... USA und Saudi-Arabien – Die saudische Reaktion auf die Abstimmung im US-Senat – Licht auf die Lage im Jemen – UN-Resolution zu Jemen angenommen, von USA verwässert – Hodeidah: Allgemeine Lage; Brüchiger Waffenstillstand, einzelne Kämpfe – und mehr
December 23, 2018: Issa Blumi on Yemen – The Emirates in Yemen – Film: Saada school bus air raid – Body count of land mine victims – US Yemen policy unmasked – US and Saudi Arabia – The Saudi reaction to the Senate vote – Light on Yemen plight – UN resolution approved, had been watered down by the US – Hodeidah: General situation; fragile ceasefire, intermittent fighting – 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
cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German
cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13 Wirtschaft / Economy
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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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
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
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Chaos in Yemen: A Conversation With Isa Blumi
A historian of the Middle East unpacks the widely misunderstood origins of one of the world’s most devastating conflicts.
To shed light on the origins of this disastrous war and to cut through its dominant narratives, The Nation spoke with Isa Blumi, senior lecturer and associate professor in Stockholm University’s Department of Asian, Middle Eastern, and Turkish Studies.
Gunar Olsen: In your new book, you write: “That millions in Yemen still resist globalization has led some within the deepest hovels of empire to conclude that the only way to pillage Yemen now is to destroy it.” Right now, who is destroying Yemen, and for what purpose?
Isa Blumi: A layer of US government. I would expand it to conglomerative interests geographically located in the North Atlantic, traditionally since at least the 19th century the ascendant financial power of the world, and the epicenter of finance capitalism. It’s been a century-long campaign to subordinate Yemen and integrate it into this increasingly intertwined system that we would refer to today as globalization or neoliberal global economy.
Destroying Yemen is one way of maximizing the return from, in a global economic context, the scramble for the last bits of liquidity in the world. This is crucial because Yemen was one of those untapped, if you will, stores of cumulative wealth. The people of Yemen, who in World Bank statistics are very poor, are actually quite wealthy in terms of their resources, networks, infrastructure, and savings. In the context of this scramble for liquidity, places like Yemen constitute the last frontier. So destroying Yemen would basically undermine the capacity of the people’s ability to resist. Because of the considerable amounts of oil and gas wealth, both on land and off shore, as well as its agricultural potential and its fisheries—which have been largely untouched until now—Yemen is a prize waiting to be properly harnessed, in the language of the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and World Bank.
GO: What led the Houthis and their allies to seize Sana’a in 2014, eventually forcing Hadi to resign and flee to Riyadh in 2015?
IB: The interim government after 2011 was an attempt to more effectively steer Yemen into this system of global finance capitalism. The first act of the Hadi interim government was to put Yemen into a World Trade Organization regime. Because of this, it started this rather abusive and aggressive policy of austerity—which, as we know from elsewhere in the world, immediately ignites all kinds of social consequences and ultimately leads to resistance. He put in place new kinds of economic extraction, new kinds of taxation, a rapid liberalization of the economy, including the privatization of state land.
More importantly for understanding what unleashed the last period of resistance that overthrew Hadi’s government was the attempt to impose a federation on Yemen, to divide Yemen into six distinct districts or states, delineated along lines that had no historical bearing. The federation plan assured that the majority of oil and gas wealth, and the offshore assets that have still to be exploited, would go to a vast southern Yemen territory with the least amount of population. The goal of this natural-resource gerrymandering would have created an area ruled by two or three very corrupt officials, leaving the vast majority of Yemenis impoverished, living in resource-poor regions of the rest of the country. It was also an attempt to politically isolate those in the north who were demanding collective rights throughout the 2000s and 2010s and the period after Saleh.
Hadi’s mandate was two years, but when the two years were up, it just continued on as is. It went from worse to worse. Each new measure made it increasingly clear that this was a move to completely fragment the country politically and gut it economically. So what we had in 2014 was a collective outburst: “Enough is enough! This is pillaging our country, we see where this is going, and we’re not going to accept it.” When they overthrow Hadi, they went to the negotiating table. But the Obama administration and the regional allies that would ultimately form the coalition in 2015 said, “No, we want Hadi back. We like the relationship he’s established with the international organizations, with the international economy.” So you had a clash between Yemenis, who were demanding sovereignty and their rights to negotiating their future, and the outside world, what we would call the neoliberal order.
https://www.thenation.com/article/yemen-isa-blumi-houthi/
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Yemen on the brink: how the UAE is profiting from the chaos of civil war
The Emiratis’ strategy in Yemen shows how a small and very ambitious nation is projecting its power beyond its borders.
The Saudis have attracted the bulk of the world’s displeasure for their bloody intervention in Yemen, but the UAE plays a more forceful role on the ground – and its allies in the south, including local militias, Salafi fighters, and south Yemen separatists who want to break away from Hadi’s government, have been known to fight against the Saudis’ own proxies in the country.
In fact, it is no longer even a single war.
But the force and funding of outside intervention – especially from the UAE – has helped to fragment the war into multiple conflicts and local skirmishes that will not necessarily be ended by any peace agreement. Yemen is now a patchwork of heavily armed fiefdoms and chaotic areas, where commanders, war profiteers and a thousand bandit kings, like Ayman Askar, thrive.
The Saudi-led coalition itself is riddled with conflicts and rivalries, with each of its principal members following a separate agenda and plotting against the others. In Taiz, a city in central Yemen that has been besieged and shelled by the Houthis for more than three years, the fighters on the coalition side are split into more than two dozen separate military factions – including local militias backed and sponsored by the UAE, as well as al-Qaida and other jihadis. Some fighters switch sides according to who is offering funds.
The Emiratis appear to be the only alliance members with a clear strategy. They are using private armies that they have created, trained and funded in a bid to crush both jihadi militancy and Islamist political parties such as al-Islah. Across the southern coast – where the UAE is allied with the separatist Southern Movement, which is opposed to both the Houthis and the Hadi government – the Emiratis have built a series of military camps and bases, and established what is essentially a parallel state, with its own security services who are not accountable to the Yemeni government. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have revealed the existence of a network of secret prisons operated by the UAE and its proxy forces.
What the Emiratis have achieved in Yemen – creating private armies, propping up secessionists in the south and conspiring to destroy the political system, while controlling strategic waterways in the Arabian and Red seas – shows how a small and very ambitious nation projects its power in the region, and the world.
In time, the Emiratis formed half a dozen armies, dispersed across Aden and the south of Yemen. Their commanders function as independent warlords, with tanks, prisons and a force loyal to them personally. There is no central command connecting all these forces, and the government of Yemen has no control over them.
Instead, they work directly under the command of the reigning Emirati general, who appoints and dismisses them at will, and distributes his largesse according to their cooperation and effectiveness. Unlike the Yemeni government army units, with their inflated numbers and irregularly paid soldiers, the fighters in the Emirati-controlled forces are paid regularly and are better dressed and equipped, with an affinity for black ski-masks and extreme brutality. They detain, torture and kill with impunity.
In Yemen, according to a UN report published this year, all parties have been detaining suspects without trial, and torturing prisoners. The Houthis were disappearing writers, journalists and human rights activists even before the war started.
But no one can compete with the detentions, torture and forced disappearances by the Emirati-sponsored troops.
In the south, the old dream of independence has never died.
“Now we have an army, and we control the south, and we have a regional ally who stands by us,” I was told, proudly, by one of the leaders of the Southern Transitional Council – the primary separatist organising body and the most prominent political power in the south, with heavy backing from the UAE. – by Gaheith Abdul-ahad
(** B H K)
Film: Yemen: The Saada Bus Bombing
How the bombing of a busload of school children by Saudi-led coalition forces served as a backdrop to Yemen peace talks.
In August 2018, an international news story circulated, saying that coalition forces had hit a bus carrying children on a summer school excursion in Saada, close to the Saudi border.
"Saudi forces bombed a school bus. It managed to shock a lot of people. This is a school bus. This is not a military target," said Andrew Smith, spokesman for Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Fifty-one people, including 40 children, were killed and 77 others injured in the Saada attack.
The International Red Cross said their medical team at the al-Talh hospital there received the bodies of 29 children, all aged under 15. The hospital also treated 48 injured patients of whom 30 were children.
The Saada bus bombing triggered international condemnation, and the UN Security Council called for a credible and transparent investigation into the incident.
This film looks at what happened that day and how planes deployed by the Saudi-UAE coalition managed to bomb a bus full of Yemeni school children in Saada, killing nearly everyone on board.
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2018/12/yemen-saada-bus-bombing-181221224132671.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_sBopXtqp8 = https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/video/yemen-the-saada-bus-bombing/vp-BBRigKO
(** B H K)
Houthi-laid landmines is a new misery left behind
The menace of landmines adds more victims of war in Yemen.
The engineering team removed 100 landmines planted by Houthi militia in Alqabaita district in Lahj governorate. Moreover, a large number of landmines have been found in the rice in the Red Sea Mills, inside plastic food bags and in schools. Whenever the Houthis leave an area, they leave destruction behind. According to the Khaled Alyamani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Houthi militia laid one million landmines in different areas in Yemen and 1,194 civilians have been killed and 2,287 others injured by mines
http://belqeesrights.org/2018/12/17/houthi-laid-landmines-is-a-new-misery-left-behind/
Information collected by YCMHRV in #Yemen on the victims of the #landmine explosion planted by the #Houthi militia during the period from Sep. 2014 to June 2018 shows people #killed by landmine explosions reached (906) from 19 out of the total 22 #Yemeni governorates
The highest death toll occurred in #Taiz, totaling (289) deaths, followed by Lahj (117) and #Aden (112) deaths, and then #Marib (84) deaths; Al-Bayda (49) deaths, Al Jawf (47) deaths as well as Al-Dhale’ (46) deaths.
Death toll in Abyan, #Hodeidah,Hajjah, Shabwa, Ibb & Sana’a were 36, 32, 21, 16,16 &14 respectively.This number decreased in some governorates such as Hadramout reaching(9)deaths, Saada(8) deaths, Amran(3)deaths, Mahwit(3)deaths,Dhamar(3)deaths & 1 death in #Sana’a #Yemen
The increase in the number of #landmine deaths in some governorates, in particular #Taiz, is attributable to the nature of the military confrontations for the last 4 years between #Houthi militia & the legitimate forces & to the siege imposed by militias.
https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1075868150258941953
(** B K P)
When will the suffering end?
The breakthrough in the UN-sponsored Yemen peace talks, which led to an agreement between the warring factions to end the fighting over the city of Hodeida, represented incremental progress, but still does not end a conflict that has had a horrendous fallout on civilians, particularly children.
Crown Prince Muhammad has been stoutly defended by US President Donald Trump for the Khashoggi murder, not just because Saudi Arabia is a key oil producer, but also because of the massive order for US arms that was placed by Saudi Arabia when Trump visited the country.
Ground war is also costly, though not as much. The Saudis have committed ground forces, and the USA itself has committed some special forces there. Thus the US involvement in the whole sorry affair becomes clear. The USA has a number of reasons to get involved. The first is Israel. The strength of the US animus against Iran is mainly because Iran has replaced the Shah’s pro-Israel policy with one that is implacably opposed to Israel. So long as the Shah accepted Israel, Saudi Arabia was in the forefront of its championship of the Palestinians, but it has grown tepid in the four decades since the Iranian Revolution brought such a virulently anti-Israeli government in Tehran. Saudi Arabia has gradually moved to mend fences with Israel, but it has refrained from recognition. The friendship between Crown Prince Muhammad and President Trump Jewish son-in-law and close aide Jared Kushner is a sign of this, and shows that the Saudi dynasty, more particularly the Crown Prince, view the Saudi support for Israel as a guarantee for US support for Muhammad’s ultimate succession to the throne.
It should not be forgotten that the Trump Administration cancelled its participation in the nuclear deal with Iran because it supposedly did not do enough to make Israel secure from Iranian nuclear weapons. The Israeli paranoia about nuclear weapons in the hands of Muslims was behind the labelling of the Pakistani nuclear weapon as an ‘Islamic bomb’ – by M A Niazi
https://nation.com.pk/21-Dec-2018/when-will-the-suffering-end
My comment: This is unmasking US Yemen policy – which in reality is no “yemen policy” at all.
(** B P)
The Great Saudi Muddle
Two U.S. Senate resolutions last week have resulted in a ball of confusion, one that tries to distance the U.S, from a murderous Saudi prince while at the same time demanding closer relations with the government he heads.
Does the Senate want Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to own up to the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi? Is it really seeking an end to Saudi Arabia’s war of aggression against Yemen? The answer to both questions is: kind of, sort of, not really.
That’s the takeaway from a couple of resolutions the chamber approved amid great fanfare last week.
But the second resolution, which passed on a unanimous voice vote, was a muddle that shows just how self-defeating US policy has become.
Sponsored by Republican Senator Bob Corker, it began by holding the crown prince responsible for Khashoggi’s murder in an Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2, an act, it said, that has “undermined trust and confidence in the longstanding friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
But news outlets failed to mention what the resolution said next. It declared, for instance, that the U.S.-Saudi relationship is “an essential element of regional security.” While saying nothing about arms shipments to Saudi allies, it condemned Iran for supplying rebel forces with “advanced lethal weapons.” It blamed the Houthis “for egregious human rights abuses, including torture, use of human shields, and interference with, and diversion of, humanitarian aid shipments” – this while remaining silent about Saudi-UAE atrocities, which reportedly include a string of torture chambers in which political opponents are roasted over open fires, among other horrors.
Most bizarrely of all, the resolution warned the Saudis that “increasing purchases of military equipment from, and cooperation with, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China challenges the strength and integrity of the long-standing military-to-military relationship” between Washington and Riyadh. The Senate is thus angry with MBS not only because he sent a seventeen-member hit squad to knock off a US resident in the middle of a European capital, but because he’s consorting with America’s business rivals.
But news outlets failed to mention what the resolution said next. It declared, for instance, that the U.S.-Saudi relationship is “an essential element of regional security.” While saying nothing about arms shipments to Saudi allies, it condemned Iran for supplying rebel forces with “advanced lethal weapons.” It blamed the Houthis “for egregious human rights abuses, including torture, use of human shields, and interference with, and diversion of, humanitarian aid shipments” – this while remaining silent about Saudi-UAE atrocities, which reportedly include a string of torture chambers in which political opponents are roasted over open fires, among other horrors.
Most bizarrely of all, the resolution warned the Saudis that “increasing purchases of military equipment from, and cooperation with, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China challenges the strength and integrity of the long-standing military-to-military relationship” between Washington and Riyadh. The Senate is thus angry with MBS not only because he sent a seventeen-member hit squad to knock off a US resident in the middle of a European capital, but because he’s consorting with America’s business rivals.
The result is a ball of confusion, one that tries to distance the US from a murderous Saudi prince while at the same time demanding closer relations with the government he heads.
If so, it’s a problem entirely of Washington’s own making. Democratic and Republican administrations alike have continued to build up Saudi Arabia despite repeated warnings that it was creating a monster.
Joined at the hip with the Saudis, the U.S. appears to have no idea how to go about severing an increasingly toxic relationship, as last week’s incoherent Senate resolutions make clear.
The U.S. was happy to build Saudi Arabia up, but it’s clueless now that Saudi Arabia is dragging it down. – by Daniel Lazare
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/12/20/the-great-saudi-muddle/ = https://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Great-Saudi-Muddle-by-Daniel-Lazare-Houthis_Military_Oil_Prince-181221-605.html
(** B P)
Mohammed bin Salman’s time may be running out
A statement criticising the recent US Senate votes reflects a sense of unease within the Saudi leadership.
The Saudi charge of blatant interference is grotesque in light of Riyadh’s attack on fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Qatar, which has been subjected to a more than a year of a Saudi-led land, air and sea blockade.
But holding guns to people’s heads is just about the only modus operandi that the Saudis seem to possess. Together with the Emiratis, they launched a war in Yemen in March 2015, ostensibly to restore the internationally recognised government of Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
The Saudi statement reiterates, in a tone verging on the hysterical, that it “categorically rejects … any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership”.
No doubt the Saudi crown prince was stung by statements from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a key ally of President Donald Trump. Speaking on Fox News, the senator didn’t pull any punches: “It is not complicated for me. I like Saudi Arabia, but this guy [bin Salman] is crazy and he needs to go.”
Graham, Corker and other Republicans are angry - not because a journalist was brutally murdered, though they say that is the reason, but because they feel betrayed. They feel embarrassed and humiliated by someone they thought was a useful friend and pliable ally.
After all, they backed Mohammed bin Salman to the hilt as he blundered through a series of catastrophic foreign adventures and domestic escapades. How could you let us down so badly? It’s rather like a marriage gone sour - we’ve given you so many chances, and forgiven you your excesses, but this time you have gone too far.
Had the statement stopped at that point, one could have felt almost a glimmer of sympathy for Mohammed bin Salman, who had been feted in the US as the modern face of a reforming Saudi Arabia.
But there was more. Saudi Arabia “will continue to fulfill its pivotal role in the Arab and Muslim worlds, as it holds a special place for Muslims around the world”. That status has enabled the kingdom to be "a pillar of stability in the Middle East and the world, and a cornerstone for the efforts to achieve peace and security regionally and globally".
As to the kingdom holding a special place, Muslims around the world are asking: Where is the voice of Saudi Arabia to call for an end to the appalling repression of the Uighur Muslims in China?
What have Mohammed bin Salman and his father, the king and custodian of the two holy mosques, said about the massacre of Rohingya Muslims by the Burmese government? Disgracefully, the Saudis have instead embarked on a campaign to forcibly repatriate Rohingya refugees.
The claim to be a pillar of stability is a laughable one, given that the Saudis have helped to create, in Yemen, a failed state on their southern border, and with the blockade of Qatar, irreparably harmed the GCC, which ought to serve as a bulwark against Saudi Arabia’s regional foe Iran.
As with much of what has passed for foreign policy under the aegis of bin Salman, the statement is a brazen mixture of bravura and hypocrisy. It is also an effort to buttress the support of Trump. Having lost Congress and key Republican backers, the crown prince knows that he needs the president.
On the other hand, Trump may not need bin Salman. With the US moving towards oil self-sufficiency and already in re-election mode, Trump will have to weigh up the risks.
Bin Salman is highly toxic, and if Trump senses that the relationship could cost him a second term, he will cut him loose. That could be the signal for senior members of the ruling family to push for the ouster of their brash and unruly leader.
Seen in that light, the foreign ministry statement is really a play for time - an attempt to keep Trump on board. However, in its arrogance and hypocrisy, you can measure a niggling sense of unease that for bin Salman, time may be running out – by Bill Law
https://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/mohammed-bin-salman-s-time-may-be-running-out-1324403187
(** B P)
Khashoggi Case Puts Light on Yemen’s Plight
Yet before the Khashoggi killing, the media in the U.S. published only limited coverage of the conflict. “I remember in the very beginning the press used to occasionally cover it and rarely mention the U.S. role,” says Alex Emmons, an Intercept reporter who covers Yemen on Capitol Hill. “I actually used to think every time a terrible Saudi-led airstrike attack would happen that this attack would definitely get huge attention and wouldn’t be swept under the rug, but eventually I would get disappointed and things would tend to be overlooked.”
Things changed after Khashoggi’s murder, with The New York Times taking the lead.
Yemen and U.S. Think Tanks
The think tanks Khoury mentioned have played a critical role in providing information about the war in Yemen, but many of these institutes are financially backed by Persian Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia. Leading think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the Middle East Instituteare among those that have received full or partial funding from the Middle East.
“For many years, in D.C.’s think tank world, there has been a general unwillingness to come down (as) hard on Saudi Arabia as they do on other countries,” Emmons says. “That’s probably because so many think tank organizations receive generous donations from Saudi Arabia.”
Think tanks often recruit scholars and analysts (including people who formerly worked in influential political positions) who produce policy papers that not only reflect an institutional bias but also favor the perspective of their donors. The analysts then appear on U.S. cable news shows as expert commentators. Given journalists’ lack of access to Yemen, these commentators serve as a replacement and a news source.
Whether through op-eds, television interviews or panel discussions, the think tanks have played a significant role in shaping public perception of the Middle East. Investigative reports have shown how the UAE and Saudi Arabia have bought influence, which has allowed those countries’ perspectives to dominate U.S. media and policymaking.
The Role of Advocacy Groups
Since the beginning of the war, nongovernmental organizations have played a critical role as advocates and reporters in Yemen. Their informational reports and interviews have been covered by the U.S. media and have presented compelling, on-the-ground content.
Many important issues in Yemen aren’t receiving adequate media coverage, according to representatives of other humanitarian groups. “When you look at the media coverage on Yemen, a lot of it—and fairly so—is on the humanitarian crisis and Saudi-led airstrikes,” says Kristine Beckerle, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Both these issues absolutely need to be covered, but things that get a lot less attention (include) UAE detention, Houthi abuses, complicated political maps like in Taiz.”
In the wake of the Khashoggi murder, observers believe expanded U.S. media coverage of Yemen may lead to concrete change. – by Afrah Nasser
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/khashoggi-case-puts-light-on-yemens-plight/
cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German
Siehe cp7
(A P)
Leiter von UN-Beobachtermission im Jemen eingetroffen
Der Leiter des UN-Teams zur Überwachung des Waffenstillstands in der jemenitischen Hafenstadt Hodeida ist am Samstag im Jemen eingetroffen. Der niederländische Ex-General Patrick Cammaert wird zunächst nur von einem Vortrupp der UN-Beobachter begleitet. Diese sollen unter anderem den Betrieb des Hafens sicherstellen und den geplanten Abzug der Rebellen aus der Stadt überwachen.
Nach Gesprächen in Aden mit Vertretern der international anerkannten und von Saudi-Arabien militärisch unterstützten jemenitischen Regierung wollte Cammaert in die von Rebellen kontrollierten Städte Sanaa und Hodeida weiterreisen.
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm9CCoyQZtQ
cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English
Look at cp7
(A P)
Photo: In preparation to control Hodeida as the “local forces” Houthis had their armed men to wear Central Security uniform.
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1076377984150528000
(** B H K)
In pivotal Yemeni city, scarred by war and cholera, a fragile ceasefire is tested
But in the coming days, this critical Red Sea port — and the sprawling metropolis it anchors — may become the most significant test for the international community’s ability to pressure Saudi Arabia and the coalition it leads into ending the war. If the past is an indicator, the prospects aren’t promising.
“Every time the sides say ‘ceasefire,’ they start fighting all over again,” said Nabit Muhammed, a taxi driver
The challenges were visible during a rare visit to Hodeida last week. After four years of war, suspicion runs deep .
“I don’t trust them,” said Moussa al-Qassimi, a wiry 20-something rebel fighter with an AK-47 rifle hanging from his shoulder. “They don’t fear Allah when it comes to bombing civilians. Do you think they will fear Allah when it comes to me?”
The ceasefire took effect Tuesday, and while both sides appeared to respect it at first, aid workers in Hodeida said Thursday that sporadic shelling and ground fighting had resumed. They said it was too early to say whether the ceasefire was unraveling.
U.N. and aid agency officials say defusing tensions in Hodeida and restoring the port to full operation could save millions of Yemenis from famine and open the way for a wider peace process.
“If there are signs of progress, for sure it will be a window of hope for the whole country,” said Susana Borges, who heads Doctors Without Borders projects in Hodeida.
Unlike previous ceasefires, this one is propelled by mounting international pressure on Saudi Arabia and its main partner, the United Arab Emirates, to end the war.
Once known as a vibrant port, exporting dates, coffee and cotton since the Ottoman Turks ruled Yemen in the mid-19th century, Hodeida is now a city of barriers.
Streets are carved up with large shipping containers, huge sand berms and sandbagged firing positions on corners and intersections. Snipers are posted on rooftops of buildings, said residents and aid workers.
Today, Hodeida is a military stalemate. The coalition forces have pushed into the city’s outer edges, surrounding the rebels from the south and the east. Off the coast to the west are Saudi warships. Only one northern road out of the city is accessible to the rebels.
The success of the ceasefire could determine the fate of thousands of Yemenis in the city who are starving or infected with cholera. Many are too poor or afraid to cross front lines, often laced with land mines, to access ill-equipped hospitals. The city was once home to 600,000 people, and now nearly two-thirds have fled. Few have returned.
Restaurants and shops remain open downtown, and traffic is congested. But in other areas, streets are empty and covered with trash. Cars with flat tires have been abandoned, if not stripped for spare parts.
Many people who are too poor to escape — or tried and failed — still remain.
“We ran out of money,” said Amran Mansour, a fisherman who fled two months ago. “We were forced to come back.”
U.N. officials fear thousands more could die of cholera, hunger or in the crossfire of house-by-house urban warfare if the ceasefire fails.
Already residents routinely die.
“The coalition is focusing only on pulling us out of Hodeida,” said Abdul Jabbar Ahmed Mohammed, the rebel deputy governor of the province. “What they were incapable taking by force, they will not be able to take it through deception.” – by Sudarsan Raghavan
(* A K P)
Acting Governor of Hodeidah Meets Technical Team of UN
The Acting Chargé d'affaires of Hodeidah governorate Mohamed Ayash Kahim met today with a UN technical team headed by the Director of Logistics Support at the Office of UN Envoy, André Bremello.
In the meeting, which was attended by the Undersecretary of the Governorate of Ali Qashr and Majdi al-Hassani, they discussed the technical arrangements for the visit of the UN team to the province, which is responsible for the implementation of the Swedish consultations.
In the meeting, the Chargé d'Affaires welcomed the technical team and expressed the readiness of the local authorities to facilitate the task of the team in the governorate.
He pointed to the importance for all parties to abide what was agreed in Sweden talks in order to stop the war and lift the human suffering by the Yemeni people.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4484&cat_id=1
Remark: Sanaa Houthi government’s governor.
(A P)
Head of U.N mission monitoring Hodeidah ceasefire arrives in Yemen: U.N. source
The head of a United Nations (U.N.) mission monitoring a ceasefire in Yemen’s Hodeidah arrived in Aden airport on Saturday, a U.N. source said.
Retired Dutch Major General Patrick Cammaert, after meeting government officials in Aden, will travel to Sana’a and then to the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the source said.
and film by TRT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c70yIdlwJAU
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UN to Deploy Additional Teams in Yemen to Assist Ceasefire
The United Nations will send an additional group of observers to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the Yemeni port city of Al Hudaydah, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Friday.
Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, the chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee "and an advanced team have already been deployed to the region," Dujarric said. "We will be deploying additional personnel in the coming days as we scale up to support and facilitate the implementation of the agreement that was reached in Stockholm."
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201812221070913888-un-yemen-ceasefire-assistance/
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Yemen's gov't, Houthi rebels trade blame for violating Hodeidah cease-fire
Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Houthi rebels on Saturday blamed each other for violations of a UN-brokered cease-fire in the country's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
According to the government-run Saba news agency website, the rebels shelled al-Fazah quarter on Friday, forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes.
The shelling came just a day after the rebels carried out missile attacks on two sites of the government troops in Dawar al-Matahin and Kilo 16 areas east of the city, killing four soldiers and wounding 16 others.
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels also accused the government troops of continuing breaches of the truce since it came into force on Tuesday.
They said the troops launched artillery attacks on al-Fazah quarter for the second consecutive day, according to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-12/22/c_137691942.htm
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President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government accused al Houthi forces of breaking the ceasefire in al Hudaydah governorate on December 20 and 21. Al Houthi forces shelled multiple locations in eastern al Hudaydah cityon December 20 and al Manzar village, south of al Hudaydah city, on December 21, according to Hadi government press releases. Emirati-backed Yemeni forces shelled al Houthi positions in eastern al Hudaydah city, according to an al Houthi press release.[2]
(A K P)
Film: Waffenruhe soll weitgehend halten
(A K pH)
In Hodiedah, two civilian were critically injured by US-Saudi mercenaries' gunshots in Attohayta district.
Artillery and machine-gun shelling targeted civilians' properties southern Attohayta, Al-Hook district, Kilo 16 and Al-Hali district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4497&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Saudi-led mercenaries shell villages in Hodeidah
The mercenaries of US-backed saudi-led aggression coalition on Saturday fired shells at villages in Hodeidah province, a security official said.
The artillery of the mercenaries hit Mahl-Shaikh village and combed with a machine gun Zafran village.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519911.htm
(A K pH)
Saudi-led coalition bombards areas in Hodeidah
The mercenaries of US-backed Saudi-led aggression coalition on Saturday shelled several areas in western coast a security official said.
The bombardments hit areas in Wahah area in the western coast
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519807.htm
(A K pH)
saudi-led mercenaries shell Hodeidah
The shelling targeted Mahl-Shaikh village in Kilo -16 area of Hali district
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519739.htm
In Hodiedah, US-Saudi mercenaries continuo breaching the declared truce in the governorate, targeting Al-Hali and Attohayta districts with artillery and machine guns.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4480&cat_id=1
(A K pS)
Yemen: Houthis Accused of Planting Mines in Northern Hodeidah
The legitimate Yemeni forces accused the Iran-backed Houthi militias of planting mines at the entrance of villages in the northern Hodeidah province.
The national army reported witnesses as saying that the militias planted the mines at the al-Kadan intersection in the al-Doha district villages.
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Yemen says rebels breached truce in port city, killing 4
Yemen's internationally recognized government says Shiite rebels have violated a U.N.-brokered cease-fire in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida with a barrage of artillery and rockets.
The pro-government Sabaa news agency quoted a military official as saying four members of an elite force were killed and 16 others were wounded in Saturday's shelling by the rebels, known as Houthis.
(A K pS)
Yemen's Houthi militia violates Sweden agreement on ceasefire in Hodeidah - Arab Coalition
The Arab Coalition supporting the legitimate Yemeni government said on Friday that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia has violated the Sweden agreement on a cease-fire in the strategic port city of Hodeidah.
“The cease-fire has been breached 62 times in the past 72 hours,” the coalition said in a statement published on the state run Al-Ekhbariya TV.
It explained that the terrorist group has been using all types of weapons, including mortars, RPGs, Katyusha rockets and ballistic missiles in violation of the cease-fire agreement.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1424071/saudi-arabia
My comment: Saudi figures often proved to be fake.
(A K P)
Dutch General, 8 Aides to Reach Hodeidah before Observers
UN observers are due in Yemen to head up monitoring teams tasked with overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire.
The chair of a committee formed by the UN, Retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, is expected to arrive in Hodeidah within two days, a western diplomat said.
A UN official also told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cammaert will only be accompanied by eight members of an initial advance team, and that other observers will later follow them to the Yemeni city.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1513946/dutch-general-8-aides-reach-hodeidah-observers
(A K pH)
Dec. 20: In Hodiedah, A child was killed by US-Saudi snipers in At-tohayta. US-Saudi mercenaries fired a number of artillery shells in Kilo 16, firing an hotel.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4452&cat_id=1
(B H K)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: Al Hudaydah Update Situation Report No. 16, Reporting period: 5 - 13 December 2018
There were no major changes in the situation in and around Al Hudaydah City in the first half of December, prior to the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the warring parties following the political consultations in Sweden from 6 to 13 December.
During the reporting period, intermittent airstrikes and artillery fire continued in areas around Al Hudaydah City, particularly in the east and northeastern outskirts, while hostilities continued in southern districts.
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen war
(B)
One step towards amplifying the Voices of Yemeni women Yemeni Women You Should Follow on Twitter (2/x) Feel free to suggest other Yemeni Women that you feel should be added to this list. HAL #Yemen #Yemeniwomen
https://twitter.com/Hlashuel/status/1076397050605039621
https://twitter.com/Hlashuel/status/1076396026356027392
https://twitter.com/Hlashuel/status/1076455464647512064
(* B H K P)
Film: Yemen the Forgotten Famine
MENE Centre in Dublin held an event on 18 Dec 2018 about Yemen called the Forgotten Famine
The speaker was Mr Nasser Arrabyee. He spoke live from Sanna in Yemen through Skype. Mr Arrabyee running a media production company in Sanaa, called Yemen Alaan. He is a Yemeni journalists writing in western media outlets including the New York Times and Guardian, And also regional out lets like Ahram weekly of Egypt and Gulf News of UAE. He’s also film maker, he made documentary films about Yemen
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1076474343427883008 (main points9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXkXTe5oQpc
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Film: Panama Papers, Yemen & Rick Sanchez
Jesse Ventura and Brigida Santos host a special end of the year episode. They discuss the most underreported stories of 2018 including Yemen, the Panama Papers, climate change and homelessness. Jesse answers social media questions from the viewers. RT America Anchor Rick Sanchez joins Jesse to talk about the corporatization of the media and analyze the events of the past year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCswNsbATCc
(A H P)
Head of National Prisoners’ Committee Visits Buthaina after Her Arrival to Sana’a
The Head of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs and member of the National Delegation, Abdul Qader Al-Murtada, visited the girl Buthaina "Eye of Humanity" after her liberation and arrival to the capital Sana'a.
Al-Murtada said: "After we gave their names in the lists of prisoners, detainees and abductees in the consultations of Sweden, Saudi Arabia felt that it is facing a scandal that forced it to release them before the date of exchange. Yesterday, they arrived the capital Sana'a so Buthaina and her family are the first prisoners that were released.
"After the US-Saudi Aggression had killed all members of her family, it kidnapped her with her uncle and his family and placed them under house arrest. They then imprisoned her uncle for six months in a Saudi prison for refusing to give up the cause of his brother's daughter.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4473&cat_id=1
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftgu6b3P3qQ
photos: https://twitter.com/commonsense575/status/1076181123775062017
(B K)
The fisherman Awad Abdo Suleiman Kulaib .. Four months spent in Sabih Hospital and the Saudi Navy prison
one of the four fishermen held by the Saudi authorities.
Awad spoke painfully useful that one of the Saudi soldiers aimed his weapon at him and he says this injury was eloquent .. Was bleeding from his arms and legs .. His left hand was injured by several fractures. One of the Saudi soldiers who were on the barge wanted to get rid of him. ... (Arabic; with photo)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/1949488772013774
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Behind the Reporting: The Journey of an American Bomb From Arizona to Yemen
In this week’s newsletter: behind the reporting of the magazine’s latest feature from Yemen
They didn’t. When I arrived in the North, a representative from the Houthi ministry of information said they couldn’t guarantee my safety in Arhab, so I couldn’t go. He seemed sincere, but it was possible that he was both sincere about my safety and sincerely wanting to control my coverage. He also said that the villagers no longer wanted to talk to me. I found that devastating, largely because I couldn’t blame them. It was the one thing I wasn’t prepared to push back on no matter how far I’d come. But I had checked several times before leaving the United States, and I couldn’t understand why they had changed their minds.
My editors in New York and I began trying and mostly failing to talk by phone and come up with a new reporting plan. We didn’t have much time. My money, my visas and my access to the North would last about a week. After two days, I had made no progress, and I decided to make one last attempt to sway the Houthis on letting me go to Arhab.
That evening, I had only just arrived at my hotel when a phone I assumed didn’t work rang in my room. It was one of the researchers. He was actually in the lobby — he had followed me back. He had already spoken to two people in Arhab who wanted to cooperate. Before we finished talking, a fixer called to say that the ministry already knew. It had heard that the researchers were in touch with people in Arhab and that the people in Arhab were willing to talk, and now the Houthis promised not to get in my way. The ministry would call ahead to the checkpoints and try to ensure my safe passage.
When I got to Arhab the next day, I was led into a classroom. So many people filed in to share their stories that someone closed the door to keep people out. The room started to grow dark, because outside, people blocked from entering were beginning to press against the windows – by Jeffrey E. Stern
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/magazine/yemen-syria-afghanistan-newsletter.html
This is the article by Stern: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/magazine/war-yemen-american-bomb-strike.html and interview https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/17/from_arizona_to_yemen_how_bombs
(B H K)
Leitartikel: Die Not im Jemen ist eine Schande - auch für uns
Die derzeit schlimmste humanitäre Krise der Welt stürzt Millionen Menschen ins Elend. Warum uns der Krieg im Jemen etwas angeht, kommentiert Autor Andreas Jungbauer (nur im Abo)
(B H K)
Jemen: Eine humanitäre Krise, die nicht enden will
Grund für die laut UNO schlimmste humanitäre Krise unserer Zeit ist nicht etwa eine Dürre oder andere Naturkatastrophe.
Es ist ein Konflikt um Macht und Geld, der sich zu einem brutalen Stellvertreterkrieg zweier Regionalmächte mit Zehntausenden Toten ausgewachsen hat.
„Es gibt Menschen, die schon zwei, drei mal geflohen sind und jedes Mal dachten, das sie nun in Sicherheit sind", berichtet MSF-Projektleiterin Sigrid Lamberg, die bis zum Sommer selbst im Jemen arbeitete, dem KURIER. Viele hätten Freunde und Familienmitglieder verloren und Angst um die Zukunft.
In ihrer täglichen Arbeit sind die Mitarbeiter in den 12 von MSF betriebenen Spitälern im Jemen laut Lamberg vor allem mit Schusswunden und Verletzungen durch Luftangriffe oder Verkehrsunfälle konfrontiert.
Immer wieder gebe es auch schwer unterernährte Kinder.
Ohne ausreichend Nahrung seien die Menschen anfälliger für Krankheiten. Dazu komme, dass die vor dem Krieg üblichen flächendeckenden staatlichen Impfprogramme eingestellt werden mussten. Medizinische Hilfe ist vor allem auf dem Land oft nur schwer zu erreichen, Patienten kämen mitunter zu spät ins Spital.
Mein Kommentar: Der Krieg ist KEIN suadisch-iranischer “Stellvertreterkrieg”.
(* B K P)
Wann dieser Bürgerkrieg endet, bestimmt nicht Washington
Auf Drängen der US-Regierung gibt es Friedensgespräche über den Konflikt im Jemen. Ob der Krieg endet, hängt aber von vielen Fronten ab, vor allem der innerjemenitischen.
Ironischerweise war es erst der Mord an dem Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi, der Bewegung in die diplomatischen Fronten im Jemen-Krieg brachte. Das wahrscheinlich vom saudi-arabischen Kronprinzen Mohammad bin Salman in Auftrag gegebene Verbrechen veranlasste Öffentlichkeit und Politik in den USA, den Krieg der Saudis im Jemen einer kritischen Überprüfung zu unterziehen.
wurde der Widerstand von Parlament und Öffentlichkeit zu einer Gefahr für die Nahostpolitik der US-Regierung.
Bereits seit 2016 hatte diese Saudi-Arabienzum Dreh- und Angelpunkt ihrer Bemühungen um eine breite Front gegen Iran auserkoren. Die Reaktionen auf die Ermordung Khashoggis drohten also die enge Bindung zwischen Washington und Riad zu gefährden, sodass die US-Regierung Saudi-Arabien aufforderte, Friedensgespräche zu beginnen.
Der Jemen-Krieg ist im Kern eine innerjemenitische Auseinandersetzung, auf die Saudi-Arabien und die VAE mit einer Intervention reagierten.
Da beide Seiten ihre Kriegsziele in den letzten Jahren der realen Lage angepasst haben, sollte es bei den Friedensgesprächen keine unüberwindbaren Differenzen geben. Bedenklich stimmt aber, dass beide Seiten immer noch zu glauben scheinen, den Konflikt für sich entscheiden zu können.
Beim Blick auf den Jemen ist in Deutschland oft die Rede von einem Stellvertreterkrieg. Es handelt sich im Jemen aber in erster Linie um einen Bürgerkrieg, in den Saudi-Arabien und die VAE intervenieren. Selbst wenn die Nachbarstaaten ihren Krieg gegen die Huthis beenden und die Iraner ihre Unterstützung für die Rebellen einstellen, wird dies folglich nicht das Ende des Konfliktes bringen: Die vielen jemenitischen Akteure dürften weiterhin um Macht und Einfluss kämpfen – von Guido Steinberg
https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2018-12/jemen-buergerkrieg-usa-saudi-arabien-friedensgespraeche
Mein Kommentar: “Es handelt sich im Jemen aber in erster Linie um einen Bürgerkrieg, in den Saudi-Arabien und die VAE intervenieren“: Damit ist es aber eben nicht nur mehr ein Bürgerkrieg.
(* A P)
Human Rights Update from ( 12 December to 17 December 2018)
http://belqeesrights.org/2018/12/17/human-rights-update-from-12-december-to-17-december-2018/
(* B P)
Why This Picture of a Girl Starving in Yemen Was One of the Most Important Photos of 2018
Entire families lie buried under the rubble in Sana’a, Taiz, Hoddaidah and elsewhere across Yemen. In almost every house, children cry out in suffering, while the outside world knows nothing of them.
But the world did learn of 7-year-old Amal Hussein, through her portrait, which so accurately portrays the state of Yemen. Hers is the face of a conflict that for four years has brought into question the entire future of the children of Yemen — or whether in fact, they will have a future at all.
Mere days after her photograph was published in the New York Times, capturing the attention of millions across the world, Amal became one of the millions of Yemeni children who are falling like dead autumn leaves after four years of starvation, shelling, landmines and epidemics of preventable diseases.
The international community is wholly responsible, yet seems unconcerned. This is because Yemen does not produce adequate amounts of oil and is therefore of no interest to the very outsiders whose neglect and inaction fuels the war.
Children do not understand the meaning of Iranian influence, nor of arms deals with oil-rich states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — two countries that in particular believe that they have bought the silence of the international community and that they can do whatever they like. – by Tawakkol Karman
http://time.com/5482864/time-top-10-photos-2018-yemen-amal-war-starvation/
(A P)
Yemeni Media Union Condemns The "Reporters Without Borders" Ignoring For The Crimes Of The Saudi Coalition Against Journalists In #Yemen
The Yemeni Media Union (YMU) expresses its regret over the indicators of the annual report of Reporters Without Borders on freedom of the press, which appeared biased towards the Saudi alliance, which is waging a fierce war against Yemen. The report of 2018 recently issued ignored crimes and violations by the Saudi coalition against Yemeni journalists, lastly, targeting four journalists and employees in #Hodeidah Radio in western Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.963391330380564/2058328794220140/
(* B P)
Hesitant Hope for the Fate of Yemen
Major political breakthroughs provide an opportunity to rein in the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. But progress is fragile.
For one, the Sweden negotiations are still on shaky ground. On December 17, Griffiths announced that the ceasefire in Hodeida was set to commence the following day. But for a few hours after implementation, there was still intense fighting between government and Houthi forces around the city. And even if the Hodeida truce holds, some analysts question whether it will actually function as a step toward peace. As Nadwa Al-Dawsari, an expert in the internal dynamics of Yemen, has pointed out, temporary, internationally brokered political settlements have collapsed before. “The devil is in the details,” she wrote; as long as the international community sees temporary agreements like Hodeida as the end goal, and as long as the internal political conflicts remain un-addressed, Yemen is doomed to further turmoil.
On the UN side, there’s also the issue of the Security Council, which is often overlooked in conversations about Yemen. The current Security Council resolution pertaining to the war—passed in April 2015, just weeks after the start of the Saudi-led intervention—is inadequate and severely outdated. It calls on the Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital city for more than four years, to effectively give up, and doesn’t provide enforcement mechanisms for future treaties. In late November, the United States and other Security Council members blocked a new Yemen resolution, proposed by the United Kingdom, that would have specifically addressed Hodeida. In light of the aggressive, and effective, lobbying by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it’s hard to know when another resolution might have a chance at passing.
On the US side, although it sent an encouraging message, the December 13 Senate vote was not nearly enough to effect material change – by Chris Gelardi
https://www.thenation.com/article/yemen-ceasefire-breakthrough-congress-war-powers/
(* B K P)
Is Yemen Our Future?
Socially sanctioned killing is called war. The word “war” may be the most powerful word in human history, because it creates a mask of respectability for — that is, it conceals — the dehumanization and mass slaughter of a designated enemy, along with limitless environmental contamination. When we’re “waging war,” we have given ourselves permission not to know what we are doing, even if what we’re doing is putting life on Planet Earth in danger of extinction.
Say hello to Yemen, the possible future of all of us!
I declare that the human race is in the process of redefining itself. The last people to know about this are the powerful, the ones with the largest investment in the status quo, but even they are learning in spite of themselves.
As humanity reaches for a green existence — as it struggles to find its way back into the circle of life — it must step beyond the insanity of war. We must know that we are killing, at long last, and find within the courage to stop – by Robert Koehler
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2018/12/20/yemen-our-future = https://original.antiwar.com/robert-koehler/2018/12/21/yemen-our-future/
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US Teams Up With Saudi Arabia to Murder More Civilians in Yemen
In yet another “disgusting” move, the United States has teamed up with Saudi Arabia to delay a United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing the Hodeidah ceasefire agreement reached last week.
Meanwhile, the rising death toll of children in Saudi-led war on Yemen is generating strong messages of condemnation from international institutions and human rights organisations – with the United Nations remaining helpless as killings keep multiplying.
This cannot be allowed to happen. This is an important issue and it should receive great attention by the media as well. Together with the international civil society, they should force the Saudis and their allies to respect the deal and to stop bombing civilians and come to terms with accountability for the devastating loss of civilian lives at their hands.
In particular, the world community should call on the UN to abandon its politics of shame and review the Saudi war crimes and act on it, which has received international attention and condemnation in recent days.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13971001001234
Remark: From Iran – but simply the truth, nevertheless.
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Film: With tears and hope, 10-year-old Malak awaits #peace so she can see her family and friends. Her story was filmed by children and young people in #Yemen for World Children’s Day.
https://twitter.com/UNICEF/status/1076609593118281730
(B H)
UNICEF: The most beautiful pictures of today in #Yemen today (in my opinion): water for 45,000 people. Thanks to @KfW and @UNICEF_Yemen in collaboration with the Water and Sanitation authorities. (photos9
https://twitter.com/RelanoMeritxell/status/1076468274576191488
(B H)
UNICEF: Sewerage interventions in Yemen provide access to clean water. Photos from Harran-Dhamar (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/unicefyemen/posts/2085977308134968
(* B H K)
Educational Suffering of Yemenis, 2500 Schools Destroyed by US-Saudi Aggression
Since the US-Saudi aggression has started, Yemen has suffered from low levels of education and even the threat of collapse.
According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund UNICEF , about 2 million children have dropped out of education since 2015, while international organizations say about 2,500 schools have been destroyed or partially damaged or turned into shelters for displaced people.
In spite of the severe damage caused by the aggression to the education sector in Yemen, as well as the killing thousands of students and educational staff, the Yemenis steadfastness led them to continue studying and teaching in these destroyed schools.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4487&cat_id=1
(* B H)
National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response: NFDHR turns arid lands into productive green spaces
Yemeni people have historically been closely linked to their lands, with most Yemenis working in agriculture, especially in rural areas.
In most areas of the country, the soil is fertile and arable for agriculture. Crops vary from one region to another.
Tehama region is considered as one of the most fertile and cultivable lands in the country and its productivity increases with nurture.
Al-Qanboor village is one of the villages of Az-Zuhra District in Hodeida Governorate, which owns vast areas of agricultural land. However, the scarcity of rain water and the drought of the wells around many of them to arid lands. For instance, the area of more than (4356 m2 ) which belongs to Ali Ameen, one of the beneficiaries of the distribution of improved agricultural seeds implemented by the National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response (NFDHR) within the activities of the project of food security and agriculture funded by Vision Hope International (VHI).
The land is located near the water project, which was rehabilitated by the foundation and provided with a solar pumping system to provide clean drinking water and vegetable crops irrigation to the 96 inhabitants of the village.
The Foundation carried out a training program on agricultural procedures for the cultivation and care of vegetable crops. The beneficiaries received information on the processing of the land for agriculture, the methods of planting each crop, the procedures of planting, irrigation, harvesting, milling and preparation of municipal fertilizer. And started farming under the supervision of the agricultural promoter.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/nfdhr-turns-arid-lands-productive-green-spaces
(* B H)
Film: Child wishes in Yemen - What do you wish for the future?
https://www.facebook.com/StopTheWarOnYemen/videos/212475439694177/
(B H K)
„Der Jemen ist für Kinder die Hölle auf Erden“
Geert Cappelaere, Regionaldirektor des UN-Kinderhilfswerks Unicef für den Nahen Osten, im Gespräch über die humanitären Zustände im Jemen und den Unterschied zum Krieg in Syrien.
Für ein Kind ist der Jemen derzeit der schlimmste Ort überhaupt, die Hölle auf Erden. Abend für Abend gehen sieben Millionen Kinder hungrig schlafen. 400.000 Kinder sind lebensbedrohlich unterernährt. (im Abo)
(* B H K)
UNICEF: Helping Yemen's Children Heal From the Wounds of War
"Support from UNICEF and other humanitarian partners is literally saving lives and giving children a glimmer of hope," says Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
On a recent visit to the UNICEF-supported Prostheses and Physiotherapy Center in Aden, Yemen, Cappelaere met children who are recovering from a war they didn't start, but for which they are paying the highest price.
Landmines and unexploded ordnance are a constant threat in Yemen, endangering children's safety at every turn. At the Prostheses Center, a welcoming place with games and toys and friendly staff members, injured children are fitted with artificial limbs.
Through the victim assistance project, the children receive free accommodation and transportation for themselves and a guardian for the length of their stay, typically between 12 and 15 days. Children work with physical therapists who help them learn how to use their new prostheses. Progress can be slow, but the children are eager and determined. In 2018, 98 children received treatment at the center.
"Only when engaging with the children directly does one realize how numerous and deep the scars are," says Cappelaere. "Behind the numbers, there are children with names, faces, families, friends, stories, shattered dreams and lives cut short.
"Zakaria, a 12-year-old boy I met at the rehabilitation center, was herding his goats when he stepped on a landmine and was maimed for life. He was wondering if he would ever see his favorite goat again.
"Alia, who is nine, [above, with Cappelaere] was sleeping when her house came under attack. She woke up in hospital without her legs. Alia is dreaming of becoming a doctor (with photos)
https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/helping-yemens-children-heal-wounds-war/35296
(B H)
Film: She lives in the ruins of an old truck but she is not worthy of assistance because she doesn't own a kitchen ! Watch her story
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1076140668857266177
(B H)
Tweeting on behalf of @AhmadAlgohbary : Baby Wael in #Yemen is getting better. Thanks for all your donations to get him to the clinic for a full course of malnutrition treatment and a special thanks to @LayaBehbahani who collected donations (photos)
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/1075830780285337605
(* B H)
UN food boss to Yemen fighters: 'Children are dying because of you'
Beasley is a Republican politician from South Carolina, who once served as the state’s governor. He says a lifetime of lessons learned in southern U.S. politics served him well in an ongoing effort to push Yemen’s belligerents into stanching the bloodshed that has killed tens of thousands, including countless children.
Beasley travelled to Hodeida last month, and held meetings with Houthis and government-backed forces. He’s also travelled throughout the region, winning support from Saudi Arabia’s key ally, the United Arab Emirates.
On his first trip to the region one year earlier, “I was brutal on the Saudis because of the blockade and because of the lack of financial, humanitarian support.”
Back then, he told the Houthis, “I’m not doing this because I’m taking sides. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do, and if you cross the line I will jump on your back just as hard.”
On his return trip last month, Beasley concluded that the Houthis had indeed crossed a line. The Saudis and Emiratis gave political support to end the Hodeida blockade and they ponied up money. The Houthis weren’t holding up their end.
“I told them very clearly that I was hard on the Saudis a year ago and it is my intention to let the world know that if children die because of lack of access — because of you — I will tell the world children are dying because of you,” said Beasley.
“The result was very positive.”
(A H)
#SFDYemen concluded 3 training courses for laboratory staff from all public health facilities operating in #Hajjah #Yemen. 102 Bachelor's & Diploma holders were trained on the Laboratory Quality & Safety Standards Program. 80 hospitals & centers have benefited from the training (photo)
https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1075993130745372674
(* B H)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: GIEWS Country Brief: Yemen 21-December-2018
Conflict continues to threaten agricultural livelihoods
Persistent conflict continues to seriously compromise all economic activities, including agricultural livelihoods. Supply of urea, seeds and fuel is particularly scarce in Aden, Hodeidah and Al Baidha governorates, while high prices are reported in all governorates. High fuel prices are constraining agricultural activities, particularly those related to irrigated crops, with consequent increases in the share of rainfed crops which, in turn, bear lower yields.
Below-average cereal harvest in 2018
Total cereal production in 2018 is estimated at 440 000 tonnes, slightly below the previous year’s conflict-affected harvest, but over 30 percent below the five-year average.
Almost 20 million people estimated to be food insecure in absence of assistance
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/giews-country-brief-yemen-21-december-2018
(* B H)
Yemen: The story of the child that survives
Confronted daily with images of emaciated children, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there is no food in Yemen. In fact, there’s food all around, but economic collapse has caused the value of the Riyal to plummet and the price of most basic food items to soar. A simple nutritious meal is no longer attainable for many families.
The food security crisis in Yemen is man-made, a perfect storm of conflict, economic collapse, rising prices, and problems of supply and distribution. The World Food Programme and partners are providing nutrition support to 1.3 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, with plans to scale up further. But the situation is complex.
The near collapse of the public health sector has seen . And while we are operating in 70 percent of those still functioning, many people in need of treatment are stuck in their homes due to fighting, or can’t afford transport there. Access and administrative issues mean we can’t get supplies into some areas, and we can’t secure enough visas for our international staff. Other humanitarian organizations face the same challenges.
Reports show that half of children in Yemen are stunted, and that stunting rates have being increasing steadily since the beginning of the crisis.
We know how to prevent stunting. The humanitarian community has all the expertise needed to deliver effective nutrition interventions in an emergency context. What we need is unimpeded access, visas for our staff, funding to scale up, and—of course—lasting peace.
Today in Yemen, we are in a race to save lives. But survival isn’t the only objective: We need to ensure that those who survive have a future to look forward to and a chance to live out their potential.
We only have 1,000 days to get it right. The clock is ticking.
http://news.trust.org//item/20181221085800-ik2ur/
(* B H)
Sie entkam mit 11 der Kinderehe – heute kämpft Nada für Gerechtigkeit für alle Mädchen
Nada al-Ahdal entkam nur knapp einem grausamen Schicksal, wie es im Jemen viele junge Mädchen erleiden.
Mit ihren nur fünfzehn Jahren ist sie eine Art Popstar. Doch nicht mit Musik oder Schauspielerei hat sie es zu Bekanntheit gebracht – sondern durch ihren Einsatz für Menschenrechte.
Im Jahr 2013 wird die damals 11-Jährige schlagartig international bekannt. Bei Youtube veröffentlicht sie ein Video, das später sogar von CNN und Nachrichtensendern in aller Welt gezeigt werden wird. Über 6 Millionen Views sammelt der rund zweieinhalbminütige Clip alleine in drei Tagen.
Der Grund: Nada, sie trägt die Haare damals offen, berichtet von ihrer bevorstehenden Zwangsheirat. “Da wäre ich tot besser dran“, sagt sie. “Mach nur, verheirate mich. Dann werde ich mich umbringen.“
Sie erzählt auch von ihrer Tante, die mit 14 Jahren verheiratet worden sei. Sie habe sich daraufhin mit Benzin übergossen und selbst angezündet. Es sind Sätze, die Gänsehaut auslösen – und ein gewaltiges Medienecho.
Dezember 2018: Nada spricht vor Schulkindern in Al-Ghaydah. Saudi-Arabien hat gerade fast 200.000 Schulbücher für die Region bereitgestellt, die 15-Jährige soll die Spende feierlich besiegeln.
Auch Nada bekam ihre Chance – zunächst floh sie vor ihren eigenen Eltern zu ihrem Onkel. Nachdem ihr Video im Jahr 2013 um die Welt ging, schalteten sich die jemenitische Regierung und eine Mediatorin ein.
Mein Kommentar: Leider lässt Nada sich offenbar hier von denen instrumentalisieren, deren Ideologie so wie keine andere eben für das steht, was sie bekämpfen will.
(* B H)
VERONIQUE DE VIGUERIE, FRANKREICH
JEMEN: ZWISCHEN LEBEN UND TOD
Alle zehn Minuten stirbt im Jemen ein Kind an behandelbaren Krankheiten. Nie, sagt die erfahrene französische Fotografin Veronique de Viguerie, habe sie so viele Verletzungen der UN-Konvention der Rechte des Kindes gesehen wie vor allem im Norden des Jemen.
Kinder schlafen in den Straßen, weil ihre Häuser aus der Luft zerbombt werden. Kinder werden zu Bettlern, weil ihre Familien kein Einkommen mehr haben. Kinder werden zu Waisen und Krüppeln, Kinder leiden an schrecklicher Unterernährung, Kinder verhungern. Oder sind, wie über zwei Millionen Jemeniten, auf der Flucht vor Luftangriffen, Kämpfen und wachsender Not. Da die Lehrer seit fast zwei Jahren nicht mehr bezahlt werden, gehen zwei Millionen Mädchen und Jungen nicht zur Schule. Und da es oft nicht einmal Benzin für Krankentransporte gibt, sterben Menschen, bevor sie in eines der wenigen noch funktionsfähigen Krankenhäuser kommen (Fotos)
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
Yemen UNHCR Operational Update, 21 December 2018
Key figures:
22.2M people in need
2M internally displaced persons (IDP)
89% of IDPs displaced for more than one year
1M IDP returnees
1.2M IDPs given in-kind or cash assistance in 2018
322K IDPs assisted as part of the Al Hudaydah response since June 2018
Funding
USD 198.7 M required for 2018
USD 139.2 M received as of 18 December 2018
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-21-december-2018
My comment: For a whole year, UNCHR needed just the sum Saudi Arabia is spending for a single day of aerial war – since 1368 days now. And UNCHR even just got 70 % of the sum required. Disgusting.
(A H)
International Organization for Migration: Cross Border Movements - Somalia (November 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/cross-border-movements-somalia-november-2018
(A)
The Supreme Council for Yemeni Communities Abroad condemned the murder of a Yemeni civilian by the guards of the #UN refugees' camp Somalia
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1075904420284690439
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A H P)
Health Minister meets UNICEF representative in Yemen
Minister of Public Health and Population Dr. Taha Al-Mutawakel discussed on Monday UNICEF Resident Representative in Yemen, Meritxell Relano, the coordination mechanism between the Ministry and the Organization, especially regarding the projects implemented by UNICEF in Yemen.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519838.htm
(A P)
Abdulsalam: US-Saudi Aggression Prevents Humanitarian Air Bridge
The Head of the National Delegation, Mohamed Abdulsalam, on Friday, said that the US-Saudi Aggression refuses to open Sanaa International Airport and prevents the Air Bridge between the Ministry of Health and a number of health organizations to transport critical and humanitarian cases.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4468&cat_id=1
(A P)
Day by day, the #Iran-backed #Houthi militia is proving that it is a repetition of #Taliban; through their acts as well as the restrictions they are imposing on people's lives. They recently distributed posters, warning students of gender-diversity in #Campus (photo)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1076246894286909440
(B K)
Film: The #Houthis drove us out of our homes and then withdrew but did not remove the mines...! What happened next?
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1017122486411038720
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(* A P)
A public event in Al-Mahrah to condemned the Saudi presence in Sarveet border
A public event took place in “Hawf” in Mahrah governorate Friday evening to denounce what they described as the excesses of Saudi forces at Sarveet port on the border with the Sultanate of Oman.
In his speech, Sheikh Salem Ali Yaser a prominent member of the Directorate said: "Saudi interference in the Affairs of the Administration and Security Directorate is rejected in toto".
Participants expressed solidarity of the sons of Hawf with the families of the victims who died in the tunnel incident over a month ago in confrontations between citizens protesting on creating new security posts and security personnel in the town of Al-Ghaidha, capital of the province.
Activists from the region also confirmed that "Hawf" is a nature reserve and could not bear the camps threatening the life of the reserve.
These public movements are associated with an influential struggle between Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman on the area
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162405
(A T)
Taiz. A joint Commission to investigate mass graves
The Commission's work aims to explore the unknown graves in the areas which the confrontations between the army and outlaw gangs.
Governor directives stressed the need for the Commission to survey these areas carefully, and perform an investigation, to find anonymous graves.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162415
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-26294
and
(* A T)
Taiz security Authorities we identified the identity of one of the soldiers buried in the mass grave
A senior security source in Taiz governorate Police Department has identified one of the soldiers who found in secret graves East of Taiz and forensic evidence and the prosecution continues its investigations to find out the identity of the remaining 11 soldiers.
"Al-smail market" Taiz city remain since defeating Houthis in 2016 under the control of terrorist groups widely believed to relate to Al-Qaeda, referred to as responsible for the implementation of the dozens of assassinations of national army, political and military members and a crew workers in Red cross (Hanna Lahoud) who was killed in May.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162404
(* A T)
Civilian casualties in a grenade attack on a police station in Hadramawt
A youth was killed and 30 others injured, including security soldiers in a grenade attack, Friday evening, in the Shihr city -Hadramawt.
Security Information Center said that unknown aboard a motorcycle threw a grenade during a rally after throwing a stun grenade before the new Security Center building in Shihr.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162400
and
(* A T)
Amid Security Chaos, Dozens Civilians Killed, Injured in Hadhramaut
Two civilians were killed and 15 others were injured on Friday by a bombing that was detonated at security office in Ash Shahr city, in the Occupied governorate of Hadhramaut. According to media sources close to the US-Saudi aggression, "unknown man on a motorcycle attacked with a bomb civilians and security men during their gathering after the explosion of a sonic bomb in front of the gate of the security center east of Hadramout."
The sources added that the explosion killed two people and wounded about 15 people, noting that the wounded, including children, young men and security men are in serious and moderate injuries.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4492&cat_id=1
and
(* A T)
Shihr town, Hadhramaut : Grenade attack on security HQ, followed 12 mins later by detonation of remote-controlled IED after a crowd gathered, has killed 2 civilians, incl a boy aged 6.
https://twitter.com/BaFana3/status/1076464464919187456
https://twitter.com/hakar__1/status/1076475083277959168 (photos9
(* B P)
Southern Yemen demands split from North amid fears of fresh conflict: 'We will defend our lands'
As the UN votes to move monitors to flashpoint city of Hodeidah, southern Yemeni leaders demand an independent south, warning peace cannot be achieved if succession demands are ignored
The leader of a growing independence movement in south Yemen has called for a split from the north and warned southerners would “defend” their lands militarily if ignored, igniting fears the country could face another civil war.
Speaking to The Independent, Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, president of the so-called Southern Transitional Council, demanded an immediate referendum on the secession issue and urged the United Nations to address the “southern question” in future peace talks scheduled from next month.
The former governor of Aden said the STC was "extremely disappointed” it was excluded from recent UN-held peace talks in Sweden, which resulted in a tense truce between the Houthi rebels and the recognised Yemeni government.
Mr al-Zoubaidi warned that southern forces would defend their lands if they were not taken seriously, claiming the majority of the South wanted a return to independence, with the southern port city of Aden as their capital.
“The STC will aim to launch a dialogue with all Yemeni political parties and use all peaceful and democratic means to discuss the right of self-determination. The southern people have been struggling since 1991 to restore the legitimacy of our land,” he said.
“We respect all UN laws and resolutions, we prefer dialogue over disagreements, but if that doesn’t happen we will defend ourselves and our land energetically. We are on the ground military and security wise, and we will defend our land with all means and options available."
Mr al-Zoubaidi, who is based between Aden and the UAE, says now is the time to address the southern question.
(A H P)
The Yemeni Teachers Syndicate is holding a protest to demand their financial dues in Aljawf governorate and to demand a salary increment equal to teachers in other liberated governorates of #Yemen.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1076118876172283904
(* A B P)
Al Bahssani on a long visit to Riyadh.. Hadramawt between Saudi Arabia and UAE
The visit of Hadramawt Governor General Faraj al-Bahssani to the Saudi capital Riyadh started at the beginning of this month and so far it is the longest for the al-Bahssani governor outside the province since his appointment about two years ago.
After a cold relationship of al-Bahsasni with the leadership of the legitimate authority during the last period, the relationship recently witnessed a remarkable change as the Bahsni held intensive meetings with officials of the legitimate authority in Riyadh.
In addition to the sudden improvement in the relationship between the governor and the legitimacy authority, these meetings gave a clear indication that Hadramawt had changed its destination after it had been linked to Abu Dhabi in the past period.
Two days before the governor's departure, the US and Saudi ambassadors to Yemen were in al-Mukalla for the inauguration of a Saudi oil grant and during the visit announced the handover of the task of protecting the coast of Hadramawt to the Yemeni coast Guard after undergoing a training program.
The political activist Aref Ben Jaber believes that the political and security files on the Hadramawt coast were not satisfying to the Saudi side.
On the political situation on the coast of Hadramawt, activist Ben Jaber said that the tone of the separatists demanding that Hadramawt be a region under the project "South Arab " rose and with direct and indirect support of the authority on the coast of Hadramawt, and considered that this contradicts the direction of Saudi Arabia, which took the responsibility of restoring legitimacy and building of the federal State from six regions and the stated objectives of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
According to activist Ben Jaber, the governor's travel to Riyadh accompanied by his deputy, Amro bin Habbrish, is part of the new transformation, with the coalition leading direct supervision and the participation of the legitimate government in all liberated areas
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162371
Remark: “legitimacy authority” = Hadi government. – This article refers to the long-lasting Saudi-UAE rivalry in Southern Yemen, the Saudis supporting the Hadi government, the UAE in reality supporting the separatists. Now the Hadramauth governor seems to have changed sides.
(A T)
Two soldiers killed and another wounded in the blast in Al-Mahfad- Abyan
A local source said to the Al-Masdar online that two soldiers of the security belt were killed and another wounded on Thursday by an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting the car of the military leader in pro-UAE forces
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162368
(A P)
U.S. ambassador praises the level of security services in Marib Governorate
US ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tuller praised the level of security services in Marib province.
This came during Ambassador Toller's visit to Marib province, on Thursday, and his meeting with the governor of Marib, Sheikh Sultan bin Ali al-Aradah, and a number of officials
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162367
My comment: Tueller is less “ambassador” than the most important svengali and powerbroker. US ambassador Tueller (not: Toller) is one of the most extreme backers of the Saudi coalition. He has a very great influence – much more than an ambassador to a failed 3. World government would have – and seems to be an important and horrible puppet master in the background: https://theintercept.com/2017/12/13/yemen-war-peace-talks-matthew-tueller/.
(A P)
TRT staff detained by UAE forces in Yemen’s Aden have been freed
Sources speaking to Daily Sabah said Turkish public broadcaster TRT staff detained by UAE forces by mistake in Yemen's Aden, and have been freed.
A crew of Turkey's public broadcaster TRT has been detained Friday by United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces in Yemen's southern port city of Aden
(A P)
Al-Maharah People Confront Saudi Occupation Forces in a New Escalation
The Organizing Committee of Al-Mahara Peaceful Demonstration confirmed its rejection of the violations against the citizens in Hof district, in Al-Mahra governorate. The committee said in a statement that "Al-Mahra governorate will witness a new escalation against the occupation forces, starting from Hoof district."
The committee was surprised by Hadi's government silence towards what is happening in Al-Maharah, condemning the continuation of some Hadi government leaders in targeting and attacking the sit-in of Al-Maharah protesters, in a way that they described as "vulgar and unacceptable."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4455&cat_id=1
(A P)
Al-Awalaki: We Denounce and Resent any Interference in the Internal Affairs of Saudi Arabia or Even Touching its Sovereignty
Salem Thabet Al-Awalaki, official spokesman of the Southern Transitional Council and member of presidency, issued an important statement concerning the resentful interference in the internal affairs of Saudi Arabia
Along with the campaigns targeting Saudi Arabia, including recent denounced attitude of US Congress that is considered as a severe interference in the Saudi internal affairs, we express our full denouncement of these tries or any other tries to interfere in the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia and its leadership, represented in his Majesty, King Salman Ben Abd Al-Aziz and his highness, Prince Mohamed Ben Salman, the Crown Prince.
The Southern Transitional Council considers such acts as clear aggression targeting the significant role of Saudi Arabia and its acquired rank in the heart of all Muslims.
My comment: Southern separatists in solidarity with Saudi Arabia against the US senate – LOL!
(A P)
In Celebration of the International Day of Human Rights, Human Rights Department of the Southern Transitional Council Holds a Seminar
under the slogan “All Rise for Equity, Justice and Human Dignity”
Fadl Al-Gaadi, acting secretary general of the council, delivered a speech on this occasion saying: “we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights. But let’s talk about UN and its attitude towards human rights in our country. They prepared Sweden consultations under the notion of human rights and humanitarian support for northern territories, or more accurately, some parts of northern territories. The truth came on the contrary. They only talk about human rights without enforcing them. we a have a cause that is in the core of human rights. We were a sovereign state recognized by UN and Arab League in addition to all humanitarian organizations.
and
(A P)
The Security Belt Exhausts a Try to Smuggle Weapons West of Aden
https://en.smanews.org/the-security-belt-exhausts-a-try-to-smuggle-weapons-west-of-aden
Remark: Separatists propagating their militia – which is known for Human rights violations
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(* A K P)
Uno-Sicherheitsrat beschließt Beobachtermission für den Jemen
Regierung und Huthi-Rebellen hatten sich zuletzt auf eine Waffenruhe für die jemenitische Hafenstadt Hudaida geeinigt. Zivile Beobachter sollen nun die Einhaltung sicherstellen.
Der Uno-Sicherheitsrat hat sich einstimmig auf die Entsendung von zivilen Beobachtern in den Jemen geeinigt. Alle 15 Mitglieder des Gremiums stimmten am Freitag in New York für den britischen Entwurf, der die Überwachung des brüchigen Waffenstillstands in der strategisch wichtigen Hafenstadt Hodeida vorsieht. Die Beobachter sollen unter anderem den Betrieb des Hafens sicherstellen und den geplanten Abzug der Kämpfer aus der Stadt überwachen.
(* A K P)
Vereinte Nationen beschließen Beobachtermission für den Jemen
Der Text begrüßt die Fortschritte bei den Friedensgesprächen in Schweden, bei denen sich die international anerkannte Regierung des Jemen und die schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen, die Hudaida kontrollieren, auf die Waffenruhe geeinigt hatten. Die Resolution bittet zudem UN-Generalsekretär António Guterres um die Entsendung eines Vorausteams zur Überwachung der Einhaltung der Waffenruhe zunächst für 30 Tage. Bis Ende des Jahres soll Guterres zudem Vorschläge machen, wie die Überwachung danach weiter ausgeführt werden kann.
Zuvor hatte es Streit über den Text der Resolution gegeben, weil in einem ersten Entwurf der Iran genannt wurde. Dem Iran wird vorgeworfen, die Huthi-Rebellen mit Waffen zu unterstützen. Das Land bestreitet die Vorwürfe. Auf Druck Russlands und gegen den Widerstand der USA wurde die Erwähnung des Iran gestrichen.
https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2018-12/un-sicherheitsrat-beobachtermission-jemen-beschlossen = https://www.n-tv.de/politik/UN-wollen-Waffenruhe-im-Jemen-ueberwachen-article20785601.html
und auch https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/jemen-sicherheitsrat-105.html
(* A P)
UN-Sicherheitsrat beschließt Entsendung ziviler Beobachter in den Jemen
Gemäß der jetzt verabschiedeten Resolution soll für zunächst 30 Tage ein Vortrupp mit der Beobachtungsarbeit beginnen. Geleitet wird diese Einsatzgruppe vom niederländischen Ex-General Patrick Cammaert.
UN-Diplomaten zufolge könnte die Beobachtermission aus 30 bis 40 Zivilisten mit militärischer Erfahrung bestehen, die in Hodeida und Umgebung stationiert werden sollen. Mitglieder des Vortrupps sind nach Angaben der UNO bereits unterwegs in die Region.
Die Resolution fordert zudem den UN-Generalsekretär Antonio Guterres auf, bis zum 31. Dezember schnellstmöglich Vorschläge zur Umsetzung der Einigung zu unterbreiten, welche die Konfliktparteien bei ihren Gesprächen in Schweden erzielt hatten.
Auf Antrag der USA wurde der Resolutionsentwurf durch eine Passage ergänzt, wonach der Iran die Angriffe der Huthi-Kämpfer unterstütze. Russland drohte daraufhin mit seinem Veto, und schließlich entfiel der gesamte Passus.
Auch andere Abschnitte verschwanden aus dem Text - einer zur humanitären Lage im Jemen, ein anderer zu den Verursachern von Gräueln und Zerstörungen im Jemen, womit die Regierungstruppen und die arabische Militärkoalition unter Führung Saudi-Arabiens gemeint war.
https://www.welt.de/newsticker/news1/article185987754/Konflikte-UN-Sicherheitsrat-beschliesst-Entsendung-ziviler-Beobachter-in-den-Jemen.html = https://www.dw.com/de/un-wollen-feuerpause-im-jemen-kontrollieren/a-46837414
Mein Kommentar: Dieses Gemauschel der USA, das letztendlich vor allem der Förderung ihrer Anti-Iran-Politik dienen soll, ist ein Skandal für sich. Der jemen und seine Menschen sind den USA völlig egal.
(* A P)
The member of the National Delegation, Abdulmalik Al-Ajri, said that the Swedish agreement gives the United Nations a normal regulatory role and does not violate sovereignty, as does international monitoring of elections and humanitarian intervention. The agreement does not authorize the United Nations any military role and does not allow the presence of any UN forces or peacekeepers.
He pointed out that the National Delegation was keen in the consultations of Sweden to include two items in the political framework are the withdrawal of foreign forces and the lifting of Yemen from Chapter VII. He said that the National Delegation is eyeing the withdrawal of foreign forces from the entire territory, Yemeni islands and territorial waters and the removal of Yemen under the seventh item and international guardianship.
He stressed that the national forces rejecting and resisting aggression will remain at the forefront of the struggle until the restoration of full Yemeni sovereignty.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4495&cat_id=1
My comment: Houthi delegation. What does he really mean? The Houthi military has to retreat from Hodeidah as well.
(** A P)
Warring parties in Yemen must ‘fully respect’ Hudaydah ceasefire – UN Security Council
Unanimously adopting resolution 2451 (2018), the Council “insisted” that all parties fully respect the ceasefire agreed for Hudaydah governorate as well as the commitment to redeploy their forces away from Hudaydah city and the port areas, to agreed locations outside, “within 21 days of the ceasefire coming into force.”
The draft, penned by the United Kingdom, also urged the parties to continue to “engage constructively, in good faith and without preconditions” with Martin Griffiths, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, including by working to stabilize the war-battered economy and reopening Sana’a airport, as well as committing to another round of peace talks, in January 2019.
Further in the resolution, the 15-member Council authorized the Secretary-General to establish and deploy, “for an initial period of 30 days”, an advance monitoring team on the ground, to support and facilitate the immediate implementation of the Stockholm Agreement.
The Security Council also expressed “deep regret” at the loss of life and injuries in the conflict, the use of children on the battlefield, and stressed that all those fighting need to ensure that civilians are protected and allowed safe passage.
It also called on all warring parties to comply with applicable international law, including humanitarian law to respect and protect medical facilities and personnel allowing them safe transit; protect civilian infrastructure including schools; reliable food distribution networks; processing and storage, and to withdraw any military personnel from civilian buildings and areas.
The Council also underlined the need to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unhindered access for humanitarian and medical personnel to all those in need, and reiterated that “aid should be disbursed on the basis of need and be gender and age sensitive.”
The adoption of the resolution, originally scheduled for the morning, was delayed until early afternoon, allowing time for consultation among the Council members.
According to reports, a second draft resolution, penned by the United States, concerning Yemen, was not tabled at the Council and instead, some of its elements were included in the UK draft.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/12/1029151
My comment: “The Security Council also expressed “deep regret” at the loss of life and injuries in the conflict”: What a scam.
And
(** A P)
Security Council Authorizes Immediate Deployment of Advance Team to Monitor Force Withdrawals, Ceasefire in Yemen, Adopting Resolution 2451 (2018)
[text as before, and]
Following the text’s adoption, Council members welcomed the unity shown in reaching consensus on the issue and called on the parties in Yemen to strictly abide by their obligations under the Stockholm Agreement, stressing that its signing has not by itself alleviated what remains a dire humanitarian situation, including the risk of famine.
Rodney M. Hunter (United States), similarly expressed hope that the Agreements represent a first step to a political solution to the crisis, which depends on the parties fulfilling their obligations. While welcoming the adoption, he urged the Council to show the courage to call out those responsible for fomenting conflict and regretted that it did not call Iran to account for its responsibility for the suffering in Yemen, and its violation of international law with impunity.
Verónica Cordova Soria (Bolivia), also appreciating the hope that the resolution presents for the people of Yemen, regretted, however, that in the last 24 hours, Council negotiations evidenced the lack of transparency and the lack of respect for non-permanent members that she witnessed many times. Those principles were sorely lacking in its activities.
film of session: http://webtv.un.org/assets/rss/video3804186128001/watch/the-situation-in-yemen-security-council-8439th-meeting/5982630916001/
and full text of resolution: https://v.calameo.com/?bkcode=00533599624cdb83d8a95&forceviewer=twittercard&page=1
My comment: If the US representative really means when he “urged the Council to show the courage to call out those responsible for fomenting conflict” he should know that there must be “called out” these foreign powers (in sequence of guilt): 1) Saudi Arabia; 2) US; 3) Emirates; 4) UK; Iran only in the fifth place (or even still another Saudi coalition member and another arms trader is preceding Iran).
(** A P)
After U.S., British tussle, U.N. approves Yemen truce monitors
The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the deployment of a U.N. advance team to monitor a ceasefire in Yemen’s Hodeidah region after days of wrangling that pitted the United States against ally Britain.
The Security Council authorized U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deploy - for an initial 30 days - an advance monitoring team. That team, led by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, is due to arrive in Yemen shortly, said a U.N. spokesman, adding that the personnel will not be uniformed or armed.
The council also asked Guterres to submit proposals by the end of the month on substantive monitoring operations for the ceasefire and redeployment of forces; support for the management of and inspections at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa; and strengthening of the U.N. presence in the Hodeidah region.
Guterres is also required to report weekly to the Security Council on implementation of the resolution, which endorses the ceasefire deal agreed in Sweden.
The Security Council has been wrangling over the British-drafted text since Monday and in an unusual move the United States, unhappy with Britain’s efforts, came up with its own version on Thursday. Traditionally countries propose amendments to an initial draft rather than coming up with their own text.
The U.S. draft text, which was seen by Reuters, mirrored the British language focused on the ceasefire deal and authorizing U.N. support. However, Washington had stripped out language on the humanitarian crisis.
The resolution adopted on Friday retained some of the British language on the aid crisis.
The resolution calls on the government of Yemen and the Houthis to remove bureaucratic obstacles to the flow of aid and commercial goods, including fuel, and ensure all the country’s ports are functioning.
The United States had also wanted to condemn Iran for breaching an arms embargo on Yemen, but Russia objected, diplomats said.
In order to reach a consensus Britain had to cut language on the “need for transparent, credible and timely investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law” and for those responsible to be held accountable. The U.S. draft did not include that language.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-graham/senator-graham-calls-for-hearings-on-troops-in-syria-afghanistan-idUSKCN1OK22L = https://www.france24.com/en/20181221-un-security-council-approves-deployment-yemen-ceasefire-monitors
and final draft: https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1076155027012681729
and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-approves-monitoring-observers-yemen-hodeidah-1294588328
https://www.foxnews.com/world/the-latest-swedens-skoog-wants-tangible-results-in-yemen
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/21/un-yemen-ceasfire-stockholm-resolution-us
and
(** A P)
UN Security Council approves Yemen ceasefire monitors for Hodeidah
However, it took substantial editing before the resolution was passed. The initial text, drafted by the UK mission, was rewritten by the US on Thursday.
On US insistence, guarantees for humanitarian deliveries and accountability for war crimes were removed.
A clause expressing grave concern about the "growing threat of conflict-induced famine and the devastating impact of the conflict on civilians" was dropped from the text. Similiarly a call for "transparent, credible and timely investigations" into war crimes and for those responsible to be held to account, was removed from the UN resolution.
Instead, the text "calls on the Government of Yemen and the Houthis to remove bureaucratic impediments to flows of commercial and humanitarian supplies, including fuel, and on the parties to ensure effective and sustained functioning of all of Yemen's ports."
The US focus has remained on an insistence of Iran's role in arming the Houthi fighters.
https://www.dw.com/en/un-security-council-approves-yemen-ceasefire-monitors-for-hodeidah/a-46836196
My comment: For protecting Saudi Arabia, the US enforced to water down the resolution. – The humanitarian crisis does not matter. And, this maneuver clearly shows which side in the Yemen war is the main perpetrator. It’s the Saudi coalition which mostly fears any “transparent, credible and timely investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law”. The Saudis and the US are lamenteing on Houthi violations – while the Houthis themselbves demand such an inquiry.
Comment: Why IHL removed? What is wrong with abiding by IHL? Doesn’t that signal an intent to kill civilians with immunity?
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1076196057997033472
Remark: IHL = International Humanitarian Law.
(* A P)
World powers vote in bid to bring peace to Yemen
The U.S. added a note of caution.
"Like the Stockholm agreements, this resolution is an important step, but only an initial one," U.S. Political Coordinator Rodney Hunter told the Security Council.
"We will be watching closely," he said.
The U.N. resolution sets out a plan to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, calling on the country's government and the Houthi rebels "to remove bureaucratic impediments to flows of commercial and humanitarian supplies, including fuel. It also calls on the parties to ensure "effective and sustained functioning" of all Yemeni ports, and for a mutual withdrawal of fighters from three ports in the country.
It also establishes a prisoner exchange and gives the U.N. chief authority to establish and deploy "an advance team to begin monitoring and to support and facilitate the immediate implementation of the Stockholm agreement."
Sweden's Ambassador to the U.N. Oloof Skoog said the resolution achieved what they hoped.
For the first time, there was a sense of cautious optimism among world powers.
France's Ambassador Francois Delattre said there was "strong unity" with the adoption of the resolution.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/world-powers-vote-in-bid-to-bring-peace-to-yemen/
My comment: What a disgusting game this is.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia Welcomes UN Resolution on Yemen
Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of a resolution on Yemen that would see the deployment of a team to monitor a truce that was recently reached between the legitimate government and Iran-backed Houthi militias.
Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Khalid Manzlawi said that resolution 2451 underscores “Saudi diplomatic efforts and their direct impact on international community decisions.”
He cited to that end the efforts of Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Saudi Permanent Representative to the UN Abdullah al-Mouallimi.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1515126/saudi-arabia-welcomes-un-resolution-yemen
My comment: Yes, this is a scandal by itself: The fact that (via the US) the greatest perpetrator in Yemen succeeded in watering down this resolution.
(A P)
Yemeni and Saudi officials welcomed the Security Council resolution with Houthis condemnation
Where the Yemeni Government welcomed Security Council resolution (2451) issued on Friday, which reaffirmed the international community's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen, and stressed the need for a comprehensive political solution based on the agreed three references of Gulf initiative and its mechanism Executive outcomes of inclusive national dialogue and relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular, resolution 2216.
The Yemeni Government statement issued hours after the voting on Security Council resolution calling for a commitment to the Stockholm agreement according to specific timetables, "including withdrawal of Houthi militia of Hodeidah city and its ports, Al-Saleef and Rass Issa and carry out the prisoner exchange agreement and declaration of understandings of Taiz city".
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162403
My comment: Hadi government. ALL warring parties must retreat from Hodeidah. – The so-called “three references” are the heaviest obstacle for any peaceful solution; the UN envoy had tried a new start
(A P)
Foreign Secretary welcomes adoption of new UN Security Council resolution on Yemen peace process
Jeremy Hunt has welcomed the UN Security Council's unequivocal backing of Resolution 2451.
Today the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to adopt Security Council Resolution 2451, a UK-led resolution to bolster the UN Yemen peace process.
The new resolution, the first to be passed on the conflict in Yemen since 2016, is designed to build on the momentum generated by UN peace talks in Stockholm last week.
(A P)
UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION TO BE POSITIVE STEP TO STOP COALITION WAR: HEAD NATIONAL DELEGATION
Abdel Salam on his Twitter account said ”we condemns a US position that refuses to include the coalition states to investigate in theirs war crimes committed against the Yemeni citizens.”
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4479&cat_id=1
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.963391330380564/2060259917360361/
Remark: Houthi statement.
(A P)
First UN Security Council Resolution on Yemen in four years is a long overdue step toward ending war
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) welcomes the adopting of the first UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Yemen in four years, and is pleased that it reflects a commitment to the vital work of the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths.
(A P)
Save the Children Statement on New UN Security Council Resolution on Yemen
“Yesterday’s adoption of a new UN Security Council resolution on Yemen, is a welcome step towards addressing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world
(A P)
Oxfam response to UNSC Resolution on Yemen
In response to the passing of UNSC Resolution on Yemen, Oxfam’s Senior Humanitarian Policy Advisor Kathryn Achilles, said:
“Oxfam welcomes the resolution passed today in support of the peace process
https://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/xfam-response-to-unsc-resolution-yemen/
(* A P)
Film by Press TV Iran: US hinders probe into Yemen humanitarian crisis: Journalist
Syed Mohsin Abbas, journalist and political commentator, told Press TV on Saturday that even after three years of Saudi-led massacre of the Yemeni people that this resolution was drafted and deployed, the US has tried to remove the mention of humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country.
“They (American officials) have also forced the British to eradicate any mention of human rights investigation,” Abbas said, adding that the United States continues to pursue its hypocritical attitude when it comes to Saudi Arabia’s crimes against the Yemeni people.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/12/22/583615/Yemen-Hudaydah-Ceasefire
My comment: This simply is how it is. US policy is a daily through ball for Iranian propaganda – they just can report the facts, that’s it.
(* A P)
UN Council set to vote on Yemen observers
The UN Security Council is due to vote Friday on a resolution that would authorize the deployment of observers to war-torn Yemen to oversee a fragile truce in the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeida.
The vote on the draft, which was submitted by Britain, has been rescheduled multiple times, but was now expected to unfold at about midday.
Negotiations on the resolution, which would also endorse the results of recent peace talks in Sweden, were ongoing, diplomats said, without offering details on what was under discussion.
The latest version of the UN draft -- which was amended several times this week at the request of the United States, Russia and Kuwait -- "insists on the full respect by all parties of the ceasefire agreed" for Hodeida.
It authorizes the United Nations to "establish and deploy, for an initial period of 30 days from the adoption of this resolution, an advance team to begin monitoring" the ceasefire, under the leadership of retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert.
The draft resolution also authorizes UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to "submit proposals as soon as possible before December 31, 2018 on how the United Nations will fully support the Stockholm Agreement as requested by the parties."
Diplomats said the UN observer mission could consist of 30 to 40 people, tasked with ensuring the withdrawal of the warring parties from Hodeida and the safe passage of humanitarian aid.
The observers will head up monitoring teams made up of government and rebel representatives, under the auspices of a Redeployment Coordination Committee headed by Cammaert.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-6520825/UN-Council-set-vote-Yemen-observers.html
and
(* A P)
Security Council to Vote on Yemen Resolution
The Security Council is expected to vote early this afternoon on a draft resolution that endorses the agreements reached by the government of Yemen and the Houthi rebel group during the UN-led consultations held in Sweden from 6 to 13 December.
The UK circulated the draft to Council members on 17 December. Members met once to discuss the draft text on 18 December. Two silence procedures were broken on Wednesday (19 December) and yesterday (20 December). The draft had been in blue since yesterday afternoon, though the UK and the US continued to discuss the text bilaterally to try to bridge differences. A compromise has been reached, and a revised draft was put in blue a short while ago.
[overview article on the draft and the problems linked to it]
https://www.whatsinblue.org/2018/12/security-council-to-vote-on-yemen-resolution.php
(** A P)
UN agrees Yemen ceasefire resolution after fraught talks and US veto threat
Resolution supporting ceasefire to be adopted Friday afternoon but was only agreed after language was pruned on insistence of US
The United Nations security council has agreed to the deployment of UN monitors to observe the implementation of a ceasefire in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
A UK-drafted resolution supporting the ceasefire, agreed in Stockholm, is expected to be adopted on Friday afternoon and will be the first UN resolution on Yemen in more than three years.
However, the resolution was only agreed after it was stripped of much the language on guaranteeing humanitarian deliveries and the need for accountability for war crimes. The edits were on the insistence of the US mission, reflecting the views from the Saudi and Emirati coalition, which has resisted any UN constraints on its operations in Yemen.
When diplomats reconvened at dawn on Friday after a long night of negotiations, the US stunned the UK and other European missions by threatening to veto the British resolution if the humanitarian language was not pruned and a clause inserted explicitly condemning Iran for its role as a backer of the Houthi rebels – an insertion that was blocked by Russia.
It is highly unusual for the western allies at the UN to threaten each other with vetoes.
One official involved in the talks said he had “never really seen anything like this”.
Another diplomat said: “I don’t know if the [veto] threat is unprecedented. It is certainly surprising and disappointing. In the end, however, we managed to bridge the gap and come to agreement.”
Diplomats at the UN believe that it reflected a shift in broader US foreign policy, under national security adviser John Bolton, secretary of state Mike Pompeo, and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, which has elevated the importance of the US relationship with Saudi Arabia, and downgraded the relationships with European allies.
“Everything about US foreign policy is difficult to explain right now,” a European diplomat said.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/21/un-yemen-ceasfire-stockholm-resolution-us
My comment: The US and it’s “Saudi first” policy watering such a resolution until it fits to the Saudi opinion is a scandal. And the humanitarian catastrophe at Yemen does not matter.
(* A P)
UN Security Council to vote on sending observers to Yemen
The UN Security Council is expected to vote on Friday on sending observers to war-torn Yemen and endorsing the results of recent peace talks in Sweden, according to diplomats.
Britain's draft text was subject to a week of particularly tough negotiations, with Russia threatening to use its veto if a mention of Iran supporting Huthi rebel attacks -- imposed by the United States -- was not removed.
In the final version to be voted upon, the phrasing "further condemning the supply, from Iran and others actors" became "from whatever source."
https://www.france24.com/en/20181221-un-security-council-vote-sending-observers-yemen
and
(* A P)
U.N. to vote Friday to approve advance monitors for Yemen truce
“It is rather unusual to see similar but competing drafts put forward by allies, rather than suggesting amendments to existing drafts. But these are unusual times,” said a senior U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Our focus must be on getting swift adoption to support U.N. efforts and the agreement between the parties,” the diplomat said. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, France or Britain to pass.
The draft resolution, seen by Reuters, authorizes U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deploy - for an initial 30 days - an advance team to begin monitoring and to support and facilitate the deal between the warring parties.
It also asks Guterres to submit proposals by the end of the month on substantive monitoring operations for the ceasefire and mutual redeployment of forces; support for the management of and inspections at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa; and strengthening of the U.N. presence in the Hodeidah region.
The text condemns “the supply, from whatever source, of weapons and associated materiel in contravention of the arms embargo.” The United States had wanted to name Iran, but Russia objected, diplomats said. Iran has repeatedly denied accusations that it has supplied weapons to Yemen’s Houthis.
The draft resolution “calls on the government of Yemen and the Houthis to remove bureaucratic impediments to flows of commercial and humanitarian supplies, including fuel, and on the parties to ensure effective and sustained functioning of all of Yemen’s ports.”
The text circulated to council members by the United States - and seen by Reuters - mirrored the British language focused on the ceasefire deal and authorizing U.N. support. However, Washington had stripped out language on the humanitarian crisis.
(** A P)
Saudi and US resistance delays UN resolution on Yemen ceasefire
UK presses nations to compromise by backing ceasefire deal agreed last week
Saudi Arabian and US resistance has forced the UK to delay plans to table a UN security council resolution on Yemen, raising the prospect a UN-appointed general will fly to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah without a mandate to enforce a fragile ceasefire.
The US is demanding that the draft resolution contain reference to Iran’s role in arming the rebel Houthis, a proposal that has led to Russian threats to veto it.
Saudi Arabia is meanwhile insisting the draft contains no reference to an independent investigation into breaches of international humanitarian law during the three-year civil war, so protecting its pilots from UN investigations into the deliberate targeting of civilians.
Negotiations over the resolution reached an impasse on Wednesday, but the UK is pressing all sides to compromise by focusing the resolution on an endorsement of the ceasefire deal
Edwin Samuel, the UK government spokesman for the Middle East and North Africa, said: “We expect our allies and our partners in the security council to exercise restraint when using the right of veto. There is certainly intensive consultation between us and all members, especially the permanent members.”
At US insistence the draft resolution “condemns ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle attacks by the Houthis against neighbouring countries” stressing that “such attacks constitute a threat to regional security”. It further condemns “the supply from Iran and other actors of weapons and associated material on contravention of the arms embargo.”
Russia feels the passage is imbalanced in singling out Iran since it makes no mention of the Western supply of arms to Saudi Arabia.
The resolution also calls for a “transparent credible and timely investigation into alleged violations of international criminal law and those found responsible to be held accountable”. Saudi Arabia is insisting that no details are specified about the nature of this inquiry since it fears a UN-led inquiry will lead to Saudi military facing charges of war crimes.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/20/saudi-and-us-resistance-delays-un-resolution-on-yemen
My comment: Saudi Arabia not even is a member of the Security Council. – In a normal world, Saudi resistance could not matter at all. This resistance anyway is unmasking: It’s the Saudis who had committed the most and the largest war crimes, and they know very well. – The US claims are really mad: Saudi coalition air raids are much more horrible than any Houthi missile attacks, but the little horror shall be condemned, the monstrous horror should not. And: the US delivers let’s say 100,000 more arms to this war than Iran.
And
(* A P)
'Disgusting!' Outrage as US Teams Up With Saudis to Undermine UN Resolution Endorsing Yemen Ceasefire
"The U.S. should be doing everything we can to support the ceasefire, not undermining it. Disgusting!"
That was how Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to news on Thursday that the Trump administration teamed up with Saudi Arabia to delay a United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing the Hodeidah ceasefire agreement reached last week.
While the U.S. is reportedly objecting to the resolution because it doesn't contain reference to Iran's role in arming of the Houthi rebels—a role that critics say is often exaggerated by the American press and foreign policy establishment—the Saudis are insisting that the resolution cannot contain any mention of U.N. war crimes investigations into the kingdom's bombardment of Yemen.
In a tweet responding to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia's efforts to delay the resolution, Oxfam America declared, "The U.N. Security Council needs to adopt a resolution to save lives now in Yemen because the people of Yemen can't wait. State Department, stop blocking for Saudi Arabia/UAE and get out of the way."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/12/20/disgusting-outrage-us-teams-saudis-undermine-un-resolution-endorsing-yemen-ceasefire = https://theantimedia.com/us-saudi-arabia-block-un-resolution-yemen-ceasefire/
and
(A P)
#Kuwait has objected to the #UK draft resolution on #Yemen to the members of the Security Council, “because it did not pay attention to our concerns.” This came during a press conference of the Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the #UN Mansour Al-Otaibi, in New York.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1075798922000547840
and
(A P)
Supreme Revolutionary: Decision Does not Support Cessation Aggression against Yemen, an Attempt to Abort Peace Efforts
Al-Houthi pointed out that US obstruction of the British draft resolution on Yemen, which the British Foreign Minister is to introduce it to the Security Council within 48 hours, will confirm the US, along with its Saudi and Emirati allies, desire to block any progress the Stockholm agreement can achieve.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4458&cat_id=1
(B P)
2018 ‘terrifying’ for Yemenis but ultimately a ‘year for hope’ says UN Special Envoy
It has been a “terrifying” year for Yemenis but ultimately one of hope, as December talks in Sweden yielded a ceasefire around a key port city with the promise of further substantive consultations between the warring parties next month, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, told UN News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
The United Nations, said the Special Envoy, is the only organization capable of brokering an agreement such as the Hudaydah ceasefire, and putting a team on the ground to monitor the truce within a week of the talks in Sweden.
Mr. Griffiths admitted to many doubts and fears in the lead up to the talks, but also a sense of achievement at simply getting representatives of the two sides together for talks in the same room, after years of a brutal war, for the first time in over two years.
He was keen to stress the importance of using the meetings to move forward on the management of Hudaydah following the fragile ceasefire agreement; a key port which is the main hub for all humanitarian aid and commercial goods entering the war-torn nation.
On the humanitarian front, he said that detailed planning is already underway
(* B P)
How transitional justice can affect Yemen’s future
Transitional justice includes legal and nonlegal mechanisms to tackle large-scale abuses and achieve accountability, reconciliation, and justice in post-conflict societies. With 8 million people racked by famine, a cholera epidemic at globally historic levels, and tens of thousands of civilians killed or injured by fighting, transitional justice may seem like a pipe dream for Yemen. Subscribing to this view would, though, be a mistake.
Lasting peace and the reconstruction of the country will require addressing the social, political, and economic effects of communal violence, which did not start in 2011. Indeed, Yemen’s war is rooted in part in earlier unresolved conflicts.
Yemen’s civil war is, in part, the byproduct of long-standing, unresolved tensions. At each of these inflection points, transitional justice has been neglected in the name of expedience, with detrimental results.
While four decades of impunity led to the conflict, it is because of this history that calls for transitional justice emerged even before the violence began.
Ensuring that transitional just is not an elite enterprise — as it was in Yemen before — increases the chances of success.
Understanding how locals view reconciliation, justice, and accountability, their importance to these communities and the expectations local actors have of transitional justice mechanisms is key.
In short, transitional justice is the one solution to Yemen’s problems that cannot be bargained away – by Maryam Jamshidi
and longer version of this article: https://muftah.org/there-can-be-no-peace-without-justice-in-yemen/#.XCN9zVxKiUk
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Film: These concerts are the 1st time Saudi Arabia has allowed men and women to dance together
https://twitter.com/tictoc/status/1075403227611451394
Comment: Stop glamorizing this social change and forgetting what’s still at stake. Don’t let this PR stunt blind you from what’s happening to #Saudi activists imprisoned.
https://twitter.com/amani_aal/status/1076378452696064001
(A P)
Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, long-time Saudi political reformer, has died
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, father of billionaire investor Alwaleed bin Talal and a vocal supporter of reform in the ruling al-Saud family, has died, family members and Saudi media said on twitter posts on Saturday.
Remark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talal_bin_Abdulaziz_Al_Saud
(* B P)
Here's what you need to know about the Saudi women's rights defenders that are still in prison:
https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1076235868611006469
(A P)
As promised. My sources tell me #Saudi king mulling appointing his son #KBSA @kbsalsaud as the national security adviser. His promotion is his way out from a failed ambassadorship in #DC
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1075875598550077441
(A P)
Saudi Arabia modifies intelligence service following Khashoggi murder
Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday the creation of three new government bodies aimed at improving the country’s intelligence operations in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which has sparked international outrage.
The new government departments - for strategy and development, legal affairs, and performance evaluation and internal review - are meant to ensure that intelligence operations align with national security policy, international law and human rights treaties, state news agency SPA reported.
They were created by a committee headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
My comment: “are meant to ensure that intelligence operations align with […] international law and human rights treaties”: LOL.
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(A P)
Karen Attiah: Mattis was part of the White House’s attempts to downplay CIA evidence linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to the murder of @WashingtonPost writer Jamal #Khashoggi —- he claimed there was “no smoking gun”. Please spare me the “Mattis stands up for US values” takes.
https://twitter.com/KarenAttiah/status/1075912979500204033
(* B P)
Der Fall Khashoggi
Im Bedarfsfall legitimiert der Westen jede ihm nützliche Willkürherrschaft, deren Morde, Kriege und sonstige Verbrechen.
Es ist Zeit, die Details und letzten Entwicklungen gnadenlos zu beleuchten, denn von den Qualitätsmedien kann niemand eine solche Betrachtung erwarten.
Die US-Medien konnten es wohl zunächst nicht richtig glauben, dass der hochgejubelte MbS einen solchen Kardinalfehler begehen würde, die New York Times, das Wall Street Journal und die Washington Post benötigten eine Woche, bis sie die Verbindung der vermeintlichen Mörder mit dem Kronprinzen auf die Titelseiten brachten. Sie brauchten wesentlich länger als viele andere Medien und das, obwohl sie doch Trump, den sie hassen, hätten schaden können.
Trump jedenfalls zog die Notbremse und erklärte, dass bis zum Nachweis der Schuld die Unschuldsvermutung gelte. Was in den Fällen von Skripal oder dem „Giftgas“-Einsatz in Syrien natürlich nicht angewandt wurde.
Auch die US-Medien, die Beschimpfungen Trumps hinsichtlich „FakeNews“ nicht vergessend, erhöhen den Druck auf den Präsidenten und verurteilen ihn, trotz des Mordes an Khashoggi „weiter zu machen wie üblich“.
Die Beibehaltung der etablierten Ordnung ist das Schlüsselwort für die Taten des inzwischen globalisierten Establishments. Allerdings wird als etablierte Ordnung eben nur angesehen, was sich bedingungslos den gemeinsamen Zielen des Hegemons, der behauptet, dazu bestimmt zu sein, die Welt zu beherrschen, unterwirft.
Trump kann den Verdienst für sich beanspruchen, mit seinen direkten Worten, offenen Erpressungen und Vertragsbrüchen der Welt gezeigt zu haben, welche Politik bisher hinter schönen Worten und Propaganda versteckt worden war, obwohl sie heute als „Trumps Politik“ kritisiert wird – von Jochen Mitschka
https://www.rubikon.news/artikel/der-fall-khashoggi
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A K P)
US Special Operation Command C146A Wolfhound heading Aden #Yemen (map)
https://twitter.com/GDarkconrad/status/1076414025506963456
(* B P)
Anti-War Voices: Of Course Trump Should Withdraw US Troops From Syria... and Afghanistan and Yemen and Iraq and...
Even as the Pentagon stammered and the retired generals, ex-CIA chiefs, and war hawks from both major political parties took to the cable news to warn against the prospect of less war—or at least U.S. involvement in them—peace groups on Wednesday afternoon applauded news reporting that President Donald Trump has ordered the withdrawal of U.S. ground forces from Syria.
"President Trump is absolutely right to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria," said Paul Kawika Martin, senior director for policy and political affairs at Peace Action, in response to reporting from the New York Times and others.
"President Obama deployed U.S. soldiers to Syria in violation of international law," he said, "and the ongoing U.S. presence there only serves to prolong the war and fuel the risk of confrontation with Russia, Iran, and other parties to the conflict."
"As long as Trump is rethinking the U.S. role in Syria, he should also move to withdraw U.S. forces from the 17-year-old war in Afghanistan, and from the catastrophic Saudi-led war in Yemen," Martin said.
"The U.S. has been waging endless war for a generation, wasting trillions of dollars and costing countless lives, and we're no better off for it," he concluded. "We need a security strategy rooted in peace and cooperation rather than death and destruction. In the coming year, the new Congress should move to reclaim its long-lost authority on war so that these critical decisions are vetted by the people's representatives instead of left in the hands of one person."
and
(A K P)
Pulling out its military from the Middle East, #America should try doing that for once. You will be surprised how quick the region will thrive & recover with stability & reconciliation.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1076193456144478208
However wrong on most issues #Trump has grasped one basic truth: the U.S. must end its wars in the Middle East. When he first talked of pulling troops out last April, he summed up the results after 15 years of unending war: “We have nothing, nothing except death and destruction.”
https://twitter.com/GarethPorter/status/1075747335341256704
I know a lot of people will instinctively disagree with this, but Trump is the most anti-war president the US has seen in decades. Am glad we're seeing more of 'Candidate Trump' this week. No wonder Washington is fuming.
https://twitter.com/snarwani/status/1075958772240130049
(* B P)
In Red Sea Region, Competing Outside Powers Complicate U.S. Interests
Turkey, the Gulf states, China and Russia are ramping up their investments and presence—what does it mean for the U.S.?
The U.S. Institute of Peace is launching a new initiative to examine the cross-cutting political and security dynamics in the Red Sea region, encompassing the Horn of Africa, the Gulf, and Egypt. As part of this initiative, USIP will be publishing “The Red Sea Rising: A New Strategic Crossroads,” a series of analytic pieces exploring these dynamics, their long-term impact on international peace and security, and the implications for U.S. interests. In this installment, David Shinn, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, examines how great and regional power competition is impacting political and security dynamics in the Horn of Africa and complicating U.S. interests in the region.
USIP: Some attention has been paid to the competition playing out between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, on the one hand, and Qatar and Turkey, on the other, in Somalia. How do you see the increasing assertiveness of the Gulf states in the Horn of Africa impacting Turkish calculations in other parts of the region, whether it’s the role that the UAE and Saudi Arabia played in mediating between Ethiopia and Eritrea or the development of Emirati and Saudi ports and bases along the Red Sea coast?
Remark: U.S. Institute of Peace: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Institute_of_Peace
(B P)
Behind the U.S. Senate vote against aid to Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen
What is different now is that there is an internal battle among U.S. rulers. The Donald Trump gang is especially close with the MBS regime, so a U.S. break with the crown prince also weakens Trump.
It is perfectly legitimate for anti-war forces to try to take advantage of the split in the U.S. ruling class on this issue to stop the war against Yemen. But they need to do this without showing one iota of confidence in the Democratic Party or the Republican dissidents who voted against Trump.
(A P)
Dem Who Voted With GOP on Yemen War Met With Saudis
Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), one of five Democrats who joined the majority of House Republicans to block debate on the war in Yemen, had met with Saudi officials and foreign agents representing them on numerous occasions, TYT has learned. In one instance, shortly after the war began, Ruppersberger’s office met with a senior Saudi embassy official to discuss the war.
https://tyt.com/stories/4vZLCHuQrYE4uKagy0oyMA/2fBmCjKTywO2E6E22cSKKU
(A P)
Jim Costa’s unconscionable Yemen votes
Why is the congressman voting against his conscience? The simple reason might be cash. “Costa received $100,000 from oil and gas companies in the last campaign cycle and $500,000 from the industry over his congressional career,” according to Irby’s reporting. Oil companies want to keep the oil-rich Saudis happy, which means preserving US military assistance for the Yemen war.
Costa rejects this explanation.
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article223377410.html
(* B K)
PENTAGON SAYS 35 KILLED IN TRUMP’S FIRST YEMEN RAID — MORE THAN TWICE AS MANY AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
But according to a classified report by the Joint Special Operations Command Center for Counterterrorism Studies, the Pentagon privately assessed that the raid had killed more than twice as many people as it had initially said.
“The battle damage assessment (BDA) included approximately 35 enemy killed in action (EKIA) and one ZU-23 anti-aircraft weapon destroyed,” according to a heavily redacted copy of the report obtained by The Intercept under the Freedom of Information Act. The operation also “resulted in one friendly KIA,” meaning someone “killed in action,” presumably Owens, “with minimal civilian casualties,” the report notes.
Those numbers contradict on-the-ground reporting, which found that most of the dead were villagers who mistook the SEALs for members of a Yemeni rebel group known as the Houthis, their local adversaries. Those killed included at least six women and 10 children under the age of 13, residents said. In the days after the raid, the Pentagon admitted“regrettably that civilian non-combatants were likely killed,” but did not update its casualty estimate. Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich told The Intercept by email that the figure of 35 enemy dead was the result of a lengthier formal assessment.
“There is not a discrepancy between the two numbers,” Rebarich wrote – by Alex Emmons
https://theintercept.com/2018/12/20/yemen-raid-investigation/
(* B P)
All Information (Except Text) for S.J.Res.54 - A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/54/all-info
and full text of resolution https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/sjres54/BILLS-115sjres54es.xml
(B P)
The Administration isn’t Ending the Wars in Syria or Yemen — It’s Shifting Strategy
The US push for a UN brokered ceasefire in Yemen, like its withdrawal in Syria, comes after 4 years of incurred losses by the US-backed Saudi coalition after a devastating siege and blockade beginning in March 2015.
The Administration isn’t Ending the Wars in Syria or Yemen — It’s Shifting Strategy
Across the Middle East, the US is reluctant to expend much more effort in direct involvement or combat–yet it does not signal a willingness to stop its support of its allies in the region.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(* B K P)
One-third of UK arms sales go to states on human rights watchlist, say analysts
Figures show that since 2008 Britain has sold weaponry worth £12bn to countries about which government has serious concerns
Nearly a third of arms exports authorised by Britain over the past decade were to nations identified by the government as among the worst for human rights, new figures reveal.
Military arms deals worth an estimated £39bn were approved between 2008 and 2017, £12bn of which went to states included on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights “priority countries” list, according to analysis by Action on Armed Violence.
Over that period, the only country on the 30-strong watchlist to which Britain did not approve arms export deals was North Korea.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Colombia, all countries on the FCO watchlist, were among the DTI’s “core markets” for defence and security opportunities for 2017-18.
Britain is Saudi Arabia’s second largest arms dealer after the US, providing military exports worth £10.3bn over the past decade despite continued condemnation of the kingdom’s use of British weaponry in its bombing of Yemen.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A P)
Auswärtiges Amt zur Lage in Jemen
Wir begrüßen die heutige Verabschiedung der Resolution 2451 des VN-Sicherheitsrats.
Die Bundesregierung wird auch weiterhin die Bemühungen der Vereinten Nationen und des Sondergesandten für Jemen, Martin Griffiths, für einen nachhaltigen politischen Friedensprozess und vertrauensbildende Maßnahmen unterstützen.
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/auswaertiges-amt-lage-jemen/2173582
Mein Kommentar: Heuchelei. Demnächst wird man wieder Waffen an die Saudis liefern.
(A P)
Federal Foreign Office on the situation in Yemen
We welcome the adoption today by the UN Security Council of Resolution 2451.
The German Government will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations and of the Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, with a view to establishing a sustainable political peace process and confidence-building measures.
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/federal-foreign-office-situation-yemen/2173584
My comment: Hypocrisy. Very soon, they again will deliver arms to Saudi Arabia.
(A H P)
Turks in Germany launch aid campaign for Yemen
An organization in Germany affiliated with Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), in cooperation with the Turkish Red Crescent, has launched an aid campaign to raise money for people in war-torn Yemen.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turks-in-germany-launch-aid-campaign-for-yemen-139906
and also https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkeys-uid-kizilay-launch-aid-campaign-for-yemen/1344681
(A K P)
Große Koalition nicht zu dauerhafter Wende bei Rüstungsexporten bereit
„Die Bundesregierung verschleppt nicht nur die im Koalitionsvertrag vereinbarte Schärfung der Rüstungsexportrichtlinien. Sie liefert auch weiter Mordwerkzeuge in Kriegs- und Krisengebiete wie an Saudi-Arabien und seine Komplizen im Jemen-Krieg sowie an die Türkei“, erklärt Sevim Dagdelen.
„Ein Stopp von Waffenexporten an Riads Komplizen bei den Kriegsverbrechen in Jemen, wie Ägypten und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, ist überfällig. Notwendig ist zudem ein genereller und nicht nur ein zeitlich befristeter Exportstopp an die Kopf-ab-Diktatur Saudi-Arabien selbst.
Die Bundesregierung darf sich nicht länger als Rüstungslobbyist betätigen und Waffendeals von Rüstungskonzernen über Tochterfirmen im Ausland zulassen wie im Fall des Düsseldorfer Unternehmens Rheinmetall, das über Italien und Südafrika Profite mit dem Krieg im Jemen macht.
https://www.theeuropean.de/sevim-dagdelen/15196-keine-waffenexporte-an-riads-komplizen
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
Emirates: cp1
(A K P)
Saint John protesters aim to block Saudi LAV shipmen
One of the cargo ships charged with delivering another load of Canadian armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia is due this weekend in Saint John, where the combat machines have been warehoused for months, even as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seeks a way to stop Canada’s arms deal with the Mideast kingdom.
The Saudi-flagged cargo ship Bahri Yanbu will be greeted by protesters trying to prevent the shipment of these vehicles, which have been used in Riyadh’s war in Yemen. Demonstrators organized by the activist group PEACE-NB and individuals from the Council of Canadians will be protesting on Saturday morning near an entrance to the port and lobbying longshoreman to refuse to move the cargo.
(B P)
AKADEMIKER IN KRITISCHEM ZUSTAND
Der Gesundheitszustand des bekannten Wirtschaftswissenschaftlers und Akademikers Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith hat sich stark verschlechtert. Er befindet sich bereits seit mehr als 70 Tagen im Hungerstreik. So protestiert er gegen die Haftbedingungen im al-Razeen-Gefängnis und dagegen, dass die Gefängnisbehörden den Insassen die medizinische Behandlung verweigern. Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith ist ein gewaltloser politischer Gefangener.
https://www.amnesty.de/mitmachen/urgent-action/akademiker-kritischem-zustand
(B P)
UAE: Fears grow for health of unjustly imprisoned academic
The authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must immediately and unconditionally release Dr Nasser bin Ghaith, a prisoner of conscience whose health has deteriorated sharply in recent days, said Amnesty International today.
Dr Nasser bin Ghaith is serving a 10-year sentence for criticizing the UAE in comments posted on Twitter after a grossly unfair politically motivated trial.
(A P)
Pakistan: Sanjrani visits headquarters of military alliance during Saudi visit
Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani during his official visit to Saudi Arabia visited the Headquarters of the military alliance established under command of Saudi Arabia for the restoration of legitimate government in Yemen along with members of his delegation.
Senate chairman expressed appreciation of the warm welcome and hospitality from the hosts. Sadiq Sanjrani observed that the Muslim Ummah was facing a heap of issues of which terrorism was the primary and Saudi Arabia had also faced a number of such incidents planned internally and externally.
Senate chairman expressed his hope that the coalition of military forces will garner more support from other countries and be more successful. He said that His Majesty King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman have taken all possible measures for bringing peace in Yemen and for rehabilitation of people which is highly commendable.
My comment: ???????????
(* B P)
LEFT-WING LEADERS IN SPAIN CONDEMN THE WAR IN YEMEN, BUT KEEP UP ARMS SALES TO SAUDI ARABIA
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, also publicly supported the contract. While members of Sánchez’s party, Spain’s center-left Socialist party, were voting in the European parliament to cut all military sales to Saudi Arabia, Sánchez reauthorized the sale of the laser-guided bombs. Spain and Saudi Arabia have close economic ties, including over $2 billion in arms exports each year. And among European leaders, Sánchez wasn’t alone. Many European governments, including those led by left-leaning parties, are still selling arms to Saudi Arabia despite increasing international outrage over alleged war crimes and human rights violations in the Yemen campaign.
In his op-ed, the mayor of Cádiz sought to explain his reasons for supporting the arms sales. Spanish workers, González wrote, were being forced into this situation by economics, politics, and Saudi strong-arm tactics. They were being forced “to decide between defending bread and defending peace.”
AFTER THE PROTESTS, González, the mayor, came out in favor of the Saudi contract. His position was a difficult one to argue: In one sentence, he declared himself anti-war and against absolute monarchies, and in the next, he defended the sale to Saudi Arabia of ships that will likely be used in Yemen.
González refused multiple requests for comment.
https://theintercept.com/2018/12/21/yemen-war-spanish-weapons-saudi-arabia/
(A P)
57 NGOs Call on Bahraini Authorities to Release Nabeel Rajab Immediately, Unconditionally
57 international human rights organizations demanded the Bahraini authorities to immediately and unconditionally release activist Nabeel Rajab and to drop all charges against him.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4465&cat_id=2
(A H P)
Turkey mobilized for Yemen, says head of aid body
Head of Turkish Red Crescent says it is difficult for Yemeni people to overcome crisis without help of Turkey
Turkey has been mobilized for people in war-torn Yemen, head of the Turkish Red Crescent said on Friday.
"Both our government and our people are mobilized for 'What can be done for Yemen'," Kerem Kinik said after his meeting with Yemen's Deputy Prime Minister Salem Ahmed Saeed Al Khanbashi.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-mobilized-for-yemen-says-head-of-aid-body/1344966
cp13 Wirtschaft / Economy
(A E P)
The central bank denies the issuance of new cash quantities
The central bank of Yemen has denied the current news about the issuance of new cash quantities, or any intention it has to increase the cash supply to meet its payments under any circumstances.
He explained that the news may have been built upon the background of receiving a batch of banknotes printed abroad, which he has already stated that it is scheduled to be recived by previous contracts concluded by the Central Bank administration after the decision to transfer its headquarters to Aden, early in 2017.
He said in a statement that the final delivery of the last batch is scheduled to expire in the first quarter of next year 2019.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/162364
Remark: Aden Central Bank.
And statement from the Houthi side:
(A E P)
Economic Committee Condemns Printing More Currency, Aggression Responsible for Disastrous Consequences
The Supreme Economic Committee condemned the printing of new billions of local currency and is holding the aggression and mercenaries responsible for the consequences, of this disastrous process, on the national economy. A source in the committee stated that the US-Saudi mercenaries in "Hadi's government" bank have printed a 147 billion Yemeni Riyals, which would be reflected negatively on the national economy and the Yemeni riyal against foreign currencies.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4475&cat_id=1
(* B E P)
Film: Yemen’s financial crisis hits food imports
http://www.reuters.tv/v/PNp4/2018/12/20/yemen-s-financial-crisis-hits-food-imports
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp6
(A T)
(So-called) #IslamicState in #Yemen continues to target #alQaeda. Claims it injured 1 #AQAP member by sniper on Wednesday. Since merging into 1 Yemen Province late Sept it has claimed 13 ops (ranging from sniping to extensive clashes): 8 on AQAP, 5 on Houthis. All in NW al-Bayda' (image)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1076123551655256067
cp15 Propaganda
(A H P)
UAE aid to Yemen Reaches 18.6 Billion Dirhams
UAE aid to Yemen in the period from April 2015 to December 2018 totalled UAE 18.6 billion (US$4.91 billion), benefiting more than 17 million Yemenis, 11 million of whom are children and 3.2 million are women.
The UAE aid programme has risen to the occasion and met the challenge of assisting in the normalisation of life in all Yemeni provinces, without exception.
https://7dnews.com/news/uae-aid-to-yemen-reaches-18-6-billion-dirhams
(A P)
Riyadh rejects US Congress intervention
Saudi Arabia’s response to the two resolutions recently adopted by the US Senate requires no explanation. One of these resolutions targeted Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman while the other called on the US Administration to end its cooperation with the Saudi-led Arab Coalition to restore stability and legitimacy in Yemen.
The Kingdom’s response was absolutely necessary and clear when it comes to matters such as interfering in internal affairs, undermining sovereignty, affecting the Saudi leadership, in addition to an attempt to influence the leading role played by Riyadh in regional and international arenas, especially its pioneering role in leading the Arab and Islamic worlds.
The US Senate, and therefore it has no right to incriminate whomever it pleases and acquit whomever it wishes on the basis of narrow political interests, represented by groups whose members have their own interests and objectives.
Saudi Arabia’s statement last Monday was explicit in its rejection of the Senate resolution. The Kingdom considers it as unacceptable interference in its internal affairs, undermining its sovereignty and opposing its leadership, represented by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/550785/Opinion/OP-ED/Riyadh-rejects-US-Congress-intervention
My comment: The Saudis better would keep quiet, with having so many skeletons in the closet. – It’s funny that the Saudis lament against others who are “interfering in internal affairs, undermining sovereignty” – this exactly is what Saudi Arabia did in Syria, Yemen. If Saudi Arabia claims a “leading role […] in regional and international arenas, especially its pioneering role in leading the Arab and Islamic worlds, whre do they take this pretension from? With so many skeletons in the closet, any state would have gambled away any leading role, especially in the field of moral and religion. So just keep quiet.
(* A P)
It is Iran’s war in Yemen and America’s problem
The mullahs of Iran have declared war not only on the West and Israel, but also on Sunni Islam. Saudi Arabia, home to Mecca and Medina near the Red Sea, and Egypt, home of al-Azhar University, are prime targets. Iran has been harassing shipping in the Persian Gulf — east of Saudi Arabia — for years.
Iranian fast attack craft have charged U.S. Navy ships, their drones have buzzed American fighter jets, and lasers were directed at U.S. helicopters operating at sea. These efforts culminated in the capture of 10 American sailors in 2016.
Such harassment largely stopped in 2017, but Iran has been sailing warships in the Red Sea to the west of Saudi Arabia.
Our senators might want to consult a map.
Iran has no border on the Red Sea, but a base in the heel of the Saudi boot, i.e., in Yemen, would put it in a perfect position to encircle Saudi Arabia by water, and to also undermine Egypt, Jordan and Israel. It would allow access to overland routes through Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan — and directly into Egypt — for the purpose of arming rebels along the coast and the militias Egypt has been fighting in the Sinai desert.
The Red Sea is the only Israeli outlet to the Gulf of Aden and then the Arabian Sea, the route of Israel’s burgeoning trade with India and China.
Therefore, Iran has been stoking the Houthi insurrection in Yemen, providing, among other things, long-range missiles that have been fired into Riyadh. U.S. warships have intercepted several Iranian weapons shipments intended for Houthi militias.
If security and freedom of navigation for these allies are not sufficient reasons for the United States to be concerned with Iran at the chokepoint of the Bab el Mandeb Strait, consider this: Camp Lemonnier, the U.S. naval expeditionary base, sits directly opposite Yemen off Djibouti.
One way to make North Africa less stable is to make the row of countries underneath it less stable. Chad, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan and Niger all are targets of instability seekers, including Iran.
The United States helps those governments more effectively control their own territory and borders, reducing the likelihood of transnational jihad.
In Iraq and Syria, ISIS did the destabilizing and Iran reaped the benefit.
How the United States should position itself, vis-a-vis MbS or the Yemen war, is a matter for debate. But members of the U.S. Senate should be able to articulate American national security interests in the Middle East and Africa — and to recognize Iran as the threat to those interests – by Shoshana Bryen, senior director of the Washington, D.C.-based Jewish Policy Center
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/422361-it-is-irans-war-in-yemen-and-americas-problem
My comment: This is odd US propaganda in a nutshell. A long commentary will follow later. More background: https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jewish_Policy_Center and https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Republican_Jewish_Coalition and https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/author/shoshana_bryen/
(A P)
TBHF’s key humanitarian outreach helps Jordan, Syria and Yemen
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302728300
(A P)
New UNSC Resolution on Yemen Should Urge Houthis to Release Prisoners – Envoy
Any new UNSC resolution on Yemen should highlight the obligation of the Shia Houthi movement to timely release prisoners and withdraw from Al Hodeidah governorate, Ahmed Salem Al-Wahishi, the Yemeni ambassador to Russia, told Sputnik.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201812221070924871-yemen-houthis-prisoners/
My comment: This is propaganda busshit as both sides hold prisoners who must be released.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids day by day
Dec. 21: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1545495974./1204585733025123/
Dec. 20: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1545495974./1204584559691907/
Dec. 19: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1545495974./1204584193025277/
(* A K pH)
In Shocking Crime, US-Saudi Aggression Targets Ambulances, Health Ministry Condemns
Four paramedics and one of the patients were killed on Friday by the US-Saudi aggression targeting of two ambulances in the Barat and KhubwalShaaf districts in Al Jawf Governorate. In a statement, the Ministry of Health condemned the US-Saudi aggression crossing all red lines and targeting the two ambulances, their medical crews and patients on bord, in Al-Jawf.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4476&cat_id=1
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519755.htm
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
Dec. 22:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519899.htm Jawf p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4497&cat_id=1 Marib p., Jawf p.
Dec. 20:
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519694.htm Marib p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4480&cat_id=1 Saada p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news519697.htm Saada p., Najran
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4452&cat_id=1 Saada and Hajjah p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(* A K pS)
Saudi project removes 26,609 land mines in Yemen
The Saudi Project for Landmines Clearance in Yemen launched by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), removed 64 anti-personnel mines, 1,430 anti-vehicle mines, 85 explosive devices and 955 unexploded ordnance during the second week of December.
The mines were planted by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen. In the last week of November, members of the project managed to dismantle some 1,462 land mines to reach 6,677 mines planted by the Houthi militia in schools and residential areas throughout the month.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1424536/saudi-arabia
(A K pH)
Over 150 Saudi-Backed Militants Captured in Ma’rib: Yemeni Military Official
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said at least 150 Saudi-paid mercenaries were captured in Ma’rib after Yemeni troops launched an attack on their positions in the western province.
"The attack targeted sites of the militias in a mountainous chain of Hailan, Attias and positions of Zaid al-Aqil and Al-Alam overlooking Ma'rib city, killing and wounding dozens of the militias, including leaders," Yahya said as cited by Saba news agency on Saturday.
The Yemeni military also destroyed a number of vehicles belonging to the militants, he added
(A K pH)
2 Citizens Injured by Saudi Border Guards Fires in Saada
Two people were injured Friday by Saudi border guards fires in Saada province.
Saudi border guards fired shut at the people Munabih border district, injuring two citizens.
The populated villages in Razih border district were also hit on Friday by Saudi rockets and artillery shells.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4481&cat_id=1
(A K pS)
Yemen’s army clashes with Houthis in Dalih, 18 dead
Yemen’s army killed and wounded 30 members of the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Friday in clashes that took place in the southern province of Dalih, Saudi state-news agency SPA reported.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1424296/middle-east
(* B K)
Yemen Update: November 21-December 19
Between November 21 and December 19, Houthi forces fired or attempted to fire at least one ballistic missile. The target of this launch is unclear. Below is a summary of select Houthi missile-launch reports during this period.
https://missilethreat.csis.org/yemen-update-november-21-december-19/
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition shelling recorded on:
Dec. 20:
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=4480&cat_id=1 Saada p.
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(B)
Yemeni student plans to produce film on her war-torn country
Twenty four-year-old Liza Al Dhobai from Yemen, who received her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Multimedia from the LimKokWing University of Creative Technology yesterday plans to produce a short film about the war in her country.
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-493-yemen-war-mosaic-493
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-493 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-493:
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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