... Eine neue Kampffront in Hajjah – Islamischer Staat im jemen – Deutsche Waffen im Jemenkrieg – Hodeidah: Truppenrückzug mehrmals verschoben – UN-Geberkonferenz erbringt 2,6 Milliarden US-$ – und mehr
Feb. 27, 2019: Yemen: Mass starvation, a war crime – Saudis‘ Yemeni headache – Humanitarian cases in the field – The work of UNICEF in Yemen – Women and girls in Yemen – A new battle front in Hajjah – Islamic State in Yemen – German arms in the Yemen War – Hodeidah: Withdrawal of troops postponed several times – UN donor conference raises US$ 2.6 billion – and more
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp3a Geberkonferenz der UN / UN donors conference
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H K P)
Film: Is Yemen's mass starvation a war crime? | The Stream
Who should be held responsible for the thousands of Yemenis who have died from starvation? And to what degree is there apathy from the international community about the conflict? In this episode, we hear the latest on the humanitarian crisis, speak to experts about mass starvation as a possible war crime and ask whether the world is desensitised to hunger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heOLciRAT4M
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Saudis’ Yemeni Headache Won’t Go Away If And When The Guns Fall Silent – OpEd
The drama enveloping the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the brutal way in which it was carried out have captured public attention. In reality, however, Saudi Arabia’s real problems began earlier as a result of its conduct of the Yemen war.
Saudi interference in Yemen that culminated in military intervention predates the four-year-old war. Yemen has long been perceived by Saudi Arabia as a threat. That threat went far beyond current Iranian support for the Houthis. In fact, it was Saudi divide-and-rule tactics in Yemen, changing Saudi attitudes towards the Houthis and Saudi Arabia’s global campaign to promote anti-Shiite, anti-Iranian strands of ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Islam that helped pave the way for the current Yemen crisis.
It is only half a century ago that the Houthis were part of a Saudi effort to confront Arab nationalism. As an aside, Saudis and Israelis cooperated already then with Israeli military aircraft dropping weapons for the Saudi-backed rebels that included the Houthis. The deterioration in Saudi-Houthi relations accelerated just after the turn to this century when the Saudis funded the opening of a Salafi centre on the outskirts of the Houthi capital of Saada.
The centre constituted not only a challenge to the Houthis but also to the power of the Houthi leadership.
To initially counter the threat, the leadership of the Houthis, Zaidis who are Shiites with practices more akin to Sunni Muslim ritual, turned to Iran for support in religious education, a development that further angered the kingdom, and laid the groundwork for a war that has devastated a country that already ranked as one of the world’s poorest.
The Saudi intervention was, however, about more than just confronting an Iranian proxy on its doorstep. For one, if anything, it was the intervention that really drove the Houthis and Iranians closer to one another. Even so, the Houthis remain an opportunity in a far broader Saudi-Iranian rivalry rather than a strategic target for the Iranians.
The Salmans, the king and his son, have since coming to office and despite the emergence of Donald Trump, taken to new heights a far more assertive foreign and military policy that was initially crafted by their predecessors in response to the popular Arab revolts in 2011. Make however no mistake, Saudi Arabia’s new assertiveness is not a declaration of independence from the United States even if the kingdom is expanding its international relations as is evident in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent tour of Asia.
On the contrary, Prince Mohammed made that very clear in multiple interviews. His goal was to force the United States to reengage in the Middle East as the best guarantor for regional stability. The Saudis appear to be operating on the basis of Karl Marx’s Verelendungs theory: things have to get worse to get better. That is the part of the backdrop of the stalled military intervention in Yemen. Dangling Iran as the real threat emanating from Yemen serves the Saudis’ purpose.
Its not a pretty picture to look forward to. And it is one in which the damage has already been done. Having said that, its never too late to try to limit the damage, if not reverse affairs. That however would take the kind of courage and vision that Prince Mohammed and others in power elsewhere in the Middle East have yet to demonstrate – by James M. Dorsey
(** B H)
Yemen Humanitarian Fund: Stories from the field
BACK TO SCHOOL
Al-Atta for Relief & Development (ARD)
In Alzubiah sub-district, Almagrabah village, girls live a difficult life in harsh conditions. Water shortages in the small village are very severe. It takes hours to get to the nearest source.
Ghadah1 , a 10-year old girl lives here. She is the oldest of her siblings and studies in Grade 4.
On many days, she can be seen leading her donkey loaded with water jerry cans. Her mother, who leads another donkey, accompanies Sabah and her three younger sisters. “I study in the fourth grade,” she explains. “I know that I am the smartest student in all the stages.
Unfortunately, I could not get the first place among my classmates because I am so absent. I have to help my mother bring water whenever I get out of the house.
I miss school two or three days a week to bring water from the well.
I try to compensate by asking my teachers and colleagues.” Ghadah’s village was in the area selected by Al-Atta Relief & Development (ARD) to install a water network with funding from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund.
Nahda Makers Organization (NMO)
“My wife and children used to spend most of the day going back and forth carrying heavy buckets and jerry cans filled with water on their heads or on our poor donkey” this is how Mr. Abdullah3 , 50 years-old and father of nine children, responded when asked about water availability in his village of Najd Al-Barad, in Al-Maqatera district of Lahj governorate, before the intervention of Nahda Makers Organization (NMO). “My children could not go to school because they were too busy bringing water for our basic needs”. Mr. Abdullah explained that because men would be busy working most of the day or in other governorates looking for job opportunities, women and children would carry the burden of walking about three-hours distance to bring the water.
Another villager, Mr. Rashad, also 50, said the village had seen incidents of women leaving their houses to bring water for their babies; however, because the journey is too long, and the children would stay home alone without a caretaker, the women would arrive home to find their babies had passed away.
The village of Najd Al-Barad, where Mr. Rashad and Mr. Abdullah live, was one of the areas where NMO, with funding from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, intervened to rehabilitate water systems.
UNICEF
Al Mukalla city has seen an increase in violence in the last years. For the two brothers Abdulkarim and Mohammad4, it was almost impossible to sleep at night without hearing the sound of bombs in their village.
Since their school had been occupied by armed groups, they stopped going to class and quickly, they stayed at home fearing for the next strike to happen. Like many other families, the two brothers and their parents left the village to find shelter in a safer place.
A caseworker who visited the family realized how much the conflict impacted the psychological health of the two brothers and the Case Management System (CMS) team
CHOLERA RESPONSE
CARE
Farah is an 8-year-old girl living in Amsorra village in the Mudeyah District of Abyan Governorate.
The area is mountainous and inaccessible by road; the centre of the district, is between a two and three hour walk away. Due to the prevalence of cholera and cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD), CARE targeted Mudeyah and Khanfir districts in Abyan with its Cholera Prevention and Response Project. As part of the project, CARE trained 40 community volunteers to conduct hygiene promotion activities with local communities to raise awareness about key hygiene issues and cholera/AWD prevention and transmission. Community volunteers showed a real commitment to the project aims and conducted daily awareness sessions in villages like Amsorra. “I had faith that I could save children and others who had cholera”, said Mariam, one of the volunteers.
Farah’s case was identified during a daily awareness-raising session.
FAMINE RESPONSE
Life Maker Meeting Place Organization (LMMPO)
Amal is a 40-year-old widow who lives with her father and five children in Al Suqnah District, Al Hudaydah Governorate and the sole bread-winner for her family. She struggles to find ways of meeting her family’s needs and works hard when opportunities arise. Yet however much Amal tries, what little she earns each month is barely enough to feed her family. “When one of my children got sick, I couldn’t afford medicine because the money I earn is only just enough to buy the flour we need every month” said Amal.
With funding from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, national NGO Life Maker Meeting Place Organization (LMMPO) provided Amal’s family with food in three consecutive food distributions and with a hygiene kit.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-fund-stories-field
and full document: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/YHF%20Success%20Stories_V3.pdf
(** B H)
UN Children's Fund Scaling Up Support: Results for Children of Yemen 2017 - 2018
Yemen is currently one of the worst countries for a child to live in. The statistics for children in need are staggering. But these are not just numbers but children with names, faces, families, friends, stories, shattered dreams and lives cut short.
Nearly four years of conflict in Yemen have brought untold suffering to millions of children in Yemen. Thousands have been killed or maimed in a war not of their making and the combined risk of conflict, disease and malnutrition is a daily reality these children. Those who survive will live with the scars of conflict.
The war in Yemen has decimated vital infrastructure on which adults and children alike depend for services: less than half of the country’s health facilities are functional; water and sanitation services are limited and the schooling of millions of children hangs in the balance.
Moreover, the people of Yemen are facing an enormous humanitarian catastrophe compounded by violence, currency depreciation, the obstruction of essential commodities by import, non-payment of salaries for civil servants and the collapse of basic social services.
The situation for children in Yemen is extremely dire. What was a bad situation has become worse. Years of under development, poor governance, deep poverty, lack of basic infrastructure and economic stagnation have made Yemen one of the worst places to be a child.
UNICEF has been providing support across many fields, including health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education and child protection. In the last two years, UNICEF has expanded its programmes in Yemen in both scale and scope to become one of the biggest UNICEF programmes in the world in response to the increasing needs of the population in the country in general, and children and mothers in particular. Thanks to donors and our partners across Yemen, we have been able to provide support to millions of children.
This booklet gives you a summary of UNICEF programmes in Yemen in 2017 and 2018, and stories of some of the children and adults our teams and partners support in the country.
You will see a story of a family that benefited from UNICEF’s response to one of the world’s largest suspected cholera outbreaks; a child who was treated for severe acute malnutrition; a father of six children who received support to provide for their basic needs; and a girl who went back to school thanks to UNICEF support.
These stories inspire hope. And through the continued work of UNICEF and its partners, we can help deliver that hope.
https://www.unicef.org/mena/reports/scaling-support = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/scaling-support-results-children-yemen-2017-2018
and full report: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNICEF%20Results%20for%20Children%20of%20Yemen%202017-2018%2020190224.pdf.pdf
(** B H)
Protection, Participation and Potential: Women and Girls in Yemen’s War
Executive Summary
Nearly 4 years of war in Yemen have led to the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
The war has had a unique impact on women and girls, exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities and inequalities rooted in patriarchal structures and norms. Violence against women and girls (VAWG) in particular, has substantially increased since the beginning of the conflict in 2014. In November 2017, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that incidents of gender-based violence (GBV) including rape and sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and early and forced marriage of girls, had increased by over 63 per cent since before the conflict.
Unprecedented efforts have been taken by humanitarian actors – NGOs, UN agencies, civil servants, and national civil society – to deliver lifesaving interventions to the millions of people affected by the war. However, there are critical gaps in reproductive health as well as GBV prevention and response services across the country. This is due to the direct impact of the fighting on health facilities and health workers, restrictions on humanitarian aid, as well as insufficient donor prioritisation and funding. The latter is largely compounded by shortcomings in the application of a gender-sensitive approach to Yemen’s humanitarian response.
Grand commitments on tackling GBV in emergencies have been made by donors, including through Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, but much more needs to be been done to deliver a concrete, targeted, and meaningful agenda for women and girls in Yemen.
This policy brief provides an overview of the entrenched gender inequalities and vulnerabilities which affected women and girls before the war and which have been exacerbated over the past 4 years. It then considers the specific impact of the conflict on women and girls’ health and protection. Particular attention is paid to GBV given its dramatic increase since the conflict started. The brief argues that the war is having a devastating impact on women and girls and that failure to include a stronger focus on gender considerations in the humanitarian response is causing irreparable damages to their lives. It then highlights the critical role of women in securing a response which addresses the needs and rights of Yemeni women and girls, and in ensuring that a gender transformative agenda is part of Yemen’s future. It concludes by setting out recommendations aimed at all humanitarian actors, including the need to increase funding towards GBV prevention and response as a matter of priority.
https://www.rescue.org/report/protection-participation-and-potential-women-and-girls-yemens-war = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/protection-participation-and-potential-women-and-girls-yemen-s-war
and full report: https://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/document/3550/yemenwomenandgirlspolicybrieffinalreadyfordissemination.pdf = https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/yemenwomenandgirlspolicybrieffinalreadyfordissemination.pdf
(** A K P)
'Absurd front': Thousands besieged in north Yemen battle that no one can win
Pro-government fighters opened up front in Houthi-held territory, leading to siege leaving more than 100 civilians dead
Thousands of civilians are believed to be besieged in a northwestern province in Yemen after a month-long battle between Houthis and pro-government fighters led by a local tribal leader who are trying to kick the rebels out.
More than 100 residents have been killed in the ongoing fighting in the Hajawr area of Hajjah province, while many others are trapped, living off food stocked in their homes to survive after the Houthis imposed a siege.
Analysts say the fighters, which number in the hundreds in the face of thousands of Houthis, are unlikely to win, and describe the battle as an “absurd front” which will only benefit arms dealers and political leaders living abroad.
Reached by phone, a resident in Hajawr told Middle East Eye: “No one can imagine the bad situation of civilians. They cannot flee their houses. They can only wait for death inside their houses.
“Injured people cannot receive treatment. No food or any kind of supplies is allowed to arrive in the area,” he added.
But earlier this month, a local tribal leader, Sheikh Abu Muslim al-Za’akari - one of several Salafi leaders in the area who oppose the Houthis - rallied a group of fighters from Hajwar to return home and open a front against the rebels.
The battles were limited in the beginning of the month, but gradually spread across several villages in Hajawr’s Kasher district, leaving dozens killed and injured.
Over the weekend, the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes targeting the Houthis in the district and fighting erupted nearby, although it has calmed in recent days.
Abu Sumood, a Houthi leader in Hajjah province, confirmed by phone that battles were ongoing in Hajawr and said his group had so far held back from storming the area in order to protect civilians.
The Hajjar resident said Al-Za’akari had been unwise to open a front in a residential area, surrounded by Houthis in all directions.
“The battles are ongoing fiercely and the Houthis are besieging the area. By the end, the Houthis will win the battles,” he said, adding that he was not aligned with one side or the other, but believed civilians “are the main victims of these battles”.
Some anti-Houthi fighters in Hajawr had also called on the Yemeni government earlier to supply weapons that could “liberate” Hajjah from the Houthis earlier this month, but the government has not helped yet.
An independent political analyst based in Sanaa accused pro-Hadi leaders who live abroad, some of whom still hold positions in the Yemeni government, of using local fronts like Hajawr to draw money from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“The pro-Hadi leaders encourage tribes to open fronts to gather some money from Saudi and UAE and this is the aim of the battles in Hajawr while civilians are suffering,” he said.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/absurd-front-thousands-besieged-north-yemen-battle-no-one-can-win
(** B T)
The Failing Islamic State Within The Failed State of Yemen
Abstract
This article explores why Islamic State has failed to gain significant traction in Yemen despite conditions on the ground that appeared, superficially at least, to be conducive to its expansion. Four main reasons are posited: its overt brutality and indiscriminate attacks; its inability to rival al-Qa'ida’s deep roots and territorial hold; its failure to find culturally nuanced ways of appealing to locals as well as the difficulties faced by foreign fighters in both reaching and integrating in Yemen; and its arrogant and alienating leadership style. The article next looks at Islamic State’s challenges and weaknesses in Yemen by analysing both the revelations of defectors and its own propaganda. Despite some early support from inside Saudi Arabia, Islamic State lacked charismatic leaders who inspired broad loyalty and respect and was well into decline by 2016. Nevertheless, Islamic State media continued to project a magnified image of its presence in Yemen, possibly assisted by several false flagged attacks. Finally the article unravels the conflict that erupted between Islamic State and al-Qa'ida in mid-2018. The evidence suggests that the conflict is linked to local territorial and power rivalries and may have been provoked by external actors intent on sowing rifts inside Yemen’s jihad. Looking ahead, Islamic State and al-Qa'ida are unlikely to merge formally, and both groups will weaken in the short-term. Al-Qa'ida retains the upper hand but there are some signs that Islamic State may be trying to develop a more ‘authentic’ image in Yemen. For jihadist foot soldiers, however, both labels may be becoming less relevant. In the long-term, the prospects for jihad look more promising. Either the current war persists, providing favourable conditions for jihad groups to thrive, or a peace deal is reached, which will inevitably result in disillusioned sectors of the population with whom jihad groups might make common cause.
Introduction
Yemen’s rugged topography, rampant corruption[1] and persistent conflicts[2] have long made it an attractive hub for militant jihadists, who have been operating successfully there ever since the 1980s.[3] The Islamic State’s attempt to gain ground in Yemen might therefore have been expected to succeed, particularly given the ongoing instability following Yemen’s popular uprising in 2011,[4] a National Dialogue which ended in 2014 without solving Yemen’s most divisive issues,[5] growing sectarianism generated by the advance of Houthi rebels vocally supported by Shi'ite Iran in 2014, and the chaos of all-out war from 2015. Yet despite early successes in attracting both new recruits and al-Qa'ida defectors, Islamic State in Yemen (ISY) quickly lost momentum, and it never held territory. This article begins by identifying the reasons behind ISY’s failure to gain traction. Next it examines ISY’s recent challenges and weaknesses, such as defections, the need to retreat, and the increasing irrelevance of the global Islamic State label as the group’s character, aims and focus in Yemen become more parochial. It then analyzes the eruption of violent conflict between ISY and al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in 2018 and questions the extent to which this may be harnessed to local rivalries and/or stirred by external actors. Finally, it concludes by looking ahead to how ISY may be evolving and the possible circumstances that may enable it to resurge – by Elisabeth Kendall
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/binaries/content/assets/customsites/perspectives-on-terrorism/2019/issue-1/kendall.pdf = https://www.jstor.org/stable/26590510?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
or in case this link does not work: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10161409495890228&set=a.10154604116820228
(** B K P)
Beweise für deutsche Waffen im Jemen
Deutsche Waffen spielen im Jemen-Krieg eine weitaus größere Rolle als bislang bekannt. Das fand ein Rechercheteam unter Beteiligung der DW heraus. Die Bundesregierung versichert, sie habe davon keine Kenntnis.
Die Nachrichtenagentur AP hat den Konvoi im November 2015 in der Nähe der Hafenstadt Aden gefilmt. Die sudanesischen Söldner sind nicht alleine unterwegs: In dem Video sind Gefechtsfahrzeuge zu sehen, die zur Armee der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate gehören. Es sind gepanzerte "Oshkoshs" aus US-amerikanischer Produktion, kombiniert mit deutscher Waffentechnologie: Auf die Fahrzeuge sind Waffenstationen des Modells "Fewas" montiert, die von der deutschen Rüstungsfirma Dynamit Nobel Defence in Burbach produziert werden.
Bundesregierung: "Ist uns nicht bekannt"
Deutsche Waffen im Jemen-Krieg? Die Bundesregierung weiß davon angeblich nichts.
Deutsche Kriegswaffen, so steht es in den Richtlinien für Rüstungsexporte, dürfen nicht an Länder geliefert werden, die in bewaffnete Auseinandersetzungen verwickelt sind - so wie Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Dennoch durften beide Länder, die die Bundesregierung als "strategische Partner" ansieht, nach dem Beginn des Jemen-Kriegs weiter bei deutschen Rüstungsschmieden einkaufen. Es sei ihm nicht bewusst, dass diese Waffen dort eingesetzt werden, beteuerte der Wirtschaftsminister.
Doch bei genauem Hinsehen lassen sich Produkte deutscher Rüstungsfirmen auf Fotos und Videos erkennen, die im Internet frei zugänglich sind - etwa auf Twitter, Youtube und Google Earth. Eine Vielzahl solcher Quellen hat das investigative Rechercheprojekt #GermanArms analysiert.
Assab: Operationsbasis für den Jemen-Krieg
So lässt sich anhand von Satellitenbildern belegen, dass die Emiratis in Deutschland gebaute Kriegsschiffe im Jemen einsetzen. Dabei bedienen sie sich des Hafens Assab in Eritrea, der strategisch günstig an der Meerenge Bab al-Mandab ("Tor der Tränen") lieg
Kriegsschiffe "made in Germany"
Doch die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate kümmerte das Embargo nicht: Sie verlegten Teile ihrer Kriegsflotte in den Hafen von Assab, darunter auch in Deutschland gebaute Kriegsschiffe. Auf Satellitenbildern sind wiederholt Korvetten vom Typ "Muray Jib" zu sehen, die von der deutschen Firma Lürssen mit Sitz in Bremen gebaut wurden.
Jagdbomber mit deutschen Bauteilen
Aber nicht nur Kriegswaffen, die sich eindeutig einem Hersteller zuordnen lassen, spielen im Jemen-Krieg eine Rolle. Es kommen auch zahlreiche Waffen zum Einsatz, die von mehreren europäischen Ländern gemeinsam produziert wurden und wichtige deutsche Bauteile haben. Das trifft etwa für Kampfflugzeuge der Typen Eurofighter und Tornado zu, mit denen die saudisch-geführte Koalition Luftangriffe gegen die Huthi-Rebellen fliegt.
Für den Einsatz des Tankflugzeugs A330 MRTT des europäischen Airbus-Konzerns fand das Recherche-Team im Jemen-Krieg ebenfalls Indizien.
Komponenten aus deutscher Produktion
Darüber hinaus identifizierte das Rechercheteam im Video einer arabischen Nachrichtenagentur vom Oktober 2018 einen französischen Leclerc-Kampfpanzer, der an den Seiten von einem zusätzlichen Schutzsystem verstärkt wird. Dabei handelt es sich offenkundig um ein System namens Clara, das die Firma Dynamit Nobel Defence herstellt.
Außerdem stießen die Journalisten von #GermanArms auf französische Artilleriegeschütze vom Typ Caesar, die mit deutschen Unimog-Fahrgestellen und Motoren ausgestattet sind.
"Deutschland macht sich zum Komplizen"
Bauteile und Rüstungstechnologie aus Deutschland lassen sich also in zahlreichen Waffen finden, die Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate im Jemen-Krieg einsetzen. "Deutschland kann sein Gewissen nicht an der Garderobe abgeben, wenn es nur Komponenten verkauft und kein fertiges Waffensystem", kritisiert Kenneth Roth, der Direktor von Human Rights Watch.
https://www.dw.com/de/beweise-für-deutsche-waffen-im-jemen/a-47681315
https://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/Deutsche-Waffen-werden-im-Jemen-eingesetzt-article20875756.html
(** B K P)
In Yemen war, coalition forces rely on German arms and technology
Germany prides itself on its restrictive export policies, which ban arms sales to countries involved in armed conflict. But a DW exclusive shows the Saudi-led coalition at war in Yemen uses German-built weapons and tech.
Government 'not aware' of German arms in Yemen
Until now, the German government has repeatedly denied having any knowledge of German weapons and technology employed in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.
But DW, together with German public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, Stern magazine, the Dutch investigative bureau Lighthouse Reports and the investigative network Bellingcat, trawled open source footage drawn from Twitter, YouTube and Google Earth, as well as news reports and agency photos.
The result: Conclusive proof of German-made arms and technology in Yemen — in the air, at sea, and on land, despite German arms guidelines that expressly forbid exports to countries involved in armed conflicts, unless they are acting in self-defense.
The ground war
One bulky vehicle stands out among the convoy of pickups: It is an American-built Oshkosh, an armored all-terrain vehicle mounted with a conspicuous weapons station: The Fewas, built by Dynamit Nobel Defence, a company based in the western German municipality of Burbach. The Fewas, according to the firm's website, allows for the "convenience” of automatic target tracking, meaning that once the operator sets a target, the weapons station automatically pursues it.
Trawl footage and photos of Emirati forces operating in southern Yemen and the Oshkosh is a common sight, many of them equipped with Fewas weapons stations.
DW and its research partners compared satellite images with video footage and news reports. The team was able to identify the exact location of several Oshkoshs carrying Fewas stations.
The most recent example was a video uploaded by the news channel Arab 24 in late 2018, which the team located as having been shot in Al Khawkhah on the Yemeni coast.
The team also came across howitzers with German-made chassis and motors firing at Houthi territory from across the Saudi border.
DW and its research partners compared satellite images with video footage and news reports. The team was able to identify the exact location of several Oshkoshs carrying Fewas stations.
The most recent example was a video uploaded by the news channel Arab 24 in late 2018, which the team located as having been shot in Al Khawkhah on the Yemeni coast.
The team also came across howitzers with German-made chassis and motors firing at Houthi territory from across the Saudi border.
Continued export despite tough guidelines
Nevertheless, exports to both Saudi Arabia and the Emirates continued to be approved.
Exemptions for 'strategic partners'?
So why has the German government apparently ignored its own guidelines, even as thousands of civilians have been killed in Yemen?
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both considered strategic partners.
Assab: Operational base for Yemen war
Only 60 kilometers (37 miles) separate the Yemeni coast from the Eritrean port of Assab located across the strait of Bab al Mandab.
According to the UN, the Arab coalition is using "Eritrean land, airspace and territorial waters in its anti-Houthi military campaign.”
Several satellite images show a long, grey ship towed to a dock in Assab with a conspicuous helipad, most recently in late 2018 and early 2019: It is a Muray Jib corvette, a 65-meter-long (213-foot) combat vessel, built by the German shipbuilder Lürssen.
From March 2017, satellite pictures also show a Frankenthal vessel in the harbor of Assab.
German components in the air
In the air war, too, German technology is playing an important, possibly even decisive role: The Saudi Air Force is comprised of fighter jets it acquired from the US and Europe, including the Panavia Tornado, built by a German, British and Italian consortium.
Many of the Tornado's components, including the center fuselage, fuel system and the engine, are German-made. While its production was phased out in 2007, Tornados and its successor model, the Eurofighter Typhoon, make up a large part of Saudi Arabia's combat jets.
https://www.dw.com/en/in-yemen-war-coalition-forces-rely-on-german-arms-and-technology/a-47684609
Film: https://www.dw.com/en/saudi-arabia-uae-use-german-made-arms/av-47699853
(** B K P)
Einsatz deutscher Waffensysteme im Jemen - Für ein umfassendes Waffenembargo gegen die Kriegskoalition
The "Khashoggi moratorium" on arms exports to Saudi Arabia, imposed by the federal government in response to the murder of the journalist, ends on 9 March. In view of the continuing gross violation of international humanitarian law by the states involved in the war in Yemen, the latest BICC Policy Briefconsiders a mere extension of the moratorium to be insufficient and calls for a comprehensive arms embargo against the war coalition.
In view of the flagrant violation of international humanitarian law by the countries involved in the war in Yemen, export moratoria of limited duration, such as the current stop of arms exports to Saudi Arabia until 9 March, are not sufficient. Due to the active participation of other countries in the air raids, the naval blockade in the Red Sea and the military equipment of Yemeni militias, the German government must decide on a comprehensive and unlimited arms embargo against all states of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
All of them are therefore to be banned from receiving military equipment from Germany for the time being. The German government must revoke all export licenses granted for arms exports to these states.
The German government must:
Als Reaktion auf die Ermordung des Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi im saudi- arabischen Konsulat in Istanbul stoppte die Bundesregierung im November 2018 die weitere Genehmigung von Rüstungsexporten nach Saudi-Arabien und ersuchte Firmen, bestehende Genehmigungen nicht zu nutzen. Dieses temporäre Moratorium verlängerte die Bundesregierung Mitte Januar um zwei weitere Monate bis zum 9. März. Die Rüstungsindustrie droht mit Schadensersatzklagen. Frankreich und Großbritannien beschweren sich über den Stopp deutscher Zulieferungen für gemeinsame Rüstungsprojekte. Die Bundesregierung muss entscheiden, wie mit dem auslaufenden Moratorium zu verfahren ist. Dabei darf es nicht nur darum gehen, ob dieses verlängert wird oder nicht. Dies würde in Anbetracht der eklatanten Verletzung des humanitären Völkerrechts durch die am Jemen-Krieg beteiligten Staaten viel zu kurz greifen.
Vielmehr muss die Bundesregierung sämtliche bereits erteilten Rüstungsexportgenehmigungen für alle Staaten der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Koalition mit sofortiger Wirkung widerrufen, bis auf Weiteres keine neuen Genehmigungen erteilen und sich nachdrücklich für ein EU-Waffenembargo gegen diese Staaten – allen voran Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) – einsetzen.
Welche deutschen Rüstungslieferungen stehen noch aus? Die Bundesregierung hat an alle Staaten der Kriegskoalition, mit Ausnahme des Sudan, gegen den ein Waffenembargo seitens der EU und UN besteht, Rüstungsexporte genehmigt. Das Gesamtvolumen der erteilten Rüstungsexportgenehmigungen liegt dabei seit 2015 bei rund 5,2 Milliarden Euro.
Essentiell für jede Kriegführung ist die Versorgung mit Munition. Die Kriegskoalition setzt im Jemen unter anderem auch Bomben der Serie MK80 (unterschiedliche Typen von 250 bis 2000 Pfund) sowie Artilleriemunition ein, die von einem Tochterunternehmen der deutschen Firma Rheinmetall in Italien und vom südafrikanischen Joint Venture Rheinmetall Denel Munitions, an dem der deutsche Rüstungskonzern mit Hauptsitz in Düsseldorf Mehrheitseigner ist, hergestellt und von dort an Saudi-Arabien und die VAE geliefert werden
Schlussfolgerungen Ohne die massive Aufrüstung insbesondere SaudiArabiens und der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate durch westliche Militärtechnologie wäre der Krieg im Jemen von Seiten der sunnitisch-arabischen Kriegskoalition nicht möglich. In Anbetracht der eklatantenVerletzung des humanitären Völkerrechts durch die am Jemen-Krieg beteiligten Staaten sind zeitlich eng befristete Exportmoratorien wie der derzeit noch bis zum 9. März bestehende Stopp für Rüstungsexporte an Saudi-Arabien nicht ausreichend.
https://www.bicc.de/uploads/tx_bicctools/BICC_Policy_Brief_2_2019_d.pdf
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* B H)
Working with partners, Social Fund for Development and Public Works Project, to defeat cholera in Yemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNvUq7QQXsc
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(* A K P)
Spotlight: Postponement of withdrawing warring forces from Yemen raises fears of fighting resumption
Postponement of withdrawing Yemeni warring-sides from the strategic port city of Hodeidah has raised the specter of resumption of fighting as heavy reinforcements were pushed to the war-ravaged Rea Sea city.
The first phase of the United Nations plan to withdraw forces affiliated to both warring parties was undermined and postponed several times just hours before the implementation, sparking fears of military fighting escalation following a short peace period.
Local residents said that both warring sides continued to push reinforcements to Hodeidah instead of preparing to withdraw as planned by the UN agreement declared in Sweden in December 2018.
One of the residents in Houthi-controlled areas in Hodeidah said that Houthis started to recruit and train scores of young fighters from the city, signaling that a new phase of violence might occur.
Other local residents in government-controlled areas in Hodeidah confirmed to Xinhua that newly-recruited soldiers backed by military armored vehicles arrived on Hodeidah's outskirts.
"No signs show that withdrawal of forces might take place in the next days because we are still witnessing arrival of new army batches," a Hodeidah-based resident said on anonymity.
He said that "a number of military training camps belonging to the government forces are still recruiting fighters arriving from southern provinces like Lahj, Aden and Abyan."
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/27/c_137852693.htm
(** A K P)
Explainer: What's so hard about implementing a peace deal in Yemen's main port
WHY HASN’T THE DEAL BEEN IMPLEMENTED?
The Sweden agreement never spelled out which local authority would take control after fighters withdrew. The Houthis hold Hodeidah while other Yemeni fighters backed by the coalition are positioned on the outskirts of the city.
On Dec. 29, the Houthis started leaving Hodeidah port and handed over to local coast guards. The coalition objected, saying those units were loyal to the movement.
A U.N. observer team headed by retired Dutch Major General Patrick Cammaert had no verification mechanism in place to assess the local units and struggled to bring the two sides together for talks. He resigned in January and handed over to a Danish general, Michael Anker Lollesgaard, who relaunched meetings on a ship off the coast of Hodeidah.
The Houthis were due within days to withdraw 5 km (3 miles) from the port of Saleef, used for grains, and Ras Isa oil terminal. They would also clear the areas of landmines and heavy weaponry.
After the move was verified, the group would pull out of Hodeidah port alongside a coalition retreat of 1 km from the “Kilo 7” eastern suburb of the city, where battles raged before the ceasefire went into force on Dec. 18.
But the U.N. is still trying to bridge the gap between both sides on the local authority that would take over under U.N. supervision, before a wider redeployment in the second phase.
There are several proposals on the table, including agreeing a common list of coast guards and police force members.
The Houthis also doubt that the coalition will actually retreat after they move out.
(A K pH)
Yemen accuses Saudis of violating Al Hudaydah truce 283 times
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman has accused the Saudi-led coalition of repeatedly breaching ceasefire agreement in Al Hudaydah, Yemen, saying that it has breached the truce 283 times over the last 72 hours.
He added that the Saudi coalition have targeted various parts of Al Hudaydah with missile and mortar shell.
http://www.irna.ir/en/News/83224205
(A K pH)
Yemen Army’s Air Defenses Down Spy Drone, Hodeidah
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5608&cat_id=1
(* A H K)
New U.N. access to Hodeidah mills could boost Yemen aid operation
The United Nations regained access to a grains facility near Yemen’s Hodeidah port on Tuesday, potentially allowing an increase in food aid to millions at risk of starvation after years of devastating war, humanitarian officials said.
The WFP grain stores at the Red Sea Mills have more than 51,000 tonnes of wheat but have been cut off in the conflict zone for six months, putting the grains at risk of rotting.
A WFP team that went to the Red Mills premises took stock of how much grain remains and what has been damaged, WFP Yemen country director Stephen Anderson told Reuters.
(* A H K)
UN says it has finally reached aid warehouses on Yemen frontlines
The UN said Tuesday it had reached food aid warehouses on the frontlines in Yemen, holding enough supplies to feed millions of people, for the first time since September.
A spokesman for the UN's World Food Programme told AFP that it was an evaluation mission that had reached the warehouse near the western port city of Hodeida.
"Today, for the first time since September, a World Food Programme team was able to reach the site of the Red Sea Mills, which holds 51,000 metric tonnes of grain, which is enough to feed more than 3.7 million people for a month," Herve Verhoosel said.
"We do not yet have the technical results from today's evaluation, but we hope to be able to begin using this site again as soon as possible," he added.
and
(A P)
National Delegation Confirms Opening Way for UN Team to Reach Red Sea Mills
The National Delegation confirmed on Tuesday that a technical team of United Nations has left from the areas controlled by the Army and Popular Committees to the Red Sea mills in the province of Hodeidah.
The source said that Ansarullah's immediate response to the request of the Chair of the RCC is ensuring that all demands that alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Yemeni people are met.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5605
Remark: From the Houthi side.
and
(A P)
#Saudi #UAE opened fire on the UN observers team after passing throw last point n the #Houthis controlled area E #Hodeidah #Houthi cleared road n their area4 #UN team so they can go2 Red Sea mills,as soon as they left houthis area,they came under fire frm coalition
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1100392073122009090
(* B K P)
The Hodeida Redeployment Plan: A Slow Start in Yemen
Even as it nudges the parties to make good on their initial withdrawal agreements, Washington should counsel patience on what will likely be a long, bumpy road toward full peace talks.
Nearly two months after signing the Stockholm Agreement, the internationally recognized government of Yemen and the Houthi rebel group agreed to terms for implementing a narrow but critical part of that accord: the “redeployment” of their forces in certain parts of Hodeida province. The terms were agreed after talks on February 16-17 led by Lt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, the newly appointed head of the UN Mission in Support of the Hodeida Agreement and chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee. Although these steps represent only a piece of an already-narrow agreement, the UN is cautiously hopeful that they will be the first in a series of confidence-building measures ultimately leading to full peace talks.
SLOW START
Signed on December 13, the Stockholm Agreement focused on three issues
WHAT THEY AGREED TO
Despite the delays, the parties managed to come to a narrow agreement on what the UN is calling “Phase 1” of the Hodeida withdrawal. This latest agreement does not cover the second phase of the withdrawal, prisoner exchange mechanisms, or Taizz.
Several issues remain unresolved. First, no one has specified the “local forces” that are supposed to assume responsibility for security in Hodeida port and city as the parties withdraw. The government worries that that Houthis will leave behind “local” personnel that are secretly loyal to them, as they have done in the past.
Second, the exact timing of the redeployments remains unclear. In
Whenever implementation finally occurs, the UN will be in charge of verifying compliance
WHAT’S NEXT?
If the UN deems Phase 1 of the Hodeida agreement a success, then negotiating Phase 2 will become the priority. If implementation fails, however, Phase 1 talks will reconvene with further erosion of trust.
The United States should back the special envoy’s efforts, but with a dash of caution. If the latest Hodeida agreement is implemented satisfactorily, progress toward wider talks should of course accelerate – by Elana DeLozier
(A K P)
Partial withdrawal from Hodeidah postponed to Thursday
A Yemeni government source said Monday that the partial withdrawal from the country's main port city of Hodeidah was postponed to Thursday due to the "rejection of the Houthis."
"The partial withdrawal from the main city of Hodeidah and ports, west of Yemen, was postponed until next Thursday, after it was postponed on Sunday and Monday," the source said, according to the Anadolu agency.
He noted that the Government's representatives at the Redeployment Commission had approved the first phase, which included the withdrawal of government forces and the Houthis from the seam lines at specified distances, and the withdrawal of the Houthis from the ports with 5 kilometers.
But the Houthis refuse to do so on the ground, despite declaring their consent to the media."
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164702
(* A K P)
Peace deal in Yemen's main port hits snag as U.N. seeks aid pledges
A peace deal in Yemen’s main port city appears to have stalled again despite U.N. efforts to salvage the pact intended to clear the way for wider negotiations to end the devastating four-year war, sources involved in the discussions said.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres admitted at a pledging conference in Geneva on Tuesday, which seeks to raise $4 billion for Yemen, that progress has been slow in implementing a troop withdrawal in Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions facing starvation.
A timeline announced last week was missed. It was supposed to launch a phased approach whereby the Houthis would withdraw from two smaller ports within days, to be followed by a coalition retreat from the city’s eastern suburbs.
“It is not very clear why they canceled the withdrawal as the Houthi leader himself said they are ready to redeploy unilaterally,” one of the sources told Reuters.
Other sources said deep mistrust among the parties remained the main obstacle to forming a local authority that would run the city and ports according to the truce agreement reached at U.N.-led peace talks in December.
(A P K pH)
Acting governor of Hodeidah: Delegation of Riyadh Wants to Overturn Stockholm Agreement
Riyadh's Delegation is attempting to bypass the Swedish agreement by talking about sending military forces to over take the ports in Hodeidah. "The situation in Hodeidah is a humanitarian crisis and the other side must understand this," the acting governor of the province of Hodeidah, Mohammad Ayash Qahim, responded to the pro-aggression forces.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5593&cat_id=1
(A K pH)
Feb. 25: US-Saudi mercenaries targeted with over 33 artillery shells and 2 guided missiles Kilo-16, Al-Hook and Al-Hali districts and different areas of Hodeidah. US-Saudi mercenaries launched over 145 artillery shells and different machine guns Attohayta and Hais districts.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5597&cat_id=1
(A P K pH)
Sayyed Abdulmalik Warns UAE of any Further Military Escalation in Hodiedah
The leader of the Revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik, warned of using available options to respond to the forces of the US-Saudi aggression, if they failed to abide by the Sweden agreement and went back to military escalation in Hodeidah. "All efforts to implement the Swedish agreement have stumbled because of the enemies desire to evaide the agreement. If they return to their military escalation in Hodeidah, we have options to respond, which I do not like to talk about right now," Sayyed Abdulmalik said in a speech on Monday.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5589&cat_id=1
and
(A P)
Sayyed “Abdulmalik Al-Houthi” most recent statements regarding implementing the Yemeni agreements reached in #Sweden consultation. (in image)
(A P)
Abdulsalam Reiterates Adherence, Readiness of National Forces to Implement Sweden Agreement
The head of the National Negotiating Delegation, Mohamed Abdelsalam, reiterated, on Monday, the National Forces commitment to the Sweden Agreement and their readiness to prepare for a unilateral step in the first phase, based on their strong desire to achieve peace in Yemen.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5590&cat_id=1
and
(A P)
We are ready to take executive step regarding Hodeidah deal while other party raises difficulties : Deputy FM confirms
Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Azzi on Sunday has confirmed Yemen's readiness to take a unilateral action on the Hodeidah agreement immediately as soon as Sanaa receives a request from the head of the UN mission to support the agreement.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527553.htm
Remark: By the Sanaa government.
(A P)
First phase of redeployment postponed to Monday
The first phase of forces redeployment in Hodeida has been postponed to Monday due to the impediments posed by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Representatives of the Yemeni government to the Redeployment Coordination Committee have refused the first stage of the redeployment plan suggested by the committee’s chief , General Michael Lollesgaard
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-27971
My comment: They refuse and blame the other side for it?
(A P)
Pro-aggression Delegation Delaying Implementation of First Phase of Redeployment in Hodeidah
The implementation of the first phase of the redeployment in the province of Hodeidah was delayed until Monday due to the lack of seriousness of the delegation of Riyadh and its continued procrastination.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5577&cat_id=1
and
(A P)
Foreign Minister: US Bears Responsibility in Obstructing Implementation of Swedish Agreement
Foreign Minister, Hisham Sharaf, said on Sunday that the United States of America bears the greatest responsibility for obstructing the implementation of the Swedish agreement. Sharaf said, in an interview for Almasirah Net, that "Saudi Arabia and the UAE and the marginal players will not stop obstructing the agreement Sweden only under US pressure," stressing that Sana'a with peace and not surrender, and the countries of aggression to review their accounts.
The comments came after the United Nations postponed the implementation of the first phase of the redeployment in the province of Hodeidah to Monday because of the seriousness of the delegation of Riyadh and continued in procrastination and continued forces of invaders and mercenaries in the bombing of cities and residential neighborhoods.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5580&cat_id=1
Remark: Both reports, from the Houthi (Sanaa government) side.
(A K pS)
Houthi Movement Leader Implicitly Incites His Followers to Escalation in al_Hudayda
Abdulmailk al_Houthi, head of the Houthi movement, ordered his militia members – in a televised speech – to be on full alert, emphasizing that his group has options to respond to any potential escalating in al_Hudayda, west Yemen.
To some monitors, this new development came as a surprise after he assured that his group was going to abide by the Redeployment Agreement.
Earlier today, the Houthis rejected to draw back from Alsaleef and Rass Eissa ports which is part of the first phase of the Redeployment Deal that was scheduled to be carried out today.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14750
(A K pH)
Feb. 24: In Hodeidah, a civilian was killed western Hais by US-Saudi mercenaries' machine-guns. US-Saudi mercenaries also targeted different districts and areas with different arms. Over 25 artillery shells targeted Attohayta district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5581&cat_id=1
(* A K P)
Yemen's Houthis to quit two ports Monday under peace deal: sources
Houthi forces will withdraw 5 km (3 miles) from the ports of Saleef, used for grain, and Ras Isa, an oil terminal, as a first step agreed with the internationally recognized government, three sources said.
The Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah port and the pull-back by coalition forces 1 km away from the city’s “Kilo 7” eastern suburb would take place as a second step, they said.
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 26, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-26-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 25, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-25-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 24, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-24-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-february-23-2019-map-update/
(* B K P)
Following talks in Stockholm, can promises help Yemen live in peace?
Nasser said: “The meeting in Geneva and the UN Security Council will make some kind of ‘fragile’ and ‘temporary’ difference.”
However, she added: “The long term difference does not come from high-level pledging conferences or mere words from the UN Security Council and resolution. So all the international community efforts very welcomed. But without finding a political settlement, all these humanitarian efforts will be just temporary. We need something for a long term solution.”
[Overview article]
(B H K)
On recent trip to #Aden, met victims--incl small kids--from #Yemen's Western Coast, forever maimed by mines laid near their homes.
The people we met had been displaced when fighting reached them. Then, returned, hoping to rebuild their lives. Only to find the roads and farmland they knew, that they depended on, unsafe.
@mwatanaen @hrw + others have documented how #Houthi forces laid antipersonnel + antivehicle mines as they've withdrawn. Those mines have claimed civilian victims, disrupted livelihoods + prevented return.
https://twitter.com/K_Beckerle/status/1100304481328218113
(* B H K)
Unicef: Krieg gegen Kinder muss aufhören
(mit Übersichtskapiteln)
(* B H K P)
Film: Feichtinger kompakt: Friedenshoffnung im Jemen?
Der Krieg im Jemen gilt als die schlimmste humanitäre Katastrophe der Welt. Es droht eine Schlacht um die Hafenstadt Hudaida, die 70 Prozent der Versorgung des Landes sicherstellt. Das könnte eine unvorstellbare Hungersnot auslösen. Doch Ende 2018 kam es in Stockholm zu Friedensgesprächen. In dieser Folge in Feichtinger kompakt: "Friedenshoffnung im Jemen?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVsS8Uem-3I
(* B E P)
Audio: Jemen: "Ein Ende des Konflikts muss gefunden werden"
Marie-Christine Heinze beobachtet am Zentrum für angewandte Orientforschung den vierjährigen Krieg im Jemen. Sie sieht erste Kompromisse zwischen Regierung und Rebellen. Um dem Staat zu helfen, müsse das kaputte Finanzsystem stabilisiert werden.
(A P)
Indian barge brutally assaults Hadhrami fishermen in the international waters of the Arabian Sea
Fisherman Mohamed Salem tells how the crew of the Indian barge F51 in the persecution of him and his colleagues from Qusaier district in the coast of Hadramawt (east of the country), after being held by the crew of the Indian ship in the international waters of the Arabian Sea.
Salem said in an interview with Al-Masdar online that the crew of the Indian barge followed two boats for fishermen from the Directorate, and after they detained them they beat them badly with the ropes.
While the fishermen were being assaulted, they were asked questions in English, which the fishermen did not understand.
Officially, reactions to the attack by the Indian barge F51, where it was not the first, were preceded by repeated assaults by the same barge on Yemeni fishermen.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164687
(* B K)
World Press Story of the Year nominee Lorenzo Tugnoli
Shooting the conflict in Yemen and the humanitarian crisis it's fostered, Lorenzo Tugnoli hopes to "acknowledge the complexity of what’s going on"
“Working in Yemen is extremely difficult,” says Lorenzo Tugnoli, talking to BJP by phone from Kabul. “It’s a country where you have to navigate through various factions, and there are bureaucratic obstacles on both sides. As an example, it took us months just to get a visa.
“And even when you get access, you are not allowed to have much time. For example, after long negotiation we were allowed to go to Hodeidah, but they only let us stay for a few days. I look at my pictures in the port: I was there just for half an hour.”
Even so, Tugnoli has managed to make two extended trips to Yemen – the first for three weeks in May 2018, and the second for five weeks in November and December 2018. During those trips he travelled extensively throughout the country, crossing over the frontline and into territories held by opposing forces. Showing both the conflict and its disastrous humanitarian impact, his images have been published in a series of essays by The Washington Post, and a story pulled out of those images by Tugnoli and the director of Contrasto, Giulia Tornari, has now been nominated for the very first World Press Photo Story of the Year.
“In the Middle East, we [Western reporters] are often in a privileged position,” he adds. “I live in Beirut, and it is easier for me than it is for local journalists to travel in Middle Eastern countries.”
https://www.bjp-online.com/2019/02/lorenzo-tugnoli/
(B K P)
#Yemen had its goals: universal education, healthcare, food for everyone, simple things the Western world takes for granted such as water and electricity in every village.
It was decided #war was better.
Please take time to read the testimony of Adriaan Neven du Mont. (in image)
(A PK P)
Yemeni Prime Minister Blames Houthis for Attacks in Violation of Peace Treaty
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek Saeed has accused the country's rebel Houthi movement of violating the peace treaty by carrying out heavy weapon attacks in regions located far from the front line.
Houthi rebels carry out violent attacks, involving heavy weapons and tanks, in the Hajjah region, located far from the front line", Saeed said at the 40th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201902251072719599-yemen-houthis-attack-violation/
Remark: The cease fire only is valid for Hodeidah – for other parts of Yemen, unfortunately there is no ceasefire. Thus, this accusation is baseless.
(* B H K P)
Statement by NRC's Secretary General Jan Egeland ahead of the Yemen pledging conference in Geneva tomorrow
Millions of lives are at stake in Yemen. We urge governments to increase funding to meet the needs created by this horrific man-made humanitarian disaster. It is no coincidence that the top donors for Yemen's humanitarian aid over the last year were the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, funding 60 per cent of the total response plan, with the UK further down funding 5 per cent of the response. They have, with other nations on both sides, contributed to the war, which has produced the shocking 24 million Yemenis in need of aid. That is more than three fourths of the entire Yemeni population. We also need more money from governments who are not involved in this brutal war.
But more importantly, we need to see an end to the hypocrisy of nations trading in arms or raining down shells and bombs on Yemeni civilians caught in crossfire. Yemenis need much more than just money. They need an end to interference by political and military authorities in aid delivery. They also need a lifting of the blockade, all ports and airports reopened, public services restored, and a nation-wide ceasefire so that talks can bring an end to the conflict. This is the only way to break the vicious cycle of human suffering." -- NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland
(* A K P)
Film. Hassan Al-Haifi war live.
https://www.facebook.com/hassan.alhaifi/videos/2141991002514523/
(* A K)
12 British, Pakistani Forces Killed in Southern Saudi Arabia
The killed British and Pakistani military officers were conducting a top-secret mission commissioned by the UK, the US, and the UAE, Taez news, a Yemeni news outlet, reported last night.
The source added that the killed officers were experts in planning and managing military operations, and were tasked with commanding the Saudi-hired foreign militants involved in the war against Yemen.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13971205000249
(B K P)
UN Must End Saudi War and Brutality in Yemen
Tragically, the only thing the UN has done thus far is condemning these repeated killings – even though the world body is fully in the know that the unprovoked aggression against Yemen is for all the wrong reasons. The unprovoked conflict is in fact a smokescreen. The alliance among Saudi, American and Israeli interests gives the false story about the alleged Iranian takeover of Yemen additional legs, passed on to “fakestream” media from Tel Aviv. Fanning a bogus Shiite-Sunni conflict seems to be a great idea for Riyadh, enthusiastically seconded by its protector and close ally, Israel.
With these in mind, the blitz boys of so many Arab and Western states have attacked and destroyed Yemen’s lifelines for all the criminal reasons. This unqualified alliance stems from motives for regional domination and more.
The UN should also realize that condemnation per se is not enough. There is an urgent need to a halt in the war.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13971205001048
Remark: From Iran, exaggerating Israel’s role in the Yemen War.
(* B H K P)
Film: World Health Organization (WHO) violations in #Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=290128138314685
Remark: A film by Houthis’ AlMasirah TV, accusing the WHO.
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A P)
YRSPC: Coalition of Aggression Holds Four Ships
Yemen Red Sea Ports Corporation (YRSPC) stated on Monday that the coalition of aggression prevents the entry of four commercial vessels carrying oil derivatives and foodstuffs to the port of Hodeidah despite obtaining the permits from the United Nations.
A source at the Corporation said that the US-Saudi aggression is holding two ships, Ariana and Great Star, as well as two other ships in Djibouti.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5600&cat_id=1
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B H)
Film: Hungersnot im Jemen
https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-509541.html
(B H)
US Agency for International Development: Yemen - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-complex-emergency-fact-sheet-5-fiscal-year-fy-2019
https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-active-usg-programs-yemen-response-last-updated-022619
(* B H)
Humanitarian Aid Organizations’ Response to Dire Situation in Yemen Reckless and Lethal
Some of the “helping” hands that provided aids share some of the damage imposed on the Yemeni people, which have brought death to thousands. Almasirah TV in an investigation, of the work done by some International Organizations, highlighted serious acts that have contributed to increasing the suffering of people in dire need of these organizations help. The camera traveled from one health center to another and from one government office to another in search of answers for the deteriorating situation of the health infrastructure. In between, the stories of many patients, victims of the US-Saudi siege and bad healthcare system.
“Under lack of resources due to the US-Saudi aggression, the process of distributing free medicines to those who have kidney transplant, by the Ministry of Public Health and Population, had stopped. But this did not prevent some of those patients from going back to the ministry, searching for what delays the inevitable death,” said a patient explaining the critical condition of many Kidney transplant patients.
The humanitarian appeals launched by the Health Ministry continued, but none of the responses have really alleviated the crisis, which has reached its highest levels in 2018.
The blood pressure connectors provided by the aid organizations caused damage to air passages, through the patient’s vein, blood clots during the dialysis session, doubling salt solution use, which means doubling the session time, the amount of solutions given to the patient was doubled to prevent blood clotting, which caused bleeding for some of them after the session ended and the solutions caused renal dialysis devices to stop before the session ends as well as reducing the dialysis session efficiency. The medical staff was fighting to save patients’ lives from the dialysis supplies threats of being incompatible with the devices.
(A H)
Film: Schon wieder Haut und Knochen / Just skin and bones
Während unserer Verteilung von Essenspaketen in ländlichen Dörfern in der Provinz Al-Hodeidah haben wir eine Reihe von Kindern gefunden, die an schwerer Unterernährung leiden.
Das vierzehnjährige Mädchen Safa Mujahed, welches aufgrund schwerer Unterernährung nur elf oder zwolf Kilogramm wiegt, ist eines dieser Opfer Kinder in Jemen
#Safa weighs 11 kg. And she is not a baby
Please follow the local NGOs in #Yemen: they are the ones who can show you the devastating effects of the #war on #Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2325543974144102
(* B H)
Krieg im Jemen: Lebensmittel als Waffe
Vor allem Kinder leiden während des Kriegs im Jemen unter Hunger. Rund 7,4 Millionen von ihnen brauchen Hilfe. Lebensmittel ungehindert zu verteilen ist den Hilfsorganisationen aber kaum möglich.
Die Situation für die Kinder im Jemen wird immer schlechter. Laut UN brauchen 7,4 Millionen Kinder humanitäre Hilfe. Das sind zwölf Prozent mehr als noch vor zwei Jahren.
Vereinbarte Waffenstillstände werden immer wieder gebrochen, so dass die UN große Probleme haben, die Menschen in Not zu erreichen.
Viele stark unterernährte Kinder im Jemen werden erst sehr spät ins Krankenhaus gebracht. Oft muss erst einmal Geld für den Transport aufgebracht werden.
Das Gesundheitswesen funktioniert im Jemen nur noch in geringen Teilen. Krankentransporte von Notfalldiensten gibt es jenseits der Hauptstadt und anderer größerer Städte praktisch gar nicht mehr.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/krieg-im-jemen-103.html
(A H)
Feed a Family in Yemen
I’m collecting donations for Human Needs Development-HND, a Yemeni nonprofit organization based in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.
HND aims to prevent and alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable people in Yemen in the face of absence of human life’s basic needs such as foods, water, education and health. They help Yemeni people regardless their different religions, sects, colors and regions.
FEED YEMEN is HND's relief campaign that aims to help the most war affected families in Yemen with food baskets.
Every food basket costs $30 and will be sufficient for ONE month.
All the amounts collected here will be sent to Yemen on a monthly basis. That means HND’s team will carry out a stage per month.
Every ONE month, they will target new Yemeni areas, communities and families. Priority is given to those families with big number of members; disabled householders; most of their members are females, internally displaced and those families who don't have any income resources.
All funds would be collected here will be used as the following:
85%: Purchasing food baskets,
Food baskets will be purchased from local food suppliers near the living locations of the needy families;
10%: Transporting fees (trucks) and office supplies,
5%: Gofundme and Wire Transfer Fees
https://www.gofundme.com/feed-a-family-in-yemen
(A H)
Hilfen des türkischen Roten Halbmondes
Die Türkei hat für Krebskranke und ein Waisenheim im Jemen 225 Packungen mit Nahrungsmitteln verteilt.
http://www.trt.net.tr/deutsch/turkei/2019/02/25/hilfen-des-turkischen-roten-halbmondes-1151787
(B H)
The sensitive cash transfer for nutrition program trains 267 girls aged 18-35 in health, nutrition education and girls' education, to provide them job opportunities to work as community educators in targeted communities. This makes the total number of trained girls 2241 girls. (photo)
https://twitter.com/Cash4_Nutrition/status/1100043430707806208
(* B H K)
Yemen: The man-made disaster must end
The crisis in Yemen is described as the world's largest humanitarian crisis. After four years of catastrophic conflict, Millions of Yemenis are just one step away from famine. Without life-saving aid in the coming months, thousands of lives are at risk due to ongoing violence and lack of access to food and medicine.
“To avoid more deaths and suffering we must continue to scale up humanitarian assistance, donors should give more money, the use of blockade and restrictions on food fuel and medicines must be lifted, and we must see an end to the war,” says Egeland.
To the brink of famine
More than 20 million people across the country are hungry. Half of these people are suffering from extreme levels of hunger or are just one step away from famine. This is a 14 per cent increase from last year. Two-thirds of all districts in the country are already pre-famine.
Close to 240,000 people are already living in famine like conditions in some locations. Hunger is most severe in the areas where there is fighting.
More than 8 out of 10 need humanitarian aid
“Millions of Yemenis are hungrier, sicker and more vulnerable than a year ago, pushing an ever-greater number of people in to seeking humanitarian assistance to survive”, says Egeland.
Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure
Every day Yemeni civilians continue to be killed and injured in their homes, cars, farms, markets or in cars and buses. Houses, schools, hospitals and water tanks continue to be destroyed and damaged by all sides in this conflict. With air strikes inflicting the most damage.
The deadly blockade must come to an end
Before the escalation of the war in Yemen, the country imported 90 per cent of its staple food and nearly all its fuel and medicine. After the war escalated in March 2015, border crossings, airports and harbors have been closed intermittently.
A combination of negative factors
Staple food items are now on average 150 per cent higher than before the crisis escalated. A combination of factors such the use of blockade, restrictions on commercial goods, the collapse of the economy and public services, coupled with disruptions to livelihoods and economic activities, with 600,000 jobs lost and with teachers, health workers and civil servants in the northern parts of the country not being paid for years is deepening the needs in Yemen and pushing millions of Yemenis to the brink of famine.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-man-made-disaster-must-end
(* B H)
Jemen: Verzweifelte Eltern verheiraten dreijährige Tochter
Der anhaltende Konflikt, steigende Lebensmittelpreise und sinkende Einkommen zwingen die Menschen im Jemen zu immer verzweifelteren Maßnahmen, um nicht zu hungern. Manche sehen sich in ihrer Not gezwungen, sogar Kleinkinder zu verheiraten – in einem Fall ein erst drei Jahre altes Mädchen. Das hat die im Jemen tätige Nothilfe- und Entwicklungsorganisation Oxfam berichtet. Oxfam fordert Regierungen weltweit auf, bei der UN-Geberkonferenz in Genf am Dienstag genügend Hilfsgelder für die Bekämpfung der humanitären Krise in dem Land aufzubringen.
Obwohl frühes Heiraten im Jemen schon lange üblich ist, ist es schockierend, so Oxfam, dass Mädchen in so jungen Jahren verheiratet werden, weil ihre verzweifelten Angehören keine andere Möglichkeit sehen, um sich Lebensmittel kaufen zu können. Jüngeren Mädchen bleibt es in der Regel erspart, die Ehe zu vollziehen, bis sie elf Jahre alt sind. Vorher sind sie jedoch dazu bestimmt, Hausarbeit in der Wohnung ihres Mannes zu erledigen.
"Im Laufe dieses Krieges sind die Menschen immer verzweifelter geworden", erklärte Muhsin Siddiquey. "Sie sehen sich gezwungen, Schritte zu unternehmen, die das Leben ihrer Kinder jetzt und in den kommenden Jahrzehnten zerstören. Dies ist eine direkte Folge einer menschengemachten humanitären Katastrophe, die durch den Krieg verursacht wurde."
(B H)
Audio: Unterwegs im Jemen
Zwei Drittel der jemenitischen Bevölkerung leidet an Hunger. Wir klären, wieso es so schwierig ist, den Menschen vor Ort zu helfen. Außerdem: Wie grausam dürfen Märchen sein?
https://www.br.de/mediathek/podcast/tagesticket-der-frueh-podcast/unterwegs-im-jemen/1501546
(* B H)
Yemeni crisis forces families to take desperate measures to survive
Conflict, rising food prices and plummeting incomes in Yemen are forcing people to resort to desperate measures to stave off hunger, Oxfam said today. The warning comes as rich countries meet in Geneva to pledge aid for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen which has left almost ten million people one step away from famine. Since the escalation in conflict in 2015, food prices in Yemen have soared while household incomes have plummeted, pushing the costs of basic foods beyond the reach of many.
Oxfam spoke to families in Amran governorate in the North who, hungry and isolated after fleeing their homes, have been forced to marry off their daughters – in one case as young as three years old – to buy food and shelter to save the rest of the family. Although early marriage has long been a practice in Yemen, marrying off girls at such an early age in desperation to buy food is shocking.
Younger girls are usually spared consummating the marriage until they have reached 11 years old but before that are made to do household work in their husband’s home. Nine-year-old Hanan used to go to school but since she was married, she has had to stop.
Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director Muhsin Siddiquey said: “As this war has gone on, people’s means of coping with devastating levels of hunger have become more and more desperate. They’re being forced to take steps that blight their children’s lives now and for decades to come. This is a direct result of a man-made humanitarian catastrophe caused by the conflict. The international community needs to do everything in its power to bring an end to the fighting and ensure people have the food, water and medicine they so desperately need.”
Fighting has forced many families to flee to isolated areas that lack basic infrastructure with no schools, water networks, proper sewage disposal systems or health centres. Many of them are living in small tents or mud houses which offer little protection against sun, rain or freezing temperatures during winter nights. With no income and limited job opportunities, many families can’t afford enough food and resort to skipping meals, eating only bread and tea, buying food on credit, or begging.
Yemeni families can number up to 15 people, including older members who need special care and medication, further increasing living expenses which are already unbearable.
https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2019-02-25/yemeni-crisis-forces-families-take-desperate-measures-survive = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemeni-crisis-forces-families-take-desperate-measures-survive
Films: https://twitter.com/suzevanmeegen/status/1100368952100835329
https://twitter.com/Oxfam/status/1100389614953611264
(A H)
Japanese funds provide significant boost to WFP emergency operation in Yemen
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed US$30.4 million in funding from Japan to provide food and nutrition assistance for over three million vulnerable people in Yemen, bolstering WFP’s efforts to alleviate the country’s humanitarian crisis.
(* B H)
1.2M Yemeni children live in conflict zones: UNICEF
Around 1.2 million Yemeni children live in conflict zones in war-battered Yemen, the UN children's agency UNICEF said Monday.
The children "continue to live in 31 active conflict zones including Al-Hudaydah, Taiz, Hajjah and Saada - in areas witnessing heavy, war-related violence," Geert Cappelaere UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/12m-yemeni-children-live-in-conflict-zones-unicef/1402281
(B H)
Film: Stop the WAR in Yemen - Hilfsaktion bei Al-Hudeidah
Die Aufnahmen wurden von unserer befreundeten NGO Yemen Friends aus Sanaa in Dörfern nahe von der Hafenstadt Al-Hudeidah in Nord-Jemen gedreht. Das Yemen Friends Team setzt seine Bemühungen fort, regelmäßig monatliche Hilfe dort zu leisten, wo die Not am größten ist, um das Leben weiterer Familien und Kindern im Jemen zu schützen und zu retten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbWYtHbPanQ
(B H)
More than 200 students have to study outdoors and as a result, they are subjected to respiratory diseases in #Shabwa province. Khaled Bin Al-Waled school consists of 3 classes, where students from grade 1 to 3 study indoors and students from grade 4 to 9 study outdoors (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1099785079520444416
and
(B H)
Film: Escuela al aire libre para niños de Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/esRTmedia/videos/752304958466564/?v=752304958466564
(B H)
Saudi Arabia’s relief center prosthetic limbs project benefits 1,839 Yemenis
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) on Sunday revealed it provided prosthetic limbs for 1,839 civilians mutilated during the war in Yemen in the past three years, at a total cost of $2.3 million.
Prior to April 2017, a medical center backed by KSRelief and based in the city of Marib had fitted prosthetic limbs for 305 patients, and trained 5 Yemeni teams on prosthetic affixation techniques and patient rehabilitation, at a cost of $546,848.
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) on Sunday revealed it provided prosthetic limbs for 1,839 civilians mutilated during the war in Yemen in the past three years, at a total cost of $2.3 million.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1457451/saudi-arabia
My comment: Mutilate them first, patch them up later.
(* B H)
A DAY IN THE LIFE: WAR-RAVAGED YEMENIS EKE OUT MEAGER LIVING, IF AT ALL
In capital of Sana’a, citizens do what they can to get by and even express optimism for the future.
On a sunny Saturday morning in Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen, I head to the Al-Raqqas vegetable market. As soon as I enter, I am shocked by how small it has become over the past few years.
I am greeted from afar by a seller named Walid.
“One basket of onions costs $12, while a basket of tomatoes costs $30 and a basket of potatoes is $20,” Walid elaborated.
Each basket contains about 18 kilograms of vegetables, and some families used to buy them in full or by the half. However, they do not do that anymore due to either a lack of electricity to power their refrigerator or a lack of money. According to the United Nations, more than 10 million Yemeni children are on the brink of starvation.
I go to the General Investment Authority in Sana’a to meet the deputy chief, Khalid Sharaf Addine, in order to speak about the status of the Yemeni economy and how it has affected nearly everyone’s lives. In fact, around three quarters of the country’s population or some 28 million people, are presently in need of humanitarian assistance.
“Due to the current aggression and blockade, five million people are unemployed,” Sharaf Addine conveyed to The Media Line. (“Aggression” is a term used by many who are opposed to Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war.) “Add to that another million in the public sector [who are not being paid their salaries] and another million in the private sector, mainly in agriculture.
(* B H)
Our Dreams Thrive” A PROJECT FOR ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE VIA EDUCATION
a project that is the first of its kind in Yemen, Nada Foundation Educating Displaced Girls English Language and Children’s Rights
Nada Foundation for Children’s Rights launched the project of “Our Dreams Thrive” that aims to educate girls in the Republic of Yemen and gives priority to beneficiaries in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
the number of female students benefiting from the project is approximately 10,000 girls.
Through the project, the method of teaching girls depends on teaching them English language with emphasis on making girls aware of their rights, identifying the harmful effects of child marriage and combating violence against children.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/our-dreams-thrive-project-ending-child-marriage-via-nada-al-ahdal
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TLLuI3zdAs
cp3a Geberkonferenz der UN / UN donors conference
(* A H P)
Uno sammelt 2,3 Milliarden Euro für Jemen
Eine Geberkonferenz für den bitterarmen Jemen war ein Erfolg, es wurde weit mehr gespendet als vor einem Jahr. Doch die Spenden reichen nicht aus: Millionen Menschen droht im Bürgerkriegsland eine Hungersnot.
Bei der dritten Geberkonferenz der Vereinten Nationen in Genf kamen insgesamt 2,3 Milliarden Euro zusammen. Uno-Generalsekretär António Guterres sprach zwar von einem Erfolg, es seien 30 Prozent mehr gespendet worden als vor einem Jahr.
Allerdings brauchen die Uno dieses Jahr 3,7 Milliarden Euro für den Jemen. Guterres äußerte die Hoffnung, dass im Laufe des Jahres noch mehr Geld zusammenkommt.
"Fast zehn Millionen Menschen stehen kurz vor einer Hungersnot", sagte Guterres. 360.000 Kinder litten unter teils schwerer Unterernährung. "Kinder haben den Krieg nicht gestartet, aber sie zahlen den höchsten Preis", sagte er.
Die Bundesregierung hat für die Uno-Hilfe 100 Millionen Euro versprochen, die EU 161 Millionen Euro. Größte Geber waren nach Angaben von Guterres Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate
mit ihren Bombardierungen für das Elend mitverantwortlich sind. Die Hilfe werde strikt nach Bedürftigkeit vergeben, sagte Guterres.
(A H P)
Die Schweiz unterstützt die Nothilfe im Jemen
Die Schweiz stellt für die Menschen im Jemen in diesem Jahr 13 Millionen Franken Nothilfe bereit.
https://www.ref.ch/news/die-schweiz-unterstuetzt-die-nothilfe-im-jemen/
(A H P)
Außenminister Maas zur Geberkonferenz für Jemen
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/maas-jemen/2192850
Mein Kommentar: Warum das Bla Bla ist, kann man in cp1 (letztes Thema) nachlesen.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia representative is calling to have the 2020 pledging conference in Saudi!!!! Oh wow what a generous invitation. Are we here in Geneva because we are having a good moment? I think this conflict should end soon for the sake of everyone's sanity!!
https://twitter.com/HanaalShowafi/status/1100335184535277568
(* A H P)
UN raises $2.6bn in donations for Yemen humanitarian aid
The UN chief refrained from criticising main donors, Saudi Arabia and UAE, who are parties in Yemen's devastating war.
A United Nations donors conference for Yemen has raised about $2.6bn of the $4bn needed to address the humanitarian crisis in the country
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were the main donors, pledging $500m each and contributing to a 30-percent increase in total pledges from last year.
But the two Gulf countries, backed by the United States and the United Kingdom, are also active participants in the ongoing conflict, which has caused what the UN describes as the "world's worst humanitarian crisis"
Nevertheless, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday praised the Gulf countries' contributions and abstained from any criticism of their actions, despite requests from the media to clarify the contradiction in their positions as donors - as well as parties in the conflict.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1033582
film: http://webtv.un.org/watch/yemen-high-level-pledging-event-media-stakeout-geneva-26-february-2019/6007143741001 (Guterres‘ speach)
My comment: This is one of the problems of the UN: Rich perpetrators might give blood money, and are welcomed.
And
(* A H P)
Saudi Arabia and UAE in record pledge at Yemen aid conference
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two Gulf donors fighting on one side of the war in Yemen, committed a record-breaking $1 billion towards UN-led humanitarian operations in the country at a pledging conference on Tuesday.
The new contribution from Saudi Arabia and UAE, the largest such commitment to a UN humanitarian appeal ever, follows a joint $500 million pledge in November, most of which will also be spent in 2019. The two countries committed $930 million for last years’ appeal.
Senior Swiss humanitarian aid official Manuel Bessler told IRIN that Yemen was “a good operation” with “actors that can deliver”, but acknowledged that the giant aid response did face challenges in terms of access and security.
Muna Luqman, chairperson of the Yemeni NGO “Food For Humanity”, lobbying in Geneva for more support to deal with mental health and trauma, said she had ”mixed feelings” about the conference.
“I’m happy that we’re getting more attention to Yemen, and of course more funding is needed,” she said. “However, I’m sad this is the second or third pledging conference – I hope the next event will be a peace conference.”
The UN’s emergency aid coordination body, OCHA, and the two Gulf states are still in discussions about how the 2019 funds will be allocated, according to UN and Saudi Arabian officials.
Mohammed Al-Jaber, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen, said talks were underway with OCHA chief Mark Lowcock to review the 2018 experience and “overcome the weaknesses of what happened last year”.
http://www.irinnews.org/news/2019/02/26/saudi-arabia-and-uae-record-pledge-yemen-aid-conference
(A H P)
UAE and Saudi Arabia announce $1 billion in humanitarian aid for Yemen
The UAE and Saudi Arabia promised to contribute $500 million (Dh1.8 billion) each in humanitarian aid for Yemen at a United Nations Pledging Conference in Geneva on Tuesday, as aid officials reached the Red Sea Mills in Yemen’s Hodeidah port for the first time in six months in efforts to avert famine.
"There will be impartiality, neutrality and independence in the way the distribution is made, which means that the distribution will impact both areas controlled by the government and areas controlled by the Houthis," he said. (UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres)
My comment: Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the main destructors of Yemen, giving “blood money” (equivalent to 5 days of aerial war).
(A H P)
The EU announces over €161.5 million for Yemen crisis
As millions of people continue to suffer in Yemen, the European Commission has announced its intention to provide €161.5 million in humanitarian aid for 2019.
This brings total Commission support for Yemen since the beginning of the crisis in 2015 to €710 million.
https://ec.europa.eu/echo/news/eu-announces-over-1615-million-yemen-crisis_en
Comment: White-washing silence, arms deals, siding with the aggressors.
Note: the European Commission has announced its INTENTION to provide €161.5 million in humanitarian aid.
It is an intention.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2157162771003408
(A H P)
Canada pledges $47M in aid at conference on Yemen
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/yemen-aid-pledges-canada-1.5033836?cmp=rss
Comment: Canada continues to supply Saudi Arabia with Light Armoured Vehicles made by General Dynamics in Ontario, despite irrefutable evidence of war crimes committed by the Saudis in #Yemen. The contract is worth $15 Billion
https://twitter.com/shireen818/status/1100563626086334464
(A H P)
Norway to provide NOK 150 million in humanitarian support to Yemen
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/norway-provide-nok-150-million-humanitarian-support-yemen
(A H P)
REMARKS BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL TO THE PLEDGING CONFERENCE FOR YEMEN
And I have no doubt that Yemen will stand on its feet again and play its full role in the international community.
Until then, I stand in solidarity with millions of suffering Yemenis. And the United Nations and the wider international community are with you every step of the way.
Together, inshallah, we can bring the suffering in Yemen to an end.
https://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/7A01DE827DC2D9CEC12583AD003B5E05?OpenDocument = https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2019-02-26/secretary-generals-remarks-the-pledging-conference-for-yemen-delivered-%C2%A0
film: https://twitter.com/UNGeneva/status/1100433840345104386
(A H P)
High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen - Opening Session
Statement by Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga, Vice-President of the Federal Council, Co-Chair of the Conference, Palais des Nations, Geneva, 26 February 2019
https://www.uvek.admin.ch/uvek/fr/home/detec/medias/discours.msg-id-74114.html
(A H P)
UN target of $4bn in aid for Yemen reliant on Saudi and US pledges
Dominant donors to record appeal to alleviate suffering of civil war will include countries leading aerial bombing campaign
The international community will gather on Tuesday to try to raise more than $4bn to help alleviate the suffering and famine caused by Yemen’s civil war, but will find itself heavily dependent on three combatants in the conflict – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the US – to reach its fundraising target for 2019.
The $4.2bn (£3.2bn) target for 2019 – the largest sum sought for any single year since the start of the civil war in 2015 and an increase of 33 % on last year – will be the focus of an all-day pledging conference in Geneva.
(A H)
Internationale Geberkonferenz soll Hilfsgelder für Menschen im Jemen beschaffen
Am Dienstag findet eine internationale Geberkonferenz für Jemen statt.
(A H)
Hilfsorganisationen drängen auf Unterstützung für Jemen
Anlässlich der internationalen Jemen-Hilfskonferenz am Dienstag in Genf drängen Hilfsorganisationen auf ein Ende des Kriegs und mehr Unterstützung für die Zivilbevölkerung.
https://neuesruhrwort.de/2019/02/26/hilfsorganisationen-draengen-auf-unterstuetzung-fuer-jemen/ = https://www.domradio.de/themen/soziales/2019-02-26/hilfsorganisationen-draengen-auf-unterstuetzung-fuer-jemen
(* B H)
Krieg im Jemen: „Wir fordern 4,2 Milliarden Dollar“
Im Jemen herrschen seit Jahren Krieg und Hunger. An diesem Dienstag bitten Hilfsorganisationen bei einer Geberkonferenz der UN um Hilfe für die Menschen dort. Wie die Situation entschärft werden könnte, erklärt der Möglinger Julian Zakrzewski im Interview.
Stuttgart - Seit Jahren bezeichnen Hilfsorganisationen die Situation im Jemenals eine der schlimmsten humanitären Katastrophen unserer Zeit – so auch Julian Zakrzewski, der für die französische Organisation Acted im Jemen ist. Im Interview spricht er über die Hungersnot im Land und warum Hilfsorganisationen 4,2 Milliarden Dollar (rund 3,7 Milliarden Euro) für Jemen fordern.
Herr Zakrzewski, Sie sind derzeit in Sanaa, der Hauptstadt Jemens. In dem Land herrscht seit vier Jahren Krieg, es ist eine der gefährlichsten Gegenden der Welt. Wie lässt es sich dort arbeiten?
In manchen Kriegsgebieten sind Hilfsorganisationen, wie wir es sind, auch ein Ziel von Angriffen, zum Beispiel im Irak. In Jemen ist das zum Glück nicht so. Das macht unsere Arbeit etwas leichter. Hier in Sanaa merkt man das vor allem daran, dass es rund um den Flughafen viele Luftangriffe gibt. Nur Flugzeuge der UN dürfen landen. Im Norden ist die Zerstörung am größten.
(* B H)
Schlimmste humanitäre Katastrophe der Welt: Der Jemen braucht Milliardenhilfen
Im Jemen brauchen wegen des Bürgerkriegs mehr als 24 Millionen Menschen Hilfe oder Schutz. Auf einer Geberkonferenz will die internationale Gemeinschaft mehr als vier Milliarden US-Dollar sammeln. Aber die Lücke ist noch groß.
Die Vereinten Nationen bezeichnen den Bürgerkrieg als die aktuell schlimmste humanitäre Katastrophe der Welt. Schon vor Kriegsbeginn im Jahr 2014 galt der Jemen als das Armenhaus der Arabischen Halbinsel. Seitdem hat sich die Zahl der Hilfsbedürftigen Menschen drastisch erhöht: Mehr als 24 Millionen Menschen benötigten Hilfe oder Schutz, sagte Lise Grande, UN-Hilfskoordinatorin für den Jemen, vor einer geplanten Geberkonferenz. Das sind rund 80 Prozent der Bevölkerung.
"Mein Mann hat wegen des Krieges seinen Job verloren und ich habe kein Gehalt mehr bekommen. Wie soll man so leben?", klagt Lehrerin Hajat Said. Vier Kinder hat die Familie zu ernähren. Und die Preise steigen, seit die saudische Koalition eine Blockade über den Flughafen Sanaa und die Häfen am Roten Meer verhängt hat.
Der Verein aus Bayern, Hajati Karamati ("Mein Leben, meine Würde"), will genau da helfen.
(* B H)
Stoppt den Krieg gegen die Kinder im Jemen!
Am Dienstag, 26. Februar 2019, findet in Genf die internationale Geberkonferenz zum Jemen statt. Gemäss Schätzungen leben im Jemen 1,2 Millionen Kinder in unmittelbarer Nähe von Kampfzonen. UNICEF fordert den sofortigen Stopp der Gewalt und benötigt zudem für 2019 rund 542 Millionen US-Dollar, um lebensrettende Hilfe für Kinder im Jemen zu leisten.
Trotz Vereinbarungen zur Reduzierung der Gewalt im Jemen hat sich die Lage der Kinder in dem Land kaum verbessert. Seit dem Stockholmer Abkommen vom Dezember wurden laut UNICEF im Jemen jeden Tag im Durchschnitt acht Kinder getötet, schwer verwundet oder zum Kämpfen gezwungen. Die meisten Kinder starben auf dem Weg zur Schule oder draussen beim Spielen mit ihren Freunden. Einige wurden auch in ihren Häusern getötet.
Die Versorgungslage im Jemen ist so schlecht, dass derzeit 11 Millionen Kinder – das sind 80 Prozent aller Buben und Mädchen – humanitäre Hilfe brauchen. Im ganzen Land leiden 2 Millionen Kinder an akuter Mangelernährung; 360 000 von ihnen sind so schwer unterernährt, dass sie jederzeit sterben können.
Die Auswirkungen des Bürgerkriegs berühren heute praktisch alle Bereiche des Lebens der Kinder. Das Land steht kurz davor, eine ganze Generation von Kindern durch Gewalt, Flucht, Armut und fehlende Bildungsmöglichkeiten zu verlieren.
und auch https://www.unicef.de/informieren/aktuelles/presse/2019/krieg-gegen-kinder-im-jemen-stoppen/187024
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UN Children's Fund: Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the high-level pledging conference for Yemen
"I urge world leaders convening now for the pledging conference on Yemen to remember that the lives of Yemeni children depend on their support.
"Yemen is home to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world and children are especially vulnerable. At least 11.3 million - 80 percent of all children in the country - need humanitarian assistance, while 1.8 million are acutely malnourished including nearly 360,000 children under the age of five suffering from severe acute malnutrition. At least 2 million children are out of school and 8.1 million do not have access to safe water and sanitation services. Children continue to be killed or injured by the violence, recruited into armed groups or forced into child labour or early marriage.
"UNICEF requires US$542 million to continue funding and expand vital programmes that are keeping children alive.
(B H)
UN Development Programme: In Yemen, saving lives while keeping hope alive critical
In urging countries to support the humanitarian appeal for Yemen, the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stressed that relief now and development must go hand in hand to avoid a bigger crisis in the long run
“Past conflicts have shown that ‘relief now and development later’ is not a model that can safeguard the peace and promote prosperity once the conflict has ended,” said Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP. “For Yemenis to prosper in the long run, and to have hope for their future, we must direct aid in a way that saves lives while also maintaining access to jobs, education, healthcare, and functioning markets.”
After four years of continuous conflict, Yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis today.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/undp-yemen-saving-lives-while-keeping-hope-alive-critical
(A H)
Dramatische Not macht Ausweitung der Hilfe erforderlich
Das Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft hat anlässlich der UN-Geberkonferenz am 26. Februar in Genf eine Ausweitung der Hilfe für den Jemen gefordert
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International Committee of the Red Cross: Women, children, men are dying every day in Yemen. This has to stop.
Speech by Gilles Carbonier, Vice-President, on behalf of ICRC President
As the conflict enters its fifth year, the weight of the humanitarian crisis has become unbearable. Almost every aspect of people’s daily life has been impacted with 80% of the population in need of some humanitarian aid.
Restrictions on imports into Yemen, as a result of the conflict and the difficulty moving within the country has slowed down the import of medicine and food.
Every day, parents across Yemen are forced to make the impossible choice between saving their sick children and feeding their healthy ones.
Today I remind all parties of their obligations to allow the free flow of goods and humanitarian aid for the civilian population in need. At the origin of this disaster stands the disrespect of fundamental humanitarian laws and principles by the parties to the conflict.
Humanitarians in Yemen are under fire: over the last four years, ten Yemen Red Crescent Society volunteers and three ICRC staff members were killed while carrying out their duties. More than 160 health structures have been attacked and partly or entirely destroyed.
Medical staff and facilities, first responders and infrastructure essential to the survival of civilians, as well as humanitarian workers are not a target and must be protected.
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/women-children-men-are-dying-every-day-has-stop = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/women-children-men-are-dying-every-day-yemen-has-stop
(B H)
International Organization for Migration IOM Yemen: 2019 Consolidated Appeal
Throughout the country, a man-made food security crisis has pushed millions to the brink of famine while nearly half of the country’s medical facilities are no longer functioning.
To address these critical, life-threatening gaps the International Organization for Migration is appealing for USD 142 million to provide humanitarian assistance to more than four million Yemenis.
The Organization joins its United Nations and other humanitarian partners at the High-Level Pledging Event for Yemen today (26/02) in Geneva.
“The needs throughout the country are overwhelming,” said IOM Yemen Chief of Mission, David Derthick. “Yemenis are being displaced repeatedly.
https://www.iom.int/news/yemen-most-dire-humanitarian-crisis-world-requires-scaled-response-2019 = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-2019-consolidated-appeal
(B H)
INTERNATIONAL UN DONOR CONFERENCE ON YEMEN
Welthungerhilfe: We Must Prevent a Famine
Welthungerhilfe calls on participants at the donor conference to significantly improve the conditions for humanitarian assistance in the country.
https://www.welthungerhilfe.org/news/press-releases/2019/international-un-donor-conference-on-yemen/
(B H)
With 4.2 billion needed, Yemen is now the largest humanitarian operation in history
The money pledged today may save lives, but humanitarian assistance alone will not solve the crisis in Yemen.
David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee said, “The humanitarian funding received today is imperative, and today’s pledges must be quickly translated into an expansion of life-saving services, and in particular, programming to address and prevent violence facing women and girls.
(* B H)
Islamic Relief: Funding alone will not solve the crisis in Yemen, but it is urgently needed to save lives
All the funding in the world cannot solve the world's worst humanitarian crisis in Yemen but it is urgently needed to save lives, Islamic Relief's CEO Naser Haghamed, will tell international delegates at the UN pledging conference on Yemen in Geneva on Tuesday.
As one of the biggest distributors of food assistance in Yemen, Islamic Relief will be addressing the international meeting calling for urgently needed funds for nutrition, as well as full and unfettered access for aid agencies operating in the country where delivering aid remains extremely dangerous.
In his speech Naser Haghamed, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide, says:
"Almost all vital services and the economy have completely collapsed. Accessing even basic food staples like flour has become an unaffordable luxury for millions of people.
(* B H)
UN Children's Fund: The brutal war on children in Yemen continues unabated; Across Yemen, 1.2 million children face active conflict every day
Ahead of the Yemen Pledging Conference, UNICEF calls to prioritize children and respect their fundamental rights
Statement from Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa:
“In Yemen today, nearly 1.2 million children continue to live in 31 active conflict zones including Hudaydah, Taizz, Hajjah and Sa’da - in areas witnessing heavy, war-related violence.
“Not enough has changed for children in Yemen since the Stockholm agreement on 13 December 2018. Every day since, eight children have been killed or injured. Most of the children killed were playing outdoors with their friends or were on their way to or from school.
“The impact of the conflict in Yemen runs deep and has not spared a single child. Mind-boggling violence over the past four years, high levels of poverty; and decades of conflicts, neglect and deprivation are putting a heavy strain on Yemeni society, tearing apart its social fabric – fundamental for any society and especially for children.
https://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/brutal-war-children-yemen-continues-unabated-across-yemen-12-million-children-face = = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/brutal-war-children-yemen-continues-unabated-across-yemen-12-million-children-face
and also https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1033542
(B P)
Not supposed to say this, but a disturbing number of politicians and cardboard humanitarians swarming to Geneva ahead of high level donor pledging event like sharks drawn to blood. Ugly side of aid is some trade in people's misery and see as business opportunity.
https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1100132533495349253
(* B H)
United Nations Population Fund: In Yemen: we must protect the cycle of life until the warring parties put down the guns
In a population of 30.5 million, the UN estimates that 24 million need humanitarian assistance, and 10 million are suffering from extreme levels of hunger. One million of them are malnourished pregnant and lactating women. More than 10 percent of the Yemeni population is now displaced because of the war, living in conditions that make them vulnerable and exposed to violence of all sorts and that exacerbate harmful social practices, already entrenched in the Yemeni culture such early marriage, child pregnancy and discrimination. War not only takes lives; it also erodes social protection at the same speed as it erodes values. In such a broken system, women pay the highest price.
Ahead of the upcoming pledging conference on Yemen, I cannot advocate enough for the need to keep women safe and healthy, as the backbone of the Yemeni society. No adequate words can give justice to the thousands of Yemeni mothers whose mission right now is to stay alive and feed their young children.
These women are the starting point of the cycle of life, and I have now returned from my visit to Yemen convinced that we should not allow this cycle to be broken.
So while regional and international stakeholders scramble to keep the ceasefire while until they reach a longer term solution to the war in Yemen, it is essential to keep aid flowing into the various Yemeni cities.
(* A B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen: USD 4.2 billion needed to provide life-saving assistance to 21.4 million people in Yemen in 2019
The United Nations and humanitarian partners launched on 18 February the 2019 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan(YHRP) which seeks US$4.2 billion to provide lifesaving assistance to 21.4 million people this year. This is the largest consolidated humanitarian appeal for Yemen ever launched.
“The largest humanitarian operation is underway in Yemen; millions of lives have been saved and hundreds of thousands of Yemeni families have been helped to survive,” said Ms. Grande. “Each month nearly ten million people are receiving food assistance and nutrition partners are helping to identify and cure a higher percentage of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition than in any comparable operation globally.”
“Last year, humanitarians were able to stem the largest cholera outbreak in modern history, reducing the number of new cases from one million the year before to 311,000,” said Ms. Grande.
“This year is going to be tough. This is why humanitarian partners are going to do everything possible to help civilians in Yemen survive violence, access food, and receive the nutrition, health, WASH, shelter, education and protection support they are entitled to under international humanitarian and human rights law,” said Ms. Grande.
(* A H)
UN News Service: UN and partners to hold conference seeking urgently needed funds to save millions in Yemen from ‘horrific’ plight
Preparations are being finalized at the UN for a $4.2 billion appeal to scale up help to millions of people in Yemen, where years of war have created the world’s worst humanitarian emergency.
But the situation remains “horrific” for people everywhere in the war-torn country, according to Jens Laerke, spokesperson from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“It has really been a horrific year for millions and millions of people in Yemen who are literally balancing on the edge of starvation and indeed, famine. And they need massive amounts of other kinds of aid: in the health sector, water and sanitation, education for their children, and so on and so forth. We are really at a crossroads.”
He stressed that while the UN and its humanitarian partners were indeed aware of, but “we need to address the root causes to find a political solution but meanwhile, while all this happens, people are suffering, and we have reached a scale that we have not seen in living memory.”
Last year, humanitarian programmes were scaled up to reach eight million people with direct assistance per month, up from 3.5 million in 2017.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1033401
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(B H)
Film: The same situation of IDPs is being repeated day after day in #Yemen 5 families displaced from #Hodeidah months ago & they didn't receive any kind of assistance as the @OCHAYemen & other Int'l NGOs are sleeping & exploiting the humanitarian crisis in #Yemen for their interests.
https://twitter.com/Fatikr/status/1100391435508043777
(* B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemenis’ battle to survive deepens as conflict grinds on
Nearly four years of war have left 24.1 million children, women and men in urgent need of food, shelter, medical care and schooling.
When she wakes up in her family’s fragile shack each morning, Hamamah faces the bitter reality of war in Yemen. “Every day is a fight for survival. We do not know how or if we will eat,” says the gaunt 16-year-old.
Since heavy fighting drove her from her home in Taiz, a city in south-western Yemen, two years ago, the teenager has known nothing but bitter hardship.
With few options, Hamamah got married to ease the burden on her parents, already struggling to feed and provide for her siblings displaced by war.
A few months ago, she gave birth to a stillborn girl. Her baby died because, Hamamah believes, she did not have enough to eat and could not pay for medical care.
“When I got pregnant I couldn’t afford to go see a doctor,” she says, her words punctuated with heavy sighs. “I remember feeling very weak throughout my pregnancy. We didn’t have enough to eat and I became increasingly weak; so I think my baby also became weak and she didn’t survive.
It is difficult to call Hamamah’s residence a house. The structure which shelters her and her husband, Mohamed, looks more like a decaying garden shed. With no reliable paid work, Mohamed struggles to find the US$30 in rent that they have to pay each month.
“If we don’t pay the rent, we will be evicted,” she says. “I don’t know where we will go. Maybe we can build a small shelter on some land somewhere … I don’t know.”
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemenis-battle-survive-deepens-conflict-grinds
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: East, Horn of Africa and Yemen - Displacement of Somalis: Refugees, asylum-seekers and IDPs, showing host countries with more than 1,000 Somalis | as of 31 January 2019
249,305 Somalian refugees in Yemen
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: UNHCR Somalia: Operational Update (1-31 January 2019)
As of 31 January, UNHCR recorded a total of 33,270 refugees and asylum-seekers, of which 16,897 were refugees and 16,373 asylum-seekers. Most of the refugees and asylum-seekers arrived from Ethiopia (60 per cent) and Yemen (38 per cent).
In January, UNHCR provided monthly subsistence allowance to 2,140 refugee and asylumseeker households (6,743 persons) to meet their basic needs: 697 households (3,419 persons) from Ethiopia, 1,385 households (3,182 persons) from Yemen,
https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/68142 = https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/unhcr-somalia-operational-update-1-31-january-2019
(B H P)
Qatar: Yemeni Asylum Seeker Turned Away
Qatar authorities are threatening to forcibly expel a Yemeni national without considering his claim for asylum, Human Rights Watch said today. The man is in Qatar with his wife and two young children.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/25/qatar-yemeni-asylum-seeker-turned-away
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Family's plea for grandson's release from Yemen prison
He was seized as a suspected spy as he withdraw cash to fund passage out of the war-torn country for him, his wife and son.
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-wales-47371015/family-s-plea-for-grandson-s-release-from-yemen-prison
(A P)
The defendant's Asma al-Oamissi lawyer accuses the prosecution of manipulating the case to prolong its imprisonment.
Yemeni national lawyer of Asma al-Omisi, who faces death sentences by the Al-Houthi group on charges of collaborating, said the specialized Criminal Court of Appeal held its eighth session on Monday in the capital, Sana'a.
Lawyer Abdul Majeed Sabra said that al-Omaisi attended the hearing and other lawyers, and the prosecution submitted a memorandum stating that the accused Said Mahfouz Ruwaished was released from criminal investigation without reference to the prosecution, which means that he came out without grantees.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164705
(A P)
Yemeni women, children slaughtered by US-made ammunition: Houthi
The leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement says Yemeni women and children are being brutally killed by US and Western-made munitions in the ongoing Saudi-led military campaign against the impoverished Arab country.
Delivering a televised speech broadcast live from the Yemeni capital Sana’a on Monday afternoon, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said, “The main goal of the enemies of Islam from the ongoing aggression against Yemen is to get full control over us. However, the most important outcome of Islam … is to protect us against slavery and exploitation.”
and more from Al-Houthi: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527642.htm
(* A P)
Court supports death sentence against convicted for blowing up political security branch in Aden
The Criminal Division of the capital Sanaa today approved the preliminary sentence of death issued against the convicted of blowing up the political security branch in Aden province in July 2011.
The bombing resulted in the deaths of 20 members of the political security, security forces and the television staff and led to wounding ten others, the bombing of the building as well as also to ignite the fire in it.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527548.htm
(A P)
Houthis confess to abducting, disappearing 10 journalists
The Houthis have confessed to admitting, disappearing 10 journalists and detaining them for about four years without referring them to courts.
The Houthi-run Specialized Penal Prosecution demanded to prosecute the abducted journalists under the penal law No. 12 of 1994.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-27969
(* A K)
Yemeni human rights organisation says 100 civilians have been killed and 5.000 others displaced since battles between Hajour tribes and Houthis began in Hajjah province weeks ago.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1099986803707260928
Photo: https://twitter.com/BShtwtr/status/1099857195569692672
Remark: For the backgrounds of this conflict, look at cp1.
and
(A K P)
Tribesmen Drive Houthis back during Intense Battles in Hajour North Yemen
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14803
and
(* A K P)
Arab Coalition airdrop bolsters Yemeni tribe fighting Houthis besieging Hajjah
The airdrop made over the province also included medical supplies
The Arab Coalition airdropped weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to boost the Hajoor tribesmen in Hajjah province, north of Hodeidah, tribal sources told The National.
Members of the Hajoor tribe have been caught up in a month-long battle with the Houthis in Hajjah province that has displaced thousands of residents of the area.
Alongside the airdrop, the Arab Coalition launched an attack on reinforcements headed towards the front against the Hajoor tribes.
“Several air strikes targeting Houthi reinforcements towards Hajjah province killed dozens of Houthi fighters including field commanders,” Abdulrahman Al Za’kari, a journalist embedded in the front, told The National.
and
(A K P)
Coalition fighters launch five raids on Houthi reinforcements and equipment in Koshar
Arab coalition fighters on Monday carried out five air raids targeting Houthi vehicles and reinforcements in Al-Obaisa area, north of al-Hajjah district.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164679
and
(A K P)
Hajur resistance progress on the ground east of Koshar after moving from defense to attack
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164738
and
(A K P)
Fighting intensifies in Hajur after massive attack by the Houthis
Fierce battles are continuing between Houthi militants and the men of Hajur in Koshar district in Hajjah Province in the northwest of the country, following intense attacks by Houthis since midnight on Friday, a field source said on Saturday.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164629
and
(* A K P)
Houthis Launch Toughest Assault on Hajour in North Yemen, a Genocide Is Imminent
Desperate to storm the district of Hajour in north Yemen, the Houthis have been fiercely attacking the area from different fronts.
A military source said that the Houthis gathered their fighters and started to advance, covered by intense firing, on the western and northern parts of the district.
Thousands of residents, including elderly people, women and children, fled the area and headed to the nearby mountains, fearing death. In the meantime, the Iran-backed militia targeted the area with heavy artillery, said to be the heaviest, according to the same sources.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/14719
(* A K P)
Houthis intensify their attack on “Koshar” from all directions and aggravate the humanitarian situation
A field source told Al-Masdar online that tanks, artillery and machine guns of various calibers are shelling villages, residential houses and sites of tribesmen in the Al-Obaisa area, and the Houthis launched a violent attack from the eastern side towards the south of al-Obaisa to cut the only supply line for Al- Obaisa.
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164637
Remark: The fighting between the Houthis and this tribe now lasts for a longer time.
(A P)
Yemeni court started today trials of Khaled Yamani and Mueen Abdul Malik for charges of major treason,aiding and abetting enemies, seeking to recognize the entity of Israel. Yamani is foreign minister&Abdul Malik is prime minister in the Saudi-backed government.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1099659327663734785
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(A H P)
Sheikh Khalifa's Residential City opened in Hadramaut
The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has opened the final phase of the Sheikh Khalifa's Residential City for those affected by the floods that swept through the Hadramaut Governorate in Yemen during the past years.
The move follows the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The city consists of 607 housing units in Hadramout Valley and Sahel along with infrastructure services from roads, solar-powered water pumping systems, electricity grid to sanitation.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302742825
(A P)
Islah Party’s militias storm Al Thawra Public Hospital in Taiz
According to the sources, Islah part’s militias recruited in the so-called 170 Air Defense Brigade stormed Al Thawra Public Hospital after they clashed with the hospital’s guards.
The militias entered hospital looking for people to kidnap them, and terrorized patients and medical staff on duty at the hospital, one of the sources said.
(A T)
Gunmen execute a soldier on Jamal Street, central Taiz
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164690
(* B P)
Yemen’s Southern Provinces Security Deterioration Happening Under UAE ForcesThe city of Aden and the Southern provinces witnessed an upsurge of popular anger against the invaders and occupiers, headed by the presence of the Emirati Forces in Aden, where the security and economic scene has been deteriorating. For three years, the UAE forces have managed to turn the southern provinces into a large and vast prison for thousands of people in the south.
Brutality practices by the UAE against detainees in its secret prisons in the city of Aden.
It also formed and established various and rival militias, with financial and military funding and support from Abu Dhabi, which became known as the security belt and elite forces in the southern governorates. Under the supervision of the UAE's Southern Transition Council, which overthrew all government institutions and facilities at the disposal of the UAE forces, completely controlled the oil and gas wells in the provinces of "Hadramout and Shabwa." During the three years of occupation, the provinces of the south of the country, led by Aden, became the scene of chaos, violations and various kinds of crime.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5575&cat_id=6
(A T)
#UAE-backed Yemeni forces claimed for the 3rd time in 3 months to clear #AQAP's stronghold in northern Mudia district in northern Abyan governorate, southern #Yemen (previous ops on 11DEC & 15JAN). AQAP claimed to repel the offensive and released an image of a destroyed vehicle. (images)
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1100172377504256000
(A P)
Film: Video shows the occupation forces assaulted a number of women in Aden when trying to break into their modest homes during the absence of their men
https://www.facebook.com/100029844374696/videos/vb.100029844374696/153633605641451/?type=2&theater
(A P)
Film: Mercenaries of the Saudi army assault and try to kidnap women in Aden, in the absence of their men.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/178437079767851/permalink/251530965791795/
(A)
Residents find the body of a young man killed in Aden
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164635
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1, cp3a
(B P)
Film by Oxfam: If a sustainable & comprehensive peace agreement is to be viable, women must be included by all parties in all peace discussions.
https://twitter.com/Oxfam/status/1100517772692520960
(* A H P)
Open Letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Yemen, 25 February 2019
On February 25, 2019, a group of nine civil society organizations released an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres urging him to list the Saudi and Emirati-led Coalition (SELC) in the annexes of his upcoming 2019 annual report on children and armed conflict. The letter calls on the Secretary-General to include the SELC in ‘list A’ of his annexes for all relevant violations, including attacks on schools and hospitals, in order to ensure a credible, accurate listing of perpetrators. Accurate listing would also to provide the UN with the foundation to enter into dialogue with the SELC to drive change for children through the signing and implementation of a time-bound action plan. The letter includes documentation of three of the five ‘trigger’ violations for listing – killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and recruitment and use – carried out in Yemen in 2018 by the SELC.
https://watchlist.org/publications/open-letter-to-un-secretary-general-antonio-guterres-on-yemen/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/open-letter-un-secretary-general-ant-nio-guterres-yemen-25-february-2019
The letter in full:
Changing the way the coalition is listed, from the ‘coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen’ to the ‘SELC,’ would accurately reflect Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate’s (UAE) leadership in the coalition, and in financing and directly engaging in hostilities via airstrikes and UAE ground forces deployed throughout the country. Including the SELC in list A of the annexes of your 2019 annual report for all relevant violations, including attacks on schools and hospitals, is critical to ensuring a credible, accurate listing of perpetrators, and providing the UN with the foundation to enter into dialogue with the SELC to actually drive change for children through the signing and implementation of a time-bound action plan. While the coalition was included in list B in your 2018 annual report as a party that has implemented positive measures aimed at improving the protection of children, the record shows that coalition violations against children have continued to occur. For example, your 2018 annual report on children and armed conflict attributed to the coalition 19 of 20 attacks on schools and five attacks on hospitals carried out in 2017.1 Yet, the coalition was delisted in the 2018 report for attacks on schools and hospitals; the Houthis, to whom the report attributed five attacks on hospitals in 2017, remained listed for the same grave violation.2 Measures that the SELC might have taken in 2017 or 2018 have failed to end attacks and other abuse against children. The August 9, 2018 coalition airstrike on a school bus in Saada that killed at least 26 children is just one horrific example of many.
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/letter-to-sg-guterres_yemen_final.pdf = https://watchlist.org/wp-content/uploads/letter-to-sg-guterres_yemen_final.pdf
(A P)
FM, UN envoy review efforts to implement Stockholm agreement
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf on Tuesday reviewed with UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths the efforts made to implement Stockholm agreement.
The foreign minister confirmed that the national leadership in Sanaa is keen on the immediate implementation of Stockholm agreement, as the first serious step towards the peace process.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527741.htm
Remark: Sanaa government.
(A P)
Griffiths arrives in Sanaa on his third visit to the city in less than a month
The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, arrived in the capital Sana'a, under the control of the Houthis, on Tuesday for his third visit to the city in less than a month, a navigation source said.
The UN envoy is scheduled to meet with leaders of the al-Houthi group as part of his efforts to advance the implementation of the Sweden Agreement on the withdrawal from Hodeidah and the exchange of prisoners.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164731
and also http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/26/c_137852182.htm
(A P)
UN Human Rights Council to review situation in Ukraine, Venezuela, and Syria
The state of human rights and freedoms in Ukraine, Venezuela, Syria, Myanmar, South Sudan, Yemen and in almost three dozen states will be considered during the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council opening on Monday in Geneva (February 25 - March 22)
and
(A P)
Yemen, High-Level Segment - 1st Meeting, 40th Regular Session Human Rights Council
(A P)
Prisoners Committee Denies US-Saudi Aggression’s Allegations on Exchange of Captives with Civilian Prisoners
"What the aggression forces claim that we want to exchange captives with civilian prisoners, is purely slander and falsification of the facts." Al-Murtadha posted in Facebook account on Saturday.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5573&cat_id=1
Remark: by the Houthi side.
(A K P)
Britain's May calls on Saudi to use influence to end Yemen fighting
British Prime Minister Theresa May will call on Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to use his influence to encourage Yemeni parties toward peace, telling a summit that governments must redouble efforts to secure a political settlement to the crisis.
My comment: it what be much better both sides simply would stop interfering in Yemen. Then, no more hypocritical statements would be needed.
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
Abolish ministries of information, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki says
Government ministries of information no longer serve any purpose and should be abolished, a senior member of the Saudi royal family said on Tuesday.
Prince Turki said social media could benefit the population if it was used correctly.
“We cannot prevent the dissemination of information, and any attempt to ban social media will not be successful. What we
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1458591/saudi-arabia
My comment: ???
(* B P)
How the Saudis Made Jeff Bezos Public Enemy No. 1
Inside the four-month campaign targeting the world’s richest man.
It sounded almost like a conspiracy theory when Jeff Bezos not-so-subtly hintedthat there might be a Saudi connection to the attempt to strong-arm him with his “below the belt selfies.”
But there’s mounting evidence that the de facto ruler of the kingdom has been trying to punish Bezos for the fierce coverage by his newspaper, The Washington Post, of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This effort began months prior to the aggressive approach by the National Enquirer’s parent company.
Where’s the evidence? Well, it’s in plain sight.
Along with a team of independent Arab experts and activists around the world, I have been closely monitoring the actions of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—commonly referred to as MBS—since his rise in 2015—and specifically, his well-oiled online propaganda machine.
Twitter’s Role in MBS’ Power Grab
There’s a lot one can learn about what the Saudi leadership is thinking if one pays close attention to the narratives pushed and promoted by the extensive Twitter networks under its control. In fact, at the time of his murder, my friend Jamal Khashoggi was working with us on a project to do exactly this—but the crown prince stopped him cold.
Twitter is huge in Saudi Arabia—the country boasts one of the world’s highest rates of Twitter penetration. Because Saudi Arabia lacks a free press, and bans political parties and NGOs, Saudi citizens took to Twitter as their only outlet to discuss public matters. By 2015, Twitter had become the premier hangout of Saudi intellectuals, a critical public sphere often called “The Parliament of the Arabs.”
This changed with the rise of MBS. Twitter’s immense popularity led the crown prince and his advisers to conquer Arabic-language Twitter, and turn it from a space of public debate among citizens into one of the kingdom’s primary tools of social control. Why? To prevent their biggest fear: Arab Spring-style dissent in Saudi Arabia.
By the end of 2018, MBS’ conquest of Twitter was complete: Prominent independent tweeters were in jail, in exile, compromised by blackmail, intimidated into silence—or dead. No longer was there such a thing as an independent voice within Saudi Arabia—you had to either stop being independent, stop having a voice, or stop being in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Twitter is now presided over by a closely controlled network of pro-government accounts—political messages posted on it represent government-promoted narratives, not independent opinion. We have been tracking the government’s social-media program on our website; here is a small sample of how it works: – by Iyad El-Baghdadi
How MBS Unleashed His Electronic Army on Bezos
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-saudis-made-jeff-bezos-public-enemy-1
(A P)
Film: #Saudi @KingSalman is showing diminished mental faculty at the Arab EU summit #Egypt
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1100045704385495040
(A H P)
Saudi boy, 14, forges documents and flies to Thailand to 'escape' his family after claiming he suffered abuse - weeks after teenage girl also fled and was given asylum in Canada
Saudi teen used father's travel account to give himself permission to travel alone
He then booked tickets taking him from his home country to Bangkok, Thailand
Boy used social media to claim he was being abused and faced death threats
(A P)
King Salman Calls For An Alliance To Stop Iran's Regional Ambitions
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has called for an international alliance against Iran's support of Houthi militia in Yemen and Tehran's interventions in the affairs of regional countries.
King Salman who was speaking at the Arab-European summit in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt on Sunday February 24, also called for a political solution to the conflict in Yemen while calling the Iranian-backed Houthis terrorists.
"We affirm the importance of international efforts to support Yemeni legitimacy and bring the revolutionary terrorist Houthi militias supported by Iran to submit to the international community," he told the summit.
(* B P)
Saudi crown prince capitalizes on photo ops in Asia
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman completed his reduced trip to Asia last week with an array of carefully staged photo opportunities to show he is still a credible figure on the world stage. His hosts — Pakistan, India and China — avoided awkward issues such as the premeditated murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen. In turn the crown prince promised huge investments and warm diplomatic support.
The principal goal of the trip was to restore the crown prince’s tarnished image and convince his Saudi audiences that he is still accepted internationally – by Bruce Riedel
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(A P)
Washington Post names Saudi scholar as first Jamal Khashoggi fellow
Saudi women's-rights activist and scholar Hala al-Dosari was on Monday named The Washington Post's first Jamal Khashoggi fellow.
The Washington Post announced the launch of the fellowship on Monday, which it says it will provide an independent platform for journalists and writers from parts of the world where "freedom of expression is threatened or suppressed".
My comment: The best thing she can do is leave Saudi Arabia by the very first plane now.
(A P)
Erdogan: If Bin Salman Does Not Know Who Killed Khashoggi, Who Knows?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday turned up heat on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, weeks after he accused him of lying.
"If Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman does not know who killed Khashoggi, who knows?" Erdogan asked, in a televised debate on the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5572&cat_id=2
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5594&cat_id=3
cp9 USA
(* A P)
House Foreign Affairs Committee Presses Administration for Answers on U.S. Weapons with Al-Qaeda Groups in Yemen
Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today led a bipartisan group of Committee members in demanding answers from the Trump Administration on how United States military equipment ended up in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Yemen. In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, the members expressed deep concern about recent reports that Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have transferred United States weapons to the extremist groups.
“Taken together, these unauthorized transfers of U.S. equipment and weapons by the Saudi and UAE governments represent a clear national security risk to the U.S. and our interests and a serious violation of existing bilateral agreements pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act,” the members wrote.
(* A P)
This senator wants to know if US weapons are being used by al-Qaida and Iran-linked groups
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter Friday to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo requesting information on the alleged transfer of American weapons to al-Qaida and Iran-aligned fighters.
Warren’s inquiry was prompted by a CNN report that “Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners have transferred American-made weapons to al-Qaida-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other factions waging war in Yemen."
(A P)
Exhibit displays artwork, poetry and films depicting life in Yemen
“Stories Never Told: Yemen’s Crisis & Renaissance,” a traveling display exhibiting Yemeni artistic expression inspired by Yemen’s war and humanitarian crises, opened Friday evening in Weiser Hall.
(B P)
A Look at the Terms That Built NYUAD
A 2007 provost’s report offered an in-depth look into the initial negotiations between NYU and Abu Dhabi.
A 2007 provost’s report offering an overview of the university’s current and potential global sites resurfaced on Twitter last week when English Professor John Archer tweeted about the legal framework of NYU Abu Dhabi. The report had a section on NYUAD from when the university was still looking to establish a campus in the United Arab Emirates. While NYUAD welcomed its inaugural class in 2010, this document offers the most in-depth look on the memorandums of understanding between the university and Abu Dhabi, which are still not public.
https://nyunews.com/2019/02/25/look-terms-nyuad/
Comment: “Follow the money” — details from @nyunews on agreement between NYU and the UAE government over new campus in Abu Dhabi
https://twitter.com/BazziNYU/status/1100247480292257792
(A P)
State Department says it won’t intervene after manslaughter suspect returns to Saudi Arabia
The State Department has indicated little hope of bringing back a Saudi citizen to the United States after he fled before his manslaughter trial in Portland.
and for this case, thread: https://twitter.com/shanedkavanaugh/status/1076892979338461185
(* A P)
U.S. senators unconvinced by Saudi briefing, see Yemen war vote next week
U.S. senators said on Monday a Trump administration briefing had not changed opinions on the need to push back at Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and its conduct in the war in Yemen, and predicted a Senate vote on whether to end U.S. involvement in Yemen as soon as next week.
Officials from the U.S. State and Defence Departments met with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee behind closed doors on Monday to discuss the situation in Yemen, amid a months-long outcry in Congress about Saudi Arabia.
“I don’t think they won any hearts and minds,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told reporters as he left the briefing.
and
(* A P)
GOP maneuver will block Yemen bill from getting Senate vote
A House-passed bill to halt U.S. involvement in Yemen’s deadly civil war will not get a vote in the Senate, a setback to Democrats and Republicans who sought to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The Senate parliamentarian ruled that an amendment to the House-passed bill which contains language condemning anti-Semitism was not “germane” to the Yemen War Powers resolution — a decision that allows Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to block a vote on the measure. The legislation initially had “privileged” status, giving supporters an end run around McConnell, who has long opposed the effort.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/25/yemen-civil-war-congress-1186302
My comment: Again and again: Using all possibilities of dirty tricks.
And
(* A P)
Did GOP Allegations of Anti-Semitism Against Ilhan Omar Kill Yemen Bill?
A bill with bipartisan support that would end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen will be denied a Senate vote.
The reasoning? A last-minute amendment added by Republicans to condemn anti-Semitism was found not “germane” by the Senate parliamentarian—which will allow Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.) to block the bill from a floor vote.
Though the amendment condemning anti-Semitism in the Yemen War Powers resolution received bipartisan support, the legislation was “de-privileged” on Monday evening.
“We will reintroduce the clean version that we passed in the Senate last year and send it back to the House for a vote,” a spokesman for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is sponsoring the legislation, told The Hill after the parliamentarian’s decision.
https://observer.com/2019/02/anti-semitism-allegations-ilhan-omar-yemen-bill/
My comment: This amendment was odd from the very beginning: it had nothing to do with Yemen at all; it made a great story from just a tweet. Read: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/02/13/real-lesson-controversy-over-rep-ilhan-omars-tweets/ and https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2019/02/12/what-the-controversy-over-ilhan-omars-tweets-tells-us-about-aipac-today/
And
(* A P)
The Craven GOP and the War on Yemen
Despite the passage of the antiwar Yemen resolution (H.J.Res. 37) earlier this month, the Senate won’t get to vote on it because of an irrelevant amendment added to the House bill at the last minute.
Congressional Republicans have once again outdone themselves in their craven and cynical efforts to stymie a resolution calling for an end to U.S. involvement in the war on Yemen. With very few exceptions, House and Senate Republicans have disgraced themselves with their knee-jerk support for an indefensible policy. Thanks to their stubborn defense of aiding and abetting Saudi coalition crimes, they now own that policy along with the Trump administration. The next time that an antiwar resolution comes up for a vote in either chamber, supporters of the resolution have to do whatever they can to reject any more of these irrelevant amendments that jeopardize the entire effort to end U.S. involvement in the war.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/the-craven-gop-and-the-war-on-yemen/
and
(* A P)
Push to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback
A House-passed resolution that would withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen is running into a procedural roadblock in the Senate.
The roadblock may delay the legislation which is seen as a bipartisan rebuke of President Trump.
The Senate parliamentarian has ruled that the House resolution is not "privileged" in the Senate—a status that was expected to allow supporters to force a vote and pass it with only a simple majority despite steep objections from GOP leadership.
A spokesman for Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who supports the resolution, said they hadn't talked directly to the parliamentarian but the issue had been "communicated" to them. The Washington Examiner first reported the temporary setback.
and
(* A P)
Bernie Sanders Moves to Rescue Yemen Withdrawal After House Screwed It Up
The House voted earlier this month to get the U.S. out of a Saudi-led war. But getting Congress to disavow a war is itself a grueling quagmire.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has a fallback plan to save his push to get the U.S. out of the disastrous Yemen war—a plan that’s become ironically necessary since the House of Representatives, which voted for withdrawal just two weeks ago, accidentally compromised its chances in the Senate.
On the surface, it’s a parliamentary effort to rescue something that has become a signature foreign policy achievement for the socialist senator as he runs for president. But beneath, the episode underscores just how difficult it is to get the U.S. out of a war—no matter how brutal the conflict, nor how peripheral it is to American security interests.
This latest development could prompt the Senate to vote on getting the U.S. out of the Yemen war as early as next week. But the Sanders camp’s Plan B puts the effort back to something like square one.
(A P)
Im Jemen entführter US-Bürger befreit
Ein US-Bürger, der 18 Monate lang im Jemen festgehalten wurde, ist nach Angaben der US-Regierung befreit worden.
Laut dem US-Außenministerium wurde Burch 2017 in der jemenitischen Hauptstadt Sanaa verschleppt. Das Ministerium ließ offen, wer für die Entführung verantwortlich ist.
https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000098584381/im-jemen-entfuehrter-us-buerger-befreit
(A P)
American hostage in Yemen 'reunited' with family: Trump
U.S. citizen Danny Burch has been reunited with his family after 18 months in captivity in Yemen, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday, praising the United Arab Emirates for its role in “bringing Danny home.”
Burch, an oil engineer who grew up in Texas and spent years working in Yemen, was taken hostage in September 2017, according to his family at the time, although Reuters reported in January 2018 that he had been released and taken to Oman.
and
(A P)
American freed from Yemen was held by criminal gang, according to secret report
https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-freed-from-yemen-was-held-by-criminal-gang-003624735.html
(* B P)
Why Proposals to Sell Nuclear Reactors to Saudi Arabia Raise Red Flags
According to a congressional report, a group that includes former senior U.S. government officials is lobbying to sell nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia. As an expert focusing on the Middle East and the spread of nuclear weapons, I believe these efforts raise important legal, economic and strategic concerns.
It is understandable that the Trump administration might want to support the U.S. nuclear industry, which is shrinking at home. However, the congressional report raised concerns that the group seeking to make the sale may have have sought to carry it out without going through the process required under U.S. law. Doing so could give Saudi Arabia U.S. nuclear technology without appropriate guarantees that it would not be used for nuclear weapons in the future.
Saudi leaders have scaled back their planned purchases and now only expect to build two reactors. If the Trump administration continues to pursue nuclear exports to Riyadh, I believe it should negotiate a nuclear cooperation agreement with the Kingdom as required by U.S. law, and also take extra steps to reduce nuclear proliferation risks.
(A P)
Lawmakers blast Google and Apple over intrusive app that lets Saudi men track women
Fourteen members of Congress have some very strong words for Google and Apple. In a letter sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the lawmakers said that if the tech companies continue to allow a controversial app called Absher to be sold in their app stores, they were serving as “accomplices in the oppression of Saudi women.”
The harsh critique is justified by the intrusive nature of the app, which lets male family members track the movements of their female relatives and even prevent them from traveling outside the home.
and
(* B P)
What to Know About Absher, Saudi Arabia's Controversial 'Woman-Tracking' App
Absher, a government-backed mobile app in Saudi Arabia, has come under sharp criticism amid claims that it reinforces the country’s system of male guardianship — which requires women to seek approval for things like traveling and getting a job. Among the app’s many features, which include allowing Saudis to renew their driver’s licenses and request government documents online, it also reportedly gives male users the option of receiving SMS alerts when female “dependents” present their passports at a border, effectively enabling men to track and control women’s movement.
Several rights groups have called on Google and Apple to ensure Absher doesn’t facilitate the abuse of women’s rights, while some have called for it to be removed from their app stores. But many Absher users within Saudi Arabia have come to its defense, saying it’s a productivity tool that saves them hours of bureaucracy and ultimately makes travel easier for many Saudi women.
http://amp.timeinc.net/time/5532221/absher-saudi-arabia-what-to-know
(* B K P)
America’s role in the Saudi-led war on Yemen
Trump is quietly escalating America’s role in the Saudi-led war on Yemen, disregarding the huge humanitarian toll and voices in Congress that are trying to rein in the Pentagon’s involvement. Trump administration officials are considering a request from Saudi Arabia and its ally, the United Arab Emirates, for direct US military help to retake Yemen’s main port ,the Hodeidah port is a major conduit for humanitarian aid in Yemen, and a prolonged battle could be catastrophic for millions of civilians who depend on already limited aid.
But many of the weapons that the Saudis plan to buy – including dozens of F-15 fighter jets, Patriot missile-defense systems, Apache attack helicopters, hundreds of armored vehicles and thousands of bombs and missiles – were already approved by Obama.
From 2009 to 2016, the Obama administration authorized a record $115bn in military sales to Saudi Arabia, far more than any previous administration, of that total, US and Saudi officials signed formal deals worth about $58bn, and Washington delivered $14bn worth of weaponry.
The United States is certainly aware of how poorly the coalition is prosecuting the war. How can it not be?
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527445.htm
(* B E P)
'Passive resistance': Why Saudi bureaucrats are holding up MBS's reforms
Time and again, civil servants appear determined to thwart the realisation of MBS’s plans to execute his vision of transforming the kingdom’s wealthy - yet parochial and oil-dependent - economy into a globalised, diversified and thoroughly modern one.
By monetising a small minority of its economic crown-jewels, courtesy of the global capital markets, the economic surplus might be re-invested in supremely modernist projects like solar energy, Uber and the like. What could be wrong with that?
It's an almost text book economic transformation drawn from the play-book of the IMF and strategy consultants with all the credentials of the "new economy". Yet the bureaucrats of the kingdom have, we are told, dragged their feet, pushed back and even laughed out loud at this programme. Are they merely luddites who "don’t get it" or are there other reasons that explain their reticence?
Protecting the state
Resisting the temptation to compare MBS with either an inept politician or a vain prince, we might ask whether the Saudi officials are protecting the state, simply serving their own interests or both?
More likely is the blurred boundary between corporate, state and princely ownership of the assets. How much of the earnings of Aramco would actually be attributable to the corporate entity offered in an IPO? In this case, the question of valuation, essential to an IPO, would pose political as well as economic questions for the kingdom.
No transparency
Related to this is the issue of transparency.
So, recalcitrant civil servants might be protecting not only their masters but also themselves.
It remains to be seen how the Saudi economy can be transformed with no accountability, rule of law, and transparency.
It is all well to dream of a neoliberal transformation but such a project needs the most important foundation of a functioning economy, namely full disclosure, political stability and visibility of earnings – by Madawi al-Rasheed
and
(* B E P)
'Passive resistance' from Saudi bureaucrats blocking crown prince's reform plans: Report
Government officials seeking to permanently delay Mohammed bin Salman's planned part-flotation of Saudi Aramco, WSJ reports
Saudi bureaucrats have been working to stall the ambitions of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman behind the scenes, as fears grow over the scale and ambition of his reform plans, according to a report.
On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Saudi ruler has been met with “passive resistance” within his own government to projects such as the attempted flotation of Saudi Aramco, including from Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih.
The worries inside the government come as foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia dropped to a 14-year low in 2017.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A P)
British parliament warned Yemen is testbed for Iranian weapons
A leading British lawmaker has warned that the Yemen conflict is being used by Iran to test advanced missile developments that have violated United Nations resolutions on Tehran's ballistic weapons programme.
Graham Jones, a Labour MP who chairs parliament's committee to scrutinise global military sales, asked if officials shared his concern that "Iran is using Yemen as a testing ground for its missile programme".
Iran's ballistic missiles represents a threat to the region despite the signing of the 2015 nuclear deal, according to the Foreign Office's Middle East minister Alistair Burt.
Jeremy Hunt, the British foreign secretary, announced that he would visit Saudi Arabia, Oman and UAE within days in order to promote diplomatic efforts centred on the peace efforts of the UN envoy, Martin Griffith.
My comment: This is totally odd as long as Britain is supplying at least 200 times more weapons to Saudi Arabia alone than iran ever would be able to supply to the Houthis.
(* A K P)
U.K. Won't Follow Germany in Banning Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
The U.K won’t follow Germany’s lead and ban arms exports to Saudi Arabiafollowing the killing of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Alistair Burt, a foreign office minister, said.
BAE is seeking to sell an additional 48 Typhoon fighter jets to the Saudis and needs German approval to supply parts for maintenance and servicing for their current fleet of Eurofighter, Tornado and Hawk aircraft.
BAE should “continue to do the work which they do,” Burt said, and its executives should “abide as they do through the export licences and the like.”
(A B P)
UK aid budget ‘goes to the wrong projects’, leaked letter warns
Poorest countries miss out as British interests are promoted, leading charities tell chancellor
Charities have sounded the alarm over the way ministers are spending the multibillion-pound aid budget, saying some is being diverted from the poorest countries to promote commercial and political interests.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/23/aid-tied-uk-spending-warn-charities
(A K P)
May's Yemen aid nothing compared to the billions made arming the Saudis, campaigners say
Theresa May pledged £200 million in aid for Yemen today, but activists say this is nothing compared to the billions of pounds worth of weapons Britain has sold Riyadh since it started bombing Yemen in 2015.
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has recorded £4.7 billion worth of arms export licenses so far.
Comment: What is the point in sending aid whilst selling weapons that destroy Yemen, its economy, and its people. For example when ex-Tory minister Andrew Mitchell visited Yemen he went to a school destroyed by a British made bomb and Britain had paid for tents to be used as a temporary school. Surely that is a complete waste of taxpayer's money
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157396397578641
(A H P)
Oxfam reaction: UK government pledges £200 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen
"While the UK government's generous support for the humanitarian response and the peace process in Yemen are welcome, its incoherent policy means what it gives with one hand it takes away with another. The UK government must stop fuelling the war by selling arms that exacerbate the conflict".
(A P)
PM to push for peace deal in Yemen during EU-Arab states summit
Theresa May is to pledge more humanitarian aid for Yemen but will refuse to change Britain's arms policy in Saudi Arabia.
https://news.sky.com/story/pm-to-push-for-peace-deal-in-yemen-during-eu-arab-states-summit-11646824
My comment: This is odd, contradictory in itself and hypocritical.
And
(* A H P)
Department for International Development: New UK aid to feed millions of people in Yemen
The UK is stepping up its humanitarian support to help millions of people at risk of starvation in Yemen, the Prime Minister announced today.
New UK aid worth £200 million will feed millions of people and provide water and sanitation to those most in need. This new announcement brings the total that the UK has committed since the start of the four-year conflict to £770 million.
Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, said:
Yemen is suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The new UK aid package will:
Give cash and vouchers to 3.8 million vulnerable Yemenis across the country that they can use to buy food;
screen and treat 20,000 children for malnutrition this year;
and give 2 million people better access to water supply and basic sanitation, which will also help prevent the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/new-uk-aid-feed-millions-people-yemen
My comment: This simply is perverse, as long as the UK keep fueling the war by supporting one side and by supplying arms.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Film: Treffen mit Arabischer Liga. Merkel zu Iran: "Sehen auch aggressive Tendenzen"
Während des gemeinsamen Gipfels der EU und der Arabischen Liga kam die Bundeskanzlerin auch auf die Lage im Jemen zu sprechen. Sie erkenne einen ersten Hoffnungsschimmer.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/treffen-mit-arabischer-liga-merkel-zu-iran-sehen-auch-aggressive-tendenzen-1.4344572 = https://www.derwesten.de/video/videos-politik/merkel-zu-iran-sehen-auch-aggressive-tendenzen-id216522299.html
(A K P)
Jemen-Geberkonferenz durch Waffenexportstopp unterstützen
„Statt in Scharm el-Scheich freundlich Hände zu schütteln, sollte Kanzlerin Merkel endlich entschlossen die für die humanitäre Katastrophe und das unermessliche Leid im Jemen verantwortlichen Despoten in Haftung nehmen“, erklärt Sevim Dagdelen, stellvertretende Vorsitzende und abrüstungspolitische Sprecherin der Fraktion DIE LINKE, mit Blick auf den Gipfel von EU und Arabischer Liga in Scharm el-Scheich und die internationale UN-Geberkonferenz für den Jemen morgen in Genf.
(A K P)
Hofreiter: Waffenverkäufe an Beteiligte des Jemen-Kriegs dauerhaft stoppen
Vor Beginn der Geberkonferenz für den Jemen fordert der Grünen-Fraktionsvorsitzende Anton Hofreiter die Bundesregierung auf, die deutschen Rüstungsexporte an die Kriegsbeteiligten dauerhaft zu stoppen. Das wäre "der effektivste Beitrag" zu der Konferenz.
(A K P)
Germany's SPD wants to extend Saudi arms export halt despite UK-French pressure
The Social Democrats, junior partners in Germany’s ruling coalition, want to extend a freeze on arms exports to Saudi Arabia beyond March 9, despite pressure by Britain and France not to do so and a risk of costly compensation claims.
(A K P)
Grüne: Deutschland verstößt beim Waffenexport gegen eigene Grundsätze
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
Calls for Irish delegation to be sent to Saudi Arabia to inspect abuses against women
Ireland must speak out against Saudi treatment of female prisoners, say activists
(B P)
The Pakistani general who tamed the Saudi crown prince
Pakistan's relationship with the UAE and Saudi Arabia is being reshaped by its army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa
Ever since arriving in office, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has made the UAE and Saudi Arabia central to the strategy that his government calls "economic diplomacy".
So why is the recently concluded trip of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) being seen as a landmark visit with strategic implications not just for their bilateral relationship, but also for Pakistan’s role in the Middle East?
The answer lies with Pakistan Army chief of staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who has quietly reset the army’s relations with the Middle East, starting with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/pakistani-general-who-tamed-saudi-crown-prince
(* A K P)
Pilatus ist im Bombenkrieg gegen Jemen aktiver als bisher bekannt
Der Schweizer Flugzeugbauer Pilatus unterstützt nicht nur in Saudi-Arabien die Luftwaffe, sondern auch in Katar, Jordanien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten. Alle Länder sind oder waren in den Jemen-Krieg involviert.
Jetzt zeigt sich durch Indiskretionen, dass das Ausmass der Pilatus-Affäre weit grösser ist als bisher angenommen, wie der «Tages-Anzeiger» berichtet. Auch in Katar, Jordanien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten unterstützen Pilatus-Mitarbeiter die jeweiligen Luftwaffen. Allein in Katar, das die Jemen-Allianz 2017 verlassen hat, sind 25 Pilatus-Angestellte stationiert. In allen drei Staaten erbringt Pilatus Support für die Trainingsflugzeuge der Luftwaffe und die Simulatoren.
In Bern fragt man sich seit dem Auffliegen der Affäre, ob die Tätigkeit von Pilatus in der Region die Schweizer Neutralität verletzt oder gegen die aussenpolitischen Ziele der Schweiz verstösst.
(A P)
Saudi crown prince visit builds on partnership of trust: Chinese FM
Wang Yi said increased trade and economic cooperation has been “fruitful” and helped each nation move toward the goals set by their ambitious economic plans
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1456556/saudi-arabia
(* B P)
The pressure to curb arms sales to Saudi Arabia
The Australian government is finally considering a ban on defence exports to Saudi Arabia.
In Australia, data analysis and the result of Freedom of Information requests, by myself and Sydney based lawyer Kellie Tranter, have uncovered increased authorisations for exports and sales from Australian companies to Saudi Arabia. There is also a concerning lack of transparency. At least 20 export permits have been granted for the transfer of defence or dual-use goods to Saudi Arabia since 2017.
Reporters at the ABC have broken two stories, including one on 7:30 last week, showing Australian businesses who have been selling military and dual-use technology to key countries involved in the war in Yemen. But Defence would still not say if the goods themselves were likely to be used in Yemen.
Australia’s Defence Export Controls must be updated to account for the country’s obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty, ensuring Australia never again risks the perception of providing support to a regime fighting a war with illegal methods and catastrophic consequences of that being led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/pressure-curb-arms-sales-saudi-arabia
(B P)
UAE: Cancer-Stricken Prisoner Ill-Treated
Denied Fair Trial, Adequate Care; Shackled to Hospital Bed
Emirati authorities are mistreating and denying adequate medical care to a terminally ill 42-year-old Emirati woman and denying her regular contact with her family, Human Rights Watch said today
https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/02/26/uae-cancer-stricken-prisoner-ill-treated
(A P)
2 Children in Bahrain Jailed for 15 Days for Demonstrating
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5586&cat_id=2
(A P)
EU-Staaten und Arabische Liga halten erstes Gipfeltreffen ab
Führende Vertreter der EU-Staaten und der Arabischen Liga sind am Sonntag erstmals zu einem Gipfel zusammengekommen. An dem Treffen im ägyptischen Badeort Scharm el Scheich nimmt auch Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) teil.
Geleitet wird der zweitägige Gipfel vom ägyptischen Präsidenten Abdel Fattah al-Sisi und von EU-Ratspräsident Donald Tusk.
So unterstrich Tusk, dass es auch darum gehe, "unsere Kooperation zum Wohle unserer Völker zu stärken". Dies müsse "gemeinsam" angegangen werden und dürfe "nicht weit entfernten Weltmächten überlassen" werden, sagte er mit Blick auf China und Russland.
https://www.arte.tv/de/afp/neuigkeiten/eu-staaten-und-arabische-liga-halten-erstes-gipfeltreffen-ab
(A P)
Arab League, EU seek synchrony on regional crises in first summit
Arab and European states sought common ground on security threats and regional crises including Yemen, Syria and Libya on Sunday at their first joint summit held in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
“I hope that the summit manages to focus on our partnership when it comes to economic relations, when it comes to our common work, for instance, on Palestine ... revitalising the two state solution,” European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini told reporters.
“But also a common approach I hope, on the conflict on Syria, on the conflict in Yemen to try to have a full implementation of the Stockholm agreements, and common work on Libya.”
My comment: ????
And
(A H)
Taiwan Red Cross: Taoyuan Ximen Elementary School raised $5,400 for Yemen
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/taoyuan-ximen-elementary-school-raised-5400-yemen
(A P)
Malaysia: Humanitarian Organizations launch Awareness Campaign, Highlighting War Against Yemen
Humanitarian organizations have launched a campaign to raise awareness of the aggression against Yemen and have held an exhibition of photographs taken by Malaysian aid officials while working in Yemen.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5579&cat_id=3
(A P)
Malaysia: PM: Democracy in Middle East can't be promoted over dead bodies
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said democracy and political stability in the Middle East cannot be promoted over the dead bodies of Yemenis, Syrians, Iraqis and others, and it cannot be built upon the rubble of bombed-out cities.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/465313
(A P)
Malaysia: Give peace a chance, factions in Yemen conflict told
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad wants all factions in the Yemeni conflict to give peace a chance and allow the agreement worked out recently in Stockholm an opportunity to work.
(A P)
Malaysian Foreign Minister holds Arab coalition responsible for worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen
Malaysian Foreign Minister Saif al-Din Abdullah blamed the , the Saudi-led Arab coalition, for worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen.
"Do not expect us to support any party," said Saif al-Din at the "Stand with Yemen" conference on behalf of Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
http://almasdaronline.com/articles/164634
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* B K P)
Jemen - internationale Rüstungskonzerne erwarten ihre Anteile
Was interessiert das Schicksal des jemenitischen Volkes, solange die internationale Rüstungsindustrie dicke Gewinne aus dem industriellen Massenmord im Jemen einfahren kann?
[Übersichtsartikel]
http://www.schattenblick.de/infopool/politik/redakt/nhst1647.html
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A T)
AQAP claims to kill Islamic State militant in al Bayda governorate
(A T)
#IslamicState in #Yemen's spat with #AQAP grinds on. Latest #ISIS bulletin claims 3 more clashes in Qayfa, al-Bayda', 7-21 Feb (image)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1100087752878710786
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Iranian-backed Houthis responsible for Yemen woes: UK envoy
The Houthi militia’s occupation of parts of Yemen has increased people’s suffering, which has been falsely blamed on a “Saudi blockade,” said the British ambassador to Yemen.
“It’s no coincidence that the number of people in need of aid, now at a staggering 24 million, has increased enormously since the Houthis took over parts of the country,” Michael Aron told Arab News in an exclusive interview.
The British diplomat, who was appointed ambassador to Yemen in February 2018, said the UK supports the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who “was forced to flee Sanaa following a rebel insurgency that took the capital by force (in September 2014) and overthrew the legitimate government. This is a fact.”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1458566/middle-east
My comment: This is propaganda, not the facts. Such a statement once again shows that Britain is a warring party in Yemen.
(A P)
Yemen's crisis is strongly present at the first Arab-European summit
Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz blamed the al-Houthi group for worsening the crisis in Yemen, and attacked Iran for its support of the Houthis and its interventions in the affairs of the region, in return British Prime Minister Teresa may Riyadh called for the use of its influence to end the war in Yemen.
In his speech, yesterday at the first Arab-European summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, King Salman said the Houthis, who described them as the terrorist coup group, posed a threat to the safety and security of maritime Navigation in the Bab al-Mandeb and Red Sea areas.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164678
(B P)
The next 9/11
For the next 9/11, look to Yemen’s “Houthis” so-called by the Western press for their late leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi — which misnomer displays the same kind of ignorance that blinded Washington to the threat from al Qaeda, before 9/11.
“Houthis” implies they are tribal, loyal to and identifying chiefly with interests of the Houthi tribe. In fact, they are radical Islamist fanatics, like al Qaeda, their Sunni enemies, with whom they are at war in Yemen.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/24/attention-must-focus-on-yemens-houthis-radical-isl/
(A P)
Film: Yemen war: "Not much movement is happening on the ground"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB7vkv4JugI
Remark: Fatimah Alasrar from (Saudi-funded) Arabia foundation.
(B P)
Yemen war needs be expedited, stopping it is all the danger
The Houthis are a maximalist terrorist religious organization that will fight endlessly until their full defeat or full victory.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-27970
(A P)
‘Houthis are our only enemy’ says Yemeni army chief
Yemen’s army chief of staff said on Saturday that liberating the rest of the country from the Iran-backed Houthi militia would be the beginning of a new era in building a federal Yemen based on justice and equality.
“The only enemy we have are the Houthis, and we refuse to accept peace deals. Our aim is to achieve complete liberty,” he added.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1457216/middle-east
My comment: LOL. The Hadi government’s army refuses any peace deals. Interesting. What is the UN actually doing, why any Houthis should retreat from anywhere?
(B P)
Yemen: Once More, With Feeling
The House of Representatives’ vote yesterday to end American support for the war in Yemen is based on an ignorance of the strategic stakes there. The debate in Congress has not demonstrated that any member seems to understand just what is going on there.
The future of Asia, and America’s role there, may turn on this ugly little war in Yemen.
The war in Yemen is thus crucial. Sometimes when a conflict is crucial, we have to fight it even though it costs a lot of American lives and much American treasure. Neither is true here. The war in Yemen is being fought by others, especially the Saudis and their allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council. America is merely providing supplies to our allies.
Concern for the suffering people in Yemen is reasonable, but there are ways to pursue that short of cutting off American support to our allies.
https://securitystudies.org/yemen-once-more-with-feeling/
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
Feb. 25: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1551187259./1252001624950200/
Feb. 24: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1551095139./1251322435018119/
Feb. 23: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1551095139./1251317151685314/
Feb. 22: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1551095336./1251316445018718/
(* A K pH)
Scores of Civilians Left Dead in Wake of Saudi Air Campaign on Yemen-Saudi Border
Saudi Arabia has launched a vicious campaign to secure Jizan, its vulnerable southern border region with Yemen, which has been its Achilles heel in its brutal assault on its southern neighbor.
Scores of civilians were killed in the past week after Saudi Arabia launched a fresh round of airstrikes against the Saudi-Yemeni border region of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen. Most of the victims, including many women and children, were from a single family that resided in the strategic Kushar directorate, an area Saudi Arabia has been attempting to capture since last week.
Saudi ground forces — comprised of an array of local mercenaries and allied Salafi extremist groups, including al Qaeda, and equipped with the latest U.S.-supplied weaponry — have been fighting a fierce ground campaign to take the high ground on the Saudi-Yemeni border district that overlooks Hajjah’s strategic city of Haradh. Haradh lies near the Saudi border region of Jizan.
On the outskirts of Haradh, Saudi warplanes and Apache attack helicopters conducted airstrikes on the Kuhlan al-Sharf district, hitting a dozen targets including the al-Sudah school and forcing hundreds of civilians to flee to Hajjah city and to the nearby capital, Sana’a.
Responding to the Saudi incursion, the Houthis and allied Yemeni military renewed attacks on military positions in southern Saudi Arabia
https://www.mintpressnews.com/civilians-dead-wake-saudi-air-campaign-yemen-saudi-border/
(A K pH)
2 martyrs in preliminary death toll of saudi-led airstrikes on Washha's Hajjah
Two civilians were killed on Sunday in a preliminary death toll of a US-backed saudi-led air strike on citizen's house in Hajjah province, a security official told Saba.
The air strike hit Washha district and the rest of victims are still under the rubble of the house.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527488.htm
films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbgYfIA2L1g
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1337900806350716
and
(A K pH)
the second crime today was on the house of Mohammed Al Ezzi, in Hajja northwest Yemen,
Owner of the house Al Ezzi was killed, and miraculously his family members were pulled out from under rubbles alive.
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1099731505147006976 (photos) = https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/photos/pcb.1985583555070962/1985583388404312/?type=3&theater
Remark: The photos clearly show two killed men.
(* A K pH)
Three women and an old man were killed on Sunday when the warplanes of US-backed saudi-led aggression coalition launched an air strike on Nehm district, a security official told Saba.
The air raid hit a house in Nehm and led also to injuring a member inside the house's family, he added.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527483.htm
photos: https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1099731421151805440
films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEoYiqUq_Sc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-6QkQAS08g
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
Feb. 24: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527512.htm Sanaa p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5581&cat_id=1 Saada p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K pH)
Mercenaries shelling kills civilian, injures 3 others in Marib
The artillery force of US-backed saudi-led aggression coalition, mercenaries shelled on Monday areas in Hareeb Qarameesh district of Marib province killing a civilian and injuring three others, a security official told Saba.
The shelling hit farms of citizens in Bany Raeeh village which left huge damages in citizens' houses and farms
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527712.htm
(* B K pS)
Dhalae province: The number of displaced persons has increased and the study stopped after the Houthis continued shelling on villages and residential compounds in Hasha
Armed groups belonging to the Al-Houthi group continue for the third week in a row to bombard villages and houses in al-Hasha, in the southern Yemeni province.
Local sources told Al-Masdar online that the al-Houthi shelling of villages and residential houses in the areas of al-Dokhlah and the villages of Qaa in the Directorate of Hasha resulted in the death and wounding of a number of citizens, closure of schools and suspension of educational process, also the Houthis bombed and looted a number of houses and displaced more than 500 families to Safe areas in the Directorate and adjacent directorates.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/164688
(A K)
Jemens Huthi-Rebellen posieren mit deutscher Aufklärungsdrohne
Im Norden des Jemens haben Huthi-Rebellen eine abgestürzte deutsche Aufklärungsdrohne vom Typ Luna präsentiert. Die unbemannte Drohne sei von Saudi-Arabien in der Grenzregion zum Jemen eingesetzt und in der Region Nadschran abgeschossen worden
https://web.de/magazine/politik/jemens-huthi-rebellen-posieren-deutscher-aufklaerungsdrohne-33581766
(A K pH)
Feb. 25: In Mareb, a civilian was killed and others were injured by US-Saudi mercenaries artillery shells targeted civilians' farms. In Sa'ada, Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Munabbih border district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=5597&cat_id=1
(B K pS)
Saudi landmines project clears 1,371 Houthi devices
The Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance (MASAM) in Yemen extracted 14 anti-personnel mines, 625 anti-vehicle mines, 67 explosive devices and 665 unexploded ordnance — totaling 1,371 mines — during three weeks of February.
A total of 44,743 mines have been extracted since the beginning of the project. An estimated 1 million mines have been planted by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen over the past three years claiming hundreds of civilian lives.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1458121/saudi-arabia
(A K pH)
Army kills tens of saudi-led soldiers in Jizan
The artillery force of army on Saturday shelled gatherings of saudi soldiers in Jizan province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527516.htm
Remark: This and the following: Attacks against Saudi territory.
(* A K pH)
Ballistic missile hits Saudi-paid mercenaries in Najran
The army and popular forces fired a ballistic missile, Badr P-1, at group of the Saudi-paid mercenaries in Najran provinc
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news527528.htm
and also https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/02/24/589432/Riyadh-mercenaries-Yemeni-missiles
and
(* A K)
12 Yemeni soldiers killed in Houthi missile attack near Saudi border - official
At least 12 soldiers loyal to Yemeni exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi were killed and 60 others wounded in rebels' missile attack toward southern border of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, a military official said.
The attack hit the soldiers in a popular market near al-Buqa border crossing in the afternoon.
http://www.bernama.com/en/world/news.php?id=1698255
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(B P)
Film: The mysterious incident in the history of investigative journalism in #Yemen.. The death of the investigative journalist: Mohammed Al-Absi. Here are the threads of the crime
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1100050041065095168
(A H)
Film: Women take art to the street to illustrate Yemen's next battle
A street artist in Yemen has painted a major urban issue in Yemen - starvation. Haifa Subay's 'Child of Bones' shows a mother holding her son who suffers from malnutrition.
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/women-take-art-to-the-street-to-illustrate-yemen-s-next-battle
Vorige / Previous
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-516-yemen-war-mosaic-516
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-516 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-516:
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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