February 20, 2019: The 60-year war in Yemen – In Yemen, Child marriages are increasing – Migrant crisis in the Red Sea – Jürgen Todenhöfer: The great hypocrisy (in German) – Chinese drones – 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
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
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Yemen: The 60-year war
Summary
The root causes of the ongoing civil conflict in Yemen lie in the failure of Yemeni society to address and resolve the popular anger and frustration arising from political marginalization, economic disenfranchisement, and the effects of an extractive, corrupt, rentier state. This systemic failure has produced a cycle of violence, political upheaval, and institutional collapse since the creation of the modern Yemeni state in the 1960s, of which the current conflict is only the latest eruption.
Over the course of the conflict, Yemenis have come together repeatedly in an effort to identify solutions to these problems, and the result has been a fairly consistent formula for change: government decentralization and greater local autonomy, a federalized state structure, greater representation in parliament for disenfranchised populations, improved access to basic services, health and education, and a more even playing field for economic participation. But none of these reform programs has been implemented successfully. Thus, success in ending Yemen’s cycle of violence and its 60-year civil war will depend on the political will to follow through on implementation and the development of institutional capacity to carry it out.
Introduction
Yemen’s political transition, which began with much hope and optimism in 2011, collapsed by the fall of 2014 when Houthi insurgents occupied Sana’a, the capital, with the support of forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Intervention by a Saudi-led coalition of primarily Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states in March 2015 turned the civil conflict into a broader war, attracting regional and international attention, although at its core this remains a civil war, not a proxy fight. Neither side in the conflict has been able to gain a significant military advantage in the ensuing years while persistent efforts by the international community, under UN leadership, have also been unsuccessful in brokering a sustained return to negotiations and a resumption of the political process.
Most analyses of the Yemen conflict since 2014-15 have focused on the issues and circumstances that led to the fighting in isolation from the larger problems that have long confronted Yemen. But, in my view, the current conflict is more accurately seen as a continuation of over 60 years of failed state formation leading to a cycle of violence, coups, assassinations, and open warfare. The shotgun unification of North and South Yemen in 1990 only served to add a new layer of complexity to the already fraught political, social, and economic environment. If this perspective is correct, a resolution of the current conflict will only be a prelude to the next outbreak of violence. To avoid that outcome, Yemenis not only must agree on steps needed to build sustainable solutions to the country’s problems but must also demand that their leaders implement them.
Rebellions in the 1960s against theocratic rule in the North and British occupation in the South ushered in decades of political and economic turmoil throughout Yemen. By the end of the 20th century, the modern Yemeni state emerged but was unsuccessful in addressing the failure of state formation that has plagued Yemen since the revolt against the Imamate.
A TALE OF FAILED TRANSITIONS: 1962-90
Rebellions in the 1960s against theocratic rule in the North and British occupation in the South ushered in decades of political and economic turmoil throughout Yemen. By the end of the 20th century, the modern Yemeni state emerged but was unsuccessful in addressing the failure of state formation that has plagued Yemen since the revolt against the Imamate.
POPULISM IN THE NORTH REFLECTED IN SIX SA’DAH WARS
Many of the unresolved issues from the republican revolt of the 1960s and its aftermath, particularly in the years of Saleh’s rule, helped to trigger the Houthi rebellion in six Sa’dah wars between June 2004 and February 2010. Like the post-unity South, northern Zaydi populations grew increasingly militant over the growth of extractive political and economic systems during the Saleh era and the failure of republican Yemen to provide equitable sharing of resources. Zaydi revivalism began to grow as a counter to this marginalization in the 1980s, predating the rise of the Houthi movement.
EXTERNAL FACTORS IN THE CONFLICT
Although often characterized by outside observers as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the critical drivers of the Yemen civil conflict rest entirely within the country’s own history. Undoubtedly, Yemen has drawn external actors into its conflicts through the years.
Saudi Arabia’s involvement in Yemen is long standing and extensive. It dates to the earliest period in modern Saudi history.
Saudi Arabia’s focus has generally been on ensuring the security of its southern border and preventing instability in Yemen from undermining Saudi interests.
Unlike Saudi Arabia, there is no history of Iranian involvement in Yemen in the modern era.
CONCLUSION
I’ve tried to demonstrate in this chapter that an understanding of the current civil conflict in Yemen requires looking at the basic elements of Yemeni history going back to at least the upheavals of the 1960s — the uprising against the Imamate in the North and the revolt against the British in the South. The same elements appear as factors in each of the violent eruptions: political, social, and economic marginalization, sectional discrimination, denial of equal access to health care and education, corruption, and cronyism. Yet time and again, Yemenis have sat at the negotiating table in an effort to agree on the means to address and resolve these issues. In the Document of Pledge and Accord, the NDC recommendations, and even in the PNPA, the parties agreed to decentralization of government, equitable sharing of resources, more representative government, as well as fundamental social and economic reforms. But the agreements were never implemented and the parties soon returned to a new round of struggle and conflict. Thus, any serious effort to end six decades of state failure must be based on an honest reckoning of the sources of past failures and a new commitment by the nation’s leaders to allow the political process to succeed. The Yemeni people, as well, need to demand as much from their leaders. Success will not come easily. The institutions that could be expected to help guide the process are weak. But failure will ensure that the current civil conflict will merely serve as prelude to the next round of fighting and the round after that. – by Gerald Feierstein, ex-US ambassador to Yemen
full report:
https://www.mei.edu/sites/default/files/2019-02/Yemen%20The%2060%20Year%20War.pdf
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'I only knew about weddings': Destitute Yemenis sell their daughters to pay their debts
Child marriage rates in Yemen were falling before the war, but the now desperate situation means a dowry can be tempting
Zahr is 15 years old, the first of four siblings living in an old house in a village 50km south of Taiz city, in southwest Yemen.
Her father is a labourer, but there is not much construction work to be found because of Yemen's war and the family has been forced to borrow money to pay for food and other basic items.
One day last year, Zahr's aunt, who lives in the same house, went to see a doctor about a nasal congestion condition.
The doctor advised that she should undergo surgery, which the family paid for at a cost of 100,000 Yemeni rials ($153).
And while Zahr's aunt found she could breathe more easily, the family felt increasingly constrained by their worsening finances.
A few days later, a man in his 40s proposed to marry Zahr for a dowry of $1,000. The family immediately rejected his offer.
"But then we thought about the proposal, and we realised it was a way to pay off our debts," Zahr's mother, Fatima, told Middle East Eye.
"So we contacted the man, and we married off our daughter to him to pay the debt of my sister's treatment."
Figures suggest that rates of child marriage in Yemen, which had been in decline prior to the war, have been rising as a consequence of the desperate circumstances in which many families find themselves because of the conflict.
Child marriage was once a widely accepted custom in Yemen. But determined efforts by activists and children's rights organisations, and publicity surrounding the case of Nujud Mohammed Ali, who was granted a divorce in 2008 at the age of eight, had been effective in raising awareness about the negative consequences of the tradition.
However, the conflict has disrupted pre-war efforts by activists to push for the introduction of a legal minimum age of 17 for marriage. Sanaa had also seen protesters gather outside the parliament.
According to a UNICEF report published in 2017, more than two-thirds of girls in Yemen are married off before the age of 18 compared with about 50 percent before 2015.
Some parents believe that marrying off their daughters will spare them the cost of caring for them, or that they will be better protected by their husband’s family.
And like Zahr's family, some are tempted by dowry payments that can help them clear debts or buy food, medicine or other essential supplies.
UNICEF also noted in 2017 that cases of child brides were more common in areas hosting large numbers of displaced people.
MEE contacted the Save the Children country office in Yemen to comment, but they declined to speak because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Walter Mawere, the manager of advocacy, media and communications at Save the Children in Yemen, told MEE that child marriage was a "red-line" issue for the organisation on which it never commented – By Nasser al-Sakkaf
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Migrant crisis in Europe? Look at Yemen
The hostile environment for migrants in Europe has led to a massive drop in arrivals: while many more than one million people arrived in 2015, only 144,000 did so in 2018.
A hidden migrant crisis in the Gulf of Aden
Meanwhile, more than 150,000 people arrived in Yemen in 2018 alone. Just to be clear this means that more desperate people crossed the Red Sea into Yemen than crossed the Mediterranean heading for Europe.
Yemen is in the midst of an internationalised civil war and suffering from the world’s worst humanitarian crisis according to the UN’s Secretary General. There has been no outcry about a ‘migrant invasion’ from any Yemeni Minister of the Interior, whether from the internationally recognised government or the Huthi movement who control the capital Sana’a. Indeed Yemen has received and accepted close to a million Somali refugees since the 1990s, allowing them to work and live in the country, as Yemen is the only country in the Arabian Peninsula to recognise the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. Prior to the current war, the country’s authorities have been impressively hospitable to Somali refugees, though not to the thousands of Ethiopians and others who have crossed the Red Sea.
Migrants crossing into Yemen only make the headlines either when the Saudi-led Coalition planes bomb a boat crossing and kill its passengers (including people leaving on boats commissioned by UN agencies to repatriate them to the Horn of Africa) or when sufficiently large numbers of corpses wash up onto the Yemeni shores of the Arabian Sea. In both cases, they get little more than a few lines in obscure media.
The main route has also changed as a result of the war: while more than 70% of people crossed the Red Sea between 2010 and 2013, since then the figure has dropped to less than 20% with most heading for the Arabian Sea coast.
Who is heading for Yemen and why?
So why are more people still heading for Yemen than leaving? Who are they? And why do thousands head for a country in the midst of an internationalised civil war where millions are starving? Shouldn’t travel be in the other direction, with Yemenis trying to escape the disastrous conditions in their country?
Yemen is hardly ever the intended destination of these migrants. While travel to Saudi Arabia and the UAE via Oman used to be difficult in the past, travel conditions have become far more dangerous and expensive in recent years.
Last year alone, 150,000 people in east Africa were sufficiently desperate to head for a country on the brink of famine and in the midst of a war. The overwhelming majority (92%) are Ethiopians and the rest are Somalis. Three quarters of them are adult men while women form 16% of the migrants and children, mostly boys, form 10%.
In the past 5 years, more than 700 corpses have been recovered on Yemen’s southern coast including 156 in 2018.[3] Crossing into Yemen is the cheapest part of the trip, with fares ranging from USD 120 to USD 200. While many of those involved are aware of the war in Yemen, some are not. Amazingly thousands still cross in the belief that they will have an easy ongoing trip to their ultimate destination, Saudi Arabia.
What about Yemenis?
By contrast most of the few thousand Yemenis arriving in Djibouti are poverty stricken war-related refugees. A very few Yemenis have headed for Europe through the unofficial routes used by African migrants
Within Yemen itself, population movements have been massive: overall since the war started 3 million have been displaced, many of whom return home as soon as fighting abates in their areas, so about 1 million remain displaced. In the second half of 2018 alone, with the coalition military offensive against the city and other parts of the Hodeida governorate, more than one million people were displaced until the December 18 ceasefire, going to other parts of Yemen, often where they had relatives, but basically escaping from the air and ground attacks which led to heavy civilian casualties.
In conclusion, while this article has provided a few figures, readers should remember that each one of the individuals who make up the thousands and millions is experiencing the tragic, painful and frightening suffering associated with the tragedies described in the stories you can find on numerous websites and social media. So this represents a multiplicity of horror stories. Migrants heading into Yemen are facing extreme hardship conditions in addition to entering a country at war where most of the population are also suffering from famine conditions. What does all this say about living conditions and prospects in their own countries? – by Helen Lackner
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Buchankündigung (Propyläen-Verlag)
Jürgen Todenhöfer: Die große Heuchelei. Wie Politik und Medien unsere Werte verraten
Die Außenpolitik des Westens beruht auf einer großen Lüge: Seine weltweiten Militärinterventionen dienen bereits seit Jahrhunderten weder den Menschenrechten noch anderen edlen Werten und Zielen, sondern stets ökonomischen oder geostrategischen Interessen. Jürgen Todenhöfer belegt diese These in seinem neuen Buch mit Reportagen aus den Krisengebieten dieser Welt, aber auch mit historischen Analysen.
Er hat das Buch gemeinsam mit seinem Sohn und Co-Autor Frédéric Todenhöfer vor Ort in den gefährlichsten Krisengebieten der Welt recherchiert, oft unter extremen Gefahren. In Afghanistan, im Irak, in Syrien, in Gaza, in Libyen, Gaza, im Jemen, bei den Rohingya in Bangladesh und Myanmar, in Saudi-Arabien, im Iran und auch in Nordkorea. Stets versuchten sie, mit allen Konfliktparteien zu sprechen: mit führenden Taliban und mit dem afghanischen Präsidenten, mit dem IS, dem sogenannten „Islamischen Staat“, aber auch mit Assad.
Wohl kaum jemand hatte in den letzten Jahrzehnten intensiveren Zugang zu den Krisen- und Kriegsschauplätzen und zu den unterschiedlichsten Akteuren des Mittleren Ostens als Jürgen und Frédéric Todenhöfer.
Jürgen Todenhöfer belegt seine These über die Heuchelei des Westens mit zahllosen Beispielen: So zeigt er anhand der Afghanistan-Debatte im Dezember 2001, wie die deutschen Parteien argumentierten, beim Einsatz der Bundeswehr gehe es darum, afghanischen Mädchen den Schulzugang zu ermöglichen. Man sei lediglich aus Bündnisgründen mit marschiert. Doch auch heute besuchten nur 40 Prozent der afghanischen Mädchen eine Schule. Er schildert seine Beobachtung, dass 10 Monate nach der „Befreiung“ von Mosul durch die internationale Allianz gegen den IS , der auch Deutschland angehörte, noch immer mumifizierte Kinderleichen auf den Trümmern der zerbombten Häuser lagen. Die „Befreier“ hatten sich nicht einmal um die Bestattung der Toten gekümmert. Er erzählt von den Bombardements im Norden des Jemen, bei denen ohne Hemmungen auch deutsche Waffen eingesetzt würden. Und er macht deutlich, wie das Bundesverfassungsgericht das Grundgesetz zurecht biegt, um Auslandseinsätze der Bundeswehr zu ermöglichen.
Jürgen Todenhöfer fordert vom Westen, endlich seine jahrhundertelangen Versprechen einzulösen und die Menschenrechte vorzuleben, und nicht nur vorzuheucheln oder zur Vergewaltigung anderer Völker und Kulturen zu missbrauchen. Dort wo es um Interessen gehe, solle der Westen diese klar benennen. Die bisherige Politik der Heuchelei und Missachtung der Interessen anderer Völker und Kulturen zerstöre die Legitimität und Glaubwürdigkeit des Westens und untergrabe die Demokratie. Ein Weitermachen wie bisher bedeute, dass die Menschen in Europa die Katastrophen ihrer Geschichte vermutlich wieder und wieder durchleben müssten.
Auch die Medien seien nicht unschuldig an der Situation, zu oft werde die gewalttätige Politik des Westens von ihnen mitgetragen. Statt die Heuchelei der Mächtigen zu enttarnen, betrieben sie zu oft „Fankurven-Journalismus“. Das Buch will mit den Lebenslügen der westlichen Zivilisation aufräumen. Es ist ein leidenschaftliches Plädoyer für Humanismus und Wahrheit als Grundlage der westlichen Politik – und für eine humanistische Revolution des Denkens.
Propyläen Verlag, 304 Seiten, € 19,99 (D), ISBN: 978-3-549-10003-5, Erscheinungstermin: 15.03.2019
dazu auch https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=49442 (mit Link, falls obiger Link nicht geht)
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China gewinnt den Drohnenkrieg im Nahen Osten
Die letzte große Revolution auf den Schlachtfeldern dieser Welt begann mit dem Eintritt in das Zeitalter der Drohne. Insbesondere im Nahen und Mittleren Osten wurde diese zum Symbol des im rechtsfreien Raum agierenden US-Imperiums. In den ersten anderthalb Dekaden des „War on Terror“ hatten die USA noch ein Quasi-Monopol auf die risikolose Exekution aus Tausenden Metern Höhe – doch ist der Geist erst einmal aus der Flasche, ist jeder Versuch, ihn wieder einzufangen, bekanntlich zum Scheitern verurteilt.
Und so strebten schnell auch andere Länder der Region nach der finanziell, personell und politisch billigen Exekution mittels Drohne. Die Zahl der Armeen mit eigener Drohnenflotte wächst zusehends, ein Multimilliarden-Dollar-Markt mit astronomischen Wachstumsraten tat sich auf – dessen Zuwächse im Wesentlichen nur von einem Akteur erfolgreich bedient werden: China.
Die USA haben ihren Vorsprung verspielt
Das Zugpferd der chinesischen Kampfdrohnen ist die Rainbow-Reihe mit seinem aktuellen Vertreter CH-4, dessen Optik nahezu identisch ist mit der berühmt-berüchtigten Reaper-Drohne der US-Rüstungsschmiede General Atomics.
In den meisten Leistungsparametern weist die chinesische CH-4 zwar eine schwächere Performance auf als die US-amerikanische Reaper, doch kann sie bei einigen Parametern mithalten oder die Konkurrenz gar übertreffen.
Dass dieses Kopieren US-amerikanischer Technik wahrscheinlich auf Datenklau aus Peking beruht, legt ein Ende 2015 erschienener Artikel in der Asia Times nahe.
Marktführer China
Lange Zeit waren es ausschließlich die USA, Großbritannien und Israel, die über Kampfdrohnen verfügten und diese zur Exekution vermeintlicher Terroristen einsetzten – was sich in den letzten Jahren jedoch dramatisch veränderte. Mittlerweile ist die Anzahl der Länder mit Kampfdrohnen auf mindestens 29 angeschwollen.
Chinas Kunden – Amerikas Kunden?
Während das Pentagon bewaffnete Ausführungen seiner Reaper-Drohne bis heute lediglich an Großbritannien, Frankreich und Italien liefert, befinden sich unter den Abnehmern chinesischer Kampfdrohnen nach Angaben chinesischer Produzenten Ägypten, Algerien, Äthiopien, die Emirate, Irak, Jordanien, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sambia, Saudi-Arabien und Turkmenistan.
Die Büchse der Pandora ist geöffnet
Besonders beunruhigend ist Chinas Drohnenpolitik in Saudi-Arabien. Ein im Frühjahr 2017 zwischen beiden Ländern abgeschlossenes, 65-Milliarden-Dollar-Wirtschaftsprogramm umfasst auch den Bau einer chinesischen Drohnenfabrik in Saudi-Arabien – die erste ihrer Art in der Region. Zunächst wurde die Lizenzfertigung von 300 Drohnen vereinbart, was angesichts der 88 Drohnen, die China in der letzten Dekade insgesamt exportiert hat, eine historische Zahl darstellt. Doch sind die Lizenzdrohnen nicht ausschließlich für die Saudi Royal Air Force bestimmt, vielmehr kann Riad diese explizit auch an andere Staaten in der Region weitervermarkten. Endverbleibserklärungen gibt es bei Deals mit Peking nicht. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass Saudi-Arabien neben Unterstützung verschiedenster Dschihadisten in der Region allen voran im Jemen ein enger Verbündeter der Al-Qaida ist – was, nebenbei bemerkt, den Westen zum Verbündeten der Al-Qaida im Jemen macht –, wird durch Pekings Exportpolitik das Bedrohungsszenario von mit Drohnen bewaffneten Dschihadisten ein großes Stück näher gerückt.
Die chinesische Führung nutzt diese Entwicklungen kompromisslos für sich aus und überschwemmt den Nahen und Mittleren Osten mit billigen Drohnen. Die Folgen dieser expansiven Politik sind nicht absehbar.
Die Büchse der Pandora ist lange schon geöffnet – von Jakob Reimann
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=48611
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China is Flooding the Middle East With Cheap Drones
Throughout the war on terror, the U.S. shattered norms on unmanned execution. Now the technology is spreading throughout the region.
The last great revolution on the world’s battlefields began with the advent of the drone era.
Particularly in the Middle East, the drone became the symbol of the U.S. empire operating in a legal vacuum. In the first decade and a half of the “War on Terror,” the U.S. still had a virtual monopoly on the risk-free execution from thousands of meters above — but once the genie is out of the bottle, every attempt to squeeze it back in is notoriously doomed to failure.
And so, quickly other countries in the region aspired after the financially — and politically — cheap execution by drone. The number of armies with their own drone fleet is growing rapidly. A multi-billion-dollar market with astronomical growth rates opened up — demand that’s essentially served only by one actor: China.
The U.S. has squandered its lead
The appearance of the Rainbow CH-4 — the driving force of Chinese combat drones — is almost identical to the notorious Reaper drone of the U.S. arms manufacturer General Atomics. While the CH-4 lags behind the Reaper in most performance parameters, it can keep up with or even outperform its competitor in some of them. Also, the CH-4’s weaponry, the AKD-10 warhead, is almost identical to the Reaper’s Hellfire missiles.
A late 2015 article published in the Asia Times suggests that this copying of U.S. technology is likely rooted in Beijing’s data theft.
China captures the market
For a long time, it was only the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel that had combat drones and used them to execute alleged terrorists — something that has changed dramatically in recent years.
Meanwhile, the number of countries with combat drones has swelled to at least 29, as research organization New America identifies.
While the Pentagon continues to this day to deliver armed Reaper drones only to the UK, France, and Italy, purchasers of Chinese combat drones, according to Chinese manufacturers, include Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, the UAE, and Zambia.
Pandora’s box is open
Of particular concern is China’s drone policy in Saudi Arabia.
A $ 65 billion economic program clinched between the two countries in spring 2017 includes the construction of a Chinese drone factory in Saudi Arabia — the first of its kind in the region. Initially, the license production of 300 drones was agreed, which represents a massive figure given the 88 drones that China has exported in the last decade altogether.
However, the license drones are not exclusively intended for the Saudi Royal Air Force — Riyadh can explicitly market them to other countries in the region. End-user certificates do not exist for deals with Beijing. In view of the fact that Saudi Arabia, along with supporting various jihadist groups in the region, is a close ally of Al Qaeda in Yemen, it is within the realm of possibility to envision some of these drones end up in terrorist’s hands. Fueled by Beijing’s export policy, the threat scenario of drone-armed jihadists has moved significantly closer – by Jakob Reimann
https://fpif.org/china-is-flooding-the-middle-east-with-cheap-drones/
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* B H)
New cholera tracking tool could provide more accurate picture of outbreaks
A new tool to track cholera outbreaks could give experts a more accurate geographical picture of the disease than ever before, scientists have found.
The algorithm, which analyses antibodies in blood samples to estimate cholera incidence in a region, is a major step towards a data-driven understanding of the disease.
But according to the new study in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a newly developed algorithm can estimate cholera incidence with more than 90 per cent accuracy.
“We know that cholera is both under and over reported,” said Andrew Azman, assistant scientist in the department of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “The outbreak in Yemen was over reported, while in other places such as in Malawi and Northern Nigeria the number of cases are likely under estimates."
“If we want to measure progress we need to be able to get a better handle on where cholera is and how much there is. The World Health Organization and global community have set up a goal to eliminate cholera by 2030, but we are a bit blind right now,” he added.
“This is one of the first steps in having a data-driven approach to tackling cholera.”
The research team analysed more than 1,500 blood samples from patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to develop the algorithm, confirming the model in a challenge trial with American volunteers.
As well as highlighting cholera hotpots the researchers say the tool, which can identify if and when a patient had cholera in the year before the blood sample was collected, could be used to monitor progress in the fight against the disease.
cp1b1 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Deutsch/ Most important: Hodeidah battle: German
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UNO ruft zu Truppenabzug aus Häfen im Jemen auf
Der UNO-Sondergesandte für den Jemen hat heute die Kriegsparteien aufgerufen, sofort mit dem Truppenabzug aus einigen der wichtigsten Häfen des Landes zu beginnen. Am Wochenende hatte sich die Regierung im Jemen mit den schiitischen Huthi-Rebellen auf diesen Schritt geeinigt, um die Ende 2018 in Stockholm vereinbarte Waffenruhe in der Praxis umzusetzen.
Der Sondergesandte Martin Griffiths äußerte die Hoffnung, damit ein Ende des seit vier Jahren andauernden Konflikts einzuleiten, den die Vereinten Nationen als derzeit schlimmste humanitäre Katastrophe weltweit betrachten.
Am Wochenende war zudem eine Übereinkunft erzielt worden, dass die Truppen der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Regierungskoalition im Gegenzug den östlichen Stadtrand von Hodeida abgeben. Bisher hatten beide Kriegsparteien sich gegenseitig beschuldigt, die in Stockholm vereinbarte Waffenruhe zu verletzen.
https://orf.at/stories/3112151/ = http://www.haz.de/Nachrichten/Politik/Deutschland-Welt/UN-Sondergesandter-ruft-zu-Truppenabzug-aus-Haefen-im-Jemen-auf
cp1b2 Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah: Englisch / Most important: Hodeidah battle: English
(A K pS)
Hours after announcing withdrawal first phase, ceasefire agreement collapse and battles intensify between joint forces and Houthis in eastern Hodaida .
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1098259500988071938
(A K pS)
A civilian was seriously injured in the explosion of a landmine planted by the Houthi group in Al-Alam neighborhood in #Hodeidah province (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1098275202243407872
(* B K)
Film: Sky visits Hodeida to see if Yemen's ceasefire can hold
Sky News gets rare access to spots on the front line between Houthis and pro-government forces that are leaving people starving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBQ5wueSgY
(* B H K)
The nightmares of a Yemeni mother
I am bringing to this world another potential child victim of the Yemeni war and I don't know how I will forgive myself.
I start my day thinking it could be my last one, so I try to ignore all nuisances and petty problems and greet everyone as if it is the last time we see each other - for, at any moment, we can be reduced to a mere number in the records of this war.
I have lived in Yemen's western coastal city of Hodeidah since I was six years old, that is, for 29 years now. I have many memories here: my family, the sea, the people, their excessive kindness, Arabian jasmine and the taste of delicious seafood. All of them have now been consumed by the war.
I see people walk in the street with heavy hearts, each carrying a tragic story about the death of a loved one, the loss of livelihood or the illness that they cannot afford to treat.
Life has been hard in Hodeidah since the conflict began but the past six months have been the worst for us.
As the fighting intensified, hunger, desperation and death slowly overwhelmed the city. In the only functioning government hospital, I found out, more than 600 malnourished children are being treated.
Drug prices have doubled. Patients with cancer, kidney failure and chronic diseases have struggled to get treatment, constantly at risk of being killed by one of the frequent delays in medication shipments.
The internet started getting cut off, at first for a few days, then for weeks. At home, there was nothing to do, so we went back to reading books and watching television.
Then, the electricity blackouts started and we couldn't do that any more either. In the beginning, we took it lightly. We lit up some candles and enjoyed the warmth of the flickering light. We even play some music on our phones, which often got drowned by the loud sound of heavy explosions.
As the siege choked the city, there was nothing to distract oneself with from the realities of war: no beach, no parks, no restaurants, no internet. We suddenly become cut off from the rest of the world. It felt as if we were living on a different planet, as if we were slowly losing our humanity.
One day, my husband and I decided to try to go to the sea. We thought we were the only fools in the city who had come up with the idea, but it turned out we were wrong – by Manal Qaed Alwesabi
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/nightmares-yemeni-mother-190219123323990.html
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Yemen government issues official confirmation of Hodeidah withdrawal
Yemen's government officially confirmation on Wednesday that their troops are to withdraw from the port city of Hodeidah.
In a letter, seen by The National, addressed to the head of a UN team sent to monitor the deal, Danish general Michael Lollesgaard, Yemeni officials said the pullback is set to begin in 11 days and will be monitored by the UN.
"We have received assurances from general Lollesgaard that Houthi militias would begin withdrawing five kilometers from the ports of Saleed and Ras Issa within four days," said the letter.
The UN monitoring team will inspect the locations to ensure the areas are clear.
Government forces will then begin withdrawing 3.5 kilometers south of the Red Sea Mills, which will secure the passage for aid workers.
Humanitarian relief has been blocked from entering the Red Sea Mills, which has enough grains to feed 3.7 million people for a month.
The government has stressed that it will not withdraw from the areas until full security is established in the province, the official said.
My comment: The last sentence quoted here, what does it really mean??
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Four civilians killed and two wounded in Houthi shelling on a market in Hodeidah
Four civilians were killed and scores were injured in a bombing attack on a popular market in al-Tahita district south of Hodeidah Province in western Yemen on Tuesday, a government military source said.
The source told Al-Masdar online, the Houthis bombed the al-Matinah popular market, while the market was crowded with civilian shoppers, and the shell exploded in a shopper's pool, resulting in the immediate loss of four dead civilians.
He pointed out that the victims were taken to the field hospital in Al-Khokha (south of Tahita), while others were transferred to the hospitals of the city of Aden, the interim capital, due to their critical situation.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164490
and
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Houthis Commit New Massacre in Hodaida Central Yemen
Today [Feb. 19] early morning, Houthis targeted Al_matina market in Al_tahita with heavy artillery, killing four people, two of whom were children, and leaving scores wounded According to the sources, Naseem Mohammed Abdullah Qalab, Abdo Mohammed Abddulah Qalab, Omar Ibraheem Ahmed Doail, and another unidentified man were killed and many others were injured as they were shopping in the crowded market (with film)
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14585
(A K pH)
Woman Wounded by Saudi-Mercenaries’ Gunfire in Hodeidah
An old woman was wounded, Tuesday, by the Saudi-mercenarirs’ gunfire on Sadam street in Hodeidah province
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5488&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
The US-Saudi Aggression continues, on Tuesday, to launch raids in several governorates, killing civilians, damaging private and public properties and to violate Stockholm Cease-Fire agreement in Hodeidah, injuring a woman in At-tohayta district by US-Saudi mercenaries' gunshots. US-Saudi missiles, artillery shells and machine guns targeted several areas of Al-Faza area, Hais and Ad durayhimi districts. A military bulldozer made new combat sites in Kilo-16.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5495&cat_id=1
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Government declares conditional agreement on partial withdrawal from Hodeidah
A government source at the redeployment Coordination Committee in Hodeidah, western Yemen, said on Tuesday that they had given conditional approval to the agreement reached by the United Nations with the parties to the conflict to withdraw from the confrontation areas.
According to the Al-Masdar online, they stipulated that they should sign the agreement with the Houthis ' representatives in the Committee, including the withdrawal from the city, the restoration of the former local authority to administer it, the return of the police and local security forces, the management of ports and the Coast Guard, as before the control of Houthis.
"We agreed, but implementation will only be after the second phase has been agreed and signed, which concerns local administration, local security, port management, and Coast Guard," he said.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164474
My comment: LOL. The Hadi government simply wants to take over control by exploiting the Stockholm and the latest Hodeidah agreement. This will hardly work.
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Troop withdrawal in Yemen's Hodeidah could start Tuesday, Wednesday: U.N.
A redeployment of forces in Yemen’s Hodeidah by the warring parties could start “possibly even today or tomorrow,” United Nations Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday.
“The parties have agreed to redeploy from the ports of Saleef and Ras Isa in a first step, followed by a redeployment from Hodeidah port itself and critical parts of the city of Hodeidah associated with humanitarian facilities in step two,” Griffiths told the 15-member Security Council on Tuesday.
“This will facilitate humanitarian access to the Red Sea Mills,” he said.
The World Food Program grain stores at the Red Sea Mills are enough to feed 3.7 million people for a month and have been inaccessible for more than five months. The United Nations has warned the food is at risk of rotting.
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Film, Elisabeth Kendall: How significant is the agreement reached by the Houthis & #Saudi-led coalition to start withdrawing forces from #Hodeidah in #Yemen? Here's a short extract from my interview on BBC "World Update"
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1097893189699207168
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While Houthis said they are ready to withdraw from #Hodiedah ports for 5 km , government team in the UN-led redeployment committee said they should agree first in next steps including authority to handle situation after withdrawal. Govt. troops to withdraw for 1 km around Mills.
https://twitter.com/mohammedalqadhi/status/1097574721825239040
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UAE: Houthis must show full commitment to Hodeidah deal
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash says success in implementing Yemen deal will lead to promising results
Yemen's Houthis must demonstrate a willingness to act beyond their own interests, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Wednesday, after the rebels and government forces agreed to a withdrawal of troops from Hodeidah.
“Crucial that Houthi words are met with deeds on redeployment in Hodeidah. Earlier dates and commitments lapsed. New ones should not,” Dr Gargash said on Twitter.
Both sides committed to a series of measures to pave the way for a full-scale peace effort during UN-brokered talks with the government in Sweden last December. However, the deal has not been fully enforced amid what the international coalition says is a litany of recorded rebel violations.
“Success in implementation will lead to more promising results,” Dr Gargash said.
My comment: It’s up to both sides.
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The Head of the Sanaa National Delegation, Mohammed Abdul Salam said in his tweets on his Twitter account on Monday regarding the Coordination and Redeployments Committee in Hodeidah:
-The implementation of the first phase of the agreement was supposed to begin this morning and our forces are ready to Redeployments,
- The Head of the Coordination Committee informed us of our readiness but the other party returned to raise issues outside the agreement,
- The Chairman of the Coordination Committee asked us to wait until he continues his attempts with the other party and we are awaiting a response,
- We hope that our team will receive the starting signal this evening so that we can begin the implementation of the first phase steps starting on Tuesday morning,
- The situation is now in the court of the other party, and our people and various international parties know who is the obstacle to peace.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/photos/a.963391330380564/2145893718796980/
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5478&cat_id=1
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Armed Forces Spokesman: US-Saudi Mercenaries Commit 231 New Violations in 48 hours, Hodeidah
In conjunction with the UN envoy visit and talks about steps and practical measures to implement the first phase of the redeployment plan in Hodeidah, the Coalition of Aggression and its mercenaries continued their intensive violations of the cease-fire in Hodeidah. Brigadier General Yahya Sari said in a statement that the aggression and its mercenaries committed during the past 48 hours more than 321 new violations, while flying jets of US-Saudi aggression launched 32 air raids on a number of provinces. They were spotted strengthening their forces and executing some operations and creating new fortifications. That confirms their intention to commit further crimes against the citizens.
The Spokesman for the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sari, warned the forces of aggression and mercenaries against the continuation of the violations, he explained "what a serious mistake they would commit when taking not calculated steps. They bear full responsibility for their continuing violations and crimes."
He said that the fighter jets and reconnaissance drones continued to fly over the city of Hodeidah and a number of directorates, committing 231 breaches while the mercenaries of aggression targeted residential neighborhoods, farms and houses of citizens and the positions of the Army and Popular Committees in Hodeidah. A number of districts were shelled by 125 shells and in a 66 incident, a medium-and light-weapons wase fired by mercenaries. They carried out some development and fortifications and 27 reinforcement operation to help their forces. The US-Saudi aggression's jets committed 12 violations.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5477&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Feb. 18: The US-Saudi Aggression continues, on Monday, to launch raids in several governorates, killing civilians, damaging private and public properties and to violate Stockholm Cease-Fire agreement in Al-Zafaran and Mahel Al- Shaikh village in, Kilo-16, Hodeidah. US-Saudi mercenaries targeted several residential areas in Ad-durayhimi district with artillery shells and machine guns.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5479&cat_id=1
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After doing a few interviews this morning on #Hodeida #Yemen it's clear that there is still a lot of confusion about 1) What was agreed in Sweden 2) What is needed to make it into a reality and 3) What the UN has been trying to achieve. So here's a quick attempt at an explanation
As we wrote back in January, the Stockholm Agreement was light on details on how, exactly, key forces would be redeployed from Hodeida. That in part is why the parties agreed to form Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), to hash these details out.
Until RCC agreed on the exact technical details of redeployments, there was never going to be any movement. It took until now, two months after Stockholm, for the RCC to agree on how to manage a first phase of redeployments. Which isn't hugely surprising. But it's welcome news.
Despite the noise over the past 9 weeks only now do we have a joint agreement, details of which are under wraps, on how phase 1 redeployments should happen. And only now can we assess parties' willingness to implement it. Behavior during negotiations not super encouraging though.
I'm told to expect this phase to take around two weeks to implement and assess so that the parties are in agreement that the process has been satisfactory. Then a second phase will be negotiated and hopefully implemented.
So again, what we are seeing now isn't necessarily a breakthrough or a sudden development: It's exactly what was meant to happen post Stockholm, It just took longer than originally provided for (which isn't a surprise).
But if phase 1 agreement hadn't been reached, we'd be in pretty deep trouble. Chances of a return to hostilities would have grown. So good news. Now parties need to implement. It won't be smooth or easy. But also let's not write it off if it isn't executed perfectly on day 1. End
https://twitter.com/peterjsalisbury/status/1097507589284380673
cp2 Allgemein / General
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Interactive Map of Yemen War
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Proxy warfare: The strategic dilemma of relying on proxy counterterrorism forces
Proxy warfare isn’t a new concept. It has been used since ancient times.
Another example—this time of active proxy warfare—can once again be seen in Yemen. The Yemeni Civil War, which began in 2015, is essentially a bloody struggle for influence between Iran, which is supporting the Houthi rebels, and a coalition of Sunni nations led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is supporting the Yemeni government.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an influential American think tank, has produced a thought-provoking study on the merits and complexities of utilizing non-state actors as proxies for conducting counterterrorism (CT) operations in places where host-nation governments are reluctant to fully comply with U.S. interests.
The author, Brian Katz, argues that non-state actors, such as militias, offer a more effective CT force to combat terrorist groups.
Another benefit of proxy CT forces is that they don’t require a significant American signature to be effective. As the Niger ambush revealed, there are hundreds of U.S. commandos throughout Africa working with and through partner nations and groups to combat terrorism.
Katz concludes, “Conducting CT campaigns by empowering non-state proxies poses unique challenges and dilemmas for Western policymakers, with limited options to secure swift CT wins without stoking local tensions and conflict. Simply put, policymakers must weigh the need to attack and degrade a terrorist group against the risk of long-term instability and potentially creating the conditions for the next iteration of the terrorist group to emerge.”
https://thenewsrep.com/113849/the-strategic-dilemma-of-relying-on-proxy-counterterrorism-forces/
and full study: https://www.csis.org/analysis/imperfect-proxies-pros-and-perils-partnering-non-state-actors-ct (Yemen is not mentioned once).
My comment: This is ahighlight of US geopolitical interventionist cynism. – And: No, the Yemen War is NO proxy-war between Saudi Arabia and Irn. Rather it’s an US proxy war against the Houthis.
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Fatima Qoba aus dem Jemen: zwölf Jahre, zehn Kilogramm
Haben die Teilnehmer der Münchner „Sicherheitskonferenz“ einen sofortigen Stopp des mörderischen Stellvertreterkriegs im Jemen gefordert, um Fatima am Leben zu erhalten?
Fatima wurde in einer Klinik in der jemenitischen Stadt Haijah gefilmt. Das entsprechende Video veröffentlichte „RT Deutsch“ am 17.02.2019 unter der Überschrift: „Nur Haut und Knochen: Zwölfjährige, die zehn Kilogramm wiegt, als Schreckensbild des Jemenkriegs“. (1) Wer es ertragen kann, schaue es sich an. Fatimas besorgte Schwester wird mit den Worten zitiert: „Wir leben unter einem Baum. Ich weiß nicht, ob wir uns um sie kümmern können oder ob sie wegen der harten Bedingungen, unter denen wir leiden, unterernährt bleibt. Wir haben nichts, womit wir sie ernähren könnten.“
Haben die 600 – zum Teil „hochrangigen“, bestens abgesicherten und bewirteten – Teilnehmer der so genannten Sicherheitskonferenz in München am vergangenen Wochenende eine sofortige Beendigung des mörderischen Kriegs im Jemen gefordert – oder überhaupt über dieses vor unseren Augen stattfindende Menschheitsverbrechen gesprochen? Insgesamt werden mehrere Millionen (!) Kinder und Erwachsene im seit Jahren andauernden Krieg zwischen einer von Saudi-Arabien geführten Koalition und den Houthis vom Hunger und von Krankheiten bedroht. Ich habe nichts Entsprechendes gehört oder gelesen. Welche Farce dann das Motto dieser millionenschweren Veranstaltung: „Frieden durch Dialog“.
http://www.nrhz.de/flyer/beitrag.php?id=25656
und auch https://www.rubikon.news/artikel/beihilfe-zum-genozid
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SAS soldiers on aid mission injured in roadside bombing
TWO BRITISH Special Forces soldiers deployed on a top-secret humanitarian mission in Yemen have been injured in a roadside bomb blast. The soldiers, members of the elite SAS regiment, were part of a joint US-UK mission to identify areas in which supplies can be dropped to starving refugees.
Both soldiers were in a 12-man coalition taskforce which flew into the wartorn country three weeks ago. The SAS is working alongside members of Operational Detachment Alpha, the primary fighting force for the Green Berets. Under US command, the heavily armed Special Forces team flew into Aden from Djibouti aboard a UAE Chinook helicopter and met UAE commanders before heading north-east in unmarked pick-up trucks.
The soldiers were dressed in Arab clothing and were tasked with locating drop zones for food and medical supplies which can be easily accessed by desperate locals.
Both soldiers sustained leg injuries and were evacuated in a UAE helicopter to the US military base in Djibouti
My comment: “top-secret humanitarian mission”: LOL; LOL; LOL, LOL. – This simply shows that Britain has “boots on the ground” in Yemen.
Comment: Read it with Trojan horse mission instead of aid mission.
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/1097996762395086848
#Yemen #Venezuela Copy Paste of humanitarian aid mission.
https://twitter.com/HussamSanabani/status/1097997783448125442
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Film: Hassan Al-Haifi war live.
https://www.facebook.com/hassan.alhaifi/videos/2134490773264546/
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Audio: Yemen in 2019: Peace Talks, War Economy and Regional Complexities
What lies ahead for the war-torn nation of Yemen? This was a question Chatham House fellows Peter Salisbury, Farea al-Muslimi and Ghaidaa Al-Rashidi gathered to address last month on the 23rdof January; the answer? It’s complicated.
Things were looking up for Yemen following the Stockholm agreement, negotiated in December 2018
Although an agreement was reached, it was at the last moment, covered the bare minimum, and only came after the Saudi government pressured the Yemeni government to sign, according to Salisbury. The complicated implementation has suggested that both parties had very different interpretations about what the agreement entailed. While Yemen may be in a better place than before Stockholm, both sides are still getting bogged down in disagreements about the details.
The Stockholm agreement is a good place to start. From Salisbury’s perspective, if it is implemented successfully, demilitarisation of the Red Sea corridor (along Yemen’s west coast) as an extension of any agreed upon ceasefire can occur, potentially resulting in greater incentives for a political agreement between warring factions. Farea Al-Muslimi disagreed, suggesting that the agreement was a missed opportunity and suggested more could have been done about demilitarisation of Taiz. Moreover, if fighting successfully ceases in Hodeidah, there is a possibility other surrounding areas will be targeted by the displaced militia instead.
These type of regional complexities within Yemen as outlined by Al-Muslimi were emphasised multiple times as adding to the difficulty of reaching peace.
Ghaidaa Al-Rashidi gave an example of the two most powerful rebel groups in Hodeidah; both are supported by the United Arab Emirates but each support different sides of the conflict. Should the larger civil war end, smaller regional conflicts could follow all over the country. Some of the southern groups also have ideological differences with the Houthi rebels. Combined with their lack of political organisation, Al-Rashidi suggested this could lead to them becoming an antagonist militia, should the war end and Houthis come into government. Both Al-Rashidi and Salisbury emphasised that the international community’s focus on the larger war, rather than these regional complexities will be detrimental to peace efforts if the war ends. These tensions and ideological differences need to be dealt with in current peace talks in order to have a fighting chance of maintaining stability two years down the line.
The abundance of local militias and rebel groups doesn’t bode well for the political situation post conflict.
Towards the end of the panel, the issue of proxy wars was raised by an audience member. Although different sides of the conflict are receiving support from countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, “the real fight is just between the Yemenis”, says Al-Rashidi. On the other hand, Al-Muslimi painted the conflict as “a combination of civil, regional and proxy war”, with problems between President Hadi and the Houthis, Saudis and Iranians and between Yemenis.
https://ippr-journal.com/2019/02/12/yemen-in-2019-peace-talks-war-economy-and-regional-complexities/
https://player.fm/series/chatham-house-podcast-content/yemen-in-2019-a-look-ahead-HrQtbUPNoOBSEWm7
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Film, Elisabeth Clara Kendall: My interview today on France 24 about the latest developments in #Yemen. It's worth celebrating any little glimmer...
https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.kendall/videos/10161383066285228/ = https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1097585280155041792 (only an excerpt)
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Warsaw Ministerial Highlights Challenges Facing Anti-Iran Coalition
Western cohesion on Iran and Arab-Israeli cooperation both seem stalled as headaches mount for Tehran.
Nothing was resolved in Warsaw, and not much progress appears to have been made on any front, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But Iran’s economic, political, and even strategic situation continues to deteriorate and the headaches are only mounting for Tehran. At least in the short run, the stage seems set for a long and bitter series of cold and proxy wars rather than the “future of peace and security in the Middle East” to which the Warsaw conference aspired.
https://agsiw.org/warsaw-ministerial-highlights-challenges-facing-anti-iran-coalition/
Comment by Judith Brown: This is the most comprehensive report I have seen on the Warsaw conference designed by Trump to put pressure on Iran to agree to more controls on its nuclear and missile ambitions. In this respect it did not make much headway. The Saudis said they could not restore relations until Palestine is settled on the basis of the Arab 2002 peace initiative but in practice the relationship is so close that they don't need to have embassies. They cooperate on many planes already.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157381922993641
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
Redeployment agreement from Hudaydah welcome – calls to bring positive change for children
Statement by Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa
“UNICEF welcomes the recent agreement by parties to the conflict in Yemen to begin the mutual redeployment of forces from the port city of Hudaydah.
“We urge warring parties to ensure that this long-awaited step brings positive changes for children in Hudaydah and across all of Yemen. We call for unconditional and sustained humanitarian access to the 135,000 children remaining in the port city. It is crucial that this agreement allow for mine clearance and the re-opening of schools and psychosocial support centres for children that have been shuttered by the violence.
“Since June last year, Hudaydah city and its surroundings have borne the brunt of heavy violence. The area has the highest levels of child malnutrition and cases of acute watery diarrhea/cholera in the country.
“The children of Yemen have suffered far too long, living in conditions that no human being should ever have to bear. It is high time to put an end to violence affecting children.
https://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/redeployment-agreement-hudaydah-welcome-calls-bring-positive-change-children = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/redeployment-agreement-hudaydah-welcome-calls-bring-positive-change-children
(A H)
United Nations Population Fund: New European Union funding to boost UNFPA’s life-saving services for vulnerable women and girls in Yemen
The European Union has contributed EUR 6 million to UNFPA, the United Nations Population fund, to provide emergency assistance, life-saving reproductive health and protection services to women and girls in Yemen.
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Devastating footage of starving 12yo girl weighing just 10 kg captures Yemen war horror
A haunting video of a severely malnourished 12-year-old girl in Yemen highlights the ongoing devastation of the brutal war that has ravaged the country for four years, as the population continues to teeter on the brink of famine.
Fatima Qoba weighs just 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and is suffering from severe malnutrition. She is being treated at a clinic in Hajjah, where her tiny frame is dwarfed by the bed she lies on.
The head of the clinic, Makiah al-Aslami, said Fatima is “skin and bones due to the hard life of her family,” who are “displaced persons from Al-Sha'ab area who are not provided with shelter, food or medications.”
The family of eleven children and their father fled their home near the Saudi Arabian border and are now living under a tree.
Her sister, who is also named Fatima, told Ruptly, “I don’t know if we can take care of her or if she will be malnourished again because of the hard conditions we’re suffering from. We don't have anything to feed her with.”
Aslami said more pregnant women are suffering from acute malnutrition and she expects to see even more devastation.
“Now we talk not only about children under the age of five who don't have three meals [a day], we are also talking about the next generation who are malnourished because their mothers suffered from malnutrition while they were pregnant," she said (photos, film)
https://www.rt.com/news/451854-yemen-starving-girl-fatima/
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wHydccKv3k
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The youngest victims of Yemen's war: Starving babies are being treated in hospital where medics fight to save their lives as millions suffer from famine brought on by the conflict
Babies and children are attended to at the Al-Sabaeen Hospital in Sanaa as the conflict in Yemen rages on
Mothers were seen cradling their children as they clung to life, suffering from severe malnutrition in Yemen
Two million people been displaced by the conflict and 60,000 others have died since war started in 2015
Horrifying images of Yemen's starving children have shined a light on the brutal reality facing millions of civilians due to famine caused by the ongoing conflict. (photos9
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6724601/Pictured-youngest-victims-Yemens-war.html
My comment: 60,000 is underestimating; Sve the Children thinks of 85,000 children who died because of hunger and diseases, as a „conservative“ figure.
(A H)
@monarelief's team in Hajjah province delivered during the last two days food aid baskets to 13 families who their children suffering from Severe Acute malnutrition. Our project funded by Mona Relief's online fundraising campaign (photos)
https://twitter.com/monarelief/status/1097944100584730624
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ACTED: Yemen: Responding to Emergency (V2)
With a combination of conflict, cholera, extreme food insecurity, and widespread poverty, in 2018 the situation in Yemen deteriorated to such an extent that it is now considered the worst humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world.
ACTED has been present in Yemen since 2012 and is implementing activities in all regions of the countryNorthern (Hudaydah, Al Jawf, and Sa’ada) Central (Raymah and Ibb) and Southern (Al Dhale’e and Tai’zz). In 2018 particularly, ACTED’s programs focused increasingly on emergency programming, whilst remaining committed to longer-term livelihood strategies.
ACTED Yemen in 2018
350,000 people assisted
18 projects
ACTED's projects in Yemen
Responding Rapidly to Emergency Displacements
The ongoing conflict in Yemen is causing high levels of displacement.
Families flee from outbreaks of violence, without the time or the means to carry their belongings. The tattered economy and high rates of economic vulnerability mean that most Yemenis do not have the financial resources to provide for their own needs in the communities or displacement sites where they take refuge.
Cholera emergency response
Following a rapid increase in cholera cases in Yemen, ACTED is distributing cholera-prevention hygiene kits and hygiene promotion trainings in remote communities in Sa’ada governorate.
Rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities
https://www.acted.org/en/yemen-responding-to-emergency-v2/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-responding-emergency-v2
and similar: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-responding-world-s-worst-humanitarian-crisis-v3 = https://www.acted.org/en/responding-to-the-worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis/
(A H)
Thank you so much to every 1 who involved in this project Me & my wife @khuloodalhadda1 participated today in preparing & providing breakfast meal to hundreds of students in Sana'a in order to encourage them to continue their study. The project targets 10k students daily (photos)
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1097895756332191746
For donations: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-feed-and-shelter-yemen-s-people#/
(A H)
Ahmad Algohbary has brought us all hope by saving some of #Yemen's severely malnourished children. Now he has a struggle of his own: he is fighting to save his eyesight. Let's show him now how much we care and help him get through this difficult time. https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/ahmad
Update 19th Feb: Ahmad is attending the IMO hospital in Barcelona for his first appointment today. So far we have only raised half the funds he is likely to need to cover his medical fees. We are hoping more donations come in soon.
Update 19th Feb: Ahmad is now at the clinic for tests. He thanks everyone for your help,says leaving Yemen was difficult,getting to Jordan was difficult,getting to Egypt was difficult,Alhamdulillah he is now in Barcelona,but he could not have got here without all your support.
https://twitter.com/JamilaHanan/status/1097646532839522304
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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (January-December 2019)
THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN AT A GLANCE
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1
Helping millions of destitute Yemenis overcome hunger
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2
Reducing outbreaks of cholera and infectious diseases
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3
Promoting the dignity of displaced families living in emergency and IDP settlements
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4
Reducing the risk of displacement and violence against civilians and facilitating the recovery of people traumatized by the conflict
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5
Preserving the capacity of public sector institutions to deliver life-saving basic services
OVERVIEW OF THE CRISIS
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the worst in the world, driven by conflict, economic collapse and the continuous breakdown of public institutions and services.
- After four years of continuous conflict, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the worst in the world.A higher percentage of people face death, hunger and disease than in any other country. The degree of suffering is nearly unprecedented. Eighty percent of the entire population requires some form of humanitarian assistance and protection, an increase of 84 per cent since the conflict started in 2015. Twenty million Yemenis need help securing food and a staggering 14 million people are in acute humanitarian need.
- Ten million people are one step away from famine and starvation.
- Seven million, four hundred thousand people, nearly a quarter of the entire population, are malnourished, many acutely so.
- Conditions are worsening at a nearly unprecedented rate.
- The severity of suffering is shocking.
- Every humanitarian sector and most, if not all parts of the country, are impacted by the conflict.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/2019-yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-january-december-2019
(B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: CERF and YHF support in 2018 and 2019 (as of 18 February 2019)
With some 24 million people in Yemen in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, Yemen faces the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. For almost four years, OCHA-managed pooled funds have helped partners to coordinate and deliver the most critical assistance for millions of Yemenis facing conflict, deepening food insecurity and an economy on the verge of collapse.
Over the past year alone, over US$353.7 million in closely coordinated grants from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF) helped the humanitarian community act quickly, maintain critical operations and ensure delivery of life-saving aid for millions of people.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-cerf-and-yhf-support-2018-and-2019-18-february-2019
(* B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: Humanitarian Response Plan - 2018 In Review
Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, driven by conflict, economic collapse and the continuous breakdown of public institutions and services. Seventy-five percent of the entire population, 22.2 million people have required some form of humanitarian assistance in the past twelve months. During 2018, the humanitarian operation in Yemen has undergone a step-change, becoming one of the largest, most impactful operations managed by the UN anywhere in the world. Working under increasingly difficult conditions, 254 international and national partners have delivered food assistance, health care, nutrition support, protection, shelter, education, water and sanitation and livelihood support, reaching nearly 8 million people each month. Millions of lives have been saved and hundreds of thousands of Yemeni families have been helped to survive one of the most difficult periods in their country’s history.
Of the many milestones achieved during 2018, four stand out in terms of impact, scale and efficiency.
As a direct result of the massive, synchronized and very rapid scale-up of all forms of humanitarian aid achieved during 2018, 45 of the 107 districts facing extreme food insecurity at the beginning of last year are no longer pre-famine.
Food security partners have successfully managed one of the largest, fastest and most difficult scale-ups of assistance anywhere in the world increasing the number of people reached each month with food assistance from 3 million to an astonishing 10 million.
Working through public institutions, nutrition partners have helped to identify and cure a higher percentage of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition than in any comparable operation globally.
Working in close partnership with local institutions, health partners have stemmed the largest cholera outbreak in modern history, reducing the number of new cases from one million the year before to 311,000.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-2018-review
(B H)
World Food Programme, Logistics Cluster: Yemen - Humanitarian Imports Overview, January 2019
https://logcluster.org/document/yemen-humanitarian-imports-overview-january-2019 = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-imports-overview-january-2019
(* B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen: The time to act is now
Years of conflict, economic decline and institutional collapse have devastated Yemen. The human impact of the conflict can hardly be overstated.
At last year’s Pledging Conference, donors’ extraordinary generosity ensured that over US$2 billion would go and fund the humanitarian response. “This pledging conference represents a remarkable success of international solidarity to the people of Yemen,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the event.
But this year, funding is even more urgently needed as humanitarian partners will require US$4.2 billion to double up their efforts and reach 50 per cent more people than in 2018. For the people of Yemen, these funds will make the difference between life and death.
Massive humanitarian needs
According to the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan launched today, 24.1 million people – close to 80 per cent of the population – need assistance and protection. 14.3 million of them are in acute need. Famine is threatening hundreds of thousands of lives and humanitarian aid is increasingly becoming the only lifeline for millions of Yemenis.
Massive humanitarian needs
According to the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan launched today, 24.1 million people – close to 80 per cent of the population – need assistance and protection. 14.3 million of them are in acute need. Famine is threatening hundreds of thousands of lives and humanitarian aid is increasingly becoming the only lifeline for millions of Yemenis.
Access to income and basic services have been decimated by the complete breakdown of the national economy, leaving millions unable to afford food, medicine, clear water and other essentials.
Conflict remains the main driver as the worst hunger is concentrated in areas that saw the fiercest conflict last year. But despite the UN’s repeated call on all parties to facilitate access for humanitarians to reach people in need throughout Yemen, access is still elusive. The conflict particularly impacts women and children putting them at higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence.
The crisis in numbers
Two-thirds of the country’s district are already pre-famine. 20 million people are food insecure, including nearly 10 million who are suffering from extreme levels of hunger and are barely surviving.
More than 600,000 people have been displaced in the last year alone. Nearly 76 per cent of them are women and children. Today there are a total 3.3 million internally displaced people who have nothing to go back to.
Since 2015, the economy has shrunk by half, and more than 80 per cent of Yemenis now live below the poverty line. If current trends continue, the total number of people facing pre-famine conditions could rise to 14 million – or half the country’s population.
With so many men fighting in this conflict, wounded, dead or missing, nearly one in five households is headed by women below the age of 18.
Why another Pledging Conference?
Managing such an operation of this scale requires care to ensure that aid is reaching the people who need it, and massive funding to be able to sustain and boost such efforts.
On 26 February, the United Nations and the Governments of Sweden and Switzerland will convene the third High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen. The event will aim to garner support for the humanitarian response in Yemen and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
https://www.unocha.org/story/yemen-time-act-now
and also
(* B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, 19 February 2019
Last week, my office released the 2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Yemen (the HNO). Agencies pooled data from more than 100 earlier assessments. We also collected new data from nearly 7,000 locations in 331 of Yemen’s 333 districts and we conducted more than 22,000 interviews.
With a stronger evidence base than ever, the 2019 HNO represents an authoritative analysis of the scale, drivers and trajectory of Yemen’s crisis. And it paints a bleak picture.
About 80 per cent of the population – 24 million people – need humanitarian assistance and protection. Some 20 million people need help securing food, including nearly 10 million who are just a step away from famine. Nearly 240,000 of those people are right now facing catastrophic levels of hunger. Almost 20 million people lack access to adequate healthcare, and nearly 18 million don’t have enough clean water or access to adequate sanitation. More than 3 million people – including 2 million children – are acutely malnourished. Some 3.3 million remain displaced from their homes, including 685,000 who have fled fighting along the west coast since June 2018.
These numbers Mr. President are considerably worse than last year.
In short, Mr. President, things are very bad.
And unfortunately, aid agencies are running out of money. Among the many challenges the aid operation faces, funding is quickly becoming the biggest. We expect current resources to be used up by the end of March – just six weeks from now.
The UN-coordinated humanitarian relief operation in Yemen is the biggest in the world. It has delivered impressive results. In 2018, more than 250 humanitarian agencies – most of them Yemeni organizations – worked together to assist nearly 8 million people across the country every month.
and
(A P)
Yemeni government criticizes Lowcock briefing on Yemen humanitarian situation
The Yemeni government has criticized the briefing of UN humanitarian and Emergency Relief Coordinator Marc Lowcock, who presented it to the Security Council on Tuesday evening, for not mentioning the Houthis ' violations of the right to relief aid.
The Minister of Local Administration and the Chairman of the High Relief Committee, Abdel Raqeeb Fatah, said that, in his briefing, Lowcock did not mention the extent of the Houthis ' violations of the right to relief aid and the obstacles they place in the way of UN and international relief organizations.
According to the official Yemeni news agency Saba, Fatah has called on UN officials to name names, to clearly identify who is obstructing humanitarian action, and to loot relief aid.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164489
My comment: Why Lowcock should repeat Hadi government’s claims? The main obstacle to all supplies to the Yemen population is the Saudi blockade.
(B H)
Relief and Development Peer Foundation: WASH Needs Assessment Report in Khayran Al Muharraq District of Hajjah Governorate and Al Qafr District of Ibb Governorate (February 2019)
Executive Summary
Khayran Al Muharraq district of Hajjah Governorate is one among the 122 WASH cluster focus districts as well as among the 193 food insecure districts. This district was classified as IPC phase 4 where 57.5% of the population; 77,000 individuals (HC and IDPs) are in IPC 4 and 5. The sample included a total number of 187 HHs interviews in five sub-districts (Ad Dane'e, Bani Hamla, Sharqi Al Khamesayn, Gharbi Al Khamesayn, and Masrooh) of Khayran Al Muharraq.
Al Qafr district of Ibb Governorate is one among the 122 WASH cluster focus districts as well as among the 230 health cluster focus districts.
The comprehensive WASH NA included HHs interviews, Key Informants Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and General Situation information collection using the WASH cluster tools and RDP customized tools.
(B H)
50% of #Yemen districts are in acute need of sanitation. 30% of communities have no latrines triggering #Cholera risk. Building safe sanitation protects the vulnerable (photo)
https://twitter.com/SFDYemen/status/1097566398111453189
(B H)
UN Children's Fund, WASH Cluster, REACH Initiative: Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (January 2019)
The Yemen Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) was launched by REACH in collaboration with the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster and the Cash and Market Working Group (CMWG) to support humanitarian actors with the harmonization of price monitoring among all cash actors in Yemen.
The JMMI incorporates information on market systems including price levels and supply chains. The basket of goods to be assessed comprises eight non-food items (NFIs), including fuel, water and hygiene products, reflecting the programmatic areas of the WASH Cluster. Since September 2018, the JMMI tracks all components of the WASH Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-joint-market-monitoring-initiative-january-2019 = http://www.reachresourcecentre.info/yemen/yemsituation-overviewjoint-market-monitoring-initiative-jmmijanuary2019
(A H P)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Media Advisory: High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
WHAT: High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen hosted by the United Nations and the governments of Switzerland and Sweden.
WHEN: 26 February 2019, 10.00 – 17.00. Press briefing scheduled at 13.00 (all times CET)
All UN Member States are invited, as well as leaders of relevant regional organizations, development finance institutions, UN agencies, funds and programmes, and representatives from humanitarian non-governmental organizations.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the worst in the world. An estimated 80 per cent of the population – 24 million people – require some form of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need. Humanitarian programmes last year scaled up to reach 8 million people with direct assistance per month, up from 3.5 million in 2017, making Yemen the largest humanitarian operation in the world.
Announcements and pledges for all humanitarian assistance to Yemen in 2019 and beyond may be made at the event, and donors are encouraged to contribute generously to the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan and the Yemen Humanitarian Fund. There is, however, no specific target for the pledging event as fund raising continues throughout the year.
Comment: Though as a Yemeni I appreciate effort, worried if a) pledges will meet needs, b) effectiveness & sustainability, and c) how much will be skimmed/misused by warring factions.
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1098169651710832640
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
Was die Nachbarn wohl sagen?
Die meisten wollen anderen Menschen helfen. Manche tun es nicht, weil sie das Geschwätz im Treppenhaus fürchten.
Letzte Woche hatte ich Besuch von einem Freund aus Budapest. «Habe ich dir von unseren Untermietern aus dem Jemen erzählt?», fragte er. «Eine junge Familie. Flüchtlinge.» Mein Freund hat das Herz am rechten Fleck. Er geht bei klirrender Kälte gegen Viktor Orban auf die Strasse, obwohl er nicht glaubt, dass sich etwas ändern wird. «Aus dem Jemen?», fragte ich, «ich habe gemeint, Orban lässt keine Flüchtlinge ins Land.»
«Orban musste sie nehmen», sagte mein Freund, «er hatte keine Wahl.»
https://blog.tagesanzeiger.ch/stadtblog/2019/02/20/was-die-nachbarn-sagen/
(* B H)
The Charitable Society for Social Welfare: CSSW and YHPF Give Hope to Displaced People in Marib Governorate
For years, the ongoing war in Yemen has displaced waves of people to Marib, the lightly populated governorate lying 175 km east of Sana’a. The Charitable Society for Social Welfare (CSSW), a Yemeni NGO devoted to improving the lives of internally displaced people, has seen its role in Marib change in recent years: initially seeking to protect the vast numbers of IDPs in the governorate, CSSW recently partnered with OCHA and the Yemen Humanitarian Pooled Fund to develop long-term programs supporting Marib’s IDP population.
Marib’s native-born population is roughly 350,000; the IOM estimated in 2018 that 895,000 IDPs had joined them, creating immense challenges for the overall population, the governorate’s administration, and NGOs like CSSW.
In such an environment, IDPs take nothing for granted; in some cases, only a carefully managed, large-scale humanitarian effort can restore some of the basic necessities IDPs have left behind. In a scene replayed daily in Marib, a displaced man recently credited CSSW with an important step back to normality. "Thanks to everyone who contributed to my daughters' return to school and saved them from loss and ignorance," he said as he watched his three daughters returning to school in their new uniforms after a difficult displacement journey from Hodeidah to Marib.
Other IDPs come from Marib governorate itself.
As the war grinds on, the displacement continues. Mitigating the human consequences of war is one of CSSW’s key goals. The Protection Project 2018, funded by YHPF and implemented by CSSW in four districts across Marib, was established to shield displaced persons from the worst humanitarian crises they faced.
Overview and assessment
With support from YHPF, CSSW developed the 2018 Protection Project
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/cssw-and-yhpf-give-hope-displaced-people-marib-governorate
(* B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 15 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; 274,162 refugees and asylum-seekers
Funding: USD 198.6 M required for 2019 operations; USD 38.9 M received as of 6 February 2019
Emergency Humanitarian Response
UNHCR’s distribution of core relief items (CRIs) continues, providing essential items such as blankets and kitchen sets to newly displaced internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others in need. In addition to a number of cash and in-kind distributions across multiple governorates so far this year, throughout early February UNHCR provided CRIs to 820 families in Al Humaydat district (north of Sana’a in Al Jawf Governorate).
UNHCR’s community centres provide psychosocial counselling and identify people in need of specialized services.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-15-february-2019
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(B P)
Brisbane woman fears for sister forced into hiding in Yemen
Her sister and brother-in-law (who SBS News has chosen not to name) are two of 24 followers of the Bahá'í faith facing possible criminal charges in Yemen which carry the death penalty.
The charges were handed down by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in September last year.
The rebels control northern parts of the country and the charges have been denounced by human rights groups as "religiously motivated" and "baseless".
Ms Saifi said her sister has been forced into hiding ever since.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/brisbane-woman-fears-for-sister-forced-into-hiding-in-yemen
(* A P)
Deaths and injuries as citizens respond to al-Houthi militants ' attacks
Hasha district of al-Dali province on Tuesday evening witnessed fierce clashes between residents of the region and militants who have been trying to invade the villages and heights of the district.
A local source told Al-Masdar online that the pace of the clashes escalated on Tuesday evening and centered around the "Al-Tahoon " area and the Houthi militias used all kinds of weapons including heavy weapons that bombed the homes of citizens, their farms and villages far from the areas of the clashes.
According to the source, the clashes resulted in three dead and one wounded in the area
The Houthi militias began attacking the area about two weeks ago in an attempt to break into and control them, and the people still face these attacks with their ordinary weapons.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164506
(A P)
#Houthis are trying to ban a video circulating the Internet of mohamed Al Emad spewing his usual racist Houthi shite by reporting those who share it.
https://twitter.com/amaal_dani/status/1098182356693852166
In the video, Houthi leader Mohammed Al-Emad basically said Yemenis r originally from Israel & descendants of Prophet Mohamed like him are the "indigenous" Yemenis. The Houthi movement is racist to the core claiming both bloodline supremacy & a divine right to rule.
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1098186577879224320
(* B E P)
Raids, abductions and detentions. Al-Houthi campaign to target the banking sector in Sanaa is getting tougher
The banking sector in the capital, Sana'a, is being subjected to raids, arrests, detentions, kidnapping of bank employees and the storming of its headquarters in a campaign that has increased its intensity since the appointment of al-Houthi Mohammed al-Sayani as an unrecognized governor of the central Bank of Yemen.
The Houthis divert full control of the bank and turn it into a Houthi institution that owes them absolute loyalty.
According to economic observers, since the al-Houthi appointment of new officials at the bank's leadership positions, they have launched a campaign of raids and arrests, during which they have sent a number of commercial bank managers and staff in prisons.
According to Al-Masdar online, Yusuf Zabara, the undersecretary of the central bank, was involved in raiding banks and investigating bank employees who were abducted and detained within the national security apparatus.
He was assigned to the central bank of Sana'a to extort money from the banking sector and pressure on commercial banks, to force them to pay periodic royalties and share their profits.
With the help of Zabara, national security forces arrested Abbas Nasser, deputy director of the Bank of Yemen and Bahrain, and other bank directors, arguing that the bank had submitted a request for the importation of basic foodstuffs at the central bank of Aden.
A number of Al-Tadhamon and Kuraimi bank employees have been arrested and are still in prison for the moment.
Sanaa's central bank undersecretary Yusuf Zabara calls on the Tadhamon Bank of Sana'a to sell foreign currency to the merchant loyal to the Houthi Yahya Habbari --is at the same time the father of Yousef Zabara's wife--at a low price in exchange for releasing employees and suspending actions against Tadhamon Bank.
According to workers in the banking sector talked to Al-Masdar online, the bank of Sanaa turned into a tool and a demolition pick by the Militia gangs, which is not a priority to protect the banks or defend their interests.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164465
(A P)
Film: The detainee Ms. Thekra Said talking about her experience in prison
"I left prison and realized that everything had changed", the detainee Ms. Thekra Said talking about her experience in prison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOmB5-kBqYY = https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1097934358944591873
(A P)
Mass wedding of children in Houthis controlled Sana’a
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1098096555373064192
My comment: They are too young for marriage – but marriage without women is somewhat strange, isn’t it?
(A P)
Houthis detain trucks carrying humanitarian aid in Ibb
The Houthi militants for the 13th day are holding a number of trucks loaded with UN humanitarian aid at a port in Ibb city (central Yemen).
An informed source told Al-Masdar online that the Houthis have been holding 28 trucks of the United Nations Children's Organization (UNICEF) since the beginning of February in the eastern port of the city.
The trucks were coming from Aden Governorate, heading for Hodeidah, Sa'dah, Rima, Taiz, Hajjah and Mahwit governorates.
The al-Houthi group imposes large financial levies at the eastern port of Ibb city for more than two years, under the name Customs food and Commodities, while customs are pushing the port of Aden, the interim capital.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164464
and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14598
(* A P)
Al-Houthi prosecution in Sanaa refer 10 kidnapped journalists to trial
The Specialized Criminal Prosecution of the Al-Houthi group in the capital, Sana'a, decided on Tuesday to refer 10 journalists abducted since mid-2015 to trial on charges of "aggression subsidy".
According to a judicial source, the court accused the 10 journalists of "broadcasting false and tendentious news and statements with the intention of weakening the national defense Force, weakening the morale of the people and undermining public security."
According to the prosecution, the journalists "created several websites and pages via websites and social media networks", based on the provisions of article 126, paragraph 2, and article 136 of the Code of offenses and penalties.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164485
and also https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1097886321576677381
(* A B P)
What is the story of the "Asma Al-Omaisi " tried by the Houthis and facing the death penalty?
The specialized appellate criminal court in Sanaa on Monday held its seventh session in the case of "Asma al-Omaisi ", which has been detained by the Houthis since 2016.
The Court of the first instance sentenced the execution of "Asma " to a sentence of "aggression subsidy" according to the verdict and the case moved to appeal.
Lawyer Abdul Majeed Sabra told "Al=Masdar online " that today's session was intended to bring the rest of his client's seizures and bring the defendants with her in the same suit, Saeed Mahfouz al Rowaished, Ahmed Saleh Bawazeer, and Mater Al Omaisi.
Sabra explained that the prosecution did not enforce the court's decisions to bring seizures and other defendants; the court decided to give the prosecution an opportunity to implement its decisions until next Monday.
He added: "The court, the prosecution, has verbally warned that it will decide to release the" names "if the remaining defendants are not present.
A judicial source suggested that the ultimatum would be a prelude to a judicial outlet to rule on the abolition of the death penalty contained in the trial sentence, as the Houthi authorities sought to end the case, which provoked widespread reactions in the human rights community.
The case has been of interest to international and local organizations and human rights activists over the past years, particularly after the death sentence was handed down.
What is the story of "Asma ", why the Houthis arrested her, and what is her charge?
Details of the story in this previously prepared report, Rawia Rajeh, Amnesty International, was published in April 2018.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164441
(* A P)
Tribesmen repel a Houthi night attack in Kasher resulted in deaths on both sides
Tribal militants in Kasher Directorate in the north-west of Hajjah province repelled a violent night attack by Houthi militants on the al-Obaisa area and confrontations lasted more than five hours, using all kinds of weapons.
The attacks on the Al-Obaisa area resulted in the killing of three tribesmen, the wounding of nine others, and the death and injury of some of 15 Houthi militants
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164507
(* A P)
A raging fight in Kasher – Hajjah and the Houthis are making progress east of the Directorate
Fighting between the men of Hajur tribesmen and the militants of the al-Houthi group in the Directorate of Kasher is still raging and the latter have achieved military gains, a field source in the northwestern province of Hajjah said Tuesday.
The source told Al-Masdar online that the Houthis launched intensive attacks on tribal positions in the Directorate from three directions, with heavy artillery support under the desperate defense of tribesmen who are fighting these confrontations with light weapons.
The fighting killed three tribesmen and wounded more than a dozen, killing and injuring scores of Houthis, he said.
On the ground, the source said that the Houthis had extended their full control over the Eastern District of Qaryat, from the direction of Amran Governorate, after they had launched a violent attack from all directions, preceded by a heavy artillery sweep.
All the inhabitants of the area had been displaced from their homes, most of them headed to the mountains and were living in very poor conditions.
The source said that a siege imposed by the Houthis from the northern side of the directorate, with indiscriminate shelling by medium machine guns on civilians and their homes, killing a civilian and injuring a woman, on Monday.
On the one hand, the helicopters of the Arab coalition forces, led by Saudi Arabia, carried out an aerial landing of medicines and food aid to tribesmen, after several attempts to fly in the area due to heavy fog.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164466
and
(* B P)
The recent test of legality and alliance. 13 points shows the importance of this battle
"Kasher " District, inhabited by the Hajur tribes, is of great geographical importance, which prompted the Houthi to try to control it at its first military expansion outside Sa'dah in 2011, but faced considerable resistance that ended in defeating and withdrawing from it.
Kasher is 165 km from the city of Hajjah, bordered to the east by the Directorates "Qaflat Ather " and "Suweer" in Amran, and from the West as the Directorates "Khairan al Maharaq " and "Mastaba ", from the south "Jumaimah" and "Aflah Al-Sham ", and from the north “Washha and Qarah”
The area is around 344 km, its mountains rise above 2500 m and its population exceeds 75,000, according to the last census in 2004.
Here are the most important points that make the battle of Hajur very important.
First: Its geographical and social importance:
Second: The military importance of breaking the siege and the cohesion of the national Army with its tribes:
Third: The risk of delaying of breaking the Siege of Hajur:
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164475
(* A H P)
Due to indiscriminate bombardment, families leave villages of Hajour
Dozens of families have left villages of Hajour district due to the discriminate Houthi bombardment on their houses.
The Houthis have been trying for weeks for taking over the district of Hajour in Hajja governorate, leaving dozens of civilians killed and wounded.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-27828
and
Houthi violent attack on Hajoor tribes in #Yemen's Hajja province triggered massive waves of civilian displacement, forcing hundreds of people ,mostly children and women, to leave their homes to the unknown (photos)
https://twitter.com/Alsakaniali/status/1097521802702659590
(* B P)
A Report Conducted by Security Council Experts Highlights on Houthi Rebels in Yemen for 2018
The Panel of Experts has issued its report for 2018 regarding the latest developments in the Yemeni file as well as obstacles to peace and violations in Yemen.
Bellow are the highlighted pointes mentioned about Houthis:
* Houthis tightened their grip on governmental and nongovernmental institutions, especially during the first months of 2018, reducing the influence of the General People’s Congress’ in Sana’a after forcing plenty of their leaders to subject to them.
* They posed increasing grave threats to maritime transport, possessing and deploying sophisticated weapons, such as cruise missiles against ships, improvised explosive devices transported by sea against merchant ships in the Red Sea, and drones.
* There is a small number of companies, located inside and outside Yemen, acting as sham companies using forged documents to conceal Iranian fuel to the Houthis, where revenues from the sale of that fuel have been proven to be used to fund their so called war effort.
* It appeared that Houthis have consistently put pressure on humanitarian actors, which shows their disrespect for the commitments they had made to facilitate the rapid and unhindered passage of humanitarian relief, disrespecting the international and humanitarian law.
* The Houthis have not complied with the conventions on the protection of humanitarian workers, health care personnel and health care infrastructure, manipulating humanitarian aid lists for beneficiaries , as well as denying visas to humanitarian workers.
* The Houthi family controls the higher levels of political and military power through a circle of trust based on allegiance, indicating that the main individuals are members of the Houthi family or relatives through marriage.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14618
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(A P T)
Film: The victim's mother calls UAE occupation Mercenaries & Militias in the occupied city of #Aden to send the body of her son to be buried in capital Sanaa #Yemen. Because they refuse to send his body, after they have robbed him, killed and maimed him in a heinous crime last week.
https://twitter.com/I4Yemen/status/1098153894356635648
(A P T)
Anti-corruption official, Faisal Dhabyan, was assassinated today in Aden south Yemen, where assassinations, bombings and violence can not stop, Under the Saudi-UAE occupation (photos)
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1098265211662946306
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(* A P)
Progress on Recent Accords in Quest for Peace, Gives Yemen Opportunity to Move Away from ‘Logic of War’, Security Council Hears
Permanent Representative Urges Pressure to Ensure Opposing Houthi Militia Group Implements Stockholm Agreement
Significant progress in implementing recent agreements in Yemen represents an opportunity for that country to move away from the “logic of war” towards one of peace, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today.
[follows, briefing by M. Griffiths (see below) and statements by delegates (bla bla filling the site), including the Yemeni hadi government, labeled “Yemen” here, while the other Yemeni side is missing – already this is showing the bias of the whole event]
https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13705.doc.htm = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/progress-recent-accords-quest-peace-gives-yemen-opportunity-move-away-logic-war
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Moving to hope for peace in Yemen
Humanitarian Aid
“Significant progress” is being made in implementing the peace deal reached in Stockholm last December between Government and Houthi leaders in Yemen, according to United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths.
Briefing the Security Council via video conference on Tuesday from Amman, Jordan, Mr. Griffiths confirmed that under the “strong leadership” of the head of the UN operation monitoring a cease-fire in Yemen’s key port of Hudaydah, Lt. Gen. Michael Anker Lollesgaard, the parties have agreed that the first step of the Hudaydah Redeployment Plan would be from the ports of Saleef and Ras Isa.
Step two will be from Hudaydah port, which remains the humanitarian lifeline for Yemenis on the edge of famine.
“This will facilitate humanitarian access to the Red Sea Mills,” which he explained “holds enough food to feed 3.7 million people for a month.”
He called the Stockholm agreement “a breakthrough,” saying it was “a major shift” that showed the Yemeni people that something was “indeed happening.”
Mr. Griffiths expressed his gratitude to the concessions made by both sides to allow this and called upon them to “immediately” start implementing the arrangement and agree on the details of the second phase of the redeployments.
Noting that Phase I of the Hodeidah redeployment plan signaled the parties’ commitment, he spelled out: “There is momentum on Yemen.”
“There have,” he told the Council, “been signs of increased civilian activity in Hudaydah and the people of the city are already, at this very early, very early stage seeing some tangible benefits from the significant and consistent decrease in hostilities in that area as a result of the Stockholm agreement.”
According to Mr. Griffiths, the agreement on Phase I demonstrates that the parties can to turn their words into tangible progress on the ground while it “reinforces trust” and “most importantly,” shows political will.
By implementing the Hodeidah Agreement, the UN envoy said that we have the opportunity “to move from the promise made in Sweden to hope now for Yemen,” he stated.
There is momentum on Yemen – UN Special Envoy
He indicated that it was time now to focus on finding a political solution “to bring this conflict to a close.”
Turning to the prisoner exchange agreement, he thanked the dedicated Supervisory Committee – including the Yemen Government and the forces affiliated with the Houthi movement, or Ansar Allah – for stepping up efforts to release and exchange all detainees and forcibly disappeared and missing persons.
“All for all…is the watchword for this process” he said, referring to the release of all prisoners from all sides.
Although he’s often called Hudaydah “the center of gravity of the conflict,” he said that in truth, “the real center of gravity for us, has to be moving towards a political solution.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1033101 = http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1902/S00104/moving-to-hope-for-peace-in-yemen.htm
and briefing in full: https://osesgy.unmissions.org/briefing-special-envoy-yemen-un-security-council
and
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Deal to free Hodeidah may open way to aid in Yemen, UN envoy says
A breakthrough agreement on the pullback of forces around the Red Sea port of Hodeidah may open the way for a large increase in the flow of aid into Yemen and prevent the country turning into a “bloody slaughterhouse”, Martin Griffiths, the UN special envoy for Yemen said.
The breakthrough was made at the weekend between military officials from the Yemen government and Houthi fighters controlling the port and city, and the redeployment of forces by the warring parties could start “possibly even today or tomorrow”.
Assessing the broader progress since an outline UN-sponsored agreement was reached between the parties in Stockholm in December, Griffiths said a “bloody slaughterhouse” has been avoided, but he also warned “famine still stalks this land”.
The UN is expected to ask for a further $4bn (£3.1bn) this year to alleviate the suffering of civilians at a conference next week in Geneva.
“Yemen, unlike some other conflicts, is solvable,” Griffiths said after months shuttling between Yemen’s key cities of Sana’a, Aden, Hodeidah and Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia – the single most important external player in the three-year conflict.
Griffiths, speaking from Amman, in Jordan, said the prospect of the civil war remaining unresolved was terrifying.
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
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Iran: Saudi True ’Godfather’ of Takfiri Terrorism
Saudi Arabia is “the true godfather of Takfiri terrorism” in the region and the world, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Says, firing back at former Saudi foreign minister, who had blamed the Islamic Republic for backing terrorism.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said in remarks that the Ministry published on its website on Monday that “as the seedbed of a fundamental ideology, which exports organized terrorism throughout the world, the Saudi government lacks all competence and credibility to level accusations [of backing terrorism] against other countries.”
Earlier, Adel al-Jubeir, now Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs, had called Iran a “chief sponsor of terrorism.”
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5484&cat_id=2
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
Crown Prince Salman’s visit to Pakistan, India: Look at cp12.
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Saudi crown prince says terrorism a common concern with India
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday terrorism was a common concern with India and that his country was ready to share intelligence to tackle it.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, the crown prince said Saudi Arabia was ready for political cooperation with India.
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Saudi prince expects investment worth more than $100 billion in India
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday he expected investment opportunities worth more than $100 billion in India over the next two years as he began his first official visit amid tensions between arch foes India and Pakistan.
In a joint press appearance after talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the crown prince said terrorism was a common concern and Saudi Arabia was ready to share intelligence with India to tackle it.
On trade relations, the crown prince said “we expect the opportunities we are targeting in India in various fields to exceed $100 billion in the coming two years”.
Sectors of interest included energy, infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing, Tirumurti said, adding that Saudi Arabia’s focus was on expanding non-oil trade with India.
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#Saudi detainee Naima AlMatrood, who suffers from #sicklecell anemia, is serving 6yrs for the sole crime of peacefully protesting to demand reform, release of political prisoners. Naima's health has seriously deteriorated, yet Saudi denies her medical care! #SaveNaimaAlMatrood
https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1097993989318471680
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Saudi political detainees go on hunger strike to protest 'inhumane imprisonment'
Saudi prisoners of conscience led by imprisoned prominent human rights activist Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid, have declared a hunger strike to protest their unjust detention for merely calling for reform.
Hamid, who has been in prison since March 2013, said he would go on an open-ended hunger strike to pressure the Saudi regime to release all peaceful pro-democracy activists and human rights defenders detained arbitrarily, in a statement leaked from behind bars and posted Sunday on Twitter by the Prisoners of Conscience, a Saudi rights group.
Hamid is co-founder of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), which is known in Arabic by its acronym HASEM.
Prisoners of Conscience said other detainees, including another HASEM co-founder Mohammad al-Qahtani, will be joining the hunger strike.
(B P)
The Saudi government carries out extrajudicial executions.the Kill individuals in front of their family ( He complains to the king of the king's son Mbs
https://twitter.com/al_sudairi/status/1097674530242351104 referring to film (Arabic) https://twitter.com/BBMKae01CFrBM4k/status/1097362870277492736
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Details Of Al-Jubeir's Mossad Links Exposed
What follows is a summary of an on-the-record interview with Giraldi, a senior FBI agent.
According to his statement, FBI first began monitoring Adel al-Jubeir in 1990 when he became the spokesperson for the Kingdom's embassy in the United States. A few years later, Mossad was suspected of attempts to recruit al-Jubeir. Further inquiries into the case showed that while studying political science and economics at University of North Texas, Adel al-Jubeir was approached by Kay Ann Mathews, a fellow student at the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, in 1981. This later turned into a full-on relationship. Mathews, who had close ties to a well-known Israeli diamond merchants in the US, gradually introduced Adel al-Jubeir to Jewish businessmen and figures. In a friendly FBI questioning in August 1998, she revealed that the first meeting between Adel al-Jubeir and a Mossad agent took place in October of 1995. Entangled in a web of affection for Kay and heavy financial debts to a number of Jewish businessmen in the US, al-Jubeir had no choice but cooperation. On Mossad's order, she began to drift from her relationship with al-Jubeir. Evidence shows that his activities in the US Saudi embassy were fully controlled by the Mossad agent.
Considering the nature of his job, Adel al-Jubeir maintained close ties with US agencies via the Saudi embassy, which turned into a serious concern and suspicion for the FBI.
More information provided by Philip Giraldi on al-Jubeir's climb up the social ladder from the embassy's spokesman to his appointment as Saudi ambassador to the United States and then the minister of foreign affairs will be published in the form of a book after the completion of the investigations.
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/details-of-al-jubeirs-mossad-links-exposed
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
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Ricochet: When a covert operation goes bad
Fifty years ago, the House of Saud for the first and only time stripped a sitting king of his powers and turned them over to another prince. The immediate cause of King Saud’s fall from power was a botched Saudi intelligence plot to assassinate Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser and put in Syria a military junta favoring Riyadh. Once Nasser publicly exposed Saud’s plot, the family backed by the Wahhabi clergy moved quickly to transfer power to Crown Prince Faisal. It was seen in Washington at the time as a major setback for America.
There are obvious comparisons to today. Saud was widely regarded as unfit to rule before Nasser exposed him because of his incompetence and corruption, much as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is today regarded by his many critics. Saud was behind a botched intelligence caper; MBS was the mastermind behind the premeditated murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to Senators briefed on the CIA’s assessment of the Istanbul caper.
The 1958 episode was a crucial and defining moment in Saudi history. Faisal is rightfully regarded as the savior of the kingdom. The situations then and now have many differences, but it is worth studying what happened in 1958 as we ponder the future of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The article below was originally published in the December issue of Studies in Intelligence – by Bruce Riedel
https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/ricochet-when-a-covert-operation-goes-bad/
cp9 USA
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Film, Tulsi Gabbard: Warmongers in their ivory towers.
https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1097653974054912000
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Hiding in Plain Sight – US Military Sales Gone Rogue?
Congress formally created the Foreign Military Salesprogram (FMS), however, like any well-intentioned government program, it morphed into something other than its intended purpose, in this case, an international arms trafficking business.
The US does have legislation to oversee Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) programs; however, it looks like the defense industry is circumventing the intended burdensome regulations, apparently with government consent, by partnering with foreign countries to arm America’s Middle East partners. The defense firms are now licensing US technology through FMS/FMF/DSCS departments to arm many Middle Eastern countries, many with terrorist ties.
For example, military defense contractors, like Lockheed Martin, have partnered with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the state-owned company Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center (AMMROC) to weaponize Black Hawk helicopters and Falcon F-16s (block 60/61), American’s workhorse fighter.
The latter is especially troubling because Lockheed Martin is PARTNERING with UAE to build the most advanced technological F-16s inside the Emirates. Federal law explicitly prohibits the modification of US military weapons and systems transferred under the FMS program. But increasingly, US defense industries are venturing with foreign corporations to manufacture and supply state of the art weaponry under the aegis of national security.
In laymen’s terms, the State Department considers the FMS program in conformity with US law and believes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates will fulfill their contractual requirements to retain procession of allUS military equipment.
So far, the program has flown under the media radar and received little attention over the sales of high-tech weapons to favored Middle East nations. In essence, the State Department along with the Defense Department has overseen a program that essentially allows US businesses to operate with Middle East governments to loosen the congressionally mandated end-user agreements.
The consequences for broadening foreign military sales to questionable state actors are plentiful.
The so-called "partnership" between US corporations and the UAE is highlighted in a Human Rights Watch Report (HRW) written last month accusing the UAE of playing a leading role as Saudi Arabia’s proxy in the war in Yemen. HRW argued that the UAE "conducted scores of unlawful attacks in Yemen." – by Kimberly Dvorak
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Pompeo: The Real Threat To U.S. National Security
But our crimes in that regard pale before the current lies of the present secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, because he, unlike Powell and me at the time, knows that he is lying. Here, for example, is what he said on February 13, at the Sheraton Hotel in Warsaw, speaking on the record to PBS’s Judy Woodruff:
If you want to know who’s caused the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, you need look no further than the Islamic Republic of Iran. Judy, for example, how many dollars has Iran provided for humanitarian assistance in Yemen? I can tell you. Do you know?
Anyone even cursorily keeping up with the most brutal war in the Middle East knows without any doubt who caused and continues to cause the overwhelming majority of the suffering, the starvation, the unprecedented exposure to cholera, and the utter brutality of what’s going on in Yemen. The states that started and have been waging this war since 2015, horribly and brutally, are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In the last year, both kingdoms have spent billions to change that stark reality, but they have failed. Emaciated babies, intentionally destroyed foodstocks, just-as-intentionally contaminated water sources, dead children in school buses, food assistance halted at the sea line while people starve, it all cannot be hidden by even the very best Saudi-hired U.S. propaganda firms. The truth is so enormous that even their expertise, oiled by Saudi billions, cannot completely hide it.
Iran, on the other hand, simply responded to a target of opportunity. When the Saudi-led war commenced, Iran saw a relatively inexpensive chance to get involved more deeply in yet another catastrophic strategic failure of its archenemy across the Persian Gulf, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and its brutal ruler, Mohammad bin Salman. So, with very limited and low-cost support, Iran began backing the Houthi rebel group against whom the Saudis and the UAE were waging war—and losing, a clear fact that the Pentagon seems utterly oblivious to.
Because ignominiously, the United States supports the Saudi/UAE coalition. So pernicious is that support that recent revelations have included photographs of U.S.-made weapons, furnished to the Saudis, now in the hands of al Qaeda fighters. Pompeo’s remarks were made to justify that U.S. support. Like the lies rendered on February 5, 2003 with regard to Iraq, they just might pave the path—indeed are intended to pave the path—to yet another war in that region, this one with Iran.
But this wasn’t the end of Pompeo’s strategic nonsense.
Pompeo is, to be sure, a yes-man par excellence, and much of the censure should be heaped on his boss, Donald Trump. But Pompeo’s dramatic incompetence as the number-one U.S. diplomat is killing this country, session by session, moment by moment, inept word by inept word.
That abject incompetence is also murdering U.S. alliances, alienating U.S. friends, and giving aid and comfort to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping—so much so that Pompeo himself might just constitute the greatest threat to U.S. security – by Lawrence Wilkerson
https://lobelog.com/pompeo-the-real-threat-to-u-s-national-security/
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House investigates 'White House plan' to share nuclear technology with Saudis
Top Trump officials pushed plan to share technology despite objections, according to House oversight committee report
Top White House officials pushed a plan to share nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia, despite objections from career national security staff, according to a new congressional report.
The report from the House oversight committee said that whistleblowers within the Trump administration have come forward to warn about the proposed nuclear power deal, which could violate the law.
The Democratic-controlled committee has launched an investigation into the whistleblowers’ claims, its chairman, Maryland representative Elijah Cummings, said Tuesday.
Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn was a key backer of the plan for a consortium of US companies to build dozens of nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia, according to the report’s account.
My comment: Compare this to Trump’s policy on Iran’s nuclear program. This is absolutely insane.
And
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Grave Concerns with White House Efforts to Transfer Sensitive U.S. Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia
Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued an interim staff report after multiple whistleblowers came forward to warn about efforts inside the White House to rush the transfer of highly sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of the Atomic Energy Act and without review by Congress as required by law—efforts that may be ongoing to this day. The report states:
“The whistleblowers who came forward have expressed significant concerns about the potential procedural and legal violations connected with rushing through a plan to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. They have warned of conflicts of interest among top White House advisers that could implicate federal criminal statutes. They have also warned about a working environment inside the White House marked by chaos, dysfunction, and backbiting. And they have warned about political appointees ignoring directives from top ethics advisors at the White House who repeatedly and unsuccessfully ordered senior Trump Administration officials to halt their efforts.”
The report warns that that White House efforts to transfer sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia may be accelerating after meetings last week at the White House and ahead of a planned visit to Saudi Arabia by the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner:
“The Committee’s investigation is particularly critical because the Administration’s efforts to transfer sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia appear to be ongoing. On February 12, 2019, the President met with nuclear power developers at the White House about sharing nuclear technology with countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia. In addition, next week Mr. Kushner will be embarking on a tour of Middle Eastern capitals—including Riyadh—to discuss the economic portion of the Administration’s Middle East peace plan.”
The report indicates that there is now serious, bipartisan concern with the Trump Administration’s efforts to transfer sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia.
The report describes new documents and communications between White House officials.
Click here to read the interim staff report.
Click here to read the documents released with the report.
Click here to read the letter to the White House.
and
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Trump Officials Tried To Rush Nuclear Technology To Saudis, House Panel Finds
The Trump administration sought to rush the transfer of American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of the law, a new report from the House Oversight and Reform Committee alleges.
Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings' staff issued an "interim staff" report Tuesday, citing "multiple whistleblowers" who raised ethical and legal concerns about the process.
"They have warned about political appointees ignoring directives from top ethics advisers at the White House who repeatedly and unsuccessfully ordered senior Trump administration officials to halt their efforts," the report states. "They have also warned of conflicts of interest among top White House advisers that could implicate federal criminal statutes."
The committee's report alleges that the major drivers behind the effort to transfer U.S. nuclear technology were retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who served as the president's national security adviser, and Thomas Barrack, who chaired Trump's inauguration committee. Flynn was fired in February 2017 for lying about conversations with the Russian ambassador to Vice President Pence and the FBI.
For about seven months in 2016, including during the presidential transition, Flynn served as an adviser to IP3 International, a private company seeking to build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia.
The whistleblowers told the committee that Flynn continued to advocate for IP3's plan even after he joined the White House as the president's national security adviser in 2017.
and also https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/19/michael-flynn-saudi-arabia-1174531
https://apnews.com/ec3299d4d08e4e80a5f544c0f1de40c7
and
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Iran calls U.S. sale of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia a hypocrisy
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States’ sale of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia was hypocritical of Washington.
“First a dismembered journalist; now illicit sale of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia fully expose #USHypocrisy,” Zarif said in a tweet.
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U.S. Mission to the United Nations: Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Yemen
Mr. President, on February 13, the United States joined the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in welcoming the adoption of Resolutions 2451 and 2452, and we reiterated our commitment to a comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Yemen.
The Yemeni people must know — and the parties to the conflict must understand — that the United States remains focused, as does this Council as a whole, on achieving a comprehensive, credible, and durable political solution to the war. Such a solution will require compromise on all sides, so that we can start the long process of recovering from this humanitarian catastrophe.
Looking forward, the United States will work with the UN and members of the Security Council to ensure that all UN efforts in Yemen, both political and humanitarian, are successful.
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8931
Comment by Judith Brown: Again the US does not acknowledge the main cause of the yemen catastrophe - the involvement of the Saudi led coalition in aerial bombardment including food supplies farms warehouses fishermen markets and distribution routes and means plus the use of Western weapons and assistance to Saudi Arabia in closing down the Yemeni economy and imposing a blockade. Red Sea Mills is one tiny part of the jigsaw though important enough
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157381903953641
My comment to comment: “the main cause of the yemen catastrophe - the involvement of the Saudi led coalition in aerial bombardment”, must be added: “and the full US support for this involvement”.
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Film: United States' Decision On Yemen
What will be the Senate’s decision on Yemen? Cenk Uygur and Hassan El-Tayyab, hosts of The Young Turks, break it down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISvR-PrM-xc
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Democrats Cave on War Powers and Yemen
Last Wednesday, the Democrat-controlled House of Representative passed a war powers resolution introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to end U.S. involvement in Yemen’s bloody civil war
The original Khanna/Sanders resolution took specific aim at ending U.S. intelligence, refueling, and logistical support operations conducted with the Saudi-led coalition
The amendment, introduced by Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), added language to Khanna’s legislation enshrining President Trump’s authority to continue intelligence sharing operations with allies he deems appropriate with no check from Congress.
Speaking on the House floor, Buck said the purpose of his amendment was to limit civilian casualties. “I want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to avoid the humanitarian crisis there,” he said, “at the same time we recognize the geopolitical significance of our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”
But the new language only serves to undermine the purpose of the original resolution.
Despite their advantage—large enough to force through any legislative item without bipartisan support—House Democrats couldn’t even pass the same war powers resolution the GOP-controlled Senate passed in December without first watering it down. Ironic.
A war powers resolution passed by the House and Senate demanding an end to U.S. involvement in Yemen’s civil war has the power to not only send a message to the world about America’s commitment to its values, but also to put immense pressure on Saudi Arabia and the other coalition states to find a meaningful resolution to the violence. For now, however, such legislation doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/02/democrats-cave-on-war-powers-and-yemen.html
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Congress closer to forcing Trump’s hand on Saudi support
Supporters of a measure to cut off U.S. support to Saudi Arabia in Yemen are projecting victory in the coming weeks when the Senate takes up a House-passed resolution.
The Trump administration is expected to ramp up its lobbying against the Yemen war powers resolution as the vote nears in hopes of flipping some of the Republicans who back the measure.
But opponents have few tools at their disposal to stop the resolution, which only needs a simple majority for a procedural vote and subsequent final passage.
Backers say they now have added momentum as the administration’s missteps in handling the Jamal Khashoggi killing have only increased ire at Saudi Arabia.
“I think we’re going to win,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said.
He declined to say whether he expects any Republicans who supported the measure in December to switch their vote.
Sanders said he expects to force a vote on the resolution later this month or in early March, while co-sponsor Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said he expects the vote shortly after lawmakers return from their weeklong Presidents Day recess.
“There’s not a lot of reason to wait,” Murphy said.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/430285-congress-closer-to-forcing-trumps-hand-on-saudi-support
and also https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/saudi-support-cut-yemen/2019/02/18/id/903239/
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Film [Congress debate on the Yemen war bill]: Tulsi Gabbard "Saudi Arabia Is NOT Our Ally! Saudi Arabia Is Giving US Weapons To Al Qaeda!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra7fIdKc0Aw
(B P)
3 Michigan men wired $88M overseas. They swear it was for family
Detroit attorney Nabih Ayad is representing Omar Alhalmi, 38, who is charged with funneling $22.3 million to Yemen and other countries by creating phony businesses whose only purpose was to move cash overseas. The government said Alhalmi never disclosed where the money came from or where it was going, and created numerous bank accounts just to access the banking industry's wiring service.
But Ayad said there was nothing illicit about where the money came from or where it was going. Rather, he said, Alhalmi and others collected money from people in the Yemeni community who wanted to send cash to loved ones back home. Users were charged a fee to have their money wired back to Yemen where, he said, civil war has placed the whole country in disarray.
"Not everyone has a bank account in the old country," Ayad said. "You're talking about a large Yemeni community (in metro Detroit). That's how they get money back home."
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
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Brexit Britain: Financially destitute and morally bankrupt
Britain's shaky record as a global human rights defender will be fatally undermined if and when Brexit goes ahead as it rushes into deals with Middle East regimes.
I know what you're thinking. Britain - the nation that spent a couple of centuries adventuring around the world, stealing land and resources at the barrel of a gun, killing untold numbers of indigenous people in the name of empire - is now worried about human rights?
But the truth is that the United Kingdom has long cultivated a binary, oxymoronic (and at times, just moronic) global endowment, spearheading the development of a legal framework guaranteeing freedoms while institutionalising a worldwide system of oppression and ridiculous sports.
Britain is at the mercy of anyone with a chequebook.
The audaciously inept prime minister, Theresa May, has already begun offering up Britain's begging bowl, forlornly trying to secure trade deals to compensate for the UK's departure from the world's largest trading bloc.
And so, Britain is looking where the money is. With no reason to trust the stability of the Trump administration with its fondness for trade wars declared over Twitter, London is looking towards the resource-rich Gulf nations of the Middle East.
In December 2016, May went cap-in-hand to the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, held in Bahrain. As the first female national leader ever to address the six-nation bloc, did she fight hard for women’s rights? Did she at least making some passing reference to the treatment of women in the Gulf? Of course she didn’t.
She did discuss furthering deals to sell advanced weaponry, however. Weapons to be used either in Yemen, which was already the poorest Middle East nation before it was bombed into devastation, or on Gulf nations’ own domestic dissidents.
Silence equals complicity
And, desperate for post-Brexit Gulf investment, Britain has also agreed to provide military experts to help Gulf nations, notably Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, strengthen their security structures.
And in what Downing Street would no doubt would say is a total coincidence, these countries’ repression of political activists and journalists has seen a marked uptick in the past couple of years.
But, of course, the British government keeps shtum, with an annual £17.5bn ($23bn) of UK-UAE trade at risk (an increase of 12 percent in 2017 alone). In 2018, the UAE pledged an investment target of £25 billion ($32bn) in UK business by 2020.
And so Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s inhumane abuses continue in Yemen with no whisper of protest from London.
Moral bankruptcy
Riyadh’s on-off-on-again-off-again IPO of Saudi Aramco is, of course, the crown jewel of the global cash-for-silence industry. If it ever happens, it’ll probably be the biggest deal in history, and the most lucrative ever for the lawyers who broker it.
Selling off just five percent of the Saudi state-owned oil company could raise huge amounts, with the Saudis valuing the company at more than $2 trillion. Trillion. With a ’t’. Financial capitals around the world are competing to be the market in which it happens, with governments shamelessly sucking up to Riyadh as a result.
Brexit Britain has shown it is not just financially destitute, but morally bankrupt – by James Brownsell
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/brexit-britain-financially-destitute-and-morally-bankrupt-0
(* B P)
Despite the slaughter in Yemen, Britain is still chasing arms sales
Defence contractors are in Abu Dhabi this week for the Middle East’s biggest arms fair – supported to the hilt by UK ministers
It’s a decadent and distasteful celebration of militarism and weaponry. Missiles, rifles, tanks, helicopters and warships are on display for anyone that can afford them. More than 100,000 people will attend this week, including representatives from all of the world’s biggest arms companies and military delegates from 57 nations. Among those looking to do business is the UK government, which has sent a team of civil servants to support UK arms company reps in doing as much business as possible. Particularly with the uncertainty of Brexit on the horizon, they will pull out all stops to cement sales.
There is no way of knowing what kind of deals will be discussed, or the kind of weaponry that might be sold as a result. We don’t know how these weapons will be used, or who they will be used against. But the results could be devastating. There is no shortage of UK arms in the Middle East. With rising military budgets, it is an important region for the arms trade. In 2017 it accounted for more than two-thirds of all UK arms sales.
The impact of UK arms sales is most strongly felt in Yemen
Weapons sales can never be apolitical.
None of this is by accident. The Department for International Trade employs more than 150 civil servants and military personnel for the sole purpose of promoting arms sales. This week several of them are in Abu Dhabi for Idex, but next week they could be anywhere, desperately chasing ever-more lucrative deals – by Andrew Smith, Campaign Against Arms Trade
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Britischer Parlamentsbericht: Waffenlieferungen an Saudi-Arabien gesetzeswidrig
Ein Bericht aus dem House of Lords, dem Oberhaus des britischen Parlaments in London, kam zu einem vernichtenden Ergebnis für die Regierung von Theresa May. Durch die Waffenlieferungen an Saudi-Arabien befinde sich London auf der “falschen Seite des Gesetzes” im Jemenkrieg.
Bisher konnte die britische Regierung trotz aller Proteste von Menschenrechtlern und NGOs ungehindert Waffen an Saudi-Arabien verkaufen, die schließlich im Jemen größtenteils gegen die Zivilbevölkerung eingesetzt werden. Doch nun veröffentlichte das Parlament des Vereinigten Königreichs einen Bericht, der einen Stopp der Waffenlieferungen an das wahhabitische Königreich als “eine dringende Angelegenheit” bezeichnet.
Die Situation im Jemen wäre “unzumutbar” und die Regierung in London befände sich durch die eigene Politik “knapp” auf der falschen Seite der Geschichte. Damit nahm Lord Howell, der Vorsitzende des außenpolitischen Komitees, Stellung zu der Behauptung der Regierung von Theresa May, dass sich Großbritannien “knapp auf der richtigen Seite des internationalen Menschenrechts im Falle der Lizenzierung von Waffenexporten an die saudisch angeführte Koalition” im Jemen befinde.
Eine weitere Erkenntnis aus diesem Bericht des House of Lords dürfte insbesondere die Regierungen in Washington und Riad erzürnen. Das Weiße Haus behauptete stets, dass die Huthi-Rebellen einen Stellvertreterkrieg für den Iran führen, weshalb man ihnen jegliche Legitimität am politischen Prozess in Jemen absprach. Doch Alistair Burt, Staatssekretär für den Mittleren Osten im Außenministerium, zeichnete bei seiner Aussage für den Parlamentsbericht ein ganz anderes Bild…
https://deutsch.rt.com/international/84478-britischer-parlamentsbericht-waffenlieferungen-an-saudi/
Remark: Reporting in English: Yemen War Mosaic 514.
(* A P)
Manchester United: Saudi Arabia prince Mohammed Bin Salman denies takeover bid
Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's media minister has denied reports linking him with a £3.8bn takeover of Manchester United.
Rumours of his interest resurfaced over the weekend, although reports suggest the Glazers are not looking to sell.
United's American owners bought the club for £790m in May 2005.
"Reports claiming that HRH the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman intends on buying Manchester United are completely false," said Turki al-Shabanah.
"Manchester United held a meeting with PIF [Public Investment Fund] Saudi to discuss a sponsorship opportunity. No deal has materialised."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47276467
(A K P)
Ties with Saudi Arabia give UK leeway to push for peace in Yemen: Hunt
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday defended Britain’s close ties with Saudi Arabia, saying they give Britain leeway in trying to solve the war in Yemen.
Speaking during a visit to Berlin, Hunt said the “strategic relationship that the UK has with Saudi Arabia is what allows us to have a huge influence in bringing about peace in Yemen.”
He added: “Britain and Germany have the same objectives, but we need to be able to continue that strategic relationship in order to make sure that there is a European voice at the table doing everything we can to press for peace.”
My comment: This is ridiculous.
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German halt in Saudi arms sales hurting UK industry: Hunt
Britain has urged Germany to exempt big defense projects from its efforts to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia or face damage to its commercial credibility, the German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Tuesday.
Germany said last November it would reject future arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It has not formally banned previously approved deals but has urged industry to refrain from such shipments for now.
“I am very concerned about the impact of the German government’s decision on the British and European defense industry and the consequences for Europe’s ability to fulfil its NATO commitments,” British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt wrote in a letter to his German counterpart Heiko Maas, Spiegel reported.
Hunt said British defense firms would not be able to fulfil several contracts with Saudi Arabia such as the Eurofighter model called Typhoon or the Tornado fighter jet, both of which are made with parts affected by the stop in deliveries to Saudi.
“It’s essential that you immediately exempt large defense projects like the Eurofighter and Tornado from the weapons embargo,” Hunt wrote, according to the magazine.
Not doing so will jeopardize Germany’s credibility as a partner, he was quoted as saying.
My comment: This letter is Hunt’s hypocrisy in a nutshell: He decepts the public playing the role of a peace broker in the Yemen War, while he tries to secure further arms sales to Saudi Arabia (here, in this case, it’s fighter jets!!!), just this shows that:
(* B K P)
When it comes to Middle East policy, the UK is nothing but a rogue state
Giving the UK a seat on the UN Security Council is like employing a gangster to serve as a judge
Last year, Attorney General Jeremy Wright said the UK was “a world leader in promoting, defending and shaping international law”.
Yet the reality is different: Britain has been promoting at least seven foreign policies that can be strongly argued to be violating international law, and which make a mockery of its current demonisation of Russia.
Israeli goods and Gaza blockade
Wars in Yemen, Syria, Iraq
The war in Yemen is a further example. Ministers have consistently told Parliament that Britain is “not a party” to the conflict – presumably since this would formally implicate Britain in the violations of humanitarian law of which Saudi Arabia is accused.
London’s claim is nonsense: It is arming, advising and training the Saudis and maintaining their aircraft bombing Yemen, many of which have targeted civilians, as the British government has long known.
UN Security Council Resolution 2286 of 2016 also calls on all states to “end impunity and to ensure those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law are held to account”. Yet Britain is doing the opposite – it ensures the Saudis remain unaccountable by allowing them to conduct their own investigations into alleged war crimes.
A fourth policy concerns the RAF’s secret drone war, which involves a fleet of “Reaper” drones operating since 2007 to strike targets in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The UK/US spy base at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire also facilitates US drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia.
The targeted killing of terrorists (and the use of force generally) is only lawful in self–defence or following UN authorisation, and thus the drone programme is widely regarded as illegal.
Ministers remain unaccountable
There is a good reason why the UK never admits to undertaking covert action. As the same House of Commons briefing notes, “assistance to opposition forces is illegal”.
A precedent was set in the Nicaragua case in the 1980s, when US-backed covert forces tried to overthrow the Sandinista government. The International Court of Justice held that a third state may not forcibly help the opposition to overthrow a government because it would breach the principle of non-intervention and prohibition on the use of force.
This means that Britain has been acting illegally in its years-long covert operation in Syria, and anywhere else it deploys covert forces without agreement from the host state.
Face facts: UK is a rogue state
Finally, there is the 2011 war in Libya, for which British ministers remain unaccountable. While Tony Blair is widely accused of acting illegally in invading Iraq, UK Prime Minister David Cameron often escapes condemnation for the UK/NATO military intervention that overthrew the Gaddafi regime.
This list of wayward policies is by no means exhaustive. The UK does not deserve its place on the UN Security Council when it is a consistent violator of the principles it is meant to uphold: It is like having a gangster as a judge.
To call Britain a rogue state is not to take an ideological position so much as to describe a basic fact in current international affairs – by Mark Curtis
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/when-it-comes-middle-east-policy-uk-nothing-rogue-state
(B P)
What connects Brexit, the DUP, dark money and a Saudi prince?
The story of a massive donation to the DUP is like a John le Carré novel – but voters need facts, not fiction
To recap briefly: two days before the Brexit referendum last June, the Metro freesheet in London and other British cities came wrapped in a four-page glossy propaganda supplement urging readers to vote Leave. Bizarrely, it was paid for by the DUP, even though Metro does not circulate in Northern Ireland. At the time, the DUP refused to say what the ads cost or where the money came from.
What they found is that Richard Cook has a history of involvement with a very senior and powerful member of the Saudi royal family, who also happens to have been a former director of the Saudi intelligence agency. In April 2013, Cook jointly founded a company called Five Star Investments with Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz al Saud.
Prince Nawwaf, who died in 2015, was no casual investor.
Remark: A very intriguing story of Saudi money ending up being used by the DUP as part of a Brexit campaign, channelled via an obscure Scottish company with links to a Conservative party activist. Intriguing and almost certainly illegal.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157379225693641
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(* A K P)
Maas erteilt Briten Absage bei Rüstungsexport nach Saudi-Arabien
Die Bundesregierung lehnt die Forderung Großbritanniens nach einer teilweisen Wiederaufnahme der Rüstungsexporte für Saudi-Arabien ab.
“Die Haltung der Bundesregierung ist die, dass wir derzeit keine Waffen nach Saudi-Arabien liefern, und die zukünftigen Entscheidungen davon abhängig machen werden, wie die Entwicklung im Jemen-Konflikt ist”, sagte Außenminister Heiko Maas nach einem Treffen mit seinem britischen Kollegen Jeremy Hunt am Mittwoch in Berlin. Der in Stockholm vereinbarte Friedensprozess müsse umgesetzt werden.
https://de.reuters.com/article/deutschland-saudiarabien-r-stung-idDEKCN1Q91LK
(* A K P)
Germany: Decisions on arms exports to Saudi will depend on Yemen conflict
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday that future decisions on whether to deliver arms to Saudi Arabia will develop on how the conflict develops in Yemen.
“The German government’s position is that we are not delivering any weapons to Saudi Arabia at the moment and we will make future decisions depend on how the Yemen conflict develops and whether what has been agreed in the peace talks in Stockholm is being implemented,” Maas told a news conference.
Germany said last November it would reject future arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It has not formally banned previously approved deals but has urged industry to refrain from such shipments for now.
(* A P)
Nein zu Krieg und Atomarer Aufrüstung
Rede bei den Protesten gegen die Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz 2019
Lieber Friedensfreundinnen, liebe Friedensfreunde!
Kennt ihr das? Da stellt jemand etwas fest, das klingt absolut richtig und dann zieht die Person die völlig falsche Schlussfolgerung. Ursula von der Leyen sagte gestern: „Wir wissen dass wir mehr tun müssen.“ Und ja, natürlich stimmt das.
Im Jemen leben und sterben Millionen von Menschen in erbärmlichen Umständen. Dieses Sterben und Hungern muss gestoppt werden.
Und ja, wer die Bundeswehr in die ganze Welt schickt, sollte dringend nachsehen, was sie dort überhaupt tut.
Lasst mich abschließend zur größten Katastrophe kommen, die dennoch keinerlei relevante Rolle spielt, bei den Kriegstreibern im Bayrischen Hof: dem Krieg und dem Sterben im Jemen. Dies ist auch deswegen möglich, weil mit deutschen Waffen bombardiert und geschossen wird. Deutsche Schiffe tragen dazu bei, dass die Hungerblockade aufrechterhalten werden kann. Gebt euch nicht damit zufrieden, dass es momentan eine Waffenruhe rund um die Hafenstadt Hudaida gibt, denn gleichzeitig wird durch die von Saudi-Arabien angeführte Koalition intensiver bombardiert als in den letzten vier Jahren. Die Mitverantwortlichen für diesen Krieg, für das Sterben und Töten sitzen im Bayrischen Hof. Bitte stoppt diesen Wahnsinn sofort.
Wir haben eine Bundesregierung die sagt, wir können ja nichts machen, das sind Tochterfirmen die hier exportieren. Dass sie dabei nicht rot werden, wundert mich wirklich, denn sie wissen, dass sie das mit einfachen Gesetzesänderungen in den Griff bekommen könnten. Sie könnten dafür sorgen, dass der Export von Rüstungs-Know-How und der Export von ganzen Fabriken in Krisengebiete unter Strafe gestellt wird – aber sie wollen es nicht. Sie wollen diese Exporte, damit im Zuge dessen die Waffenproduktion für EU und NATO rentabler wird.
Wir sind hier, weil wir diesen Irrweg nicht mehr mitmachen wollen. Wir fordern einen umfassenden Stopp sämtlicher Waffenexporte.
Wir fordern den sofortigen und bedingungslosen Waffenstillstand im Jemen. All diejenigen die man dafür brauchen würde, sind gerade im Bayrischen Hof versammelt.
Eins ist klar: wir brauchen eure Waffen nicht. Wir wollen eure Aufrüstung nicht und genauso wenig wollen wir eure NATO – von Claudia Haydt
https://www.imi-online.de/2019/02/19/nein-zu-krieg-und-atomarer-aufruestung/
(* A P)
Deutsch-französische Absprache: Gelockerte Regeln für Rüstungsexporte?
Die Bundesregierung hat sich mit Frankreich auf erste Grundsätze für den Export gemeinsam produzierter Rüstungsgüter verständigt. Damit würden wohl die strengen deutschen Richtlinien gelockert. In der Koalition droht Streit.
Die Bundesregierung will bei künftigen gemeinsamen Rüstungsprojekten mit Frankreich die Richtlinien für den Export lockern. “Das erfordert auch von uns Kompromisse”, sagte Regierungssprecher Steffen Seibert.
Konzerne wie Airbus und Rheinmetall hatten gefordert, dass Deutschland seine restriktivere nationale Politik an die der EU-Partner wie Frankreich oder Großbritannien anpassen müsse.
In der Großen Koalition droht damit der nächste Streit.
https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/ruestung-exportrichtlinien-101.html
Anmerkung Marco Wenzel:Eine restriktive Politik Deutschlands in Sachen Rüstungsexporte wird hier beklagt. Man bemerke wieder die subtile Meinungsmache hinter dem Wort restriktiv. Restriktiv heißt „einengend“ und das ist meist ja etwas Negatives. Aber was wird hier eingeengt? Eingeengt wird hier die Freiheit, jedem Diktator und jedem selbstdeklarierten Freiheitskämpfer soviel Mordwerkzeuge zu verkaufen, wie er bezahlen kann.
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=49457#h08
und
(A P)
Rüstungsexporte stoppen statt europäisieren
Die Bundesregierung ist vollkommen unverantwortlich, wenn sie bestehende Beschränkungen bei Rüstungsexporten durch eine engere Kooperation mit Frankreich unterläuft. Es ist einfach beschämend, wie sich die Bundesregierung zum willigen Erfüllungsgehilfen der Waffenlobby macht.
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
"La France tue au Yémen" : un député provoque un incident de séance à l'Assemblée
Sébastien Nadot, ex-député LREM, a provoqué un incident de séance à l'Assemblée nationale mardi en brandissant une banderole "La France tue au Yémen".
(* B P)
Da antimilitaristi a guerrafondai: il M5s ora plaude all’export di armi italiane ai sauditi
Giugno 2017, pochi mesi prima delle ultime elezioni politiche. Il Movimento 5 stelle dichiarava: «Da anni denunciamo l’esportazione illegale di armi alla coalizione saudita impegnata nella guerra civile in Yemen. Il Ministro Pinotti (allora titolare della Difesa, ndr) deve rispondere!». Alle (giuste) richieste di allora del Movimento nessuno rispondeva, tanto che pochi mesi dopo, a settembre, la mozione presentata alla Camera dei Deputati da ben 12 parlamentari M5s (prima firmataria Emanuela Corda) che chiedeva l’embargo di armi verso l’Arabia Saudita, venne bocciata dall’allora Parlamento a maggioranza Pd. Cos’è cambiato da allora? Nulla, se non il fatto che il Movimento dall’opposizione è emigrato in maggioranza. Avrebbe i mezzi per frenare questo massacro. E invece, di fatto, non muove un dito.
(* A P)
Omani FM: Our disagreement with the UAE is about war on Yemen
Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf Bin Alawi has said that the main difference between his country and the United Arab Emirates was their position on the continuation of the war in Yemen.
“It is the right of any country to have ambitions, but it should be governed,” Ben Alawi said in an interview with Russia today, referring to the UAE’s efforts to expand its influence within Yemen.
Bin Alawi attributed the crisis to “intellectual and tribal differences and not material disagreement,” stressing that the solution is in the hands of the Gulf factions only.
“The statement issued by the Warsaw Conference does not reflect the real positions of the countries participating in the meeting,” bin Alawi said.
http://en.ypagency.net/89328/?fbclid=IwAR09xCFbyfUSa5RdzT-fBv98fTAnYlIBSOsdasMOBmwt6m5xA6Kuur2H0I0
(A P)
Saudi crown prince visits India on 2nd leg of controversial Asia tour
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is in India on the second leg of his Asia tour amid protests against the visit over Riyadh’s bloodshed in Yemen as well as the brutal assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The royal’s aircraft touched down in New Delhi on Tuesday. Simultaneously, hundreds took to the streets in India-controlled Kashmir to show their anger at the visit.
In remarks following his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, Bin Salman made no mention either of the scandal surrounding the journalist's muder or the prolonged bloodshed in the Yemen war. Rather, he cited “terrorism and extremism” as the “common concern” of Riyadh and New Delhi.
“I want to state that we are ready to cooperate with India, including through intelligence sharing,” he added.
The crown prince also signed joint accords with Modi in the fields of industry, infrastructure, housing, tourism and culture
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/02/20/589060/Saudi-Arabia-India-bin-Salman-protests
(A P)
India's Modi breaks protocol to welcome Saudi's crown prince
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke with government protocol to personally welcome Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to New Delhi on Tuesday.
“A new chapter in bilateral relations,” Raveesh Kumar, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, posted on Twitter, hailing Modi “breaking protocol” with a photograph of the pair warmly clasping hands by the steps of the prince’s plane.
Modi is due to hold talks on Wednesday with the crown prince, who has already visited Pakistan, where he also received a lavish reception.
(B P)
India’s misplaced euphoria on Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to New Delhi
There are reasons which suggest that India’s euphoria over Salman’s visit may be entirely misplaced. Prime Minister Modi visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2016 to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States when the relation between Pakistan and these countries were visibly strained. All Modi could get was some civil award and false hopes. There is no doubt that India has effectively used Pakistan’s Muslim neighbors to cause instability by establishing strong relations with Iran and Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been anti-Pakistan since 1947 till today except during the Taliban rule. Iran is trade and defense partner of India and there is a string of consulates opened by India in Iran and Afghanistan along Pakistan border to support subversive activities being perpetrated inside Pakistan. Saudi Arabia, though not a neighbor, has always been supporter of Pakistan in more than one ways except some tension because of Pakistan’s reluctance to join Saudi forces in war in Yemen.
(A P)
Film: Appeal of Pakistan’s prime minister to Saudi crown prince
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=559284171214228
(A P)
Yemeni Nobel Laureate Amazed by Iran FM’s Behaviour
A Yemeni Nobel peace prize winner says she was fascinated by the friendly behaviour of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after she criticized the country for its role in their encounter, noting that it shows a big difference in thinking between Iranians and Saudis.
https://ifpnews.com/exclusive/yemeni-nobel-laureate-amazed-by-iran-fms-behaviour/
(A P)
Lavrov: Russia and Oman seek to bring Yemenis to the table
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Russia and Oman are discussing the bringing of the Yemeni fighting parties to the negotiation table.
In a meeting with his Omani counterpart in Moscow, Lavrov affirmed on Monday that Russia and Oman support dialogue between the Yemeni fighting parties, calling for ending the violence and engaging in dialogue.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-27826
and
(A P)
Russian Foreign Ministry Urges Peace in Yemen Under UN Auspices
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, stressed that Russia urges the parties of the conflict in Yemen to start a dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations with the need to stop the violence. "Russia, like the Sultanate of Oman, has called for a political and diplomatic solution from the beginning of the Yemeni conflict through a comprehensive dialogue for all Yemeni forces," Lavrov said after talks with his Omani counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi in Moscow on Saturday.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5493&cat_id=3
(B P)
Korea Under Fire for Giving Job Training to Yemeni Rebels
The embattled government of war-torn Yemen has lodged a complaint with the Korean Foreign Ministry accusing state-run Export Import Bank of Korea of supporting Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Yemen was complaining about the bank resuming a job-training program in regions controlled by the Houthi rebels. The program was part of projects supported by the ministry in the form of overseas aid.
The Foreign Ministry was caught off guard by the complaint.
Still, resuming the program could be viewed as aiding the rebels while the international effort has been to remain neutral in the civil war itself.
The company also invited Yemeni officials from Sana'a to Korea from Nov. 24 to Dec. 10 for job training here.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2019/02/19/2019021901354.html
My comment: Job training is blamed to be support for a warring party??? That’s really absurd. – Oh, it’s the Houthis. Then, this is Western logic. For Western logic, arming the Saudis is staying neutral.
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp9, cp10, cp11, cp12
(* B K P)
Germany’s ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi’s killing is having a bigger impact than expected
Ripple effects of last year’s decision are becoming increasingly apparent
None of those countries subsequently decided to join the Germans, but almost six months later, the fallout is now being felt in some of those places, too. Concerns in Britain and France are mounting that the German ban could have a severe impact on arms equipment exports to Saudi Arabia from other European nations. Representatives of BAE Systems, Britain’s key weapons company, have acknowledged concerns about their future access to crucial parts of Eurofighter Typhoon planes, which are partly produced in Germany. The exports ban has also affected air-to-air missiles for those jets, produced by a joint venture that is partly owned by European aerospace company Airbus, of which Germany is a shareholder.
When the Merkel government banned sales to the kingdom last year, it not only barred fully assembled products such as ships, but also high-tech components used by companies across Europe. Germany may have recently reduced its overall arms exports, but it remains a European hub for such high-tech components.
The supply chain disruptions triggered a scathing response from Airbus chief executive Thomas Enders, who told Reuters last week: “It has been driving us crazy at Airbus for years that when there is even just a tiny German part involved in, for example, helicopters, the German side gives itself the right to, for example, block the sale of a French helicopter."
To human rights critics, that’s exactly the point, however, as there isn’t an easy way out for the Saudis.
(* B K P)
Australian next-generation weapons system bound for war crime-accused Saudi Arabia
The Australian Government is providing tens of millions of dollars to a Canberra defence company exporting a next-generation weapons system destined for Saudi Arabia
The Government provided more than $36 million in financial assistance and Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has spent years lobbying the Saudi Government on behalf of Australian defence companies — support acknowledged by the company in question, Electro Optic Systems (EOS).
"Christopher Pyne MP has visited foreign capitals with me to provide assurance of Australia as a reliable defence partner and supplier to its allies," a statement from EOS chief executive Ben Greene last year noted.
"This effort and support is acknowledged."
A company document seen by the ABC shows Australia is helping a local company sell weapons systems destined for Saudi Arabia.
Secret document reveals details of Saudi deal
The ABC has seen confidential EOS board minutes which describe signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the sale of 500 remote weapons systems units which are for the Saudi Ministry of Interior.
The minutes reveal the company agreed to provide the RWS for use by Saudi Arabia in lots of 20 units from that year.
EOS has a business arrangement with US arms manufacturer Orbital ATK, via which the RWS is supplied to Saudi Arabia.
EOS's chief executive Ben Greene said they provided their weapons system to "the USA", and declined to say whether the end user was Saudi Arabia.
Australia seeks to promote overseas arms deals
Australia's defence exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE are likely connected to a plan announced by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in January last year to drastically increase defence sales over the next decade called the Defence Export Strategy.
Australia will spend $200 million between now and 2028 as part of a plan to become the 10th-largest arms exporter in the world. It is currently ranked 20th.
The strategy states the Middle East is a "priority market" for defence exports – By Dylan Welch and Kyle Taylor
Comment by Elaine Pearson, HRW: The Australian Government has been saying repeatedly: 'Trust us, we're abiding by the terms of the arms trade treaty, we're abiding by our human rights obligations,' but the reality is we simply don't know because there is no transparency.
I think we'd like a bit more transparency about what weapons have been provided to Saudi Arabia, the quantities of equipment & how do we know that those weapons are not ending up on the battlefield in Yemen.
https://twitter.com/PearsonElaine/status/1097958522254311424
and
(* A K P)
Australia sells 500 weapons systems to Saudi Arabia amid fears they will be used to commit war crimes in Yemen
The Australian government continues to approve sales of weapons systems to Saudi Arabia, despite growing international concern over alleged war crimes in Yemen.
Defence chiefs were questioned at a senate estimates hearing on Wednesday as to why they had not stopped the weapons sales or applied sanctions to the kingdom.
Senator Richard Di Natale asked if the weapons systems would be used in Yemen and also mentioned the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a vocal critic of the Saudi regime.
Defence officials confirmed they have granted export permits to an Australian company that sold 500 weapons mounting systems to Saudi Arabia.
Board minutes seen by the ABC confirmed the company is Electro Optic Systems (EOS), who have also received more than $36 million in funding from the federal government.
EOS's Chief Executive Ben Greene said they provided their weapons system to 'the USA' and declined to say whether they were then transferred on to Saudi Arabia.
My comment: This sounds like a new dirty trick to circumvent export restrictions.
(* A K P)
Idex 2019 official website
Exhibitor List: Check the full list of the event exhibitors, their profiles, products, brochures and more
https://idexuae.ae/exhibitor-list/
Visit: Perfectly combines its role as a business and tourist destination
Official program: Get the show program details to organise & plan your trip
https://idexuae.ae/official-program/
(* A K P)
Despite 'War Crimes' Concerns in Yemen, Raytheon Nabs $1.6 Billion Arms Deal With UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) just inked billions in deals to secure new weapons from top Pentagon contractor Raytheon a week after an Amnesty International investigation further implicated the Gulf nation in war crimes for transferring Western weapons to unaccountable militia groups, thereby deepening the humanitarian crisis and fueling carnage in war-ravaged Yemen.
Thus, the lucrative deals continue.
(* A K P)
Idex 2019: UAE Armed Forces awards Dh7bn contracts on day two
The UAE Armed Forces awarded Dh7 billion in contracts on the second day of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex), with the lion’s share of deals going to international companies.
The Armed Forces, which signed 24 contracts in total, awarded six international companies Dh5.87bn worth of contracts, General Mohammed Al Hassani, Idex spokesman said on Monday.
Local companies won contracts worth Dh1.15bn, he added.
Raytheon of the US clinched a Dh5.73bn contracts related to its Patriot missile systems.
Among the local companies that won deals are the International Golden Group, which was awarded a Dh407.7 million contract and Injazat a Dh395m contract.
On the first day of Idex, the UAE Armed Forces awarded Dh4.97bn in contracts, with the majority of deals also going to international companies.
The Armed Forces, which signed 33 contracts in total, awarded International companies 15 contracts worth Dh3.87bn on day one.
Raytheon won a patriot missile defence system contract for the UAE air force valued at Dh1.3bn and Eos Defence of Australia won a Dh1.16bn contract.
Local companies have won contracts worth Dh1.1bn, Mr Al Hassani said.
(* A K P)
Idex 2019: How an Emirati small arms firm went global
Caracal's weapons are built to withstand the pressures of heat, dust and sand
It started out as a small arms manufacturer, supplying 9mm pistols for UAE law enforcement and hunting rifles for civilians.
Today, Caracal, now a subsidiary of Emirates Defence Industries Company, has become an altogether different force - and one generating hundreds of jobs for Emiratis.
The company - a major retailer around the globe - recently signed weapons deals with Malaysia, India and South Korea.
It is also already supplying the German military with firearms, taking the group’s overseas sales to more than 25 per cent of its total.
“Our products have been well received by the international community and we’re very proud of our international presence in Germany, USA, and Algeria," said Hamad Al Ameri, business development director at EDIC.
Caracal, which takes its name from the desert hunting cat, was established in 2007 and developed a strong reputation for producing side arms, close combat assault weapons and sniper rifles.
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/idex-2019-how-an-emirati-small-arms-firm-went-global-1.827074
(* B K)
UAE arms fair showcases Belgian weapon in use by Yemeni militias
A type of Belgian machine gun known to be wielded by a Yemeni militia in the Hodeidah offensive is among the weaponry set to be showcased this weekend at one of the Middle East’s largest arms fairs in Abu Dhabi, Amnesty International said today.
According to promotional materials for the UAE’s IDEX2019 arms fair, the Minimi will be among the thousands of types of weapons available for sale. Manufactured in Belgium’s Wallonia region by FN Herstal, it is among an array of arms transferred by the Belgian Walloon authorities to the Saudi Arabia/UAE-led coalition in recent years for use in the armed conflict in Yemen.
An Amnesty International investigation last week documented the same weapon type being used by “The Giants,” a Yemeni militia that is backed and supplied by the UAE but not accountable to any government.
“It’s a jarring sight to have FN Herstal hawking the Minimi in the UAE after we exposed how the Emiratis illicitly gave this weapon to an unaccountable militia in Yemen,” said Patrick Wilcken, Arms Control and Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International.
(* B K P)
Films from IDEX arms show, UK Pavilion, all on https://twitter.com/ukinuae
Just a few:
Visit the UK Pavilion at #IDEX2019 in Abu Dhabi. Join us in Hall 5 to see some of the cutting-edge technologies exhibited by British companies at the show. #UKinUAE #IDEX
https://twitter.com/ukinuae/status/1097494353998684165
Meet ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK, a maritime high-technology enterprise with a skilled workforce in the fields of hydroacoustics, sensor engineering and information technology. #IDEX2019 #UKinUAE
https://twitter.com/ukinuae/status/1097527948180160513
Find @HESCOGroup at the UK pavilion in #IDEX2019 to discuss perimeter security and protection solutions. #UKinUAE
https://twitter.com/ukinuae/status/1097530875686858752
Meet our UK exhibitors and discover the advanced technologies and quality services they offer at #IDEX2019 starting with @QinetiQ
https://twitter.com/ukinuae/status/1097512450201661441
My comment: This is just crazy and heinous.
Comment: They should be ashamed not proud.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157379301903641
(* A K P)
And, in Twitter at #IDEX2019 you find all the traders of death:
https://twitter.com/defenseworld/status/1097726710185934849
https://twitter.com/drgfragkos/status/1097725366737817601
https://twitter.com/CalaFocus/status/1097723475094106112
https://twitter.com/Elmon_Defence/status/1097717337321586688
https://twitter.com/CollinsAero/status/1097707495127158784
https://twitter.com/Mk_gupt/status/1097701888403886082
https://twitter.com/AusBG/status/1097680964434710528
https://twitter.com/turnbulljourno/status/1097149496822284291
https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin/status/1097105063347142656
https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin/status/1096993686179794944
https://twitter.com/HoubaraDefence/status/1097016298607923200
https://twitter.com/ParamountGroup1/status/1097009209152061440
https://twitter.com/ParamountGroup1/status/1097006367859269634
https://twitter.com/ShephardNews/status/1096749100006080516
https://twitter.com/wescamtradeshow/status/1097729726498684929
(A K)
Film: Titan, the world’s first large commercial entertainment #robot created a selfie frenzy at Abu Dhabi’s #IDEX2019
https://twitter.com/robotandaiworld/status/1097482959437864960
Comment: Yemen is a trial ground for new weapons. First mercenaries, and when they are used up, replaced by robots. Frightening.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157379300178641
(A K P)
Film: Happy IDEX Opening day!! #IDEX2019
https://twitter.com/iBananaHappy/status/1097039120961032192
Film: Performance from UAE military band gets #IDEX2019 underway. Audience to see a fictional battle where armed forces use virtual reality and AI to defeat militia forces. Military hardware conference to run over five days.
https://twitter.com/DSandersonAD/status/1097017088907137024
(B K P)
Film: Complicity in #WarCrimes:
Recently it was reported and later denied that Israel also sold combat drones to #SaudiArabia.
Al-Khaleej online source says #Israel also sold bombs and missiles to Saudi Arabia including banned ones.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=394300764717502
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
(* B K P)
The YEMEN Quagmire: Private Armies, Outsourced Warfare & the Free-for-All…
On the actual war side of it, which has often been nebulous and murky, it has become evident that – in addition to US and UK logistical support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign – Israel is also more involved in the Yemen situation than most people realise.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz has reported that Israeli officers have been training foreign mercenaries in UAE-funded camps located in the Negev Desert. It specifically says these mercenaries are, among others, Columbians and Nepalese.
The purpose, explains the article, is to take part in the war in Yemen.
Haaretz also highlights Israel’s unofficial partner role in the Saudi-led coalition’s long campaign in Yemen, pointing out Israeli cyber companies, gun traders, terrorism/warfare instructors and also paid hitmen, all being involved in the situation in Yemen.
Now what’s curious about this specifying of Columbian mercenaries is the very long article I wrote here recently on the Blackwater founder (and Trump insider) Erik Prince and his nefarious activities around the world (‘Private Armies, the Prince of Peace & the New World Order Rabbit-Hole‘).
This item about Israeli-trained mercenaries now feels like an add-on to that piece. In that article, I quoted a New York Times piece from 2011 that reported Prince had specifically been shipping in Columbian mercenaries to the U.A.E.
In addition to Prince/Blackwater, I’ve written here about Dyncorp too (the infamous mercenary firm and enormous conspiracy rabbit-hole): and, as it happens, both Dyncorp and Blackwater have already been exposed previously entering Yemen to fight for the Saudi-led coalition: this emerged after fighters from Blackwater were defeated by the Houthi rebels.
As previously noted, the CEO of Dyncorp (at least at the time I was writing it) was an Israeli/US citizen with ties to Trump; while Erik Prince is also tied to Trump.
It’s not surprising then that Israel would be very much in the game too: Israel is simply engaging in the same game as several other countries, using mercenaries and covert warfare to avoid having these things look like part of their actual, official foreign policy.
The exposure of Israel’s involvement (in training Columbian and Nepalese mercenaries) in fact went back to September: I missed that at the time, otherwise I would’ve mentioned in the piece on ‘Private Armies’ and Erik Prince, etc.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
(A T)
Interesting facts from my #ISIS #Yemen martyr spreadsheet -2019 rate is 1/week; 2018 averaged same but deaths more bunched -From 3/2018 all died in Bayda' but few were local -Top single source is Taiz 19% -Name of martyr claimed today implies he WAS local to Bayda (1st since Aug)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1097982497630105605
(A T)
Saudi special forces and unidentified Yemeni security forces conducted two raids targeting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.(AQAP) in Hadramawt governorate in eastern Yemen on January 7 and February 7, 2019, according to the Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al Maliki. One of the raids targeted the house of an AQAP field commander. Saudi forces arrested six militants of different nationalities and captured 350 million Yemeni riyals in the raid. Saudi forces also recovered weapons and explosives of Iranian origin in the raid, according to Maliki.[2]
and
(A T)
#Saudi special forces raided #AQAP safe houses on 07 JAN and 07 FEB in Hadramawt, eastern #Yemen, and discovered weapons and explosives that originated from #Iran, according to the coalition. The way weapons move in the conflict this is not sufficient to claim Iran supports AQAP (photos)
Also, a little odd for Saudi special forces to conduct an op like this. UAE, along w/Yemeni forces they train, has taken on the CT effort in the south and east. Hopefully a sign Saudis taking a larger burden of CT and not just a propaganda move to counter recent media reports.
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1097965865021177857
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Saudi Arabia backs all moves for Yemen solution
The Council of Ministers on Tuesday welcomed all initiatives aimed at finding a comprehensive political solution to the conflict in Yemen.
The weekly session of the Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, praised the statement issued by foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Britain and the United States in this respect following their meeting on the situation in Yemen held in Warsaw.
(A P)
In the Left’s World, It’s All About Us
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives made a rare use of the War Powers Act by voting 248 to 177 to cut off U.S. military assistance for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. Yet again, the left has refused to recognize that international relations are fundamentally competitive.
But now the act is being trotted out by the left to condemn a Republican administration.
The problem with the Yemen vote is that it’s an expression of moral outrage, not a serious policy. The war in Yemen is a reflection of Saudi anxieties about its regional position, and about the rise of Iran.
The Yemeni rebels — the Houthi — are not simply an Iranian creation. But if they win, it will be viewed as an Iranian triumph and a Saudi loss. The Middle East is fundamentally competitive.
And so is everywhere else. You can either admit this and be serious, or you can deny it and be a fool. The history of the world is largely the history of winning and losing. Opting out of that reality means only one thing: you lose.
The left’s error in foreign policy is that it doesn’t see competition: it sees U.S. failures to get along. It therefore believes that international relations are fundamentally about us, not about a competition between us and them – by Theodore R. Bromund
https://www.heritage.org/homeland-security/commentary/the-lefts-world-its-all-about-us
My comment: This clearly is declaring Social Darwinism as the main principle of interstate relations and of (US) foreign policy. If by this, scores of civilians are killed in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Yemen, Venezuela (?), let it happen. – Look at the author: https://www.heritage.org/staff/theodore-r-bromund and at Heritage Foundation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation . This is the Fascism of 21. Century.
(A P)
#Saudi clansmen main TV station @AlArabiya launches attack on @washingtonpost editor @KarenAttiah. i am sure they have committed copy rights violations.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1098002862926385152
referring to
(A P)
This is the story of Qatar funding for a research grant to Karen Attieh
In the Khashoggi case, there were two prominent American feminist names about Gamal Khashoggi's relationship with politics and the press. The first was Maggie Mitchell Salem, Executive Director of Qatar Foundation, who was active in the Qatari lobbies in America. The second character that we are highlighting is the American journalist Karen Attieh.
Karin is the first to speak out of her contribution to the anti-Saudi articles of Jamal Khashoggi for the Washington Post. She was also famous for her frequent appearance on American screens and Al-Jazeera to talk about Khashoggi's case, Khashoggi and so far, and at the same time adopt an aggressive offensive speech against Saudi Arabia.
My comment: Keep in mind that Attiah was closely attached to Jamal Khashoggi and had written several articles after he had been murdered by Saudi Arabia. And they did not forget this and smear her now.
(A P)
News Analysis: Hopes dim for withdrawing warring forces from Yemen's Hodeidah
However, the chances for an immediate pull-out of warring forces from Hodeidah's ports in the near future are very slim and face many setbacks, Yemeni political observers say.
A few hours following the UN's announcement about reaching an agreement, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels dispatched heavy military reinforcements to the frontlines in Hodeidah province, according to military sources.
Mohammed al-Ahmadi, a political and writer, told Xinhua that the Houthi rebels undermined all such attempts to achieve peace in Hodeidah and used previous agreements as a cover to rearrange their military operations.
"Houthis announced their acceptance to withdraw from Hodeidah's ports only through media reports, but on ground, they continue to mobilize their fighters in the areas under the group's control," said al-Ahmadi.
He said that some of the setbacks facing the agreement are that "the Houthis won't accept pro-government authorities to manage Hodeidah's ports and other facilities in Hodeidah following their withdrawal."
"Hopes of Yemenis to end this devastating conflict are always shocked by the insistence of the Houthis who are refusing to implement agreements and continue to occupy government institutions by military force," he added.
Speaking to Xinhua, Yasin Tamimi, a political analyst, said that placing new conditions by the Houthi leaders ahead of implementing the first phase of the agreement indicates that Hodeidah's agreement will not achieve positive results.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/20/c_137834757.htm
My comment: Xinhua meanwhile clearly took sides and just limits itself to anti-Houthi propaganda.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
Feb. 18: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1550596880./1246977952119234/
Feb. 17: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1550596964./1246957665454596/
(A K pS)
Coalition fighters bomb al- Daylami base north of Sana'a
Saudi Arabia's Arab coalition fighters on Wednesday launched two raids at the Daylami Air Base, north of the capital Sana'a, under the control of al-Houthi militants since September 2014.
Local residents in the city's northern District told al-Masdar online that two violent explosions were heard in the area, and smoke poles escalated from the airbase.
The nature of the targets bombed by the fighter jets is unknown to the moment.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164491
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
Feb. 18: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527039.htm Hajjah p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(A K pH)
Saudi-led mercenaries shell border populated areas in Saada
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527153.htm
(A K pH)
Army shells saudi-led mercenaries' gatherings in Asir
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527118.htm
Remark: In Saudi territory.
(A K pH)
In Taiz, 3 children were injured by a shell of the US-Saudi mercenaries targeted a civilian house in Khadir district. In Sa'ada, the Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages and civilians' properties in Razih and Baqem districts.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5495&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Army launches Zizal-1 missile on mercenaries' gatherings in Najran
The missile force on Sunday launched a Zilzal-1 missile on gatherings of the mercenaries of US-backed saudi-led aggression coalition in Najran province, a military official told Saba.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527032.htm
Remark: This is an attack against Saudi territory.
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(*)
Film: These shots of a Jemen Trip show an area from South Jemen. For security with escort by police and military. The route leads through the Great Sandy Desert into Wadi Hadramaut. Recorded 2008
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyygG2IsuJM
Vorige / Previous
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-514-yemen-war-mosaic-514
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-514 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-514:
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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