... Die Saudis in der Provinz Mahra – Hadi-Regierung gab Staatsbürgerschaft an Terroristen – Jürgen Todenhöfers Anti-Kriegs-Buch – und mehr
March 31, 2019: Yemen after four years of war – War and pharmaceutical supplies – A new road to peace is needed – Saudi-UAE rivalries and splits in Southern Yemen – Hadi hovernment granted citizenship to terrorists – Jürgen Todenhöfer’s anti-war book (in German) – 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
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp7a Saudi-Arabien und Iran / Saudi Arabia and Iran
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Mercenaries / Söldner
cp13c Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13d Wirtschaft / Economy
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
Neue Artikel / New articles
(* B H K)
World Food Programme: Yemen: This is the world's largest food crisis
Key drivers and how WFP is responding
The ongoing conflict in Yemen has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Millions of people have been displaced by fighting and the latest food security assessment report shows that the situation in the country is worsening.
Hunger in Yemen
According to the latest food security assessment released in December 2018, 20.2 million (about 76 percent of the total population) would be facing life-threatening shortages of food without the assistance provided by the humanitarian community. This is roughly twice the population of Sweden.
This includes people who have been internally displaced, or IDPs.
3.34 million IDPs were displaced across 21 governorates mainly due to the conflict (2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview). 85 percent of the conflict related IDPs come from Taiz, Hajjah, Sana’a City, Sa’ada and Sana’a Governorates.
Armed Conflict
Armed conflict is the main driver of food insecurity in Yemen, limiting people's ability to access the food they need to survive.
Economic Collapse
Reliance on imports due to reduced local food production
Before the conflict, about 25 percent of all food was produced domestically with Yemen otherwise reliant on imports. In 2017 that figure decreased to less than 20 percent. Domestic food production in 2018 is estimated to have dropped even further.
Access to clean water
Millions on Yemenis struggle each day to find enough clean water for cooking and washing.
WFP's Response
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-worlds-largest-food-crisis
original site: https://unwfp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=a8e9e0ef4b854f3f921b08d296830e28
(* B H K)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Protection Cluster: Yemen: Protection Cluster Update (March 2019)
SITUATION OVERVIEW
The Protection Cluster’s Civilian Impact Monitoring Project released its annual report for 20181, among which some of the key findings are:
Nearly 100 civilian casualties each week in Yemen in 2018
95 mass casualty incidents (4% of total incidents) caused 44% of all civilian casualties
60% of mass casualty incidents were airstrikes
More than half of all civilian impact incidents affected women and children, including 7% impacting children alone and 3% women alone
Landmines and UXOs were the deadliest form of armed violence (in terms of casualties per incident), deadlier than airstrikes or shelling
More civilians were killed and injured inside their own homes than anywhere else
After homes, being in cars or buses were the most common location for civilian casualties
More than 100 conflict incidents directly impacted health, education, food, water and aid sites
In the first three months of 2019, estimated civilian casualties have decreased by 30% compared to the monthly average in 2018, mainly due to developments in al-Hudaydah and Sa’ada governorates, while Taizz, Hajjah, Amran and Shabwah all saw increases in civilian casualties.
Internal Displacement
Internal displacement has increased and, according to the most recent assessment of the Task Force on Population Movement, there were more than 3.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 1.3 million IDP returnees in Yemen as of November 2018.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-protection-cluster-update-march-2019
and full document: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/protection_cluster_yemen_update_march_2019.pdf = https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/yemen/document/protection-cluster-yemen-update-march-2019
(* B H K)
What's happening in Yemen?
It is four years since a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia started to bomb the country of Yemen, in order to remove power from a group of people called the Houthi rebels (anti-government fighters) and reinstate the government, which has fled the country into exile.
There has been conflict in Yemen for a long time and a civil war since the end of 2014.
The government remains in exile and the Houthi rebels still control large areas.
The conflict has had a devastating impact on the lives of people living there, including young children.
In October 2018, the United Nations (UN) - a global organisation that brings countries together to talk about, and try to agree on, world issues - said that 14 million people in Yemen were on the brink of famine.
Read on to find out more about the situation in the country (with film)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/38317367
(* B H K)
Film: #YEMEN: as today we enter the fifth year of war, learn more about the consequences this conflict has on civilians
https://twitter.com/NRC_MiddleEast/status/1110481606064726016
(* B H K)
Film: Humanitarian crisis grows in Yemen
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/time-running-out-for-starving-children-in-yemen/
(* B H K)
Film: CNN gets exclusive look inside war-torn Yemen
As the war in Yemen enters its fifth year, the country is facing a humanitarian crisis that has led to countless civilian deaths and hundreds protesting against the United States' and Saudi Arabia's involvement in the conflict.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7MOp1wUp_U
(* B H K)
Films: Little hope of progress in ending Yemen's nightmare four years since the war which has brought country to its knees
ITV News Correspondent Neil Connery has reported from Yemen a number of times since war began in the country in March 2015.
ITV News has reported from Yemen on a number of occasions during the war and seen firsthand the terrible price paid by so many.
Ten million people - a third of the country's population - cannot find enough to eat. More than two million children are malnourished.
80% of the population rely on humanitarian support.
Watch Neil's report from March 2016: Starving baby shows horrific effects of war in Yemen
Watch Neil's report from April 2017: The fragile sisters affected by Yemen's famine
See more of Neil's reports from Yemen here
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K P)
A Grim Anniversary: Yemen After Four Years of the Saudi-led Military Intervention
To understand more about why the conflict continues unabated, how the country has changed in that time and what it means for the people who live there, the Sana’a Center asked five experts on Yemen for their insights.
A Fragmented Strategy, By Laurent Bonnefoy
Contrary to a dominant assessment that presupposes the existence of a clear agenda of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen, I have come to believe that it is the absence of fixed objectives and policies that explains much of the failure of Operation Decisive Storm since it was launched four years ago. From the onset, the coalition itself, in which the roles of each country were never clarified, embodied such limits.
Leaving Attan, By Bilqees al-Lahbi
A Republican Hut Among Monarchical Villas, By Khaled Fatteh
The catastrophic Saudi-led war has shown how Yemen’s complicated geostrategic problems defy any orthodox or simplistic solutions. The war has also amplified the glaring inadequacies of the UN system, and the increasing willingness of the international system to turn a blind eye to war crimes and gross violations of human rights.
Why Has the Coalition Not Yet Won the War in Yemen?, By Helen Lackner
The answer requires examination of both military and political aspects.
First, the Houthis: after 15 years of war – first against the regime of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and, since 2015, against the coalition – what was a small guerrilla movement has gained considerable military experience and strength. This enabled it to gain the upper hand against Saleh’s well trained forces during the Sa’ada wars, later kill Saleh when their alliance ruptured in December 2017, as well as carry out frequent incursions into Saudi territory during the current conflict.
Second, the Saudi-led military coalition: here we can start with the non-Yemeni elements. Saudi Arabia has largely restricted its intervention to air strikes,
As for Yemeni troops, their alignments and loyalties range widely across the Yemeni political spectrum. While very few can be described as loyal to President Hadi, almost every other political faction is represented.
This most recent example of the divisions and rivalries within the Yemeni elements of the coalition follows many others, which have been daily reality for years now in Taiz and al-Bayda.
Riyadh’s Vietnam, By Farea al-Muslimi
To ask where Saudi Arabia succeeded or failed in Yemen is the wrong question. Saudi Arabia lost in Yemen the moment it decided to intervene militarily, and has only continued losing since.
Firstly, the intervention was a tacit admission that Yemen’s transitional process following the 2011 uprising – of which Riyadh was a primary architect and steward – had been irreparably botched. While they say war is politics by other means, that the richest country in the Arab World decided that bombing the poorest was the only means to address this political and diplomatic failure shows weakness and lack of vision, not strength.
Four years of ‘Operation Decisive Storm’ – on which estimates peg Saudi expenditures at billions of dollars per month – have been a litany of failures on all fronts
(** B H K)
Massive losses and effects of Saudi-led coalition war on Medical sector
The High Commission of Medicines and Medical Supplies in the capital Sana’a has released the latest statistics of repercussions and consequences of Saudi-led coalition war on the pharmaceutical sector in Yemen during four years of the war and siège.
“The Saudi-led coalition warplanes have bombed three pharmaceutical factories, using air strikes, which have caused serious damage and destroyed two oxygen production plants, which have been providing services to several hospitals, health centers and facilities, this led to the suspension of investment activity, especially in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing, ” t
The Commission also said that 120 kinds of chronic disease medicines are currently not available in the Ministry of Health stores, especially 50% cancer medications, which has caused the death toll to increase due to the difficulty of providing medicines, as well as the high price of medicines due to the increased shipping cost and high exchange rate.
“The import rate of medicines has decreased to approximately 60% of the average import during the years prior to the aggression,”
On the same level, the Authority noted the effects of the Health Centre bank’s transfer from the capital Sana’a to Aden province (with infographic)
https://www.uprising.today/massive-losses-and-effects-of-saudi-led-coalition-war-on-medical-sector/
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6135
(** B P)
War has broken Yemen. A new route to peace is needed, now
The UN needs to understand Yemen better. Its peace process so far has been too simplistic and short-term
The UN-led peace process has so far produced little in terms of a tangible roadmap to a resolution or significant results. There have been theories and arguments criticising the process, but it seems the problems crippling progress revolve around a failure to fully understand the complex nature of the conflict – and choosing overly simplistic approaches.
The UN approach so far has been all too cosmetic, without taking into consideration the role of external actors in the conflict, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Initiatives to stop the war that are not holistic and don’t address the root causes are not only short-term but are also becoming part of the problem, with valuable time and resources wasted on futile endeavours that only serve to prolong the conflict.
The root causes lie in the failure of the Yemeni government to address and resolve mounting challenges arising from political marginalisation, economic disenfranchisement, state mismanagement and the effects of an extractive, corrupt state with weak institutions. These accumulative and systematic failures since the 1960s – compounded by cycles of violence, political upheaval and lack of institutional capacities – finally erupted in the war we see today. Ceasefires and political agreementsbetween only the two main factions have failed to take hold for a lack of comprehensiveness and wider buy-in from all those involved in the war.
An understanding of the Yemen problem is not only pertinent but of paramount importance to the design and proposition of solid solutions. The peace process is desperately in need of recalibration – by Hisham Al-Omeisy
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/29/war-yemen-peace-un
(** B K P)
Hot Issue – War Without End in Yemen: The Saudi-UAE Rivalry to Prolong the Conflict
Saudi Arabia and the UEA are increasingly in competition with one another in Yemen as the two countries support factions that oppose one another.
Interlocking Conflicts
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are mired in four interlocking conflicts in Yemen that show no sign of abating.
The second conflict is the battle between the Saudi-supported Yemeni government in exile and southern separatists backed by the UAE. The third conflict pits militant Salafist groups like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) against select UAE-backed security forces and some southern separatist militias. The fourth conflict, which is underreported, is the battle for influence and areas of control between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Both countries back factions and proxy forces that are opposed to one another.
These four conflicts interlock and reinforce one another. They are fueled by the presence of outside powers and the money and weapons provided by those powers. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have flooded Yemen with billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry
Due to their alliance with the best trained and equipped parts of the Yemeni Army—namely the Republican Guard—the Houthis remain well supplied with weaponry of all types. The Houthis also routinely capture substantial amounts of materiel and what they cannot capture, they buy on Yemen’s thriving arms market.
All sides in the four conflicts in Yemen are extractive. More than anything else, war allows elites to profit and while doing so, to secure their powerbases. The conflicts in Yemen have fostered old elites and produced a new crop of elites all of whom compete for the favor and largesse of their patrons—namely Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This means that most of the leaders of what are a mushrooming number of factions and militias in Yemen have an interest in continuing the conflicts.
Factions and Fiefdoms
Factionalism is growing in Yemen as the country devolves into a patchwork of warring fiefdoms. This is to a large degree encouraged and supported by Saudi and Emirati policies in Yemen. Yet, it is factionalism that thwarts the creation of an effective unified fighting force like a functioning national army.
The so called “Golden Offensive” on Hodeidah failed to capture the city from the Houthis in 2018. It was compromised by in-fighting among militias. Similarly, the broader offensive against the Houthis is plagued by a similar lack of cooperation and coordination between security forces and militias.
The militias that are aligned with and funded by the Emiratis largely consist of southern separatists of various stripes (al-Jazeera, January 30, 2018). These separatists run the gamut from Salafists who want an Islamic emirate in the south to separatists who are committed to the recreation of a secular and independent south Yemen. Now that the Houthis have been removed from what is traditionally south Yemen, many of these militias have little interest in battling determined fighters on their home ground in northern Yemen. Instead, they are focused on shoring up their control of territory and resources in the south.
Saudi Arabia supports some reconstituted units of the Yemeni Army which are aligned with the internationally recognized government that is nominally led by President Abd Raboo Mansur Hadi
Mixed in with the security forces and militias in the north and south are militant Salafists, many of whom remain loyal to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
From Allies to Enemies?
Factionalism plagues Yemen and has undermined Saudi and Emirati efforts to contain the Houthis. Much of this factionalism is fueled by the growing competition between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the country.
The Emirates and Saudi Arabia are both involved in a new kind of great game in Yemen. The prize is its strategic real estate and its resources.
Outlook – by Michael Horton
(** B K P)
The Saudis Bring War to Yemen’s East
A new phase of the war appears to be unfolding in al-Mahra, the far eastern governorate of southern Yemen on the Indian Ocean next to Oman. In 2017 Saudi Arabian troops suddenly rolled through the streets of al-Ghaydha, the governorate capital, taking over the regional airport and announcing that the area had been placed under their security control. They were soon joined by hundreds of conservative Yemeni salafsts who had been driven out of the northern part of the country. While Mahari citizens have pushed back against the extremists and continue to demonstrate against the “Saudi invasion,” the real reason for the Saudi presence has become visible: to build a long sought oil pipeline from Saudi Arabia to the Indian Ocean through Mahari lands.
Al-Mahra’s exceptionalism changed in 2017, however, when United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces extended their military reach into the area. Saudi forces soon arrived with heavy military equipment moving through the narrow streets of al-Ghaydha. Saudi forces have since expanded their footprint militarily, politically and economically. Tey took control of the major regional airport for military purposes and imposed taxes on the local population. Saudi Arabia is also developing plans for major construction projects, including around the port of Nishtun, located on Indian Ocean sea routes. Al-Mahra is the only area in Yemen that shares a border with both Saudi Arabia and Oman. Te airport at al-Ghaydha provides a lifeline to the governorate, which is separated by hundreds of kilometres of desert roads from other parts of the country
For many in al-Mahra, Saudi claims about the region being an arms delivery site to the Houthi militia is perceived as an excuse for a Saudi invasion of their governorate. Saudi troops are in al-Mahra, many locals argue, because it is pursuing a long-held plan to gain land access to the Indian Ocean for its oil exports, including a pipeline originating in Saudi Arabia to al-Mahra, where an expanded port could develop oil tanker capacities. Such a pipeline would allow Saudi Arabia to bypass the risky Straight of Hormuz passageway from the Gulf, through which most Saudi oil exports must pass in order to reach global markets.
But with the growing Saudi presence in the region’s east—its armed forces, construction companies and political infuence—another dividing line concerns the desirability of the continued involvement in southern politics of the two main anti-Houthi coalition countries—Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In this context, the United Nations (UN) mediation process to end the war in Yemen is largely focused on ending the overt violence and fghting in the central and northern parts of the country. But a new and consequential phase of the war, fought not with bombs but through construction projects and aid—and expansionist ambitions—appears to be unfolding in the far eastern realms of southern Yemen. Tis war is being waged between the leading coalition parties, the Saudis and the Emiratis, over infuence in the Yemeni South, the strategically important part of Yemen along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea – by Susanne Dahlgren
https://mei.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MER-289-Dahlgren.pdf
(** B T)
Documents Reveal Saudi-Backed Government in Yemen Granted Citizenship to Charlie Hebdo Attacker Peter Cherif
Cherif is just one of the dozens of foreigners — mostly former al-Qaeda and ISIS fighters — who have been granted Yemeni citizenship by the Coalition-allied Yemeni Passport Authority, under pressure from high-ranking leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
MintPress News was able to obtain copies of dozens of confidential documents relating to foreigners of different nationalities who have been granted Yemeni citizenship, including Europeans like 36-year-old French citizen Peter Cherif, also known as Abu Hamza, who was accused of terrorism, as well as other extremists from the ranks of Al Qaeda and ISIS, many of whom were former fighters in Iraq and Syria.
According to one of the documents, Cherif, who is accused of helping to organize the terrorist shooting at the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo magazine in 2015, received an official Yemeni identity under the name of Mohammed Ba Mahzmah, from the Riyadh-allied Yemeni government in Aden. The process was facilitated by Coalition security authorities.
The document — an official cable from Yemen’s ambassador to Djibouti in North Africa, Abdullah Musallam al-Sakhtari — is addressed to “Yemen’s foreign minister,” Khalid al-Yemeni. Al-Yemeni was appointed by the Coalition as Yemen’s minister of diplomacy in the Saudi-allied Yemeni government based in Aden. The document was issued on December 12, 2018 – by Ahmed Abdulkareem
https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-reveal-saudi-arabia-granted-yemeni-citizenship-to-charlie-hebdo-attacker-peter-cherif/256721/ = https://www.davidicke.com/article/529017/documents-reveal-saudi-backed-government-yemen-granted-citizenship-charlie-hebdo-attacker-peter-cherif
and
(* B P)
Film: US/Saudi Coalition Giving Yemen Citizenship To Known Terrorists While US Secretly Gives Saudis Nukes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1yBs92z5EQ
(** B K P)
Todenhöfers Antikriegsbuch sei allen Heuchlern ins Stammbuch geschrieben
Diese kulturellen Reichtümer sind alle kaputt. Und diese Zerstörung – von Kabul bis Damaskus und von Aleppo bis Mossul, und von Gaza bis Libyen – kann man nur verstehen, wenn man einmal begriffen hat, dass die Politik im Westen offenbar von Menschen bestimmt wird, die keinerlei Beziehung zu diesen Menschen im Nahen und Mittleren Osten und zu ihrer Kultur haben und vermutlich auch mit Absicht Kulturen zerstören, die ihnen fremd sind.
Die Urmutter westlicher Heuchelei
Die NachDenkSeiten hatten einmal einen Artikel mit der Überschrift “Der Tod kommt aus Amerika”. Das könnte auch die heimliche Überschrift über einem großen Teil des Todenhöfer Buches sein. So haben es viele Völker der Welt erlebt. Todenhöfer überschreibt das 4. Kapitel “Das Weltunterwerfungsprojekt” und schildert darin das brutale Vorgehen des Westens, Amerikas und Europas. Da wird einem schon so richtig klar, dass es schon eine ganze Menge Holocausts gegeben hat und dass für die meisten wir Abendländer verantwortlich sind.
Todenhöfer meint, vielleicht sei schon die Unabhängigkeitserklärung der USA mitsamt der Erklärung der Menschenrechte die Urmutter der modernen westlichen Heuchelei gewesen. George W. Bush, Obama, Trump – keinen sieht der Autor außerhalb dieser Reihe.
Im Blick auf das, was möglicherweise auf uns zukommt, schreibt der Autor: “Die USA wollen ihre Position als Weltmacht Nummer 1 verteidigen und ausbauen. Wie einst die Weltmacht Rom. „Verteidigung ihrer Werte” nennen Sie das. Wer sie dabei unterstützt ist Freund, wer sie behindert, Feind. Das ist das A und O amerikanischer Außenpolitik. Die USA werden immer versuchen, den Aufstieg amerikafeindlicher oder amerikankritischer Mächte und Machtblöcke zu verhindern. Schon deshalb werden sie Russland stets als Störenfried betrachten, der sich ihrem Hegemonialanspruch entgegenstellt. Man muss schon sehr naiv sein um zu glauben, den USA gehe es im Konflikt mit Russland oder mit anderen Ländern um Menschenrechte.” – von Albrecht Müller
https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=50540
Bemerkung: Hier das Buch bei Amazon: https://www.amazon.de/Die-gro%C3%9Fe-Heuchelei-Politik-verraten/dp/3549100035. Mit einem Klick auf das Cover können Sie eine größere Leseprobe lesen.
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* B H)
In Jemen steigt Choleragefahr
In Jemens südwestlicher Provinz Tais sind im Monat März 23 Menschen an Cholera gestorben, wie der Gesundheitsbeamte Abd Al-Rahim Samai der Nachrichtenagentur Xinhua am Freitag sagte. Seit Anfang Januar seien in Tais 5.488 Verdachtsfälle und 335 bestätigte Infektionen, von denen 23 tödlich endeten, registriert worden. Zwei Jahre nach dem bisher schlimmsten Choleraausbruch in Jemen waren die Zahlen gemeldeter Fälle zuletzt stark angestiegen.
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/352015.in-jemen-steigt-choleragefahr.html
(* B H)
Aid Groups Scrambling to Stem Cholera in Yemen
Aid agencies are springing into action to prevent another devastating cholera epidemic in Yemen as cases of this deadly disease continue to increase in this conflict-ridden country.
Since the beginning of the year, the United Nations reports more than 109,000 suspected cases of cholera, including nearly 200 deaths in Yemen. Children represent 27 percent of the total number of suspected cases.
The World Health Organization reports 239 districts in Yemen have reported suspected cholera cases within the last four weeks. WHO spokesman, Tarik Jasarevic, cited the many reasons behind the spike in cases.
https://www.voanews.com/a/aid-groups-fighting-latest-spike-of-cholera-in-yemen/4854952.html
(* B H)
Cholera, Lurking Symptom of Yemen’s War, Appears to Make Roaring Comeback
Cholera, a potentially fatal disease that has come to symbolize the humanitarian crisis of the war in Yemen, has surged again in the country, health workers reported Wednesday, with some areas hit by as many as 2,000 suspected or confirmed cases per week.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/world/middleeast/cholera-yemen.html
(* B H)
53 people died of cholera in Taiz and Raima amid fears of increase of mortality
The number of deaths with cholera and watery diarrhoea has increased to 22, according to the Office of Public Health and population in the southwest Taiz province, according to reports that 31 people died in the province of Raima (central Yemen).
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165936
(A H)
Three new cases of cholera die in Arhab district, Sanaa
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531134.htm
(* A H)
23 #cholera deaths in #Taiz, #Yemen (photos)
https://twitter.com/Basha__/status/1111377128426098688
(A H)
Over the past 2 years, this great veteran pediatrician Dr Mohammed Abdul-Mughni dedicated himself to treating #cholera patients and children in Sana'a. He passed away yesterday due to the same fatal disease that is spreading rapidly in #Yemen (photo)
https://twitter.com/sadeqalwesabi/status/1111732535736836096
(A H)
Yemen Aid, in partnership w/ @Americares, received a shipment to the port of #Aden, #Yemen w/ medical solutions and medicines to combat the recent increase of #Cholera. 18 tons of supplies will be given to public hospitals within Aden where many facilities lack supplies (photos)
https://twitter.com/YemenAid_US/status/1111724419196559361
(A H P)
Campaign by Ministry of Water and Environment in Sana’a for Eradication of Cholera
An emergency campaign to combat the cholera epidemic, which is being implemented over three days by the Water and Environmental Sanitation Unit of the Ministry of Water and Environment, funded by UNICEF, started today in all districts of the capital Sana'a
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6113
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A P)
Int'l team visits ports of Ras Issa, Salif in Hodeidah
Vice-Head of the UN Coordination committee along with several members of the UN Ceasefire and Redeployment Committee on Saturday visited the Salif and Ras Issa ports in Hodeidah.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531348.htm
(A P K pS)
"Lolisgaard " meets with government representatives to present a new plan for implementation of the Sweden agreement
According to a government source, the meeting was held after the militants of "al-Houthi ", prevented the UN team movement to the areas of government forces on the outskirts of Hodeidah city.
He said the Houthis opened fire on the Lulisgaard procession, forcing the convoy to stop for more than half an hour before being allowed to cross.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166019
(A K pS)
Houthis shell al-Amalika positions in Hays, Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2849
(A H K pS)
Residents of al-Jabaliya unmask the Houthi brutality in Hodeidah
The inhabitants of al-Jabaliya area in Hodeidah revealed the crimes and violations committed by the Iran-backed Houthi putschist militia that forced them to leave their homes to safer areas.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2844
film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRAMgVU7OQU&t=4s
(A K pH)
In Hodeidah, US-Saudi mercenaries targeted with 90 shells, 45 Katyusha missiles and heavy machine-guns civilians' houses and properties in Kilo 16. The mercenaries also targeted with over 90 artillery shells and machine-guns several areas of Attohayta district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6146
(A K P)
Government Team Threatens to Boycott Future Meetings with Lollesgaard
The Yemeni government team in the Redeployment Committee has threatened to boycott any meetings with Michael Lollesgaard, head of the UN Monitoring Committee, unless he puts pressure on Houthis to implement the UN-brokered deal that took place in Sweden in late 2018.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/15955
My comment: This really is obstructive. – The Hadi government tries to press on implementing its interpretation of the Sweden agreement.
(A K P)
Deputy FM: Lies of coalition on obstructing meeting of Lawlessard became exposed
Hussein al-Ezzi, told Saba that the national team sent written approval and confirmed the readiness of the army and the popular forces to open the front lines and provide all facilities.
He explained that it was the firing by mercenaries on a continuous basis that caused the obstruction of the meeting with Danish General Michael Lawlessard.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531232.htm
(A K P)
Document Reveals UN Condemnation of Violations of US-Saudi Aggression in Hodeidah
Yemeni Press Agency obtained a copy of an important memorandum in which the United Nations condemning violations of the US-Saudi aggression forces in Hodeidah province. The head of the United Nations Coordination Committee on Redeployment, General Michael Lollesgaard, sent a litter to the governor of Hodeidah, Muhammad Ayyash Qahim.
Mr. Lollesgaard said that "the United Nations condemns all violations of the ceasefire, especially those deliberately targeting innocent civilians and basic facilities for the safety and well-being of the general population."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6127
My comment: He means ALL breaches of ceasefire.
(A K pS)
Houthis scale up their military operations in Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2840
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Friday, March 29th, 2019
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6130&cat_id=1
(A E K pH)
YOC's branch in Hodeidah warns saudi-led coalition against consequences of facilities' targeting
The branch of Yemen Oil Company (YOC) in Hodeidah province on Friday warned against the consequences of the continued targeting by mercenaries of US-saudi aggression coalition to its facilities in Hodeidah (oil reservoirs).
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531142.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6122
(A K pH)
Aggression coalition continues to violate Sweden agreement, attacks separate provinces : Report
The troops of saudi-led aggression coalition over the last 24 hours continued their violation to Sweden agreement attacking Hodeidah and other provinces
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531137.htm
(* A K P)
UN Yemen envoy says redeployment in Hodeida slow but sure
The U.N. envoy to Yemen said Thursday the redeployment of rival factions in the key port city of Hodeida is "slow" but will happen.
"As I've been reminded recently there are 50 percent fewer civilian casualties in Hodeida since the cease-fire came into account than in the previous three months," Griffiths said. "So that's quite a change and that's good for the people of Hodeida, but we need to go further. We need to quickly see those redeployments happening."
Griffiths said the two sides are meeting daily to finalize details of the first redeployment from the Hodeida port and two smaller ports. That will be followed by a second phase in which heavy weapons and ground forces will be removed from the city, he said.
Griffiths said if the first phase is successful, the ensuing demilitarization phase will be much easier. "Yes, it's slow, we shouldn't be surprised, but we need to keep the pressure up."
(A P)
Presidential advisor: Sweden agreements are to fail
A Yemeni presidential advisor Yaseen Makawi has said that peace agreements reached in Sweden between Yemeni warring parties are about to fail as the Houthis circumvent to implement them.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-28755
My comment: Fot the Hadi government, the Sweden agreement simply means: “We receive the control on Hodeidah”.
(A K pS)
A military commander and two civilians killed in an explosive device south of Hodeidah
The source said that the IED was planted by elements related to the Houthis
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165897
(A K pS)
Civilians killed and another wounded in southern Hodeidah by Houthis sniping
A civilian working in " Thabet Brothers," factories was shot dead and another one injured Wednesday by a sniper in the southern city of Hodeidah.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165884
(* A P)
Ansarollah not to allow aggressors' control over Al-Hudaydah: Yemeni minister
Ahmed Al-Qana, Yemen’s Minister of State for National Reconciliation says that the Yemeni people will continue to resist against Saudi-led aggressors, stressing that the Yemeni Ansarollah will not agree to hand over the control of Al-Hudaydah to the other side under the UN-supervised deal.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/143666/Ansarollah-not-to-allow-aggressors-control-over-Al-Hudaydah
My comment: If the Hadi government laments about this statement, this exactly would show that they had tried to use the Sweden agreement exactly for this: For getting full control of Hodeidah.
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MARCH 31, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-31-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MARCH 30, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-30-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON MARCH 28, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-march-28-2019-map-update/
(B P)
Commission of inquiry: Al-Houthi, Shabwah security belt and elite forces responsible for killing, torturing and concealing civilians
The National commission of Inquiry into allegations of human rights violations reported that it had monitored dozens of allegations of murder, arrest, arbitrary concealment and torture committed by Houthi militias and armed militias affiliated with the United Arab Emirates.
The committee added in its sixth report--obtained by Al-Masdar online--that it monitored and investigated 84 allegations of extrajudicial killings, of which the Houthi militias have carried out 69 cases, while the security belt forces and the al-Shabwaniah elite have proven to have 15 cases.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166020
My comment:This is a Hadi government commission; thus, they mostly blame the Houthis, otherwise they blame the separatists’ militia – Saudi Arabia is fine.
(B H K)
Civilians in #Hajour are between the #coalition raids and the #Houthi missiles.. Watch this video
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1112000276628733954
(* B K P)
Audio: The Yemeni civil war is one of the most brutal civil wars in the Middle East. As it continues to rage on, Thomas and Aimen explain who the players are in this conflict, why it is all about Water, and the reasons Saudi Arabia and UAE are using it to fight an existential war of future survival with their arch rival, Iran.
https://www.message-heard.com/conflicted
Comment by Elisabeth Kendall: If you're genuinely interested in different points of view, listen to @messageheard's Conflicted podcast Episode 4. It defends #Saudi actions in the #Yemen war. I disagree with much. But it's one of the best articulations I've heard of this perspective
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1111993270656217090
(B H K P)
4 Jahre Krieg: Was passiert eigentlich im Jemen? Die wichtigsten Fragen und Antworten
Mein Kommentar: Oberflächlich.
(* B K)
Film: Statistics of four years of US-Saudi war on Yemen ....
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2887621234795676
(A P)
Am very happy to rally after these leading women and many more inside and outside #Yemen for a better future for our children. When men messed it up, women should step in. Let us give them a chance, a real one not a cosmetic or a group photo.
https://twitter.com/alasaadim/status/1111962524348542976
and also https://twitter.com/omeisy/status/1111934461757870081
(* B K P)
Don't call the siege of Yemen a war. It is annihilation and needs to end
Shall we call this a war? Less than one month after it entered Yemen’s civil war against the Houthi insurgency, the Saudi Defense Ministry said it had “successfully eliminated the threat to the security of Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries” and initiated a policy called “Operation Restoring Hope.” Yet the bombing never stopped.
From the day this began, the United States was an active partner.
Call this a war? We bombed hospitals, marketplaces, houses of worship and schools. We dropped American-made munitions on a wedding and on children.
The revolting nihilism of the siege
This is no war. No conventions, no proportionality, no coherent purpose, no distinction of combatants from noncombatants prevail here.
What could any participant in this annihilation — this reduction to nothing of a country — feel they have achieved in this world?
For goodness’ sake, we must think of Lockheed Martin!
Shall we then frame the travesty in Yemen as economic development? A jobs program for the munitions industry?
Or shall we call this an annihilation, the creation of nothingness? – by Desert Sage
https://eu.lcsun-news.com/story/opinion/columnists/2019/03/29/dont-call-siege-yemen-war-annihilation-needs-to-end/3297243002/ = https://www.krwg.org/post/examining-tragedy-yemen
(* B H K P)
Audio: Ep. 1373 Scott Horton on Yemen 4th Anniversary and Afghanistan Peace Talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsNdmW5VYuw
(* B H K P)
Audio: Scott talks to Robert Naiman from Just Foreign Policy about the continued efforts to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war and starvation campaign in Yemen. Naiman explains the complexities of the various types of bills and resolutions in the house and senate, and why it’s been so hard to pass this kind of thing in the past. He says that if people want to help, the best thing they can do is to make phone calls to their senators and congressional representatives.
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/3-29-19-robert-naiman-on-ending-the-war-in-yemen/ = https://libertarianinstitute.org/scotthortonshow/3-29-19-robert-naiman-on-ending-the-war-in-yemen/
(* B H K P)
Yemen: ‘We cannot survive another four years’
“While often cited as ‘the forgotten war’, the war in Yemen could also be described as the ignored war, in which allies of Western countries commit atrocities with Western-supplied weaponry.
“Whereas some states have curbed or stopped arms exports because of the conflict in Yemen, the biggest arms suppliers — mainly the United States, the United Kingdom, and France — have so far applied a ‘business as usual’ attitude. In fact, they have accelerated arms sales because of the war.”
March 26 marks four years of devastating war in Yemen. An estimated 50,000 people have been killed as a direct result of the war and 85,000 children may have died of hunger and preventable diseases.
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/yemen-%E2%80%98we-cannot-survive-another-four-years%E2%80%99
(* B K P)
Film: The Real Reason the Saudis and the US Are Fighting the Houthis
Ben Norton from the Grayzone Project talks about the modern history of Yemen, why the Saudis are fighting the Houthis, why we have a much bigger interest in that country and role in that war than just funding and how it plays into our history of fighting nationalist governments that don't want to play ball with the US. It's not a proxy war between the Saudis and Iran and the Sunni and the Shia like they tells us.
In this interview with @Lauren_Steiner I explain why the war on Yemen is not a "Saudi-led" war—it's a US-Saudi war that couldn't be waged without US support It has created Earth's largest humanitarian crisis to try to destroy Yemen's independence movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKoqHuVjKtk
(B K P)
YEMEN: FOUR YEARS ON, FEARS OF FURTHER VIOLATIONS WITH NO END IN SIGHT TO BRUTAL CONFLICT
For four years, Amnesty International has been campaigning for the suspension of arms transfers to the Saudi and UAE-led coalition.
“Western states must immediately halt the arms trade to warring parties. They must put human rights and the lives of millions of Yemeni civilians and their own legal obligations above lucrative arms sales,”
(* B K P)
US-UK-Saudi War on Yemen Must End
Here the international community should demand answers from the US and the UK governments as to why they keep being complicit in Saudi war crimes - after years of denying direct involvement. Throughout the past four years, all questions about American-British military involvement were answered the same way, with claims from the governments that there was absolutely no role in the Yemeni conflict.
The international civil society should call for an immediate stop to US and UK sales of arms to the Saudis and their allies that are actively infringing international law and human rights by pursuing murderous campaigns against their own citizens or their close neighbor Yemen. The world community must challenge the Western governments to take a new lead in promoting peace and the rule of law in such contexts.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980109000663
Remark: From Iran.
(* B H K P)
RonPaulLibertyReport: Film: Hunger Games: Four Years Of Saudi/US Aggression In Yemen
This week marks four years of Saudi bombing in Yemen. US participation in the destruction of Yemen began under Obama, but sadly President Trump has done nothing to end the slaughter. While hospitals are bombed and two-thirds of the population faces starvation, US lectures to the rest of the world about upholding human rights are seen as a hypocritical farce.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBDDA43W9tU
(B K P)
ORG Roundtable on Local Peacebuilding in Yemen
The event provided an overview of the current political, humanitarian and security reality in Yemen. It took stock of current approaches to resolving the conflict in Yemen and discussed the consequences, analysed their impact and explored alternative approaches
ORG and SCSS will soon be releasing a report entitled “Peace-making in Yemen: The Local Dimension”
https://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/news/org-roundtable-on-local-peacebuilding-in-yemen
(* B K P)
Film: Today is the 4th anniversary since the beginning of the war in Yemen.
It is absolutely essential to emphasise that, four years into this war, it is now more urgent than ever that the world leaders put Yemeni civilians on top of their foreign policy agendas. We continue to stress that only political solution to this crisis can end the suffering of the Yemeni people and this solution cannot wait.
https://www.facebook.com/nafisa.alharazi/videos/10157142074402790/
(* A B P)
What to expect from the Arab League summit in Tunis
Meeting in Tunisia's capital comes against backdrop of divisions, wars and, in some countries, increasing repression
Abdullah al-Arian, a professor of history at Georgetown University, agreed, noting that the Tunis summit came against a backdrop of serious divisions, ongoing wars - including the four-year Saudi-UAE-led military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen - and, in some countries, increasing repression.
"The combination of resurgent authoritarianism and destructive civil conflicts has ensured that the basic needs of populations across the region are being denied, largely due to the policies of the leaders meeting in Tunis," he said.
"As some of the wealthiest Arab states continue to wage a brutal war on the poorest Arab country, Yemen, the [Arab League] has little credibility and has historically demonstrated that it is unlikely to take any serious action to address the region's most immediate crises."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/expect-arab-league-summit-tunis-190330202209653.html
(* B P)
Is the Arab Coalition Really Containing Iranian Influence in Yemen?
A regular survey of experts on matters relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics and security.
Sheila Carapico: Incensed that Tehran might gain influence in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia bombed the runways of San‘a airport, limiting Iranian and indeed all foreign access to most of Yemen.
Otherwise, the Saudi obsession with Iranian interference, coupled with the coalition’s indiscriminate bombing and the cruel embargo on Red Sea ports, has had the opposite effect. Previously, Yemeni Zaydis did not identify as Shi‘a, Iranians did not visit Yemen, and many Yemenis did not visit Iran. Even communications via telephone, the internet, or broadcasting were, and remain, minimal. Four years of Saudi-led bombardment in the name of combatting Iran, however, has led many Yemenis to regard Iran as an ally.
Ahmed Salah Hashim: No, and that is not simply because there was and continues to be little Iranian influence in Yemen. It has become de rigueur for the United States and its allies in the Middle East to blame Iran for everything untoward that happens in the region. If anything, the Arab coalition’s invasion of Yemen in 2015, an action undertaken with considerable confidence by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has actually heightened Iranian influence with, and presence in, that hapless country.
https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/78683
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(* B H P)
Feature: Sharp drop in Yemen's food imports as millions unable to buy
"Yemen's food and commercial imports have dropped to 6.94 billion U.S. dollars in 2018 compared to 14.76 billion U.S. dollars in 2014," Bassam Al-Gharbani, the deputy of foreign trade at the ministry told Xinhua in an interview.
Escalating military tensions in Hodeidah forced most of the imports to divert routes to the country's southern port city of Aden, which is under government control backed by the Saudi-led coalition forces.
Maeen al-Arasi, a resident in Sanaa, told Xinhua that many of his neighbors sleep hungry and manage only to buy one meal a day.
Mohammed al-Hobayshi, owner of vegetable shop in downtown Sanaa, complains of the recession of his goods because people he says cannot afford to buy.
"Many people cannot afford to buy a kilogram of tomatoes. The prices are very expensive due to the high transport costs of goods between cities," seller al-Hobayshi said.
Central markets in downtown Sanaa appear empty of customers in the middle of the day, which means that famine is a possibility for millions of people, mostly women and children who are already hungry in this war-torn country.
http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2019-03/31/content_74629903.htm
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
Save Algailan Primary School in Yemen
Algailan School is a primary school set in the Small Village of Morabeah, Yemen. It is a school that has been around for decades.
Unfortunately, it has come to a time where the school is in need of urgent refurbishment. The building is now in a particularly poor state. If refurbishments are not made, the school will have to permanently shut down. This will prevent the children from having the education they long to have.
I have set up this campaign to try and raise the necessary funds to refurbish the school and avoid the school from shutting down.
https://www.gofundme.com/Saveschoolinyemen
(B H)
Relief and Development Peer Foundation: Yemen: Monthly Situation Report No. 11 (February 2018)
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-monthly-situation-report-no-11-february-2018
(B H)
Film, by SMEPS: First Aid Midwives # Emergency Project to support the private health sector (Arabic, English subs)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thOoHy4eJEE
(* B H)
Yemeni Aid Worker: "We Need Safety, We Need This Conflict to End"
After four years of conflict, living conditions in Yemen continue to deteriorate. As safety and security decline, families struggle each day to find the basic items they need to survive. Action Against Hunger is on the front lines, responding to what the United Nations has called “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
Across four regions of Yemen, our teams are working in approximately 60 health facilities
The protracted conflict in Yemen has severely complicated our operations, especially when it comes to supporting people in the hardest-to-reach communities.
“This crisis is a crisis of access, or rather of lack of access,” says Isabelle Moussard Carlsen.
In his own words, a member of our water and sanitation team, Mohammed,* writes of his family’s displacement:
I am from Arat district, the first district exposed to the conflict in Yemen. The conflict started without any warning. It was shocking, and it surprised everybody.
The first people displaced were from Arat, and my family was among them. We left with only our clothes; we did not take any of our belongings, furniture or jewelry. The airstrikes made us fear for our lives.
https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/story/yemeni-aid-worker-we-need-safety-we-need-conflict-end = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemeni-aid-worker-we-need-safety-we-need-conflict-end
(* B H K)
Film: Determined for Hope: Manal al Amal
"The war changed my life. I covered stories I never imagined I would witness in my country."
Today marks four years of war in Yemen. Journalists Manal and Amal tells the stories of Yemeni children and mothers at the heart of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=253816538906943
(* B H K)
Film: Yémen : le triste anniversaire
“Nous avons toujours été ensemble, on priait dans la même mosquée, on a étudié dans la même école.” Sultan Batis, étudiant yéménite de 21 ans installé en France, nous raconte la situation catastrophique de son pays
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=430899240981300
(* B H)
This is the shocking scale of human suffering I’ve seen in Yemen
UNHCR’s Bathoul Ahmed describes some of the horrors she has witnessed while working in war-torn Yemen.
Before I arrived, I knew that 20 million people across the country were food insecure, including nearly 10 million who are suffering from extreme levels of hunger.
But it was only once I had heard the cries of a severely malnourished eight-month-old baby girl, seen the desperation in her mother’s eyes, or listened as a teenage boy described the landmine explosion that killed his best friend, that the full horror of these statistics hit home.
As a communications officer for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, based in the southern port city of Aden, part of my job is to try to help the outside world understand what is happening to Yemen and its proud people by sharing some of what I’ve witnessed and heard.
There are so many layers to the suffering here, made worse by massive displacement. An estimated 4.3 million people have been forced from their homes over the past four years, with more than 3.3 million still displaced and struggling to survive.
Last week I met Salah, a shy, softly spoken teenage boy from Taiz, a city in southwestern Yemen.
https://www.unrefugees.org/news/this-is-the-shocking-scale-of-human-suffering-i-ve-seen-in-yemen/
(* B H)
Oxfam: Women in conflict zones
Although wars between countries have been declining, violence within states is on the increase. Over the last two decades, civil conflicts have more than doubled, jumping from 30 in 2001 to 70 in 2016.
Using case studies of three different conflicts – Iraq, a post-conflict situation, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a prolonged conflict, and Yemen, an open conflict, this report aims to analyse the impact of armed violence and occupation on women and girls before, during and after such events. The first section deals with the structural factors driving gender discrimination, while the second analyses the degree to which war and occupation affect the protection of women and girls and their participation in social and political life and looks at the mechanisms that have been put in place for prevention.
Lastly, specific recommendations are provided
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/women-conflict-zones
and full document: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/bp-women-in-conflict-zones-290319-en.pdf
(* B H)
CARE: Yemen: "I wish this was all just a nightmare"
Shafeqa is a mother of three disabled children. Her husband lost his job as a farmer and since then she has had to provide for her family.
“My husband was the breadwinner of the family,” says Sahfeqa. “He was my strength – we used to feel safe when he was around. One day when he came home from work he looked very tired, but we couldn’t take him to the hospital because we didn’t have enough money. When I asked him what was wrong he told me he no longer had his job.”
Shafeqa’s is one of countless families in Yemen who suffer from poverty as a result of the relentless war. She often wishes she could go back in time to her comfortable and stable life.
https://www.care-international.org/news/stories-blogs/yemen-i-wish-this-was-all-just-a-nightmare
(* B H)
Film: Heartbreaking video. His name is Muhanad. He lives in #Sanaa. He has a renal failure. He was talking to people about his suffering with the lack of medicines and he died while he was explaining his suffering. This is our country #Yemen.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1111585022987980801
Apology: Friends from #Sanaa called me and said that Muhanad was taken to intensive care unit at the hospital. He was in a coma and he survived. (photo)
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1111733447062622208
(B H)
Film, text: Yemen – Women of Taiz stick to education despite war and siege
Despite war and siege the Yemenis are suffering from in addition to the bad living condition, they have not stopped to seek education. In light of the lack of interest in public education, teacher Amira Al-Sabri turned her house in a run-down building into a women’s literacy and educational center in Zabab district of Taiz
https://arab24.com/portal/index.php/arab24-stories/yemen/item/14152-2019-03-28-13-41-26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d0HpnZ-4WY
(A H)
Bisher rund 810'000 Franken für Kriegsopfer im Jemen gesammelt
Die Glückskette führt am (heutigen) Donnerstag einen nationalen Spendentag für notleidende Menschen im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen durch. Kurz nach Mittag meldete die Glückskette Spenden von mehr als 810'000 Franken.
(* B H)
Norwegian Refugee Council: Yemen: the document that changes the future
A single document can determine the future of a displaced family. In Yemen, we provide birth certificates so that children are able to access life-saving health care, protection, education – and have evidence of their own existence.
When the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) intervened in Al-Mishqafa camp in Lahj, southern Yemen, our team realised just how many camp residents lacked civil documentation.
Before long, we were arranging meetings in the camp, informing its inhabitants about the importance of civil documentation.
Birth certificates open up a world of health care. They give children access to medical treatment and the vaccinations they need to stay healthy.
Birth certificates also enable children to get an education. With a birth certificate, a child will have the necessary documentation needed to enrol in publicly funded schools.
https://www.nrc.no/news/2019/march/yemen-the-document-that-changes-the-future/
(* B H)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Yemen humanitarian fund in brief
The Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF) is a Country-Based Pooled Fund (CBPF) that makes funding directly available to humanitarian partners operating in Yemen so they can deliver timely and effective life-saving assistance to those who need it most.
How we work
Donor contributions are unearmarked and allocated to eligible partners through an inclusive and transparent process in support of priorities set out in the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP).
The YHF has two types of allocations: Standard Allocations and Reserve Allocations. The Fund will issue a Standard Allocation once or twice per year through a call for proposals for collectively identified strategic needs within the context of the YHRP. Reserve Allocations are launched in response to sudden onset humanitarian needs and specific crises.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-fund-brief-enar
and full document: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/yemen_humanitarian_fund_in_brief_March_2019_en.pdf
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
Yemen Has a Migrant Crisis Too
The establishment of the Republic of Yemen in 1990 coincided with the outbreak of the civil war in Somalia, which resulted in a large flow of refugees from Somalia to Yemen
A few years before the outbreak of Yemen’s war, refugee and migratory movements towards Yemen were changing. Ethiopian migrants began to outnumber Somali refugees: this trend has continued till today. Despite the horrific humanitarian situation in Yemen, Ethiopian migrants are still entering the country.
Brokers and smugglers have become extremely active in Ethiopia, convincing Ethiopian men in rural areas to try their luck in Saudi Arabia. Many of these mainly young and uneducated Ethiopian men are not aware that they have to travel through Yemen in order to go to Saudi Arabia, nor that they will face war and violence, and may become the victims of criminal gangs and people exploiting their labour.
Migrants and refugees in Yemen encounter famine, violence, exploitation and discrimination. A condition worsened by the current conflict: foreigners have to compete with the local population for basic resources such as food, housing, health care and employment, to which Yemenis have hardly access themselves.
https://www.ispionline.it/it/pubblicazione/yemen-has-migrant-crisis-too-22608
(A H)
This is a new wave of displaced people in Yemen because of the US-Saudi war crimes that never stop. They just fled this week to the open air in the middle of nowhere! Because US-Saudi airstrikes hit them in the village of Bani Hassan, Abs, Hajja, northwest Yemen (photos9
https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1111902392222711808
(* B H)
Osama’s Journey from Yemen to Greece
A 12-year-old boy who escaped conflict searches for safety and opportunity. This is his story.
“I thought ‘it’s over, I’m going to die.’ This is how my life ends” Osama told UNICEF about crossing the sea to reach Greece with his family.
“My future in Yemen was uncertain, I couldn’t study to be a doctor or an engineer or anything. I want to be a doctor because I want to help others and my family,”
https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/osamas-journey-yemen-greece
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2saBBQDlEU
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
Houthis in bid to grain legitimacy in Yemen through farcical vote
The Iran-aligned Houthi militia has said that it will hold parliamentary elections in a number of constituencies to fill in vacant seats in the Yemeni House of Representatives (parliament).
The elections, it said, would be held on April 16 in 30 constituencies.
http://www.thereference-paris.com/3916
Remark: by an anti-Houthi news site.
(A P)
Houthis execute four civilians in Dhamar
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have lured four civilians from a rural village and execute them in Dhamar city on Friday.
The Houthis ruled out that the four persons were executed and claimed that they were killed while fighting to their side in the western coast.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-28794
(A P)
Yemen: 30 Businessmen Under House Arrest Seek Government's Help to Leave Sanaa
A number of prominent Yemeni businessmen, under house arrest in Yemen's capital Sanaa, have asked the government to find a way to get them out of the city after receiving direct death threats if they stop financial influx for top militia leaders under the so-called “war effort” fund, revealed a top Yemeni official.
and also https://republicanyemen.net/archives/15953
My comment: By a Saudi news site. This reminds the Saudi “shakedown” at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Hotel: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/how-saudi-royal-crushed-his-rivals-shakedown-ritz-carlton-n930396.
(A P)
Houthis abduct three children in Sana
the militia accused the children of tearing the its slogans posted on the houses’ walls in the capital.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2842
(A K P)
Women in ٍSanaa's Ma'een district send convoy to support army in fronts
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531135.htm
(A P)
9 billion riyals behind the blocking of the Sana'a Road Fund and Ceasing the authority of the Minister of Works in Houthis government
The Supreme Political Council, the highest authority of the putschists, has set up a committee to uncover the fate of 9 billion riyals in the road Maintenance Fund of the Ministry of Public Works and roads, according to a reliable source at the Central Monitoring and accounting agency in the Sanaa government.
According to the source, the Committee, which is tasked by the central monitoring authority, has begun its work, and investigations have revealed the fate of 5 billion riyals, while the fate of 4 billion riyals remains unknown in the custody of the roads and Bridges Foundation
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165947
Remark: By a pro-Hadi gov. News site; „putschists“ is nice.
(A H)
Fahad Al-Az’azi was awarded a PhD in computing by China and his country gave him a stray bullet
a stray bullet fired from a rifle that was in the hands of a young man on the sidewalk opposite the street in the neighbourhood of Safia in the centre of Sana'a, hit Dr. Fahad Al- Az’azi and his friend al-Ariki, killed the first immediately and inflicted a fatal injury to his friend
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165941
(* A P)
US Media Remains Silent as Historically Huge Protests Take Place Across Yemen
Massive demonstrations took place across Yemen’s major cities on Tuesday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Saudi-led war on the country.
https://theantimedia.com/massive-protests-across-yemen/
Remark: Earlier reporting Yemen War Mosaic 523, cp5, and:
(* A P)
Nearly All of Yemen Demonstrates Against 4 Full Years of US-Saudi Attacks
Tuesday marked the fourth anniversary of the US-backed Saudi-led war against Yemen. Millions of Yemenis filled the streets of major cities in almost every province to protest the violence, invasion, and blockade while showing support for four years of resistance.
https://geopoliticsalert.com/yemen-four-years-photos
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Thousands commemorate 4th anniversary of Arab Coalition’s intervention in Yemen
Tens of thousands took into streets of Taiz city on Saturday, commemorating the 4th anniversary of what is named the Operation Decisive Storm.
The rally’s participants raised the photos of President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi, King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President of the United Arab Emirates Khalifa bin Zayed and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed.
The rally , which was arranged by the Congregation of the Yemeni Reform party (the Islah party, demanded to extend the state authority over all areas of Yemen, impose the rule of law and end the existence of outlaws.
The participators of the rally raise posts which condemned Iran’s intervention in Yemen and its support to the Houthi rebels.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-28795
and
(A P)
Thousands participate in a rally called for by the Islah party in Taiz demanded the liberation of the city completely
Yemen's southwest city of Taiz on Saturday witnessed a massive rally in which thousands took part, celebrating the fourth anniversary of the start of the resistance against the Houthi militia to invade the city in conjunction with the military intervention of the Arab coalition in Yemen under the name of " firmness Storm".
A statement issued by the demonstration—Al-Masdar online received a copy--that the two events (the anniversary of the storm of firmness and resistance of Taiz) "Declare the fusion of Arab blood, and affirm the steadfastness of Taiz and its association with the Battle of the homeland and the Battle of destiny with our brothers in the Arab coalition countries to confront a sectarian project. The greedy Persian to dominate the Arab region, driven by historical hatreds and black myths, confiscate human liberties and dignity, and distort the purposes of Islam in justice, freedom, equality and fraternity.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165978
(A T)
15 people, including civilians, were injured by targeting a military vehicle with an explosive device north of Aden
Fifteen people were injured, three of them seriously, when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a military vehicle in Dar Saad District, north of Aden, south of Yemen.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165979
(A P)
Citizens of Khoura and Consultant of the Governorate Welcome Shabwa Elites
https://en.smanews.org/citizens-of-khoura-and-consultant-of-the-governorate-welcome-shabwa-elites
Al-Bu Hor: After the White Mountains, No Place in Shabwa for Terrorists
https://en.smanews.org/al-bu-hor-after-the-white-mountains-no-place-in-shabwa-for-terrorists
My comment: Separatists’ propaganda for their UAE-backed militia.
(A P)
Socotra.. Saudi forces deployment after mysterious death of senior officer at Governorate airport
Saudi troops deployed in the vicinity of Socotra International Airport on Friday after the death of a Saudi officer who is in charge of airport security within Saudi forces who entered the island as part of the military intervention of the Arab coalition in Yemen.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165976
and also https://yemen-rw.org/high-ranking-saudi-official-died-in-yemens-socotra/
(* A P)
Commission of Inquiry into violations: the multiplicity of security agencies and their non-subordination to unified command caused by imbalances and confrontations in liberated areas
The report of the National Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations confirmed that the multiplicity of security and military agencies and their lack of unified command is a major cause of many security imbalances and armed confrontations in the liberated areas.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165954
und
(* A P)
Calls for Saudi, UAE to close prisons in Yemen
The national committee for investigating complaints of human rights violations in Yemen has called on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to close their secret prisons in the country.
In a statement, the committee said that these prisons are illegal and called for halting arbitrary and extrajudicial detention, Al Khaleej Online reported yesterday.
The Saudi-UAE alliance, the committee said, is advised to make a comprehensive review of the rules of engagement and stop targeting civilians. The committee also recommended carrying out a comprehensive evaluation of the damage caused by warplanes in order to start distributing compensation to civilians.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190330-calls-for-saudi-uae-to-close-prisons-in-yemen/
(A P)
#Mahra in east #Yemen gets on with it despite knock-on effects of war. Fantastic to see the popularity (especially among #women) of sessions organized by @MahraYouth on willpower & achieving goals. (photos)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1112344276518780930
(A P)
Tribal sheikhs in #Mahra #Yemen today issued a statement strongly denouncing a declaration made in their name by the General Council of would-be Mahra “Sultan” after a meeting 27 March. The meeting agreed nothing & attendance did not give the convener the right to speak for them (text in image, Arabic)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1112014943103127552
(A P)
The Committee leading protests in Al Mahra against the #Saudi presence issued a letter to the Hadi Presidential Committee yday. Their demands: Saudi forces must withdraw from Mahra and stop interfering w govt, marginalizing civil institutions, and amassing military equip.
https://twitter.com/ElanaGulf/status/1111684666141130752
(A P)
Sixth report of the National Committee announces investigation of 776 incidents of violations against civilians
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165934
My comment: This is by the Hadi government; „human rights“ fort hem is a blame-the-Houthis game.
(A T)
The director of Shabam Security survives an assassination attempt by unidentified gunmen
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165932
(A E P)
The local currency improves and the central bank requires merchants to supply the equivalent of the approved appropriations
The Yemen's central bank on Thursday called on local merchants and banks with appropriations from the 19th or previous installments approved to supply the equivalent of the funds to the central bank over the next week, after approval from the bank.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165937
(A)
Security Belt thwarts smuggling of ammunition to Aden
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2835
My comment: „Security Belt“ = UAE-backed militia. They will use the ammunition by themselves.
(A P)
Yemen – Shabwani Elite continue military operations against Al-Qaeda members in Shabwah
Shabwani Elite forces continue the military operations called “White Mountains” supported by the Arab coalition air force to chase the remaining Al-Qaeda members out of Shabwah.
https://arab24.com/portal/index.php/arab24-stories/yemen/item/14232-2019-03-31-09-37-20
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf1fSpuuCA0
and
(* A P)
Al-Shabwani Elite deploys forces, established new camps, and Maj.Gen. Musaed Hussain warns of repeating Aden scenario
The so-called "elite" forces continued with the support of Emirati, the operation of the White Mountains, launched yesterday, in the areas of the provinces of Markha and Nisaab in the province of Shabwah (south eastern Yemen).
Local sources told al-Masdar online that the elite forces, a local military formation of the UAE, have established a camp in the border area of "Bahar " with al-Baydda province and deployed its troops to the entrances of cities, valleys and main roads without any clashes.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165894
My comment: The UAE-backed Yemeni militia taking more and more control. This will further weaken the Hadi government and strengthen the UAE-linked separatists.
(A P)
After the failure of its announcement in Cairo.. Preparations for a southern coalition supporting Hadi in Aden
A coalition of southern leaders supporting President Hadi will hold a ceremony in Aden, the interim capital of southern Yemen, in the coming days, a source close to the Southern National Coalition Command told Al-Masdar online.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165896
(A P)
An official talks about the fail the presidential commission to reach a formula that ends the tension in Al-Mahrah
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165893
(A P)
The High Electoral Commission condemns the Houthis ' bid to organize elections to fill vacant seats of the House of Representatives
The High Electoral Commission condemned the Houthis ' attempt in the capital, Sana'a, to hold elections to fill the vacant seats of the House of Representatives, because of the lack of constitutional conditions.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165887
My comment: This is what the Hadi government’s High Electoral Commission tells. The Sanaa government’s High Electoral Commission meanwhile attempts these elections.
(* A P)
Clashes between government forces and gunmen cut al-Dhabab road in Taiz
A security source in the southwestern city of Taiz said that clashes erupted Wednesday evening between government troops and gunmen who cut through Al- Dhabab road, the only entrance to the city of Taiz, southwest of the city.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165888
(A)
Photos: Time to share a good news: #Socotra clean up day!
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2199786903407661
(* B K P)
Four years later, Saudi-led coalition has made more war than peace, say Yemenis
The Saudi-led coalition's entry into Yemen's war four years ago Tuesday may have been a lifeline for its shattered and defeated government.
The coalition's success at pulling the strands of Yemeni society together, however, is greatly up for question, and many Yemenis today believe the intervention only succeeded in muddying the waters instead.
But in recent years any gains have been much harder to come by. And as the war drags on, and inflation, poverty and hunger bite, many Yemenis say rather than push back the Houthis, the Saudi-led intervention has created tensions in local communities that never existed before and exacerbated older ones.
Taiz isn't the only province where the Saudi-led coalition has fed tensions.
In the eastern province of Al-Mahrah, there have been ongoing disputes between Saudi forces and residents despite the fact that the Houthis have never had a presence in the area.
There have also been tensions in the southern provinces of Lahj, Shabwah and Aden between the Security Belt, a UAE-backed force established in March 2016, and pro-Hadi fighters and tribal leaders.
For this reason, many residents in southern provinces believe that the UAE created militias to fight the government, not defend it, in an eventual effort to control the country's resources.
Remark: Obviously by a Southern Yemeni author.
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
Siehe / Look at cp1
(*A P)
UAE rejects report by UN Experts on Yemen
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, has categorically rejected a report by the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen, and urged the Human Rights Council, HRC, to instead refocus on providing support to the Government of Yemen in building institutions to protect human rights in the country.
In a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, the Minister explained that "the Group’s mistakes and missteps in judgement and methodology are too numerous and too serious to ignore", which is why the UAE, along with many other HRC members, decided not to support the renewal of the mandate of the Group of Experts last year.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2850
My comment: LOL. Dear UN, keep in mind: Critising the UAE is an absolute NO-GO – according to the UAE. Blame the Houthis, that’s fine; otherwise, shut up.
(* B P)
Yemen: An Anniversary Lost in the Sands of War
The only people who profit from the fighting, in the literal sense, are the mercenaries, US and Australian at the higher levels of the Saudi and United Arab Emerite forces and Sudanese at the lower level.
Both Saudi Arabia and Iran have been backing separate and opposing factions. The lack of progress as well as the costs of the military operations may create a climate favourable to stopping the fighting. However, Saudi Arabia and its coalition are directly involved in the fighting while Iran only supplies some weapons and political support to its allies. Thus, of the outside actors, most responsibility for a change lies with the Saudi decision-makers.
There are two major issues that shape the future. The first is the possibility or not of forming a decentralized but relatively inclusive central government. Yemen remains largely a tribal society with political decisions made by the tribal head. Tribes usually have a specific geographic base. Thus a central government requires participation by members from the major tribal groups. However, through economic development, people from different tribes now live in the cities and larger towns. These more urbanized populations do not depend as much on the decisions or views of tribal chiefs.
The relative strength of the central government has been based on patronage strategies, offering major tribal leaders some economic advantages.
The second major issue concerns the ability of Yemen to remain as one State or again to split into two
Today, the choice between an end to the armed conflict with negotiations for a renewal of a Yemeni State on the basis of the con-federal system proposed and continued fighting in the hope that one faction become a "winner-take-all" is relatively clear. – by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens
https://countercurrents.org/2019/03/27/yemen-an-anniversary-lost-in-the-sands-of-war/ = https://www.observerbd.com/details.php?id=190749
(* B P)
UN Security Council: Yemen
Expected Council Action
In April, Special Envoy Martin Griffiths is expected to brief the Council on the implementation of resolutions 2451 and 2452. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock and General Michael Lollesgaard, the chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) and head of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), may also brief.
Key Recent Developments
Progress has largely remained stalled in getting the warring Houthi rebels and Yemeni government to withdraw their forces from the critical port city of Hodeidah and the nearby smaller ports of Saleef and Ras Isa as set out in the December 2018 Stockholm Agreement.
During its 40th session, the Human Rights Council received an oral update on 20 March from the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on the human rights situation in Yemen
Key Issues and Options
Implementing the Stockholm Agreement remains a key issue. UN officials have regularly highlighted that progress has been impeded by a deep mistrust between the parties. This includes the Houthis’ concern that measures to redeploy, including de-mining of roads, could make them vulnerable to attack from Yemeni government forces.
A looming issue is the risk of instability in southern Yemen, which leaders of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) have said is possible if the STC is not included as a formal participant in peace talks.
Council Dynamics
Members appear united in wanting the parties to fulfil their commitments under the Stockholm Agreement.
https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2019-04/yemen-5.php
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(* B P)
Leaked reports reveal severe abuse of Saudi political prisoners
Exclusive: cuts, burns and bruising documented, despite government denials of torture
Political prisoners in Saudi Arabia are said to be suffering from malnutrition, cuts, bruises and burns, according to leaked medical reports that are understood to have been prepared for the country’s ruler, King Salman.
The reports seem to provide the first documented evidence from within the heart of the royal court that political prisoners are facing severe physical abuse, despite the government’s denials that men and women in custody are being tortured.
The Guardian has been told the medical reports will be given to King Salmanalong with recommendations that are said to include a potential pardon for all the prisoners, or at least early release for those with serious health problems.
These options are part of a substantial internal review said to have been ordered by the king
(A P)
Saudi king rejects measures impacting Syrian sovereignty over Golan Heights
(B E P)
Saudi Arabia will ignore Trump’s ‘tolerance threshold’ for oil prices, analyst says
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/oil-prices-saudi-arabia-will-ignore-trumps-tolerance-threshold.html
(A P)
Saudi law professor arrested for criticising kingdom's human rights record: Report
Professor denounces Saudi Arabia’s detention of rights activists, before he himself is arrested
Speaking at the Riyadh International Book Fair on Thursday, Anas al-Mazrouee denounced Saudi Arabia’s arrest and detention of women’s rights and other human rights activists.
He criticised the kingdom’s crackdown on dissent, calling out the government for claiming it champions women’s rights while it was arresting women activists.
Abdullah al-Ouda - son of detained Saudi cleric Salman al-Ouda, who has been held since 2017 - said that the professor was arrested shortly after giving his talk at the fair.
(A P)
Saudi TV personality says Palestinian 'martyrs' don't deserve sympathy
Remark: He also defended New Zealand shooter and said men should use women for their pleasure. Yeah...that's like your opinion, man.
https://www.facebook.com/AlAraby.en/posts/2378825762363015
(A P)
Arab FMs Prepare Final Recommendations Ahead of 30th Summit in Tunisia 2
The draft resolution also condemns the Iranian government's policy and its ongoing interference in Arab affairs, which would fuel sectarian and sectarian conflicts.
as well as to stop supporting militias loyal to it and against the legitimate government of Yemen and to refrain from providing these militias with weapons
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1905693
My comment: Saudi Arabia leading them all.
(A P)
Native intellectual Anas al-Mazrouee has been arrested by @tomfriedman backed #MBS klansmen for speaking in favor of the supremacy of the people as the sovereign. This amazing progress scares flaky western writers. Long live the people.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1111608808374181888
(A P)
Saudi Arabia says Syrian opposition must unite before any dialogue with government
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Friday a unified Syrian opposition should emerge before the start of any dialogue with the Syrian government.
My comment: This would mean: Never. – Anyway, how this can be up to the Saudis? Saudi interference in Syria is horrific.
(* A P)
Saudi Arabia temporarily frees three women activists
Three out of nearly a dozen prominent Saudi women activists arrested over nine months ago were temporarily released on Thursday, state news agency SPA said, and sources told Reuters the rest were set to be freed on Sunday.
Some of the women told a Riyadh court on Wednesday they had been subjected to torture in detention
It remains to be seen if Riyadh will bend to international pressure and give the women acquittals or pardons - or pursue harsh sentences after state-backed media labeled them as traitors.
“The court indicated that the temporary release was decided after it studied their requests submitted during the trial sessions,” SPA said.
Amnesty International welcomed their release but called for the unconditional release of all those on trial, which also include rights campaigner Loujain al-Hathloul and university professor Hatoon al-Fassi.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arrests-idUSKCN1R91S6
Amnesty: https://twitter.com/amnesty/status/1111281428799602688
Photos: https://twitter.com/Ana3rabeya/status/1111363684973113345
Comment: Important to note that #Saudi Monarchy decision to free some women activists was born of international media pressure & to clear the docket to incoming #Saudi ambassador to Washington @rbalsaud . She will be destroyed by these activists case.
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1111337343246577670
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(** B P)
How the mysteries of Khashoggi’s murder have rocked the U.S.-Saudi partnership
The basic questions remain much the same as they did in October, when Khashoggi died: How was the Istanbul strike team that carried out the operation trained and controlled? What exact roles did Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his close aides play in the killing? What new controls can be implemented, in Riyadh and Washington, to make sure that such a grisly murder of a journalist never happens again?
And most important, will anyone be held accountable?
This case is personal for us at The Post. Khashoggi was our colleague, and my friend for 15 years.
The bottom line is that unless the crown prince takes ownership of this issue and accepts blame for murderous deeds done in his name, his relationship with the United States will remain broken.
Some members of the Saudi Rapid Intervention Group that was sent to Istanbul received training in the United States, according to U.S. and Saudi sources. The CIA has cautioned other government agencies that some of this special-operations training might have been conducted by Tier 1 Group, an Arkansas-based company, under a State Department license. The training occurred before the Khashoggi incident, as part of ongoing liaison with the Saudis, and it hasn’t been resumed.
Dangerous tools
The Khashoggi story is a lesson in how U.S.-supported intelligence and special-operations capabilities can be misused by other countries. That’s the starkest conclusion that emerged from this reporting. Among these previously undisclosed findings:
Birth of a strike team
Understanding how the murder in Istanbul happened begins with MBS and Qahtani, his Iago-like adviser. Starting in 2015, when King Salman took the throne and a few months later installed his son Mohammed in the royal succession, Qahtani began using the royal court to suppress dissent. His base of operations was the Center for Studies and Media Affairs, but behind this bland-sounding front, Qahtani began assembling a team drawn from the Saudi intelligence services and military. And he began purchasing surveillance tools from NSO and other vendors.
The members of the Istanbul team were the field operatives, not the deciders. “These are people who serve their country, and when they’re asked to do something, they do it,” said one Saudi official.
A slippery slope
The dilemma for U.S. defense and intelligence contractors is that it will be difficult for them to do new business with Saudi Arabia until MBS takes responsibility for the Khashoggi killing and demonstrates, through specific reforms, that such a crime won’t be repeated. Until that occurs, Saudi Arabia will face limits from the State Department and Congress – by David Ignatius
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/how-the-mysteries-of-khashoggis-murder-have-rocked-the-us-saudi-partnership/2019/03/29/cf060472-50af-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html = https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/03/31/for_the_us-saudi_relationship_to_thaw_mbs_needs_to_answer_on_khashoggi_139914.html
My comment: A remarkable change by former Washington Post’s most horrible pro-Saudi mouthpiece.
(A P)
Pakistan investigates journalists for honouring Khashoggi during MBS visit
In a letter, Federal Investigation Agency says reporters 'conveyed a very disrespectful message' during Saudi trip in February
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency launched an investigation into journalists and political parties that changed their social media profile photos to that of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the country last month.
My comment: Pakistan honors the perpetrator, not the victim.
(A P)
Pompeo commits U.S. to finding, punishing those behind Saudi journalist's murder
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that the Trump administration is still working “all across the government” to identify and hold accountable anyone responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Questioned at a House of Representatives hearing, Pompeo said he would commit to holding anyone accountable who was found to be responsible, even the most senior officials, a reference to powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
My comment: LOL. For Pompeo and his lies, look at cp9.
(* A P)
Khashoggi murder trials must public and meet international standards, UN expert urges
A United Nations human rights expert said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s closed-door trials of those it accuses of assassinating the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, have fallen short of international standards, calling instead for public trials of the alleged killers.
The Saudi Government is “grievously mistaken”, she stated, if it believes that the current proceedings will satisfy the international community “either in terms of procedural fairness under international standards or in terms of the validity of their conclusions”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/03/1035691
and
(* A P)
U.N. investigator calls on Saudi Arabia to open Khashoggi murder trial
Saudi Arabia’s secretive hearings for 11 suspects accused in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi fall short of international standards and should be open to the public and trial observers, a U.N. human rights expert said on Thursday.
Agnes Callamard, U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, who leads an international inquiry into the murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October, called on the kingdom to reveal the defendants’ names and the fate of 10 others initially arrested.
cp9 USA
(A P)
Lenderking Voices Support for Military Pressure Helping Resolve Yemeni Crisis
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs Tim Lenderking, bagging some 26 years of diplomacy and hands-on experience when it comes to the Yemeni conflict, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, offered a unique take on the crisis, parties inhibiting peace and the Iranian role in prolonging the war.
When asked about employing military pressure to get Houthi militias to comply with peace negotiations, Lenderking noted it was only understandable in light of Houthis’ total rejection of engaging in the political peace process and if it also guarantees that they come to the negotiating table.
My comment: Vomiting bullshit.
(* B K P)
CODEPINK Ranks the 2020 Presidential Candidates on War, Peace and Military Spending
Medea Benjamin and Nicole Davies of CODEPINK look at a new crop of presidential candidates and examine their views – and, when possible, voting records – on issues of war and peace.
While we can’t guarantee that candidates will stick to their campaign promises, it is important to look at this new crop of presidential candidates and examine their views – and, when possible, voting records – on issues of war and peace. What prospects for peace might each of them bring to the White House?
(* B K)
Report: American "Drones " commits serious violations and kills civilians with the complicity of the Yemeni government
The National commission of Inquiry into allegations of human rights violations has warned of the continuing serious violations committed by United States drones in Yemen, which continue to kill and target safe civilian citizens with the complicity of the Yemeni government.
In its sixth report, the National Committee, in its report obtained by Al-Masdaronline, added that the Commission had detected and investigated allegations of violations by United States drones, which had resulted in eight casualties, all of them civilians, including seven fatalities, including one child and one injured.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165977
Remark: Yemeni commission (Hadi government).
(A K P)
#Saudi Air Force F-15SA assigned to the 29th SQN @NellisAFB. (photos)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1112011788512579584
My comment: Saudi aerial killers are hosted in the US.
(B P)
Saudis accessed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ phone and gained private data, security chief says
Bezos had tasked his security chief Gavin de Becker with investigating how National Enquirer publisher AMI obtained intimate texts and photos that the Amazon CEO sent to his mistress, former TV anchor Lauren Sanchez.
De Becker said his investigation had concluded “with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos’ phone and gained private information.”
De Becker said the results of his investigation have been turned over to federal officials.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/30/saudis-accessed-amazon-ceo-bezos-phone-and-private-data.html
Comment: Do you know what this means? You should assume the Saudis can access your private data anytime they want.
https://twitter.com/arjunsethi81/status/1112163671415930881
(* B P)
You and I Paid for Bombs That Hit a Hospital Yesterday
Every time I pay a federal tax, I supply Saudi Arabia with a little bit of cash. And with some of that cash, they build drones that will kill soldiers and civilians alike.
In such a dark reality, is escape possible? I touched upon this subject in a previous work, concluding that it was not, but I now believe I was wrong.
The most obvious way to absolve personal moral blame, or so it seems, is to stop paying taxes.
Neither voting nor tax evasion provides valuable change; the latter at least gives a clean conscience, but I’m sure the war victims don’t really care whether you or your neighbor bought the artillery that killed them.
So, neither support nor opposition really appears to save lives. What, then, is the most preferable way of action? It pains me horribly that the answer to this is, in most cases, to continue paying for the bombs.
The path to peace starts with the individual, and I firmly believe that even a small difference is better than no difference at all. Our fallen brothers and sisters of the Middle East and our homeland alike deserve at least this. Refusal to cooperate in the entire chain may not break it alone, but activism and awareness will encourage more people to do so. With enough resistance, every chain will eventually falter.
https://71republic.com/2019/03/27/you-i-paid-bombs-hit-hospital/
(* B K P)
Ending Support for the War in Yemen
While there is no doubt that the humanitarian devastation that has already happened is reason enough to end our support for the Saudi-led coalition, its opponents in Congress and the Administration must also heed two recent reports, which demonstrate convincingly that in addition to using U.S. weapons to inflict incredible harm on civilians, much of the U.S.-supplied equipment is falling into the hands of unaccountable militias, many of whom are sworn enemies of the U.S., and to the Houthis themselves.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s response to these reports has been to state that the U.S. has not authorized the Saudis nor the UAE to make such transfers and therefore cannot comment on any pending investigation. How did they not know? Willful ignorance of this magnitude must be called out.
These humanitarian and strategic concerns make it clear that the U.S. must immediately end all its military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and end all its arms sales to the Saudis and UAE – by Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, @LarryKorb
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/03/27/ending_support_for_the_war_in_yemen_114290.html
(A P)
A hospital in Yemen was bombed and Tulsi Gabbard is the only Democratic candidate talking about it (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2200756269977391
(* B P)
Secretary Pompeo Has No Credibility
Mike Pompeo spoke at the National Review Institute this week and made several false statements about North Korea, Yemen, and other issues.
Pompeo has spent the last ten months lying to the American public, Congress, and everyone else.
On Yemen, Pompeo told another one of his whoppers:
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah. Well, factually, they’re wrong [Senate]. Factually, frankly, the American role there has reduced civilian casualties there inordinately [bold mine-DL]. I can – I think it’s declassified. I can show you the statistics. Since America’s begun to assist the Saudis in their campaign, the ratio of civilian casualties to effectiveness has decreased dramatically, and that’s important. And so it’s been a good thing that we’ve helped them [bold mine-DL].
Pompeo is the chief representative of the United States abroad besides the president, so his habit of making things up out of thin air and telling easily refuted lies can only harm our reputation, undermine trust, and cause even our allies to doubt our government’s claims.
The Yemen Data Project has tracked Saudi coalition airstrikes throughout the war, and they have found that the coalition has consistently struck civilian targets roughly one-third of the time – by Daniel Larison
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/secretary-pompeo-has-no-credibility/
Imagine being warped enough to think that "defeating Iran" in Yemen justified arming war criminals and helping push millions of people to brink of starvation. It's insane. It's also an official justification for U.S. policy
https://twitter.com/DanielLarison/status/1111662580572086272
(A P)
Pompeo Voices Appreciation for Saudi’s Continued Support for Yemen Peace Efforts
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister, Khalid bin Salman, expressed appreciation towards the Kingdom’s efforts to advance the peace process in Yemen
My comment: As saudi Arabia ist he main warring party, this claim is ridiculous.
(* A P)
U.S. calls for probe of bombing of hospital in Yemen
A U.S. State Department spokesman on Thursday called the bombing earlier this week of a Save the Children-supported hospital in Yemen “awful” and urged the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen to conduct an investigation.
“We understand that the Saudi-led coalition has referred the results of this targeting operation to the joint incidents assessment team for their review and their investigation,” he said. “The United States urges a transparent investigation,” Palladino said.
My comment: Hold on your seat not to fall off – the US require a Saudi self-investigation! What a scam, as everybody knows what a scam all these self-investigations had been from the very beginning. Such a probe will be whatever, “transparent” never.
And
(* A P)
US calls airstrike on Yemeni hospital ‘awful’... then asks Saudis to investigate THEMSELVES
It remained unclear, however, if the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the issue of the hospital bombing with the Saudis personally
https://www.rt.com/news/455014-awful-airstrike-yemen-hospital/
(* A P)
Trump wants to strengthen Saudi Arabia: Analyst
US President Donald Trump aims to strengthen Saudi Arabia by providing assistance to the Arab country for the development of nuclear technology, an American political analyst in Virginia says.
An official document shows that Trump has approved six authorizations that allow American companies to secretly provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear technology or technical assistance.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise that the administration is seeking to provide Saudi Arabia with assistance for the development of nuclear technology," said Keith Preston, chief editor of AttacktheSystem.com in an interview with Press TV on Saturday.
The analyst said the Trump administration wanted to strengthen its regional ally against Iran and Syria
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/03/30/592210/US-Trump-Saudi-Arabia-Nuclear-Technology
(* A P)
U.S. energy secretary unsure if Saudi nuclear approvals came after Khashoggi killing
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry told lawmakers on Thursday he did not know whether any of the approvals he authorized for U.S. companies to sell nuclear power technology to Saudi Arabia were made after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October last year.
My comment: And what does he want to tell us? That without the Khashoggi murder anyway this would have been ok???
And
(* A P)
US reveals secret deal to sell nuclear tech to Saudi Arabia
The Donald Trump administration has granted permission to unspecified US companies to sell nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia and provide technical assistance, US Energy Secretary Rick Perry told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
The companies have asked the administration to keep the approvals secret.
"If you cannot trust a regime with a bone-saw, you should not trust them with nuclear weapons," one lawmaker responded. Many in Congress fear Riyadh could use American technology to develop a nuclear bomb.
https://www.dw.com/en/us-reveals-secret-deal-to-sell-nuclear-tech-to-saudi-arabia/a-48107484
(* B P)
War, Peace and Presidential Candidates
Forty-five years after Congress passed the War Powers Act in the wake of the Vietnam War, it has finally used it for the first time, to try to end the U.S.-Saudi war on the people of Yemen and to recover its constitutional authority over questions of war and peace. This hasn’t stopped the war yet, and President Trump has threatened to veto the bill. But its passage in Congress, and the debate it has spawned, could be an important first step on a tortuous path to a less militarized U.S. foreign policy in Yemen and beyond.
While the United States has been involved in wars throughout much of its history, since the 9/11 attacks the US military has been engaged in a series of wars that have dragged on for almost two decades. Many refer to them as "endless wars." One of the basic lessons we have all learned from this is that it is easier to start wars than to stop them. So, even as we have come to see this state of war as a kind of "new normal," the American public is wiser, calling for less military intervention and more congressional oversight.
While we can’t guarantee that candidates will stick to their campaign promises, it is important to look at this new crop of presidential candidates and examine their views – and, when possible, voting records – on issues of war and peace. What prospects for peace might each of them bring to the White House? – by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies
https://original.antiwar.com/mbenjamin/2019/03/27/war-peace-and-presidential-candidates/
(* B P)
Audio: Revolutionary Optimism of the Will: VENEZUELA AND YEMEN
Guest: Ben Norton
Topic: Venezuela and Yemen: One is NOT in a humanitarian crisis, but is being offered Trojan Horse aid by the U.S.; One IS in a humanitarian crisis and is being starved. Guess Which?
http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2019/03/revolutionary-optimism-of-will.html
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(* B K P)
UN launches investigation after Mail on Sunday exposé reveals British Special Forces are fighting on same side as child soldiers in Yemen civil war
Report sparked questions over Britain's complicity in support for Saudi Arabia
Charities say Yemeni children of 13 are considered old enough to fight by elders
Harrowing pictures of children with AK47s emerged from the war's front line
An exclusive report in The Mail on Sunday that British Special Forces have been wounded while fighting on the same side as child soldiers in Yemen has triggered a United Nations investigation.
Charities say Yemeni children of 13 are considered old enough to fight by elders.
The MoS report casts doubt over the veracity of the Government’s often-repeated claim that the UK ‘is not a party to the war’.
Following our article last week we received a request for information by the United Nations’ official panel of experts on Yemen which advises the UN’s security council on the state of the conflict.
We have agreed to pass on evidence about child soldiers provided by our sources to the UN.
We are also publishing for the first time today pictures understood to be of Yemeni child soldiers taken in late 2018.
Officially, the Government does not comment on the whereabouts or actions of UK Special Forces, even in response to parliamentary questions.
But the MoS has confirmed that around ten to 15 SBS personnel are deployed inside Yemen.
The SBS force includes medics, interpreters and intelligence officers and their mission is to advise official Saudi and Yemeni government troops.
It is understood that while these commandos are not deployed in an offensive role they are permitted to return fire to protect themselves.
(A K P)
Fury at US arms giant with bomb factory in Fife after they snub probe into Yemen carnage
Campaigner hits out after arms giant Raytheon fail to meet MPs to answer questions about Saudi deals.
An arms giant with a bomb factory in Scotland has been criticised for failing to meet MPs to answer questions about sales to Saudi Arabia.
Raytheon, which is part publicly funded, makes laser-guided systems for smart bombs in Glenrothes, Fife.
Raytheon was called to give evidence to the committees on arms export control (CAEC) at Westminster on the fourth anniversary of the bombing campaign
But US-based Raytheon, which the Sunday Mail last year revealed got more than £200,000 in grants from jobs quango Scottish Enterprise, didn’t attend
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/fury-arms-giant-bomb-factory-14211266
(* B E K P)
UK sold £5.7bn of arms to Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen
The UK sold at least £5.7bn worth of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen since the start of the war in 2015, figures show.
Sky News analysis shows more than 80% of those sales have been received by Saudi Arabia.
The total figure could be much higher because of the use of a type of licence which allows the agreement to be extended over time. The government is not obliged to clarify the final figure.
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-sold-5-7bn-of-arms-to-saudi-led-coalition-fighting-in-yemen-11678038
(A H P)
UK aids war-torn Yemen with further £200m
The UK has committed an additional £200 million of aid to war-torn Yemen so far this year to help tackle the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
https://www.publicfinanceinternational.org/news/2019/03/uk-aids-war-torn-yemen-further-ps200m
My comment: LOL.
(* A P)
Jeremy Hunt thinks it would be 'moral bankruptcy' NOT to arm Saudi Arabia. Sorry, what?
Next month the case against British arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen goes to the Court of Appeal. Meanwhile the Foreign Secretary continues the long British tradition of putting arms company profits before human lives.
Ending the sale of UK arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen “would be morally bankrupt and the people of Yemen would be the biggest losers”, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt wrote in an article for Politico this week.
It’s worth reading that again. According to our Foreign Secretary, it’s not continuing to arm the Saudi regime as it rains bombs on Yemen that’s morally bankrupt – but stopping arming them.
Despite his role as the front-man of UK foreign policy, the problem is not Jeremy Hunt. He is just the latest in a long line of Foreign Secretaries that have prioritised arms company profits over human rights and lives.
If Hunt resigned tomorrow he would almost certainly be replaced by someone else that would do the exact same thing. We, and many others across the world, are campaigning to end the vision, policies and mindset that has allowed such morally bankrupt policies in the first place – by Andrew Smith, CAAT
(* A P)
Houthi leader attacks UK's Jeremy Hunt over efforts to relax Saudi arms ban
The leader of the Houthi movement in Yemen has condemned the British foreign secretary for pressing Germany to relax its arms sales ban on Saudi Arabia, saying it was not possible for the UK to be a peace-broker in the country and an arms seller.
“Britain sending aid does not change the tragic reality of its arms sales. Jeremy Hunt cannot promote peace while at the same time acting as an arms salesman,” said Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the supreme revolutionary committee, in an interview with the Guardian.
and also https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201903291073660257-yemen-saudi-german-arms-sales-hunt/
My comment: On this, he simply is right.
(* A P)
UK’s twisted logic: Selling arms in name of peace in Yemen
Jeremy Hunt’s justifications for selling arms to Saudi Arabia do not add up.
His logic is twisted at best.
There is no evidence that these contracts [arms sales] bought the U.K. any influence worth buying in persuading Saudi Arabia to end its violations. Saudi Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman — a key architect of the Yemen war — is notoriously impervious to advice and has shown no willingness to curb the coalition’s abusive tactics.
https://www.politico.eu/article/uks-twisted-logic-selling-arms-in-name-of-peace-in-yemen/ = https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/01/uks-twisted-logic-selling-arms-name-peace-yemen-0
My comment: For Hunt’s statement, look at Yemen War Mosaic 523, cp10.
(* B P)
British foreign policy in the Middle East: A secret history of self interest
Covert involvement in Yemen raises the same old questions about the machinations of the British oligarchy
The presence of British soldiers in Yemen, secretly fighting a war that has brought death, famine and destruction to millions of innocent civilians, raises an age-old question: why does British foreign policy in the Middle East support dictatorships, abuse human rights and prioritise Britain’s power status?
It’s tempting to say the reasons are simply geopolitics, oil and other commercial interests. But there is a deeper explanation: Britain, far from being a true democracy, is in reality an oligarchy that promotes the interests of a privileged domestic elite. The idea that Westminster is the "mother of all parliaments", representing a democratic model for the world, is a cultivated myth.
The UK has elections every five years, an independent judiciary, freedom of speech and association, and strong laws protecting the equality of all citizens and civil liberties. Yet real power rests in the hands of an elite few who control policy-making institutions and the dominant ideas in society.
British foreign policy-making is so centralised that it is akin to an authoritarian regime. A prime minister can send troops into action without even consulting parliament – by Mark Curtis
(A K P)
Bye Bye ZE119. After a few years as Warton being its home, this Tornado IDS is on its way back to the Kingdom (photos)
https://twitter.com/GClaridgeking/status/1111315172306702342
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A P)
Hilfsorganisationen zur Verlängerung des Exportstopps an Saudi-Arabien: Sorge um mögliche Schlupflöcher für europäische Rüstungslieferungen
Solange der Krieg im Jemen unvermindert intensiv geführt wird und dabei Verletzungen von humanitärem Völkerrecht an der Tagesordnung sind, dürfen deutsche und andere europäische Rüstungsgüter von den Kriegsparteien nicht eingesetzt werden. Daher fordern wir die Bundesregierung dazu auf, sich auch bei ihren europäischen Partnern wie Großbritannien und Frankreich nachdrücklich und konsequent dafür einzusetzen, dem deutschen Beispiel zu folgen, solange ein Ende der Kämpfe nicht absehbar ist.
(* B P)
Deutsche Hybris
Im Streit um Rüstungsexporte nach Saudi-Arabien spitzen sich die ohnehin zunehmenden Konflikte zwischen Deutschland und Frankreich ein weiteres Stück zu. Auslöser ist, dass Berlin die Ausfuhr französischer Waffen verschleppt oder ganz untersagt, sofern in der Produktion deutsche Bauteile genutzt wurden und das Empfängerland von der Bundesrepublik nur eingeschränkt oder gar nicht beliefert wird. Es gehe nicht an, dass Frankreichs Exportpolitik von der Bundesregierung bestimmt werde, heißt es in Paris.
https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/news/detail/7900/
(* A K P)
Wie strikt ist der Rüstungsexportstopp für Saudi-Arabien?
Das Ausfuhrverbot wird nun um sechs Monate bis zum 30. September 2019 verlängert. Das setzte die SPD gegen CDU und CSU durch. SPD-Chefin Andrea Nahles sagte, es gebe „klipp und klare Auflagen“, dass deutsche Rüstungsgüter im Jemen nicht eingesetzt würden. Von dem Exportverbot solle ein Signal für Frieden ausgehen, glaubt Nahles. Riad bombardierte erst kürzlich in Jemen ein Krankenhaus.
Ist das Ausfuhrverbot strikt?
Nein. Für rein deutsche Produkte gilt weiter ein komplettes Lieferverbot, auch für bereits genehmigte Exporte. Für europäische Gemeinschaftsprojekte wird der Exportstopp leicht aufgeweicht. Bis Jahresende dürfen deutsche Unternehmen Bauteile für solche Projekte an Firmen in Frankreich oder Großbritannien liefern, damit die Produktion weitergehen kann. Sie dürfen in der Regel aber nicht an die Auftraggeber Saudi-Arabien oder Vereinigte Arabische Emirate ausgeliefert werden, damit diese sie nicht im Jemen-Krieg einsetzen können.
(* A K P)
Irritationen um deutschen Waffenexport-Kompromiss
Der Exportstopp für deutsche Waffen nach Saudi-Arabien bleibt für weitere sechs Monate bestehen. Deutsche Bauteile für europäische Waffen dürfen aber wieder geliefert werden. Ein Hintertürchen?
Es ist ein Kompromiss, der Irritationen auslöst: Der Export deutscher Waffen an Saudi-Arabien bleibt verboten, deutsche Bauteile für europäische Waffen dürfen aber wieder geliefert werden. So lautet der Beschluss, den die Bundesregierung am späten Donnerstagabend gefasst hat. Das lasse eine Hintertür offen, durch die deutsche und europäische Waffen weiter im Jemen-Krieg landen könnten, kritisieren Oppositionspolitiker. Auch im Jemen tätige Hilfsorganisationen befürchten "Schlupflöcher" für die Lieferung von Rüstungsgütern.
Mit ihrem Kompromiss sendet die Bundesregierung nun versöhnliche Signale an die Partner: Sie erlaubt den Export von deutschen Komponenten an europäische Hersteller wieder, wenn auch unter Auflagen: Diese Waffensysteme sollen nicht an Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate ausgeliefert und schon gar nicht im Jemen-Krieg eingesetzt werden.
Was der Beschluss der Bundesregierung nun etwa für den Eurofighter bedeutet, von dem Saudi-Arabien 48 Stück bei der britischen Regierung bestellt hat, bleibt unklar.
https://www.dw.com/de/irritationen-um-deutschen-waffenexport-kompromiss/a-48113386
Mein Kommentar: Also wohl weiter: Kampfflugzeuge, um den Jemen zu bombardieren. Merkel und der CDU sei Dank.
(* A K P)
Rüstungs-Exportstopp für Saudi-Arabien: "Nur ans deutsche Publikum gerichtet"
Hilft die Entscheidung der Koalition den geschundenen Menschen im Jemen? Experten bezweifeln das - und verweisen darauf, dass EU-Partner weiter liefern wollen.
Allerdings sind die Regeln für Rüstungs-Gemeinschaftsproduktionen mit EU-Partnern auf Unions- Wunsch hin nicht so streng ausgefallen, dass die Ausfuhr jedes Produkts mit deutschen Bauteilen nach Saudi-Arabien ausgeschlossen werden kann.
Experten rechnen aber nicht damit, dass sich die Bundesregierung mit ihrem Wunsch bei den europäischen Partnern durchsetzen wird. "Andere EU-Länder werden sich nicht an die deutsche Vorgabe halten", sagt Gustav Gressel vom European Council on Foreign Relations: "Der Appell ist ausschließlich an das deutsche Publikum gerichtet." Auch der Rüstungsexperte Joachim Krause von der Universität Kiel kommt zu dem Schluss, die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass Rüstungsfirmen in anderen EU-Ländern dem Berliner Vorgaben folgen, sei gering.
(A K P)
Eine moralische Entscheidung
Niemand in Berlin hat in den vergangenen Tagen ernsthaft die Frage gestellt, wie denn die deutschen Interessen am Golf aussehen – gegenüber Saudi-Arabien oder im Jemen-Konflikt. Nein, es ging nur darum, ob die deutsche Politik es mit ihrem Gewissen vereinbaren kann, Rüstungsgüter an das (zugegebenermaßen unappetitliche) Regime in Riad zu liefern. Und ein wenig ging es noch um Arbeitsplätze in deutschen Werften und den Unmut der europäischen Partner.
Am Ende hat sich die moralische Position weitgehend durchgesetzt
(* B K P)
WAFFENEXPORTE: Endet die Moral der EU an ihren Grenzen?
Die EU definiert sich über große Werte wie Menschenrechte und Frieden. Aber Exporte von Rüstungsgütern lässt sie zu. Der Leitartikel.
So wird die Bigotterie der deutschen Außenpolitik am Beispiel Jemen und Khashoggi gut deutlich: Die Toten, die wir nicht sehen und nicht kennen, kümmern uns nicht. Die jemenitischen Flüchtlinge berühren uns wenig – vor allem deswegen, weil sie es nicht nach Europa schaffen.
Was hinderte Berlin daran, Riad früher klarzumachen, dass Deutschland diesen Krieg nicht direkt oder indirekt unterstützen wird? Diese Frage wird oft beiseite gewischt mit dem Argument, Deutschland müsse in der EU ein verlässlicher Partner bleiben. Wenn also gemeinsame europäische Rüstungsprojekte angegangen werden, dann könne Deutschland sich nicht einfach davonstehlen, wenn es irgendwo brennt.
Doch! Genau dann muss ein Partner sagen, dass er nicht an Tod und Leid in der Ferne beteiligt sein will.
https://www.fr.de/meinung/waffenexporte-endet-moral-ihren-grenzen-11945550.html
(* A K P)
Germany extends Saudi arms sale ban for another six months
The German government said on Thursday it would extend for a further six months a ban on exporting arms to Saudi Arabia which has strained ties with fellow European arms exporters with whom German companies have joint programs.
The freeze has pitted Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives against their Social Democrat coalition partners, who are keen to woo traditional voters skeptical about arms sales and worried about Saudi involvement in Yemen’s war.
(* B K P)
Müssen wir beim Morden dabei sein?
Ja, sagt die „christliche“ Kanzlerin Merkel, denn wir müssen an unsere europäischen Partner denken.
Ja, sagt die „christliche“ Parteivorsitzende Kramp-Karrenbauer, denn wir müssen an die Arbeitsplätze denken.
Ja, sagt der „christliche“ bayerische Ministerpräsident Söder, denn wir müssen in der Weltpolitik, sprich beim Bomben, einen Fuß in der Tür haben.
Ja, ruft selbstverständlich die deutsche Rüstungsindustrie, und behält sich rechtliche Schritte vor, wenn ihr Mordsgeschäft weiter behindert wird.
So sieht die wachsende „Verantwortung“ Deutschlands in der Welt aus, wenn man die „christlichen“ Pharisäer weiter „Weltpolitik“ machen lässt – von Oskar Lafontaine
https://www.facebook.com/oskarlafontaine/photos/a.198567656871376/2229948800399908/
(* B K P)
Deutsche Waffen töten im Jemen-Krieg
Was sagt die Bundesregierung?
Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse zur aktuellen Debatte über deutsche Waffen im Jemen lieferte die 15-köpfige Journalistengruppe unter #GermanArms.
Bezüglich der Kenntnisse zur Seeblockade und inwieweit Saudi-Arabien, Ägypten und die VAE daran beteiligt sind, antwortet die Bundesregierung in der Anfrage der Fraktion DIE LINKE, dass sie „keine über die Antwort der Bundesregierung zu Frage 14 des Abgeordneten Omid Nouripour vom Dezember 2017“ hinausgehenden Kenntnisse hätte.
In der Anfrage 2019 bezieht sich die Bundesregierung somit immer noch auf eine Stellungnahme von 2017, in der sie erstens die durch die Seeblockade katastrophal verschlimmerte Versorgungslage leugnet bzw. ignoriert und zweitens Informationen, die sie anscheinend von anderen Geheimdiensten hat, unter Verschluss hält.
Während die Bundesregierung also angeblich keine Kenntnisse über den Endverbleib ihrer exportierten Waffen hat und die zuständigen Unternehmen in ihrer Antwort zum Einsatz ihrer Waffen im Jemen-Krieg auf die Bundesregierung verweisen, wird von der Rüstungslobby die Kritik am angeblichen Exportstopp für Saudi-Arabien laut
Vor allem seitens der CDU wird sich deshalb gerne auf das Argument „EUROPA“ bezogen.
Wie kann es also angesichts der Lage im Jemen sein, dass über eine Lockerung der Exportrichtlinien und weitere Rüstungsexporte an Saudi-Arabien nachgedacht wird, wenn eigentlich die Frage geklärt werden müsste, weshalb es zwar einen Lieferstopp nach Saudi-Arabien gibt, nicht aber in die anderen Länder des Militärbündnisses – besonders in die VAE?
https://www.imi-online.de/2019/03/28/deutsche-waffen-toeten-im-jemen-krieg/ = http://www.schattenblick.de/infopool/medien/altern/imi-943.html
(* B K P)
Absurde Debatte – Warum sich Waffenexporte an die Saudis verbieten
Die hitzige Debatte darüber, ob der Rüstungsexportstopp für Saudi-Arabien für sechs Monate verlängert werden soll oder nicht, nimmt langsam absurde Züge an. Die Frage sollte so kompliziert nicht zu beantworten sein. Die Kriterien, wann Waffen wohin geliefert werden dürfen, sind in der EU über die Jahre aufgeweicht worden. Doch für einen Verkauf von Kriegswaffen nach Saudi-Arabien kann es trotzdem nur eine Haltung geben: Solche Exporte wären derzeit ein eklatanter Verstoß gegen die geltenden Bestimmungen. Punkt. Es ist nicht so schwer zu verstehen. Nach den gültigen europäischen Bestimmungen (“Gemeinsamer Standpunkt” von 2008) dürfen keine Waffen geliefert werden, “die im Endbestimmungsland bewaffnete Konflikte auslösen bzw. verlängern würden oder bestehende Spannungen oder Konflikte verschärfen würden”.
http://www.nordbayern.de/absurde-debatte-1.8744465
(* B K P)
Film: Vier Jahre Bomben auf Jemen: Kapituliert EU endgültig vor Rüstungslobby?
Jüngst jährte sich der Krieg im Jemen zum vierten Mal. Auch deutsche Kriegstechnik ist für die laut UN größte humanitäre Krise der Welt mitverantwortlich. Jetzt steht das löchrige Rüstungsembargo der Bundesregierung zur Disposition - Paris und London machen Druck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUZbCRLgJ34
(* A K P)
Mehr Rüstungsexporte in die Emirate
Nach dem Rüstungsexportstopp für Saudi-Arabien hat die Bundesregierung deutlich mehr Waffenexporte in andere am Jemen-Krieg beteiligte Länder genehmigt. Das geht aus den Antworten der Bundesregierung auf Fragen des Grünen-Abgeordneten Omid Nouripour hervor, die dem Tagesspiegel vorliegen.
Germany selling arms to countries bombing Yemen
Germany’s coalition government approved nearly €400 million ($449 million) in arms exports to Saudi Arabia and its allies involved in the Yemen war
Despite a coalition government agreement last March restricting arms exports to countries involved in the Yemeni conflict, Berlin has so far approved 208 arms deals with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt Jordan and Kuwait, according to German news agency DPA.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190328-germany-selling-arms-to-countries-bombing-yemen/
(B P)
Stop the WAR in Yemen und die Europawahl 2019
Gemeinsam mit Friedensinitiativen aus Berlin-Brandenburg – insbesondere den Berliner Mahnwachen für den ersten Weltfrieden, haben wir alle Parteien eingeladen, die zur EU-Wahl am 15. März durch den Bundeswahlleiter zugelassen wurden, sich interessierten Bürger in Berlin – vor historischer Kulisse – zwischen den Botschaften der USA und Frankreich, vor dem Brandenburger Tor, zu stellen.
https://deutschland-wahlen2019.jimdofree.com/veranstaltungen/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fx5DKERhVo
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
THE RABBI IN THE GULF
Marc Schneier builds bridges between Jews and Muslims.
With the Middle East in turmoil, Israel and Arab nations in the Arabian Gulf are seeking common ground in attempts to strengthen relations and ultimately establish diplomatic ties. As Israeli politicians venture into Gulf countries or confer with Arab leaders around the world, most recently in Warsaw, for 15 years there has been one man who has consistently built such bridges on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, making the impossible possible.
'Gulf leaders share their overriding interest and genuine desire to make it happen. They hold diplomatic relations to be a win-win, where they benefit from Israel’s technology, while Israel benefits from their economic resources. A senior Saudi official put it to him bluntly, “The kingdom knows Israel is an integral part of achieving their 2030 economic plan.” Nothing less.'
https://www.jpost.com/Jerusalem-Report/The-rabbi-in-the-Gulf-584870
(A P)
Is the UAE's call for Israel rapprochement a betrayal of Palestinians?
The country’s foreign minister publicly said Arab states should accept that establishing a Palestinian state is “no longer” viable, a statement that complements Tel Aviv's ultimate aim of erasing the Palestinian identity.
(A P)
the EU Ambassador Antonia-Calvo Puerta and the Deputy Head of the Delegation Riccardo Villa visited Aden for the third time this year from 23 to 27 March to discuss key priorities of the Government of Yemen.
(A P)
Papa tampoco viajará a España hasta que ‘haya paz’
[According to #Mexican media, Pope Francis has stated he will not visit #Spain as (among other reasons) ' the sale to #SaudiArabia of bombs launched in #Yemen, "is horrible''.]
https://primeraplananoticias.mx/portal/?p=628248
(A P)
’Shame Counter’ Exposing Coalition Crimes in Yemen
Spanish right and humanitarian groups called on their government to stop supporting Saudi Arabia in the war against Yemen.
Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Oxfam International, FundiPau, and Save the Children have put together a campaign asking Spain’s politicians to suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The campaign, ElContadorDeLaVerguenza (the shame counter), presented figures that shocked the Spanish publi
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6136&cat_id=3
(A H)
3’103'017 FRANKEN SPENDENVERSPRECHEN FÜR DIE OPFER DES KRIEGES IM JEMEN
Während 17 Stunden haben wir gemeinsam mit der SRG und den Privatradios pro Glückskette aus vier Sammelzentralen zu Spenden aufgerufen. Dani Fohrler führte als SRF-Botschafter für die Glückskette auf SRF 1 durch den ganzen Sammeltag.
https://www.glueckskette.ch/3103017-franken-spendenversprechen-fuer-die-opfer-des-krieges-im-jemen/
(A P)
Assisi e il grido dello Yemen
Ancora ospedali bombardati nella guerra in corso nella penisola araba. Cresce l’iniziativa dei comuni italiani per lo stop all’invio di armi sull’esempio della città di san Francesco che rilancia la proposta con un incontro in palazzo comunale il 28 marzo.
https://www.cittanuova.it/assisi-grido-dello-yemen/
(A K P)
Action needed to stop Australian defence exports being used in the war in Yemen
Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has released the report of the independent review of the Defence Trade Controls Act 2012. The report comes at a time when the government is under increasing pressure for authorising the transfer of defence goods to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
A parliamentary inquiry is required to investigate if Australia’s defence export regime meets our obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty.
(A P)
Audio: Beyond the Headlines podcast: Dr Anwar Gargash on Iran, Yemen, Trump and more
More from The National's exclusive interview with the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
(A P)
Top UAE official says Palestinian state 'no longer feasible', calls for closer ties with Israel
Anwar Gargash says Arab decision to boycott Israel was wrong and predicts further warming of relations with Gulf states
and also https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/03/28/uae-foreign-minister-urges-arab-openness-toward-israel
and
(A P)
UAE's Gargash: need for more reliable Arab unity amid 'very fluid' world order
An increasingly fragmented global order and the prospect of America retreating from the world stage is “worrying” the UAE, a senior minister has said.
(A P)
15 honoured with Arab Journalism Awards
Winners chosen across 13 categories after screening thousands of nominations
Dubai: Fifteen winners of the 18th edition of the Arab Journalism Award were honoured at a special ceremony held at the conclusion of the Arab Media Forum on Thursday.
https://gulfnews.com/uae/15-honoured-with-arab-journalism-awards-1.62973194
My comment: What a farce. The real good ones are rewarded with free board and logging (in jail) and a special entertainment program (flogging, sexual assaults, electric shocks etc.).
(? B K P)
How France helps maintain Saudi navy as it blockades Yemen
A Mediapart investigation can reveal the extent to which the publicly-owned French defence contractor Naval Group has been overseeing the renovation and modernisation of Saudi warships. This vital maintenance work has been taking place as the Saudi navy enforces a punishing blockade on Yemen as part of the ongoing conflict there. Meanwhile lawyers warn that any company that helps or supports the Arab coalition military effort in Yemen could potentially be seen as being complicit in possible war crimes (subscribers only)
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(A P)
Qatar emir abruptly leaves Arab League summit in Tunisia
(A E P)
Qatar: UAE nuclear plant threat to Gulf stability, environment
In a letter to the IAEA, Qatar urges the Vienna-based organisation to create a framework for regional nuclear security.
(A K P)
Qatar urges ending Yemeni war
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Lolwah Al-Khater urged ending war in Yemen, saying Saudis’ acts just make more serious humanitarian conditions in Yemen.
http://www.irna.ir/en/News/83258390
cp13 Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp11
(* B K P)
Deutschlands Haltung zur Rüstungsexporten ist richtig – doch der Alleingang ist falsch
Das Moratorium von Waffenlieferungen an Saudi-Arabien ist moralisch richtig, doch werden deutsche Unternehmen isoliert. Eine EU-weite Lösung muss her.
Dabei Waffen an Saudi-Arabien zu verkaufen müsste sich für alle EU-Staaten verbieten. Wie soll die EU auf Länder einwirken, die ihre Bürger ermorden und bei Kriegen humanitäre Mindeststandards verletzen, wenn nicht wenigstens durch Rüstungsexportverbote?
Europa braucht für Rüstungsexporte verbindliche europäische Regeln. Dazu muss die Rolle des Europaparlaments gestärkt werden. Ein deutsches Veto kann solch einen Prozess nicht ersetzen.
(* A K P)
Saudi Arabia is buying more weapons than ever before
Saudi Arabia's appetite for weapons has grown as its regional ambitions have increased. The ongoing war in Yemen, and concern about Iranian influence, are both reflected in increases in weapons purchases by the Saudis over time.
This is how Saudi purchases of American-made weapons have grown over time:
Wezeman says his concern is less about the amount of weapons the Saudis are buying and more about the fact that they are being used in battle.
"We don't have a nice Saudi Arabian defense whitepaper which clearly explains why they want to have all these arms," he says. "We have to look at how they behave
https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-03-27/saudi-arabia-buying-more-weapons-ever
(A K P)
10 new #RSAF F-15SA Advanced Eagles just joined their assigned squadrons at home (photo)
https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/1111286933601292289
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A T)
#AlQaeda & #IslamicState in #Yemen are still slogging it out in al-Bayda'. 3 new #AQAP claims today list a 4 further positions taken from ISY in Qayfa yesterday and today. Most ISY fighters allegedly fled, but 2 were killed & 3 captured (+ more claims & details on informal wires)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1111321099122417665
(* A T)
Al-Qaeda and tribes chase elements of ISIS and battles in the last stronghold of them
Al-Qaeda and tribesmen have taken control of several ISIS sites following the ongoing fighting between the two sides for the fourth day in the province of al-Baydha (central Yemen), an official source said Wednesday.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165892
Remark: Earlier reporting: Yemen War Mosaic 523, cp14.
Remark: Local media reporting that tribesmen fought alongside #AQAP during clashes this week with #ISIS in al Bayda central #Yemen. AQAP operates within tribal norms and has strengthened relationships with local tribes by participating in the anti-al #Houthi fight
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1111674225373396992
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Custodian of Two Holly Mosques confirms Kingdom's support for peace in Yemen
Speaking at the Arab Summit's 30th session on Sunday in Tunisia, King Salman called on the International Community (IC) to get Iran-backed Houthi militia to stop its hostile practices that caused the Yemeni people suffering, threatening the region's security and stability.
https://www.sabanew.net/viewstory/47603 = http://yemeninews.net/show740315.html
(A P)
Trump Should Salvage U.S.-Saudi Relations
To have any hope of diverting Congress from its anti-Saudi warpath, the administration should pursue several short-term goals. First, it should secure, in private, an explicit commitment from the crown prince: No more surprises. No military actions without prior consultation (as in Yemen).
Finally, and perhaps most urgently, the administration should press the crown prince to take concrete action quickly to demonstrate that a page has in fact been turned on the unfortunate series of events of the past year and a half – by John Hannah, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. During the presidency of George W. Bush, he served for eight years on the staff of Vice President Cheney, including as the vice president's national security advisor.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/27/trump-should-salvage-u-s-saudi-relations/
My comment: For the “Foundation for Defense of Democracies”, read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Defense_of_Democracies. For the author: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._Hannah.
(A P)
Four years since start of Yemen war, Houthis cause stalemate to continue
The United Nations, through Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, has not contained the Houthis’ bellicose behaviour.
Operation Decisive Storm, the Saudi-led military intervention against Iran-backed Houthi forces […] succeeded to some degree in preventing Tehran from extending its encroachment in Yemen through local proxies.
https://thearabweekly.com/four-years-start-yemen-war-houthis-cause-stalemate-continue
(A P)
HH Sheikh Mohammed Celebrates His Love of Horses with a New Book
A book of poems written by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai was launched in Dubai
Comment: Hey @voguemagazine nice PR piece on Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai. You forgot to mention he has HELD HIS ADULT DAUGHTER HOSTAGE for over a year. Does he love his horses more than his own daughter? Come on now, you’re a women’s magazine. #FreeLatifa
https://twitter.com/LisaBloom/status/1111822314197245952
(A P)
Foreign ministers meet for Arab Summit in Tunis
Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf opened the meeting, attended by foreign ministers from other Arab countries
“Iran's ballistic missiles pose a threat to regional and international security… We hold Iran fully responsible for what is happening in Yemen,” Al-Assaf said
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1474531/middle-east
(A H P)
Al-Rabeeah: King Salman, Crown Prince Ordered Aid Delivery to All Yemen, Without Exceptions
(A P)
TIME TO INVESTIGATE THE WASHINGTON POST’S QATARI COLLUSION?
Is WaPo propagandizing for foreign regimes and terrorist organizations?
Khashoggi was a Qatari lobbyist whose columns, as The Post was forced to admit, were shaped by the Qatar Foundation. The Foundation, an arm of the Qatari regime, proposed topics, drafted them and translated his columns.
(A P)
Saudi Arabia calls for standing firmly against Iran's terrorist schemes
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2833
(B P)
Film: Baraa Shiban: Why Has Peace FAILED in Yemen?
We speak to Baraa Shiban on why a peace agreement hasn’t succeeded in Yemen, who is to blame for the ongoing war and why the violence hasn’t stopped despite many attempts at ceasefires such as the ceasefire in Hodeidah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcs3yRIOwd4
(A P)
Yemen’s PM: Government doing best to help all civilians
The government is performing its responsibilities towards all Yemenis without exception to alleviate the suffering caused by the war
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1473881/middle-east
(B P)
The ‘Houthification’ of Yemeni Schools, Indoctrination of Students
Khaled, a fresh Yemeni elementary student, sits heavy with hands crossed and refuses heading to school, where he says Houthis have instilled a “cry and death” culture, the very same which had his sister locked up in detention for refusing to chant ahead Houthi slogans during morning assembly.
Similarly, Houthi militias stormed a girls' school in Sanaa to force students to shout slogans.
My comment: By Saudi media (remember the „Wahabisation“ of Saudi schools) is quite odd.
(A P)
More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda
(* A P)
Alistair Burt: The UK Very Actively Supports Saudi Arabia’s Right to Self-Defense
Minister of State for the Middle East: The Houthis Carefully Use the Media to Target the Kingdom
In his interview with Majalla, Alistair Burt appraised the UK’s support for the legitimate right of its ally Saudi Arabia to respond to the critical threat posed to its security by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. He flagged concerns about reports that Iran is violating a U.N. arms embargo by arming the Houthis. He explained that there has been a deliberate attempt by the Houthis to mislead the public by pushing a slanted perspective of the war in the media and assured that the British government is doing its best to present the facts to the British people. And he highlighted new opportunities for cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the UK as both countries undergo fascinating changes.
Comment: ARE YOU KIDDING MR BURT? To say that the Houthis use the media to their advantage is really a joke. Saudi Arabia spends millions and millions on PR and the Houthis spend virtually nothing. The reason the Saudis get bad press is because they do terrible inhumane things to Yemen.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157467768018641
My comment: A self-demasking interview, already from Sept 2018.
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
March 29: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1554007217./1273521616131534/
March 28: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1554007217./1273521106131585/
March 27: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1554007217./1273518729465156/
(A K pH)
In Sa'ada, a child was critically injured with a cluster bomb of the remnants of the US-Saudi aggression in Razeh district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6146
(A K pH)
2 civilians killed, another wounded in saudi-led airstrike on Hajjah
when a saudi-led airstrike hit a citizen's house in Hajjah province
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531200.htm
(A K pS)
Coalition fighter jets target Houthi gatherings in Qa’tabah, al-Dhale
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2839
(* A H K)
Patients have 'nowhere to go' after airstrike destroys rural hospital in Yemen
Lee spoke with As it Happens guest host Megan Williams from Yemen's capital, Sanaa. Here is part of their conversation.
Can you tell me what kind of work has been going on there, and how important it is to the area?
It provides very much needed primary health care. Also maternal and child health. And in the context of Yemen, where we've got malnutrition rates which are astronomical, it actually has a treatment facility as well for malnourished children.
So what kind of impact will it have on the area, the fact that it that it's been bombed now?
The hospital is closed.
So lots of pregnant women — mothers that need to deliver — don't have a safe space. The children that are being treated for malnutrition don't have anywhere to go.
And even basic primary health care, these community members have no ability to access care. The closest health facility that they can access is in Sa'dah City, which is about 60 kilometres away — which is a very long distance to travel, particularly in an emergency (with Audio and full transcript)
More photos, films:
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1111750772222541824
https://twitter.com/HussainBukhaiti/status/1111760231300775936
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
March 30: https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/eight-airstrikes-hit-sanaa-province-northern-yemen/ Sanaa p.
March 28: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531077.htm Marib p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
(A K pS)
Ibb.. Villages of Mikhlaf Al-Oud are subjected to indiscriminate artillery shelling
Local sources said that the Houthi militia launched indiscriminate shelling on a number of towns in the area of Mikhlaf Al-Oud of al-Nadera district, east of Ibb Central province of the country.
The indiscriminate shelling caused panic and panic among citizens and displaced hundreds of families from villages and areas of AL-Oud to neighboring villages
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/166026
(A K pS)
Yemen’s army shoots down another Houthi drone
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1475346/middle-east
(A K pH)
Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted Baqem border district, destroying civilians' houses and properties.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6146
(A K pH)
Army kills tens of saudi-led mercenaries in Najran, fires zilzal-1 missile at enemy's sites
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531316.htm
and
(A K pH)
Army inflicts on saudi-led mercenaries heavy losses in Asir
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531223.htm
Remark: On Saudi territory.
(A K pS)
Government forces capture 55 Houthi fighters in "Abbs+" confrontations over the past two days
According to the source, surprise attacks by government forces on the sites of Houthi fighters in "Bani Hasan's isolation" since last Wednesday evening have managed to control a number of villages east of the Abbs district, one of the coastal directorates of the Province of Hajjah (northwest Yemen).
According to the source online, 55 Houthi fighters were captured by government forces, most of them young, and the latter was able to seize 15 military vehicles with their equipment.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165980
and also https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/gov-t-forces-capture-45-rebels-in-northwestern-yemen/1435392
(A K pH)
Army kills, injures tens of saudi-led mercenaries in Asir
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531126.htm
Remark: Asir, Saudi territory.
(A K pS)
Army Forces Liberate 3 villages in Hajjah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/2832
(A K pH)
Army's spokesman : Army kills, injures 192 saudi-led mercenaries off Asir
Armed forces Spokesman Brigadier-General Yehya Sarie on Thursday confirmed the death and injury of 192 Saudi-led mercenaries when the army, repelled, during the past hours, their five infiltration towards Baqim, off Asir province.
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news531104.htm
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=6114
(A K pS)
Yemeni gov't forces say 30 Houthi fighters killed in ambush
in the country's southern province of al-Dhalea.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/28/c_137931218.htm
(A K pS)
Fierce battles between the Houthis and government forces in Al-Oud east Ibb city
The fighting between government forces and the Houthis in al-Oud, in Al-Nadera district, east of Ibb Province (central Yemen), has been renewed
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165890
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(* B E)
Film (2012). Yemen is richer with its plants: Abdulkarim Nasher at TEDxSanaa 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhHwPKknR1o&t=40s
(C)
Yemeni Jews. They look so much like Yemenis and it's sad because until the state of Israel was made they lived peacefully alongside their neighbours as happened in many Middle East countries (photo from 1991)
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157470741278641
(* B P)
Arab Regimes Are the World’s Most Powerful Islamophobes
Middle Eastern governments have forged alliances with right-wing groups in the West dedicated to anti-Islam bigotry.
It’s just one example of an often-overlooked trend: the culpability of Arab and Muslim governments in fueling anti-Muslim hate as part of their campaigns to fight dissent at home and abroad. By trying to justify repression and appease Western audiences, some of these regimes and their supporters have forged an informal alliance with conservative and right-wing groups and figures in the West dedicated to advancing anti-Islamic bigotry.
Arab regimes spend millions of dollars on think tanks, academic institutions, and lobbying firms in part to shape the thinking in Western capitals about domestic political activists opposed to their rule, many of whom happen to be religious. The field of counterextremism has been the ideal front for the regional governments’ preferred narrative: They elicit sympathy from the West by claiming to also suffer from the perfidies of radical jihadis and offer to work together to stem the ideological roots of the Islamist threat.
Based on dozens of conversations conducted over several years, we found that autocratic regimes in the region carefully cultivate conservative and far-right circles in the West that they believe lean toward their own anti-Islamist agendas – by Ola Salem
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/29/arab-regimes-are-the-worlds-most-powerful-islamophobes/
(A)
Yemen at the tail of the global classification of the cyber Security Index and Saudi Arabia is the first
Yemen's ranking in the Global Cyber Security Index, GCI, ranked 172 out of 175 countries in the latest United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) rankings for the year 2018, recording nine points below its ranking in the 2016 Global index.
https://www.almasdaronline.com/articles/165948
(-)
Photos: For our friends in #Sanaa: if you pass by Tahrir Square, do not miss the market with handicrafts by local women.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2200485310004487
(* C)
A rare image of a girls' school in #Hadramawt in 1965. The Jordanian teacher in the middle of the picture is the Honorable Safa Alaeddin who presided the first Jordanian educational mission in Southern #Yemen
https://www.facebook.com/UsedtoLiveinYemen/photos/a.228849524211445/646415782454815/?type=3&theater
My comment: Look how teacher and girls are dressed to imagine what an horrible blowback Southern Yemen had experienced from 1965 until today.
Vorige / Previous
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-523-yemen-war-mosaic-523
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-523/ Yemen War Mosaic 1-523:
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:
Was ist Ihre Meinung?
Kommentare einblendenDiskutieren Sie mit.