... NTF-Monatsbericht April 2019 – USa-Iran-Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf – und mehr
July 16, 2019: Withering Life: Human Rights situation in Yemen, 2018 – Destructions by air raids in Sanaa province – The Emirati “withdrawal“ again – NTF Monthly report April 2019 – US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf – 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
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
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**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
Neue Artikel / New articles
(B H K P)
Films: Part of the Problem
https://twitter.com/JosephWMeyer/status/1150681189730021376
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H K)
Mwatana: Civilian Life in Yemen Withering
2018 Report Shows Grave Abuses; Need for Accountability
The warring parties’ practices undermined civilian life in Yemen for the fifth year in a row, while steps to deter or call perpetrators to account remained woefully lacking, Mwatana for Human Rights said today while launching its 2018 annual report. The unacceptably high rate of violations in Yemen highlights the urgent need for the Human Rights Council to create a Commission of Inquiry this September.
Mwatana’s annual report, Withering Life: The Human Rights Situation in Yemen 2018, is based on field research and investigations conducted by Mwatana for Human Rights. Mwatana conducted 2,065 interviews in Arabic with victims, relatives, eyewitnesses, and medical and humanitarian workers for the report.
Parties to the conflict gravely exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. Airstrikes and shelling killed and wounded civilians, and hit schools, hospitals, healthcare facilities, and medical personnel. The armed group Ansar Allah (Houthis), UAE proxy forces, Yemeni government forces disappeared, tortured and arbitrarily detained scores. Saudi Arabia detained and abused Yemeni fishermen inside Saudi Arabia. The Houthi armed group laid anti-personnel mines. Both sides recruited children. US drone strikes killed and wounded civilians. Incidents of sexual violence started to surface.
“The warring parties are undermining Yemeni civilian and civic life every day this war continues,” said Radhya Al Mutawakel, Chairperson of Mwatana for Human Rights. “Civilians are drowning in agony while states hesitate to take urgently needed action, like ending military support to warring parties and supporting accountability. Yemenis deserve a chance at life—and at peace—as much as anyone else.”
States cannot address the humanitarian crisis without addressing the human rights crisis, Mwatana said. Blocking, obstructing and impeding humanitarian aid and critical life-saving goods has a particularly acute impact, given the millions of civilians already living under the threat of famine. Mwatana documented 74 cases of obstructing humanitarian access and aid—with Ansar Allah (Houthis) responsible for the majority. Yemeni government and coalition forces also obstructed aid.
People’s ability to move freely inside and outside Yemen has decreased dramatically throughout the conflict. Security checkpoints—notably in Marib, Taizz, Al Bayda, Al Dhale and Lahj—occasionally discriminate based on travelers’ identity or financially exploit them, in a context where millions are already struggling to feed themselves and their families. The Saudi/UAE-led coalition still refuses to re-open Sanaa airport—nearly three years after shuttering it.
The failure to hold the Houthi armed group, the Saudi/UAE-led coalition and other armed actors accountable has meant that the same abuses Yemeni civilians suffered in the beginning of the conflict continue until this day. The Human Rights Council’s creation of the Group of Eminent Experts in 2017 was an important step towards accountability, but the gravity of the human rights and humanitarian crises in Yemen requires more to be done, including the creation of a Commission of Inquiry.
The Houthi armed group has laid antipersonnel and antivehicle landmines since the early days of the war. Mines have played a significant part in the battle for Yemen’s western coast and have gravely impacted civilians across the country. In 2018 alone, Mwatana documented 52 landmines cases, killing at least 60 civilians, including 8 women and 26 children, and wounding at least 51 others, including 12 women and 21 children.
Coalition airstrikes on civilians have not stopped. Mwatana documented about 150 coalition airstrikes in 11 governorates in 2018 that killed at least 375 civilians, including 165 children, and wounded 427 others, including 172 children. The attacks damaged private property and critical infrastructure, and struck residential neighborhoods, villages, roads, markets, commercial facilities, boats, and civilian vehicles.
Both the Houthi armed group and forces loyal to the coalition and Yemeni government continued to launch indiscriminate ground attacks, and to recruit children. The Houthi armed group was responsible for the vast majority of the 1,117 child recruitment cases Mwatana documented in 2018, but Saudi/UAE-led coalition forces and forces loyal to President Hadi also used children. Coalition proxy forces have been implicated in a range of abuses—from torture to sexual violence against kids. The US continued to carry out drone attacks in Yemen that killed and wounded civilians.
Arbitrary detentions, disappearances and torture, in some cases, leading to death, continued across the country. People have been detained and tried in court for their religious beliefs, and others have been detained because of their media work. While the majority of victims of detention-related abuses were men, women have also been detained, mistreated, and sentenced to death following unfair trials. States should prioritize pressuring the warring parties to release the arbitrarily detained, to resolve disappearances and to improve detention conditions, Mwatana said.
The space Yemenis had for expression, opposition, and voicing critical opinions before the conflict has been all but closed. States interested in rebuilding Yemen after the conflict should support civil society now, before it is destroyed, Mwatana said.
“The longer states wait to hold Saudi, Emirati, and Yemeni war criminals—on both the Houthi and Hadi sides—accountable, the more difficult it will be to rebuild Yemen,” Al Mutawakel said. “The virtual impunity that currently reigns emboldens the warring parties to keep carrying out awful abuses, destroying Yemen in the process.”
http://mwatana.org/en/civilian-life-in-yemen-withering/
and full report: http://mwatana.org/en/withering-life/
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXbV_jieHY0
Short film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu2QVFqx2V8
And abridged reports by DW, Aljazeera: https://www.dw.com/en/child-soldiers-used-in-yemen-civil-war-report-says/a-49606125
(** B K pH)
STATISTIC OF SANA’A LOSSES AS A RESULT OF COALITION’S BOMBING FOR MORE THAN FOUR YEARS
Losses of Sanaa province as a result of Saudi-led aggression coalition’s bombing on service sectors and facilities over four year has amounted to more than 1.5 billion dollars, according to a report issued by the local authority in the province.
The report pointed out that the aggression coalition targeted bridges, institutes, schools, roads, health facilities, markets, private establishments, mosques, tourist and archaeological sites, farms, wells, electric stations, telecommunication towers and sheep and poultry farms.
According to the report, the coalition airstrikes destroyed and damaged 1,392 houses and governmental and commercial establishments in the center of the province and districts, including 171 houses were targeted directly and 682 houses were damaged partly, and 146 government facilities, historic sites, mosques and telecommunication towers and networks were completely and partially destroyed, as well as damage to 122 other facilities, at an initial cost of $ 1.5 billion.
The government installations that were destroyed completely and partially by the aggression included 12 schools, three health facilities, 61 bridges and roads, 12 mosques, seven historic sites, six tourist sites, 12 telecommunications towers, five centrals, seven technical and educational institutes and colleges, six government complexes and facilities, two power plants, stores and ambulance cars.
The report added that 15 health facilities, foremost of which is the 48 Model Medical Complex, 16 mosques, and 88 educational and academic institutions and schools, including the 21 September University and three colleges and institutes.
The aggression warplanes targeted the industrial sector in the province, causing the destruction of nine factories and commercial companies registered in the Chamber of Commerce in the province with branches in other areas and poultry farms, as well as damage to nine commercial establishments.
The report pointed out that hundreds of hectares of agricultural land known for growing “grapes, fruits, vegetables, coffee, mangoes and bananas” have been affected by the blockade imposed by the aggression coalition, because farmers were unable to irrigate them as a result of the severe shortage of diesel.
The agricultural sector in Sanaa was directly affected by the destruction of several agricultural buildings, dozens of wells with its artesian pumps and dozens of agricultural equipment and machinery.
The aggression caused the death of more than 380 head of cattle and more than 18,500 sheep and goats and more than 50 thousand poultry.
In the electricity sector, the report noted that the aggression caused damage to high-pressure networks “11 K.F” linking between the province’s districts and a low-pressure network and its cables, and burned the distribution transformers of different capacity.
The damage caused by the aggression in the telecommunications sector included the burning and disruption of dozens of ground and aeronautical cables of various capacities and stoppage of a number of ipwll and microwave stations in a number of districts, as well as the stoppage of the centrals and service permanently.
The report affirmed that the aggression coalition targeted the government complexes and facilities in the provinces, most notably the government complexes in the districts of Bilad al-Ross, Sanhan, Bani Bahlul, Hamdan, Arhab, and Bani Matar, and Walan’s agricultural compound, as well as the technical institutes in Hamdan, Jahana, Manakha and Bani Matar.
(** B K P)
Emirati pullout: A new chapter of the war in western Yemen?
The UAE is withdrawing troops from the western coast of Yemen - but supportive Yemeni fighters have stepped in to replace them
The recent announcement came as a spokesperson in Abu Dhabi told reporters that the country was shifting from a "military-first strategy" to a "peace-first strategy" in Yemen.
But Yemenis who spoke to Middle East Eye seemed to believe the move may have been more motivated by a lack of civilian support and power struggles between militias that could further degenerate now that the UAE is on its way out.
After the Saudi-led coalition took the areas of Mocha, Khokha and others on the western coast in early 2017, the UAE became the de facto ruling power in the region, spanning between the Hodeidah and Taiz provinces.
The Emirates trained Yemeni forces in the western coast under the name of al-Amaliqa, as well as fighters loyal to Tareq Saleh, the nephew of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Both groups joined forces in western Yemen under the name "Guards of the Republic" and stood with the UAE.
The recent Emirati decision to scale down its presence on the western coast is tied to the increased role of these friendly Yemeni forces.
“The leadership of the Emirati forces in Yemen decided to reduce the number of Emirati fighters on the western coast and they vacated a camp in Khokha, but that does not mean they have withdrawn from the battle,” a source in the Amaliqa forces in Mocha confirmed to MEE.
“Emirati forces trained Yemeni forces and we are fighting on the ground under the supervision of Emirati officers on the western coast and in Aden.”
The source said he believed the UAE should have scaled down its presence in western Yemen at least a year ago, arguing that pro-Hadi Yemeni forces were adequately trained and equipped to fight and defend the western coast from the Houthis.
“It is irrational that Emirati soldiers fight on the frontlines while Yemenis do not. We can defend our land and we only need some instruction and suggestions from Emirati military experts,” he added.
“The Houthis tried to attack us, but we could handle all attacks alone without help from Emirati forces,” the Amaliqa source said. “The recent attacks by the Houthis confirmed that [pro-Hadi] Yemeni forces are qualified enough to lead the battles alone against the Houthis.”
Long-distance control
While Emirati soldiers may be leaving the western coast, Yemeni residents believe that the small Gulf country remains the main power in control of the area.
“We cannot see Emirati fighters in the streets, but we can see their flags on public institutions and every day we face Yemeni forces on the ground who are worse than the Emiratis,” Ali, a resident of Mocha, told MEE.
“Emirati forces think we will believe that Yemenis have taken control of the western coast,” Ali added. “But all of us know that Emirati forces withdrew after placing their hands [pro-Hadi Yemeni forces] along the western coast.”
Many residents of the area have little love for the UAE, especially after Emirati forces barred fishermen from sailing or fishing off the coast earlier this year.
“The Emirates are looting our wealth while our children starve to death,” Ali said. “Emiratis still control the western coast and most of the southern provinces from a distance, and no one can oppose it.”
Meanwhile, seasoned Taiz-based journalist Mohammed Ali told MEE that the UAE withdrawal could be tied to growing tensions between southern separatist forces and Tareq Saleh’s fighters in the west.
“Southern forces backed by the UAE used to be the main power on the western coast, but President Hadi sent Tareq’s forces last year to the same areas,” Ali told MEE.
“Southern forces did not welcome Tareq’s forces and vice versa. While both support the UAE, it was difficult for the UAE to remain on the western coast.”
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/emirati-pullout-new-chapter-war-western-yemen
and
(** B K P)
Saudi Arabia May Be on Its Own in Yemen
But now this alliance is experiencing some challenges as the UAE has decided to pull at least part of its military contingent in Yemen out of the country. On the one hand, the Emirati move highlights serious problems in the continuing intervention there, pursued by the UAE and Saudi Arabia since March 2015. On the other hand, it points to differences in how the two countries perceive their four-year joint endeavor, one that they have considered pivotal in preventing a future Iranian sphere of influence in the Arabian Peninsula. These two considerations take on special significance today as the war appears stalemated and the Houthis seem to insist on bringing it to targets in Saudi Arabia itself, both military and civilian, and on occasion to the UAE.
Considering the serious Houthi challenge on the border with Saudi Arabia, the UAE action cannot be a positive development for Saudi Arabia. In fact, Saudi officials are reported to have been disappointed and had “intervened with the Emirati leaders to try to dissuade them from the drawdown.”
Additionally, withdrawing from Yemen’s south exposes many of the militias the UAE nurtured and opens the possibility of competition and conflict among them. The Emirati intervention and conquest of Aden and other areas gave sustenance to the southern secessionists whose efforts had been stymied before. Today’s Southern Transitional Council—led by former Governor of Aden Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who was sacked by President Mansour Hadi in 2017—has for all practical purposes taken over government functions in Aden and plans for self-determination. The UAE also supported militias like the Security Belt Forces and the Shabwani and Hadrami Elite Forces, all nominally part of the Yemeni Army, as well as the Salafi Amaliqa and Abu al-Abbas Brigades in addition to elements of the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY)
The UAE’s role in Yemen and its support for militias caused much consternation among the members of President Hadi’s government who considered the UAE’s actions an infringement on Yemeni sovereignty and a challenge to the president’s legitimacy.
This overall picture of UAE work in Yemen thus makes Abu Dhabi’s decision to withdraw from Yemen an intriguing development. Important reasons must have necessitated it, given the significance of the Saudi-Emirati relationship and the level of investment the UAE has made in the war effort. These reasons include the following
The Saudi Position
One thing is sure after the UAE’s decision: Saudi Arabia is in a bind. It cannot pursue an endless engagement in Yemen without reliable partners with military means like the UAE, and it cannot simply pack up and leave because that would amount to a strategic defeat that ensconces the Houthis in northern Yemen and in complete, unchallenged control. In essence, Saudi Arabia today may be rethinking the relationship that developed between its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed as the influencer and supporter. Hard questions will emerge about this relationship, the value of the Saudi-Emirati alliance in Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s ability to cooperate with the UAE’s friends in south Yemen, and several other issues on which the two countries have cooperated before.
Be that as it may, the Saudi redeployment to areas vacated by the UAE in the southwest may arguably be a strategically necessary step pending other military or diplomatic developments. What is most important from a Saudi national security perspective is to ensure the security of southern Saudi Arabia from Houthi incursions and prevent the repeated and embarrassing Houthi drone strikes against Saudi installations
The UAE move in Yemen will spread Saudi forces too thin for comfort.
Saudi Arabia’s leaders would do well to step back from the headlong policies of the past regarding interfering in Yemen’s affairs, even if these represent a serious national security concern.
Saudi Arabia could also help its position in Yemen and the Gulf if it agreed to participate in a region-wide initiative for peace and security that includes all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran. – by Imad K. Harb
http://arabcenterdc.org/policy_analyses/saudi-arabia-may-be-on-its-own-in-yemen/ = https://lobelog.com/saudi-arabia-may-be-on-its-own-in-yemen/
and
(** B K P)
OPINION - UAE's Yemen withdrawal: Cover for continued clout?
Rising unpopularity of UAE’s military presence in southern Yemen explains shift towards more indirect power projection
Although these factors contributed to the UAE’s policy shift in Yemen, the UAE’s decision to scale back its military intervention in Yemen was also triggered by international pressure and a desire to suspend a protracted military campaign. In spite of U.S. President Donald Trump’s close relationship with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the U.S. Department of Defense recently pressured the UAE to allow an investigation into the abuse of detainees in Yemen. Backlash against the UAE’s alleged arms shipments to al-Qaeda in Yemen and criticisms of the UAE’s role in worsening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis have also damaged the UAE’s international reputation. As the UAE’s geopolitical vision depends on blending hard and soft power, Abu Dhabi’s withdrawal announcement was aimed, in part, at salvaging the UAE’s tarnished reputation.
As the Yemeni civil war drags on, UAE officials have also faced internal pressure to demonstrate that their involvement in Yemen is finite. Reservations about the sustainability of the UAE’s military intervention first surfaced in official circles during the early stages of the conflict.
Even though the UAE is downsizing its military presence, Abu Dhabi does not wish to surrender its influence in Yemen. To preserve its favorable strategic position, the UAE will selectively engage in counter-terrorism operations in Yemen, assist its proxies in their efforts to consolidate hegemony over southern Yemen, and expand its diplomatic involvement in Yemen. These actions will help ensure that UAE-Saudi Arabia relations are not severely damaged by Abu Dhabi’s unilateral withdrawal and that the UAE will secure its interests in an eventual Yemeni peace settlement.
In spite of the UAE’s troop drawdown from Yemen, initial reports suggest that Abu Dhabi will maintain a military presence in its base on al-Mukalla, a former al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) stronghold that was overrun by the UAE in 2016.
As Abu Dhabi’s hegemony over Aden complements its rising military presence on the Red Sea and Horn of Africa, the UAE will ensure that its troop drawdown does not weaken its influence in southern Yemen. The Security Belt, a UAE-aligned south Yemeni paramilitary force, continues to maintain a formidable military presence throughout southern Yemen. The UAE has also reportedly directed the STC to establish a parallel army to the Hadi-controlled Yemeni military. Once this process is complete, the STC’s military force will consist of an estimated 52,000 south Yemeni troops and sizable numbers of Emirati technical advisors. This level of military strength effectively prevents pro-Hadi or Houthi forces from expelling the UAE’s proxies through military force.
In order to repair its tarnished image and further its geopolitical agenda, the UAE will likely expand its involvement in the diplomatic resolution of the Yemeni civil war.
Even though many international media outlets have conflated the UAE’s troop reductions in Yemen with a military withdrawal, the UAE remains firmly committed to advancing its strategic interests in Yemen. The UAE is likely to preserve its hegemony over southern Yemen and could exert considerable influence over Yemen’s future political trajectory. Even if these successes are achieved, however, Mohammed bin Zayed will struggle to distance the UAE from its instrumental role in bringing about Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe – by Samuel Ramani
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/opinion-uaes-yemen-withdrawal-cover-for-continued-clout/1533034
My remark: More on this topic in cp2.
(** B K P)
NTF Releases Monthly Report on General Situation in Yemen
The National Team for Foreign Outreach (NTF), a humanitarian NGO operating in Yemen, released a periodical report on the general situation in the war-torn country in the month of April 2019 compared to the Aprils of the past 4 years.
"Siege of the city of Durayhimi by the countries led by Saudi Arabia resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians. The last victims of this unjust siege were the deaths of five women and an elderly man," a part of the report said of the situation in Yemen in last April.
"Dozens of patients are expected to cross from the Directorate to the governorate center to secure their food and medicine needs," it added.
The full text of the report is as follows
POLITICAL PREFACE
A hand to build and a hand to protect, an equation created by the Yemenis after being launched by the martyr President Saleh Ali Al Sammad, who was assassinated in an air raid by the Saudi-led coalition against.
The political leadership realized that the war on Yemen was mainly aimed at destroying the idea of a strong democratic independent state and turning the country into warring states and groups with different ideologies, as in the areas under the Saudi-UAE occupation.
ECONOMIC SITUATION
The Yemeni economy is still subjected to deliberate and systematic targeting by the war coalition of Yemen led by Saudi Arabia with the aim of impoverishing, starving and increasing the suffering of the Yemeni people.
The most prominent images of this in April 2019 are as follows:
The majority of the Yemeni state employees continue to be deprived of salaries and refrain from paying them since the conspiracy to transfer the management of the Central Bank of Yemen from the capital Sana'a to Aden, while all port revenues go to the Central Bank in Aden, this has had a disastrous impact on the lives of Yemeni citizens and continued to deepen their suffering.
The continued targeting of the telecommunications sector and the serious escalation of the attempt to disrupt the Yemeni International Telecommunications Company (TeleYemen), the seizure of its assets and the transfer of its administration to the creation of an executive management in Aden, although its accounts were reviewed by one of the largest auditing companies in the world which refutes any claims for the use of its resources other than those for which it was established.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
The Siege of Durayhimi City in Hodeidah Governorate
VIOLATIONS AND CRIMES
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980423000885 = http://www.newnewss.net/ntf-releases-monthly-report-on-general-situation-in-yemen/
My remark: From the Houthi side.
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* B H)
Since the start of the year and 5 July, the cumulative total of suspected cholera cases amounts to 461,542, with 713 associated deaths. A total of 9,652 new suspected cases were reported during the first week of July Source: UN
https://twitter.com/Ndawsari/status/1151027466586271744
(* B H)
20 Millionen Kindern fehlt Impfschutz
WHO und UNICEF warnen in einem aktuellen Bericht vor unzureichenden Impfquoten bei Kindern.
20 Millionen Kindern weltweit fehlen lebensrettende Impfungen etwa gegen Masern, Diphtherie oder Tetanus. Das geht aus Daten der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) und des Kinderhilfswerks UNICEF aus dem Jahr 2018 hervor.
Die meisten ungeimpften Kinder lebten WHO und UNICEF zufolge in armen und von Konflikten betroffenen Ländern. Etwa die Hälfte der Kinder ohne Impfschutz lebe in nur 16 Ländern, darunter Afghanistan, die Demokratische Republik Kongo, Irak, Nigeria, Syrien und Jemen.
(* B H)
World Health Organization, UN Children's Fund: 20 million children miss out on lifesaving measles, diphtheria and tetanus vaccines in 2018
New estimates find dangerous stagnation of global vaccination rates, due to conflict, inequality and complacency
20 million children worldwide – more than 1 in 10 – missed out on lifesaving vaccines such as measles, diphtheria and tetanus in 2018, according to new data from WHO and UNICEF.
Globally, since 2010, vaccination coverage with three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) and one dose of the measles vaccine has stalled at around 86 percent. While high, this is not sufficient. 95 percent coverage is needed – globally, across countries, and communities - to protect against outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Most unvaccinated children live in the poorest countries, and are disproportionately in fragile or conflict-affected states. Almost half are in just 16 countries - Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
If these children do get sick, they are at risk of the severest health consequences, and least likely to access lifesaving treatment and care.
(* B H)
Dengue Outbreak during Ongoing Civil War, Taiz, Yemen
We identified dengue in ≈51% of patients given a clinical diagnosis of suspected dengue in Taiz, Yemen, during 2016. The cosmopolitan genotype of dengue virus type 2 was most common; viruses appeared to have originated in Saudi Arabia. Damage to public health infrastructure during the ongoing civil war might enable dengue to become endemic to Yemen.
The association between wars and dengue virus (DENV) transmission has been well-recognized. During World War II (1939–1945), extensive ecologic disruption and demographic changes created an abundance of ideal breeding sites for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, as well as pools of susceptible military personnel and displaced populations to support the spread of dengue (1).
In 2015, a total of >6,777 suspected dengue cases were recorded in Yemen, which suggested that the country was experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of dengue cases (7). Taiz, a governorate in southwestern Yemen, experienced fierce fighting related to the civil war (5). An extreme spike in dengue cases was recorded in this governorate beginning in August 2015, soon after the start of the war.
Dengue is emerging to be a serious mosquitoborne disease in war-torn Yemen. Its presence among 51% of febrile patients suspected to have dengue is almost comparable to the percentage reported in dengue-endemic countries of Southeast Asia. It is expected that the public health problems associated with dengue will worsen during the continuing civil war in Yemen.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/7/18-0046_article
(* B H)
EPIDEMICS ALSO KILL YEMENIS ALL OVER ITS PROVINCES
A new epidemic had hit many citizens during the past few days in the port city of Aden, southern Yemen, a medical source reported.
“A strange skin epidemic, which may be (scabies), causes a state of hysterical itching in patients and increases in the evening,” Crater news website quoted the medical source as saying.
The epidemic has hit hundreds of people in different parts of Aden, specifically the Crater area, where it spreads very quickly among citizens without any action by the Ministry of Health to contain it, the source added.
He pointed out that pharmacies exploited citizens with this disease and sold a fat substance used for body, claiming that it treats itching, for 1300 riyals a bag, taking advantage of the absence of government control.
This comes in light of the absence of health control, and amid security, chaos witnessed by Aden and the southern provinces due to the presence of the Saudi-Emirati occupation.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/epidemics-also-kill-yemenis-all-over-its-provinces/
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
Siehe / Look at cp7
(* A P)
U.N. says Yemeni warring sides agree port ceasefire moves
Yemen’s warring parties have agreed new measures to enforce a ceasefire and facilitate a troop pullback from the flashpoint port of Hodeidah, the United Nations said on Monday.
Representatives of the Iran-aligned Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government met on a U.N. ship in the Red Sea for talks on Sunday and Monday, a U.N. statement said.
The U.N. statement said both sides were keen to reduce hostilities after a rise in ceasefire violations at Hodeidah.
“They agreed on a mechanism and new measures to reinforce the ceasefire and de-escalation, to be put in place as soon as possible,” it said, without giving more details.
The two sides met as members of the “Redeployment Coordination Committee”, a body set up by the United Nations and chaired by Danish Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard to oversee the ceasefire and troop exit.
The committee finalised conceptual agreement on troop withdrawals, which now required political leaders’ buy-in, the statement said. Political leaders would also have to agree on “local security forces, local authority and revenues”, the statement said, without elaborating.
and also https://www.dw.com/en/un-hosts-yemeni-talks-to-break-stalemate/a-49600807
and
(A K pS P)
Government accuses Houthis of holding off Stockholm agreement implementation
The government of Yemen renewed on Monday 15 July 2019 its accusation against the Houthis of procrastinating implementation of the Stockholm agreement on Hodeida.
General Saghir Bin Aziz, chief of the government representatives to the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) said in a televised statement to the Al-Hadath satellite television news channel that so far discussions between the RCC and representatives of the rebels and government representatives focused only on a ceasefire mechanism.
He added that the rebels’ representatives hold off talks on implementation of the first phase of redeployment in the three ports of Hodeida under tri-party supervision by the RCC that includes representatives from the Houthis, the government and UN workers.
He said that the UN Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths will fly on Wednesday to Sana’a to convince the Houthis to implement the first phase of redeployment.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-30975
My comment: The problem is: The Hadi government tries to use the Stockholm agreement to take over control of the city and port of Hodeidah by claiming that its own personel must overtake security, denying that the Houthi military withdrawal (and passing security to Houthi harbour security personel) would coincide with the Stockholm agreement.
And
(* A K pH P)
National Delegation Proposes to Implement 1st, 2nd Phase of Stockholm Agreement, Riyadh Delegation Refuses
Al-Masirah TV correspondent, Mohammed Muawdah, said on Monday that "the National Delegation requested deciding the distance of redeployment from city limits, but the pro-aggression delegation insisted on staying on the gates of Hodeidah city."
"The pro-aggression delegation did not provide mine maps in their areas of control, while the National Delegation expressed its readiness to hand over the maps to disarm the bombs," the correspondent added.
He added that "the National Delegation proposed to implement the first phase and the second phase in back to back, while the pro-aggression delegation proposed only the implementation of one part of the first item of the Stockholm agreement and deal with the rest later, at unspecified time." He explained that the National Delegation had expressed its readiness to evacuate all areas concerned with the redeployment from armored vehicles and artillery, while the other side was reluctant to do so.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7851
and
(A K pH P)
Brigadier Al-Qadri: It Was Agreed to Reinforce Hodeidah Ceasefire
It was agreed on a new mechanism and reinforce the ceasefire and de-escalation by the other party, Brigadier Mohamed Al-Qadri, a member of the national team in the Coordination Committee said on Monday.
Brigadier General Al-Qadri said in a statement to Almasirah channel that the mechanism to reinforce the ceasefire in Hodeidah has been agreed upon, where the liaison officers will move to the points of contact to ease the tension.
"A Redeployment Coordination Committee was formed from the National Delegation, the other party (pro-Riyadh delegation) and the United Nations to monitor the cease-fire," he added, noting that the other party is trying to continue to disavow its agreements.
Al-Qadri pointed out that the distance of redeployment to the other side was determined by 50 km for armor and 20 km for infantry troops, under the auspices of the United Nations.
"The other party is faltering, but we have continued to make concessions, putting them before the fait accompli."
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7852
(A K pS)
Houthi militia shells army’s positions in Hodeidah
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/15/houthi-militia-shells-armys-positions-in-hodeidah/
(A K pS)
600 Houthi-laid mines removed from al-Duraihimi, Hodeidah
Engineering teams of the joint forces dismantled large quantities of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by the Houthi militias in various areas and districts of Hodeidah governorate, West Yemen.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10757
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_wm7hQNDYU
(A K pS)
Film: Houthi militias bomb houses and kill a number of livestock in Hayes district
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etqPbCxla3c
(A K pS)
Houthis mobilize more fighters in Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10747
(A K pS)
Film: The mines left behind by the Houthis threat the people of Hodeidah
Karima, the daughter of the village of Al-Masna`Ah, was one of the victims. She was searching for water when her leg was cut off, this has raised the fears of mines in the village populated with 150 family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qEbcTvk8FA
(A K pH)
COALITION’S SHELLS HIT CITIZENS IN HODEIDAH
The US-Saudi aggression coalition’s mercenaries launched on Friday 160 various shells to various areas in Hodeidah province, a military source said (with film)
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/coalitions-shells-hit-citizens-in-hodeidah/
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Sunday, July 14th, 2019
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7835
(A K pS)
Film: Al-Houthi militia fired indiscriminately at the citizens of al-Mutaina district of al-Tahita district south of al-Hodeidah on Sunday morning.
A local source said that the militias targeted civilians passing by the roads and led to the injury of a citizen with a shot in his right hand, and was transferred to the field hospital in Alkhokha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW63cemlcpM
(A K pH)
Saudi troops and their mercenaries continue their violations the Swedish agreement for ceasefire in Yemen's Hodeida .
Yesterday (July 14), a child of 15 years old was injured as the mercenaries fired an artillery mortar on his house. As well a man was shot gun by a sniper in Atuhita district (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2066631130299537
Film: https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/coalitions-gunfire-hit-citizens-in-hodeidah/
(A K P)
Konfliktparteien im Jemen beraten über Waffenruhe
Zum ersten Mal seit fünf Monaten haben sich die Konfliktparteien im Jemen zu Gesprächen über die Waffenruhe in der strategisch wichtigen Hafenstadt Hodeida getroffen. Die Gespräche hätten am Sonntag an Bord eines UNO-Schiffes im Roten Meer begonnen, hieß es am Montag aus jemenitischen Regierungskreisen.
https://www.sn.at/politik/weltpolitik/konfliktparteien-im-jemen-beraten-ueber-waffenruhe-73468150 = http://www.teletext.ch/de/Webtext/News/Ausland/e238a3db-42c1-4223-8bc1-37205b65358b
(A P)
Redeployment Committee agreed on implementing first phase of Hodeida Agreement
The Head of the Government Team in UN Redeployment Coordination Committee General Sagheer bin Aziz has said the committee concluded its meeting- presided over by the Committee Head Michael Lollesgaard- on agreement on implementing the first phase of Hodeida Agreement.
The meeting, which has been held on board of a ship off Hodeida City on Monday, resulted in agreement on the concepts of the first and the second phase and mechanism on de-escalation and ceasefire, Bin Aziz told Saba.
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Yemen sides meet on Hodeida for first time in months
Representatives from Yemen's government and Huthi rebels tasked with pulling forces out of the key port city of Hodeida met Sunday for the first time in five months.
The redeployment from Hodeida is a critical part of a ceasefire deal reached in December in Sweden that calls on the government and the Huthis to move forces away from ports and parts of city.
"The joint meeting of the redeployment coordination (committee) meeting started earlier this afternoon," a UN official present at the meeting told AFP, adding it was set to continue Monday.
The last meeting was held on February 16 and 17, the source added.
The UN head of the committee confirmed the meeting "aboard a UN vessel on the high seas", adding it would centre on "steps to implement" the Hodeida pullback plan.
Led by Danish General Michael Lollesgaard, the committee established under the Sweden agreement includes representatives from the United Nations, the Yemen government and Huthi rebels.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-7246461/Yemen-sides-meet-Hodeida-time-months.html
and
(A K pS P)
Govt reps highlight Houthi violations of ceasefire deal
During a joint meeting headed by Lt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, head of the U.N. mission on board a UN vessel off the port city on Sunday, the government’s representatives pointed out to the Houthi persist rocket shelling on the sites of the army and population centers in Hodeidah
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/15/govt-reps-highlight-houthi-violations-of-ceasefire-deal/
and
(* A P)
Yemen government and Houthi rebels board UN ship to discuss Hodeidah troop withdrawal
Talks will be led by head of the UN observer team in Hodeidah, Lt Gen Michael Lollesgaard
Negotiators from Yemen’s internationally recognised government and Houthi rebels boarded a UN ship in the Red Sea on Sunday to resume talks on the implementation of a troop withdrawal from the port city of Hodeidah.
Both parties joined United Nations representatives to discuss a pullback of government and Houthi forces from Hodeidah under a deal reached during UN-led talks in December.
"The joint meeting on Hodeidah will officially start on Sunday night and will continue until Monday on the ship," a UN official told The National.
The government delegation, led by Major General Saghir Aziz, arrived at the Antarctic Dream ship on Sunday morning, a Yemeni government official told The National.
It is the first time Yemen's warring sides have met to discuss the Hodeidah troop withdrawal in nearly two months.
“The meeting will be held in international waters because the Houthis have blocked vital entrances in to the port city,” the government official said.
The ship is expected to sail 30 kilometres into the Red Sea, a spokesman for the pro-government forces in Hodeidah, Colonel Wathah Al Dubaish, told The National.
Sunday’s meeting will be monitored by the UN’s Redeployment Co-ordination Committee led by Danish Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard, who heads the UN observer team in Hodeidah.
and also https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169584
and by the Houthi side:
Hodeidah Redeployment Committee resumes meetings aboard UN ship
Undersecretary of Hodeidah province Abduljabbar Ahmed said that the local authority provided all facilities for the UN team, holding “Riyadh delegation” responsible for any obstacles to the implementation of Sweden Agreement.
Media sources in Hodeidah reported that the meetings of the redeployment committee would continue on board a ship in international waters for 48 hours according to the UN schedule
https://www.uprising.today/hodeidah-redeployment-committee-resumes-meetings-aboard-un-ship/
(A K pH)
Citizen Injured by Saudi-mercenaries Gunfire in Hodeidah
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7831
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 16, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-16-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 15, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-15-2019-map-update/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 14, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-14-2019-map-update/
(* B P)
Death verdicts spoil ties between Yemen’s Brotherhood and the Houthis
The Yemeni Congregation for Reform, frequently called al-Islah, the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm in Yemen, has had fluctuating relations with the Iran-backed Houthi militia. Nonetheless, these relations have reached a dead end in recent days.
Houthi gallows
A Houthi-run partial court has recently sentenced 31 leaders of al-Islah Party to death and declared five others innocent.
One of those sentenced to death by the court was Youssef al-Bawab, a professor of humanities at the University of Sana’a. Those sentenced to death also included Nasr al-Salami, who works for the Yemeni Islamic Bank, among others.
The Houthis said the convicted figures had been involved in terrorist activities after receiving training at one of the camps in Yemen. The militia also accused these figures of being financed by some states, even as it could not present proof of this.
Relations between al-Islah and the Houthis were secret at first, given the illegitimate nature of the Houthis’ presence at Yemen’s saddle.
Relations between the two sides started to come to the fore when Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, an Islah Party leader himself, handed over a military camp in Sana’a to the Houthi militia. The camp contained military equipment belonging to the Yemeni army.
The handover of the camp offered insights into the future policy line of the Brotherhood in Yemen. Nevertheless, this was surprising to many because al-Islah had always said it sided with legitimacy in Yemen.
Al-Islah then offered a lifeboat to the Houthis after the formation of the Saudi-led coalition for the liberation of Yemen from Houthi control. The party did this by signing a “Coexistence and Understanding” deal with the Houthis.
The deal opened the door for the transfer by the party of areas under its control to the Houthis in a number of Yemeni cities, including in Taiz.
However, the party soon turned against the Houthis
(A P)
Mohammed al-Houthi warns against Saudi propaganda before upcoming UN Security Council meeting
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, member of the Supreme Political Council and chairman of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, has attacked the self-declared “advocates of the republic” who fight in the ranks of the Saudi-led coalition and the Saudi Special Commission.
He confirmed that the “national project goes against the [Saudi] guardianship” and “rejects the invaders and the occupation.”
“The protectors of the great and brilliant revolutionary project of September [the September 21 Revolution of 2014] are the defenders of the Republic of Yemen against the Saudi Special Commission and the aggression of their invaders and occupiers,”
(A P)
MILITARY COMMANDERS CLOSE TO TARIQ AFASH RETURN TO SANA’A
The capital Sana’a on Saturday has received two military men, have defected from Saudi-led and took the advantage of the general amnesty.
“Two members of the so-called 1st Brigade, the guards of the Republic on the west coast, Mohammed Yahya al-Hayasi and Mohammed al-Jabri, have returned to the bosom of the homeland,” Mohammed Yahya al-Bukiti, a member of Ansarullah’s political bureau said.
He added: “All returnees are welcome among their families and brothers with dignity.”
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/military-commanders-close-to-tariq-afash-return-to-sanaa/
(B P)
President of the Association of Mothers of Abductees: The role of the government and organizations towards the abductees in Houthi prisons is very negative and weak
The president of the Association of Mothers of Abductees and Detainees, Amat al-Salam al-Hajj, said that the position of the legitimate government and human rights organizations towards the abductees and the farce of their trials is negative and very weak.
Al-Hajj added in an interview with Sahwa Net, that the role of organizations in the case of abductees is very negative, and the positions issued by them are issued timidly by some organizations, and unfortunately the organizations did not interact with the abductees during their torture and comic trial.
"This is not a judicial decision, but a Houthi decision to kill 30 abductees,"
Al-Hajj spoke about the situation of the mothers of the abductees and their wives, who are living "great and painful suffering, as a result of the abduction of their children and their constant torture and despite the pain that squeezes their hearts
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169642
(B E P)
Film: Die Regierung des Jemen warnt vor einem drohenden Ölpest im Roten Meer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs2FgpzsLS4
Mein Kommentar: “die Huthis behindern” stimmt so nicht.
(B E P)
Government: Oil spill to cause environmental disaster in sea water
Over one million-oil barrel tank began leaking into waters of the Red Sea from a floating government-owned oil tanker that is stranded near Hodeida city, the government said on Sunday.
The government said that maintenance teams have not been able to check and repair the tanker because the Houthis rebels have prevented access to the tanker that is docked at Ras Issa port, north Hodeida, that is still under the Houthis’ control.
The oil spill will certainly cause an environmental disaster in the Red Sea
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-30952
My comment: … due to both Yemeni governments’ claims, the whole affair is blocked. Both sides claim the revenues from this oil.
(* A K P)
Whistle-Blower: Yemen's Ansarullah Rejects MbS' Proposal for Compromise
Saudi whistle-blower Mujtahid, who is believed to be a member of or have a well-connected source in the royal family, revealed that Yemen's Ansarullah movement has put down a proposal by Saudi Crown Mohammed bin Salman to surrender control of a part of the country's territories to Riyadh.
"Mohammed bin Salman uses the Yemeni tribes to negotiate with Ansarullah forces," Mujtahid wrote on his twitter page on Saturday.
"Bin Salman has proposed Ansarullah to stay in control in the Northern parts of Yemen and instead Riyadh stays in the Southern parts," he added.
Mujtahid underlined that Ansarullah has opposed bin Salman's proposal and emphasized that all aggressors should leave the Yemeni soil, apologize to the Yemeni nation for military aggression and pay tens of billions dollars as compensation.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980423000321
My comment: This could be interesting – if it is really true.
(* B K P)
Follow the Emiratis’ Lead, Out of Yemen
The Emiratis' withdrawal from Yemen could show how President Donald J. Trump and others can help end the conflict, writes the Editorial Board.
The conflict in Yemen is unwinnable, dangerous for the region and remarkably cruel. So the drawdown of troops by the United Arab Emirates, the biggest outside ground force backing the Saudi-led intervention that has turned a civil war into a humanitarian disaster, should be an example for everyone (limited access)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/opinion/united-arab-emirates-yemen-withdrawal.html
(* B K P)
Yemen’s people need peace. They won’t get it unless there’s de-escalation in the Middle East.
[Washington Post, Editorial]
In a briefing for reporters last week, a UAE official appeared to confirm that calculation, saying the UAE was not blind to “the overall geostrategic picture.”
Unfortunately, those same tensions may impede the settlement that Yemen desperately needs. Having unnecessarily initiated a larger crisis with Iran, the Trump administration can hardly expect Tehran to lean on its Yemeni allies, known as the Houthis, to make peace with the Saudi-backed government. On the contrary, the Houthis have been firing missiles at Saudi airports in recent weeks. Mohammed bin Salman similarly shows no sign of backing away from the war, even though the UAE withdrawal has made victory an even more remote prospect.
An enduring settlement in Yemen will almost certainly require a de-escalation of tensions across the region — which, in turn, can come about only if the United States and Iran reach some kind of detente. For now, Mr. Trump appears bent on continuing his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran while supplying Saudi Arabia with fresh bombs for Yemen. So Congress could play a constructive role by ratifying the ban on those deliveries — and by sending the firm message that war with Iran is not an option.
https://flipboard.com/@WashPost/yemen%E2%80%99s-people-need-peace-they-won%E2%80%99t-get-it-unless-there%E2%80%99s-de-escalation-in-the/a-_-j2Hy6tTzuUqb7ceJOFgg%3Aa%3A419161690-cc82e33c1b/washingtonpost.com = https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/yemens-people-need-peace-they-wont-get-it-unless-theres-de-escalation-in-the-middle-east/2019/07/15/49b81b6e-a723-11e9-86dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html
(B K P)
The failure of Yemen invaders
It has been four years since the Yemen war started, but the Saud Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other invaders have not been able to succeed even in a small part of their plans in Yemen.
The bravery and resistance of Yemenis has now forced UAE to leave the battlefield, even though the country has been among the main invaders of Yemen for years.
After this, the fate of Saudi Arabia in Yemen war is completely clear. UAE’s withdrawal from the Yemen war was the worst news ever to Saudi Arabia and now Riyadh can only await a bitter failure.
Now, more than ever, Saudis are alone in Yemen. In this situation, Riyadh has no choice other than accepting the defeat.
According to a New York Times report, UAE has come to the conclusion that the Saudi-Emirati coalition has no chance of winning in Yemen, and has decided to leave the war-torn country, despite pressures from Saudi Arabia.
Anyway, it seems that the huge costs of war started putting a great burden on the UAE, and the country decided to leave the war, despite the anger of Saudi officials. In the near future, more news about the withdrawal of UAE forces from Yemen will come on the air and it will definitely come as a hard blow to the Saudis.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/147623/The-failure-of-Yemen-invaders = https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/438098/The-failure-of-Yemen-invaders
My remark: By an Iranian news site.
(* B K P)
Abu Dhabi zieht sich langsam aus dem Jemen-Krieg zurück
Vereinigte Arabische Emirate reduzieren Truppen und setzen auf von ihnen abhängige jemenitische Kräfte
Der Truppenabbau der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) im Jemen wurde Ende Juni prompt zu einem Zeitpunkt offensichtlich, als die Spannungen mit dem Iran am Persischen Golf bis hin zur Kriegsgefahr stiegen: Dennoch, meint etwa Elizabeth Dickinson von der International Crisis Group per Twitter wie fast alle Experten, ist der Rückzug der VAE aus dem Jemen-Krieg nicht etwa der neuen Golfkrise geschuldet, sondern entspricht einer langfristigen Strategie Abu Dhabis und läuft auch schon länger.
Anders als Saudi-Arabien, für das die Auseinandersetzung mit den Iran-gestützten Huthi-Rebellen eine tiefgehende ideologische Frage ist, verfolgen die VAE im Jemen ganz konkrete Ziele: einerseits die Eindämmung der Huthis, die 2014 die jemenitische Hauptstadt Sanaa einnahmen; andererseits die Bekämpfung von islamistischen Extremisten und die Wahrung der emiratischen Interessen im Süden des Jemen.
In der Hafenstadt Hodeidah an der Westküste des Jemen haben die VAE mit dem Uno-vermittelten Huthi-Abzug – der verspätet, unter schwierigen Umständen, aber letztlich doch stattfand – ein wichtiges Ziel erreicht. Die Häfen in und bei Hodeidah können nicht mehr von den Huthis für Waffenschmuggel benützt werden. Das erlaubt Abu Dhabi, seine Strategie von "Militär zuerst" in "Frieden zuerst" umzuformulieren.
Die Realität ist etwas prosaischer: Die VAE haben im Jemen etwa 50.000 Jemeniten trainiert und ausgerüstet, die nun die emiratischen Agenden übernehmen.
Hier unterscheiden sich schon des Längeren die Interessen der VAE und Saudi-Arabiens. Riad unterstützt den schwachen jemenitischen Präsidenten Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi weiter, den VAE ist er zu muslimbruderfreundlich.
Abu Dhabi und Riad beschwören dennoch ihre Einheit auch im Jemen, der VAE-Rückzug sei mit saudischem Einverständnis erfolgt, heißt es. Aber auch im Umgang mit der jüngsten Golfkrise mit dem Iran gibt es Differenzen – von Gudrun Harrer
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia Forced to Fight its Own War in Yemen
The withdrawal of UAE troops from the disastrous war in Yemen is forcing Saudi Arabia to shoulder more of its own burden.
There is not likely to be a serious public rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia; the two still share a common vision of a Gulf region in which they and not Iran are the paramount powers.
Claiming victory over the Houthis remains a top priority for Saudi Arabia, as the rebels present a very real threat along their southern border.
By seeing all Gulf affairs as a zero-sum game with Iran, Riyadh has backed itself into a corner.
http://www.soufangroup.com/intelbrief-saudi-arabia-forced-to-fight-its-own-war-in-yemen/ = https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/soufan-center/saudi-arabia-forced-to-fight-its-own-war-in-yemen
(* B K P)
Saudi Arabia’s dilemma as the UAE pulls out of Yemen
The withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen did not come as a surprise, it was a matter of time. The onslaught against the Yemenis has attracted condemnation from various quarters around the world, it has been a public relations disaster for UAE.
The withdrawal from the coalition will leave Saudi Arabia extremely vulnerable and certainly impact on funding of the war.
Besides the criticism of those leading the unwinnable war in Yemen, there are other reasons why the UAE withdrew from the coalition. First, according to Jacqulyn Meyer Kantack, a researcher from the Critical Threat Project: “The UAE reportedly warned Saudi Arabia to abandon its support for Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi or the UAE will abandon the coalition.”
“Relations between the two states are strained by a combination of UAE skepticism toward prospects of a military victory and the UAE’s aversion to political Islamists in the north.”
Second, the UAE’s political and economic relations with Iran continue, albeit not as smoothly as they were in the past.
Third, Gulf waters are rapidly getting crowded, talks of a “policing force” in the Strait of Hormuz are gaining momentum. The UAE therefore wants to be part of the force together with the US and the UK, amongst others, for two reasons.
In withdrawing its forces from Yemen, the UAE is saving itself from the humiliation that will come with the coalition’s defeat. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman will eventually be left alone to deal with the humiliation of defeat at the hands of the Houthis.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190715-saudi-arabias-dilemma-as-the-uae-pulls-out-of-yemen/
and
(* B K P)
Emirates Plans To Rely On Militias After Withdrawing Its Troops From Yemen
The United Arab Emirates began relying on armed militias in Yemen after withdrawing troops from the country, which has been waging a criminal war for several years.
Hundreds of recruits from the Transitional Council were transferred for training outside Yemen.
The recruits were transported from Yemen via the sea and flights from Aden, without disclosing who had been transferred to the conscripts who would undergo military training.
Reuters quoted a senior UAE official saying they were not worried about a military vacuum in Yemen, in the time Abu Dhabi’s recruited about 90,000 Yemeni troops.
The Yemeni political researcher Abdul Baki Shamsan said that the UAE’s transfer of hundreds of recruits for training is part of its strategy of media exit, not military, from Yemen. Some sectors of the UAE military were transferred but the funding of forces affiliated to it remains in a complete absence of the legitimate authority.
He added that the UAE has managed through these militias and its affiliates to tighten control of southern Yemen and that the benefit of its announcement of withdrawal from is easing international pressure without losing the advantages of presence, control, and influence exercised by its groups and militias.
On the other hand, the Yemeni writer, Nabil Bakiri, said that Abu Dhabi has already trained thousands of individuals, and what is happening now may be a new polarization of hundreds of elements that were previously working within the national army, and was merged and polarized as a result of the imbalance at the level of state and the interruption and weak salaries.
In parallel, a report by the Guardian newspaper said that the UAE will hand over its positions in Yemen to foreign mercenaries and local militias loyal to the UAE and not subject to the legitimate authority of the Yemeni government.
The sources confirmed that the plan of the UAE regime is to conduct a proxy war in Yemen through its militias and foreign mercenaries, allowing Abu Dhabi to manage operations from outside the picture and allow the continuation of military supplies and the removal of the UAE from the forefront.
http://emiratesleaks.com/en/emirates-plans-rely-militias-withdrawing-troops-yemen/
and
(* B P)
UAE drawdown scrambles the board in Yemen
Local Yemeni reactions to the UAE decision are mixed, confused, and blurred. Although Islah and the Yemeni ruling elite siding with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi have previously demanded a recalibration or end to the Emirati role, removing the UAE’s anti-missile defense system (i.e. Patriot) and heavy weapons have made local actors more susceptible to Houthi missiles, as was evident in Marib. This vulnerability, compounded by Abu Dhabi’s strong, informal ties with the approximately 90,000 UAE-trained Yemenis, might push the Yemeni elite to rethink things the hard way. The Government of Yemen (GoY) must assess its relations with coalition partners and clearly decide whether pursuing a policy of rapprochement or confrontation with Abu Dhabi will relax tensions and alter the present imbalance of power in liberated territories. Unsurprisingly, the Houthis view the UAE drawdown as a partial victory, hoping for a full-fledged withdrawal of the coalition.
https://www.mei.edu/publications/monday-briefing-us-and-turkey-face-s-400-confrontation#jalal
and
(* B K P)
Film: Why is the UAE Winding Down in Yemen?
The UAE is a military linchpin in Yemen. A crucial component of the Saudi led coalition, providing thousands of ground troops, weapons and financial assistance as they fight Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Now the Emiratis say they want to wind down their involvement in one of the Middle East's most brutal wars. But why?
https://www.trtworld.com/video/the-newsmakers/why-is-the-uae-winding-down-in-yemen/5d2d7f62b9fa6764a9a58d51 = https://www.trtworld.com/video/the-newsmakers/why-is-the-uae-winding-down-in-yemen/5d2d7f62b9fa6764a9a58d51
and
(* B K P)
Arab Paper: Saudi-Led Coalition Losing in New Regional Balance
A leading Arab newspaper referred to Riyadh's failures in its internal and foreign policies, stressing that the Saudi-led coalition in war on Yemen is collapsing after the UAE left the Yemen war.
"After the gap created in the Saudi-UAE coalition, imminent changes are waiting for the region and considerable changes will be made in the regional power balance to the detriment of the Saudi-led coalition," the Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi paper wrote on Tuesday.
It added that after the Saudi-led coalition persuaded the US to launch a war against Iran, its difficulties and destructive impacts were revealed and therefore the Americans avoided such a war which would annihilate all sides, noting that the Yemeni forces' advances and reinvigorating their side of the military balance also made it difficult for Riyadh to end the war militarily and therefore, Riyadh is after a political solution with unclear results.
"The UAE may retrieve a part of its balance after withdrawing forces from Yemen and decreasing tensions with Iran but Saudi Arabia will lead the region and itself to a catastrophe by continuing its current policies," the paper underlined
The drawdown, the daily said, is “a belated recognition that a grinding war that has killed thousands of civilians and turned Yemen into a humanitarian disaster is no longer winnable”.
“The Emiratis are driven mostly by their desire to exit a war whose cost has become too high, even if it means angering their Saudi allies,” the newspaper added.
The paper quoted Mike Hindmarsh, a retired Australian major general who commands the Emirati presidential guard, recently telling Western visitors that Yemen had become a quagmire where the Houthis were the “Yemeni Viet Cong”.
The drawdown “is going to expose the Saudis to the reality that this war is a failure”, stated Michael Stephens of the Royal United Services Institute, a research group in London.
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980425000488
and
(A K P)
Al-Rayssi denys UAE troop drawdown in Yemen
The Executive Director of the official Emirates News Agency (WAM), Mohammed Jalal Al-Rayssi denied on Sunday, the withdrawal of UAE troops from Yemen.
Al-Rayssi the attempts to spread rumors and fake news on UAE withdrawal from Yemen, won't work. Emirates along with Saudi Arabia stand by Yemen as part of the coalition of goodness.
He added "The objectives of the Arab Coalition are the return of legitimacy, victory of the Yemeni people's will and cleansing Yemen of the Houthi agenda, the Coalition continues to achieve its objectives."
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10740
and
(? B K P)
Yemen’s Future After UAE Withdraws Most Troops from Battlefield (AUDIO INTERVIEW)
The Media Line discussed the matter with Prof. Shaul Yanai of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem who is also an associate at the Israel-based Forum for Regional Thinking
(B K pS)
More than 22 civilians were killed and injured by the landmines deployed by the Houthi group in al-Masna village in Hodeida governorate.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1150896592678981637
cp2a Saudische Blockade / Saudi blockade
(A E P)
Protest at UN Headquarters in Sana’a, Demanding Release of Detained Oil Vessels
Workers in the Oil, Health and Water sectors, Agriculture, Telecommunications and thousands of citizens organized a massive rally, in front of the UN office in the capital Sana'a on Monday, to demand the release of vessels held by the US-Saudi Forces.
Statements by the Trade Unions, owners of Gas Stations and the Youth Government were released in the event. They condemned the shameful silence of the United Nations, the lack of response to the demands of the protesters and lack of pressure on the countries of the aggression to release all the oil vessels, although the sit-ins entered its 100th day.
The protesters hold the United Nations responsible for what may happen, warning of a humanitarian disaster. Most services and health sectors can not operate without supplies of fuel.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7849
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A H)
We provided a lot of food aid and medicine during our trip to Hajjah and Hodeidah area (photos)
Thanks to ALLAH then generosity of our donors.
Mrs. FARAH in Malaysia & our brothers in Oman, Kuwait and our online donors via gofundme website.
https://www.gofundme.com/food-and-medicine-for-yemen
https://ghalebsudmy.blogspot.com/2019/07/we-provided-lot-of-food-aid-and.html
https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1150909517317791749
https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1150900989597245447
(B H P)
#Yemen ranks the last in the world in gender equality on the 2019 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index rankings, with a score of 10.4 per cent.
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1150810032981848065
(* B H)
World Food Programme: YEMEN mVAM Bulletin no.46 (June 2019)
Key Points
The highest percentage of households reported inadequate food consumption during June was recorded in Ad Dali (59 percent) and Al Bayda (52 percent), while in Hajja (46 percent) reported inadequate food consumption during June to be the highest percentage recorded in Hajja in the past six months.
In June, the highest rCSI average was recorded in Hajja for the second consecutive month.
A significant increase in the share of households that don't have an access to medical care services across the country since the conflict began.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-mvam-bulletin-no46-june-2019
(A H P)
Many teachers and educators held a protest in front of the UN office in Sana’a to call for their salaries to be paid as they have gone unpaid for three years. (photo)
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1150488902161108992
(* B H)
Supporting one of Yemen's most important and yet most neglected economic sectors
The Yemeni fisheries sector has suffered greatly from the volatile and deteriorating situation in the country. This has left many coastal communities without livelihoods and increased their vulnerability to negative economic developments and the fallouts of war. Within the framework of the EU-funded livelihoods recovery project, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) supports these conflict-affected coastal communities by creating job opportunities and protecting the livelihoods of many families. The project also contributes to the preservation of this traditionally important sector of the Yemeni economy.
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bITt4kGtccY
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(* B H)
International Organization for Migration: Ethiopian Returnees Recall Harrowing Irregular Migration Ordeals
After being stranded in Yemen, a group of 280 Ethiopians returned home on Wednesday and Thursday (10-11 July) with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The returnees are among a large group of Ethiopian migrants from Yemen who have been taken home as part of an IOM Voluntary Humanitarian Return operation that began in May 2019.
IOM has safely returned 2,742 Ethiopians in the past 50 days with funding from the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) through the Regional Migration Response Plan (RMRP).
Ahmed* is one of the returnees who have made it back. “When I left my home town of Wollo and decided to migrate to Saudi Arabia, I never thought I would face this much difficulty,” the 16-year-old said when describing his ordeal.
This teen said he witnessed torture and extortion, which remain strongly imprinted on his mind. Having left home without his parent’s permission, he went on to endure hardships that eventually made him change his mind about continuing with the journey.
“When the smugglers tell you of job opportunities and the life you could have there, it sounds like a dream, but that is not the reality,” he said, narrating how he left school in the 9th grade to earn a living.
“I did not know anything about the torture and extortion that was involved. In the end, my family had to take a loan from relatives abroad to pay 30,000 birr (USD 1,000) that was demanded for my release.”
Despite the hardships he faced, Ahmed is one of the fortunate ones to have come back in good health.
https://www.iom.int/news/ethiopian-returnees-recall-harrowing-irregular-migration-ordeals = https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopian-returnees-recall-harrowing-irregular-migration-ordeals
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, CCCM Cluster, Shelter Cluster: Republic of Yemen: Shelter/NFIs Fact Sheet, June 2019
NEEDS ANALYSIS
The conflict in Yemen is estimated to have brought the internal displacement of approximately 280,000 people during the first half of 2019 dispersed across 22 governorates mainly in Hajjah, AlDhale’e and AlHudaydah Governorates, a vast majority of whom live within host communities, placing strain on limited resources during an ongoing conflict.
Heavy rains and flooding from the end of May affected close to 70,000 people in over 10 governorates
RESPONSE
As part of the Cluster efforts on addressing persisting needs during the second quarter of 2019, 209,000 people has been assisted with essential NFI kits, 77,000 assisted with Emergency Shelter Kits, 2,000 living in damaged houses supported with rehabilitation cash grant, 120,000 assisted with cash assistance for rental subsidies, 159 head of households assisted with livelihood cash grants, 245 people assisted with the construction or rehabilitation of transitional shelters.
GAPS / CHALLENGES
Significant funding shortfall remains a major and outstanding challenge in the Shelter and NFI response.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/republic-yemen-shelternfis-fact-sheet-june-2019
(B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, CCCM Cluster, Shelter Cluster: Shelter Cluster Theory of Change (ToC), Yemen 2019 – 2020
Vision: Uprooted Vulnerable Communities and Families in Yemen Supported to enjoy a Safe and Dignified life in a Sustainable Manner
Goal: By the end of 2020, the Shelter Cluster supports 50% of affected families and communities in Yemen to live in safety, dignity and reduce exposure to risk
A theory of change, at its most basic, is a road map of how we think we will get most effectively from “where we are now” to “where we want to be”.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/shelter-cluster-theory-change-toc-yemen-2019-2020
(* B H)
UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 12 July 2019
IDP Response UNHCR Sub Office (SO) Aden has this year distributed some 13,100 basic household items and 2,300 emergency shelter kits to internally displaced (IDP) families
Cash assistance remains a valuable protection tool and UNHCR Country Office Sana’a is currently working on the fourth round of IDP and vulnerable host community beneficiaries for the programme to address their shelter needs through rental subsidies or protection gaps for an estimated 30,000 persons.
Refugee Response Child protection continues to be a paramount concern and over the week, six unaccompanied children (UAC) from Ethiopia approached UNHCR and expressed their wish to seek asylum.
UNHCR supports four government-run health clinics: two in Sana’a, and one a piece in the Basateen neighbourhood (Aden) and at the Kharaz refugee camp, Lahj governorate
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-12-july-2019
(B H)
International Organization for Migration: Flow Monitoring Points | Migrant Arrivals and Yemeni Returns from Saudi Arabia in June 2019
http://www.globaldtm.info/yemen-flow-monitoring-points-migrant-arrivals-and-yemeni-returns-from-saudi-arabia-in-june-2019/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/flow-monitoring-points-migrant-arrivals-and-yemeni-returns-saudi-arabia-june-2019-enar
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
AL-HOUTHI ATTACKS REPUBLIC’S ADVOCATES WHO FIGHT IN COALITION’S RANKS
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi , a member of the Supreme Political Council attacked the “advocates of the republic” who fights in the ranks of the royal Saudi-led coalition and the Saudi Special Commission.
“The protectors of the great September brilliant revolutionary project are the defenders of the Republic of Yemen against the Saudi Special Commission and the aggression of their invaders and occupiers,”
(A H P)
AL-MUTAWAKIL STRESSES DOUBLING EFFORTS TO PROVIDE THE MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Health Minister Taha al-Mutawakil on Monday stressed on the importance of doubling efforts to complete and provide medical equipment and supplies for maternity and childhood hospital.
During his visit to inspect the hospital in Sanaa university, al-Mutawakil said the ministry would provide the necessity support from medical supplies and furnishing to prepare the hospital for alleviating the Yemeni patients as a result of Saudi-led continuing aggression and siege.
(* A P)
Houthis threaten to activate conscription law
Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, President of the Houthis Supreme Revolutionary Committee and member of the rebels’ political ruling body, indicated on Thursday 11 July 2019 that his group might activate Yemen’s conscription law.
The act allows the authority to force any 18-year male citizen to join the military service and male expats can pay tax if they are not willing to join the army, according to the conscription law. The law says also that male citizens of 30 years old and above are excluded from compulsory conscription.
Human rights activists say that the move if implemented will take secondary school children out of schools to fighting fronts.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-30974
(A P)
Women of Ibb stage a sit-in against Houthis death sentence
A group of women in Ibb Governorate staged on Saturday 13 July 2019 a sit-in demanding release of their relatives being held in Houthis-run detention centers and protesting a death sentence ruled last week by a Houthis-affiliated court in Sana’a against 30 detainees.
The sit-in was organized by the Abductees’ Mothers Association
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-30953
(B P)
#Houthi rebels have imposed a new school subject called "patriotic culture" and made it compulsory to be taught in all faculties in areas under Houthis' control. According to academics, this subject aims to divide #Yemenis into two parts: patriots and traitors (image)
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1150837325162799104
and
(* B P)
Education Centres in Sanaa Created to Preach on Sectarian Beliefs
The Houthi Militias use Education in an attempt to totally dominate the people who are in the areas which they control. They use different methods which include ‘persuading and coercing’ to implement their sectarian policies.
They kidnapped girls and took many against their will. They opened classrooms and education centres to brainwash youngsters and children and subjected them to lessons and lectures which contradict their beliefs. Nearly all the lessons they present to the children and youth in the centres include sectarian ideas aimed to prepare them to fight at war Fronts Under the motto ‘to fight against Israel and America’, in a report for the Alayyam Newspaper.
The supervisory committees of those centres in Sana'a announced that it opened 2,400 summer centres to sign up 120,000 youth including children. Observers warned that the Houthi methods must be listed under war crimes committed by the militias against children.
Residents in Sana'a explained to Alayyam Newspaper that the groups’ supervisors follow several methods to attract and lure the children to convince them to join these summer centres. The centres provide cultural activities, creative arts and sports. They exploit religious points of view to justify their means.
Preachers in the groups say in their official statements, that the summer centres are established to develop and install a religious culture and knowledge in young people and children.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10736
My comment: A propaganda article on the Houthis’ summer centers, by a pro-southern separatists’ news site.
And films by the Houthi side.
(B P)
Film; Annual summer centers, a station to build the future generation and embodiment of the glorious future 14-07-2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU15VfdvhyI
Film: summer centers in Taiz 14-07-2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2VcrXWOAao
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
(A P)
Hadhramaut.. Protesters close main streets in Mukalla to denounce deteriorating electricity service
Protesters in Mukalla, capital of Hadramaut province, on Tuesday blocked a number of main streets in the city to protest the deterioration of the city's electricity service.
Witnesses told Al-Masdar online that protesters burned tires, causing traffic to paralyze.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169657
(A)
Colonel killed in Taiz immigration by soldier's gunfire and the department announces suspension of work
The director of personnel at the Immigration and Passports Department in Taiz province was shot dead Tuesday morning by a soldier in the military police.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169663
(B P)
Security Belt Forces, supported by UAE, attacked the civilians of Lawdar district in Abyan governorate and destroyed 80 houses.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1150879631265996802
(A)
UAE mercenary kills civilian in Shabwah
A citizen was killed Sunday by a gunman loyal to the Shabwah militias funded by the United Arab Emirates, local sources told Yemen Press Agency.
https://www.uprising.today/uae-mercenary-kills-civilian-in-shabwah/
(B P)
Sources talk about a cabinet changes expected within hours or days
Al-Arabi al-Jadeed newspaper reported t that the Yemeni government sources have revealed a cabinet reshuffle expected in the government of MAeen Abdel Malik, expected to be announced within the next few hours or days, including a number of portfolios and ministerial positions.
According to the newspaper, the cabinet reshuffle includes a number of portfolios, most notably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose minister, Khaled Al-Yamani, resigned weeks ago, and is also expected to include the Ministry of Water, Public Works, Roads, Human Rights and others.
According to the sources, the cabinet reshuffle has been postponed repeatedly
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169638
and
(B P)
Saudi-led puppet administration reshuffle: Islah Party likely to increase influence in Hadi government
The Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has on Monday citied official sources in the exiled Hadi’s government, revealing that Moin Abdul Malik is holding consultations in Riyadh to bring about changes in the Saudi-led coalition-backed government.
The newspaper said the “ministerial” changes would be announced in the next few days.
These changes are part of a wave of resignation scandals initiated by Khaled Al-Yamani, the foreign minister of the so-called “government” of Hadi, in June.
According to observers, the resignation of Al-Yamani was only a preliminary indication, which opened a wave of conflict in the coalition which has led to a comprehensive series of political career liquidations.
(A P)
Saudi-backed commander denounces Hadi administration as “thieves”
A top commander loyal to the Saudi-led coalition described the Saudi-backed groups loyal to exiled former president Hadi’s authority as “thieves.”
Commander Awaidhan Salem al-Gohi said that the administration of Hadi has continued to loot the wealth from the Yemeni oil facilities, and called for using the income instead to build hospitals.
Al-Gohi held the officials of the province responsible for devastating the basic services and depriving the residents of the province of their most basic rights.
https://www.uprising.today/saudi-backed-commander-denounces-hadi-administration-as-thieves/
(B H)
Drug use skyrockets in coalition-occupied Aden
Local sources revealed on Monday that drugs and hashish has been spreading widely among girls and women in the southern port city of Aden over the past two years.
One of the sources confirmed that one of their own relatives has resorted to using hashish, and it appeared clear through a change in the features of her face and the eyes.
According to The Crater Sky news outlet, the source’s cousin got addicted to hashish through a friend.
The source pointed out that his cousin’s friend bought hashish from a gang that has branches in various areas of the city of Aden
https://www.uprising.today/drug-use-skyrockets-in-coalition-occupied-aden/
(* A P)
Al-Mahrah authorities refuse to deposit the province's revenues to the Central Bank in Aden
The local authority leadership in al-Mahrah governorate in eastern Yemen has refused to deposit the province's financial revenues to the central bank of Yemen.
The leadership of the Al- Mahrah Authority renewed its decision to retain the province's revenues on Sunday, during an extraordinary joint meeting of members of the administrative board of the local council and members of the Executive Office of Al- Mahrah governorate headed by the governor.
According to Al- Mahrah Media Center, the prosecutor's office and the anti-corruption authority accused Governor Bakrit of breaking the law, according to Al- Mahrah Media Center, which is affiliated with the Al- Mahrah Authority.
The meeting deplored the lack of procedural discipline of the memorandums and the failure to consider the suffering of the province after the damage of two hurricanes that hit the province last year without the government fulfilling its duties.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169624
(A P)
Clashes between Islah and Abu al-Abbas mercenaries leave two dead, four wounded in Taiz
At least two gunmen were killed and four others wounded, three of them being members of the pro-Saudi Security Committee of the Islah Party, in clashes in Taiz province, southwest Yemen. This is according to local sources reported to Yemen Press Agency.
According to the local sources, the so-called Security Committee of the Islah party in Taiz, conducted a second military campaign against elements of the so-called Abu al-Abbas Brigades.
These brigades, which are supported by the United Arab Emirates, were targeted in the area of Al-Barara after they had stormed a police station.
(A P)
SAUDI FORCES SHOOT AT PROTESTERS IN AL-MAHRA
A group of gunmen affiliated to Saudi Arabia fired from their military positions at protesters in the province of Heswain, who refuse the Saudi presence in the al-Mahra.
Dozens of residents of th Heswin directorate hold a protest called by the sit-in committee of the people of al-Mahra on Thursday, to renew their demands for the departure of Saudi forces and to dismiss al-Mahra governor, Rajih Bakrit (with film)
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/saudi-forces-shoot-at-protesters-in-al-mahra/
and
(A P)
COALITION ABOUT TO CONTROL AL-MAHRA CITY AMID SERIOUS OUTRAGE
Saudi , UAE ambitions have been revealed, recently, in Yemen’s al-Mahra governorate in the country’s southeast, where Saudi and United Arab Emirates’ troops are occubing, by extending an oil pipeline through the province to the Arabian Sea.The historically peaceful province of Mahra has become a source of greed for both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The sheikhs and dignitaries of Hawf district in Al-Mahrah province confirmed their categorical refusal to turn the district into military camps and construction of barracks for the Saudi occupation forces.
A statement issued by the protest of Hawf district in the port of Sarfit border, delivered by Sheikh Ali Salem Al-Harizi, on Tuesday, to the people of the province refused occupying the port by the occupation forces and paid fighters (with film)
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/coalition-about-to-control-al-mahra-city-amid-serious-outrage/
and
(A P)
Yemeni journalist Yahya al-Sawari arrested, held without charge in unknown location
Yemeni and Saudi authorities must disclose freelance journalist Yahya al-Sawari's whereabouts and release him immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
On July 3, in Al-Ghaydah, the capital of Al-Mahra governorate, Yemeni security forces arrested al-Sawari, a freelance journalist at the time reporting for the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies
https://cpj.org/2019/07/yemeni-journalist-yahya-al-sawari-arrested-held-wi.php
(A P)
To discuss government amendments. Prime Minister leaves Aden for Riyadh
the visit is aimed at meeting with President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi and consulting on government amendments scheduled for the next few days.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169585
My comment: Oh yeah, the “president” of “Yemen” resides at Riyadh since more than four years now.
(A P)
Yemen’s Parliament, UAE’s Federal Council sign cooperation agreement
Parliament Speaker Sultan al-Barakani met Sunday with Chairperson of UAE National Federal Council Amal al-Qubaisi within his state visit to the United Arab Emirates.
The two parties discussed a number of key issues and enhancing parliament cooperation through international activities between the two councils on different issues
and
(A P)
Speaker of the House of Representatives Sultan al-Burkani meets with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169641
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(* A P)
UN Security Council: Security Council Extends Mandate of Mission Overseeing Yemen Ceasefire Accord for Six Months, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2481 (2019)
The Security Council today decided to extend until 15 January 2020 the mandate of the United Nations political mission tasked with overseeing the ceasefire agreement reached in Stockholm on 13 December 2018 between the Government of Yemen and the Houthi militia in the city and port of Hodeidah.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2481 (2019), the Council also reiterated the mandate it assigned to the United Nations Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), which it established on 16 January 2019 through resolution 2452 (2019) (see Press Release SC/13664).
It also requested the Secretary-General to fully deploy the Mission expeditiously and requested him to present a further review of its work within three months.
The Mission — which also covers the ports of Salif and Ras Issa — leads and supports the Redeployment Coordination Commission tasked with overseeing the ceasefire, redeployment of forces and mine action operations.
It monitors compliance with the ceasefire, works with the parties to ensure that security is assured by local security forces, in line with Yemeni law, and coordinates United Nations efforts to help the parties to implement the Agreement.
https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13881.doc.htm
and https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-7249619/UN-extends-Yemen-monitor-mission-six-months.html
(A P)
UN envoy aims to bolster Yemen truce as rivals wind up Hodeida talks
UN envoy Martin Griffiths said Monday he held "productive" talks with the Saudi deputy defence minister aimed at bolstering a ceasefire agreement for Yemen.
"We discussed how to keep Yemen out of the regional tensions, make progress in the implementation of the Stockholm agreement (and Saudi Arabia's) support to the peace process," Griffiths wrote on Twitter.
The meeting with Prince Khaled bin Salman came as representatives from Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels held talks on a UN vessel off the Yemeni coast to try to de-escalate tensions.
and
(A P)
Saudi vice minister of defense says met with U.N. envoy to Yemen
Saudi vice minister of defense Khalid bin Salman stressed Saudi support for a political solution in Yemen in a meeting with U.N. special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths on Monday.
(A P)
Yemeni president meets UN envoy to Yemen
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said it must be clearly agreed that the Stockholm Agreement of December 2018 between the government and Houthis is key to the next de-escalation arrangements.
Hadi praised the UN and international community for their stances and support to Yemen since Yemenis began their historical transformation that only disrupted by the Houthi coup of September 2014.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947153
and also https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169655
(A P)
UN Envoy to Yemen Expected in Riyadh Monday
UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths is expected to arrive in Riyadh on Monday to meet Yemeni legitimate leaderships, a government source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
It coincides with the government sources announcing that the legitimate leadership is seriously considering withdrawing from the Sweden agreement, seven months after signing it.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1813431/un-envoy-yemen-expected-riyadh-monday
and also https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemens-warring-sides-meet-hodeidah-first-time-five-months
(A P)
UN Envoy to Yemen Expresses Concern About Houthi Militia Carrying Out Death Penalty on 30 People
The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffith urged the Yemeni government and the Iran-backed Houthi militias to implement the prisoners and detainees agreement signed in Stockholm.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946749
and
(A P)
Griffiths’ remarks ‘not commensurate with’ Houthi captive execution orders
Yemen’s Information Minister said the UN Special Envoy’s remarks on the recent Houthi death sentences against 30 oppositionists including politicians activists are “not commensurate with the magnitude of the Houthi crime.”
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/14/griffiths-remarks-not-commensurate-with-houthi-captive-execution-orders/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/10739
My comment: The Hadi government still is lashing out against Griffith. If he really should start to clearly denounce all crimes happening in Yemen, this would be no fun for the Hadi government.
(* A P)
UN Drafts ’List of Shame’, not Clear about Saudi-led Aggression School Bus Bombing in Yemen
According to AFP agency, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to release the annual 'list of shame' later this month ahead of a Security Council meeting on children and armed conflicts scheduled for Aug 2nd. "An upcoming United Nations (UN) report featuring a blacklist of child rights violators is expected to refrain from toughening criticism of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen despite a bus bombing last year that killed scores of children," according to diplomats.
The coalition was put on the UN blacklist in 2016 and later removed after Saudi Arabia reacted furiously, threatening to cut funding to UN programs. To appease Riyadh, the United Nations split the list into two sections in 2017 and put the coalition on "Section B" – which highlights efforts by the Saudi-led group to avoid killing and maiming children in Yemen.
According to diplomats with knowledge of the report, Guterres has received a draft recommendation from his UN envoy who determined that the coalition should remain on the separate section of the list that recognizes measures taken to avoid targeting children. This recommendation comes after 40 children were killed in August last year when their bus was attacked in Sa'ada governorate. The coalition admitted that "mistakes" were made in targeting the school bus.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7850
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
#Qatif: The Prosecution has demanded the death penalty against three activists from the "23 Wanted Men" list for participating in Qatif's pro-reform movement. The three activists turned themselves in in 2017 and Prince Saud bin Nayef had promised that they would be released.
https://twitter.com/nashetqatifi/status/1150861599542038529
(A P)
Saudi youth injured by regime gunfire during Qatif raid dies of wounds: Report
A young Saudi man has died more than a week after being injured by regime forces when they raided a district in the kingdom’s oil-rich and Shia-populated Eastern Province, as a crackdown led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman against pro-democracy campaigners, Muslim preachers and intellectuals continues unabated in the country.
(A P)
#BTSDONTGO TO SAUDI ARABIA!
The 7-member South Korean boy band BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is one of the hottest musical performance acts on the planet right now, topping US and world charts and becoming the first group since The Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than a year.
Given all their attention to youth empowerment, we can only assume they don’t know about the situation of Yemeni children, who are literally dying of starvation as a result of Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign. Help us send a messa
(* B P)
King Fahd Complex distributes 729,644 copies of Holy Quran and religious publications in Shawwal
King Fahd Complex for Printing the Holy Quran in Madinah distributed a total of 729,644 copies of the Holy Quran, Quranic translations in different languages and religious books to a number of government agencies during the month of Shawwal 1440H .
A report issued by the Complex said that the total amount distributed by the complex since the beginning of the distribution on the 23rd of Jumada I of 1405 H until the end of the month of Shawwal 1440 H, reached 317,889,275 copies of various versions.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946916
(* A P)
Saudi Think-Tank Warns of Dark Future Created by MbS’ Policies
A Saudi think-tank warned in a secret report that the country’s current foreign policy has faced serious problems and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should change its approach towards Iran because the Arab state’s failures in Yemen, Iraq and Syria have damaged its credit.
Head of the Saudi Institute of Studies affiliated with the government in Riyadh Mohammed Safar al-Salami has cautioned in the report that continued Saudi policies can create serious challenges for the country at the regional and international levels.
He called on the MbS to review its policies towards Iran, adding that Saudi Arabia’s failures in Yemen, Iraq and Syria have endangered the Saudi government’s legitimacy.
“Such conditions can weaken Saudi Arabia’s credibility among the Islamic states,” al-Salami said.
He added given the fact that the US has not done what Riyadh desired in incidents like the downing of the US spy drone and blowing up of the oil tankers, Riyadh should pursue the policy of rapprochement towards Iran and prevent Iran’s further influence in the region by plots which are friendly in appearance.
https://www.uprising.today/saudi-think-tank-warns-of-dark-future-created-by-mbs-policies/
(* B P)
They were convicted of minor crimes as teens and now face beheading and 'crucifixion' in Saudi Arabia
The cases of al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher, 23, and Dawood al-Marhoon, 24, follow the brutally familiar pattern of arrest, torture and then, once they could be tried as adults, being sentenced to death for crimes against the state committed before they turned 18, according to Reprieve, the human rights advocates campaigning for their release.
The U.N.'s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, an independent body that investigates "cases of deprivation of liberty," stated in 2017 that the Arab Spring protests were "recognized by the international community as peaceful" and that the trio "did not engage in any violent or hostile acts." The men were not arrested during the protests -- only after -- and no warrants were presented at the time of their arrests.
Inhumane treatment of three young men in government custody, as reported by an unnamed source, was relayed in a report by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in 2017, in which the men are referred to as "Minors A, B and C," but their birth dates match those of al-Nimr, al-Marhoon and al-Zaher.
The Working Group concluded that their detentions were "arbitrary," and that "the adequate remedy would be to release all three minors immediately and to accord them an enforceable right to reparations, in accordance with international law." Their appeals were rejected in 2015.
(* A B P)
The Washington-Riyadh axis ready to open a 3rd front of war against the Resistance?
Saudi Arabia is since Monday, July 6, the scene of a large deployment of US military forces that conduct joint military exercises with Saudi forces said land. It is a strategic, oil-rich province where Riyadh's black beasts, namely the Saudi Shiites, live for the most part and nothing can shake, despite a massive crackdown launched in the aftermath of the war. appearance on the Saudi scene of Mohammed ben Salman.
Large maneuvers began in eastern Saudi Arabia involving hundreds of US soldiers and impressive quantities of weapons. This deployment of US troops in the eastern Shiite Saudi coincides with the total stagnation of the Saudi military in the three southern provinces, Jizan, Najran, Asir where the Saudi army and its allies struggle to counter the advance of Hezbollah. But what is the Riyad-Washington axis afraid of? The province of al-Charghiya and the cities of Hasa and Qatif are bordering on Bahrain, allied country of Saudi Arabia. But the deployment of US force took place in Hafar al-Batin, 70 kilometers from the Iraqi borders.The arrival of hundreds of US military seems, according to some sources, intended to counter any insurrection potentially able to turn into a revolt that will ignite the eastern Saudi before expanding to the rest of the kingdom. Widely put to the test by the war in Yemen, the Saudi army is calling for help from the United States. But it seems that there are other drawings that hide these maneuvers.
https://www.presstv.com/DetailFr/2019/07/15/600970/Manuvres-ArabieUSA--chiites-en-danger-
(A P)
#Saudi government creates a #Twitter account to target #Turkish president @RTErdogan
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1150748229136502784
referring to https://twitter.com/turkogan/status/1149265668052848640
(B P)
Trotz Fahrerlaubnis kaum liberaler
Saudische Frauen dürfen nun selber Autofahren, doch wurden Ihre Rechte damit kaum gestärkt, ganz zu schweigen vom Frauenbild in der Bevölkerung.
Die Behörden Saudi-Arabiens möchten vermeiden, dass die neue Fahrerlaubnis für Frauen im Königreich als ein Signal für eine weiterführende Liberalisierung aufgefasst werden könnte. Der Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman will klarstellen, dass die Freiheit für Autofahrerinnen einzig von der Gnade des Herrschaftshauses ausgeht. Gegenüber der Nachrichtenagentur AFP bezeichnet eine Aktivistin diese Tatsache folgendermaßen: Der Palast gibt, der Palast nimmt.
Insbesondere das rasche Tempo, mit dem die Reformmaßnahmen erwirkt werden, sorgt bei den Fundamentalisten für Aufruhr.
Wenn der Kronprinz seine Macht nicht nur beibehalten, sondern nachhaltig festigen möchte, gilt es vor allem auf diese Befindlichkeiten Rücksicht zu nehmen. Zwar findet der Thronfolger gerade unter der jüngeren Bevölkerung zahlreiche Anhänger (70% der Bevölkerung sind unter 30), jedoch weiß er genau, dass die Modernisierung des Landes rasch erfolgen muss. Anderenfalls könnten sich seine gesellschaftlichen Gegner gegen ihn wenden und versuchen, das Rad zurückzudrehen.
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/julianevonhopfgarten/trotz-fahrerlaubnis-kaum-liberaler
cp8a Jamal Khashoggi
(* A P)
US House overwhelmingly approves anti-Saudi measures
The bill, which would sanction officials involved in Khashoggi murder, still needs approval of the Senate.
Legislators in the United States have voted overwhelmingly for a bill that seeks to impose sanctions on officials involved in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The House of Representatives approved the Saudi Arabia Human Rights and Accountability Act by a vote of 405-7 on Monday.
Introduced by Congressman Tom Malinowski, the act requires the director of National Intelligence to publicly identify the persons involved in killing of Khashoggi and impose visa and travel sanctions on them.
The other bill passed by the lower House of the Congress condemned Riyadh's detention and alleged abuse of women's rights advocates.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is further required to report on the extent to which Riyadh's security forces and military are involved in human rights violations.
While the measures handily cleared the House, their fate in the Republican-controlled Senate is far from certain.
My comment: This is not bad, but if only those who had been accused and (supposedly) arrested by Saudi Arabia are concerned, this vote is meaningless. The Saudi crown prince, is he included here??
cp9 USA
(A K P)
Military Exercise Between Saudi and US forces Starts
"The enthusiastic leader exercise 2019", which brings together units of the Saudi Royal Land Forces with its American counterparts, was launched today at the main exercise center of King Khalid Military City in the Northern Region
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946747
(A P)
Joe Biden ripped Trump for bankrupting the world's trust in the US in a blistering speech
Biden's biggest moments of applause came when he called for an end to US support for the Saudi-led coaltion in Yemen and when he vowed to rejoin the Paris climate accord.
https://www.businessinsider.de/joe-biden-rips-into-trump-in-blistering-foreign-policy-speech-2019-7
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
(A P)
UN voices concern over Trump administration’s curb on Iran’s top diplomat
The United Nations has expressed concerns about curbs imposed on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
According to Press TV, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Monday that the world body has notified Washington of its concerns.
"The secretariat is aware of the restrictive travel measures imposed by the host country on personnel of the permanent mission of Iran to the UN. The secretariat is in close contact with the permanent missions of the United States and Iran to the UN regarding this matter and has conveyed its concerns to the host country."
(* A P)
Irans Präsident zu Verhandlungen mit USA bereit
Signal der Hoffnung inmitten wachsender Spannungen: Irans Präsident Ruhani hat sich zu Verhandlungen mit den USA bereiterklärt. Allerdings nannte der Staatschef auch Bedingungen.
Der iranische Präsident Hassan Ruhani hat sich bereit erklärt, umgehend mit den USA zu verhandeln – und befeuert damit Gerüchte um Vorbereitungen eines Treffens. "Für Verhandlungen (mit den USA) sind wir immer bereit, auch diese Stunde, sogar jetzt gleich", sagte Ruhani am Sonntag. Allerdings stellte er erneut Bedingungen.
"Wir haben immer an Gespräche geglaubt", sagte Ruhani in einer TV-Ansprache. "Wenn es die Strafmaßnahmen beendet, den wirtschaftlichen Druck aufgibt und zum Abkommen zurückkehrt, sind wir bereit, heute, sofort und an jedem Ort Gespräche mit Amerika zu führen."
(* A P)
Iran 'ready for talks' with US if sanctions are lifted
Iranian leader Rouhani says Tehran open for dialogue if sanctions are lifted and US returns to nuclear deal.
Iran is ready to hold talks with the United States if Washington lifts sanctions and returns to the 2015 nuclear deal it pulled out of last year, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.
"We have always believed in talks ... if they lift sanctions, end the imposed economic pressure and return to the deal, we are ready to hold talks with America today, right now and anywhere," Rouhani said in a televised speech on Sunday.
But Iran has made any talks conditional on first being able to export as much oil as it did before the US withdrew from the nuclear pact with world powers in May 2018.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/iran-ready-talks-sanctions-lifted-190714153234145.html
(A P)
Ägypten lässt Tanker mit iranischem Öl festsetzen
„Die ägyptischen Behörden haben vor [knapp zwei Wochen] einen ukrainischen Tanker mit iranischem Öl festgesetzt, der den Suezkanal passiert hatte. Die Nachricht von der Beschlagnahmung kam einen Tag nachdem das Oberste Strafgericht für Staatssicherheit in Ägypten sechs Personen wegen Spionage im Auftrag des Iran zu einer Gefängnisstrafe verurteilt hatte.
https://www.mena-watch.com/aegypten-laesst-tanker-mit-iranischem-oel-festsetzen/
(* B P)
The Guardian view on Britain and Iran: a game for losers
Britain is being drawn into the confrontation between Washington and Tehran
intensifying struggle between Washington and Tehran, in which the main players appear overconfident they know the rules and understand the stakes, while minor players fret about outcomes they have limited power to change.
Mohamed ElBaradei, who headed the UN nuclear watchdog in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, has offered one of the sharpest warnings of the potential consequences: “All that I hear basically [brings] to mind the days before the Iraq war,” he told the BBC. The Iranian regime’s record at home and in the region is a grim one. But this crisis was created by the US president’s determination to destroy an international nuclear deal – which Iran was abiding by – and throttle the economy. It cornered Tehran and empowered its hardliners, who seized on the proof that America could never be trusted.
Yet while the Trump administration turns the screws, it is unclear what it wants. Donald Trump does not share John Bolton’s thirst for regime change, seeing an expensive war as unhelpful to his prospects of reelection.
The obvious trigger was the seizure of the Iranian tanker. Britain says it acted at the request of Gibraltar’s authorities and on suspicion the vessel was bound for Syria in breach of EU sanctions – not in response to the US sanctions on Iran. But there is widespread suspicion that US pressure was key. Iran’s anger is magnified by frustration that Europe has failed to mitigate the impact of US hostility.
Iran believes it must up the ante if it is to gain any kind of relief from the crippling sanctions regime now imposed upon it, and though it knows the US could start a war, hopes the fear of not finishing it will continue to deter Mr Trump. The risk is that the president may be goaded into a war by those around him
and
(* B P)
Is the US nudging Britain into dangerous waters with Iran?
The UK’s shipping looks vulnerable since it seized a tanker after a US request
British officials insist there is no connection between freedom of navigation and the preservation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is known. But the two issues are inextricably linked.
British officials weighed the implications for the nuclear deal before British marines seized Grace 1, an Iranian-owned oil tanker, off the strait of Gibraltarfollowing a request from the US.
On one side of the ledger, the UK prides itself on upholding international law, including sanctions. The cargo was in breach of EU law because it was taking oil to Syria.
But on the other side of the ledger, capturing Grace 1 would have little practical impact on Syria since it can still import oil from Russia. Moreover, if the UK went ahead with the seizure, it would be locked into a long legal battle, while British shipping in the Gulf would be vulnerable to Iranian reprisals and damage.
The UK did not need another row with Iran just as the talks between Tehran, and the UK, France and Germany to rescue the nuclear deal reached their most sensitive stage.
Lord Howell, a former Conservative cabinet minister and chairman of the Lords international relations committee, asked his government on Thursday whether it “was such a good idea to raid the Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar in the first place”
The EU still believes that the Iran deal can be saved, but the US wants it to fail.
The risk is that, after failing to prise the UK away from its political support for the Iran nuclear deal, the US will gently prod its closest ally towards a naval bust-up in the Gulf that ends with the UK facing no option but to quit the deal and ally with the US.
(A P)
Iran’s power will be 'destructive' for all aggressors: Army chief
The chief commander of Iran’s Army says the Islamic Republic has the power to defend itself and mount “destructive” counterattacks if it ever comes under any aggression, in what seems to be an allusion to threats of military action against the country by the United States.
“Our offensive power and capability to deal blows [to enemies] after aggressors start their assault, will be destructive and make them regret [their aggression],”
(A P)
Iran Rejects Reports on Talks with Washington
The Iranian foreign ministry dismissed media reports claiming that the US has sent a message to the Russians to mediate for talks with Tehran at the level of foreign ministers, stressing the policy of no negotiations with Washington.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is in no negotiations with the US officials at any level," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said on Sunday.
Tehran has several times stressed that it would never return to the negotiating table with the US under Washington’s pressures, saying that the White House sanctions had been ineffective and would not produce desired results.
In relevant remarks in June, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei strongly rejected talks with the United States, and told the visiting Japanese premier that he doesn't see Donald Trump as a party deserving to receive a message from Iran.
"I do not consider Trump, as a person, deserving to exchange messages with. We will not negotiate with the United States," Ayatollah Khamenei stressed in the meeting in Tehran on June 13.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980423000399
and also https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/14/600909/IranUS-talks-russia-mediation
(A P)
US has failed on every path taken against Iran: Rouhani
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United States has failed on every path it has taken against Iran.
“It’s been 14 months that the world’s largest economic and military power has been imposing the harshest of sanctions against the Iranian nation, sanctions that would have taken any other nation down,” the Iranian president said. “But the heroic, vigilant, and resistant nation of Islamic Iran has firmly withstood those sanctions over this period.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/14/600888/Iran-US-every-path-failure-Rouhani
Iran didn’t ask for this crisis, but it won’t stand for Trump’s bullying
Ramping up uranium enrichment was an inevitable response to US moves. A resolution is possible if the president changes course
The reemergence of hostility between Iran and the US – after a period of detente under Barack Obama – is one of the most urgent challenges to peace and security in the Middle East. And yet Trump’s belligerent policies have all but blocked conventional channels of diplomacy.
For one thing, cooperation requires dialogue between the countries’ respective military establishments in the region. US Central Command (Centcom) and Iran’s revolutionary guard corps’ Quds force are both responsible for their countries’ extraterritorial operations. The IRGC’s designation as a terrorist organisation – and Iran’s reciprocation against Centcom – has ended the possibility of negotiation between these two extremely influential state entities.
Next, in an unprecedentedly aggressive action, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on Iran’s ultimate source of authority according to its constitution, namely the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iran nuclear deal is the most comprehensive agreement in the history of non-proliferation. As part of it, Iran accepted the most intrusive transparency measures and stringent limits on a nuclear programme ever demanded of a non-proliferation treaty member.
Trump has consistently offered to talk to Iranian officials, but his actions have been by far the most belligerent since the 1979 revolution. Deploying these phony, rhetorical offers of talks at the same time as imposing devastating sanctions is not a strategy that will make Iran yield – by Hossein Mousavian, a former member of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, currently a policy specialist at the Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/07/iran-bullying-trump-negotiations
(* B P)
Darf ich Euch bitte ein wenig bombardieren? - Trumps "Angebot" an den Iran
Die Vorstellung, dass US-Präsident Donald Trump in Teheran anfragen könnte, einige Ziele im Iran bombardieren zu dürfen, ohne dass der Iran zurückschlägt, klingt total verrückt. Doch verschiedene Quellen sprechen dafür, dass sich genau das zugetragen hatte
Der angebliche Grund sei gewesen: Der US-Präsident wollte nicht das Leben von 150 iranischen Menschen gefährden, die andernfalls dabei höchstwahrscheinlich umgekommen wären. Und wenn eine Geschichte zu schön ist, um wahr zu sein, dann ist sie in der Regel auch nicht wahr.
Tatsächlich haben sich seither Hinweise verdichtet, dass die ganze Story ein Fake war, um im Fahrwasser des iranischen Drohnenabschusses einen Gesichtsverlust des US-Präsidenten zu verhindern. Tatsächlich soll sich im Hintergrund eine auf den ersten Blick noch verrücktere Story abgespielt haben, die inzwischen jedoch von etlichen seriösen Quellen bestätigt wurde.
Tatsächlich habe Trump gar nicht ernsthaft daran gedacht, den Iran zu bombardieren. Mit den unübersehbaren schweren Folgen habe er nicht seine Präsidentschaft aufs Spiel setzen wollen. Vielmehr habe er doch tatsächlich – so sagen jetzt übereinstimmend unterschiedliche Quellen – bei der Regierung in Teheran um Einverständnis nachgesucht, einen symbolischen "Angriff" gegen einen leeren Wüstenort auf iranischem Territorium durchführen zu können. Damit hätte er öffentlich sein Gesicht als US-Präsident und als "harter Kerl", mit dem nicht zu spaßen ist, sowohl zu Hause als auch vor der Welt wahren können. Wie inzwischen bekannt wurde, hatte der Iran diesem Angebot nicht zugestimmt.
Eine der Depeschen des ehemaligen britischen Botschafters in den USA, Sir Kim Darroch, an das britische Außenamt in London, deren Inhalte Anfang dieser Woche an die Presse durchgestochen wurden, scheinen diese Geschichte zu bestätigen. Darin heißt es unter anderem als Erklärung für Trumps Verhalten, es sei wahrscheinlicher, dass Trump niemals vollständig für einen Angriff gegen den Iran hätte gewonnen werden können, weil er sich Sorgen darüber machte, wie sich eine solche offensichtliche Kehrtwende – weg von seinem Wahlversprechen im Jahr 2016 – auf die Chancen seiner Wiederwahl im Jahr 2020 auswirken könnte.
Der Iran habe – so Magnier – das Angebot kategorisch ablehnt und geantwortet, dass selbst ein Angriff auf einen leeren Sandstrand einen Raketenstart gegen US-Ziele im Golf auslösen würde.
https://deutsch.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/90110-darf-ich-euch-bitte-wenig/
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(* B E P)
Arms, assets and war: Why Britain is betting on the Gulf after Brexit
The significance of UK relations with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab monarchies goes well beyond the profitability of arms sales
As the Conservative leadership contest draws to a close, it is long past time to bring senior ministers’ guilt over Yemen to the foreground, and to examine the wider issue of the UK’s relations with the Gulf Arab monarchies as Britain contemplates a likely Johnson premiership and an uncertain post-Brexit future.
But the significance of UK relations with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Arab monarchies goes well beyond the profitability of arms sales.
The then foreign secretary Philip Hammond pledged in 2015 to support the Saudis “in every practical way short of engaging in combat”. That support has been unrelenting ever since, under his successors, Johnson and Hunt, irrespective of the human cost.
Britain’s participation in the Yemen war is the product of a multifaceted relationship with those regimes that grew directly out of the days of empire.
Authoritarianism on the Arabian peninsula is not the product of the region’s culture, but of a set of socio-economic processes in which the British (and later the Americans) intervened to entrench and buttress monarchical rule over the better part of two centuries.
In the modern era, it is the Gulf’s "petrodollar" wealth that has shored up the ruling families and kept the Western powers committed to their survival.
The City’s - and the wider economy’s - appetite for Gulf capital is matched by the Gulf elites’ desire to strengthen ties with their global north allies, particularly in the wake of the Arab uprisings.
Meanwhile, the six Gulf monarchies collectively constitute the UK’s leading global south export market, with which it runs a rare and valuable trade surplus, thus reducing somewhat its burgeoning worldwide trade deficit.
Britain’s trade deficit and wider current account deficit are direct symptoms of the neoliberal economic turn taken by late prime minister Margaret Thatcher and consolidated and extended by her successors, wherein export industries declined markedly relative to the dramatic expansion of financial services.
In other words, British "free market" capitalism has developed, to some degree, in symbiotic relationship with authoritarian Gulf rentierism.
Petrodollar investment flows to the UK not only because Britain has the world-leading financial industry to absorb and process it, but also because Gulf elites know that Britain is one of a tiny few major powers that they can rely upon to ensure their survival.
This factor is particularly pertinent when it comes to arms sales.
The violence of the Arabian monarchies is effectively British violence as well – by David Wearing
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/arms-assets-and-war-why-britain-betting-gulf-after-brexit
(A K P)
ARTISTS PULL WORK FROM UK MUSEUM OVER SAUDI ARMS SALES
An arts collective has withdrawn its work from a British museum after discovering its ties to the American arms manufacturer Raytheon, a company that continues to sells arms to Saudi Arabia despite the kingdom’s deadly war on Yemen.
“I’ve pulled out of the exhibition because I found out that the exhibition was sponsored by Raytheon, the arms maker and Raytheon is the company that makes some of the missiles that Saudi Arabia is dropping on Yemen,” said a member of the group
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/artists-pull-work-from-uk-museum-over-saudi-arms-sales/
(B K P)
Film: Here is why @theresa_may has blood on her hands
https://twitter.com/MohammedHojily/status/1150481358281674754
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A P)
Die Gedankenpolizei
YouTube hat das Alternativmedium NuoViso.TV ohne Angabe von Gründen einfach gelöscht.
Am 11. Juli hat YouTube das Alternativmedium NuoViso abgeschaltet. Die Begründung für das brutalstmögliche Vorgehen: keine. Denn NuoViso wurde nur mitgeteilt, dass es gegen „die Nutzungsbedingungen verstoßen“ habe. Niemand außer Google weiß, was das bedeuten soll. Es hat keine wiederholten Warnungen gegeben, irgendetwas bleiben zu lassen, es gibt keine klaren Regeln, es gibt nur das kafkaeske Verdikt, ein Urteil ohne Prozess, verhängt nach Gutdünken.
YouTube gehört dem US-Konzern Google. Google ist damit zu einem Unternehmen geworden, das in die deutsche Medienlandschaft fundamental eingreift und die Meinungsfreiheit nach eigenen Regeln beschränkt. Also im deutschen Verfassungsrecht mit der Kettensäge aktiv ist, ohne dass unser politischer Apparat davon Notiz nimmt und einschreitet.
Im Gegenteil, man könnte auf die Idee kommen, dass der Staatsapparat die Abschaltung nicht nur mit klammheimlicher Freude beobachtet hat, sondern an der Abschaltung tatbeteiligt war, denn sie erfolgte 45 Minuten nachdem ein Video hochgeladen wurde, in dem NuoViso-Redaktionsleiter Norbert Fleischer einen Ausschuss der Vereinten Nationen in Genf darüber informierte, dass Deutschland am Krieg in Jemen beteiligt ist – nicht am Rande, sondern wesentlich, durch Waffenlieferungen an Saudi Arabien und durch die Tolerierung von Drohnenmorden.
https://www.rubikon.news/artikel/die-gedankenpolizei-2
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
Saudi Arabia to support indebted Lebanon, say ex-PMs after meeting king
Saudi Arabia is preparing to support Lebanon through its economic challenges, three Lebanese ex-premiers indicated after meeting Saudi King Salman in Jeddah on Monday.
My comment: Saudi money will buy Saudi influence there. – Lebanese prime ministers always must be Sunni Muslims.
(B P)
Bahrain: Confirmed: #Apartheid AlKhalifa regime hired #AlQaeda to kill protest leaders in 2011 per #Sunni journalist
King Hamad of #Bahrain admitted in 2010 to an opposition leader that his regime was working with AlQaeda as a counterweight to the opposition. I raised the clear connection months before the admission in a speech i gave in-front of apartheid @BahrainEmbDC
https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1150512480793354240
referring to https://twitter.com/YusufAlJamri/status/1150489602425274370
(A)
Emirate: Mehr als 4 Millionen Besucher der Sheikh-Zayed-Moschee im ersten Halbjahr des Jahres der Toleranz
Die Sheikh-Zayed-Moschee, ein Symbol des Islam, das die Botschaft von Frieden, Toleranz und Vielfalt verkörpert, begrüßte im ersten Halbjahr 4.480.000 Besucher aus 249 Nationalitäten die vom Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center, SZGMC, veröffentlichten Halbjahresstatistiken.
Unter den Besuchern befanden sich laut Statistik 967.150 Gläubige
http://wam.ae/de/details/1395302774004
(* B K P)
Despite Talk of Promoting Democracy Trudeau in Bed with Repressive UAE Monarchy
The United Arab Emirates is a repressive monarchy that pursues violent, anti-democratic, policies in its region. Despite this — or maybe because of it —Trudeau’s Liberal government has strengthened ties to the federation of seven Emirates. And unlike Canada’s claims to be promoting democracy in Venezuela or the Ukraine, there has been little mention of this in the media or scrutiny in Parliament.
From what I could find the Trudeau government has stayed mum on Abu Dhabi’s efforts to derail democracy in Sudan. Nor have they made any comment on its violation of UN sanctions in Libya. Over four years they’ve barely made a peep about the UAE’s bombing and troops in Yemen. Instead of challenging the monarchy’s egregious policies, the Liberals have deepened ties to the Gulf Kingdom.
On July 1 officials from the two countries highlighted “the bond between Canada and the United Arab Emirates” by raising a Canadian flag-inspired display on Abu Dhabi’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Despite their violence in Yemen, the Trudeau government has deepened military ties to the UAE.
There are a small number of Canadian troops in the UAE and Royal Canadian Navy vessels in the region regularly coordinate with their Emirates counterparts.
According to Emirates News Agency, Canadian and UAE officials discussed “cooperation in the military and defence sectors” and “current regional and international developments.” In December 2017 Sajan traveled to the Gulf State to sign the Canada-UAE Defence Cooperation Arrangement.
According to Radio Canada International, the Canada–UAE defence accord “will make it easier for the Canadian defence industry to access one of the world’s most lucrative arms markets.” During the last four years the Trudeau government has promoted arm sales at the Abu Dhabi-based International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX).
It’s time for some mainstream journalists and parliamentarians to devote a little attention to the Trudeau’s government hypocritical embrace of the UAE monarchy.
(B E)
#Dubai real estate slump continues: average apartment prices down 15.1% in Q2 2019 vs Q2 2018; villa prices declined by 14.7% during the same period. Rental declines for apartments in Dubai averaged 12.5%; villa rents fell 12.6%
https://twitter.com/simeonkerr/status/1150754186834915328
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(B P)
Spotlight on Qatar human rights: "Australian govt. may face lawsuit for wrongful death of Joseph Sarlak” - Radha Stirling, Detained in Dubai
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/stirling-och-partners/blog_posts/spotlight-on-qatar-human-rights-australian-govt-may-face-lawsuit-for-wrongful-death-of-joseph-sarlak-radha-stirling-detained-in-dubai-84946
(A P)
Kuwait is yet again targeted by some Saudi influential figures. "Saudi news anchor Sarah Darandawi was reading a story about Qatar reportedly lowering the price of alcohol in preparation for the World Cup 2022, which Doha is hosting.
After finishing the story, the anchor commented “we are waiting for comments by their friends in Kuwait over this Qatari generosity”, a clear reference to Kuwait’s neutral stance" in the GCC crisis.
"The information ministry issued a statement yesterday strongly criticizing the Dubai-based channel for the insult."
https://twitter.com/qdepim/status/1150712389375078400
cp12b Sudan
(* A P)
Sudan protesters delay signing deal with army for 2nd time
Sudan’s pro-democracy movement postponed a scheduled meeting with the country’s ruling generals for a second time on Sunday, saying “further consultations” were needed before they would sign a power-sharing deal with the military. Activists leaders said the meeting was pushed back to Tuesday.
Activists also said paramilitary forces had opened fire on demonstrators in a southeastern town, killing at least one protester and wounding seven others.
The military and the pro-democracy coalition had agreed earlier this month on a joint sovereign council that will rule for a little over three years while elections are organized. Members of the military council and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, were supposed to meet Sunday night to finalize and sign the agreement.
https://www.apnews.com/a9b845ef2fa0482ba0e9903872b86a7e
(A P)
Sudan: Saudi-Arabien und Emirate versprechen Hilfe für Landwirtschaft
Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) wollen den Sudan in dessen politischer Krise mit tonnenweise Düngemitteln für die Landwirtschaft unterstützen. Ein Schiff werde demnächst mehr als 50 000 Tonnen Dünger und andere Dinge für den landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb liefern, berichtete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur SPA am Sonntag. Ziel sei, die sudanesischen Bauern angesichts der laufenden Krise im Land zu entlasten.
Mein Kommentar: Das ist keineswegs uneigennützig. Saudis und Emirate stützen das Militärregime – das ihnen weiter Kanonenfutter für den Jemenkrieg liefert.
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
(* B K P)
How Dockworkers Are Fighting the Arms Trade
Across Europe, a series of coordinated actions at shipping ports have challenged Saudi violence against the Yemeni people.
Meanwhile, a series of actions by trade unions and community organizations in European ports has been blockading arms shipments on the ground. In a political landscape overwhelmed by increasing militarism and right-wing nationalism, the actions in Europe remind us of the possibilities available to us to build another kind of world through working-class internationalism and solidarity. Government involvement is crucial—but these blockades show that grassroots organizers also have an important role to play.
It started in 2017 at the Port of Bilbao in Spain’s Basque Country
The activists’ choice of tactic—essentially a port blockade—was a fitting one: The Saudi blockade at the Port of Hodeida and other measures have deprived much of Yemen’s civilian population of necessities. As a result of the protests in Bilbao, Bahri made the decision in March 2018 to pull its business out of the port entirely.
But although this was an important victory, it’s not been enough to thwart the shipments completely
Community-based activists and dockworker trade unionists around the world should take note: Direct action can create significant momentum for the growing international movement in the ports begun in Spain, France, and Italy. It also sends a strong message both to policy-makers in the United States and the Saudi government that workers and activists are willing to do whatever they can to prevent further disaster in Yemen.
https://www.thenation.com/article/dockworkers-saudi-yemen-strike/
(* B K P)
From crafts to Kalashnikovs: arms souk thrives in Yemen's Taez
Once overflowing with handicrafts, the old Al-Shinayni market in Yemen's third city of Taez is now bursting with Kalashnikovs and bullets as traders scramble to scratch out a living in the war-wracked country.
Armed men on motorcycles whizz in and out of the market, once a hub for selling clay pots and jugs.
Fatigues, tactical vest and helmets are on display outside the shops. Inside, AK47 assault rifles hang on the walls, with bullets and mortar shells neatly lining the shelves.
"It's an arms market," said Abu Ali.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/crafts-kalashnikovs-arms-souk-thrives-yemens-taez-doc-1in5z91 = http://www.spacewar.com/afp/190715021827.2jjqphup.html
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(* B K)
Ancient Yemeni heritage on verge of being lost forever
the ongoing civil war in Yemen has also threatened the preservation of artifacts and significant ancient sites in the country
Thousands of historical works in Yemen that have survived centuries may be lost forever due to the five-year civil war and the subsequent humanitarian crisis in the region. In this ancient country on the Arab peninsula various works significant to human history have been left to their fate along with the country's great heritage.
Arash Bilqis: The sanctuary, one of Yemen's historical treasures, is surrounded by iron bars and barbed wire today. Unfortunately, the lack of security around the significant site leaves it vulnerable to damage or possible destruction.
After witnessing centuries, this piece of living history bears the wear caused by the arbitrary travel of people and lack of care caused by the civil war environment. On the other hand, the six pillars of Arash Bilqis are used as a logo or symbol by Yemeni people who want to make reference to their past.
Awwam Temple: The majority of the temple's structure, which has been left unguarded and neglected because of the war, is under the sand. The historical ruins are protected with just a simple wire.
Ma'rib Dam: Engineering wonder of ancient world: This historical site was damaged in an attack by coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia in 2015.
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
(A E P)
[The Houthi side rejects the bank notesd newly printed by the Aden Central Bank, as inflaming inflation.]
Film: View The printing of the new illegal currency, economic measures to aggravate the economic and humanitarian situation in addition to the aggression and siege 13-07-2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5ynVCx3pZQ
(* B E P)
Pro-Saudi Yemenis moved over $4 billion of Yemen’s funds to Turkey
Turkish statistics have revealed that Turkey has attracted about $4 billion in Yemeni funds as investments in real estate and other investments during the past four years of Saudi-American aggression against Yemen.
Hundreds of investors, merchants and sheikhs of the pro-aggression Islah party have fled to Turkey, where they have invested heavily using looted funds from Yemen.
The Islah Party is the Yemeni Branch of the Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood). The governing party AKP of Turkish president Erdogan is also an Ikhwan branch.
According to the Turkish Statistics Foundation, the number of Yemenis owning real estate in Turkey has increased significantly over the past four years, with the Yemeni nationality ranked 10th in the list of most foreign nationals owning property in Turkey.
According to the foundation’s data, the number of properties purchased by a group of rich Yemenis over the past four years has reached about 3,000 homes, including apartments and villas, and real estate purchases for Yemenis have been distributed in Istanbul, Antalya, Bursa and Ankara.
The Turkish Foundation said that a large number of Yemenis in Turkey are from the Islah Party, who were able to obtain Turkish citizenship after the value of their investments and real estate purchases exceeded $250,000.
According to the Turkish Investment Law, citizenship is automatically granted to foreign investors when buying a $250,000 property, employing a certain number of Turks, or staying in Turkey when buying a $100,000 property.
https://www.uprising.today/pro-saudi-yemenis-moved-over-4-billion-of-yemens-funds-to-turkey/
(A E P)
YCB decides US dollar exchange rate at 506 (YR)
Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) [Aden] in the temporary capital Aden has approved on Sunday to provide foreign currency cash for importing basic commodities at exchange rate 506 Yemen Rial (YR) for 1$.
A statement issued by the CBY seen by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) reads” This measure has been taken to ensure basic commodity supplies in the Yemeni markets at accessible prices”.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/14/ycb-decides-us-dollar-exchange-rate-at-506-yr/
My comment: This will not work. It’s up to the market.
(A E P)
Announcement of the arrival of approval to withdraw the 26th payment of the Saudi deposit
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169618
(* B E)
Feature: Manufacture of agate struggles in Yemen amid continuing war
The manufacture of agate in Yemen is a centuried handicraft which has been inherited from generation to generation.
However, this profession has declined radically because of the war that devastated Yemen's economy and deterred tourists.
Additionally, the costs of extraction and manufacture of agate have doubled, while its export has almost halted because of the blockade imposed on Yemen.
Mujahid al-Ansi, a gemstone expert, craftsman, and trainer in manufacturing agate, said the work on agate in Yemen is no longer feasible.
"The current situation of the war that Yemen goes through has impacted us largely" as turmoil has resulted in the absence of tourism, said al-Ansi, who is based in the capital Sanaa.
The economic deterioration in Yemen means craftsmen's works can not generate profit, he added.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/15/c_138226450.htm = http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2019-07/15/content_74991622.htm
cp15 Propaganda
(A P)
Iranian 'bomb boat' found in path of British warship HMS Duncan sailing to Gulf
A British warship steaming to the Gulf is on high alert after an Iranian “bomb boat” was discovered in its path.
The unmanned attack vessel packed with explosives could have blown a hole in the hull of Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan.
The remote-controlled Blowfish was spotted lurking in the Red Sea by Saudi forces close to HMS Duncan’s route as she sails to protect shipping in the Gulf.
Iran has sworn revenge after Royal Marines impounded one of its tankers suspected of trying to illegally deliver oil to Syria.
Sources believe the Blowfish, which can be steered from four miles away, was deployed by Iran’s Houthi allies.
Heavily-armed Duncan, which is due to join the frigate HMS Montrose, will be at “action stations” as she sails though the Suez Canal.
Former naval officer Simon Warrington warned: “The threat from the Houthis, who as Iran’s proxy militia do Tehran's dirty work, is very real.”
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169670
My comment: I label this as „propaganda“ as the Houthis are not „Iranian“ and willingly this is mixed up here. And, be honest: British war ships have no business, neither in the Red Sea nore in the Persian Gulf.
(A P)
Saudi Press: New Beginning for Saudi Culture
Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues at local, regional and international arenas.
Al-Riyadh newspaper said in its editorial entitled ''New Beginning for Saudi Culture'' that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's vision 2030, has announced a new beginning for Saudi culture as one of the most important engines of national transformation towards human development.
The paper added that through its vision 2030, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has developed the cultural sector, established centers for creativity, and provided platforms for creative people to express their ideas and aspirations.
The paper noted that the KSA's vision 2030 included creating of a cultural industry that deals with art, theater, cinema, artistic and formative activities, transforming culture into a key element of communication among people.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947222
(A P)
Saudi War on Yemen: The Victims Strike Back
Yemen’s defenders keep stacking up victories, pushing back the invaders from both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on all fronts. Not only are the Saudi-led attackers and their mercenaries pummelled on the southern frontline of Yemen, they are also being pushed closer to the key port city of Aden. In the north, deep inside Saudi territory itself, the Yemeni Armed Forces and Popular Committees are scoring significant victories across a broad front, liberating large swaths of Najran and Jizan from Saudi control. The word “liberating” is definitely applicable here, for although the two aforementioned provinces are officially part of the Saudi kingdom, they are a key part of Greater Yemen that were occupied by the Wahhabi hordes as recently as 1934, after being part of Yemen for millenia.
https://nthnews.net/en/yemennews/saudi-war-on-yemen-the-victims-strike-back/ = https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/saudi-war-on-yemen-the-victims-strike-back/
My comment: Here, a piece of pro-Houthi propaganda.
(A P)
Mohamed bin Zayed reiterates UAE's commitment to peace, security and stability in Yemen
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, underscored that preserving Yemen's security and stability and supporting its people were part of the established pillars of the UAE policy since the time of the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said Yemen is of strategic importance with regard to Arab security.
He made these remarks while receiving Sultan Al Burkani, Speaker of the Yemeni Parliament, at Al Bahr Palace on Monday. Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council, was also present.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed emphasised that the UAE would continue its efforts until peace prevailed across Yemen and legitimacy institutions resumed their duties in an atmosphere of security and stability. He added that historic, fraternal bonds between the two countries prompted the UAE to pursue its efforts to restore security and stability in the Arab country.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302774274
(A P)
Yemen: Failure, Frustration and Fear
The government had complained that before the rebels were forced to withdraw from these ports the UN personnel supervising the aid shipments were unable to inspect suspicious cargoes which, the government points out, obviously contained major weapons shipments. How else do you explain the appearance of nearly a hundred Iranian long-range missiles used in attacks on Saudi Arabia?
The Saudis will carry on with efforts to defeat the Shia rebels despite UN pressure to make a peace deal the Shia rebels would currently accept. Such a deal would restore the Shia autonomy in the north and make it possible for Iran to continue supplying the Shia tribes with weapons that can be used to attack Saudi Arabia. To the Saudis that is unacceptable, given the fact that the Iranians are openly calling for the overthrow of the Saudi government, and Iran taking over as the “protector of the two Most Holy Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina”. Most Moslems do not want Iran in charge of Mecca and Medina.
https://www.strategypage.com/qnd/yemen/articles/20190715.aspx
(A P)
Sheikh Hani: It's indispensable to restore the Southern State
Sheikh hani concluded his speech by stressing that it is indispensable to restore the Southern State and any project that does not give the Southerners their right in restoring their identity and homeland will not be acceptable.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10749
(A P)
Troop redeployment in Yemen marks an important step towards peace
The shift in strategy is a bold and pragmatic move that aims to bring stability to the Yemeni people
Last week, the UAE announced the redeployment of its troops in Yemen. This is a significant step, as the country seeks to shift from a “military-first strategy to a peace-first strategy”, according to a UAE official. Rightly, this decision has received ample attention, but many have missed the integral point: the plan of the Saudi-led Arab coalition was always to stabilise Yemen, come to a political solution and have Yemenis oversee their own security. The UAE redeployment is not a divergence from the original aspirations of the coalition, rather a move that has been waiting for the right moment. And although the decision was reached in agreement with the UAE’s allies in the Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, there has been much speculation about its meaning. Some have gone so far as to say it signifies a split in the Coalition, with rumours about UAE-Saudi relations.
The reality is that the redeployment of Emirati troops comes after in-depth discussions that have been playing out for the past year between the UAE and its coalition partners. Since the beginning of their involvement in the conflict, the UAE and the Arab coalition have been deeply committed to finding a solution and restoring Yemen’s internationally recognised government, led by President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, as mandated by the United Nations Security Council. This end goal remains unchanged.
(A P)
Dubai soll zum weltweit freundlichsten Ort für Menschen der Entschlossenheit" werden
Dubais erfolgreiches Entwicklungsmodell, das es in den letzten Jahrzehnten zu einer der bekanntesten Städte der Welt gemacht hat, hatte immer integratives Wachstum und soziales Wohlbefinden im Mittelpunkt. Nirgendwo ist der Fokus auf das Wohlergehen der Menschen deutlicher als bei Investitionen in die Verbesserung des Lebens von Menschen mit besonderen Bedürfnissen.
Bei der Einführung der Nationalen Strategie zur Förderung von Menschen mit Behinderungen im Jahr 2017 stellte Seine Hoheit, Scheich Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vizepräsident, Premierminister und Herrscher von Dubai, eine neue Beschreibung für Menschen mit besonderen Bedürfnissen vor Entschlossenheit.'
http://wam.ae/de/details/1395302774126
(A P)
Secretary of Yemeni capital Sana'a praises historic positions of kingdom in supporting his country and its legitimate leadership
Mayor of capital Sana'a Maj. General Abdulghani Jamil met here Saturday with Ambassador of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Yemen, General Supervisor of the Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction in Yemen Mohammed Sa'aeed Al Jaber.
The mayor voiced thanks and appreciations for the supportive stances of the Saudi leadership and people of the Yemeni people in their struggle against Iran-backed Houthi militia's coup and Iran's scheme in Yemen and region.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946458
My comment: A Hadi government-appointed mayor without a city.
(A P)
Saudi Press: The poisonous Qatari money in Yemen
Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues at local, regional and international arenas.
Okaz newspaper in its editorial entitled ''The poisonous Qatari money'' wrote that there is no doubt that the Qatari regime is working to strike stability in the liberated cities of Yemen through its arm of the Muslim Brotherhood after the security operation that resulted in the seizure of Qatari weapons in the house of a leader of the Brotherhood in Aden.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946815
(A P)
„Das iranische Regime mischt sich in fast jedem Land des Vorderen Orient ein“
Der US Botschafter in Saudi Arabien John Abizaid sagt, dass das iranische Regime sich in fast jedes Land im Vorderen Orient mit „verschiedenen Milizen, die unter iranischer Kontrolle stehen,“ einmischt.
In einem Interview mit Al Arabiya erklärte Abizaid: “Die Iraner sind immer darauf aus, jemand anderen zu haben, der ihren Kampf kämpft. Das sieht man an der Hisbollah im Libanon, das sieht man an verschiedenen Milizen, die im Irak unter iranischer Kontrolle stehen, das sieht man leider auch bei den Houthis im Jemen“.
Mein Kommentar: LOL. Genau das tun die Saudis und die Emirate auch, und noch in größerem Maßstab als der Iran. Und, vor allem: Die USA tun es noch wesentlich mehr, und das nicht nur in ein paar Ländern des Vorderen Orient, sondern weltweit. – Und, noch mal: Die Huthis sind kein Werkzeug des Iran.
(A P)
Bin Zayed Advisor: After the UAE's decision to withdraw its troops from Yemen, no one can hold it responsible for prolonging the war
Dr. Abdul Khaleq Abdullah, advisor to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, said that the decision to withdraw the UAE from Yemen will mark a milestone in the War of Yemen as the UAE participates in daily military operations at all levels and on all fronts of the fighting in Yemen.
In an article published in CNN on the motives for the UAE's withdrawal from Yemen, Abdul Khaleq Abdullah said that this "strategic decision will have deep, positive and far-reaching military and political consequences, if it is well received by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group." He pointed out that the UAE's decision to reduce its forces may create fertile ground for reviving peace efforts and ending the war in Yemen.
Recounting the merits of the decision, Abdullah said that after the UAE's decision to withdraw its troops from Yemen, no one can blame it or hold it responsible for prolonging the war in Yemen.
Al-Masdar online republishes the translation of the text of the article as published by CNN in its Arabic version:
After the decision to withdraw its troops from Yemen, no one can blame the UAE for prolonging the war in Yemen. Prolonging the war is a responsibility of the Houthi group, the biggest beneficiary of the continuation of the war and the greatest victim of peace. Iran also wants the war in Yemen to continue indefinitely in order to drain both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This battle on the outskirts of the Arabian Peninsula, which is being waged on behalf of the Houthi group, has cost it nothing while benefiting from its continuation.
(A P)
Yemeni Human Rights Report: Houthi kills 3,000 children
https://www.okaz.com.sa/article/1736574
My comment: This is by a Saudi news site. Here, this is propaganda – and even those killed by air raids are counted among those killed by the Houthis!
(A P)
Qatar: Small, but dangerous
Qatar has supported terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, and has spent huge amounts of money in support and funding of jihad groups and terrorist activities in Europe and elsewhere in the West. Qatar has supported jihad terrorism in order to gain a foothold in some Arab and regional countries, so as to counterbalance its small size and relative weakness, as well as its lack of any political or military weight in the Middle East. Indeed, Qatar has succeeded in penetrating some countries by means of terrorism and aiding in the formation of armed terrorist groups such as al Qaeda in Syria and Iran.
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/07/qatar-small-but-dangerous
My comment: Yes, Qatar did a lot of this. – But, articles like this one in the moment are part of the Saudi cold (propaganda) war against Qatar – and Saudi Arabia is much worse than Qatar, regarding all the points which are objected against Qatar here.
(A P)
Special Report: How Iran spreads disinformation around the world
A Tehran-based agency has quietly fed propaganda through at least 70 websites to countries from Afghanistan to Russia. And American firms have helped.
It’s one of more than 70 websites found by Reuters which push Iranian propaganda to 15 countries, in an operation that cybersecurity experts, social media firms and journalists are only starting to uncover. The sites found by Reuters are visited by more than half a million people a month, and have been promoted by social media accounts with more than a million followers.
The sites underline how political actors worldwide are increasingly circulating distorted or false information online to influence public opinion. The discoveries follow allegations that Russian disinformation campaigns have swayed voters in the United States and Europe. Advisers to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, and the army in Myanmar, are also among those using social media to distribute propaganda and attack their enemies. Moscow has denied the charges; Riyadh and Yangon have not commented.
Former CIA director John Brennan told Reuters that “countries around the globe” are now using such information warfare tactics.
My comment: Well, and, what’s on? Western countries, the US and the UK on top, exactly do this, worldwide. Especially blaming Iran for this, now in the moment is even more beating the war drums.
(A P)
Mehr “Wir sind Wohltäter”-Propaganda der Saudi-Koalition
http://wam.ae/de/details/1395302774260
http://wam.ae/de/details/1395302773877
(A P)
More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947337
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302774092
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946641
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946596
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946412
https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2019/07/15/uae-restores-schools-in-yemenerc-report
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
Siehe / Look at cp1
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
(A K pS)
Coalition airstrikes destroy militia’s reinforcements in Natea, Al-Baydha
The Arab coalition for the support of legitimacy on Monday, destroyed by several airstrikes reinforcements of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Natea front, east of Al-Baydha province.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/15/coalition-airstrikes-destroy-militias-reinforcements-in-natea-al-baydha/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/10754
(A K pS)
Coalition jets strike Houthi positions in Al-Baydha, Saada
Arab Coalition fighter jets launched on Sunday several airstrikes on gatherings of Houthi coup militia in the east of Al-Baydha province, the Yemeni Ministry of Defense's official website September Net reported.
The coalition airstrikes targeted today’s morning gatherings of Houthi militiamen in the areas of al-Bark and Ba Hawas on Nata’e front.
Several militia elements were killed and wounded and a number of their combat vehicles were destroyed.
On the same track, at least 10 elements in the Houthi militia were killed in airstrikes by Arab coalition in Ketaf district eastern Sa’ada province
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10735
(A K pS)
Twenty Houthi rebels killed in air strikes
A series of air strikes in Sirwah, west of Marib Governorate, were ordered on Saturday, said Emirati state news agency Wam.
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/twenty-houthi-rebels-killed-in-air-strikes-1.885965
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
July 14: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7835 Saada p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(A K pH)
COALITION’S MISSILE HIT SEVERAL RESIDENTIAL VILLAGES IN SAADA
The Saudi-led coalition aggression on Monday launched missile and artillery shells at Saada province, northern Yemen, a security source said.
The bombardments hit several residential villages in Monabbih border district, leaving material damages to properties.
Earlier in this day, the coalition’s forces launched missile and artillery shells at residential villages of Razih border district of Saada.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/coalitions-missile-hit-several-residential-villages-in-saada/
(A K pH)
Yemeni army fires barrage of missiles on gatherings of Saudi troops in Najran
Yemeni forces on Sunday have fired several missiles and artillery shells at gatherings of Saudi troops and mercenaries in Najran region, southern part of Saudi Saudi Arabia
(* A K)
Ansarollah greifen saudische Luftwaffenbasis an
Die Ansarollah (»Huthi«) in Jemen haben nach eigenen Angaben am Montag große Drohnenangriffe auf die King-Khaled Luftwaffenbasis im Süden Saudi-Arabiens gestartet, wie der ihnen nahestehende TV-Sender Al-Masirah berichtete.
In dem Bericht sagte der Ansarollah-Militärsprecher Yahya Sarea, dass die Angriffe eine »Vergeltung für die jüngsten aggressiven Luftangriffe unter saudischer Führung gegen den Jemen« gewesen seien. Er fügte hinzu, dass die Angriffe auf Saudi-Arabien bis zum Ende der »Aggression und Wirtschaftsblockade« fortgesetzt würden.
https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/358994.ansarollah-greifen-saudische-luftwaffenbasis-an.html
(* A K pH)
Yemeni Air Force Targets King Khalid Airbase, a Number of Qasef 2K Drones Used, in Aseer
The Army and the Popular Committees carried out large operations on Monday on King Khaled Military Airbase in Khamis Mushait in Aseer with a number of Qasef 2K drones.
The Spokesman of the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said that Qasef 2K drone accurately targeted weapons storage, stoking warplanes and other military sites. He pointed out that the operation also led to a large fire in the arms storage, causing a great deal of confusion and panic.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7842
and
(* A K pS)
Coalition forces intercept, shoot down two unmanned drones, launched from Sanaa, by Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia, targeting civilian districts, in Khamis Mushait, Joint Command of Coalition Forces "Coalition to Support Legitimacy, in Yemen reports
Colonel Turki Al-Malki, the official spokesman of Coalition Forces "Coalition to Support Legitimacy, in Yemen" said that the coalition forces intercepted and shot down this evening two unmanned drones, launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia from Sana'a, towards civilians and civilian targets, in Khamis Mushait city.
Colonel Al-Malki said that the process of intercepting and shooting down the hostile aircraft caused the fall of shrapnel and debris, in a residential neighborhood, resulting in minor damages of a residential building and some vehicles, without the loss of lives.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947111
Photos: https://twitter.com/spagov/status/1150833668597977088
My comment: The Houthis claim serious effects of their missiles, while the Saudis claim that a military airbase is a “civilian district”.
(A K pS)
Army air defenses down Houthi drone in Marib
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/15/army-air-defenses-down-houthi-drone-in-marib/
(A K pS)
Days after the establishment of drones workshop the downing of a Houthi drone east of Dhamar
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169636
(A K pS)
KSrelief extends contract for Implementation of "MASAM" Project
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has extended the contract for implementation of its "MASAM" Landmine Clearance Project in Yemeni territories with an amount of $ 30,944,922 for one year, being carried out by Saudi cadres and international expertise, to clear all forms of mines especially in the governorates of Marib, Aden, Sana'a and Taiz.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946958
(A K pH)
ARMY FORCES ATTACK AL-QAEDA POSITIONS IN BAYDA
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/army-forces-attack-al-qaeda-positions-in-bayda/
(A K pH)
July 14, Saada p.: Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Razeh district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7835
(A K pS)
Dozens of Houthi terrorist militia killed, including field leader in Al-Dhale
Dozens of Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia have been killed and others wounded in clashes with the Yemeni army and raids by Yemeni support coalition fighter planes in provinces of Al-Dhale and Baida southern and central of Yemen.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1946762
(A K)
Film: Fighting continues unabated in northern Yemen
Fighting continued on Tuesday between forces loyal to Yemen's government and Houthi rebels in the northern province of Saada.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w9PtbG3eIY
(A K pH)
Yemeni missiles, rockets hit targets inside Saudi Arabia
Yemeni forces have fired several missiles and artillery shells at Saudi Arabia’s southern Najran region in retaliation for the years-long Saudi-led war on their country.
Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah news website, citing unnamed military officials, reported that a number of domestically-manufactured Zelzal-1 (Earthquake-1) missiles had successfully hit a gathering of Saudi-led mercenaries near the al-Sadis military base on Sunday, leaving an unspecified number of casualties.
It added that Yemeni artillery fire also pounded the same area.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/14/600920/Yemen-missiles-rockets-Saudi-Arabia-Najran
(A K pS)
The national army announced the removal of 433 landmines and explosive devices deployed by the Houthi group in Sa’ada governorate.
https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1150351059799482369
my remark: “national army” = pro-“president” Hadi militia.
(A K pS)
Film: Hundreds of families displaced by Houthi bombings
The indiscriminate shelling by the Houthis continues on the homes of citizens in the north and west of the southern province of Dali, causing hundreds of families to flee to different areas, according to residents, who continues to target residential neighborhoods with mortar shells, leaving dozens dead and wounded, as well as using various types of weapons without any regard to the presence of civilians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgfo0Fhjsbs
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(-)
This town in Yemen looks like a piece of fantasy concept art (photos, thread)
https://twitter.com/noahbradley/status/1150442831200366592
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-555-yemen-war-mosaic-555
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-555 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-555:
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:
