being secret. The Washington Post, whose owner Jeff Bezos attended a dinner party with MbS when he visited the US in March, has come out swinging in the wake of Khashoggi’s disappearance, contradicting the many pro-Saudi pieces it has published in the past, some from people being paid by the Kingdom.
New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, who penned a gushing article on MbS after visiting him in Riyadh last year, illustrated the lack of empathy elements of the media hold for Yemenis in a recent column which explained it would be “an unfathomable violation of norms of human decency, worse not in numbers but in principle than even the Yemen war,” if Khashoggi is confirmed murdered by the Saudis.
https://www.rt.com/news/441408-yemen-famine-saudi-media-hypocrisy/ n
(* B P)
‘US & UK throw money at Yemen’s humanitarian disaster while profiting from war’
Yemen’s humanitarian disaster is worsening, with 12 to 13 million people at risk of dying from starvation. Yet major Western countries are continuing to make a profit from arms sales to the Saudis, an aid worker told RT.
Suze van Meegen from the Norwegian Refugee Council told RT major sponsors of aid programs are the same parties who fail to act to deescalate the violence in Yemen.
“We are seeing huge amount of duplicity from powerful countries. Countries like the UK and the US consistently throwing money at the problem of humanitarian crisis in Yemen, helping us reach people with food and water. Meanwhile they are profiting from the sale of weapons that are perpetuating the war,” she said.
Washington and London are key suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia and its allies
Lucrative arms sales are reportedly the reason why such incidents are dismissed by Western nations as simple mistakes and the coalition gets away with a slap on the wrist each time. Van Meegen said enablers of the intervention should decide what their values are.
“Our question to those powers is: are jobs in the US and the UK more valuable than lives in Yemen?” she said.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen is dire and will only get worse, unless the conflict is stopped. It has already scarred the entire nation to a great deal, van Meegen said.
“People can’t get enough food to eat each day. Parents don’t know when they send their children to school, whether they’ll come home or whether the bombs will hit the school. There is very little water, so people are scared of cholera,” she said. “The society entirely is marked by fear and deprivation.
“I met children with open wounds on their legs that they cannot afford to treat. People’s hair is falling out because they cannot access enough food. The situation in Yemen is really about as bad as it gets.”
Van Meegen stressed that the humanitarian crisis is “entirely man-made and could be avoided” if the allies of the Saudis chose to take serious action.
https://www.rt.com/news/441479-yemen-disaster-west-profiting/
(* B H K)
CNN highlights US support for Saudi Arabia's assault on Yemen, which could result in "an entire generation being wiped out"
Nima Elbagir: Even after Saudi Arabia admitted to killing civilians, "the U.S. declined to say that Saudis were not doing enough to stop civilian deaths, and they certified and continued with the arms deals".
In the wake of the [Jamal] Khashoggi disappearance, you had a lot of unity from Middle Eastern leaders expressing solidarity with the Saudis. How about in response to the threat of famine? Is anyone in the region calling them out?
NIMA ELBAGIR (CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT): So far, the silence has been pretty deafening, Jim. And that's even as the United Nations say that they are scrambling to pull together the emergency assistance they require. And it's not just leaders in the region who have been silent on this. We're yet to hear from the U.S. The U.K. has broken ranks with the rest of the European Union and pledged from their international development fund, but the U.S. so far has said nothing, and we know that the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is in the region as we speak. When we spoke to the U.N. after we put together this piece, we spoke to them again and they said that in fact they think those estimates of 12 million might be conservative, Jim and Poppy. That actually, potentially, they're looking at millions more, 5 million of which will be children. They're looking at essentially an entire generation being wiped out by this famine.
(* B K P)
Now Would Be The Time to Investigate The Ongoing Onslaught in Yemen?
Indisputably, the war on Yemen is one of the fatal political conspiracies the reckless arrogant Muhammad bin Salman has been orchestrating, since March 2015. Observers ask, could Khashoggi’s case lead to a radical change in international attitudes towards Saudi Arabia and pressure it to end its criminal aggression on Yemen? I doubt!
Although various human rights groups have repeatedly warned that the situation in Yemen is imminent and increasingly deteriorating; making an already catastrophic situation even worse, Yemen has not received the same attention Khashoggi’s disappearance has gotten.
Logically speaking, MBS’s pitfalls and delinquencies against Yemeni civilians must lead to stop the entire Saudi criminality on the impoverished nation. However, the monarchy is a lucrative market, so there is no sign of change in the imperialist West’s hegemonic policy, headed by Trump; the businessman who is quite passionate about loves the Saudis, their wealth and the $ 110 billion arms deal.
Obviously, Khashoggi's disappearance has turned from a political and humanitarian issue into a financial and political extortion tool for the Saudi regime.
It should be pointed out that since the onset of the Saudi-led coalition’s assault against Yemen, various kidnapping crimes, similar to that of Khashoggi’s, have been carried out in Yemen. This is a conclusive proof that BMS condones neither his citizens nor his neighboring innocent nation and carries disgusting crimes against anyone who might ‘pose a danger.’
This growing international pressure on Saudi Arabia from its Western allies in Washington, London, and Paris; has led many Yemenis to pin their hopes on Khashoggi’s issue as a good opening to change the world towards MBS, from being allegedly a reformist to a chief of contract killers.
Seemingly, the so-called initiatives for Yemen are absurd and useless as many international and regional actors are benefiting from the survival of the war. Currently, Yemen is their way to compensate for their ultimate loss in Syria and to seek gains. Hence, prolonging the Yemeni plight is linked to the regional variables.
The United Nations has been incompetent to impose any word on Saudi Arabia.
(* B H K P)
The Irish Times view on the war in Yemen: A country at risk of starvation
That death and suffering can occur on such a scale, and for it to be preventable, is a shameful indictment of world powers. Ultimately, a brokered peace deal will be required, but steps could be taken immediately to ease the crisis. The most effective would be for the international community to lean on Saudi Arabia to end its ferocious bombardment of Houthi-controlled areas. The Saudi-led coalition, in its ruthless campaign to displace rebels from strategic centres, has bombed markets, hospitals and weddings. Just last week, air strikes killed at least 10 civilians in Hodeidah province.
Until now, there has been limited appetite in western capitals to confront Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the architect of the Yemeni bombardment. Riyadh is an important ally for the US, Britain and others, and the young crown prince has been assiduously courted since emerging as heir apparent.
(* B H K)
Yemen’s Famine Could Be ‘The Worst in 100 Years’
The BBC reports on the latest warnings about the dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen
It can be difficult to fathom the sheer scale of Yemen’s catastrophe. The U.N. warns that 13 million people are facing starvation if conditions do not improve, and yet Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is not close to being the most urgent priority for the world’s governments. How many millions of people have to be at risk of starving to death before it is recognized as the most important issue in the world? What percentage of a country’s population has to be on the verge of dying from preventable causes before it holds the world’s interest?
Despite being potentially the worst humanitarian disaster in generations, Yemen’s plight is still ignored and neglected by almost everyone. If something good is to come from the recent surge in criticism of the Saudi government, I hope it will be to make everyone see what the Saudis and their allies have done to Yemen and then to do all that can be done to prevent the worst-case scenario from unfolding. Time has already run out for many tens of thousands of Yemenis who have died from preventable causes over the last three and a half years, and if things keep going as they have millions and millions more innocent people are at risk of joining them.
The starvation of the people of Yemen is a crime against humanity, and it needs to be described as such. It has many authors, but chief among them are the Saudi coalition and their Western patrons, including our government, that escalated this war and have kept it going for years. The governments responsible for the devastation and starvation of Yemen are among the wealthiest in the world, and they are helping to bring about the destruction of one of the world’s poorest countries. They have it within their power to lessen the suffering of millions of people right now, but that will happen only if they halt their campaign, lift the blockade, stabilize the economy, and support a massive relief effort to rescue Yemen’s impoverished, starving people. If that doesn’t happen soon, these governments will be responsible for causing massive loss of life on a horrifying scale – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/yemens-famine-could-be-the-worst-in-100-years/
(* B H K)
Yemen: Faces of the world's forgotten war
Here are six people whose stories help explain why Yemenis are facing daily misery as conditions go from bad to worse.
The Houthi rebel
Standing in front of the smashed remains of a building near Yemen's presidential palace, the Houthi fighter appears resolute.
He picks his way through damage and destruction that is a daily part of life for those living in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.
US-made bomb victim
Five-year-old Buthaina sits in a hospital bed, her eyes puffed up from the severe bruising and fractures she received when her home was destroyed by a suspected Saudi airstrike.
"She had five siblings to play with. Now she has none," says her uncle Ali al Raymi.
The starving child
One-year-old Nusair was slowly starving to death when he was brought in to a health centre run by aid agency Save The Children.
The youngster was suffering from malnutrition and diarrhoea when he and his mother Suad braved landmines and airstrikes to get treatment.
The refugee
Since 2015, home for 15-year-old Fatemah has been a ramshackle tent made from scraps of wood and plastic tarpaulins.
The youngster and her family were forced to flee from Sana'a's al Haymah district as intense fighting for control of the territory left their lives in danger.
The cholera doctor
Dr Anisa has been a doctor for 27 years, with 15 of them spent in Sana'a.
She is the last hope for thousands of sick Yemenis in the nation's capital, many of whom have suffered from cholera.
The pro-government fighter
The soldier grapples with his large gauge machine gun as the truck he is riding in drives past a mural featuring the face of the former president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan.
He is loyal to the Saudi and UAE-backed government and could be Yemeni, but could also be from one of a number of countries who have pledged to offer support to their coalition (with photos)
https://news.sky.com/feature/yemen-faces-of-the-worlds-forgotten-war-11516374
(* B K P)
Letter From America: The World Disorder – Part 3
Thanks to the Saudi-led coalition, Yemen continues to bleed for the last three years. The country is wrecked by a bloody war between the Houthi rebels and supporters of Yemen's unpopular government.
As the western governments, esp. the USA, supply and sell weapons to its friendly states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the future looks to bleak to find a peaceful solution to the grave situation in Yemen. A report released by Human Rights Watch in August of this year warned Britain, France and the United States that they risked complicity in unlawful attacks in Yemen by continuing to supply arms to Saudi Arabia.
Let’s now review some of the trouble spots in Africa. Since 2014, Africa has experienced more than half of worldwide conflict incidents , despite having only about 16 percent of the world population.
http://www.asiantribune.com/node/92226
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia gets free pass on destroying Yemen
The war in Yemen is a disaster both for its people and the world at large.
Its beginnings lay in Yemen’s complicated regional and tribal rivalries. But Saudi Arabia’s 2015 decision to intervene — and the West’s decision to tacitly back that intervention — transformed it into a humanitarian calamity.
The Saudis said they were entering the war to defeat a rebellion linked to Iran. That link was never clear.
It was clear, however, that the Saudi-led bombing campaign increased Yemen’s death toll exponentially. The Saudis and their allies began by bombing military targets but moved quickly to attack Yemen’s civilian infrastructure.
The UN blames all sides in the conflict. But it estimates that the vast majority of the 16,700 civilian casualties to date are the result of Saudi-led bombings. The Saudis are doing to Yemen what Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad did to his own country.
Yet while Western nations are happy to denounce Assad, most are reluctant to take the Saudis to task.
For the Saudis, the lesson from all of this is that the regime can act with impunity.
Other countries might fuss from time to time. But in the end, they will line up to sell this rich, desert kingdom whatever arms it wants.
As Khashoggi contemplated his future in Istanbul’s Saudi consulate two weeks ago I expect he understood this as well as anyone.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A H)
Kebsi school in Yemen capital Sanaa, morning assembly, Tues, October, 16, 2018. Some of girls and boys receive their bags. Those whose parents can not afford buy ones. Education is the future of Yemen. US-Saudi war crimes destroyed schools but failed to stop them! (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1052436416515506176
(A H)
Human chain to deliver relief materials to residents of outlying villages west of Taiz
About 420 activists and activists, on Tuesday, carried out the longest human chain in Yemen's history to deliver relief supplies to remote villages southwest of Taiz City, southwest of the country.
A number of participants in the series told Al-Masdar online that they carried out this initiative to provide relief materials to the residents of isolated villages west of Jabal Sabr because of the lack of roads and their people transporting food on the backs of donkeys.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159673
photos: https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1052455522656505859
(B H)
MSF: Amina, 10-years-old, and her family were victims of bombings in #Saada. The child and her family moved to live in an IDPs camp near Khamer. The girl arrived to Al Salam Hospital in #Khamer after she got hurt by a car accident while she was collecting some wood near the road (photo)
https://twitter.com/msf_yemen/status/1052250320103829504
(* B H)
UNICEF: We are half way through! @UNICEF_Yemen has managed to reach 50% of the beneficiaries of the #EmergencyCashTransferProject. We will continue to do our best to reach as many beneficiaries as possible in the coming days
https://twitter.com/UNICEF_Yemen/status/1052236834871365633
(* B H)
Film: Lebensbedrohliche UnterernährungKinder im Jemen leiden seit Jahren Hunger
Die UN warnt vor einer Verschärfung der Hungersnot im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen. Sollte sich die Lage dort nicht ändern, könne die Zahl der vom Hunger bedrohten Menschen auf zwölf Millionen anwachsen. Vor allem Kinder leiden unter akuter Unterernährung.
https://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/videos/panorama/Kinder-im-Jemen-leiden-seit-Jahren-Hunger-article20673499.html = https://de.euronews.com/2018/10/17/uno-warnt-vor-hungersnot-im-jemen
(* B H)
Film: Hungersnot im Jemen
Die UN warnen vor einer Verschärfung der Hungersnot im Jemen. Millionen Menschen sind bedroht. Das heutejournal übernimmt eine Dokumentation der BBC News aus Sanaa.
https://www.facebook.com/ZDFheute/videos/546613705811539/
(* B H)
Film: AP: Jemen: Grösste Hungerkrise der Welt
Das Welternährungsprogramm der Vereinten Nationen hat vor einer Verschärfung der Hungersnot im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen gewarnt. Sollte sich die Lage dort nicht ändern, könne die Zahl der vom Hunger bedrohten Menschen um weitere 3,5 Millionen auf zwölf Millionen anwachsen. Seit mehr als drei Jahren leidet der Jemen unter dem Bürgerkrieg.
https://www.volksblatt.li/Nachricht.aspx?src=sda&id=292203
(* B H)
Yemen Is Being Starved to Death
The U.N. warns that the scale of the famine in Yemen has been underestimated in the past.
The Saudi coalition has already caused many tens of thousands of deaths by creating the conditions for starvation and disease, and the death toll from preventable causes is likely going to shoot up dramatically if the war is not brought to a halt at once. Along with the effects of the blockade on food prices, the Hadi government’s relocation of the central bank to Aden has made it practically impossible for many importers to bring food staples into the country.
The evidence of the Saudi coalition’s cruel collective punishment of Yemen’s civilian population has been out there for a long time, and it is long past time that the U.S. stop supporting these governments as they commit crimes against humanity. The best way to prevent the worst famine in generations from devouring millions of innocent lives is to halt U.S. support for the war, demand an end to the blockade, and provide economic and humanitarian relief to save as many people as possible.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/yemen-is-being-starved-to-death-3/
(* B H)
World Hunger Index: Yemen's most starved Arab and third Worldwide
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) issued a report on the World Hunger Index 2018, which measures hunger and lack of food according to several criteria.
The index included 119 countries, most of them from third world countries and developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, and Yemen was the most starved Arab.
Hunger is defined according to the United Nations Global Health and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as food deprivation and malnutrition, which makes an individual unable to get 1,800 calories, a daily minimum for a healthy and productive life.
The global Hunger Index is based on four criteria for measuring the state's level of hunger, the percentage of undernourished people, the prevalence of "wasting" among children under five years of age, and the prevalence of stunting among children under 5 years of age.
It also depends on the percentage of children who die before the age of five.
Kuwait was the lowest-starved Arab state, with an average overall rate of less than 5%.
In contrast, Yemen (no. 117) was the most starved Arab country with a total average of 24.7%, with a slight difference from Sudan (No. 112 globally), the second most starved of Arab countries, with an average overall rate of 34.8%
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159611
(* B E H)
Firewood.. Yemeni solution in the face of cooking gas crisis
«Firewood is expensive.. The wood is expensive» Ali al-Otmi repeats it with a quick accent reflecting the increasing demand for small timber packages piled with the door of his shop, after the Yemenis replaced the semi-existent household gas in an effort to overcome the crises that afflict them, in a country classified by the United Nations as witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Al-Otmi, who recently created a department for the sale of firewood in his shop, explains
Al-Otmi, who receives money from a woman who tried to bargain in the price, says that the price of firewood has risen because of the increase in demand after the lack of domestic gas and the switching of thousands of Yemenis in towns and villages to be used for cooking.
Sanaa and the governorates under the control of the Houthis are experiencing a scarcity of cooking gas
The crisis of lack of gas is due to the increasing demand from cars and small vehicles that have diverted their engines to work instead of gasoline fuel, which also rose to 14,000 riyals, from 8,000 to mid-September, said al-Khawlani, a gas supplier.
"The Saudi-Emirati aggression has besieged us and deprived us of the most basic necessities, the increase in demand for gas has tripled, and in return they have reduced our gas supply," al-Khawani added.
In the "Waitat" market in front of the gate of Sanaa airport in the north of the city, large timber has made the poor people use it to continue their lives, especially with the advent of winter where the temperature drops to 5 degrees Celsius.
"Our crises are becoming a habit, not an exception, and we Yemenis are adapting to the situation, and nothing more will happen to us.
Bahsham confirmed to the Al Jazeera net that it has long relied on firewood as a substitute for gas being cheaper and eliminates the hassle of searching for a gas cylinder
But the pharmacist--a father of four children--complains of dwindling wood packs over the past two weeks.
With the decline in the difficult living situation, Yemenis also lost the ability to buy firewood, forcing them to pick up trees that adorn some of the city's streets and trees at Sanaa University, according to local residents said to the al Jazeera net.
However, the domestic gas crisis seems to be more protracted, with no signs of crisis, as demand grows, according to the report of the Committee on Development, Oil and mineral resources of the Parliament, which is under the control of Sanaa.
According to the report, the Yemeni gas company (Houthis) did not import quantities of gas through the port of Hodeidah.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159619
My comment: there are not enough forests and trees in Yemen, and certainly wood will run out sooner or later.
(* B H)
Film: Kinderstimmen aus dem Jemen: Ala'a träumt vom Frieden
Millionen Kinder im Jemen brauchen humanitäre Hilfe. Ala’a ist eins von ihnen. Sie erzählt von ihrem Leben im Jemen – und davon, was für sie persönlich Frieden bedeuten würde.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPyQ9J-9sCo
(* B H)
Film: Kinderstimmen aus dem Jemen: Mohammed über seinen Alltag im Bürgerkrieg
Die Kinder im Jemen sind umgeben von Gewalt und Zerstörung. Der größte Traum der Mädchen und Jungen: Endlich wieder Frieden zu haben. Mohamed erzählt, was das für ihn bedeuten würde.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpLP4-E-no
(* B H)
Yemen crisis explained - your questions on the Yemen Crisis answered
What are the humanitarian needs in Yemen?
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, and ordinary people are bearing the brunt of an increasingly brutal conflict.
Severe water shortages combined with airstrikes, sniper attacks and a fuel blockade have rapidly turned this conflict into a humanitarian crisis. Demand is rapidly increasing to get food, water, shelter, sanitation and medical care to vulnerable families in the greatest need.
According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the conflict has left millions of desperate people in need of humanitarian aid and protection. Yemeni families were already dealing with dire and extreme poverty but this conflict has exacerbated their suffering.
The economy and public services such as hospitals and clinics face collapse, and many Yemeni families have exhausted their savings as they struggle to earn a living; women, children and men face a humanitarian catastrophe.
Two-thirds of the population, more than 20 million people are in urgent need of some form of life-saving humanitarian assistance such as food, water, medical care and shelter.
Food
More than 7 million people in Yemen are extremely vulnerable and need immediate access to food. 462,000 children under five are suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Shelter
More than 3 million people have been recorded by the UN as internally displaced, nearly half of whom are children. Aden governorate is hosting the highest number, 393,508 individuals, followed by Ta'izz 300,585 individuals and Hajjah, 280,821 individuals (as of October 2016).
Health
More than 1,900 of the country's 3,500 health facilities are currently either not functioning or partially functioning, leaving half the population without adequate healthcare. According to the UN, as of 5 November, there has been more than 900,000 suspected cholera cases and 2,192 associated deaths were reported; more than half of the suspected cases are children.
How can I support CAFOD during emergencies?
CAFOD’s ongoing emergency appeals help people affected by emergencies such as conflict, droughts and typhoons, both in the immediate aftermath and in the longer term.
Join our Emergency Response Team by giving a monthly donation so that we can respond as soon as disasters happen.
https://cafod.org.uk/News/Emergencies-news/Yemen-Crisis-Explained
(* B H)
Enormity of Yemen famine 'initially underestimated' by aid agencies
Sources say soaring food prices have overtaken projections from UN general assembly two weeks ago, with up to 14 million people now at risk
The sheer magnitude of the famine facing Yemen was initially underestimated by the aid sector, leaving food security experts rushing to update projections made at the UN general assembly a fortnight ago, sources have told the Guardian.
The speed at which the Yemeni currency plunged in early September, forcing food prices to soar, is being blamed for miscalculations that mean between 1.5 million and 2 million more people than initially thought are now at risk of famine.
Humanitarians warn children will be worst hit in what is being forecast as the world’s most lethal famine for 100 years with up to 14 million people at risk, according to the UN.
“The crisis in Yemen is so huge and of such magnitude, we have to be frank about whether we can together deal with what is facing us,” said Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. “We are literally looking at hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people who may not survive.”
Britain announced on Tuesday it would provide further aid to tackle malnutrition among Yemen’s children, with funding secured to help screen 2.2 million under-fives.
But the news was met with cynicism from one humanitarian organisation, which criticised the UK for providing aid with one hand and arms to the Saudi-led coalition with the other.
(* B H)
Imminent famine in Yemen
Statement by Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council
“Civilians in Yemen are not starving, they are being starved. Let it be known that the worst famine on our watch is wholly manmade by Yemen’s conflict parties and their international sponsors.
Yemen has long been bombarded with airstrikes and subjected to strangling tactics of war. Mass starvation is a deadly byproduct of actions taken by warring parties and the nations propping them up. The way the war is waged has systematically choked civilians by making less food available and affordable to millions of people.
Humanitarians are losing the battle against famine because the only way to reverse this fatal trend is a political solution to the current stalemate. It is still possible to avert a historical-scale famine if action is taken this month. It would be unforgivable if the US, UK, France and Iran do not demand the following:
First, an immediate ceasefire that includes an end to air-raids and shelling by all sides.
Second, agreement from warring factions to sit down at the table and agree on a political solution through UN mediation.
Third, the implementation of measures that will rapidly revive Yemen’s economy and allow the free flow of civilian imports and humanitarian aid into and across Yemen.
Parties to this conflict already have blood on their hands and now risk bearing responsibility for a famine affecting millions.”
(B H)
Relief and Development Peer Foundation: Yemen: Monthly Situation Report No. 5 (September 2018)
RDP reached 6,054 individuals disaggregated 412 men, 2,759 women, 1,299 boys and 1,584 girls through integrated package of Health, Nutrition, WASH and Food Security Interventions in September, 2018.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-situation-report-no-5-september-2018
(A H P)
New UK aid package to provide life-saving help to millions of Yemeni children at growing risk of famine
The UK is providing a major new UK aid package to help screen, prevent and tackle malnutrition in Yemen, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt announced today.
The UN estimates that 17.8 million people do not have reliable access to food across Yemen, including 1.8 million children who are acutely malnourished.
Today’s UK aid package will screen 2.2 million children under the age of five for malnutrition and provide urgent treatment for 70,000 of the most vulnerable children.
My comment: By the second arms seller (US being the first) and backer of the Saudi / UAE war in Yemen. Hypocrisy in a nutshell.
Comment: Pathetic. Causing deaths and offering sticking plasters.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157079596603641
(* B H)
Film: Nach UN-Angaben sind im Jemen bereits mehr als 300.000 Kinder an Cholera erkrankt. In der Stadt Hodeida hat sich die Zahl der Krankheitsfälle zuletzt sogar verdreifacht.
https://www.facebook.com/Weltspiegel/videos/256300861895126/
(* B H)
UN warnen vor Verschärfung der Hungersnot
Das Welternährungsprogramm der Vereinten Nationen hat vor einer Verschärfung der Hungersnot im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen gewarnt. Sollte sich die Lage dort nicht ändern, könne die Zahl der vom Hunger bedrohten Menschen um weitere 3,5 Millionen auf zwölf Millionen anwachsen, sagte der Sprecher der Organisation, Herve Verhoosel, am Montag. In dem ärmsten Land auf der arabischen Halbinsel leben rund 30 Millionen Menschen. Traditionell werden 90 Prozent der Lebensmittel importiert.
(* B H)
Twelve million face famine in Yemen if bombs don't stop, WFP warns
The number of people facing starvation in Yemen could rise to nearly 12 million as conflict intensifies around the port of Hodeidah, a vital aid delivery link, the World Food Programme told CNN Monday.
A collapsing currency and deteriorating economic situation in the Middle East's poorest country are also aggravating the situation, the UN agency said.
The WFP said 18 million people in Yemen already do not know where their next meal is coming from and eight million of those are "considered on the brink of famine."
"Since June, some 570,000 people have had to flee their homes from fighting in Hodeidah, while the Yemeni riyal has undergone an alarming depreciation, and the cost of basic food items has gone up by a third since this time last year," WFP Yemen country director Stephen Anderson told CNN.
"If this situation persists, we could see an additional 3.5 million severely insecure Yemenis, or nearly 12 million in total, who urgently require regular food assistance to prevent them from slipping into famine-like conditions," he said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/15/middleeast/yemen-famine-war/index.html
(* B H)
UN Department of Public Information: Regular Press Briefing by the Information Service, 16 October 2018 - Yemen operation update
Yemen – operational update
Hervé Verhoosel, for the World Food Programme (WFP), said that Yemen was currently facing the world’s worst hunger crisis, with almost 18 million people not knowing where their next meal would come from, of whom 8 million were considered to be on the brink of famine. Some 570,000 people had fled Hudaydah since June, the currency had plummeted and the cost of food had risen by a third in one year. If the situation persisted, there could be an additional 3.5 million people in need of regular food assistance, for a total of 12 million. Since 2017, WFP had increased its assistance to Yemen by 25 per cent despite a difficult security situation, limited access and frequent attacks. It distributed food aid to 8 million inhabitants a month. Several boats were on their way to the various now functioning ports, a secondary route had been opened via Oman and there was currently enough foodstuffs to provide assistance to 6.4 million people for the next two and a half months. However, access to the 51,000 tons of grain stored in silos on the Red Sea – which could help a further 3.7 million people for a month – remained blocked. WFP was continuously adapting to the evolving conditions on the ground, but it would not be able to continue to do so much longer. It called once again for humanitarian actors to be allowed to operate and maintain their neutrality, for free access to ports and roads, and for an end to the manipulation of humanitarian aid. Otherwise, an already dire situation would become even more dramatic.
Replying to questions from journalists, Mr. Verhoosel said that the current situation was not the result of any one single issue but, rather, of an accumulation of economic, security and monetary problems.
(* B H)
Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 15 October 2018 - Yemen
And on Yemen, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande:
We were asked last week about the possibility of famine in Yemen, and I can confirm that, as of late 2017, there were 8.4 million severely food insecure people who need emergency food assistance every month to survive. Due to economic decline, including depreciation of the currency, humanitarian partners estimate that this population could rise [by] up to 5 million people. So the total figure could come to 13.4 million severely food insecure people. The UN and partners need $3 billion through the 2018 Humanitarian Response to support the millions of people in need across Yemen. To date, a little over $2 billion, about 68 per cent of the resources required, have been received.
(* B H)
Yemen on brink of 'world's worst famine in 100 years' if war continues
UN warns that famine could overwhelm country in next three months, with 13 million people at risk of starvation
Yemen could be facing the worst famine in 100 years if airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition are not halted, the UN has warned.
If war continues, famine could engulf the country in the next three months, with 12 to 13 million civilians at risk of starvation, according to Lise Grande, the agency’s humanitarian coordinator for Yemen.
She told the BBC: “I think many of us felt as we went into the 21st century that it was unthinkable that we could see a famine like we saw in Ethiopia, that we saw in Bengal, that we saw in parts of the Soviet Union – that was just unacceptable.
“Many of us had the confidence that would never happen again and yet the reality is that in Yemen that is precisely what we are looking at.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/oct/15/yemen-on-brink-worst-famine-100-years-un
(* B H)
Film: In Yemen, children clamber over rubble to get to school
How the Saudi-Emirati led war in Yemen makes the task of going to school anything but simple.
At least two million children in Yemen do not go to school as a result of the war.
But for those who have access to a classroom, they are prepared to do whatever it takes to stay there.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/yemen-children-clamber-rubble-school-181015111148212.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qhuDxCYXg0
(* B H K)
Film: Yemen could be 'worst famine in 100 years'
The United Nations is warning that 13 million people in Yemen are facing starvation.
Our international correspondent Orla Guerin, producer Nicola Careem and cameraman Lee Durant sent this report from Sanaa.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-45857729/yemen-could-be-worst-famine-in-100-years
(* B H K)
Film: Yemen air strike: The school that's lost 42 children
You may well remember - the pictures were hard to forget - the scene in Yemen in August when dozens of schoolchildren and adults were killed in an airstrike.
The strike was carried out by a coalition - led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the US, the UK and France. They are supporting Yemen's government against the Houthi rebels - backed by Iran.
In three years of fighting, at least 10,000 people have been killed and millions have fled their homes.
Our correspondent Orla Guerin - with producer Nicola Careem and cameraman Lee Durant - sent this report from Dahyan in northern Yemen.
and a longer version here: https://twitter.com/Ian_Fraser/status/1052470253635203072
and photo: #”I have lost 42 sons” - headmaster Abdul Wahab Abdallah now has empty seats in place of treasured students killed in #Airstrike by SAUDI led coalition #Yemen
https://twitter.com/OrlaGuerin/status/1052426116936454145
(* B H)
Film: The child victims of Yemen's civil war
Countless children are dying from lack of food and healthcare in Yemen. Anissa hasn't eaten properly for over two years.
At the al Sadaqa teaching hospital in Aden, Anissa Abdulmoniem totters unsteadily onto the ward.
Her clothes hang off her tiny frame like sacks but it is not until doctors examine her that you can see how severely malnourished she is.
The medical staff tell us she weighs just over 10kg, that's half of what she should weigh at the age of eight.
Anissa's family are one of thousands who escaped the fighting in Hodeida province.
She hasn't eaten properly for over two years.
Dr Aida Hussein, a consultant at the hospital, says if she had not arrived when she did she would've almost certainly died.
Premature babies, just a few days old, are being helped to breath by their mothers - such is the crisis in hospitals across the country there aren't enough medical staff to treat everyone.
Countless children are dying from lack of food and healthcare in Yemen
https://news.sky.com/video/the-child-victims-of-yemens-civil-war-11525862
https://news.sky.com/story/on-the-frontline-of-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-11525269
(B H)
Yemen: Access Constraints as of 14 October 2018
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-access-constraints-14-october-2018
(A H)
After a break for 3 years. Back to school in Nate’a- Al Baydha
Students from the district of Nate’a in al-Baydha province (central Yemen) returned to their schools on Sunday after the school stopped three years ago, as a result of the control of the schools in the directorate by Houthi militants.
Colonel Massaad Salahi, Director-General of the Directorate said to Al-Masdar online, that local authorities succeeded in restoring the educational process, following the liberation of the directorate from al-Houthi militants, and that the students returned to their schools after a three-year hiatus.
He added that the Houthis had turned the directorate's schools into military barracks.
He said that the return of teaching to the Directorate came after efforts made by the Governor and the Minister of Education, the disbursement of salaries of the Directorate's employees, as well as a number of provincial directorates.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159560
Remark: As claimed by an anti-Houthi news site.
(B H)
UN Children's Fund: Yemen: Education Cluster Humanitarian Response Dashboard (January - September 2018) [EN/AR]
Yemen: Education Cluster Severity Scale of Needs (30 September 2018) [EN/AR]
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-severity-scale-needs-30-september-2018-enar
Yemen: Education Cluster Partners Achievement (as of September 2018) [EN/AR]
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-partners-achievement-september-2018-enar
Yemen: Education Cluster Gap Analysis (January - September 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-gap-analysis-january-september-2018
Yemen: Education Cluster Activities - Partners Mapping as of 30 September 2018
Yemen: Education Cluster Partners Mapping Presence (September 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-education-cluster-partners-mapping-presence-september-2018
(B H)
National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response: Beekeeping qualitative training helps 55 families on beekeeping and honey production
Beekeeping is classified as one of the projects that helps improve food security and the standard of living of families working in their breeding, but the majority of farmers are not aware of the technical aspects related to beekeeping.
Yemen is famous for the quality of honey, and there are many varieties of honey which differ in prices from one category to another
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(A H P)
Südkorea lehnt Asylgesuch von jemenitischen Flüchtlingen ab
Hunderte Jemeniten waren Anfang des Jahres auf die südkoreanische Insel Jeju geflohen - fremdenfeindliche Proteste brachen daraufhin aus. Nun stellt die Regierung klar: Dauerhaft bleiben dürfen die Flüchtlinge nicht
Auf der südkoreanischen Ferieninsel Jeju galt bis Juni eine visafreie Einreise für Menschen aus dem Jemen. Deshalb waren etwa 550 Jemeniten dorthin geflohen - in der Hoffnung, in Südkorea leben zu können. In ihrem Land herrscht seit 2015 Krieg. Dennoch sollen sie nach Möglichkeit wieder dorthin zurück, teilte das Justizministerium in Seoul laut "New York Times" nun mit. Eine dauerhafte Aufenthaltserlaubnis soll es für sie demnach nicht geben.
(A H P)
South Korea denies refugee status to Yemeni asylum seekers
South Korea has denied refugee status but granted temporary stay permits to hundreds of Yemeni asylum seekers who arrived on the southern island of Jeju this year, the Ministry of Justice announced on Wednesday.
More than 500 Yemenis sought refugee in South Korea between January and May, having fled the war that has engulfed their homeland.
and
(A H P)
Hundreds of Asylum-Seekers From Yemen Granted One-Year Reprieve in South Korea
South Korea Wednesday granted a temporary reprieve to a group of Yemeni asylum seekers, allowing them to remain in the country for another year, Yonhap News reports.
While the one-year humanitarian stay permits will relieve the 339 asylum-seekers of the immediate threat of deportation back to war-torn Yemen, the move was criticized for stopping short of providing refugee status.
A total of 481 Yemenis have applied for asylum since arriving on the southern Korean island of Jeju earlier this year. Twenty-three of them were granted humanitarian stay permits last month. Of the remainder, 34 applications were rejected and another 85 postponed, according to Yonhap.
http://time.com/5426802/yemen-refugees-south-korea-jeju-stay-permits/
(A H)
Sudan announces exemption of Yemenis who violate residency system and give them an opportunity to rectify their situation
Sudanese Interior Minister Dr. Ahmed Osman has announced that all Yemenis who are in conflict with the residency system are exempted and given the right opportunity to rectify their situation.
The Minister of the Interior of Sudan stressed that Yemenis residing in Sudan were fully caring and attentive.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159690
(* B H)
International Organization for Migration: IOM Yemen Hudaydah Response Bulletin: 30 September 2018, Situation Report: 30 September - 6 October 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 Governorates.
Provided hot meals to 32,280 beneficiaries to date since the crisis began in June in Al Hudaydah. Currently four kitchens are operational, preparing hot meals for IDPs every day.
Selected 8,529 IDP families for cash and rental subsidy assistance in Al Hudaydah. Verification of identity and related data is ongoing. To date, 1,095 families have been verified in Bayt-al-Faqiah and At-Tuhayat districts.
295,848 long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) have been distributed by IOM to over 130,000 households in Hajjah and Amran governorates.
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: UNHCR Yemen Situation: 2018 Funding Update (as of 10 October 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/unhcr-yemen-situation-2018-funding-update-10-october-2018
My comment: The whole sum UNCHR needed for this year is US$ 117.9 million (85 % funded), that’s the sum saudi Arabia is spending every 13 hours fort he aerial war – since 1,300 days now.
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(B P)
Film: He demanded his salary and criticized the economic situation...A few weeks later, he appeared as a detainee warning against any popular movement demanding salaries.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1052534293484826624
(A P)
Houthis kidnaps a national football team player
Al-Houthi militia, the national football team player and the Ibb People's team, Walid al-Hubaishi, were kidnapped at one of their points in al-Baydha province, central Yemen.
A source for the "Al-Masdar online" said that the Houthis at the point "Abu Hashem ", in Radaa in Al-Bayda, abducted the player al-Hubaishi, while heading to Hadramawt to join the national team camp, which is held in preparation for participation in the upcoming Asian Cup.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159689
(* A P)
Parliament calls for its members abroad to come back home
The Parliament on Tuesday called for its members stranded abroad because of the war and the closure of Sanaa International Airport to come back home to join their steadfast colleagues in confronting the Saudi-led aggression coalition.
The parliament's speaker, Yahya al-Ra'I, called on the parliament's members existing abroad to meet with citizens who had elected them in order to know their suffering as a result of the war.
"History is monitoring events and will not forgive those who abandon their land and country and its sovereignty," al-Ra'i said.
He added that "not everyone abroad is non-patriotic or loyal to the coalition."
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news511532.htm
My comment: Both sides – the Houthis and the Hadi government – are contesting for the parliamentarians to join their side. At Houthi-held Sanaa, parliament is still working, but hardly any more an reach the quorum which is required by the constitution; Hadi is eager to get the parliament and its legitimacy, but – as it seems – has little more than a handful of parliamentarians following him.
(A P)
Houthis Ramp Up Sanaa Violations, Expand Kidnap Spree
Human rights watchdogs note militias gradually losing control over Sanaa due to deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situation experienced by Yemenis living under their rule.
The loss of control triggered large-scale arrests of citizens who did not pledge their unmatched loyalty.
Yemeni Head of the National Committee on Investigation of Allegations of Human Rights Judge Ahmed al-Muflihi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the arrests and house demolitions are happening at a rate higher than previously recorded.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1428326/houthis-ramp-sanaa-violations-expand-kidnap-spree
Remark: As claimed by Saudi media.
(A P)
Houthis control "Yemenia Air " in Sanaa and protests against these actions
Scores of Yemenia air employees in Sanaa protested on Monday against the al-Houthi armed group's control over the administrative decision within the company.
Sources told "Al-Masdar online " that the employees staged a vigil inside the company's building in Sana'a, protesting against the militia's control over the decisions taken by the company, and trying to divide them into two parts, between Sana'a and Aden.
The vigil followed the cancellation by al-Houthi of any decisions by the Chairman of the Yemeni board of directors, Captain Ahmed Alwani, either in changes within the company or in relation to Yemeni funds and assets at the International Bank of Yemen.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159643
(A P)
French citizen freed after being held by Yemeni Houthis
Alain Goma, a French citizen who had been held captive in Yemen by Houthi forces, was freed on Tuesday, a statement from the French president’s office said.
In the statement, President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the assistance of Saudi authorities and of Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said in bringing about Goma’s release.
Goma had been in prison in the Yemen capital Sanaa, which is under Houthi control, after being transferred from the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, where his boat ran into difficulties in June.
and
(A P)
French hostage in Yemen freed after more than 4 months
Macron said Tuesday that he's grateful to Oman's sultan and authorities for their "decisive" role and Saudi authorities for their help.
French media reported that the 54-year-old Goma was on a sailing trip when damage on the ship forced him to dock in a Yemeni port in June, where he was held by rebels.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-6281833/French-hostage-Yemen-freed-4-months.html
(A P)
President meets PM, Parliament Speaker
President of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, met on Monday with Prime Minister Dr. Abdulaziz bin Habtour and Speaker of the Parliament, Yahya al-Ra'i.
The coordination aspects between the legislative and executive authorities to mitigate the suffering of citizens, improve services, and overcome the difficulties imposed by the aggression and siege.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news511422.htm
Remark: Parliament still active at Sanaa.
(A P)
Al-Houthi militias arrest students at Sanaa University because of their mobile phones
Al-Houthi militia launched a large-scale arrest campaign against Sana'a University students in a tense security environment following the "Revolution of the Hungry" demonstration on Saturday 6 October 2018.
It is clear that students at the University of Sana'a to "Aden tomorrow," that armed groups of militia searches the phones of students, while a number of Zainabiat searches the phones of students and search in the archive of correspondence and applications of communication and social correspondence.
A number of students at the medical school said the arrest of a number of their colleagues by the militia that the militia examined the contents of their phone.
A student at the University of Sana'a confirmed that a number of Zainabiyat searched our phones on Wednesday, and then my colleagues and I were detained and interrogated with insulting insult and humiliation. Because of the presence of a picture of President Hadi or anti-Houthi image, or clips of pro-legitimacy videos of the militia, etc.
http://adengad.net/news/342613/
Remark: Zainabiat = Houthi armed women.
(A P)
#Houthi insults have forced Minister of Tourism in militia-appointed government Dr. Nasser Ba Qazqous to hand over his resignation.This came a couple of days after a senior official in the Foreign Ministry was assaulted by Houthi leading figure Hussein Al-Azzi.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1051577486704869376
(A P)
Political activist Ali al-Sharabi hunger strikes at Houthi detention center
Political activist Ali al-Sharabi began an open hunger strike as his health deteriorated nearly three weeks after he was abducted by the Houthi militia.
Al-Shurabi was stricken for food in protest at his continued abduction from his home, and the militia filmed him in their cells under the terror of their weapons, the Belqees Channel quoted a human rights source as saying.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159552
(A P)
Al-Houthi: October 14, Revolution of All Yemenis
Head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi said in a statement on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the revolution of 14 October that it is a revolution of all the sons of Yemen.
"The capital of Sana’a was the strategic depth of revolution of October 14, so it is very important that every Yemeni is keen to protect the gains of this revolution and push towards its continuity as a cultural popular state for generations to come against the US-Israeli conspiracy project that targets the region in general and our country in particular," he added.
He said, "every Yemeni is deeply distressed to celebrate for the fourth year in a row the anniversary of a revolution that expelled the British occupation while facing US-Saudi-UAE colonialism.”
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3250&cat_id=1
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A)
A gang frees an expatriate in Taiz after paying his family 100,000 Saudis Riyals
An expatriate dealer was released by an armed gang on Tuesday evening after being kidnapped for a ransom of 100,000 Saudi Riyals in the southwestern city of Taiz.
A source close to the kidnapped family told AL-Masdar online that an armed gang kidnapped, on Monday, expatriate Noman Saeed Ghaleb al-Majidi from Tahrir Street in the center of Taiz City.
According to the source, the kidnappers contacted Noman al-Majidi's family from his phone, asked them to pay 100,000 Saudi riyals and agreed to meet with them later after processing the money.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159686
(A P)
Prison authorities of Bir Ahmed in Aden release 7 detainees
Authorities in Bir Ahmed prison in Aden, the temporary capital of the southern part of the country, on Tuesday, released seven detainees, among 26 detainees with orders to release from the Public Prosecutor's office.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159688
(A P)
Parliament demands to pressure Iran to end intervention in Yemen
The Yemeni Parliament has called the international community to put pressures on Iran to end its interventions in Yemen and support of the Houthi militias.
The parliamentary delegation participating in the meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva briefed the Middle East Committee on Yemen’s situation and updates
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24593
My comment: It’s just a delegation of parliamentarians supporting president Hadi, not “parliament”.
(A T)
Clashes in Mu’alla after attack on police station in Aden
Clashes erupted on Sunday following an attack on a police station in Mualla city, Aden province, south Yemen.
Local sources told the "Al Masdar online" that Al Mualla police station had witnessed an attack by gunmen in police uniforms, which resulted in clashes with the department's Guard.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159598
(A P)
Security belt forces in Lahj arrest soldiers as they depart for Taiz and claim to be "sabotage cells"
Media outlets of the so-called "Southern Transitional Council ", filmed footage of elements of the government forces, said they were planning to carry out sabotage operations in the southern city of Aden.
The recordings show the soldiers talking about their names and the military areas to which they belong, located in a number of governorates "Marib, Al-Baydha, al-Jawf, Sa'dah", but claimed that they intended to carry out sabotage operations in the southern governorates.
Sources told “ Al-Masdar online" that a number of soldiers were heading to Taiz province to visit their families, as they went through a sub-road before the point of "Al’alam ", towards AL Maqatera district and then to their areas.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159644
Remark: Southern separatist militia harassing soldiers of the Hadi government: a sign of the great tensions in the south.
And more strife:
(A P)
"Transitional council " and southern factions fail to rally anti-government demonstrations in southern Yemen
Southern factions, including the southern transition, have failed to rally against the Yemeni government in cities in southern Yemen.
On Sunday (October 14th), it coincides with the 55th anniversary of the October 14 revolution, which was carried out in the South against British occupation.
Demonstrators from several southern cities were expected to rally in the city of Aden, in response to demands from southern forces demanding a "secession" and rejecting the government's presence.
The private security forces have spread from an early stage in various areas of Aden, especially in the arena where anti-government events have been held, according to the reporter of AL-Masdar online.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159605
(A P)
"Southern transition".. Iranian funding accusation facing the born in power under the patronage of UAE
The celebration of the 55th anniversary of the October 14th revolution in Aden passed, after the revolutionary rhetoric of the Southern Transitional Council calls for control of state institutions and the uprising against the government and its overthrow, has quietly passed to the level of calls for reason and concern for the public interest, and for this The lull was the escalation from the legitimate authority, which accused the allies of the United Arab Emirates in Aden of receiving Iranian support for repeating the Houthi coup scenario there.
Although there are some who see the truce as the result of a consensus sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in return for implementation of the Southern Transitional Council demand to dismiss Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid Ben Dagar, who was actually sacked Monday evening and referred for investigation "against the government's failure".
However, it is unlikely to talk about such a deal without agreeing on the character of the candidate to succeed Ben Dagher in the head of government, since the appointed prime Minister Moein Abdul Malik Saeed would be more satisfying than Ben Dagher in the eyes of leadership of the SOUTHERN TRANSITIONAL COUNCIL , at least because he belonged to a northern province, and it would be easier to pitting The South Street is more against him when the Council is marketing his accusations of failure plus regional Incitement.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159664
(* A P)
Staatschef Hadi entlässt Regierungschef wegen Wirtschaftskrise
Jemens Präsident baut die Regierung des Bürgerkriegslandes um. Gegen den früheren Ministerpräsidenten laufen Ermittlungen. Die UN warnen vor einer Zunahme der Hungersnot.
Wegen der Wirtschaftskrise im kriegszerrütteten Jemen hat Präsident Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi seinen Regierungschef Ahmed bin Dagher entlassen. Das berichtete die jemenitische Nachrichtenagentur Saba unter Berufung auf einen Erlass des Präsidenten. Gegen den Ministerpräsidenten werde darüber hinaus ermittelt, weil die Regierung Wirtschaft und Dienstleistungen vernachlässigt habe. Zum neuen Ministerpräsidenten wurde Maeen Abdul Malek ernannt, der bislang für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit zuständig war.
Die wirtschaftliche Lage in dem Land verschlechtert sich immer weiter, darum war bei Protesten der Rücktritt der Regierung gefordert worden.
https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2018-10/jemen-regierungschef-ahmed-bin-dagher-entlassen
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/jemen-651.html
(* A P)
Yemen president sacks prime minister amid economic woes
Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on Monday fired Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher and ordered him to be investigated in connection to the country's economic woes, the official Saba news agency reported.
His sacking was brought on because of the government's "inability to take real measures to stop the economic deterioration in the country, especially the collapse of the currency," Hadi said, in a statement published by Saba.
As Dagher's replacement, Hadi appointed Moeen Abulmalik Saeed, minister of public works and roads.
Yemeni political sources told AFP that Seed has "excellent" relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- Riyadh's main partner in the military coalition fighting in Yemen.
Hadi said his decision to replace Dagher came "as a result of the negligence that accompanied the government's recent performance in economic and service fields.
The Yemeni president said he was also swayed by "the government's faltering performance in alleviating the suffering of our people, solving its problems and providing for its needs".
In addition to sacking Dagher, Hadi also called him out over his "failure" to take necessary measures to respond to a "catastrophic" tropical storm that slammed into eastern Yemen at the weekend.
https://www.france24.com/en/20181015-yemen-president-sacks-prime-minister-amid-economic-woes
and
(* A P)
Yemen's President Hadi sacks premier over economic crisis
Yemen’s Western- and Gulf-backed president sacked his prime minister on Monday, blaming him for the economic crisis in a country devastated by war, according to a statement carried by the loyalist SABA state news agency.
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi appointed Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed to replace Ahmed bin Dagher, who was to be investigated over the “negligence of his government”, the statement said.
“This (the dismissal) was a result of negligence by the government in the recent period with respect to the economy and to administrative services,” the statement said.
Saeed has been minister of public works in the cabinet, which operates from Saudi Arabia, since last year.
Bin Dagher has been at odds with the southern separatists and their main backer, the United Arab Emirates.
and also https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181016-yemens-hadi-sacks-pm-over-economic-negligence/
Comment: Yemen's president Hadi has appointed a new prime minister. Here is the question of many: is he Saudi Arabia or UAE's man?! No one is against change. But if each government will operate from exile, that means Hadi is misleading people and can't do anything to resolve crises!
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1052201022180024321
and
(A P)
Hamid al-Ahmar is objecting against the appointment of the new head of government
Yemeni rally for Reform (Islah) leader Hamid al-Ahmar has voiced his opposition to the appointment of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi of Moein Abdul Malik as prime minister, succeeding former government chief Ahmed Ben Dagher.
In his blog post on Facebook, al-Ahmar said he is surprised at Hadi's disregard for the GCC initiative, which is one of the most important references to his legitimacy, "knowing that the initiative and its executive mechanisms did not give him the right to nominate or change the head of government."
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159695
My comment: The constitution claims that such an appointment must be approved by the parliament.
and
(A P)
Advisor to Hadi announces his refusal to change the head of government Ben Dagher and says "who investigates with whom?
Al-Atwani said in a statement quoted by the website "Gulf online ", that "The crises suffered by Yemen has been accumulated and has nothing to do with Ben Dagher, and what is happening now is to change people and not to change governments in the real sense."
Hadi's advisor downplayed the decision to change the government by saying: "There is no point in these changes; The government is not responsible for what the country has reached."
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159672
(B P)
Who is "Maeen Abdul Malik " The new Yemeni government president..?
The biography of the new head of government: Dr. Moein Abdulmalik Saeed al-Wahsh
Minister of Public works and roads since May 2017
Served as the vice chairman of the coordination and follow-up committee by the Yemeni government to follow up the Saudi support program in the field of supporting the central bank with the deposit and the oil derivatives grant for the electricity sector and coordinating recovery and reconstruction projects in a number of governorates.
Served as Deputy minister of General works and roads since October 2015 until May 2017 • Member of the government delegation for political consultations in Geneva 1, 2 and Kuwait
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159641
and
(A P)
Yemen's new prime minister brings hope to economic crisis
Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed is seen as a technocrat with vision of strong leadership
My comment: By an Emirati news site. Of course, the Emirati side is glad that Bin Daghr had been fired as prime minister, as he was a target of critics by the UAE-backed separatists who demanded he should be fired.
(A P)
Yemen prepares for holding parliamentary session
The Yemeni government has said that the preparations are ongoing to hold a parliamentary session.
Parliamentary sources revealed that consultations are underway to specify the location and time of holding this session.
They affirmed that scores of parliamentarians had arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh during the few past days.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24564
My comment: I doubt there will be many parliamentarians. The majority still is at Sanaa, the parliament quite often is meeting there. Anyway, neither the parliament at Sanaa, nor any group of parliamentarians loyal to ex-president Hadi will meet the quorum which is required by the constitution.
(A P)
Parties call for activating Yemen parliament
Yemen’s major political parties have called for activating the role of Yemeni parliament and remove all what constitute obstacles to the restoration of its sessions.
They further called to create a common strategic vision between the Yemeni government and the Arab Coalition’s states.
In a statement, Yemen’s major parties stressed the importance of reaching an agreement between the government and the Arab Coalition for which responsibilities of every side are identified and all military and security units are merged under the leadership of the legitimate government.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24567
My comment: These are just the parties supporting the Hadi government.
(* A P)
Saudi Arabia ,UAE clashes over oil fields in Yemen’s Shabwah
Saudi-backed exiled Yemeni president Hadi’s paid fighters warned the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against controlling oil fields in Shabwah province, officials said.
UAE-backed paid fighters run by the STC have advanced to parts of the oil fields and military camps in the province over the past few days.
On Thursday, the UAE sent additional military reinforcements to the province.
http://www.yemenextra.net/2018/10/14/saudi-arabia-uae-clashes-over-oil-fields-in-yemens-shabwah/
(A P)
Meagre Participation of Citizens in the October 14th Event at Al-Oroud Square, Called for by Fadi Ba Oum’s Movement, Supported by Qatar and other Leaders Loyal to Legitimacy
(A P)
South Yemen military parade with tanks and armored vehicles in the presence of a leader in the "transitional "
On Saturday, the city of Radfan, in the southern Yemeni province of Lahj, witnessed a military parade accompanied by armored vehicles and tanks, in memory of the October 55 revolution, in the presence of a leading leader in the so-called "transitional Council " backed by UAE.
According to a local source of, "Al Masdar online ", the Fifth Brigade supported in the Radfan of Lahj, held a military parade, commemorating the revolution of October 14, and witnessed a presentation of various tanks and armored vehicles in the brigade.
The flags of what was known as the "South Arab State", the south of the country, as well as the flag of the UAE, were lifted, while no government flag was raised "flag of the Republic of Yemen ".
According to the source, the ceremony was attended by Fadl Hamash, head of the local leadership of the so-called "transitional council in Lahj ".
Brigadier Mukhtar Al-Noubi, commander of the Fifth Brigade, supported and assigned a word in the event, "we congratulate our heroic Southern people on the occasion of the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Glorious Revolution of October 14th
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159551
(A P)
Hadi accuses south parties of receiving money from Iran and says: What happened in Sanaa will not be repeated in the south
President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said on Saturday that he would not allow the southerners to fight among themselves and would not allow the recurrence of a coup d'état in Sanaa in southern Yemen, at the same time accusing Iran of funding the southern parts of Yemen.
Hadi delivered a recorded television speech on Saturday evening, on the 55th anniversary of the October 14 revolution against the British occupation in southern Yemen, in conjunction with threats by the so-called "Southern Transition council ", to expel the government from the southern provinces and control the revenue institutions.
"I will never allow the southerners to fight among themselves, and what is going on in Sana'a will not be repeated in the South and what they are thinking about is to move away because I will not allow it and they have to close their account which is supplied by Iran, their account is still today in Beirut and their budget is approved by Iran," Hadi said.
Hadi has indirectly accused parties in the south supported by Iran through Hezbollah in Lebanon, and said, "Yes, there are two accounts with Hasan Nasrallah account for Sa'ada and account for the southern regions, and there is the Al-Masirah channel and the Iranian World channel and the Aden channel that broadcasts from Beirut is the biggest evidence that, and must stop such actions."
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159550
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1427086/hadi-accuses-iran-supporting-parties-southern-yemen
My comment: Money from Iran?? This is the way such primitive propaganda works: Connect your enemies and your internal foes with everything you classify as evil – as absurd as it may be ever.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(* A B P)
Film: Khashoggi case brings new scrutiny on Saudi Arabia over Yemen war
The Khashoggi case brings Saudi Arabia under a new level of scrutiny.
Despite thousands of civilian deaths in Yemen, both the UN Secretariat and the Security Council have been muted in their criticism of the Saudi-led coalition's actions in that country.
But the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi could change all that.
Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from the United Nations.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/khashoggi-case-brings-scrutiny-saudi-arabia-yemen-war-181017064735642.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBBj7zZXKyM
(* A P)
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths is planning to hold an economic meeting with Hadi government and al Houthi movement representatives in Nairobi, Kenya, according to the London-based newspaper al Arab. Griffiths will also meet with representatives from the Central Bank of Yemen, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank to establish methods to stabilize the exchange rate of the Yemeni rial and pay public sector salaries. The exchange rate dropped to 800 rials to the dollar in late September.[3]
(A P)
Ali Nasser Mohamed Meets UN Envoy to Yemen in Amman
Former southern president Ali Nasser Mohamed met Mr. Martin Griffith, UN special envoy to Yemen in Amman on Sunday October 14th, 2014. The meeting discussed view points about war and peace in Yemen
https://en.smanews.org/ali-nasser-mohamed-meets-un-envoy-to-yemen-in-amman
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
(A P T)
Iranian Intelligence: Arresting Group of Terrorists Backed by Arab Countries
Iranian intelligence ministry confirmed in a statement on Saturday, the arrest of elements of a separatist terrorist group in the western city of Kermanshah.
The ministry said that "the arrest of the elements of this group came after a security operation accompanied by armed clashes, killing two terrorists," stressing that "the terrorist group entered Iran from the western border of the country, and was in possession of weapons."
The ministry’s statement also said some ammunition and documents were found with the terrorists, indicating they were supported by some Arab countries, "they were planning to carry out terrorist operations in the province of Kermanshah."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3254&cat_id=2
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
The #saudi authority lock down a residential area in #Qatif allegedly to capture wanted men but opens fire at the surrounding houses.
Burning house,a family house, resulted from the authority heavy gunfire
Hearing news about injured old couple reside in one of the burned houses as a result of the authority arbitrary heavy gunfire (photos)
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/1052525709862887424
https://twitter.com/QatifRev/status/1052524325209817088
Remark: Eastern Saudi Arabia, a region where Shiites are living..
(* B P)
Film, Owen Jones: Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest threats on Earth. Time to stop propping up its repulsive regime.
https://twitter.com/OwenJones84/status/1052264419965702144
(B E)
Betcha didn't know your iPhone's full of Saudi cash...
https://twitter.com/IntheNow_tweet/status/1052140590136258565
(B P)
For the first time in my life I am hopeless about a better Saudi Arabia. I lost my youth to radicalism, I lost my career to driving a car, I lost my child to pre-history juricidial system, I lost my home land to have freedom of expression (thread)
https://twitter.com/manal_alsharif/status/1051451006620336128
Comment: Such a heartbreaking thread by prominent Saudi activist who led the campaign to allow women to drive in the Kingdom.
https://twitter.com/Elizrael/status/1051502872549048320
(B P)
What do I feel as an Arab activist and dissident? I feel immense rage. Not at Saudi Arabia but at the so-called "free world". We have been fucking warning you for 7 years and you have nothing but fucking ignored us while shaking hands with our persecutors. Here's the result.
What do you want me to do? Go back to my Twitter archive and retweet everything I tweeted over the past 7 years? Or re-publish everything I've written in the past 5?
They murdered us, they destroyed our lives, they made us into a generation of traumatized refugees. They disappeared us, they tortured us, they jailed us. And you sat there and feigned concern while you *still* shook hands with them. Fuck you.
You know how we got here? You know how we got to the point where a freaking 33 year old nutjob is blackmailing the world? It's your fucking hypocrisy. If you weren't so fucking hypocritical about your values, they wouldn't be at risk now.
https://twitter.com/iyad_elbaghdadi/status/1051466444590985216
(A P)
Yemeni/Saudi billionaire , Muhammad al-Amoodi, has reportedly died in a Riyadh prison after being tortured.
https://twitter.com/Shuaibalmosawa/status/1050903349288157185 referring to https://twitter.com/Aljawiazal/status/1050855289078145024
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A P)
Petition: Stop Starvation in Yemen
By selling arms to Saudi Arabia and fueling their fighter jets, the U.S. is morally complicit in the deaths of innocent civilians and a humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The U.S. sold the Saudis $58 billion in munitions between 2009 and 2015, $1.8 between 2016 and 2017,and another $670 million deal was made this March. We have also provided in-air refueling and logistical support for the Saudi coalition.
Saudi Arabia is using these arms in Yemen’s ongoing war. In doing so it has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with 3 million Yemenis displaced, 22.5 million in need of humanitarian assistance, 17.8 million food-insecure people, 1.8 million malnourished children and half a million starving children. In a country where 80 to 90 percent of their food is imported, the Saudis have blocked the ports and impeded humanitarian assistance.
H.Con.Res.138, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna, would direct the President to remove any military support from the Yemen conflict that has not been approved by Congress.
The U.S. cannot be complacent about the starvation and death of innocent people. Tell your Representative to co-sponsor this bill.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-starvation-in-yemen
(B P)
What You Can Do About the Saudi Atrocities in Yemen
Since the war criminality embedded in U.S. complicity in Yemen is no less than what was represented at the Nuremberg Trials, it is incumbent upon us to take action. U.S. citizens — no matter what their politics are — must do something about the horror we’re inflicting upon the innocent citizens of Yemen.
What can you do about all this?
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/17/what-you-can-do-about-the-saudi-atrocities-in-yemen/
(* B P)
Saudi Arabia Keeps Killing Civilians And The US Remains Silent
Saudi Arabia is systemically targeting groups of civilians in Yemen and killing them for no apparent reason.
And here in the United States, we have a president that thinks that, “Oh, none of this is a big deal. Saudi Arabia is our friend, they told me the other day they didn’t kill that journalist, so I guess I got to believe ’em.” And then later on Saudi Arabia came out and said, “Okay, well we may have accidentally tortured him to death,” is their new response now. “We accidentally tortured him to death.”
Saudi Arabia is committing war crimes right now. They’ve been committing war crimes for quite some time now, it’s just that now it’s kind of reached the level of atrociousness that the entire world is starting to pay attention. But they have been horrible for decades and the United States, no matter who the president has been, whether it’s a democrat or a republican, we have been silent. We bow down to them, we hold their hands, we kiss the rings, and we act like they are our very best friends in the entire world while they are actually one of the most ass-backwards countries on the planet with their treatment of women, with their treatment of people with different lifestyles, and with the way they commit these war crimes on a routine basis.
But we kiss up to them and we sell them weapons. We enable the slaughter that’s happening right now because they’ve got oil. And God forbid we piss off the people that hold on to the oil.
And here in the United States, we have a president that thinks that, “Oh, none of this is a big deal. Saudi Arabia is our friend, they told me the other day they didn’t kill that journalist, so I guess I got to believe ’em.” And then later on Saudi Arabia came out and said, “Okay, well we may have accidentally tortured him to death,” is their new response now. “We accidentally tortured him to death.”
Saudi Arabia is committing war crimes right now. They’ve been committing war crimes for quite some time now, it’s just that now it’s kind of reached the level of atrociousness that the entire world is starting to pay attention. But they have been horrible for decades and the United States, no matter who the president has been, whether it’s a democrat or a republican, we have been silent. We bow down to them, we hold their hands, we kiss the rings, and we act like they are our very best friends in the entire world while they are actually one of the most ass-backwards countries on the planet with their treatment of women, with their treatment of people with different lifestyles, and with the way they commit these war crimes on a routine basis.
But we kiss up to them and we sell them weapons. We enable the slaughter that’s happening right now because they’ve got oil. And God forbid we piss off the people that hold on to the oil.
https://trofire.com/2018/10/16/saudi-arabia-keeps-killing-civilians-and-the-us-remains-silent/
(* A B P)
It’s Crunch Time for Activism Against US Involvement in Yemen
With the Trump administration apparently set on supporting the Saudi-led coalition, dissenters in Congress are staging an encouraging—though messy—insurgency.
But believe it or not, the humanitarian situation in Yemen could get worse, and soon. And—depressingly or encouragingly, depending on how you look at it—those with some of the most practical power to mitigate the harm at this critical juncture are lawmakers in the United States. Though Congress’s efforts have so far been too little, too late, and further disaster seems imminent, developments on Capitol Hill signal that the US-backed war machine is faltering, and that those most responsible for Yemen’s prolonged suffering are at risk of losing their impunity.
There is no quick fix for the political questions underlying Yemen’s many civil conflicts, but considering the UN’s inefficacy, it’s widely understood that the United States has the most practical power to quickly curb a deeper humanitarian crisis.
Despite the obscene carnage in Yemen, the renewed urgency of the humanitarian situation, and the undeniable ability of US officials to attenuate it all, why does the US military continue to support the Saudi-led coalition?
From the executive branch, both presidential administrations in power over the past three years have prioritized good relations with Gulf monarchies over assuaging the acute malnourishment of 2 million Yemeni children.
This has left the job of dissent to the legislative branch.
Khanna’s legislation didn’t even make it to a vote, in large part because Republican leadership effectively killed it in the House. But Democratic leadership helped the GOP: At the time, The Interceptreported that Representative Steny Hoyer, the Democratic whip, was among the high-ranking House members discouraging lawmakers from co-sponsoring the legislation.
With all this congressional action set to take place, it’s unclear what will happen when it comes to efforts to end US involvement in Yemen—or what is even possible. One senior Democratic aide told The Nation that one of the many goals of such legislation is simply to “get this congressional authorization muscle working again.”
Yet another senior Democratic aide told The Nation that War Powers advocates are “playing to win,” and pointed out that a concurrent resolution invoking War Powers would only require simple majority votes in both chambers of Congress—no presidential signature—to put forth an unprecedented directive to the president.
And even if such a resolution doesn’t come to pass—and it most likely won’t in time to halt the assault on Hodeida—or if the Trump administration tries to ignore it, Congress’s new interest in reining in US military involvement in Yemen undoubtedly sends messages to Saudi and Emirati leaders.
It should be clear to everyone that it’s far past time for Congress to end its complicity with Saudi-UAE war crimes and take decisive actions to end Washington’s role in Yemen’s suffering.
https://www.thenation.com/article/its-crunch-time-for-activism-against-us-involvement-in-yemen/
(* A P)
How We Can End the Saudis’ War in Yemen
Saudi Arabia's apparent murder of Jamal Khashoggi has provided the best chance yet to end US support for the Saudis' vile war in Yemen. Now is the time to ramp up the pressure.
It’s long past time to end the vile war in Yemen.
It’s difficult to overstate the rank human evil involved in the prosecution of this war, which has been supported every step of the way by Western governments, including Canada and, especially, the US and UK. Sadly, disgust at the news and images coming out of Yemen has not yet translated into widespread disgust at Western backing of the Saudis’ war — which, when it hasn’t been outright ignored by mainstream media and politicians, has been explicitly justified on the grounds of strategically isolating Iran (who are said to be aiding the Houthis).
That is, until now. No, Western officials haven’t suddenly remembered they’re helping a fundamentalist monarchy massacre children en masse. Rather, it’s the the Saudis’ alleged torture and murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi that is now threatening US and UK support for the Saudi war in Yemen.
This is crucial, because without such support, the Saudi war cannot go on. The US and UK currently provide the Saudi-led coalition with weapons, military equipment, and intelligence and logistical assistance, in addition to refueling their aircrafts. As former CIA and Pentagon official Bruce Riedel said in 2016: “If the United States of America and the United Kingdom tonight told King Salman that this war has to end, it would end tomorrow, because the Royal Saudi Air force cannot operate without American and British support.”
For whatever reason, however, the Khashoggi story has been a game-changer, with senators — including some pro-war Republicans — expressing their openness to pulling US support as a form of punishment for the Saudi government’s alleged assassination. Go figure.
Most promising is Sanders’s decision, announced yesterday, to revive his earlier, unsuccessful resolution to end US involvement in Yemen wholesale, which had failed by only six votes.
A number of prominent “anti-Trump” Republicans who opposed the resolution last time around have made noises over the past week suggesting they might flip.
This is arguably the best chance we’ve had in years to end the horrendous war in Yemen. We can’t let it go to waste.
(B P)
Factbox: U.S., Saudi Arabia have leverage on each other; using it has costs
The United States and Saudi Arabia have had a mutually dependent relationship for seven decades based on a central bargain: the kingdom would pump oil and the superpower would provide security.
The interests that bind, and sometimes divide, the two range from the price of oil and containing Iran, to counter-terrorism, the wars in Syria and Yemen, Saudi investment in the United States and efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Below are descriptions of the leverage each side has and the risks of exercising it.
OIL
ARMS SALES
Arms expert William Hartung of the Center for International Policy, a U.S. research and advocacy group, argued the installed base of U.S. aircraft and other military systems in Saudi Arabia made it unlikely Russia or China could supplant U.S. dealers.
The U.S. Congress could act on its own to stop arms sales.
YEMEN/IRAN
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE
COUNTER TERRORISM
(A B P)
Begin By Ending Cooperation in the Yemen War
What’s most depressing in our current situation is that the president is now running interference for a Saudi Crown Prince who has been caught red-handed murdering an American resident and journalist and having him chopped into pieces. That’s probably a new low. America is actually free to criticize the Crown Prince and to punish him, but apparently President Trump doesn’t feel that way.
This mess obviously needs to be dealt with with some delicacy and deftness, but we should not have our president helping the Saudis make up some story about how rogue and unauthorized elements are responsible for this murder.
And, as David French said, at a minimum we should respond by cutting off all assistance for the indiscriminate bombing in Yemen.
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018/10/16/begin-by-ending-cooperation-in-the-yemen-war/
referring to
(B P)
Can Trump Be as Tough on Saudi Arabia as He Was on Canada?
It’s not Donald Trump’s fault that he inherited the legacy of a generation of bipartisan coddling of the Saudis.
But Trump’s president now, and he has to make a choice. In the face of a clear, unacceptable provocation, can he actually draw lines the Saudis can’t cross? Can he take actions to demonstrate that America isn’t bound to Saudi money? Can he even use rhetoric half as extreme as he used against Canada this summer?
It’s not as if we don’t have cards to play.
At a minimum, we can and should stop facilitating the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen, a campaign that depends on American weapons and American help and is murderously indiscriminate. At a minimum, we can demonstrate to the Saudis exactly how much they depend on us to confront Iranian aggression. They are the junior partner in this alliance, and junior partners cannot be permitted to go “rogue.”
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/trump-saudi-arabia-response-must-be-tough/
(* B K P)
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia Have Been Getting Away With Murder for Years
Saudi Arabia’s alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has forced the kingdom’s brutality into the media spotlight. Meanwhile, the war on Yemen has taken a back seat.
While the media landscape is saturated with concern for the whereabouts and likely demise of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose reported disappearance has thrown the Kingdom’s advocacy campaign into overdrive, concern for Saudi Arabia's military offensive in Yemen has taken a backseat. Still, the bloodshed in Yemen has not abated for a moment, with American weapons lighting the way.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a deliberate and orchestrated blaze fueled by petrodollars and the U.S. military. Without the profitable relationship that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have had with the United States, with exchanges of military packages crossing all partisan lines, what is unfolding in Yemen would not have been possible.
While the response of the United States to the actions of Saudi Arabia, under this administration and those before it, has been confined to a mixture of either bureaucratic silence or mournful, yet deceptive neutrality, the government's material interests have been clear from the beginning: The road to war in Yemen is paved with U.S. munitions and direct military assistance.
Saudi Arabia and the United States are putting on a duplicitous show of regret and moderate assurance in order to undermine even the most short-lived occasions of public disapproval. Taking to The Washington Post, Chris Murphy, junior Democratic Senator for Connecticut and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, coupled his denunciation of Saudi Arabia's actions in Yemen with the argument that has been used time and time again to undermine criticism of the country's actions: that the Kingdom is “an important counterterrorism partner,” one whose relationship the United States should not abandon. And yet, there is no dog and pony show that can distract from the whole of these crimes, each one climbing in ferocity. The apologies and investigations buy time between military operations and a tightening blockade that threatens to further isolate Yemen and destroy whatever infrastructure remains. So long as the war continues, without material consequences for both Saudi Arabia and its allies, the propaganda efforts will follow.
http://inthesetimes.com/article/21513/saudi-arabia-united-states-war-yemen-jamal-khashoggi/
(A P)
Film: Rand Paul: I’ve been angry at Saudi Arabia since 9/11. We tend to forget that most hijackers came from there. And then, we’ve been involved with the war in Yemen, supporting Saudi Arabia, refueling their planes, and giving them bombs, and tens of thousands of civilians have died.
https://twitter.com/sahouraxo/status/1051934765111226369
(* B K P)
Yemen victim of bloody brothers in arms
Thanks to US weapons sales, Saudi Arabia and its allies have killed thousands in the impoverished country, which now faces its worst famine in 100 years with 12 million people at risk
But Washington does more than approve sales of weapons. In his testimony to the Armed Services Committee of the US Senate in March, General Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command, acknowledged actively sharing intelligence with the Saudis since they launched the coalition war in Yemen in 2015.
In a reply to questions in March by military.com, a website for American soldiers and veterans, Central Command spokeswoman Captain AnnMarie Annicelli provided the following statistics:
US Air Force tankers such as KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders have carried out more than 2,800 refuelling operations over the Horn of Africa.
The aircraft have refuelled “88 million pounds (almost 40 million kg) of fuel, [up to January 1, 2018] in support of US missions and Saudi and Emirate operations against threats throughout the Horn of Africa, [including] Yemen”.
What are allies for, if not to help each other in the bloodletting?
https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/world/article/2168827/yemen-victim-bloody-brothers-arms
(* B K P)
Jobs Are No Excuse For Arming A Murderous Regime
If the Saudi government is indeed behind the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi there should be consequences—political, military, economic, and reputational.
Unfortunately, President Trump begs to differ. His reaction to questions about whether the United States would cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia if Riyadh is proven to be behind the killing of Khashoggi has been to say that he does not want to jeopardize the alleged $110 billion in arms deals his administration has struck with the Saudi regime, and the U.S. jobs that come with them.
Regardless of what ultimately happened to Khashoggi, continuing U.S. arms sales and military support to Saudi Arabia under current circumstances is immoral. Jobs should not be an excuse to arm a murderous regime that not only may be behind the assassination of a U.S. resident and respected commentator but is responsible for thousands of civilian casualties in its three-and-one-half-year military intervention in Yemen—the majority killed with U.S-supplied bombs and combat aircraft and U.S. refueling and targeting assistance.
The Khashoggi case merely underscores the approach of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the power behind the throne in Riyadh who is the most ruthless and reckless leader in Saudi history.
Even if it were acceptable to favor jobs over human rights in this case, the economic benefits are in fact marginal.
In reality, since Trump took office, Saudi Arabia has signed commitments for about $14.5 billion in U.S. weaponry, only slightly more than 10% of the $110 billion figure Trump boasts about at every opportunity.
Military procurement generates fewer jobs than virtually any other form of economic activity, and many of the jobs associated with U.S. arms sales are created overseas in the purchasing nation as a condition of the sale.
Trump’s claim that Russia or China will quickly swoop in to grab any arms deal the United States declines to conclude with the Saudi regime is also suspect. The Saudi arsenal is heavily dependent on U.S.- and UK-supplied weaponry. It would take many years and tens of billions of dollars to change course in any meaningful way
The case of Jamal Khashoggi is just one of many reasons for the United States to distance itself from the Saudi regime. The time to act is now.
https://lobelog.com/jobs-are-no-excuse-for-arming-a-murderous-regime/
My comment: Trump’s logic: If I do not sell crack at the school yard, others will do.
(* B K P)
Sen. Chris Murphy: We must demand accountability for Saudi Arabia’s behavior
When I came to Congress a little more than 10 years ago, support for Saudi Arabia was broad and bipartisan. But now, as the new crown prince engages in increasingly reckless behavior, more and more of us are wondering whether our ally’s actions are in our own best interests. The list of erratic actions from Mohammed bin Salman is long
The Saudis have been telling us these civilian deaths are not intentional. And because U.S. law prohibits us from participating in war crimes, our government has repeatedly chosen to believe them. Yet civilian casualties in recent months have been increasing.
Here’s the bottom line: The Saudis are not telling us the truth. Their obfuscation over what happened to Khashoggi inside their consulate is the same game they have been playing with us in Yemen as they’ve killed thousands of civilians. No wonder they expected no consequences over the murder of just one.
The Saudis initially remained immune from serious U.S. criticism about their role in Yemen. First, the Barack Obama administration aimed to avoid aggravating the Gulf states further in the wake of their opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement; more recently, the Saudi royal family has benefited from its inexplicably close relationship with the Trump family.
But right now, the Saudis’ position in Congress is in free fall, with serious implications for the relationship if there isn’t a full accounting for the fate of Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia is an important country to the United States. The Saudis are an important counterterrorism partner and have helped forge the current detente between the Sunni Gulf states and Israel. There are good reasons to not destroy the relationship. But that can’t happen until there is a full accounting of Khashoggi’s disappearance, and until the United States receives assurances that Saudi Arabia will be a much more responsible ally. I’m afraid this movie has an unhappy ending, but we owe it to Khashoggi to learn the whole story and reset our relationship with the country that likely carried out his murder.
My comment: Why being so half-hearted? No, Saudi Arabia is NO “important counterterrorism partner“. And the Gulf States‘ „detente“ with Israel is worth nothing.
(* B K P)
Why Is Trump Still Backing Saudi Arabia in Yemen?
The president wants you to believe that the U.S. gets “massive amounts” of money for backing the kingdom. That’s fake news. (Cartoon)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/opinion/trump-saudi-yemen-khashoggi.html
(A P)
Bernie Sanders: US should pull out of war in Yemen if Saudis killed journalist
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Sunday that the U.S. should withdraw its support from Saudi Arabia in Yemen's civil war over allegations that the Saudi government murdered a dissident journalist.
"I think one of the strong things that we can do is not only stop military sales, not only put sanctions on Saudi Arabia, but most importantly, get out of this terrible, terrible war in Yemen led by the Saudis," Sanders told CNN's "State of the Union."
"It's clear, we cannot have an ally who murders in cold blood, in their own consulate, a critic, a dissident, that is unacceptable," Sanders said regarding Jamal Khashoggi
(* A P)
Demanding End to Saudi Arabia's "Blank Check" for Atrocities, Sanders to Give Senate Yet Another Chance to Stop US Complicity in Yemen Massacre
"The recent disappearance and likely assassination of Jamal Khashoggi only underscores how urgent it has become for the United States to redefine our relationship with Saudi Arabia."
Months before Saudi Arabia was accused of sending a murder team to torture and assassinate Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the United States Senate had an opportunity to withdraw American military support for the kingdom's vicious, years-long assault on Yemen—but 45 Republicans and 10 Democrats joined hands to squander it.
However, now that the Saudis' latest atrocity has garnered international outrage and once more placed the spotlight on the brutal regime's disdain for human rights, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced on Monday that he plans to reintroduce his resolution to bring an immediate halt to U.S. complicity in Saudi Arabia's massacre of Yemeni civilians, with the goal of forcing senators who have expressed fury at Khashoggi's murder to finally act on their indignant words.
(* B P)
The Saudis May Not Have Realized How Unpopular They Are Outside the White House
Government spends tens of millions of dollars every year on lobbying in Washington and has, to a large extent, gotten a good return on its investment.
While few can match Trump for sycophancy, he’s certainly not the first president to stick up for the Saudis. The U.S. political divide over the relationship with Saudi Arabia has long been less between Republicans and Democrats than between Congress and the executive branch.
Under Trump, congressional criticism over U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen has been growing
Saudi Arabia is not popular with the U.S. public, either. Only 31 percent of Americans had a favorable view of the kingdom, just behind China and just ahead of Russia, according to a Gallup poll from last year. So members of Congress generally feel safe expressing grave concerns about the kingdom.
This dynamic is in play once again in the wake of the Khashoggi affair, but the Saudis’ critics do appear to have a stronger position this time.
While the strongest criticism of Saudi Arabia has typically come from liberals as well as libertarian-leaning Republicans like Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee, in the past week Iran hawks like Sens. Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham have spoken out too.
Critics have, fairly, asked how these leaders can be so outraged about one death when Saudi Arabia has killed thousands of people in Yemen. But the death of a journalist and well-known Washington figure has had an impact in the U.S. Capitol that a murky, faraway war, with atrocities committed on both sides, has not.
Judging by Trump’s remarks Monday and on 60 Minutes Sunday night, the Saudis don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to the president’s unwavering support. But they may have miscalculated how deep the support is outside the White House.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/the-saudis-may-not-have-realized-how-unpopular-they-are-outside-the-white-house.html = https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-the-saudis-may-not-have-realized-how-unpopular-they-are-outside-the-white-house-20181016/
My comment: “But the death of a journalist and well-known Washington figure has had an impact in the U.S. Capitol that a murky, faraway war, with atrocities committed on both sides, has not”: Clearly stating how 100 % morally bankrupt this whole US elite really is.
(A P)
US needs to address humanitarian crisis in Yemen: Congressman
Republican Congressman Ted Yoho has said that the United States should address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen amid rising tensions with Saudi Arabia, which has launched a war of aggression against the country.
"This is something that I think we as a world population need to look at this and see what each country can do to alleviate this kind of conflict, and then, more importantly, bring it to a solution, so these people aren't displaced, and start getting these people back in their countries with functional governments," he continued said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/10/15/577103/US-needs-to-address-humanitarian-crisis-in-Yemen
(* B P)
Don’t Mass Murder and Famine Deserve a Fuss?
To the Editor:
Re “The World Needs Answers From the Saudis” (editorial, Oct. 12):
According to your editorial demanding answers on the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and dissident, The New York Times has decided not to be a media sponsor of an investor conference in Saudi Arabia because of his apparent murder.
As shocking as this crime is, many of us wonder why so many American politicians, pundits and newspapers seem to regard the apparent murder far more seriously than the near genocidal conflict in Yemen.
Why was it acceptable to participate in a conference in Saudi Arabia before Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance? Why is our country complicit in the death by starvation of tens of thousands of children without anywhere near as much fuss? – by Donald Johnson
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/opinion/letters/saudi-arabia-yemen.html
and
(A B P)
With each passing day, the contrast between the reaction to the Khashoggi disappearance and the 3+ years of hellish bombing & starving of Yemenis feels more & more dystopic to me I'm not exactly shocked, just surprised the media & officials can carry on with it like it's normal
https://twitter.com/joanneleon/status/1050777034652352513
(A P)
Sanders on Khashoggi response: US should 'get out' of Saudi-led war in Yemen
Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said Sunday that if journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudis, the US should distance itself from the Middle Eastern kingdom and cut ties to the war in Yemen.
"I think one of the strong things that we can do is not only stop military sales, not only put sanctions on Saudi Arabia, but most importantly, get out of this terrible, terrible war in Yemen led by the Saudis," Sanders said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake made a similar point in an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week" and predicted that if the accusation is found to be true, Congress would cut US involvement in Yemen.
"I do think that arm sales will be affected," Flake said. "Certainly our involvement in Yemen with Saudi Arabia will be affected. That barely, that involvement barely survived in the last go-around with the National Defense Authorization Act. It certainly won't survive with this kind of accusation if it is true."
https://us.cnn.com/2018/10/14/politics/bernie-sanders-saudi-arabia-cnntv/index.html
My comment: ???? What actually does mean this connection of Yemen to Khashoggi? Killing in Yemen would not be reason enough to stop US arms sales and support to Saudi Arabia, just the Khashoggi murder would???
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A P)
Sheikh's ex-wife, 41, fears she is being targeted 'just like missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi' after a 'firebomb attack' on her £4m London home when she fell out with Dubai ruling family
Nivin El-Gamal, 41, was married to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Couple have ten-year-old son and went through court battle for maintenance
Ms El-Gamal thinks 'shadowy forces' were behind fire at her London mansion
She now fears she could be the next Jamal Khashoggi but 'won't be silenced'
Sheikh Ahmed, 59, 'strongly denies being behind the plot', his spokesman said
The ex-wife of a sheik whose £4 million mansion was gutted by a fire last year has said she fears she is being targeted 'just like' a missing journalist - but she 'won't be silenced.'
Nivin El-Gamal, 41, who was married to Emirates Airline chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and has a ten-year-old son with him, fears she 'could be the next Khashoggi.'
Missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen on CCTV entering the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul on October 2.
(A P)
Human Rights Watch: The UK Should Suspend Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
Stop Assisting Abuses in Yemen
The Saudi authorities’ apparent brazen crime of disappearing and potentially murdering Saudi journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi, not seen since entering Istanbul’s Saudi consulate on October 2, has surprised even those used to following Saudi Arabia’s atrocious rights record. But the abusive bent of the government under Crown Prince and de facto leader Mohammad bin Salman at home, and in its neighbour Yemen, was clear well before the Khashoggi affair.
Evidence continues to mount of the coalition’s repeated violations of the laws of war in Yemen
Despite this, the UK government still refuses to call out the coalition over its violations in Yemen. Its decision to keep selling arms to Saudi Arabia, despite the risk that they could be used unlawfully, is being challenged in court. This week, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt joined his French and German counterparts in expressing “grave concern” over Saudi Arabia’s likely role in Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Yet he failed to say anything about revisiting the UK’s wider relationship with Saudi Arabia. Which begs the question, when will the UK finally send the critical message to bin Salman and stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia?
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/16/uk-should-suspend-arms-sales-saudi-arabia
(A P)
The Opposition in Britain Is Urging Halt of Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
"The party would have stopped arms sales to Saudi Arabia if it had been in power after the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi regime's standing behind his assassination," a foreign policy spokeswoman said on Sunday., Emily Thornberry , a spokeswoman for the Labor Party for Foreign Affairs, told the BBC's Andrew Mar that "the outcome of the evidence suggests that Saudi Arabia killed the journalist."
"We can stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia in the current circumstances until they change their methods," she said. "We would have made it clear that we disagree with them.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3257&cat_id=1
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A K P)
Film: Merkel-Sprecher zum Saudi-Bombenkrieg gegen die Zivilbevölkerung im Jemen: Alles nicht so schlimm
Erneut hat die saudische Kriegsallianz im Jemen Zivilsten bombardiert. Und erneut will Regierungssprecher Seibert die Intervention weiterhin mit Verweis auf die UN-Resolution 2216 legitimieren. Dass diese Resolution just Saudi-Arabien ausarbeitete, bleibt lieber unerwähnt.
RT Deutsch fragte nach, ob die Bundesregierung gedenke, im Falle einer erneuten Bombardierung von Zivilisten im Jemen durch Saudi-Arabien die umfassende logistische Unterstützung dieses Bombenkriegs durch die USA und Großbritannien gegenüber ihren NATO-Partnern kritisch anzusprechen. Regierungssprecher Steffen Seibert reagiert wie gewohnt, indem er nochmals jegliches Agieren der saudisch-geführten Militärintervention im Jemen zu rechtfertigen versucht.
https://deutsch.rt.com/inland/77702-merkel-sprecher-und-saudi-bombenkrieg/ = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RST6rMv6NSA
(A P)
Die Linke: Sehenden Auges in die Katastrophe - Blockade des Jemen beenden
Pressemitteilung von Zaklin Nastic, 16. Oktober 2018
„Im Jemen spielt sich seit mehr als drei Jahren die größte humanitäre Krise unserer Tage ab, und fast alle schauen schweigend zu. Alle zehn Minuten stirbt dort ein Kind an Hunger oder den Folgen des von Saudi Arabien entfachten völkerrechtswidrigen Angriffskrieges. Jetzt schlägt die UN erneut Alarm“, erklärt Zaklin Nastic, menschenrechtspolitische Sprecherin der Fraktion DIE LINKE, mit Blick auf die Erklärung der UN zur Hungersnot im Jemen. Nastic weiter:
Die Bundesregierung macht sich mitschuldig. Entgegen ihrem Koalitionsvertrag, nämlich Waffenexporte an Länder zu stoppen, die gegen den Jemen Krieg führen, liefert die Bundesregierung fleißig weiter Mordgeräte an die saudische Diktatur und ihre Verbündeten.
Was es jetzt braucht, ist der Druck der internationalen Gemeinschaft, um diese Vollblockade zu beenden. Alle Waffenexporte sind einzustellen, und die Anerkennung des Selbstbestimmungsrechts der Jemenitinnen und Jemeniten ist unabdingbar, um zum Frieden zurückzukehren.“
(A P)
A Seminar in Berlin Entitled "Future of Yemen in Light of Humanitarian Situation"
A joint seminar with the Yemeni participants in Berlin entitled "The future of Yemen under the humanitarian conditions" was organized by Humane in partnership with the Shirlanti Institute.
In the symposium, several papers were presented on the tragic situation in Yemen as a result of the US-Saudi aggression and its present and future effects on all levels
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3261&cat_id=1
(A H)
Film: This student from Yemen is studying medicine for the last 6 years in #Germany. He hasn't seen his parents for 6 years due to lack of funds. His campus decided to surprise him on his birthday by bringing his parents from #Yemen to Germany. Heartbreaking video.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1051528423661801472
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
Iran, Oman Discuss Ways to End Saudi War on Yemen
Senior Assistant to Iran's Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari consulted Oman’s Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi about the Saudi-led war on Yemen.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970725000196
(B K P)
Pak dealings with Yemen and Syrian crises
The foremost consideration for the policy makers in Pakistan should be to adopt a measured stance in volatile situations such as Yemen and Syria
However, Yemen poses a huge challenge for Pakistan’s diplomacy in maintaining a balance between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Although Pakistani parliament’s resolution calling for neutrality on Yemen crisis disappointed Saudi Arabia and UAE, it was later appreciated by these countries that employment of peaceful means for the resolution of disputes between states offered much better chances of success than waging a war which could be initiated at will but seldom arrive at a timely or favourable conclusion for the parties involved.
In such a scenario, Pakistan’s participation in the Yemen war would have disastrous consequences for the country, especially when Pakistan is a nuclear power. The following aspects need to be looked into by the policy makers before deciding about Pakistan’s overseas engagements.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/311212/pak-dealings-with-yemen-and-syrian-crises/
(A E P)
Saudi Tensions Add to Dubai Stock Market's Worst Year Since 2008
Traders are running out of reasons to stay in Dubai’s stock market as it heads for its worst year since the 2008 debt crisis.
Dubai’s main equities gauge has lost 19 percent this year, pressured mostly by real-estate developers. The index is now caught between increasing geopolitical woes centered at its neighbor Saudi Arabia and those emanating from global emerging markets.
(A P)
Matthew Hedges: Durham student charged with UAE spying
A British student has been charged with spying for the UK government in the United Arab Emirates.
Matthew Hedges was accused of "spying for and on behalf of a foreign state", the UAE government said on Monday.
The 31-year-old PhD student at Durham University was arrested on 5 May in Dubai and has reportedly been held in solitary confinement for five months.
His wife Daniela Tejada has called on the UK government to deny he was spying for them.
Mr Hedges was detained at Dubai Airport as he was leaving the country following a research trip.
A family spokeswoman said he had been accused of spying for the UK government while in the UAE to interview sources about the country's foreign policy and security strategy.
In a statement, the UAE government said: "The attorney general of United Arab Emirates confirmed today that Matthew Hedges, a British citizen, has been charged with spying for and on behalf of a foreign state, jeopardizing the military, economy and political security of the UAE."
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-45871581
(B K P)
Film: Canada: Former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dennis Horak
Dennis Horak says he's not sure what cancelling the LAV deal with Saudi Arabia would accomplish: "What does that do in terms of shaping or curbing Saudi policy? Nothing."
https://twitter.com/PnPCBC/status/1051969197629009920
Comment: While Yemen burns with significant help from Canadian arms companies, Canadian media, think tanks, and academic elites are climbing over each other to give this guy a platform
https://twitter.com/anthonyfenton/status/1052003321152585728
(* B K P)
South African weapons of war are fuelling Yemen's conflict
South African weapons of war have been sold to the Saudi-led coalition since the start of the war with Yemen in 2015, making us complicit in the crimes against humanity taking place in the prosecution of the war.
How have we allowed this to happen, and where has the oversight of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee been?
The NCACC is a committee comprised of at least seven government ministers, presided over by the minister in the Presidency, which was established to ensure South African arms are never sold to countries involved in aggression or human rights abuses.
According to reports of the NCACC, in 2016 and 2017 South Africa supplied arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates including heavy artillery guns and assault rifles, ammunition, armored vehicles, surveillance and military technology, amounting to more than R3 billion.
According to reports, a total of 1 600 bombs have been sold to the UAE, particularly guided bombs for Mirage jets known as 'Umbani,' produced by Tawazun Dynamics, which has a joint venture with our state owned arms manufacturer Denel.
Footage in 2015 was broadcast by Al Masirah, a pro-Houthi news channel, of a Seeker II drone shot down in Yemen with "Made in South Africa" clearly marked on it. It should be noted that the UAE has failed to procure Predator drones from the US.
When Brand South Africa markets our locally manufactured products we pride ourselves in the "Made in South Africa" label.
South Africa's reputation post-94 has been built on a commitment to a human rights foreign policy and promotion of peace around the world.
We go to great lengths to send our struggle veterans to the far corners of the globe to share the South African experience in conflict resolution and reconciliation.
Did any of us even realise that while our envoys have been preaching peace and tolerance, our arms industry has become what Pope Francis has called "an industry of death," selling South African made armaments to countries that are engaged in brutal wars, resulting in tens of thousands of civilian casualties?
and
(* B K P)
South Africa's Saudi arms deals betray Mandela's human rights legacy
In September 2018, South Africa abstained on a vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on a resolution calling for the extension of the mandate of an international investigation into alleged human rights violations in Yemen.
South Africa's silence on the human rights atrocities perpetrated by the Saudi Arabian coalition in Yemen is conspicuous.
The approach of abstention on pertinent human rights issues appears to be habitual, as the leading government department on foreign policy, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has taken a position of burying their heads in the sand, arguing that such abstentions are "in line with government's policy in the United Nations toabstain on country-specific situations outside the African continent in order not to align South Africa with any particular geopolitical bloc, and to ensure that we retain our ability to adopt independent policy positions in multilateral forums".
The problem with this approach is that it renders South Africa ineffectual and begs the question as to why South Africa serves on the UNHRC, and is expected to begin its third two-year non-permanent position on the United Nations Security Council in 2019, if it is reluctant to take a position on matters of global importance.
The fence-sitting approach is a self-centred and immature move that diverts from South Africa's glory days during the Mandela era when the country stood as a firm human rights defender on the international stage.
In the case of Saudi Arabia, the South African government would be reluctant to rock the boat, as it would risk losing the $10 billion investment clinched by President Cyril Ramaphosa on a visit to Riyadh in July 2018, followed by a Joint Economic Council meeting in October. While the investment is expected to largely focus on the energy sector, indications are that South Africa's failing defence industry may get a boost off the back of the deals.
South Africa appears all too willing to ransom itself to the Gulf state. Saudi Arabia is already one of the most prolific buyers of South African arms, ammunition and defence equipment. Despite Saudi Arabia's notorious human rights record, arms exports from South Africa to Saudi Arabia have grown since the beginning of the war in Yemen, rendering Pretoria potentially complicit in war crimes
(A P)
Iranian FM's Aide Warns of UAE's Attempts to Disintegrate Yemen
Senior Assistant to Iran's Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari warned that the UAE is pursuing a policy in Yemen which increases the possibility of disintegration of the poor Arab country.
"The UAE is clearly moving towards the practical disintegration of Yemen. The UAE's measures will prolong or exacerbate consequences like disintegration of Yemen," Jaberi Ansari said on Sunday.
He also revealed Saudi Arabia's attempts to prevent negotiations to resolve the crisis in Yemen, saying that Riyadh wants to participate in such talks with a victory to have the best hand in negotiations.
Jaberi Ansari, meantime, said no one could win the war in Yemen, and "Iran believes that the only way to resolve the crisis is reaching a national consensus in the country".
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13970722000675
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(A P)
Qatar demands release of four Qataris disappeared in Saudi Arabia
Fate of four Qatari nationals forcibly disappeared in Saudi Arabia since last year is still unknown, rights group says.
A Qatari human rights group is demanding Saudi Arabia disclose the whereabouts of four Qatari citizens who were forcibly disappeared in the neighbouring kingdom in separate cases since May last year.
(A P)
Some are saying that #Saudi FM @AdelAljubeir arrived to #Doha hours ago in an apparent abrupt #Saudi decision to reverse course on #Qatar . let's see what transpires in the mind of #MrBoneSaw #MBS
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1052001215742132225
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp12
(* A K P)
US Starts Manufacturing Apache Helicopters for Qatar
Boeing Company launched Saturday an Apache helicopter production line in Arizona for the Qatari Air Force.
Qatar Airways Chief of Staff Ghanim bin Shaheen Al-Ghanim visited the Boeing plant in Mesa, Arizona to participate in the launch
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3262&cat_id=3
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B K P)
Justice Dept Must Open Criminal Investigation Into Potential War Crimes by U.S. Mercenaries in Yemen
The Justice Department has clear authority to investigate a U.S. company and its band of American mercenaries for alleged killings carried out in Yemen, acts which may amount to murder and war crimes. The allegations of killings by the company and its ex-US servicemen, in many instances by their own admission, are presented in an investigative report by Buzzfeed’s Aram Roston. Absent some exculpatory information, these activities appear to include attempted and completed murder of civilians in Yemen at the behest of the United Arab Emirates.
The Buzzfeed report mistakenly states that the mercenaries were “operating in a legal and political gray zone,” and that “whether Spear’s mercenary operation violates US law is surprisingly unclear.” We are always keen to parse different interpretations of law and explore legal ambiguities. But the law here could not be clearer.
It is largely beside the point whether U.S. or international law prohibits “mercenaries” and what the legal definition of a mercenary is. The question of whether these men were contractors, mercenaries, members of the United Arab Emirates Armed forces or anything else is irrelevant to their potential criminal liability under U.S. law for murder and war crimes.
Two U.S. federal criminal statutes apply in this case: the War Crimes Act (18 U.S.C. 2441) and Conspiracy to Kill, Kidnap, Maim, or Injure in a Foreign Country (18 U.S.C. 956). Under the War Crimes Act, it is a crime for a U.S. citizen to commit certain violations of international humanitarian law, including murder. The definition of “murder” is extraordinarily clear in this context.
The War Crimes Act includes one proviso which excludes from this definition of “murder,” instances of “collateral damage” and “death…incident to a lawful attack.” The key facts in the American mercenaries’ case, however, involve the deliberate killing of civilians such as political leaders and clerics. Those targets are not “collateral damage” and their deaths are not “incident to a lawful attack.”
The second statute, which makes it a crime to conspire to kill a person in a foreign country, is also clear. The most relevant limitation is that the conspiracy must take place “within the jurisdiction of the United States.” The mercenary company is incorporated in Delaware and founded by Abraham Golan, who lives outside of Pittsburgh.
The Buzzfeed article does not contain any facts alleging that those targeted or killed by the U.S. mercenaries were members of armed groups in armed conflict with the UAE. The report centers on the targeting of members of the Yemeni political party, Al-Islah.
The U.S. mercenaries case appears to be a good fit for the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP) in the Criminal Division of the Justice Department
Remark: Buzzfeed article above in cp1
And some more details to the Buzzfeed article:
(* B K P)
The Israeli assassin who teamed up with Mohammad Dahlan
According to him [Golan], the model for the assassinations industry is based on Israel’s targeted killing of terrorists.
Golan, who maintains good relations with Israel through security deals in which he is involved, said he had lived in Israel for several years. In the past he attended a party with former Mossad chief Danny Yatom, and his expertise "was to provide security for energy clients in Africa."
Yatom confirmed in a conversation with Ynet that they had indeed met at a party in London: "I have not been in contact with him for years; we were in touch during my time as a businessman."
According to Yatom, "My acquaintance with Golan was not extensive, but he gave me the impression of an enthusiastic Zionist, a courageous man who was prepared to take great risks, and unfortunately, in the end, after he immigrated with his family to Israel, he emigrated and since then we have not spoken for many years.”
Regarding the things attributed to Golan in the article, Yatom said: "I have nothing to do with these things."
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5372648,00.html n
(* B P)
It’s Not “Awesome” That Americans Are Assassinating People in Yemen
BuzzFeed News published a troubling article Tuesday about an American company named Spear Operations Group that is run by Abraham Golan, “a charismatic Hungarian-Israeli security contractor who lives outside of Pittsburgh.” Mr. Golan openly admits that he ran a targeted assassination program in Yemen on behalf of the government of the United Arab Emirates:
As a political opposition party in a region where basic freedoms are lacking, suppressed, or indefinitely suspended, the Brotherhood has learned the language of civil and human rights, and their political critiques can sound like they’re coming from Amnesty International or the ACLU. That may be more expedient than sincere in some respects, but it’s not the language of terrorism.
Americans may not have a whole lot in common with the Brotherhood but we should recognize a shared loathing of monarchs and dictators. If the kings, princes, and emirs of the Arabian peninsula don’t like anti-monarchial organizations, that’s to be expected and it doesn’t make them credible when they term all of their political opponents as “terrorists.”
If you go to the National Review, however, you’ll see Jim Geraghty explaining that there are only two probable reactions to learning about the targeted assassination program. If you’re a Democrat, you probably hate it but are conflicted because you don’t want to tarnish Obama’s reputation. If you’re a Republican, you obviously think it’s “awesome.”
You probably have one of two reactions to a story like this.
Unfortunately, Gerhaghty’s stereotypes of American reactions are probably more accurate than we might wish. But I don’t see how that speaks well of the right.
It’s not a good thing to be incapable of complex or nuanced thought. If you can’t tell the difference between ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood, that’s not a point in your favor. It’s not a good thing to take the side of cruel and corrupt monarchs against people who are advocating for free elections and common sense political reforms. It’s not a good thing to advocate the killing of anyone who makes you the tiniest bit uncomfortable, let alone to cheerlead when your countrymen do the killing for money.
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2018/10/16/its-not-awesome-that-americans-are-assassinating-people-in-yemen/ referring to
(B P)
How Comfortable Are We with the Idea of American Mercenaries?
You probably have one of two reactions to a story like this.
One: “This is awesome. I want every anti-American extremist in the world looking over his shoulder and hiding in fear, and if this is the sort of thing that gets a person afraid to join an Islamist group, or that will cut down the next Osama bin Laden early in his career instead of late in it, God bless them.”
Two: “Dear God, this is horrifying. This is an assassination program that is staffed by Americans, targeting and executing foreign political leaders without any charges or trial, and our government is, if not explicitly endorsing these actions, giving these actions a tacit blessing.”
One complicating wrinkle for those who have the second reaction: The BuzzFeed story begins by describing an attempted assassination on December 29, 2015, and discusses the campaign of covert strikes in Yemen progressing throughout 2016. In other words, this isn’t some horrific, brutal Trump-administration policy that enables these actions; all of this started on the Obama administration’s watch.
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
Siehe / Look at cp1
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp1
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
#Saudi Joint Forces relief efforts in Al Mahrah, #Yemen, after #CycloneLuban (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1052462155029573632
(A P)
On men’s guardianship of women
In his recent interview to Bloomberg News, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: “The rules of guardianship were held in 1979, and we’re talking to most of the Council of Senior Scholars to see what’s Islamic and what’s non-Islamic in that area and I believe there’s opportunity in that area.”
This great pioneer and reformer is a man of action. I have no doubt that women will be freed of some illegitimate restrictions in the coming months. He said: “To see what’s Islamic and what’s non Islamic in that area,” which means that there are some social restrictions in these matters that have nothing to do with Islam and with what is allowed and what is forbidden in Islam. Hence, he is implying that some inherited customs and traditions which are not of divine origin have crept into these laws and should be removed.
Some people might believe that many of these matters are related to religion while in fact they have become pictured as sacred over time without any evidence in the Qur’an or Sunnah. At best, some of these provisions are controversial even among jurists, and do not have unanimous consent.
My comment: Emphasize on “some”. Nothing great will really change.
(A P)
Film: Future Investment Initiative 2018 - Shaping the Future of Global Investments #FII2018
https://twitter.com/FIIKSA/status/1052167975040634881
and
(A P)
A BLUEPRINT FOR THE TWENTY-SECOND CENTURY
Hosted under the leadership of HRH Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince, Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the second-annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) will serve as a platform to drive expert-led debate, discussion, and partnerships among the world’s most visionary and influential leaders in business, government, and civil society. FII will continue to shape the future of global investment through an immersive three-day program featuring interactive conversations with global leaders, private meetings, curated roundtables, world-class entertainment, unparalleled CEO networking, and deep engagement with global media.
http://www.futureinvestmentinitiative.com/en/home
My comment: After the Khashoggi murder, many Western representatives, CEOs, media partns will not attend.
(A P)
Emirates Red Crescent to provide Dh107 million to help rebuild Yemen
Projects include rebuilding roads and equipping thousands of homes with solar power
The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) is to provide more than Dh107 million to help rebuild the west coast of Yemen, officials have announced.
The area - which runs from Bab Al Mandeb to Al Hudaydah – has been gradually liberated from Houthi militia control since June this year.
Mohammed Al Falahi, chairman of the ERC, said the finance would be used to assist more than 7.1 million residents.
Infrastructure including roads, wells and schools would all be rebuilt, he said, as well as help being given to farming and fishing industries.
“They bombed schools and clinics,” Mr Al Falahi said. “They even bombed maternity hospitals and child clinics.”
The ERC has already taken steps to address rebuilding parts of war-torn Yemen, now in its third year of conflict.
My comment: “they bombed….” – mostly the Saudis and the UAE themselves!
(A P)
Shared Interests but Not Shared Values – Khashoggi Disappearance
While we have many shared interests with Saudi Arabia, we do not have shared values in most cases. In that sense, not only the treatment of journalists critical of the regime, but also the denial of women’s, minority, and non-Muslims’ rights as mandated by the Qur’an and shariah are prime examples. Our primary shared interests clearly involve preventing the expansion and dominance of Iranian terror-linked influence throughout the Middle East. Further, regime change in Tehran is also a vital shared interest both for U.S. national security interests and those of our Israeli ally and other partners in the region.
With all the media hype about the disappearance of the Saudi journalist, Khashoggi, we must not lose sight of our larger objectives in the area. In many civil wars, regrettably, there is always a humanitarian crisis. Yemen is no different. It’s what a civil war is about.
Iran’s role in supporting the Houthi rebels is very transparent. It is all part of a plan to expand the Iranian Shi’ite Crescent to where it becomes the dominant force in the Middle East.
Forcing Saudi Arabia’s withdrawal from the Yemeni civil war would only facilitate Iran’s hegemonic and terrorist objectives throughout the Middle East and beyond (Latin America), which include encircling the entire Arabian Peninsula with its oil and gas resources. Preventing this strategic debacle from happening must be a top Trump administration-Saudi Arabia shared objective – by Adm. James A. Lyons
My comment: Misusing the Khashoggi case for an appeal to further stand with Saudi Arabia – claiming US “interests”: The interest of the US elite to keep the whole globe under its political, economic and military control and grasp. Well, when then there is war and killing and destruction – but what the heck: “In many civil wars, regrettably, there is always a humanitarian crisis. Yemen is no different. It’s what a civil war is about.” Sorry, friends.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids day by day
Oct. 15: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1539699437./1157653534385010
Oct. 14: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1157085641108466/
Oct. 13: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1157085321108498
(A K pH)
Film: targeting of citizens' homes in Al-Jouf Governorate 14-10-2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvsyQNchvh4
(A K pH)
The US-Saudi aggression launched a raid on Shida border district and a raid on Razih district, Saada prov.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3284&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aerial Aggression Cuts Off Main Road in Razih
The US-Saudi aerial aggression launched a raid on Sunday on the main road in the border district of Razih, a local source told Al-Masirah Net.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3251&cat_id=1
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K pH)
Oct. 16: Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages on Razih and Shida border districts.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3284&cat_id=1
(A K pS)
Saudi helicopter crashes north-west of the country and kills its crew
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159654
(A K pH)
Oct. 15: civilians' properties were targeted by Saudi missiles and artillery shells in Razih Border district. Also Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted Houses and farms of civilians in Baqim border district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3271&cat_id=1
(* A K pS)
Houthi militias plant landmines in Hajjah farms
Yemeni farmers in Hairan district of Hajjah governorate were shocked after hundreds of landmines were planted inside their farms.
Some farmers complained that their cattle died due to the landmines randomly planted in their farms.
They called internal and international human rights organizations to intervene and put pressures on the Houthi militias to submit maps of landmine sites and provide specialized crews to remove them.
Furthermore, security sources affirm that The Houthi rebel militias have planted large numbers of landmines in large areas along the coastline of Hodeida province.
Local residents told Alsahwa Net that the rebel militia issued warnings to the local communities along the coastline no to approach large areas in the western coast of Hodeidah province, due to the fields of mines indiscriminately planted.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24565
(A K pH)
Oct. 14: Saada p.: Saudi missiles an artillery shells targeted populated villages in Baqim anf Razih districts.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3256&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Mercenaries Kill Civilian in Lahj
A civilian was killed in Lahj on Sunday by artillery shells of the US-Saudi mercenaries in Al-Qubaita district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=3255&cat_id=1
(B K)
Yemeni rebels confirm they sunk UAE minehunter
The Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel group Ansar Allah (the Houthis) released a video on 12 October, which included images that confirmed it sunk one of the UAE Navy's mine-countermeasures vessels in 2017.
The images - presumably taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle - showed one of the UAE's two Frankenthal-class partially submerged in Al-Mukha (Mocha) harbour on Yemen's southern Red Sea coast.
The video identified the vessel as Al-Qasnah and said it was attacked on 29 July 2019, which corresponds to a claim it made at the time that it had attacked an Emirati warship with a "suitable weapon". The Saudi-coalition reported on the same day that the rebels had targeted Al-Mukha's port with a remotely controlled bomb boat, but only hit the pier, causing no casualties (photo)
https://www.janes.com/article/83826/yemeni-rebels-confirm-they-sunk-uae-minehunter
cp18 Zyklon Luban / Cyclone Luban
(* A)
Zyklon LUBAN: Fluten im Oman und Jemen
Zyklon LUBAN traf am Wochenende auf die Ostküste der Arabischen Halbinsel und seine Überreste befinden sich derzeit über dem Osten des Jemens. Dabei fielen teils enorme Regenmengen in der wüstenähnlichen Landschaft des Ostjemens und sorgten für großräumige Überschwemmungen.
Die Überbleibsel von Zyklon LUBAN befinden sich derzeit über dem Osten des Jemens. Durch die geringe Verlagerung des Tiefs kam es teilweise zu enormen Regenmengen in der Halbwüste des Jemens. Diese Wassermassen fließen vom Hochland an die Küste und sorgen hier für weitreichende Überschwemmungen.
https://uwr.de/de/a/zyklon-luban-fluten-im-oman-und-jemen
(A)
Al-Mukalla port closed in Hadramawt and directives to leave all ships
Local sources in Hadramawt, southeast Yemen, said that the Arabian Sea Ports Foundation in the province ordered on Monday to close the port of Mukalla in the provincial capital and asked all ships to leave.
According to the sources of “Al-Masdar online ", that orders directed by the Arabian Sea Ports Foundation in Hadramawt, to close the port of Mukalla and leave all ships, in order to avoid the dangers of hurricane "Luban ", which strikes the Yemeni coasts.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159616
(* A )
Four persons missing, 33 wounded due to storm in al-Mahrah
The health office in al-Mahrah province declared on Monday that four persons were missing and 33 others were wounded as a result of the Luban tropical storm which has been hitting the province since yesterday, Sunday.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-24595
(A)
Two dead in Yemen after flash floods hit east
The governor of Al-Mahrah declared the province a disaster area and appealed for help
Two people have died and 15 are missing after tropical storm Luban caused flash floods and landslides in the eastern province of Al Mahrah, Governor Shiekh Rajeh Bakureit told The National on Tuesday.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/two-dead-in-yemen-after-flash-floods-hit-east-1.781068
(A)
Al Mahrah governor says authorities have evacuated 250 stricken families from Storm and floods of «Luban»
The governor of al-Mahra province said the local authorities have evacuated more than 250 families affected by helicopters of the Yemeni Air Force and the Arab coualition led by Saudi Arabia since Tuesday.
Governor Rajeh Bakrit said on Wednesday that the government had responded to the demands of the government authorities and sent a helicopter from the second military zone, while three other helicopters had arrived from the Arab coalition.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159702
(A)
Helicopters evacuate a number of people trapped in the floods in al-Mahra Governorate
A number of helicopters belonging to the Arab coalition on Tuesday morning evacuated a number of people trapped by the floods caused by the cyclone "Luban" in the area of Masila in the province of Al-Mahra (east of the country).
According to media reports, a helicopter has evacuated a number of victims who were among 50 families stranded on their rooftops.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159651
(A)
Floods surround 50 trapped households on rooftops in Masila- Al-Mahara
The governor of al-Mahra Governorate said on Monday that 50 families were still stranded on their rooftops in the Masialah area as a result of the flooding of the area with torrential flood waters caused by the "Luban" storm.
In his blog post on Facebook, Governor Rajeh Bakrit stated that torrents were still pouring in and that local authorities could not save the stranded without air support.
He added that the disaster exceeds the modest possibilities of the authorities in the province.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159614
(* A)
Yemen: Cyclone Luban Flash Update #1 (15 October 2018)
On 14 October, Tropical Cyclone “Luban” made landfall on the coast of Yemen. Although the Cyclone lost strength in the last hours and was downgraded to a Tropical Depression, it brought strong winds and heavy rain to the coastal districts of Al Maharah Governorate with widespread flooding and damages reported in many areas.
Preliminary reports from health authorities indicate that two people died and 33 have been injured so far, while the Emergency Operations Room report that more than 2,000 families have been significantly affected by flooding with many displaced to public buildings
Rescue operations and flight are complicated by flooded roads and bridges along the coastal road of Al Maharah, with movement reported as particularly difficult in the areas of Al Masilah, Sayhut, Qishn,
Huswain, Al Ghaydah and Hawf districts.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cyclone-luban-flash-update-1-15-october-2018
(* A)
Cyclone strands families in eastern Yemen
A Yemeni governor is calling for help to evacuate some 50 families stuck amid flooding, strong storms, and heavy rain in the eastern city of Ghaida, after cyclone Luban hit the region.
Rageh Bakreet posted on Facebook images of men standing on top of their buildings in the governorate of Mahra in eastern Yemen, after Luban made a strong landfall.
Bakreet, who is the governor of Mahra, describes the situation as “disastrous” and says the only way to rescue the families is by airlift. He adds that “the situation surpasses our humble capabilities.”
The governor has ordered all government offices and schools to shut temporarily amid power outages across most of Ghaida.
http://www.therepublic.com/2018/10/15/ml-yemen-cyclone/
(* A)
Photos: Cyclone Luban has landed with devastating effect in Al Mahrah province in eastern Yemen. Worst floods I've ever seen . Photos by Al Mahrah governor Rageh Bakrit.
https://www.facebook.com/haykal.bafana/posts/1896937593719575
https://twitter.com/alasaadim/status/1051843992005038081
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1051843783355260928
films: https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1051862296220327937
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1051855757921140736
https://twitter.com/Alerta_Noticias/status/1052013831281631232
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TMxVo7a9P4
(A)
Film: Watch this! The Yemeni people of the eastern Al-Mahra Governorate, following intense flooding and thousands of people displaced, still REFUSE to be "rescued" by members of the Saudi Royal Airforce, forcing it to turn back.
https://twitter.com/agerhusmedia/status/1052249067911335937
(* A)
Breaking. Thread: #Yemen: #Mahra: #Luban: #SaudiArabia Al Mahra Governorate in Yemen has been badly hit by Cyclone Luban, with severe flooding & some loss of life. This is ongoing. Local sources report that Saudi occupation forces denied access for #Oman to provide immediate
https://twitter.com/JonHowarth/status/1051964112392134656
(* A )
Luban spares Socotra and weakens as it hits Yemen
Some areas of eastern Yemen and southern Oman experience heavy rain and strong winds
Cyclone Luban weakened into a "deep depression" as it made landfall in eastern Yemen on Sunday, bring heavy rain and strong winds to large parts of Mahrah province on Sunday.
The worst affected areas were the central city of Ghaidhah, southern areas of Mahrah and Haswein district. Sources in the province said several homes were damaged in flood waters but no casualties were reported.
Luban, which weakened from a category 1 cyclone, appeared to have missed the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean, where there were fears of a repeat of the heavy flooding and devastation wrought by Cyclone Mekunu in May.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/luban-spares-socotra-and-weakens-as-it-hits-yemen-1.780600
(* A)
Some houses were damaged by the storm "Luban" that hit the province of Mahrah
In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Tropical Storm "Luban" hit large portions of al-Mahrah province (eastern Yemen), causing no casualties.
A local source told the Al-Masdar online, that a heavy frame and strong winds hit the city of Ghaidhah, the center of the province, and the southern areas of the province, which led to the flow of large torrents causing some houses to drown.
He noted that most of the houses were damaged in the district of Haswein, which until now appeared to be the most affected by the storm.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/159559
(A)
Desert Locust situation update 12 October 2018
Cyclone Luban began forming over the Arabian Sea (northern Indian Ocean) on about 8 October and, since then, it has been moving slowly west towards the Arabian Peninsula with winds increasing to 130 kmph. Scattered rains began falling on the 11th in Al Wusta and Dhofar regions of central and southern Oman with heavier rains forecasted for 13 October. Luban may intensify further before making its expected landfall on the southeastern coast of Yemen between Mukalla and Al Ghaydah on 14 October. Strong winds, heavy rainfall and potential flooding are expected in coastal areas of Al Maharah and portions of Hadramaut governorates in eastern Yemen as well as adjacent areas of southern Oman. The cyclone will decay and dissipate as it moves inland towards Saudi Arabia and the Empty Quarter.
Rains from the cyclone will cause ecological conditions to improve for Desert Locust survival and breeding in both countries. Although, locust numbers are currently very low, regular surveys will be required for several months in eastern Yemen and southern Oman from November onwards in order to detect any response by the locusts to the cyclone.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/desert-locust-situation-update-12-october-2018
(-)
Photo: Yablady # Hadramout
https://twitter.com/Lover_Mukalla/status/1050106638819098624
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-468-yemen-war-mosaic-468
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-468 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-468:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
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