February 11, 2019: Amnesty International Journal (in German) – Crisis Group Weekly Yemen Update 3 – Yemen’s economic crisis – Saudi Arabia, armanents and conflict – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German
cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English
cp2 Allgemein / General
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
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c 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
Neue Artikel / New articles
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From 2018: Film: Heart of Glas
Once the war is over, Ammar Basha dreams of opening a film industry in #Yemen
In the meantime, this is his call to #StopTheWarOnYemen
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/1642998512419839/
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
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Amnesty International Journal
Das gesamte Journal: https://www.amnesty.de/journal
UNVERSEHRT BLEIBT KEINER
Millionen Existenzen im Jemen sind für immer zerstört. Doch an Schulen und Universitäten, unter Künstlern und Menschenrechtlerinnen geht der Kampf um ein normales Leben weiter.
Vorgehen der Kriegsautoritäten anderswo im Jemen: Ziviles Engagement wird gnadenlos verfolgt, Protest gegen die lokalen Machthaber rücksichtslos unterdrückt. Neben Menschenrechtlern, Künstlern und Friedensaktivisten sind auch Journalisten von dem Feldzug gegen die Freiheit betroffen.
Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Mwatana hat unzählige Fälle willkürlicher Verhaftungen, unfairer Prozesse und erzwungenen Verschwindens dokumentiert – vor allem in den von Ansar Allah kontrollierten Gebieten. Die gemeinhin als Huthis bezeichnete Gruppe ist nach ihrem 2004 getöteten Anführer Hussein Badreddin al-Huthi benannt.
Auch das Mwatana-Team ist längst selbst ins Visier von Behörden und Geheimdiensten geraten.
Das Land befindet sich im Würgegriff der Milizen. Und die dulden keinen Bürgersinn – nicht kulturell, und schon gar nicht politisch.
Eine ganze Generation von Jugendlichen wird so um ihre Zukunft gebracht, die noch vor wenigen Jahren deutliche Besserung im Armenhaus der arabischen Welt versprach.
In ihrer Verachtung grundlegender Bürgerrechte stehen sich die lokalen Verbündeten der arabischen Militärallianz und die Huthis in nichts nach. Tag für Tag werden die 28 Millionen Jemenitinnen und Jemeniten nicht nur ihres Rechts auf körperliche Unversehrtheit beraubt, auch persönliche Freiheitsrechte werden immer stärker bedroht.
Mit dramatischen Langzeitfolgen: Das Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies kommt gemeinsam mit der Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic in einem Bericht an den UNO-Menschenrechtsrat zu dem Schluss: "Es besteht ein hohes Risiko allumfassender schlechter psychischer Gesundheit im Jemen, darunter schwere Depressionen, Angstzustände und posttraumatische Belastungsstörungen."
Schlimmer noch, die Kriegsparteien hungern die Bevölkerung systematisch aus.
Auch die diplomatische Aufmerksamkeit, die der Jemen seit dem Mord an Khashoggi erfährt, könnte schon bald vorbei sein. Deshalb drängen Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch und Mwatana den UN-Sondergesandten Martin Griffiths, bei den Verhandlungen auf Rechenschaftspflicht für die Verantwortlichen von Kriegsverbrechen zu pochen.
Dass ausgerechnet die westlichen Verbündeten der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate und Saudi-Arabiens an Aufklärung kein Interesse haben dürften, belegen Recherchen von Amnesty International und der Nachrichtenagentur Associated Press
[Überblicksartikel]
https://www.amnesty.de/informieren/amnesty-journal/jemen-unversehrt-bleibt-keiner
KEINE RÜSTUNGSGÜTER FÜR DEN KRIEG IM JEMEN
Trotz der Gräueltaten liefern die USA und europäische Staaten weiter Waffen und andere Rüstungsmaterialien an die Militärallianz. Damit verstoßen sie gegen verbindliche internationale Regelungen zur Rüstungsexportkontrolle.
Trotz der Grausamkeiten und Gräueltaten liefern die USA und europäische Staaten weiter Waffen, Munition und andere Rüstungsmaterialien an die Militärallianz. Dabei wissen sie genau, dass diese Rüstungsgüter auch im Jemen eingesetzt werden können. Damit verstoßen die meisten dieser Exporte gegen internationale verbindliche Regelungen zur Rüstungsexportkontrolle, wie den internationalen Waffenhandelsvertrag oder den Gemeinsamen Standpunkt der EU zur Kontrolle des Waffenhandels.
Darauf kann es nur eine Antwort geben: Alle Rüstungsexporte und sonstige Unterstützung, die den Konflikt im Jemen weiter anheizen und verschärfen, müssen gestoppt werden. Das betrifft insbesondere die von Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten angeführte Militärallianz – diese darf keine Rüstungsgüter oder Militärhilfen für ihren Einsatz im Jemen mehr erhalten.
"FRIEDEN IM JEMEN IST MÖGLICH"
Radhya al-Mutawakel ist Direktorin der jemenitischen Menschenrechtsorganisation Mwatana.
Interview: Markus Bickel
Wie stehen die Chancen auf Frieden im Jemen Anfang 2019?
So gut wie seit Beginn des Kriegs nicht. In den zwei Monaten nach der Ermordung des saudischen Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi ist es der internationalen Gemeinschaft gelungen, alle Konfliktparteien in Schweden an einen Tisch zu bekommen. Und das, obwohl Großbritannien, Frankreich und die USA jahrelang behauptet haben, es sei nicht möglich, Huthis und Saudis zu Gesprächen zu bewegen. Aber noch ist es nur eine schwache Chance. Wenn wir sie nicht ergreifen, fangen wir wieder von vorne an. Der Druck auf die Kriegsparteien muss unbedingt aufrechterhalten bleiben, denn sollten die Verhandlungen scheitern, würde der Krieg in ganz neuer Intensität wieder aufflammen. Frieden im Jemen ist immer möglich, aber seit 2015 war er noch nie in so greifbarer Nähe.
Bei den Verhandlungen in Schweden ist es nicht gelungen, die Öffnung des Flughafens von Sanaa zu erreichen.
Seitdem die Saudis den Flughafen 2016 schlossen, sind alle Versuche, ihn wieder zu öffnen, gescheitert – leider auch in Schweden. Keine der Konfliktparteien kümmert sich um das Schicksal der Zivilisten in diesem Krieg; sie reagieren nur auf Druck. Deshalb setze ich auf eine zweite Verhandlungsrunde.
https://www.amnesty.de/informieren/amnesty-journal/jemen-frieden-im-jemen-ist-moeglich
DEUTSCHE WAFFEN FÜR DIE GOLFALLIANZ
Die Bundesregierung genehmigt weiter Rüstungsexporte an die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Militärallianz, die im Jemen gegen die schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen kämpft – und verstößt damit gegen den Koalitionsvertrag.
Die Führungsmacht der Koalition, Saudi-Arabien, setzt bei ihren Luftschlägen auch Kampfjets ein, die teilweise in Deutschland gefertigt werden wie Eurofighter und Tornado. Auch Ersatzteile für die Maschinen kommen aus der Bundesrepublik. Über Großbritannien will sich Saudi-Arabien zudem weitere 48 Eurofighter beschaffen, teilte das Bundeskabinett Ende 2018 mit. Die Managementorganisation des europäischen Gemeinschaftsjets, die Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, hat ihren Hauptsitz in Bayern. Airbus Defence and Space ist mit 29 Prozent am Eurofighter-Programm beteiligt.
Airbus ist nicht der einzige deutsche Konzern, der am Krieg auf der Arabischen Halbinsel verdient. Andere Unternehmen liefern Bomben und Munition. Im Jemen und vor der Küste kommen verschiedene deutsche Waffen und Rüstungsgüter zum Einsatz. Auf dem Meer vor Hodeida gibt es seit Jahren eine Seeblockade. Auch von deutschen Werften gefertigte Boote dürften daran beteiligt sein. Denn Saudi-Arabien hat in Deutschland mehr als 140 Boote bestellt, darunter 33 für Patrouillen geeignete Seefahrzeuge mit einem 20-Millimeter-Geschütz. Bis Dezember 2018 hat die Bundesregierung die Ausfuhr von 17 Patrouillenbooten genehmigt.
Auch Aufklärungsdrohnen aus Deutschland setzen die saudischen Streitkräfte im Jemen ein. An den unbemannten Flugzeugen vom Typ Luna wurden saudische Sicherheitskräfte von Soldaten der Bundeswehr ausgebildet. Soldaten des Königreichs sind zudem mit Sturmgewehren vom Typ G36 ausgestattet.
Andere bedeutende Kunden der deutschen Rüstungsindustrie wie Ägypten, Jordanien oder die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate setzten ebenfalls im Jemen Soldaten ein oder unterstützen die arabische Koalition. I
https://www.amnesty.de/informieren/amnesty-journal/jemen-deutsche-waffen-fuer-die-golfallianz
BILDER IN TRÜMMERN
Murad Subay macht Krieg und Unterdrückung im Jemen zum Thema seiner Streetart-Aktionen. Cornelia Wegerhoff traf ihn in Kairo.
Als die arabischen Aufstände 2011 auch Sanaa ergriffen, ging Subay mit auf die Straße. Ein Jahr später tauschte er dann zum ersten Mal die Leinwand gegen Straßenmauern. "Colour the walls of your street" lautete das Motto seiner ersten Kampagne. Dabei ermutigte Subay vor allem junge Jemeniten dazu, die Mauern in ihren Vierteln, die bei Kämpfen beschädigt worden waren, mit bunten Farben zu verschönern.
Ebenfalls im Jahr 2012 startete er die Kunstaktion "The walls remember their faces". Zusammen mit Angehörigen malte er Schwarzweißporträts von mehr als hundert Vermissten an Wände. "Als die Familien mit mir auf die Straße gingen, um ihre verschwundenen Väter, Brüder, Söhne zu malen, kamen sie mit den Passanten ins Gespräch." Bis dahin war das Schicksal ihrer Verwandten totgeschwiegen worden. Über sieben Monate war Subay für die Aktion in Sanaa, Aden, Taiz und Hodeida unterwegs. Nicht selten wurden die Vermisstenbilder über Nacht übertüncht. "Und dann ging die Sache einen Schritt weiter", berichtet Subay nicht ohne Stolz: "Die Familien gingen zurück und malten die Bilder neu, manche bis zu zehnmal!"
Unbeeindruckt von Krieg und politischer Gängelung arbeitete auch Subay weiter. Manchmal ist die Direktheit seiner Werke kaum zu ertragen
https://www.amnesty.de/informieren/amnesty-journal/jemen-bilder-truemmern
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International Crisis Group: Crisis Group Yemen Update #3
This is Crisis Group’s third weekly update published as part of our Yemen Campaign. The trend we identify in this edition is new hope for a political compromise to end the four-year-old civil war and ease the country’s grave humanitarian crisis.
Trendline: A Shift to the Political in 2019?
After a year of unrelenting military pressure along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, there are some indications that the Saudi-led coalition may be pivoting toward a greater recognition that a political compromise is needed to end the war. Military pressure succeeded in bringing the Huthis to the table, the coalition argues, but a different toolkit will be needed to end the war.
The language marks a shift from the rhetoric of mid-to-late-2018, when United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia officials argued that the only way to end the war in Yemen was by removing the Huthis from Hodeida port and city by military force, sparking fears of a battle for Hodeida that could cut off the flow of some 70 per cent of all goods shipped into the heavily import-dependent country.
Opinion within the coalition is not uniform and not all signals point in this direction. UAE officials express particular concern that Huthi ceasefire violations are wearing down trust and straining the forces it backs on the ground. One UAE official signalled that coalition patience could run out by late March or early April, if the current impasse on mutual redeployments from Hodeida cannot be overcome. Still, the pivot appears to be at least partially credible, and both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi seem to have concluded that the Stockholm Agreement serves their interests better than military action in Hodeida – for now.
The shift comes as the result of a combination of factors. International outcry from humanitarian organisations in late 2018 highlighted the risk of famine. The U.S. and other coalition allies increased their scrutiny of Saudi behaviour after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the country’s consulate in Istanbul in early October. And UN negotiations in Sweden reached a deal that served the coalition’s primary objective in Hodeida of removing it from direct Huthi control.
The coalition and the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi appeared reluctant backers of the Stockholm Agreement. But Saudi and Emirati officials have since come to play up its importance as a potential game-changer in the war. In an optimistic telling, both countries’ officials say they hope the agreement’s implementation would lead to a cascade effect accelerating broader negotiations between the Huthis and the Hadi government, and then a widely inclusive political process.
For their part, the Huthis remain suspicious of the coalition’s intentions, believing that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are more interested in changing perceptions and public narratives than the conflict’s trajectory. The group has been the major proximate barrier to implementing the agreement and helping open a humanitarian corridor, but Huthi insiders argue that the blockages are either misunderstood or being deliberately misrepresented. With no agreement on which “local forces” will control the ports and eventually Hodeida city within the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) it is functionally impossible for the Huthis to redeploy, they argue, beyond replacing frontline fighters with Huthi-aligned security forces (a distinction that is hard to make or verify). And the group’s military leaders are leery of reopening the Sanaa-Hodeida road to the east of the city, as they believe doing so will make them vulnerable to coalition attack. The group alleges that coalition-backed forces have violated the ceasefire as many times as the Huthis – a claim that, absent a full UN monitoring mission, is impossible to judge.
What happens next will be defined, at least partially, by the outcome of discussions that took place on a ship anchored just off Yemen’s Red Sea coast between 3-6 February.
Political and Military Developments
Beyond Hodeida, the often-ignored competition for control of state institutions – and the legitimacy they bestow – between the Huthis and the Hadi government heated up this week with a series of tit-for-tat moves aimed at demonstrating control of Yemen’s House of Representatives. On 1 February, the newly-appointed head of the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referendum (SCER) in Huthi-held Sanaa announced plans to hold elections to fill “vacant seats” in the House of Representatives.
The Huthi move came in apparent response to Hadi’s long-rumoured attempts to convene the House of Representatives in Aden. Hadi insiders claim that he has enough MPs to pass new laws, including an extension of his presidential term. On 3 February, Hadi announced that he was relocating the SCER headquarters to Aden in an apparent attempt to undercut Huthi manoeuvring.
The Yemeni riyal, which had regained some steam at the end of 2018 after falling to a record low of YR800 to the U.S. dollar in September-October, has started to decline again, falling this week to YR600 to the dollar.
As the chances of UN-led political dialogue in 2019 increase, political and institutional manoeuvring between the Huthis, Hadi government and other political and military players is likely to become more pronounced, as are efforts to control territory (see Crisis Group Update #2) and the public narrative. The UN and international diplomats, who will make a critical contribution to the success or failure of a political process in the longer term, should show they take these machinations seriously by seeking to prevent further gamesmanship of this kind in the coming months.
Regional and International Developments
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/yemen/crisis-group-yemen-update-3 = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/crisis-group-yemen-update-3
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Beyond the war: The deep roots of Yemen's economic crisis
War has destroyed the livelihoods of countless Yemenis, but the country’s economic crisis has deeper roots
Yemen's economic future is intricately linked to the fate of Hodeida. However, despite the port city's importance, the roots of Yemen's economic crisis run deeper, analysts say.
The economic data paints a bleak picture. The World Bank reported in October that Yemen's economy had contracted by around 50 percent since the start of the war in 2015. The poverty rate – Yemen was already seen as the most impoverished nation in the Arab world – rose by 32 percent between 2014 and late 2018 and is projected to remain high in 2019.
Amid the conflict, the state has almost depleted its foreign reserves and the Central Bank of Yemen "remains largely dysfunctional", according to the World Bank. The central bank is also at the centre of a political dispute between the Aden-based government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia, and the Houthi government in the capital Sanaa.
Speaking to The New Arab from Aden, activist Murad Abdu says the economic situation in southern Yemen is "miserable". With a variety of actors on the ground, he adds, people do not know who is responsible for protecting the economy from collapse. Each side is accusing the other of being behind the dire situation.
For Hisham al-Omeisy, a prominent Yemeni analyst, the roots of the economic crisis go back to "way before the start of the war".
"A lot of people think it was just because of the Houthis. No, we had [economic] issues way before the war started, way before 2011, when the revolution started," al-Omeisy says, citing corruption, nepotism and weak state institutions that mismanaged resources. These factors, he told The New Arab, were also behind the uprising in 2011 that eventually toppled long-time ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The current crisis is closely linked to the state's finances as many people are in some form or another dependent on government payments. The fact that many state employees have not been paid, "partly caused a huge humanitarian crisis".
However, the blockade against Houthi-run areas by the Saudi-led coalition, al-Omeisy stresses, is not the main problem.
"The issue is not that there isn't stuff inside the country. The issue is that people are not able to buy it because there is no income." He says people were initially cutting back on daily meals, but then resorted to begging and "eating grass and leaves".
One analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of his work on the conflict, said even in the case of a long-term ceasefire the Hadi government does not have a solution for the economic crisis, citing two main reasons.
An economic turnaround will be "very, very hard", says Salisbury. Yemen is economically "devastated, security is not strong in many parts of the country" and the Hadi government "has utterly failed when it comes to restoring governance, delivering services, getting the economy moving in areas it controls."
"Our best-case scenario for 2019 really is that things don't continue to decline under the current acceleration," Salisbury concludes – by Manuel Langendorf
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2019/2/8/the-deep-roots-of-yemens-economic-crisis
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Saudi Arabia, armaments and conflict in the Middle East
Throughout the Middle East, many governments have placed a heavy emphasis on military force as a central tool for pursuing their political agendas and foreign policy aims and for dealing with perceived threats internally and abroad. Many states in the region have used their militaries in violent conflicts that have led to widespread destruction and hampered economic development. Militarization in the region is at a high level, as demonstrated by the fact that several states have steeply increased their arms importsin the past 10 years and that, in 2017, 7 of the 10 countries in the world with the highest military burdenwere in the Middle East.
This topical backgrounder puts a spotlight on armament developments in Saudi Arabia, the country with the highest levels of military spending and arms imports in the Middle East. It aims to contribute to the efforts by SIPRI to gain a better understanding of the impact of militarization on security, conflict, peace and development in the region.
Saudi Arabia's military involvement in conflicts in the Middle East
Saudi Arabian military expenditure
The high level of militarization in Saudi Arabia is reflected in its high level of military expenditure. SIPRI estimates that Saudi Arabia was the third largest military spender in the world in 2017 and by far the largest military spender in the Middle East (see figure 1). Looking at the decade 2008–17, its military spending increased by 74 per cent between 2008 and 2015 to $90.3 billion, the highest level ever. Following the fall in oil prices—and thus in government revenues—military spending fell by 29 per cent in 2016 (see figure 2). It increased again by 9.2 per cent in 2017 to $69.4 billion, equivalent to 10 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). In comparison, all the other countries among the top 15 military spenders in the world dedicate less than 4.2 per cent of GDP to the military. At $2107, Saudi Arabia’s per capita military spending was higher than any other country in the world in 2017.
The Saudi Arabian arms industry
Given its overall investment in the military, Saudi Arabia’s attempts to build an indigenous arms industry have yielded limited results. A government plan to reorganize and diversify the economy, launched in 2017 and known as Vision 2030, contains vague ambitions for the development of an arms industry. The aim is to ‘localize over 50 per cent of [Saudi] military equipment spending by 2030’, up from 2 per cent in 2017.
Arms import trends in Saudi Arabia
Despite fluctuations, Saudi Arabia was the second largest arms importer in the world in the period 1998–2017.
Saudi Arabia's import of advanced weapons
The SIPRI arms transfers database yields a long list of arms imported by Saudi Arabia in the period 2013–2017. As these are generally advanced weapons, Saudi Arabia is the most well-armed country in the Gulf region in terms of its inventory of modern equipment. Only a few examples are necessary to illustrate the types of recently acquired weapons that are important to Saudi Arabia’s capability to wage war in Yemen while at the same time conducting internal military operations, maintaining a military capability at the border with Iraq, facing Iran militarily and contemplating the possibility of deploying its military in Syria.
A combination of newly procured air force assets has increased the reach and strike power of the Saudi Arabian armed forces.
Where do Saudi Arabia's arms come from?
In 2013–17, 61 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s arms imports came from the USA and 23 per cent from the UK. Several other West European countries supplied most of the rest (see figure 4).
Efforts by China and Russia to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia have had limited success.
Conclusions
Lack of transparency in military matters makes it difficult to determine the extent to which Saudi Arabia’s high levels of military spending and arms procurement are driven by defensive or offensive motives, military or prestige considerations, internal power play or the possibility for government officials to enrich themselves. However, it is clear that Saudi Arabia is no longer just stocking up on weapons. It is actually using them on a large scale in an offensive operation in Yemen. Preparations for the future use of armed force elsewhere should not be excluded as a motive for the continuing high level of militarization.
Saudi Arabia might perceive its failure to win the war in Yemen as an indication of the limitations of its military arsenal. On the other hand, it could perceive the operations in Yemen as preventing a complete takeover of Yemen by allies of Iran, forcing the Houthi rebels to agree on negotiations and providing an opportunity for its armed forces to gain significant experience of warfare. Such perceptions combined with further arms acquisitions that enhance the reach and strike power of its armed forces may embolden the Saudi leadership to view the use of force as an increasingly central part of its foreign policy, regional power aspirations and responses to real or perceived threats from, among others, Iran, Qatar, or internal groups.
As Yemen dramatically illustrates, there are major risks for national and regional security, stability, peace, development and the humanitarian situation that relate to militarized foreign and security policies in the Middle East. States should therefore reassess the possible short- and long-term consequences of their arms exports to Saudi Arabia, ensure that a questionable narrative of economic gain does not drive such arms sales and consider if and how arms supplies can have a role at all in conflict resolution in the Middle East – by Pieter D. Wezeman
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
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US-Saudi Aggression Main Contributor to Spread of Diseases in Yemen
The tragedy caused by the US-Saudi war on Yemen, for nearly four years, has led to the collapse of the health system of the country and the destruction of many hospitals and health centers in all parts of the country. The continuation of the aggression and its immoral war on all elements of life and infrastructure around the country is to make Yemen nothing but a quagmire of epidemics and diseases. The latest epidemic "Swine Flu (A / H1N1), is spreading, for the past few days, in the provinces of the north.
Health sources reported that more than 230 deaths have been reported in the past few days, and the epidemic will continue to kill more people if not faced. Mohamed Adelan, Director General of the Control of Disease and Epidemiological Surveillance in Yemen, pointed out that the number of deaths in 2018 has reached 1543 deaths from epidemics, and the highest are resulting for Cholera and Swine Flu (A / H1N1.) The reasons are many but the one reason the system continues to fail is cause by the systematic and complete destruction of the health system by the US-Saudi aggression.
He referred to remnants of the health system in the Republic of Yemen as not sufficient to handle the needed capacity. The aggression also destroyed the water and environmental system, leaving more than 6 million and 265,300 patients exposed to infections and in risk of many epidemics.
9 million people are in serious need of health care. The recent expansion of epidemics is due to a severe shortage of medical equipment and a severe shortage of vaccines due to the blockade imposed by the US-Saudi aggression on Yemen.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5354&cat_id=1
cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German
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Vereinte Nationen pochen auf Zugang zu Getreide-Silos
UN-Nothilfekoordinator Mark Lowcock dringt auf raschen Zugang zu Lebensmittelhilfen für Millionen hungernde Menschen im Krisenstaat Jemen.
In Silos in der Hafenstadt Hudaida sei genügend Getreide vorhanden, um 3,7 Millionen Menschen einen Monat lang zu ernähren, sagte Lowcock laut einer Mitteilung vom Donnerstag. Huthi-Rebellen würden den Vereinten Nationen aber seit September den Zugang verweigern.
Zwei der Getreide-Silos wurden nach UN-Angaben im Januar vonMörsergranaten getroffen. Das dabei zerstörte Getreide hätte einen Monat lang vermutlich hunderttausende Menschen ernähren können, sagte Lowcock. Das verbleibende Getreide drohe zu verderben. Die Silos liegen im von Regierungstruppen kontrollierten Gebiet. Huthi-Rebellen untersagten es den UN bisher, in dieses Gebiet vorzustoßen.
https://www.focus.de/politik/ausland/jemen-vereinte-nationen-pochen-auf-zugang-zu-getreide-silos_id_10298129.html = https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/krieg-im-jemen-un-verlangen-zugang-zu-getreide-silos-16030763.html
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Bürgerkriegsparteien im Jemen über Abzug aus Hodeida einig
Die Hafenstadt, die einer der wichtigsten Knotenpunkte für die Versorgung der Bevölkerung ist, soll zu einem humanitären Korridor gemacht werden. Darauf einigten sich Vertreter von Rebellen und Regierung.
Vertreter der jemenitischen Regierung und der schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen haben unter Vermittlung der Vereinten Nationen einem vorläufigen Kompromiss zugestimmt. Wie der Uno-Sprecher Stéphane Dujarric am Donnerstag in New York mitteilte, sieht die Einigung vor, dass die Kämpfer beider Seiten aus der Hafenstadt Hodeida abziehen und humanitäre Korridore geöffnet werden. Der Kompromiss wurde demnach nach viertägigen Gesprächen auf einem Schiff vor Hodeida erreicht.
Er soll nun den Führungen beider Seiten unterbreitet werden. Für kommende Woche sind weitere Gespräche der Konfliktparteien unter Uno-Vermittlung vorgesehen. Dabei geht es um Einzelheiten des Abzugs der Kämpfer. Dujarric sagte, beide Seiten hätten sich entschieden dazu bekannt, die seit dem 18. Dezember geltende Waffenruhe für Hodeida einzuhalten.
Mein Kommentar: Dieser Optimismus ist verfrüht. Siehe unten auf Englisch.
cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English
(A K pS)
Houthi militia launched a brutal shelling on civilian houses in Tuhayta district, south of Hodeidah. According to the Giant Brigades’ media center, many civilian houses were seriously damaged, which led to the displacement of people
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1094695893402599424
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Sunday, February 10th, 2019
Several areas in Ad-durayhimi district were targeted by US-Saudi mercenaries' artillery shells and machine guns.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5353&cat_id=1
(A K pS)
In Hodeidah, one child was killed and another injured when a Houthi landmine exploded near a school in the outskirts of the Tahita , south of the city.
According to local sources, 8-year-old Moaz Mohammed Saeed was killed while his 14-year-old brother, Khalid Mohammed Said , was wounded by a Houthi landmine in the outskirts of al-Tahita.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14218
Film: https://www.facebook.com/groups/178437079767851/permalink/243268076618084/
(A K pH)
More than 574 coalition's violations of cease-fire in Hodeidah over past 72 hours : Army
Spokesman for the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sarie, on Saturday confirmed that the mercenaries of the saudi-led aggression coalition continue their intensive violations of the cease-fire in Hodeidah.
"They targeted residential areas, farms, houses of citizens, as well positions of army positions and popular forces," he affirmed.
"They committed 574 violations of the agreement over the last 72 hours," said in a statement to Saba .
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526173.htm
(* A P)
Yemen: Head of Hodeidah truce pushes for humanitarian corridors
In efforts to salvage Swedish peace deal, general calls for international forces to manage isolated areas of city
The newly-appointed head of a UN team sent to monitor a truce in Yemen’s Hodeidah has called for international forces to manage isolated areas in the city and for the opening of safe corridors in an attempt to salvage a December peace deal reached in Sweden.
On Saturday, Danish General Michael Lollesgaard suggested to General Abdullah Al Nakhai, the Yemeni army's chief of staff, the facilitation of a humanitarian corridor to allow the delivery of aid to assist millions of Yemenis facing starvation.
"The government is ready to implement the plan suggested by the general, it stipulates that representatives from the government and Houthi rebels would set up the passage and to allow international forces to govern it," a Yemeni government official told The National.
The general's task will be to deploy the people he needs for his mission including a team of up to 75 monitors, according to a report published on Sunday by the International Crisis Group.
"Beyond logistical constraints this will also require the Houthis to show more flexibility on visas and movement around Hodeidah than have done to date,” the report said.
General Lollesgaard is currently awaiting the rebel's approval.
The development comes as UN special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, is expected to arrive to Sanaa on Sunday to meet with Houthis leaders.
"Mr Griffiths will discuss the Hodeidah deal as well as the outstanding issues on the prisoner exchange agreement," a UN official told The National.
(A P)
Houthis release an activist in al-Hodeidah in exchange for a release of a Houthi captive
The al-Houthi group released Friday evening in the western city of Hodeidah, the activist Zekra Saeed Abdallah, after pressure from the Yemeni government and the Chairman of the Redeployment Committee, Danish general Michael Lolisgaard.
Tuhama Brigade commander Brigadier Ahmed Kawkabani, a member of the government team at Hodeidah redeployment committee, said the Houthis kidnapped the activist Zekra while working for a humanitarian organization in early January.
In his blog post on Facebook, he stated that the Houthis had kidnapped her on charges of "collaborating with the aggression" as described.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164107
(A K pH)
Saudi Mercenaries Target Civilians with Artillery Shells in Yemen’s Hodeida
At least ,two civilians lost their lives on Thursday when the Saudi mercenaries targeted them with artillery bombardment in Atuhita district of Hodeida province .
Local source clarified that Saudi mercenaries bombed Alfurs village in Atuhita district by artillery shells , killing two citizens (photos)
http://www.newnewss.net/saudi-mercenaries-target-civilians-with-artillery-shells-in-yemens-hodeida/
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5298&cat_id=1
(A K pS)
Local sources said a civilian was killed by the explosion of a landmine planted by Houthi group in Al-Jarahi district in #Hodeidah province
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1094038292146855939
(* A K pS)
Agency: Houthi rebels violate the ceasefire agreement in Hodeidah 1062 times, killing 72 civilians and injuring 469
According to the state news agency Saba, militants of the al-Houthi group have violated the ceasefire agreement in Hodeidah, 1062 times, since the agreement came into effect on Dec 18th.
The monitoring reports reported that those violations resulted in the death of 72 civilians and the wounding of 469 others.
The reports confirmed that the Houthi violations continued with various types of weapons and targeted the homes of citizens, public places and positions of government forces.
"In the past few hours, the Houthi militia bombed the mills used by the United Nations in clear and reckless defiance of the international community," it said.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164125
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1883635
My comment: The figures of victims quoted here look like the Hadi government propaganda ascribes all of them to Houthi shelling.
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Friday, February 8th, 2019
US-Saudi mercenaries targeted with machine guns Al-Hali district and heavy arms Hodeidah International Airport and Ad-durayhimi district. The fighter jets and reconnaissance drones continued to fly intensely over Hodiedah city and a number of districts.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5324&cat_id=1
(* A K pH)
3 civilians killed in saudi-led mercenaries' new violations over last 24 last hours
The US-backed saudi-led aggression coalition during the last 24 hours continued to violate the cease fire agreement in Hodeidah through launching attacks there and in several provinces and that left 3 dead among the civilians, a military official told Saba.
The official said the mercenaries of the coalition bombarded Faras village, Tuhayta district killing two civilians.
The mercenaries' artillery shelled Shajan village in the Durihimy while the enemy spy plane was continuing to hovering in the area.
The mercenaries and invaders fired artillery, medium and heavy weapons at Zafarn and Mahal Sheikh areas in Kilo-16 area, areas south and east of Tuhayta.
The artillery shelled areas east of Hodeidah airport while the enemy combat jets and spy planes were continuing to flying intensively in the sky of Hodeidah city.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news525943.htm
(* A K P)
Al-Huthi: Mark Lowcock Miss-informed on Claims of Aid Obstruction
Mohammed Al-Huthi, Head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, responded to comments made by Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, in which he accused the Army and Popular Committees of blocking the work of the aid groups. Al-Huthi, also, explained some facts about the UN failure to implement the Stockholm agreement in Hodeidah.
Lowcock said in a press statement that forces loyal to Ansarullah has refused, until today, to allow the United Nations to cross the front lines to areas controlled, by what he called the "government," to reach the mills. The head of the Supreme Revolutionary said that "the humanitarian officer Lokoc is receiving misleading information about the alleged obstruction by Army and Popular Committees." He wondered "If what Lowcock claimed is true, why wheat loads are not distributed in the areas under the occupation control." The fact that no aid is being used by any of the areas in need of it, including areas under what Lowcok call "government," than any claims of obstruction by the Ansarallah are not believable.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5303&cat_id=1
(A P)
Government sources deny resolution on the situation in Hodeidah City
Government sources on Saturday denied a solution to the situation in the western city of Hodeidah, according to the United Nations-sponsored Sweden agreement.
The sources told the Middle East newspaper that what was reached with the Houthis during the recent joint meetings of the Redeployment Coordination Committee, headed by Danish general Michael Lolisgaard, is merely a "partial proposal that is still under study."
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164127
and
(A P)
Yemeni Source: Only Deal on Partial Proposal on Hodeidah
Yemeni government sources denied on Friday reaching any deal with Houthi militias during the latest joint meetings of the Redeployment Coordination Committee on Hodeidah.
A government source confirmed that RCC meetings should resume next week after both sides place their remarks on the “preliminary compromise” on how to implement a truce and troop withdrawal accord in the port of Hodeidah.
On Thursday, the UN announced that a “preliminary compromise” was agreed, pending further consultation by the parties with their respective leaders.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1583256/yemeni-source-only-deal-partial-proposal-hodeidah
(* A P)
Note to Correspondents: Meeting of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (7 February 2019)
The members of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) met for a third time between 3 and 6 February aboard a UN vessel berthed in the inner harbour of Hudaydah port. In discussions facilitated by the RCC Chair, the parties worked together constructively to resolve outstanding issues related to the mutual redeployment of forces and the opening of humanitarian corridors.
Nevertheless, challenges remain, not least the complex nature of the current frontlines. To help overcome these issues, the RCC Chair tabled a proposal that proved acceptable, in principle, to both parties to move forward on the implementation of the Hudaydah Agreement. A preliminary compromise was agreed, pending further consultation by the parties with their respective leaders. The RCC Chair expects to reconvene the RCC within the next week, with the aim of finalizing details for redeployments.
Both parties have given a firm commitment to observe and enhance the ceasefire in the interim.
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K P)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 7, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-7-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 6, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-6-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 5, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-5-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 4, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-4-2019-map-update/
(* B K P)
#YemenCrisis: Houthis and High-Precision Missiles
Houthi forces published video showing precision missile strike against Sudanese military base
The Badr P-1 demonstrated a sophisticated military development for the Houthi forces. As the Houthis are reportedly supported by the Iran regime, this project was likely developed in coordination with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
On October 27, Iran-affiliated media outlet Press TV released an article introducing the new high precision Badr P-1 missile. According to the article, the missile was developed domestically and was designed to hit specific targets while minimizing collateral damage. The article had biases toward the Saudi-led coalition and strongly supported Houthi forces.
Taking into consideration the reported Iranian support to “improve the Houthis’ ballistic missile capabilities,” this missile was developed with Iran’s help. Twitter users suggested that Badr P-1 missiles had visible similarities to the Iranian produced Fadjr-4 and Zelzal guided missiles. Nonetheless, the Badr P-1 missile visually looked closest to the Iranian manufactured Fateh-110, which also had the same type of rail launcher, similar to the Soviet designed S-75 launcher. Visual similarities further suggested Iran’s likely aid in the development process.
Shortly after the official introduction, Houthi forces released a video that showed a Badr P-1 strike on a Sudanese military encampment.
A Badr P-1 missile, newly introduced to the warzone, launched from an unknown location, killing four and wounding 21 Sudanese soldiers close to the city of Al Hudaydah.
https://medium.com/dfrlab/yemencrisis-houthis-and-high-precision-missiles-702de0546fd
(B K P)
Yemen And The Pope – OpEd
These revelations give added urgency to the words of Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi: “Let us commit ourselves against the logic of armed power…God is with those who seek peace.“
http://www.eurasiareview.com/10022019-yemen-and-the-pope-oped/
My comment: Overview article, actually having little to do with the Pope.
(B K P)
Audio: Pope's peace call for Yemen given "sham" support: Houthi spokesman
Pope Francis' call for peace in Yemen has had little impact on the ground, with stalled talks in Jordan over the release of thousands of prisoners from both sides.
Middle East correspondent Adam Harvey speaks with a senior representative of one of the warring parties, the Houthi rebels, who says Abu Dhabi's apparent positive reception of the Pope's calls are a sham.
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/10798312
(* B K P)
IHL & HRL VIOLATIONS - JANUARY 2019
https://www.yemenpeaceproject.org/blog-x/2019/2/9/ihl-amp-hrl-violations-january-2019
(B H K P)
Kristine Beckerle, HRW: Just back from #Yemen with @hrw @priyanica. Quick thoughts below.
Main one: Despite Stockholm agreements, abuses (and unnecessary civilian suffering) continue at an entirely unacceptable pace. Much (much) more to be done.
Displaced people from Western Coast living in Aden's graveyards, outskirts, schools. Supplies lacking and many not sure when can return. Some tried, only to come back because found shelling, airstrikes or landmines en route or at home.
Famine broken health system collapsed economy, yet impediments to aid immense.
Haven't seen before this level of frustration amongst those trying to get food + medicine to those in need.
Facing corruption, theft, bureaucratic blocks, politicization + more. From both sides.
People from #Yemen's Western Coast reported post-Stockholm did see reduction--*not a pause*--in how fighting impacting civilians.
As one man said: "Even if the airstrikes became less, the shelling never stopped." Houthis + coalition-backed ground troops shell.
https://twitter.com/K_Beckerle/status/1094158523133558785
(A P)
@abducteesmother: The fifth issue of the weekly newsletter issued by the Association of Mothers of Kidnapped Children, which will carry the cause of our fair children to every Yemeni home. Freedom is the creation of all Yemenis, the promised promise and the right of the hearts of mothers. (image, Arabic)
https://twitter.com/abducteesmother/status/1093555663698124807
(* B K)
UNDP Yemen: WOW! Our partner, #YEMAC, is amazing! Congrats! In only 24 days - in & around #Aden - they: Surveyed 22,556 m2 (5.5 acres) Cleared 94,980 m2 (23.5 acres) Removed 2,862 #mines & #Explosive Remnants of #War
https://twitter.com/UNDPYemen/status/1093904854836232194
(A K P)
"Hamza Mubarak", one of 7 war prisoners who released by the Saudi regime a few days ago, suffers from the brutal traces of torture perpetrated by Saudi regime against #Yemen-i war prisoners. Claiming that the captive is Abdulmalik al-Houthi's brother.
.... The former captive confirmed that his Saudi jailers had crucified him for more than a month and twenty days until he fainted, and after he woke up he found that most of his hands and feet fingers had been amputated (film, photos)
https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/1093630715831508997
Film: They cut fingers of hands and fingers of my feet I was deprived of sleep They hanged me up by my hands, And hanged up me by my feet for long ours Yemeni war prisoner,Hamza Mubarak,recounting details of torture he received in the Saudi prisons.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1094272961140400128
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
(* B H)
Film (in Spanish): Al Mayadeen Semanal | Crisis humanitaria en Yemen | 2019-02-02
Las organizaciones de socorro reunidas en Londres hicieron sonar la voz de alarma a causa de la propagación del hambre y de la gravedad de la situación humanitaria en Yemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUyqei8fao = https://www.facebook.com/AnnurTV/videos/2035289009882067/
(A H)
Turkish Red Crescent Society: Further Food Aid for 15,000 People in Yemen
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/further-food-aid-15000-people-yemen
(B H)
Yemen could plunge into 'further famine' if Hodeidah is cut off
Save the Children fear cutting off access to Hodeidah will lead to famine in hard to reach parts of Yemen
Speaking at a press conference in London, Save the Children's Yemen director Tamer Kirolos painted a bleak picture of the humanitarian situation inside Yemen.
"If Hodeidah is cut off, then it will lead certain pockets of the country to famine," Kirolos told Middle East Eye.
"From a humanitarian perspective, this is by far the worst crisis Save the Children has seen since it began operating in Yemen.
"The number of children facing malnutrition is rising. More and more families still not sure of when their next meal is. We expect that 24 million people will be impacted by famine and that there will be millions more who will be reliant on food aid."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-could-plunge-further-famine-if-hodeidah-cut
(* B H)
Famine Early Warning System Network: Key Message Update: Conflict incidents continue in Yemen in January despite Stockholm Agreement, January 2019
FEWS NET estimates that approximately 17 million people in Yemen would be in need of urgent action (IPC Phase 3 or higher) in the absence of ongoing humanitarian food assistance. Sa’ada and Hajjah governorates are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), which is associated with large food consumption gaps and/or extreme depletion of livelihood assets. Of the remaining governorates in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), six would be in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) in the absence of ongoing assistance.
Conflict has continued in Yemen during January, including in Hajjah, Sa’ada, and Al Hudaydah governorates, although diplomatic reports indicate that the major parties to conflict remain committed to implementing the Stockholm Agreement reached in mid-December. However, the potential for conflict to intensify near Al Hudaydah City and its ports remains concerning.
Between December 2018 and January 2019, large areas will remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), as large-scale assistance prevents a deterioration to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) in many areas. In the most likely scenario, humanitarian food assistance will continue through early 2019 and large areas will remain in Crisis through May 2019. In a worst-case scenario, significant declines in commercial imports and conflict that cuts populations off from trade and humanitarian food assistance for an extended period could lead to Famine (IPC Phase 5).
(B H)
Funded by @yemenfoodbank & carried out by @monarelief along with other local charities. 10k+ students in 80 schools of the capital Sana'a will receive from tomorrow their daily breakfast in a step that aims to encouraging targeted students to continue their study (photos)
https://twitter.com/monarelief/status/1093967938862891010
(* B H)
Yemen: Hajjah Governorate - Flash Update 2 | 28 January-3 February 2019
Hostilities continue in Hajjah Governorate. During the reporting period, armed confrontations, artillery shelling and airstrikes were reported in various villages in Kushar, Mustaba, Haradh and Midi districts causing a significant spike in civilian casualties.
On 1 February, ten civilians were reportedly injured in two separate airstrikes that struck vehicles in Mustaba and Bakil Al Mir districts. Between 24-30 January, the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project documented 42 civilian casualties; 35 casualties – of whom 8 killed and 27 injured – caused by the shelling of a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Bani Al Haddad, Haradh District. The other 7 resulted from airstrikes, marking the highest weekly civilian casualty rate in Hajjah since November 2018.
Ongoing fighting in Haradh, Hayran and Mustaba districts resulted in daily displacement to neighbouring Abs District, where some IDPs sought shelter in one of the 309 settlements scattered across the district. Since June 2018, around 25,000 families (about 150,00 people) have been displaced to and within Hajjah Governorate. The majority of these IDPs live in Abs District.
An inter-agency mission comprising of IOM, OCHA, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO visited Hajjah Governorate from 27-29 January to conduct a rapid assessment of the current humanitarian situation in Abs District and Hajjah town. The focus was on needs and gaps in the on-going response.
As a result of the preliminary assessment findings, partners started scaling up activities in the governorate
(B H)
US Agency for International Development: Yemen - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #4, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-complex-emergency-fact-sheet-4-fiscal-year-fy-2019
Yemen - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #4, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-complex-emergency-fact-sheet-4-fiscal-year-fy-2019
(* B H P)
Supporting female scientists in Yemen
Despite the outstanding historical achievements of women in Yemen, the reality of today reflects a very sad image about their situation. According to the latest report on gender equality published by the World Economic Forum, Yemen is ranked last in the global gender gap index (149/149) and has only managed to close less than 68% of its gender gap. Today, Yemeni women are still underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and face particular challenges because of their societies' cultures and institutional rules. Yemen has not achieved gender parity in primary education and the gender gap substantially expands at higher levels of education. Early marriage and familial commitments are the main obstacles that present to women and girls in Yemen. Stereotyping, prejudices, and gender-based violence are also important issues that remain to be addressed.
Many female scientists have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment during their fieldwork and observations, ranging from inappropriate comments to undesirable physical contact. In addition, the absence of successful female role models in the field of science and engineering has also contributed to the low representation of female scientists in STEM.
The number of women graduating from universities with high degree classifications in STEM is increasing in big cities; however, it is clear that there are some barriers in the Yemeni and Arabic cultures preventing these women from pursuing research-oriented careers after graduation. The few career opportunities in research and scarcity of research-oriented graduate programmes are the most important obstacles.
In our opinion, Yemeni women are among the most resilient scientists in the world, and most of them are committed and dedicated to science and education despite the daily hardships without salaries and in conditions of dangerous conflict.
Despite all the difficult living conditions and the scarcity of resources and research support, several outstanding Yemeni female scientists have managed to establish active competitive research programmes and achieve international recognition
https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2818%2932088-9 and full document: https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2818%2932088-9
(B H)
Film: In war-torn Yemen, some students take classes under the tree
Displaced children in Yemen find no room in overcrowded schools in Abs, forcing teachers to run lessons in makeshift classrooms where they are exposed to sunlight and insects.
(* B H)
Yemen's cancer patients suffer as clinics are closing l Al Jazeera English
The World Health Organization says 35,000 Yemenis have cancer, and 11,000 are diagnosed every year.
But increasingly, cancer clinics have been closing, leaving patients without access to treatment and care.
Already facing travel in dangerous areas, long wait times for care, and limits on crucial food and medical supplies imposed by the Saudi-Emirati coalition, cancer patients in Hodeidah now have no idea if the last clinic in the area will still exist for their next treatment.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/yemens-cancer-patients-suffer-clinics-closing-190208141131873.html = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vl7pQuZyOE
(A H)
Turkish aid agency sends food aid to families in Yemen
An Istanbul-based aid agency has provided food aid to over 1,000 needy families in northern Yemen.
The Humanitarian Relief Association sent food packages and sacks of flour to families who had taken refuge in Al-Jawf governorate after fleeing from 12 provinces.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/turkish-aid-agency-sends-food-aid-to-families-in-yemen-3474010
(* B H)
Film: Ärzte ohne Grenzen / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): "Der Zugang der Menschen zu medizinischer Versorgung im Jemen hat sich in den letzten Jahren seit Beginn des Konflikts dramatisch verschlechtert."
[Film by Doctors Without Borders, in English, on the health situation in Yemen; german subs
]Robert Onus, ehemaliger Landeskoordinator für unsere Einsätze im Jemen, hat vor Ort erlebt, wie sich die Situation der Zivilbevölkerung zunehmend verschlechtert hat. Nicht nur das Gesundheitssystem ist zusammengebrochen, sondern auch die Infrastruktur ist kaum noch intakt. Menschen sterben durch aktive Kampfhandlungen, aber auch an vermeidbaren Ursachen, schlicht weil sie beispielsweise medizinische Einrichtungen nicht rechtzeitig erreichen.
Hinzu kommt eine sich zuspitzende Ernährungskrise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWpX0elQQok
(B H)
Film: Statistics for one year Vip about the #ChildMarriage in Yemen
https://twitter.com/nadalahdal/status/1093563423542206465
(B H)
World Food Programme, Logistics Cluster: Yemen annual report 2018 - Common logistics services: Achievements in 2018
(B H)
Film: Emad is one of the thousands of children who have been victims of the conflict in Yemen. He lost his lower limbs three years ago when their house was bombed.
https://twitter.com/UNICEF_Yemen/status/1093459205091147776
Khaled Al-Qurashi, 13, filmed and wrote Imad's story as part of the # Voices_Childrens project
(B H)
UNOPS is installing a photovoltaic solar system at Al Shaab Maternity Hospital and rehabilitating road infrastructure in Aden. Across Yemen, UNOPS is working on projects that will provide 600,000 Yemenis with access to rehabilitated water and sanitation services, rehabilitate 400 kilometers of urban roads, restore 60,000 megawatt hours of energy generation and create 1.5 million days of employment.
(A H)
Yemeni conjoined twins die without treatment abroad
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/10/c_137809493.htm
(A H)
Doctors plead for conjoined twins to leave Yemen for treatment
Flights have been banned to and from Sanaa airport by the Saudi-led coalition at war with Houthi rebels.
Yemeni doctors have appealed to the United Nations to help arrange the evacuation of conjoined twins saying they will "not be able to survive" unless they receive urgent medical treatment.
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
Film: Yemen: Displaced schoolkids take classes under trees in war-torn country
Students in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah are forced to attend school classes outdoors, as footage filmed on Sunday shows. Pupils displaced from different parts of the war-torn country were seen taking classes under trees near the city of Abs, as a result of overcrowded schools and a lack of infrastructure. Local teacher Ahmed Harbbi explained that despite their efforts to keep the students engaged, no charity or governmental support has been provided so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_FtDJAU66c
(* B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen UNHCR Operational Update, 8 February 2019
Key figures:
24M people in need; 3.9M displaced in the last three years; 81% of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) displaced for more than one year; 1M IDP returnees; 1.2M IDPs given in-kind or cash assistance in 2018
Funding
USD 198.6 M required for 2019 operations; USD 38.9 M received as of 6 February 2019
Population movement
As a result of fighting in Hajjah Governorate (north of Al Hudaydah), displacement was recorded from Hajjah towards neighbouring Amran Governorate. On 2 and 3 February, needs assessments by the UNHCR partner, Yemeni Red Crescent (YRC), identified 120 recently displaced families in the districts of Al Qaflah, Al Ashah and Al Madan (all in Amran Governorate). So far, two-thirds of these displaced families (IDPs) have received assistance through the distribution of core relief items (CRIs).
IDP Response
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-8-february-2019
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
Houthi extremist kills woman humanitarian aid worker
A Houthi extremist killed a female humanitarian aid worker in Yemen's central city of Taiz on Friday, local sources said.
The Shiit Islamist fighter, Mahmoud Abdullah al-Jaafari, intercepted the car on which Hibah Mo'jib, a volunteer doctor in Hidhran area in western Taiz driving back home from work with her husband beside her before opening fire and killing Mo'jib. The motives are unknown although the killer stopped their car in the highway claiming he had been meant to summon Mo'jib's husband to the police station.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-27587
(A P)
The Supreme Elections Committee held today a meeting chaired by Judge Mohammed Al-Salmi, Chairman of the Committee in the presence of the Vice-Chairman of the Committee, the members and the Secretary-General.
The meeting discussed the mechanism of forming the parliamentary election management committees to fill the vacant seats which will take place during the year 2019 (supervisory, original and subsidiary).
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526171.htm
My comment: How real elections could be held during war times?
(A P)
Media: Officer dies under torture in al-Houthi prisons in Sana'a
A former Republican Guard officer led by the son of former president Ali Abdallah Saleh, Ahmed Ali, died under torture in Houthi prisons, according to Congress party media said Sunday.
Colonel Amin Haneenah died in intensive care at the 48th Hospital in the capital Sana'a after being transferred from a secret prison after he was abducted to two-and-a-half months ago, “Khabar” agency's website quoted a military source as saying.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164153
and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14199
(A P)
Committee Foreign Affairs of House of Representatives holds meeting
The Committee on Relations and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives on Saturday held a meeting in the capital Sanaa.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526155.htm
and another report, showing Parliament is still working at Sanaa: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526229.htm
(* A P)
Dozens of Houthis killed, wounded and seven captured since their attack on Hajur tribes
More than 10 militants of the al-Houthi group have been killed and seven others captured since their attack on the sites of the Hajur tribes in Kesher district in the northwestern province of Hajjah, a field source said on Sunday.
The Houthis began a violent attack on the tribal positions in the district of Kesher since yesterday evening, and fierce fighting erupted between the two sides, which is still going on until the moment, the source told Al-Masdar online.
He said the fierce fighting between the two sides has, to date, resulted in the killing of more than 10 Houthi gunmen and the wounding of scores, in addition to the capturing of seven militants.
"In the hours of the night, five Houthis were captured and two were captured in the morning hours," he said.
He said that the losses on the part of the tribesmen were limited by the killing of one of the tribesmen, Abdallah Ali Zuber Riban, and two injured, at a time when no party had made progress on the ground.
The militants repelled Houthis attack after the Saudi Arabian coalition fighters launched raids on a number of al-Houthi positions, including a raid on a site and a 23-caliber cannon in the Al-mandela area.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164151
(* A P)
Houthis attack the sites of the Hajur tribes in Kasher and fierce battles between the two sides
Militants of the al-Houthi group on Saturday evening launched a fierce attack on Hajur tribesmen in the district of Kasher in the northwestern province of Hajja, after days of tension between the two sides and the militant group's attempt to storm the directorate.
Local sources in the field told Al-Masdar online that the Houthis began their attack on tribesmen in the Qaryat area, and carried out intensive shelling of cannons and heavy machine guns, while fierce battles erupted between the two sides.
The sources added that the Houthis launched an attack after a large number of their gunmen in Jabal al-Shahi and Sharfani to control them, but the tribesmen responded to the attack.
He noted that the fighting between the militants and the tribes continued to the moment in the two mountains.
The Houthis had pre-empted the attack with a threat to the tribes to allow them to control the area, set up checkpoints and allow them to take control of the highway, and if they did not, they would storm the directorate's villages with heavy weaponry.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164128
(* A P)
Houthi attack on villages in al-Hasha district and bombing of tribal leader house
Houthis militants attacked, Friday, villages in Al-Hasha district of al-Dale Province in southern Yemen, clashed with residents and blew up the house of a tribal leader in the area.
Local sources told Al-Masdar online that gunmen in the area Aboard vehicles and armored vehicles attacked the villages "al-Mahram " and "Najd al-Maklah " In Al-Hasha Directorate and clashed with citizens who came out to confront them with personal weapons.
The clashes took place for several hours, after which the Houthis managed to storm the villages and the women and children, and ended up blowing up the house of a Sheikh called Abdeljalil Ahmed al-Hudaifi in the area of "Najd al-Maklah".
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164096
and
(A P)
Houthis blow up second house in hours in al-Hasha – Al-Dale
The Houthi gunmen blew up the second house within hours of al-Muharram village in the al-Hasha district of the southern province of Al-Dale, local residents said.
They said in identical statements to Al-Masdar online that the Houthis blew up the house only hours after the house of tribal leader Abdul Jalil Ahmed al-Huzaifi in Najd al-Maklah, after an attack on the area and their clash with the residents.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164126
(A P)
Al-Huthi: US-Saudi Aggression Behind Economic Challenging, Suffering of Yemeni People.
Supreme Revolutionary Committee Head, Mohamed Ali Al-Houthi, explained that "the US-Saudi aggression and its mercenaries refusal to have a dialogue on the economic dossier confirms that they are behind the collapse of the currency and the suspension of salaries. " This crime is targeting the whole Yemen people and "those employees whose salaries have been suspended since the transfer of the bank's duties to Aden," Al-Houthi said in a tweet.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5329&cat_id=1
(A P)
4 civilians were injured,including 2 children, in Houthi militia shelling on IDP camps in Haradh district, in Hajjah governorate.Houthi group targeted the camp for the second time after targeting last month led to the death of 8 IDPs and the injury of> 8 (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1093916142169718784
(A P)
Film: A young mum on death row in Yemen
Asmaa Al-Omeissy is the first Yemeni woman to receive the death penalty
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190208-a-young-mum-on-death-row-in-yemen/
(* A P)
Houthis attack a village in al-Baydha and launch a large-scale kidnapping campaign
Militants of the Al-Houthi group launched a large-scale campaign on civilians in the Al-Dahaki area of al-Baydha province on Thursday.
A local source of Al-Masdar Online reported that the Houthis abducted more than a dozen civilians after they attacked the area and fired live bullets indiscriminately at homes and properties.
The attack on the village had also caused intimidation of children and women, while Houthi militants were still stationed in the area until the moment, sieging a number of houses in preparation for their detonation.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164079
(* A P)
Al Houthi forces and Hajoori tribal forces continued to clash in Kushar district in Hajjah governorate in northwestern Yemen on February 7. A spokesman for the tribe claimed that the group has killed over 75 al Houthi fighters and wounded over 150 others after two weeks of fighting. Official al Houthi media has yet to comment on the clashes.[2]
(A P)
Taiz.. Houthi militias kill doctor in al-Rubaie area
On Thursday, al-Houthi militias killed a doctor at a security point in the Al-Rabaie area of the western entrance to the southern Yemeni city of Taiz.
A local source said that Dr. Heba Nabil Mo’jeb was shot dead by gunmen named Mahmoud Abdo al-Jaafari at al-Rubaie check point west of Taiz.
"Mahmoud al-Jafari intercepted the car of the Faiez Mohammed and asked him to come to the police station in order to implement a security warrant, but the driver refused, the gunman shot and killed Dr. Heba Nabil," the source said.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164082
(B P)
Film: This is Awfaa Alnaami, a prominent peacemaker, sharing her views on peace last IWD, which were shared with @OSE_Yemen, Today she is arbitrarily detained by #Houthis. We call for her immediate release #FreeAwfaa
https://twitter.com/Peace_Track/status/1092068697647177728
and
(B P)
WATCH: Awfa was forcibly disappeared by the Houthis after she was called to a meeting with them in her role as country director of NGO SaferWorld
https://twitter.com/MiddleEastMnt/status/1093068026109480960
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp14
(A P)
Violent Clashes Between Mercenaries of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, Aden
Clashes broke out, Sunday morning, in Al-Mansourah district between gunmen on the public road at the entrance to the 90th Lane in Kabuta, causing major block to a number of main roads. Citizens said the clashes are continuing and roads are still blocked, especially the important Kalteks road connecting the districts of Aden and the 90th Lane.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5351&cat_id=1
(A P)
Art festival in Taiz celebrates 8th anniversary of «February 11 Revolution»
The youth of the February 11 revolution organized a festival in Taiz, southwest Yemen, to commemorate the 8th anniversary of the revolution that toppled former president Ali Abdallah Saleh.
Scores of pro-revolution supporters rallied to the tourist park of Taiz, where a major artistic and rhetorical festival was held in the presence of political and military leaders in the city, most of which are under the authority of the Yemeni government.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164154
(? B P)
Meet the female activists standing up to fundamentalism in eastern Yemen
Georgina Stubbs travels to eastern Yemen to meet the growing band of Muslim women rising up against an influx of fundamentalists (subscribers only)
My comment: In Eastern Yemen, also the Saudis are spreading Wahabism; in Mahrah province, they want to establish a large Wahabism center.
(* A P)
"Sam" denounces al-Houthi takeover of their opponents ' properties
Sam's rights and freedoms organization have denounced the Houthis ' seizure of their opponents ' funds in the capital, Sana'a, under their control since September 2014.
The group had prepared a list of the confiscation of 1142 Yemeni property, as well as a reservation on a number of properties of educational institutions, a Qur'an house, the University of Science and technology, charitable associations, and commercial and party institutions affiliated with the Islah.
This is done under the slogan "Confiscation of the money of traitors".
Sam said that the Houthis ' exploitation of the judiciary and its use of political reprisals against adversaries is reprehensible, condemnable and illegitimate for any judgments or orders issued by the judicial authorities under their control.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164124
(A P)
Dr. Anis Lockman: Holding the Second Round of the National Assembly in Hadhramaut is a Clear Evidence of Southern Lineup under the Southern Flag and the Council’s Leadership
(A P)
Protest with the Detainees in UAE Prisons in Yemen Southern
The city of Aden on Wednesday witnessed a protest in solidarity with the detainees in the UAE prisons in the southern regions .
Dozens of people come out in a protest at the Caltex tour of Mansoura district in solidarity with the detainees and those who were forcibly hidden in UAE jails .
http://www.newnewss.net/protest-with-the-detainees-in-uae-prisons-in-yemen-southern/
(A H P)
Pädophilie im Jemen: Kinderschänder ermorden Jungen (12) und werden öffentlich hingerichtet
Im Jemen fanden sich Hunderte Schaulustige ein, als zwei Kinderschändern öffentlich der Garaus gemacht wurde. Menschenrechtsorganisationen zeigten sich entsetzt über die brutale Hinrichtung.
(A H P)
A bullet in the back for raping a boy: Two paedophiles, 28 and 31, are publicly executed in Yemen for raping and murdering a 12-year-old
Wadah Refat, 28, and Mohamed Khaled, 31, raped and murdered 12-year-old
They were both executed by military in front of a crowd in Aden, Yemen
A 33-year-old woman also sentenced to death in connection with murder
The woman's execution however, has been postponed as she is pregnant (photos)
(A T)
Abu al-Abbas brigades executes a Security wanted in Taiz
A militant is on the list of security wanted in the southwestern province of Taiz, was liquidated by armed men from the Abu al-Abbas brigades on Thursday evening, a government military source said.
The source told Al-Masdar online that elements of the brigades tracked the wanted Amer al-Arabi, in the center of the District of Shamaytin, and shot him, which led to his death immediately.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164083
Remark: The al-Abbas briugades are extremly Salafist and are said to be closely linked to Al Qaeda.
(A T)
Civilians were injured by an explosive device planted on a motorcycle near the Civil Registration building in downtown Taiz city (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1093651781870145537
(A P)
The Association of Mothers in Aden has asked for the fate of dozens of people who have been forcibly disappeared for more than two years, who are not aware of their fate or health.
The mothers carried out two protest vigils this morning in front of the Public Prosecutor's Office and in front of the house of Deputy Minister of Interior Lakha (photos)
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1012324158955271&id=505200403000985
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(A P)
UN Envoy in Aden , What Will Happen Next ?
The United Nations international envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths traveled to Aden on Friday after Amman talks between the Yemeni parties to the conflict on the exchange of prisoners, which one of the provisions of the Stockholm Agreement.
http://www.newnewss.net/un-envoy-in-aden-what-will-happen-next/
(* A P)
Yemen: Legitimacy, Houthis Agree to Exchange Corpses
Delegations of the two warring sides in Yemen reached an agreement in Amman, Jordan, to exchange bodies of fighters killed during the past years in the ongoing military conflict, with the final lists of prisoners and detainees yet to be finalized.
The agreement includes exchanging 2,000 bodies, 1,000 for each side. The process will be implemented over three stages, sources in Amman stated.
The first phase will start in three weeks after current negotiations are concluded, where the two sides will start by exchanging bodies in the morgues. The second stage will focus on the bodies in cemeteries far from the front lines, which will last for two months. The third includes exchanging the bodies left in the battlefield and on the frontlines, which will take a long time until a cease-fire is reached.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1583296/yemen-legitimacy-houthis-agree-exchange-corpses
My comment: “Legitimacy” is a propaganda labeling of the Hadi government (the legitimacy of which had expired on Feb. 27, 2015).
(* A P)
Spotlight: Lack of mutual trust threatens prisoner swap deal between Yemeni warring factions
Representatives of the two Yemeni warring sides participated in talks sponsored by the UN in Jordan in an attempt to achieve progress toward implementing the prisoner exchange deal declared in Sweden.
However, the delegations of Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels concluded the two UN-sponsored rounds of talks without achieving constructive results, leaving thousands of detainees who are dreaming of reuniting with their families in continued pain.
The warring sides blamed each other for undermining the ongoing peace efforts and breaking down the negotiations in Jordan's capital Amman, with the presence of the UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.
Yemeni observers and political analysts said the negotiating teams treated each other with suspicion and lacked mutual trust, which was one of the main factors behind the failure of Jordan's talks.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/10/c_137809556.htm
My comment: Obviously, Chinese sources prefer to quote anti-Houthi voices.
(* A P)
Yemeni gov't, Houthis decide to continue meetings over swap prisoners
The Yemeni government and the Houthis decided on Friday to continue their meetings related to the swap of prisoners and to provide more time for finalizing the lists of prisoners to be covered by the deal.
A statement issued by the office of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen indicated that the two sides expressed their commitment to release all prisoners and detainees and those under house arrest, which will be implemented over stages.
They also renewed their readiness to exert all possible efforts to realize this objective and to speed up the process to enable the detainees to reunite with their families.
The statement indicated that the committee representing the two sides made "a significant progress" to implement the deal to release the prisoners as more information was provided in this regard during the second meeting in Amman.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/09/c_137807777.htm
(* A P)
Film: Yemen’s warring parties discuss prisoner exchange
The UN-led Supervisory Committee on the implementation of Yemen's prisoner exchange agreement reconvened in Jordan's capital Amman on Tuesday. Representatives from the Yemeni government and rival Houthi Shiite rebels gathered to discuss the December agreement reached in Sweden.
Speaking at a news conference prior to the meeting, UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said the aim of the meeting was to finalise the lists of prisoners and detainees to be released and exchanged, in hopes of advancing the implementation of the agreement. A Red Cross official said on Monday that the release of prisoners by Yemen's warring parties was hanging in the balance because of differences over the lists submitted by the government and its Saudi-led coalition partners and rival Houthi rebels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkgawOupMMY
(* A P)
Yemen talks make 'important progress' on prisoner swap: UN
Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Huthi rebels have made "important progress" during talks in Jordan on a troubled UN-brokered prisoner swap deal, mediators said Friday.
The huge prisoner exchange agreed in Stockholm in December is seen as a crucial confidence-building measure in the UN-led push to calm four years of devastating conflict.
After three days of talks in the Jordanian capital, a UN committee tasked with overseeing the swap said the warring sides had made "important progress in moving the release process forward".
That headway included "providing additional information on the status of individuals included in the lists of prisoners", it added.
My comment: Very optimistic, both Yemeni delegations seem to be more cautious at least:
(A P)
The prisoners ' committee reveals the fate of 235 abductees and prisoners, including Qahtan and Rajab
The member of the Committee of Prisoners from the government side Yahya Jasser said that the meeting of the Committee formed by the Government and the Houthis held in Amman, Jordan, under the supervision of the United Nations, revealed the fate of 235 abductees and prisoners including the politicians Mohamed Qahtan and General Faisal Rajab.
According to press reports, the 235 prisoners were unaccounted for, and the Houthis refrained from providing any information about them, especially the leader of the Islah party, Mohamed Qahtan, and Rajab.
Jasser did not provide details of the whereabouts of Qahtan and Rajab.
He noted that on Tuesday, the Houthis provided information on the captives fate and abductees and that after 10 days, the location of the handover and receipt of the captives and abductees from both sides would be agreed upon by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164076
My comment: „government“, here: Hadi government.
(* A P)
Yemen's Houthis: prisoner swap talks could drag on for months
In two rounds of talks in the Jordanian capital Amman, the warring parties have been hammering out details of the prisoner exchange they agreed last December as a confidence-building gesture at the first major peace talks of the nearly four-year-old war.
Delegates to the talks have been struggling to come with a final list of detainees after verifying an initial one they exchanged in Sweden that had around 15,000 people.
Abdul Qader Murtada, who heads the Houthi delegation, said the government side had accounted for only a tenth of a total of 7,500 of Houthi prisoners held in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
“If the other side remains in its intransigent position of denying the presence of our prisoners the talks will drag on for months,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of the current round of talks, which began on Tuesday.
The Houthis have in turn recognized only 3,600 from an original list of 9,500 names submitted by the government side of their detainees, saying over 4,000 names were either fake, duplicate names or of prisoners who had been released, he added.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp8a
(A P)
Saudi Arabia says has 'nothing to do' with Bezos-AMI dispute
Saudi Arabia had “absolutely nothing to do” with the National Enquirer’s reporting on an extramarital relationship involving Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, the kingdom’s minister of state for foreign affairs said.
Bezos on Thursday accused American Media Inc (AMI), the Enquirer’s owner, of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing “intimate photos” he allegedly sent to his girlfriend unless he said in public that the U.S. tabloid’s reporting on him was not politically motivated.
In a blog post, he alluded to Saudi Arabia’s displeasure at the Bezos-owned Washington Post’s coverage of the murder of its columnist and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
He also referenced media reports about alleged links between AMI and Saudi Arabia.
(A P)
Grisly killing of Child Bares Brutal Nature of Wahhabism
The killer repeatedly stabbed Zakariya in the neck with a piece of broken glass until he was beheaded, witness accounts of the gruesome killing said.
The child and his mother were reportedly attacked by the apparently sole assailant while they were on their way to visit the shrine of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him).
Shia Rights Watch, a Washington-based advocacy group, said on Saturday the incident was “a result of ongoing violations against and lack of protection of the Shia population by Saudi authorities.”
“Saudi Shia have been under military crackdown by their government and many Shia are in prisons and on death row,” it said.
According to reports, Saudi officials were quick to state that the killer suffered from psychological problems.
http://www.newnewss.net/grisly-killing-of-child-bares-brutal-nature-of-wahhabism/
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(** B P)
Year Before Killing, Saudi Prince Told Aide He Would Use ‘a Bullet’ on Jamal Khashoggi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia told a top aide in a conversation in 2017 that he would use “a bullet” on Jamal Khashoggi
The conversation, intercepted by American intelligence agencies, is the most detailed evidence to date that the crown prince considered killing Mr. Khashoggi long before a team of Saudi operatives strangled him inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul
The conversation appears to have been recently transcribed and analyzed as part of an effort by intelligence agencies to find proof of who was responsible for Mr. Khashoggi’s death. The National Security Agency and other American spy agencies are now sifting through years of the crown prince’s voice and text communications that the N.S.A. routinely intercepted and stored, much as the agency has long done for other top foreign officials, including close allies of the United States.
The conversation between Prince Mohammed and the aide, Turki Aldakhil, took place in September 2017, as officials in the kingdom were growing increasingly alarmed about Mr. Khashoggi’s criticisms of the Saudi government.
In the conversation, Prince Mohammed said that if Mr. Khashoggi could not be enticed back to Saudi Arabia, then he should be returned by force. If neither of those methods worked, the crown prince said, then he would go after Mr. Khashoggi “with a bullet,” according to the officials familiar with one of the intelligence reports, which was produced in early December.
American intelligence analysts concluded that Prince Mohammed might not have meant the phrase literally — in other words, he did not necessarily mean to have Mr. Khashoggi shot — but more likely he used the phrase as a metaphor to emphasize that he had every intention of killing the journalist if he did not return to Saudi Arabia.
Days before the conversation with Mr. Aldakhil, according to the same intelligence report, Prince Mohammed complained to another aide — Saud al-Qahtani — that Mr. Khashoggi had grown too influential. Prince Mohammed said that Mr. Khashoggi’s articles and Twitter posts were tarnishing the crown prince’s image as a forward-thinking reformer, and the criticism was more cutting because it was coming from a journalist who had once been seen as supportive of his agenda.
When Mr. al-Qahtani said that any move against Mr. Khashoggi was risky and could create an international uproar, his boss scolded him: Saudi Arabia should not care about international reaction to how it handles its own citizens, the crown prince told Mr. al-Qahtani.
Prince Mohammed also told Mr. al-Qahtani, according to an official who has read the report, that he “did not like half-measures — he never liked them and did not believe in them.” – by Mark Mazzetti
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/us/politics/khashoggi-mohammed-bin-salman.html
(A P)
Khashoggi fiancée seeks change in US approach to killing, may visit
The fiancée of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday she would welcome a change in Donald Trump’s approach to the killing, and may visit the United States in March, having previously rejected an invitation from the president.
Trump previously invited Cengiz to the United States but she said she had rejected the invitation as she thought it was aimed at influencing public opinion in his own favor.
Earlier on Friday, an aide to President Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi officials’ “complete lack of transparency” on the murder investigation is deeply concerning and detrimental to their credibility.
“Over the past four months, the Saudi authorities have been less than forthcoming in their dealings with their Turkish counterparts and the international community,” said Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan’s communications director.
“Saudi authorities must extradite Mr. Khashoggi’s killers to Turkey, where they committed a premeditated murder, as proof of their willingness to serve the cause of justice,” he said in a written statement to Reuters.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia's al-Jubeir says crown prince did not order Khashoggi killing
A top Saudi official on Friday reiterated his government’s position that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not order the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and he declined to comment specifically on a newspaper report that the crown prince in 2017 said he would use “a bullet” on the journalist.
Asked about the report, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told reporters: “I can’t comment on reports based on anonymous sources. We have seen in the past that many so-called reports based on intelligence sources have not panned out.”
Asked if he rejected the idea that the crown prince had used the phrase in a conversation, al-Jubeir replied: “It’s not about reject or not reject. We know that the crown prince did not order this. We know that this was a rogue operation.”
and also https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/saudis-call-jamal-khashoggi-killing-a-huge-mistake-1.823441
and full interview:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/210-gayle-king-jennifer-wexton-don-beyer/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-of-face-the-nation-on-february-10-2019/ [from min 37.22]
(A P)
CPJ demands justice for Khashoggi, Trump to hold MBS accountable
On eve of deadline for White House to report to Congress on Khashoggi's murder, rights groups demand 'justice for Jamal'
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanded accountability on Thursday for the murder of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi - a day before the US government is due to report to Congress on the killing.
(* A P)
White House declines to submit report to Congress on Khashoggi killing
The Trump administration declined Friday to submit a report to Congress determining whether Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is personally responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Senators had asked for the finding by Friday, with an eye to imposing new human rights sanctions on Saudi Arabia over the journalist’s Oct. 2 killing inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Under the Magnitsky Act, the president has 120 days to respond to a direct request from Congress about possible violations. The request, made Oct. 10 in a letter signed by 11 Democratic and 11 Republican senators, required the administration to make a determination of responsibility for the killing, particularly including involvement by the Saudi royal family, and to act on it by imposing sanctions on responsible individuals.
“The President maintains his discretion to decline to act on congressional committee requests when appropriate,” a senior administration official said in a statement. “The U.S. Government will continue to consult with Congress and work to hold accountable those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s killing.”
The Trump administration cited the constitutional separation of powers and the precedent of the Obama administration in declining to meet what the lawmakers had called a deadline. The decision was expected, and a bipartisan Senate bill introduced Thursday would supersede the request and direct the president to impose sanctions on anyone — including Saudi officials and the royal family — he determines was “responsible, or complicit in, ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing” acts that caused or contributed to Khashoggi’s death.
The new legislation relies on the authority of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act
(A P)
Spies are murdering dissidents like it’s the Cold War – leader comment
Had it not been for a gruesome recording obtained by the Turkish intelligence agency, the truth about the killing of this critic of the Saudi royal family might never have come to light. Now it has been revealed that the Saudi authorities have been holding court hearings involving the 11 people they have charged in relation to the murder, including five who face the death penalty, without any public scrutiny. This belated news prompted the United Nations’ special rapporteur on extra-judicial executions, Anges Callamard, to criticise the “insufficient public attention placed on the proceedings”. “Given the importance of the case, we should be expecting a greater presence of representatives of the media, of civil society, of a range of other governments, not just those hand-picked by the Saudi authorities,” she said.
The suspicion is that the killing of Khashoggi – whose body has still not been found – was ordered by the Saudi state, possibly even by the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, himself.
For anyone who believes in the rule of law, the response to this murder is one of the most important issues in the world today. For, as Callamard pointed out, it is just part of a “well-documented pattern of killings globally of journalists, human rights defenders, activists and opponents of various governments” and “the tentacles of covert intelligence services are spreading across the world, reminiscent of the Cold War era”.
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp8a
(A P)
Studenten Protestieren Gegen Raytheons Präsenz Auf Der Jobbörse Des College
Raytheon-Angestellter hat keine Ahnung vom Krieg im Jemen
"Wenn Raytheon es wagt, sich irgendwo zu zeigen, sollten sich die Studenten erheben und sagen, dass wir das nicht hinnehmen werden", schrie ein anderer Demonstrant. "Wenn diese Universitäten ihre Arme öffnen, Raytheon akzeptieren, Amphitheater nach ihnen benennen, ihre Ausstattung und ihren Bestand investieren, zeigt das, dass sie sich nicht um Bildung kümmern, sondern um eine Sache, und das ist kaltes hartes Geld, aber was für ein Geld ist das? Das ist Geld, das mit dem Blut der Menschen dieser Welt bezahlt wird."
(A P)
Students Protest Raytheon’s Presence at College Job Fair; Raytheon Employee Clueless of War in Yemen
"If Raytheon has the nerve to show their face anywhere, students should rise up and say we’re not gonna take it," yelled another protester. "When these universities open up their arms, accept Raytheon, name amphitheatre’s after them, invest their endowment and their stock, it shows that they don’t care about education, they care about one thing, and that’s cold hard cash, but what kind of cash is this? This is cash that’s paid for with the blood of the people of the world."
(A P)
‘Raising Voices For Yemen’ Defendants Io Appear In New York City Criminal Court On February 25
(A P)
Young and Shaheen Write to Secretary of State Ahead of Yemen Certification Deadline
U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today in advance of the upcoming Yemen certification deadline on February 9, 2019. After voicing significant concerns with the certification issued in September 2018, the letter sent to Secretary Pompeo today calls for a certification that better reflects the facts on the ground in Yemen.
“We remain concerned that the previous Yemen certification submitted to Congress did not accurately reflect known facts on the ground. As such, any follow-on certification should take all evidence into account and succinctly demonstrate to the Saudi-led coalition that the American people and their representatives in Congress will not stand for the continued disregard of the security and humanitarian interests of the U.S.,” the Senators wrote.
(A P)
In response to the reintroduction of the Saudi Arabia Accountability and Yemen Act, Oxfam America’s Humanitarian Policy Lead Scott Paul said:
Oxfam applauds the reintroduction of the Saudi Arabia Accountability and Yemen Act, a bipartisan measure led by Sens. Menendez, Young, Reed, Graham, Shaheen, Collins and Murphy.
This bill is one of the strongest rebukes yet of the Saudi-led coalition’s deadly and illegal conduct in Yemen, and severely restricts the US role in fueling the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. By suspending arms sales and transfer until September 2020, Congress is using the US’ most powerful leverage to save lives.
This is a sweeping but targeted attempt to truly hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its violations of international law and builds on the momentum of the past few months, with Congress standing up and loudly declaring that we will no longer be complicit in the Saudi-led coalition’s role in Yemen’s deadly war. This and recent legislation have a clear positive influence to help push all parties towards peace.
(* A K P)
Rand Paul said US weapons would end up in terrorists' hands. You should have listened to Rand Paul
At The American Conservative’s annual foreign policy conference in October, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said, "If you ask me who’s the worst at spreading hatred and trying to engender terrorism around the world, it’s Saudi Arabia hands down."
Paul was comparing Saudi Arabia to Iran in terms of which country should be considered more a threat to U.S. interests in the Middle East. The senator has warned for years that sending American military aid to alleged allies abroad could end up in terrorists’ hands, which has happened repeatedly.
On Monday, we learned it’s been happening again.
The weapons and equipment CNN learned are in al Qaeda’s possession were sold by the U.S. during the Obama administration, though sales continue under President Trump.
Paul has long been one of the most vociferous opponents of sending U.S. weapons to Saudi Arabia under both Democratic and Republican administrations, a position reinforced in the minds of many in the wake of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October.
Paul also led the fight in 2013 against arming Syrian rebels with U.S. weapons, worrying they could end up in the hands of al Qaeda. Guess what? That’s what happened. Maj. Anas Ibrahim Obaid even told Fox News that he gave American weapons and trucks directly to al Qaeda.
Paul worried that weapons the U.S. gave to Libyan rebels in 2011 to topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi could end up being used by terrorists. That’s exactly what happened when the weapons ended up in Syria. “Extremist fighters, some of them aligned with Al Qaeda, have the money to buy the newly arrived stock, and many rebels are willing to sell,” the New York Times reported in 2013.
For at least eight years now, the U.S. has found ways to inadvertently fund the group that attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11.
Paul recalled this history on the Senate floor Monday in a speech opposing an amendment condemning President Trump’s planned troop withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan.
“We’ve given [Middle East allies] trillions of dollars, the uniforms, the weapons, everything has been ours,” Paul said. “But every time we say we have to be involved there are unintended consequences.”
(A P)
Although clearly involved in murder of #jamalkhashoggi @adelaljubair is welcomed to @statedept talk about #Venezuela
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1093598686754598914
(B H)
Film: And then came Jude: selling biscuits to help children of #Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/videos/252677005630469/
(* A P)
U.S. lawmakers renew push for penalties against Saudi Arabia
Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers renewed their push on Thursday to penalize Saudi Arabia for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, introducing legislation to bar some arms sales and impose sanctions on those responsible for his death.
Democrats Bob Menendez, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Murphy and Republicans Todd Young, Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins introduced the bill one day before the Feb. 8 deadline for President Donald Trump’s administration to submit a report to Congress on whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s killing.
(* A P)
Congress Poised To Move Forward With Bold Agenda On Yemen
Although the brutal assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi may have begun to recede from the American public consciousness, Washington has clearly not moved on. In fact, the new Democratic majority in the House is poised, in partnership with key Senate leaders, to advance a bold agenda to bring accountability to the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia and finally reassert congressional oversight of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
In no place is congressional action more urgent than in Yemen.
The newly minted House Foreign Affairs Committee’s first priority was to follow up on the Senate’s unprecedented passage of the war powers resolution on Yemen last December that positively influenced ceasefire negotiations in Sweden. It did so by marking up Congressmen Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Mark Pocan’s (D-WI) (along with 68 bipartisan colleagues) war powers resolution on Yemen. The committee reported the resolution favorably out of committee this week, and there may be a floor vote by the end of February.
Senators Sanders (I-VT), Lee (R-UT), and Murphy (D-CT) have also reintroduced their war powers resolution, setting up another Senate vote to send the legislation to the president’s desk. Should the resolution pass both chambers as it is likely to do, it will set up a confrontation with Trump.
Even if Trump vetoes the war powers resolution, passage in both chambers of Congress will continue to signal much-needed pressure to the Saudi-led coalition that a political solution is the only acceptable resolution to this conflict. It will also indicate that U.S. support for their indefinite military adventurism, which relies on collective punishment of civilians, is not a blank check.
Should Trump decide to ignore the will of Congress, it will also provide the impetus Congress needs to take further action to limit U.S. military cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen. A variety of legislative initiatives lie at Congress’ disposal and many have already been initiated – by Kate Kizer
https://lobelog.com/congress-poised-to-move-forward-with-bold-agenda-on-yemen/
(* A P)
Dem majority revives fight with Trump over Saudis
Democrats are set to challenge President Trump’s relationship with Saudi Arabia in one of their first major foreign policy moves since retaking the House.
Congressional fury over the humanitarian disaster in Yemen and the Saudi government’s role in the slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi receded into the background during the recent 35-day partial government shutdown, but it is now positioned to be front-and-center again in the coming weeks.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday advanced a resolution that would require Trump to withdraw all U.S. forces supporting the Saudi-led military campaign in neighboring Yemen’s civil war, with an eye toward a House floor vote before the end of the month.
Senators, meanwhile, will soon be able to force a vote on their companion resolution.
Supporters are confident the measure can pass both chambers, daring Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/428870-dem-majority-revives-fight-with-trump-over-saudis
(* A P)
Senators seek to punish Saudis over Khashoggi murder, Yemen war
Legislation to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and for its role in the conflict in Yemen was introduced Thursday by a bipartisan group of senators who said the Trump administration failed to hold a key ally to account.
The bill would prohibit some arms sales to Saudi Arabia and bar U.S. in-flight refueling of Saudi coalition aircraft involved in the civil war in Yemen. The administration has said it already has halted the refueling.
The introduction of the bill comes ahead of what Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, described as a Feb. 8 deadline for the Trump administration to determine whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is personally responsible for Khashoggi's murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.
Menendez and former senator Bob Corker, who was then chairman of Foreign Relations, triggered the investigation in October by sending a letter to the administration invoking the Magnitsky Act of 2016, which gives the administration 120 days to make a decision on new sanctions.
Even with bipartisan backing, the measure faces an uncertain fate in the GOP-controlled Senate. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed outrage over the killing, but Republicans are often hesitant to buck President Donald Trump.
(A B P)
George Cassidy Payne: Trump’s omission of Yemen from SOTU is telling
In his SOTU, Trump addressed everything from manufacturing jobs to tax codes to NASA missions to prison reform to infrastructure to partisan politics to NATO and ISIS. But one topic the president totally ignored was Yemen. On his watch, an entire generation of children are at risk of starving to death. Yet he does nothing.
Or should I say, he is doing far too much to perpetuate the crisis.
Tragically, Trump’s unassailable relationship with the Kingdom provides little hope for those starving children. Instead of trying to stop the carnage by ceasing arms sales to Saudi Arabia and using his political capital on the international stage to break the humanitarian assistance blockade, the president remains silent. Worse than that, as if to accentuate his apathy, he spends millions on vacations while babies starve to death.
And for what? To have a party? To show off to his friends? To do a little “executive time?”
Perhaps my father said it best, “What is it about our human condition that fails to see children as our most precious assets? There is no greater crime against humanity, indeed against all of creation, than the disrespect of the next generation of citizens in such brutal fashion.”
(* B K P)
May 6, 2016: U.S. Marines Trained Arab Troops Fighting in Yemen
2015 deployment took leathernecks to Saudi Arabia
On April 3, 2015, U.S. Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit traveled to Saudi Arabia to train troops heading to the front lines. Already in the region aboard a flotilla centered on the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, the leathernecks helped American citizens evacuate Yemen through the port city of Aden a month before.
The troops were “committed to … support to KSA and Partner Nation Operations in and around Yemen,” was the most an Oct. 28, 2015 briefing by Navy Capt. Michael McMillan and Marine Lt. Col. Sean Dynan had to say on the matter. KSA stands for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At the time, McMillan was in charge of Amphibious Squadron Eight — including Iwo Jima — while Dynan was the head of the 24th MEU.
We don’t know exactly what sort of training or advice the sailors and Marines provided to their Saudi counterparts. Another slide in the briefing suggests other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council — a political and economic bloc in the Arabian Peninsula — may have benefited from the sessions.
The Americans “provided advisory support to KSA forces,” a public affairs officer for the top Navy command in the Middle East said, declining to provide any further details about the deployment. “The MEU did not engage in direct or indirect combat and were limited to a purely advisory role.”
Though it’s unlikely the entire unit went to Saudi Arabia, a typical MEU has more than 2,000 Marines in total. With infantry, tanks and armored vehicles, artillery and aircraft, the unit could have shared lessons and best practices about all types of military operations.
The support officially ended on June 21, 2015, when the Iwo Jima and her sister ships left for the Mediterranean. The Marines made other stops in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Washington remains keen to demonstrate that — despite the Iran deal — the U.S. government still has KSA and the Gulf States’ back,” Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, explained to War Is Boring in an email. “The Yemen conflict provides an opportunity on this front.”
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/u-s-marines-trained-arab-troops-fighting-in-yemen-1ccd7fead008
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A K P)
Government-backed arms fair chased from yet another venue after protests
Arms fair organisers are stuck in a game of cat and mouse with peace activists.
Campaigners are celebrating after a Tory-backed arms fair was forced to move to another venue – before it has even taken place.
The Defence Procurement, Research, Technology & Exportability (DPRTE) arms fair was due to take place at Birmingham’s NEC on 28 March 2019.
The arms fair’s original booking in Cardiff was called off following similar protests and objections from local people last year.
But it will now happen at the Farborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre following local opposition.
DPRTE brings together all parts of the arms industry to connect small companies with some of the world’s largest weaponry and defence firms.
It is one of the key events in the arms industry calendar and could not happen without support from the UK Ministry of Defence and the Department of International Trade, who are listed as event ‘partners’ but also attend as prospective buyers alongside the US Defence Department.
(A K P)
These posters I drew have started appearing on the underground thanks to Special Patrol Group. They were inspired by Jeremy Hunt talking about us sending aid to Yemen to deal with the consequences of the bombs we sold to drop on Yemen.
A lot of the weapons we sold to Saudi Arabia were made by MBDA, which is a missile company co-owned by Airbus and BAE Systems.
As well as the thousands killed in the US/UK backed war in Yemen, the naval blockade by Saudi Arabia is causing a famine the UN has described as the deadliest in decades, and that 8 million people are "right on the brink of famine". The US has dispatched ships to reinforce the blockade.
The Saudis rely on UK and US support for the bombing campaign, we have military personnel over there picking targets, processing intelligence, refuelling and rearming planes. The British military has also been training Saudi troops to fight in Yemen and teaching battlefield tactics to Saudi officers.
The UK sending £4 million of aid is pointless while we still support and encourage the causes of that famine. We need to end our support for this war and put and end to the blockade immediately (photos)
https://www.spellingmistakescostlives.com/single-post/2019/02/03/YEMEN
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(? B K P)
Malgré la guerre au Yémen, la France continue de former l’armée saoudienne
10 FÉVRIER 2019 PAR JACQUES MASSEY
Les autorités françaises restent totalement mobilisées au côté du régime saoudien dans sa guerre au Yémen, malgré des efforts permanents pour dissimuler les conditions concrètes d’un soutien qui se manifeste au-delà des seules ventes d’armes. Revue de détail de ce jeu trouble (subscribers only)
(B P)
Blocking asylum, by sea and air
The case of Saudi teen Rahaf Al-Qunun dramatically demonstrates the difficulties many refugees face when attempting to escape the risk of harm at home and find safety elsewhere – whether they travel by leaky boat, or through international airports surrounded by business travellers and holiday-makers.
Sometimes the dangers for refugees in transit are presented by the very people from whom they seek protection, as was exposed in the ABC Four Corners program broadcast on Monday, Escape from Saudi.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/blocking-asylum-sea-air
(A P)
UAE woman who fled family begs to be allowed to claim asylum
Hind Mohammed al-Bolooki could be sent home after North Macedonia rejected her claim
An Emirati woman who fled her family and is now trapped in a detention centre in North Macedonia is begging to be allowed to claim asylum elsewhere instead of being deported back home, the Guardian has learned.
Her asylum application in North Macedonia was rejected on Tuesday after what Bolooki’s friends claim was pressure on the local authorities from the UAE to send her back to her family.
Bolooki was given a grace period of 15 days to leave the country, but she has been held at a detention centre for immigrants since 7 December with no prospect of release, and it is feared she will be deported back to the UAE when the clock runs out.
“I don’t know how to get out of here,” she said in a voice message.
(* B K P)
L’Italia vende armi anche agli Emirati Arabi Uniti, che devastano lo Yemen insieme all’Arabia Saudita
All’Arabia Saudita, nonostante le rassicurazioni del premier Conte e i reiterati pronunciamenti di ministri, sottosegretari ed esponenti M5S, continuiamo a vendere armi.
Ed ora bissiamo anche con gli Emirati arabi uniti, primi scudieri del Regno Saud nella guerra che sta devastando lo Yemen. “La tendenza di questi ultimi anni ad esportare sempre più armi verso Paesi non Ue e non Nato, comporta un evidente rischio di armare Paesi dallo scarso o nullo rispetto dei diritti umani – dice ad HuffPost Riccardo Noury, portavoce di Amnesty International Italia –
All’interno di questa tendenza gli Stati del Golfo Persico giocano la parte del leone. Dall’inizio del conflitto in Yemen – ricorda Noury – l’Italia ha inviato bombe al Paese, l’Arabia Saudita, che guida la coalizione anti-Houthi, e non vi è segnale che questi trasferimenti cessino.
Come dimostra il rapporto odierno, abbiamo fornito armi anche al Paese che è di fatto il vice guida della coalizione, gli Emirati Arabi Uniti”
(A P)
Bahraini Authorities Arrest 13 Citizens
The Bahrain surveillance network documented the arrest of 13 citizens, including a religious scholar and a father of martyr, and raided dozens of houses in about nine areas of Bahrain during the first week of February.
The network said that this escalation comes before the revival of the eighth anniversary of the February 14revolution.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5330&cat_id=2
(A P)
Marokko zieht Botschafter aus Saudi-Arabien ab
http://parstoday.com/de/news/world-i45929-marokko_zieht_botschafter_aus_saudi_arabien_ab
(* A P)
Is Morocco’s exit from Yemen war the beginning of Saudi's isolation?
The Moroccan foreign ministry hinted at a possible withdrawal of its troops from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, causing tensions between the two kingdoms.
There are different political rivalries in the Middle East. The Iran-Saudi Arabia struggle for influence is perhaps the best-known.
After four years, the cracks in the Saudi-led coalition have finally appeared with Morocco ‘freezing’ its involvement in the war.
What brought the two countries together?
A common interest to stand firm against Iran is what strengthened Saudi-Moroccan relations. However, their ties are mainly based on mutual animosity with Tehran.
Morocco until recently participated in the Saudi-led coalition with six planes and 1,500 ground troops.
Saudi Arabia still - officially - stands with Morocco on the Western Sahara dispute in the Arab League.
And both states have ongoing projects in Western Sahara, financed by Saudi Arabia and operated by Morocco - which serves to reaffirm the sovereignty of Rabat in the disputed territory.
The main reason for a common stance against Iran is to counter the Islamic Republic’s attempts to have more influence in the Middle East.
Relations became tense one month ago after the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita gave an Al Jazeera interview in which he said that Morocco’s military participation will “change in the form and the content… on the basis of [new] developments [in Yemen]”.
After the minister’s interview had been broadcast, the Saudi TV channel Al Arabiya aired a documentary named The territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, on the topic of Western Sahara, which implied that Morocco had invaded the land after Spanish colonisation ended in 1975.
(A P)
Because of previous mistakes made by Ambassador Marm.. A group of senior Yemeni officials arrested at Cairo airport
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164084
(A E P)
EU plans to add Saudi Arabia, Panama to dirty money blacklist: FT
The European Commission is planning to name Saudi Arabia and Panama in a list of high-risk countries that fail to fight money laundering, despite resistance from Germany, France and the UK, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
The blacklist includes the Gulf kingdom and more than 20 other territories over alleged failures to fight illicit cash flows
and
(A E P)
London pushes to take Saudis off EU dirty money blacklist: sources
Britain is leading a group of European Union states who are trying to block an EU plan to include Saudi Arabia and 22 other jurisdictions on a blacklist of countries that pose money-laundering and terrorism financing threats, sources said.
The EU’s executive commission adopted last month a draft list that adds Saudi Arabia, Panama and small Pacific and Caribbean islands to the existing list of 16 states, which currently includes Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and North Korea.
The list needs the endorsement of a majority of the 28 EU nations but Britain and other heavyweights of the bloc, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain, are raising concerns, three EU officials told Reuters.
My comment: Those states which care about nothing and still are close allies to Saudi Arabia; and states which themselves are taking profit from the financial markets and evil maneuvers in these markets. – An the British government, the most horrible backer of Saudi Arabia and the state which houses Europe’s greatest financial market simply should accomplish its Brexit now and no more mingle into European affairs.
(A P)
Morocco recalls envoy to Saudi Arabia for consultations: Morocco media
Morocco has recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia for consultations, indicating apparent cracks in relations between the traditional Sunni Muslim allies over Yemen, Qatar and Western Sahara, Moroccan media said on Friday.
Ambassador Mustapha Mansouri confirmed the recall to pro-establishment news website Le360.
The Ambassador added that Morocco and Saudi Arabia are bound by strong and longstanding ties that are currently undergoing a “transient crisis”, Le360 reported.
There was no official confirmation from Morocco’s foreign ministry.
and
(A P)
Morocco suspends participation in Saudi-led war in Yemen
Rabat recalled its ambassador to Riyadh after Al Arabiya aired a documentary on the disputed Western Sahara region.
The officials did not elaborate, simply saying Morocco was not taking part in any military interventions or ministerial meetings with the coalition.
In an interview with Al Jazeera last month (Arabic link), Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita attributed Rabat's decision to "developments on the ground" in Yemen, "especially in regards to the humanitarian situation".
Rabat had already scaled down its participation in coalition activities in May of 2015 after a Moroccan F-16 fighter jet was reportedly shot down by the Houthis.
When asked why King Mohammed VI did not host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on a recent tour of other Arab countries, Bourita said: "Official visits are prepared in advance, according to protocol."
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp12
(A K P)
Saudi-led Coalition Denies Supplying Houthis, AQAP With U.S Weapons in Yemen
The Coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen has viewed with concern media reports alleging the transfer of US military weapons to the Iranian backed Houthi militia and AQAP in Yemen. Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al-Malki strongly denied those claims, and stressed the Coalition countries’ commitment to confront and defeat the illegal Houthi takeover of Yemen, in addition to decisively confronting other terrorist groups, such as ISIS And AQAP, rendering the idea of supplying weapons to these groups illogical.
Colonel Al-Malki said that what was shown in media reports were military vehicles that were damaged and were evacuated. (155) vehicles have been evacuated, and the other (55) are being prepared for evacuation out of Yemen, stressing that the Coalition takes seriously any claims of any other party obtaining any weapons of any kind.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1883648
My comment: This is a weak self-defence. It’s an explanation which does not explain anything. Taking into acoount the ways the Saudis and their allies brought bulks of arms to Yemen, armed dubious militia and mercenaries, these arms fell into the hands of anybody who wanted them.
(* B K P)
Die vielen Wege deutscher Waffen in den Jemen-Krieg
[mehrere hier bereits früher verlinkte Artikel werden vorgestellt]
(* B K P)
Audio: Töten deutsche Waffen im Jemen? - Amnesty klagt Emirate an
https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/audio/audio-66613.html
(* A K P)
Germany forces European company to stop supplying Saudi Arabia with ‘Meteor’ missiles
Germany forced the European missile manufacturing company MBDA to stop exporting “Meteor” missiles to Saudi Arabia because of the kingdom’s leadership of the Saudi-UAE Coalition in Yemen. Germany’s objection to the exportation of this type of missiles to Riyadh was met with the dissatisfaction of Paris and London, where the European company specialized in the manufacture of missiles is based, since many European countries are similarly involved. This move has prompted political movements in Germany to demand to impose tight measures on joint weapons manufacturing programmes with France, in terms of exports.
In 2014, Riyadh signed a deal with the European side to buy Meteor air-to-air missiles worth $ 1 billion. Saudi Arabia wants to arm the European Typhoon fighter jets that it will buy with these missiles.
At the meeting, the French side asked for guarantees that future products made in the framework of military cooperation between the two countries would be exported without restrictions; otherwise, bilateral cooperation programmes would be futile. On the other hand, the German side saw that Paris’s rigid position threatened to carry out such programmes.
My comment: This is the only possible solution – missiles to arm fighter jets, this directly would mean bombing Yemen.
(A K)
In the context, the popular resistance elements in Hazmieh at Al-Sawma’ah Directorate seized a shipment of weapons and explosives on their way to Houthis, from the provinces of Shabwah and Abyan.
A leading source in Hazmieh explained that the shipment of weapons contained ammunition, explosives, rockets and tank shells, which were on a medium transport truck and another car, and according to the documents, it is coming from the Directorate of Markha.
He added that the resistance elements also seized another car, which was coming from the Lawder directorate in Abyan province, and carrying 20 boxes of live bullets, on the way to Houthis.
The source said that a cell of nine members of the Shabwah and al-Bayda governorates, transporting the cargo to the Houthis, had been arrested and that investigations were continuing to uncover the other elements of the cell involved in the arms smuggling.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164079
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(A)
Part of the wall of the Old Walled City of Shibam "the Manhattan of the Desert" in southeast #Yemen has collapsed. The world's oldest skyscraper city is a UNESCO heritage site. Recently, some of its 16th century mud-brick buildings have suffered cracks. Parts of some collapsed (photos)
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1094107402394320896
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B E)
Yemen aims to export about 75,000bpd oil in 2019- Minister
Yemen hopes to scale up its oil production to 110,000 barrels per day (BPD) in 2019, with exports touching about 75,000 BPD, it oil minister told Reuters on Sunday.
The war-torn Arabian Peninsula country produced an average 50,000 BPD oil in 2018 compared with an average of around 127,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2014
and also http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164155
Comment: The government in exile making statements and purposely omitting oil 'disappears' in #Yemen.
Hilarious the #Reuters (Reuters!) lack of data: 'Last year it exported some quantities of oil.' Some quantities...
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.961595153893515/2132458700140482/
and
(B E)
Recovery in the pipeline as Yemen plans major lift in oil, LNG exports
“We will maintain production from four blocks and are planning to build a pipeline to the Arab Sea (Arabian Sea) to resume exports from these blocks,” Aws Abdullah Al-Awd, Hadi’s oil minister, said in an interview.
The oil minister said Yemen also wanted to resume production of LNG, which had been halted as a result of the conflict.
“Our country has been affected by the war for the past three years, but now things are coming back. Hopefully, 2019 will be good for Yemen,” he said.
He predicted that LNG output would rise in 2019 to 6.7 million tons and half of that amount would be exported.
“In 2020, we hope to export all of our LNG production, mainly to customers in Asia,” he said.
He noted that companies including Total, US-based Hunt Oil and Korean companies operate the LNG project.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1450126/business-economy
Remark: LNG = Liquefied Natural Gas.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(* B P T)
Film by Vice: Inside The Al Qaeda Heartlands Of Yemen
The bomb blast which stuck the port town of al-Mokha, on Yemen’s west coast killing at least six people last week might not seem too extraordinary in a country ravaged by a war now edging towards its fifth year. But it’s a rare instance of violence in the town government-controlled forces recaptured from the Iran-backed Houthis in 2017. And, unlike much of conflict in this part of the country, Yemeni government security officials believe it was likely carried out by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) or the Islamic State in Yemen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utnzmvJwjIM
(* B T)
Latest UN report on terrorism notes #ISIS uses smuggling networks through al Mahrah, eastern #Yemen to receive cash from #Syria (not a new trend). Saudis have been conducting a counter-smuggling campaign there since NOV 2017, wonder how effective it has been on interdicting this. (text in image)
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1093948763264163840
(* B T)
Film: INSIDE THE AL QAEDA HEARTLANDS OF YEMEN
Most Yemen coverage centers on the civil war between the Saudi-backed military and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. But other groups have brought death and destruction to the impoverished country, most notably AQAP, and the United Arab Emirates forces trying to extinguish them.
Here in the country’s east, where AQAP is active, Hareth’s story is not unique. Emirati forces, backed with U.S. support, have waged a ruthless campaign against the terror group — or anyone they suspect of being an al Qaeda fighter. And that’s taking a toll on Yemeni civilians, who say the operations are heavy-handed and sometimes target innocent people.
The Emiratis have been at the forefront of counterterror operations, leading several offensives against AQAP and Yemen’s other major terror group, ISIS-Y (Islamic State group in Yemen), active in Shabwa and Abyan provinces since early 2016. And they’ve had help. CENTCOM, the U.S. mission overseeing all military operations in the Middle East, revealed earlier this month that the U.S. conducted a combined 36 airstrikes against the two militant groups in 2018 alone.
The offensive is working, to a degree. Since launching its biggest attack on foreign soil in 2015 — when the group claimed responsibility for the shooting that killed 12 at the Paris offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine — AQAP has been pummeled by a series of Emirati-led operations.
The terror group remains Yemen’s top militant network and one of the biggest terror threats to the U.S. and its Western allies, but it has been greatly diminished, with numbers drastically reduced and fighters now dispersed from territory they once controlled.
VICE News traveled to al Qaeda heartlands in Yemen last year to see towns and villages that had been liberated as part of the counterterror offensives. But support for the campaigns weren’t exactly forthcoming. Many Yemeni civilians insist they've suffered immensely in the crossfire — though the coalition denies this.
The Emirati-led offensive is so costly to civilians that some locals say it risks actually helping AQAP's recruitment efforts.
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/mbzg58/inside-the-al-qaeda-heartlands-of-yemen
Remark: This video could not be played because of a technical error.
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Renewed congressional efforts by to ban all U.S. weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, in response to the kingdom’s brutal tactics in Yemen and its role in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, only embolden Iran and its terror proxies in the region, a top Saudi diplomat said Sunday.
Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs, pushed back against Sen. Bob Menendez’s legislation, saying its approval would only be a win for Tehran and its agenda for the Middle East.
“I find it strange that members of Congress would try to curtail allies, like Saudi Arabia … in trying to push back against terrorist organizations,” he said during an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation.
“This is not a war that we chose, this is not a war that we wanted, but we cannot allow a strategically-important country [like Yemen] to be dominated by a terrorist group allied with Iran and Hezbollah,” Mr al-Juberi said.
Mr. al-Jubeir reiterated the Trump administration’s findings on Sunday, saying it validates Saudi Arabia’s claims about the crown prince’s involvement.
“There may be emotions here, there may be exaggerations here” between White House and the intelligence community’s assessments of Saudi role on the Khashoggi affair, the top Saudi diplomat said.
“We are still investigating … and I feel that we will find the truth” on what happened to Mr. Khashoggi, he added.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/10/saudi-arabia-weapon-sales-ban-would-only-embolden-/
and full CBS Face the nation episode:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/210-gayle-king-jennifer-wexton-don-beyer/ [from min 37.22]
and full transcript:
ADEL AL-JUBEIR: The-- the death of Jamal Khashoggi was a mass-- massive tragedy. It was a mistake. It was committed by officials of the Saudi government acting outside their scope of authority. The king ordered investigation. The investigation led to the arrest of a number of individuals. Those-- eleven of those individuals have been charged by the public prosecutor, and the trials have begun. We have said we will investigate. We will hold those accountable-- those responsible accountable and we will punish them. The crown prince had nothing to do with this. There was no order given to murder Jamal Khashoggi and-- and the whole country is shocked by this. The trial is taking place. What I tell people is wait until the legal process plays out and then judge us. But don't judge us before the process is complete.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Where is Jamal Khashoggi's body?
ADEL AL-JUBEIR: We don't know.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What do you mean you don't know?
ADEL AL-JUBEIR: We don't know. They said that the-- the public prosecutor is working to try to establish this fact. We have asked for evidence from Turkey, and he asked them several times, formally, through formal legal channels to provide evidence. We are still waiting to receive any evidence they may have.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're blaming the Turkish government?
ADEL AL-JUBEIR: No, I'm blaming the murderers who committed this crime.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You have them, you say, in custody though.
ADEL AL-JUBEIR: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: They can't tell you where the body is?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-of-face-the-nation-on-february-10-2019/
(A P)
The Left’s answer to the evils of Venezuela? Complain about Saudi instead
The third, and so far most successful, part of the plan is deflection. When former, and possibly current, cheerleaders of Maduro’s illegal regime are challenged to acknowledge that the country’s failure is due to socialism, they will almost immediately demand to know why similar attention is not being focused on Saudi Arabia or Honduras. So far, every interviewer has been gullible enough to allow this Soviet-style whataboutism to take over the discussion.
The Left also criticise Saudi’s military operations in Yemen. It is not unreasonable for a country to ensure that is borders are secure. Sharing a border with a country with a long history of civil war does make that a challenge. However, the Left are taking sides.
There is a proxy war taking place between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Yemen. The Left are Iran’s cheerleaders to the point that some of them have taken money and worked for the Iranian state. Saudi will not allow a client state of Iran to exist in the Arabian peninsula on its borders.
More people have been murdered in peace-time Venezuela over the past four years than have been killed in the Yemen civil war.
The next area of complaint is over the civilian casualties in Yemen due to Saudi aerial strikes, especially by precision-guided munitions. It is fanciful to imagine that Saudi Air Force generals get up in the mornings and, feeling a bit bored, decide randomly to bomb built-up areas in Yemen. It is likely that the rebel forces make use of human shields to protect their operations against Saudi-backed forces. Saudi Arabia has had to endure rocket bombardment from Yemen;
(A H P)
ERC reopens girls’ school in Yakhtal, Yemen
The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, re-opened the Khaldija bint Khuwailid School for Girls in Yakhtal District, on Yemen's Red Sea Coast, after renovation and refurbishment work.
https://www.sharjah24.ae/en/uae/395554-erc-reopens-girls-school-in-yakhtal-yemen
My comment: According to the motto: Bomb first, build later.
(A P)
Film: Top Saudi official: “Very strange” Congress trying to curtail allies like Saudi Arabia
Responding to congressional efforts this week to sanction Saudi Arabia over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the kingdom's role in the bloody conflict in Yemen, top Saudi official Adel Al-Jubeir accused legislators of "providing ammunition to the 'death to America' crowd."
"I find it very strange that members of Congress would try to curtail allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in trying to push back against terrorist organizations supported by Iran and Hezbollah," Al-Jubeir, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan as part of an interview that will air Sunday.
Al-Jubeir echoed the U.N.'s blame for the Houthis, vowing that Saudi Arabia would "absolutely" allow passage of food through ports in Yemen.
"We're the ones that are providing the largest amount of humanitarian assistance to Yemen of any country in the world," Al-Jubeir told Brennan.
"We've provided $13 billion dollars, plus, in assistance to Yemen over the last four years. And we will continue to provide assistance to the Yemeni people."
(A P)
UAE blasts Houthis for disregarding Hodeidah ceasefire and blocking Yemen aid access
Anwar Garagsh, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Friday that the UN’s plea for access to the stores showed that “the Houthi’s are the real impediment to peace in Yemen.”
“This will be clearer with their every move to derail the political process,” Gargash said on Twitter.
“The Stockholm Agreement offers us a unique opportunity to end the war in Yemen.
“Nonetheless the Houthis are working hard to undermine this opportunity by their obstinate disregard to their commitments.”
Gargash said the way forward for the Houthis is to withdraw from “the ports and Hodaidah city” as per the agreement signed in December.
“The militia is dragging its feet & threatening the overall prospects for peace,” he added.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1449096/middle-east
(A P)
Global Thinkers
Welcome to Foreign Policy’s 10th annual special edition of Global Thinkers. A decade ago, in launching the series, FP’s then-editors wrote: “In a year of worldwide economic crisis and dangerous wars, of radical innovation and newfound realpolitik, street revolution and blunt rhetoric, we could think of no better way to make sense of it than through the big ideas of those who shape our understanding of the world.”
Mohammed bin Salman
CROWN PRINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA
Mohammed bin Salman’s shine may have dulled in 2018—but his power has only grown. When the 33-year-old Saudi crown prince’s lieutenants allegedly killed the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, they confirmed the brutal recklessness with which the prince approaches problems.
But while his reputation has suffered, the events have done little to diminish Mohammed bin Salman’s importance—not least because the prince continues to boldly stake his country’s future on ending its dependence on oil. The outcome of that initiative will shape the Middle East for generations.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019-global-thinkers/?thinker=Mohammed-bin-Salman
Comment by Karen Attiah, WaPo: Wow. @ForeignPolicy has listed Mohammed Bin Salman—- a man who orders the killing of journalists, the arrests and torture of women, and the bombing of Yemen—- as one of 2019’s top Global Thinkers. Ridiculous.
So some have responded saying we should calm down, that @ForeignPolicy is only making a list of people who have done influential things for better or worse... 1) So really what is the point of the list as a piece of journalism?
.@ForeignPolicy would likely say it is not making a moral judgement with the Global Thinkers list. There’s a certain point where remaining neutral on violence and repression is harmful. Like maybe, put MBS on a “Global oppressor category rather than the “Under 40” list.
https://twitter.com/KarenAttiah/status/1093321159603642368
(A P)
Trump Under Fire For Support Of Saudi-Led Coalition In Yemen
However, the most difficult quandary facing Trump, as far as global oil markets are concerned, is his relationship with Saudi Arabia. Unlike his predecessor, President Obama, Trump has one of the closest relationships with Riyadh since Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president.
Since then, Trump has made a pivot toward better relations with the kingdom for several reasons. First, he needs a healthy readership with Saudi Arabia as he uses his presidential bully pulpit to keep oil prices from ticking too high.
Trump also needs a good relationship with Saudi Arabia as a balance of power check in the middle east, the most geopolitically charged region in the world. Without a strong House of Saud ruling in Riyadh, a power vacuum would open in the middle east that would be filled by Iran - a scenario, given the Islamic Republic's rhetoric and actions to date, would no bode well for world peace.
This is the same dilemma that U.S. presidents have faced since Jimmy Carter and the establishment of the Islamic State of Iran in 1979. A strong Saudi Arabia is the only hedge to keep Iranian regional hegemony ambitions, now along with Russian influence, in check.
My comment: This is the same US empire bullshit repeated again and again.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
Feb. 9: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1549807741./1240353006115062/
Feb. 8: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1549720671./1239570599526636/
Feb. 7: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1549720671./1239568366193526/
Feb. 6: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1549720671./1239565406193822/
(A K pH)
In Hajja, a civilian was killed by a cluster bomb was launched by the US-Saudi raid on Bakil Al Mir district
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5353&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
This is relief food being supplied by WFP Yesterday, it was on its way to starving people.2 trucks full. But US-Saudi war criminals bombed it in Saada northern Yemen, And immediately came out to say: “We destroyed 2 Houthi trucks laden with missiles! “ Criminals’ behavior. (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1094507083725189120
(* B K)
Yemen Data Project Air Raids Summary for January 2019
Air raids continue decline for first month of 2019
Bombings in Hajja rise 65% amid reduced air raids countrywide
The Yemen Data Project recorded a near 15% fall in Saudi/UAE-led coalition air raids* in Yemen in January 2019, adding to the 21% fall seen in December. With 155 air raids recorded, January saw one of the lowest number of air raids in a single month since the 2016 ceasefire - brought about by peace talks in Kuwait that ran between April and August 2016. Since May and June 2016 only in October 2018 were the number of air raids (146) lower.
Bombings rise in eight governorates
Despite the countrywide fall eight governorates saw an increase in bombings in January most notably in Hajja where there was a 65% rise in air raids and the highest in the governorate since May 2018. Similarly, the nine air raids recorded in Amanat al-Asimah (Sana'a city) in January was the highest number in the capital since May 2018. Taiz saw air raids for the first time in three months. Bombings were also carried out in the southern governorates of Shabwa and Abyan for the first time in over a year. Air raids were recorded in Raymah (3) in January for only the sixth month since the aerial war began in March 2015. The five bombings recorded in Amran in January were more than the previous four months combined in the governorate. Dhamar (4) saw the highest number of air raids since January 2018.
Air raids during Al-Hudaydah ceasefire
Although a ceasefire has been in place in Al-Hudaydah since mid-December, 6 air raids were recorded in the governorate in January, bringing a total of 8 recorded air raids in Al-Hudaydah since the ceasefire came into force at midnight on 18 December.
This is a significant reduction in the pre-ceasefire high of 103 air raids in Al-Hudaydah in November 2018.
Saudi/UAE-led coalition air raids fell in January to 155 from 181 in December.
The number of air raids in January was 62% below the monthly average of (410) air raids per month since the air campaign began in March 2015.
While the number of monthly bombings remains well below average for the near 4 year-long air campaign, the focus of the air war remains on Sa'ada and, since the start of the Al-Hudaydah ceasefire, on Hajja with 63% of air raids in January targeting these two governorates.
In January 29% of bombings hit civilian targets**, 20% hit military targets. In more than 50% of air raids in January the target could not be identified. Of the 76 raids where the target could be identified 59% targeted non-military sites and 41% military.
Air raids targeted 14 of Yemen's 22 governorates in January (infographic, detailed statistics)
(A K pS)
Coalition fighters raid al-Houthi positions in Kesher and injure 3 civilians in faulty raid
Arab coalition fighters carried out a faulty air raid late Friday on a car of a Qat vendor from Kesher district in the northwestern province of Hajjah, local sources told Al-Masdar online.
The raid resulted in the wounding of three citizens who were in the car, including the owner of the car, Majid al-Turki, another named Zaid Hamdani, and a third that we couldn obtain his name.
Meanwhile, coalition fighters carried out another airstrike targeting al-Houthi fighters in the Al-mandlah area east of the Directorate of Kesher, without knowing the reuslts.
Coalition fighters launched two raids on Friday, one of which targeted armed groups at the al-mandlah site, while the second raid targeted a vehicle with Houthi fighters in Wadi Moor in the eastern outskirts of Hajjah Governorate on the border with Amran Governorate.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164097
and
(A K pS)
Arab coalition targets 3 Houthi sites in Yemen’s Hajjah
Arab coalition jets launched three air raids on the Houthi militia in Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah on Friday.
One of the three raids killed dozens of Houthi fighters who were at a military gathering.
The other two hits targeted Houthi weapon storage units.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1449016/middle-east
Remark: As claimed by a Saudi news site.
(A K pS)
An explosion is heard in Sanaa, Coalition announces the targeting of a storage site of drones
Residents in Sanaa told Al-Masdar online that they heard, early in the dawn of Saturday, an explosion from the north of the city without hearing the sound of fighter jets.
The source did not get any details from confirmed sources about the location of the blast
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164100
and
(A K pS)
Joint Forces Command of Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Targeting and destroying Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militia location for UAV preparation and storage and their launch vehicles
The Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Colonel Turki Al-Malki, stated: “at (0200) this morning, the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition carried out a military operation to destroy a legitimate military target, a location used by the Houthi militia to store and prepare the launch of UAVs for terrorist attacks in the capital Sana’a.”
He clarified: “This targeting operation is an extension to the previous two military operations on (January 19th and 31st, 2019), that were conducted by the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to target and destroy an Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militia’s integrated network for UAV capabilities and its logistical facilities, in addition to locations of foreign experts.”
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1883565
Remark: As claimed by Saudi coalition.
And
(A K pH)
Film by Press TV Iran: Saudi TV: Saudi-led coalition launches operation targeting Yemen’s Sana’a
Saudi state TV says the Saudi-led coalition is carrying out airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sana'a. The report claims a location for storing and preparing drones in the city has been targeted. Our correspondent in Yemen, Mohammad al-Attab gives us the latest updates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHYFXvhIwg4
(A K pH)
Film: Targeting aggression for all forms of life in the Directorate of Mtoun in Al - Jouf 07-02-2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB-dJeF19cs
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
Feb. 10: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526219.htm Hajjah p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5353&cat_id=1 Hajjah, Saada p.
Feb. 9: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526061.htm Saada p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526169.htm Jawf p., Sanaa p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5334&cat_id=1 Amran p., Hajjah p., Saada p., Sanaa p.
Feb. 8: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5324&cat_id=1 Saada p., Sanaa p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526014.htm Saada p.
Feb. 7: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news525933.htm Hajjah p.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news525919.htm Saada p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5298&cat_id=1 also Jawf p.
(* B K)
Film: "Selbst schuld" – Saudi-Arabien nach Bombardierung von Krankenhaus
Ein saudischer Bericht zur Bombardierung eines Cholera-Zentrums im Jemen behauptet, "Ärzte ohne Grenzen" sei für den Zwischenfall mitverantwortlich. Die Koalition sei nicht darüber informiert worden, dass es sich um ein Krankenhaus handelt. "Ärzte ohne Grenzen" widerspricht. Mindestens zwölfmal habe man die genauen Koordinaten des Krankenhauses weitergegeben, so die Ärzteorganisation. Zudem sei das Dach der Einrichtung mit einem Krankenhaus-Symbol kenntlich gemacht worden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYhv5N17wDM
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K pS)
Ten-year-old Zainab Abdullah Ahmed Hilali was shot dead in the head by a sniper in Ould Rabie, el-Baidah Province in central Yemen.
The Yemeni kid was sitting nearby her house in Shawahra Village when a Houthis sniper shot her to death, a local source said.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14218
(A K pH)
Army downs saudi-led spy plane in Jizan over last 12 hours
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526105.htm
(A K pH)
Army downs saudi-led reconnaissance aircraft in Hajjah
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news526098.htm
(A K pH)
COMBAT FOOTAGE: HOUTHIS STORM 15 SAUDI MILITARY POSITIONS IN JIZAN
Houthi fighters stormed 15 positions of the Saudi military in the Kingdom’s southern province of Jizan during a major cross-border attack on February 7.
The Yemeni group’s media wing released a 24-minute video of the attack showing Houthi fighters storming Saudi positions and burning military vehicles. Some Western assault rifles and night-vision scopes, which were captured by the Houthis in the course of the attack, can be seen in the end of the video.
https://southfront.org/combat-footage-houthis-storm-15-saudi-military-positions-in-jizan/
(A K pH)
HOUTHI FIGHTERS STORM VILLAGE IN SAUDI ARABIA’S JIZAN (18+ VIDEO)
On February 8, the Houthis continued their attack in the southern Saudi province of Jizan and stormed the town of al-Qimah following heavy clashes with the Saudi military.
The Yemeni group’s media wing released a video of Houthi fighters storming the town and capturing several weapons, which had been left behind by Saudi soldiers. The weapons included a German-made G36 assault rifle and a 60mm mortar.
https://southfront.org/houthi-fighters-storm-village-in-saudi-arabias-jizan-18-video/
(A K pS)
Local sources said a child was killed and others injured during a failed attempt to fire a ballistic missile in Ibb province.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1093880106232229889
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Friday, February 8th, 2019
Saada p.: Saudo missiles and artillery shells targeted civilians' houses and farms in Munabbih district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5324&cat_id=1
(* B K)
Yemen Data Project Air Raids Summary for January 2019
How Houthi-planted Mines are Killing Civilians
Separate to our air raids data collection, as part of our work to enhance conflict monitoring and data sharing, YDP is collaborating with the Armed Conflict and Events Data Project on countrywide political violence data. This work is included in ACLED's latest data to the end of 2018.
This extensive monitoring effort has allowed ACLED and YDP to provide the most comprehensive coverage of political violence across Yemen.
The latest report covers the Houthis use of landmines
At least 267 civilian fatalities were recorded in 140 reported incidents attributed to Houthi-planted mines and IEDs since 2016. Yet Saudi sources claim that up to 920 civilians may have been killed, along with thousands injured and maimed, since 2014.
(A K pH)
Army launches 5 Zizal-1 missiles on saudi-led mercenaries in Najran
The missile force of army, supported by popular forces, on Friday launched five Zizal-1 missiles on gatherings of the mercenaries of US-backed saudi-led aggression coalition Najran province, a military official told Saba.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news525998.htm
Remark: This is in Saudi territory.
(A K pH)
Army downs a saudi-led spy plane in Jizan
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news525921.htm
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(-)
Ancient Rocks, Modern Dunes
In the arid interior of Yemen, ancient rocks stand astride dry river beds and mighty sand dunes
Taken through a window on the International Space Station by the EarthKAM camera, this photograph shows the boundary between a light-toned dune field and dark hills in the very arid interior of Yemen. This remote region occupies the southern part of the vast Arabian desert (photo)
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144537/ancient-rocks-modern-dunes?
Vorige / Previous
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-510-yemen-war-mosaic-510
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-510 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-510:
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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