... Das jemenitische Firmengeflecht hinter Al-Kaida – Das Stockholmer Abkommern bewahren – USA-Iran-Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf – und mehr
July 19, 2019: Water crisis and wars – RASD Human Rights report – The Yemen War is Saudis’ quagmire – The Saudis in Mahrah province – The Yemen business conglomerate behind Al Qaeda – Saving the Stockholm agreement – 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
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
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
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B H)
International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies: Climate of war: Will a warming planet lead to a more violent world? Or will it inflict more suffering on those living through conflict?
Well before Yemen descended into conflict and into what many have called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the country’s capital, Sana’a, was already on track to run out of water.
National water authorities and a host of international development actors were warning that unless urgent steps were taken, water resources in the Sana’a basin could disappear. One report said the city’s 4.2 million residents could become “water refugees by 2025”.
Long-term declines in rainfall. A growing population. Increasing cultivation of water-intensive crops. Mismanagement of water resources and inefficient water systems. All these factors have been causing water tables beneath the city to shrink by roughly three to four metres per year.
Before the war, numerous international agencies were working with the Yemeni government on ambitious, multimillion-dollar plans to reduce agricultural water use, improve water collection and cut down waste in urban water systems.
Today, there are only urgent calls for humanitarian action: impending famine caused by drought and conflict; 800,000 people infected with cholera; mass casualties on a daily basis; cities under siege; malnutrition; aid blockades; and energy cuts that allow people to pump water for only a few hours a day.
“The economy is in freefall so to remain economically active, people are turning to water-thirsty crops that deplete the water table even further,” says Johannes Bruwer
https://www.rcrcmagazine.org/2018/11/climate-of-war/
(** B H K P)
Human Rights Situation in Yemen
From 21 September 2014 until 31 December 2018
This report covers the period from 21 September 2014 to 31 December 2018. The state institutions protecting human rights have vanished after the fall of the capital Sana’a. It should be noted that the report contains the most prominent violations and crimes that occurred during the period it covers. It shall be admitted that this report, or any other human rights report or organization, can not list all violations committed in Yemen given the intensity, diversity and sheer size of these violations. In terms of perpetrates, this report mentions the most prominent actors of them. It is a fact that under each conflict party, there are affiliated groups, entities and individuals that have not been named with few exceptions
During the reporting period, all partiesto the conflictcommittedwidespread violations of International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. The extent of violations varied from one party to another. There were crimes that violated International Humanitarian Law with regard to deprivation of life, such as bombing, indiscriminate attacks, the air strikes by Arab Coalition forces, the US drone attacks, as well as the killing by snipers and guided weapons and killings due to clashes between the parties to the conflict. This is in addition to the death and injury caused by mines. Crimes violating International Human Rights Law, such as the deprivation of the right to life including extrajudicial executions, death under torture, different forms of assassinations and suicide attacks were also committed. The report also focuses on violations of human dignity such as detention, enforced disappearance, torture and conditions of prisons operated by the parties to the conflict. The report also tackles violations against journalists, activists, human rights defenders, politicians and members of minorities including Baha’is, Jews and Christians, as well as attacks on the media and civil society organizations. The report also documents the siege imposed on the city of Taiz, and the closure of the seaports and airspace of Yemen.
This is in addition to the displacement plight and the looting of humanitarian aid. The reports also focuses on violations against children by depriving them of the right to life or education and recruiting them by the parties to the conflict and the bombing of houses. The report concludes by monitoring and documenting violations against medical institutions and medical staff, as well as cultural properties, in addition to public and private properties and facilities that have been attacked and destroyed by the parties to the conflict.
The first chapter of this report covered violations of International Humanitarian Law related to the deprivation of the right to life and physical assault. The Rasd Coalition monitored the killing of 11,267 Yemenis protected under the rules of International Humanitarian Law during the period from the fall of the capital Sana’a to the Houthi and Saleh Forces until 31 December 2018; including 1,493 children, 720 women and 569 elderly. They died in violation to conventions protecting the right to life, including through attacks, indiscriminate shelling, Arab Coalition air raids, US drone strikes, sniper fire, bullets and other forms of attacks including the victims of mines. Rasd Coalition has documented the death of 9,016 people on the hands of the Houthi and Saleh forces. Rasd team obtained data for 1,315 civilians killed by Arab coalition air strikes while 165 people were killed on the hands of terrorist organizations and 215 people killed by unknown parties. Rasd documented the death of 188 civilians on the hands of government forces and 131 killed by members of forces not under the authority of the legitimate government. Rasd Coalition monitored the killing of 120 civilians by US drones, and the killing of 117 civilians by tribal groups. The governorate of Taiz was the most affected, where the death of 3,796 civilians was recorded, followed by the governorate of Lahej with 1,089 civilian deaths, and then the governorate of Aden with 961 dead.
Rasd Coalition teams monitored the injury of 23,759 protected people during the reporting period for violations that breach the International Human Rights Law including the deprivation of the right to life and bodily integrity. The violations covered in this report include indiscriminate attacks and shelling; Arab Coalition air strikes; US drone attacks; sniping fire or bullets; and other incidents in addition to injuries due to mine explosions. Out of this total number, there are 3,731 children, 1,591 women and 1,052 elderly people. The teams reported that the vast majority of these victims were in Taiz governorate with 14,755 civilian injuries, then Aden with 1,420 civilian injuries followed by Al Dhaleaa governorate with 1,181 injured civilians and the remaining victims are from other governorates. Houthi and Saleh Militias caused the injury and disability of more than 22,187 civilians out of the total number, while more than 804 civilians were injured by Arab Coalition air strikes, government forces injured 126 civilians and 124 people were injured by forces not loyal to the legitimate government. Terrorist groups caused the injury of more than 67 civilians, tribal groups injured 286 civilians while 21 civilians were injured in US drone attacks and 145 injuries were caused by unknown parties.
http://ycmhrv.co/Home/MonthlyReport/RGyLz9ch/HRStuation-in-Y-English
And if this link does not work, try https://twitter.com/ycmhrv/status/1151201859190886400
My comment: This report very much is focusing on violations by the Houthi side. As already is getting evident when reading the introduction, RASD obviously is biased anti-Houthi and pro-Hadi government. – For comparing, you also could read the Human Rights report by Mwatana for 2018: http://mwatana.org/en/withering-life/
(** B K P)
Yemen Has Been a Saudi Prince’s War. Now It’s His Quagmire.
A steep pullout by his key ally, the United Arab Emirates, they say, raises questions about Saudi Arabia’s ability to lead the war on its own.
Emboldened by the hawkish comments of Trump administration officials, Prince Mohammed is now hoping Washington will help make up the difference with new American military support, according to diplomats with knowledge of the conversations.
But congressional opposition to the war makes that highly unlikely, leaving the prince with some potentially humbling choices.
“It hurts him because it injures his credibility as a successful leader,” said Kristin Smith Diwan, an analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute. His personal investment, she said, could motivate him to search for some partial accommodation he could label a victory.
“Not many people in Saudi Arabia feel this is a wise investment for the future,” she added.
As a result, analysts said, the Emirati exit makes the prospect of a Saudi military victory even more remote.
“Saudi Arabia can prevent peace from breaking out and can bleed the Houthis on a never-ending northern front,” Michael Knights, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, argued in a report this week. “But only the U.A.E. had the military potency and local allied forces to credibly threaten defeat for the Houthis.”
But the Saudis cannot easily withdraw either, partly because of the kingdom’s 1,100-mile border with Yemen.
Even if the Houthis suspended the attacks, the Saudis argue, they could pose an even greater threat if they were allowed to consolidate their hold on the country.
“The Saudis don’t have the luxury of walking out of Yemen,” said Farea al-Muslimi, chairman of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, a research institute in the Yemeni capital. “There is no way to flee.”
Some Western and United Nations diplomats hope that the Emirati withdrawal will push Prince Mohammed to negotiate a deal with the Houthis, potentially trading an end to the Saudi-led air campaign for some measure of security on the long border.
But Prince Mohammed has now consolidated power as the crown prince and de facto ruler under his aging father, King Salman, and faces little domestic pressure to end the war, diplomats and analysts say.
Asked about Saudi plans to fill the void left by the Emirati drawdown, an official of the Saudi Embassy in Washington said last week that the kingdom would rely more on Yemeni allies.
“The coalition has implemented training programs that have enabled local partners to develop the capability to defend their country,” the official said in a written statement
But the Yemeni militias have already started disagreeing about who will take charge in the Emiratis’ absence, underscoring the fragility of the alliance.
“The problem for the Saudis today is that in contrast to the Emiratis, their main client is quite weak and ineffective,” said Emile Hokayem, a scholar at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, referring to Mr. Hadi – By David D. Kirkpatrick
Whatever happens now, Mr. Hokayem added, “whether they like it or not, the Saudis own that.” - by David Kirkpatrick
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/yemen-has-been-the-saudi-crown-prince-s-war-now-it-s-his-quagmire-20190719-p528uo.html = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/world/middleeast/saudi-prince-yemen-emirates.html
My remark: More on this topic, cp2.
(** B P)
Seeking New Routes for Oil Delivery Saudi Arabia Tightens Its Grip on Eastern Yemen
Saudi Arabia is consolidating its military hold on eastern Yemen’s al-Mahrah province, hoping to use the area for an oil pipeline that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, emboldened protesters are demanding that Saudi forces transfer control of key ports, including Shehn, Sarfeet and Nashton to back to Yemeni authorities. Protesters are also calling for the reopening of the Gheidah International Airport, which was transformed into a Saudi military base and is allegedly home to Saudi-run secret prisons.
The sit-in committee which organizes protests in al-Mahrah said in a statement during the protest:
What’s going on in the Mesila, Sehout, Hassouin, Nashton directorates and the Luisic district is no different from what happens in other districts in al-Mahrah where Saudi Arabia continues to build camps, harass local residents and cut off their income by preventing them from grazing [livestock] and fishing.”
As a result of the continued Saudi expansion in the province, which is dominated by eastern Yemen’s barren deserts and abuts neighboring Oman, both local Yemeni political leaders, as well as the sit-in committee, announced on Friday that they were willing to resort to more violent means to force the Saudi military to leave their home. “If the peaceful protests of al Mahrah’s residents are futile, we have other options that will force the occupier to leave,” Sheikh Ali Salem al-Harizi, a former deputy governor of al-Mahrah warned on Friday.
A history of violence
The protests are part of a wave of demonstrations that have flared up regularly over the few past years calling for Saudi Arabia to withdraw its military from al-Mahrah.
In most cases, Saudi Arabia has been able to quell the protest with little to no violence, relying instead on buying off local officials and appeasing residents with promises of civil construction projects such as newly paved roads and medical clinics. But those measures haven’t always enough to stem the tide of popular discontent in the restive region.
Saudi Arabia is also keen on preventing media coverage of the growing demonstrations for fear that discontent in the region will spread. The Kingdom is accused of kidnapping local journalists who have worked to expose Saudi misdeeds in al-Mahrah.
Oil, occupation and Iran
While resident’s of al-Mahrah have long opposed the Saudi presence in their region, a recent increase in the presence of Saudi troops in the region and the construction of a number of new military camps and checkpoints has renewed both suspicion of Saudi plans for a long-term presence in Eastern Yemen as well as calls for the Kingdom to vacate the region.
Saudi Arabia claims that its checkpoints and military bases are needed to combat an influx of alleged Iranian arms shipments and drug smuggling through Oman, which borders al-Mahrah to the east, though the Kingdom has provided no evidence to back its claim, a claim which Oman has repeatedly and vociferously denied.
Local residents aren’t buying the Saudi line either. They say that smuggling is just a pretext for a Saudi takeover of their province and resources
The presence of Saudi forces in a province of Yemen that has remained largely immune to the broader war in the country and is home to potentially lucrative untapped oil reserves is considered by many analysts as malign and colonial in nature. The province is largely peaceful and has been mostly spared from Yemen’s war
In reality, Saudi Arabia has a strategic interest in the province. In late September, MintPress revealed that the Kingdom began construction on a pipeline in al-Mahrah that would allow it transport oil directly to the Arabian Sea – by Ahmed AbdulKareem
(** B T)
The Yemeni Business Conglomerate Behind al_Qaeda and 9/11 is the $10-Billion/annum HSA Group
a privately owned business conglomerate has aided the organisations behind al Qaeda with financial, logistical and command support since at least 1984 - four years before al Qaeda’s formal inception in 1988.
That business conglomerate is called the HSA Group, founded by Mr. Hayel Saeed and his brothers in the British Protectorate of Aden in 1938.
One of Osama bin-Laden’s greatest allies during his 1980’s US-backed Afghan Jihad was Yemeni General Ali Mohsen, the half-brother of the late Yemeni President Saleh. General Mohsen recruited fighters from Arabia and beyond for the foreign mujahedeen brigades fighting in Afghanistan, even travelling there himself to meet with bin-Laden.
It is also known that foreign fighters subsequently returning from Afghanistan were allowed to settle in Yemen, where they were made welcome by General Mohsen.
In the early 1990s those resettled foreign fighters were actually trained by a CIA contractor, Billy Waugh, as noted in his 2004 autobiography
Today General Mohsen is the Saudi backed Vice President of Yemen and part of the same coalition that is known to have armed and colluded with al Qaeda during the last five years of coalition attacks on Yemen.
HSA’s Financial Support to al Qaeda
In 1984 Abdul Saeed (a family heir and a director of the HSA Group) was a founding signatory and charter member of the Malaysian Swiss Gulf and African Chamber (MIGA) - a financial shell company registered in Switzerland. Another of MIGA’s founding signatories and the chamber’s long-term President was Ahmed Nasreddin, a man described by Former US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill as:
a "supporter of terrorism" involved in "an extensive financial network providing support to al Qaeda and other terrorist-related organizations."
Treasury Secretary O’Neill said this of MIGA:
“ [it’s] a very good example of an investment company that is used as a shell to hide and move money."
Following 9/11 there was enough evidence and suspicion for the United Nations (UN) to place both MIGA and its President Ahmed Nasreddin on the watch list of entities and individuals belonging to, or affiliated with al Qaeda.
It must be noted that the CIA was fully aware of these funding routes for Arab donations destined for the Afghan Mujaheddin. The CIA knows who the principle players were, such as Saudi sponsored Afghan Warlord and Wahhabi scholar, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf. The CIA “tolerated” the misdirection of some of the funds to other more extremist causes by Sayyaf, as noted in these de-classified, 1985 CIA intel assessments of the situation:
HSA’s Logistical Support to al Qaeda
There's two links between al Qaeda’s logistics and the Yemeni HSA Group that I want to highlight:
First, Fox News’s 2004 suggestion that the HSA Group and its international subsidiaries were working in collusion with and in support to al Qaeda’s global network:
"HSA's and MIGA's offices overlap in locations that... served as hotspots of al Qaeda meetings and finance"
"Pacific Interlink [a global shipping company & HSA subsidiary] boasts offices or agents in places thick with terror networks, such as Algeria, Sudan, and Syria."
In the same year al Qaeda was founded (1988), the HSA Group established a new global shipping business called Pacific Interlink.
The Second link is based on my own first-hand knowledge. I know that in 1997 the HSA Group housed an al Qaeda front company in their HQ compound at P.O. Box 5302, Taiz Yemen.
The al Qaeda front company I visited in Yemen was called YemPak (link to google maps). Two of YemPak’s Pakistani employees told me in a rather self-aggrandising manner that the company name was an abbreviation ofYemen-Pakistan.
HSA’s Command Role in al Qaeda
The overall boss of the HSA Group HQ compound in Taiz was called Mr. Saeed, a man that senior members of al Qaeda called "the Chief”.
So again based on my own first-hand experiences, I can say categorically that Mr. Saeed of the HSA Group arranged my meetings with people I now know to have been al Qaeda members - people who referred to Mr. Saeed as "the Chief".
HSA’s Links to the British Tory Party
In 1994 three heirs and directors of the HSA Group - Abdullah Saeed, Mohammed Saeed and Dirham Saeed - became investors in a British Cayman Islands tax haven registered firm, Atlantic Investments. I only discovered this information via the leaked Paradise Papers, and only because Abdullah Saeed used the P.O. Box 5302 Taiz address for correspondence from the Cayman Islands - the same address used by the al Qaeda front company YemPak – by Anthony C Heaford
https://thequietmancunian.com/reports/the-yemeni-business-conglom.html
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics
(* B H)
World Health Organization: Outbreak update - Cholera in Yemen, 7 July 2019
The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen reported 21,549 suspected cases of cholera with 18 associated deaths during epidemiological week 27 (1 to 7 July) of 2019. 12.7 percent of cases were severe. The cumulative total number of suspected cholera cases from 1 January 2018 to 7 July 2019 is 845,017, with 1234 associated deaths (CFR 0.15%). Children under five represent 23.7.0% of total suspected cases during 2019. The outbreak has affected 22 of 23 governorates and 299 of 333 districts in Yemen.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/outbreak-update-cholera-yemen-7-july-2019-0
(* B H)
British Medical Journal: Responding to epidemics in large-scale humanitarian crises: a case study of the cholera response in Yemen, 2016–2019
Methods: We conducted interviews with practitioners and advisors on preparedness; surveillance; laboratory; case management; malnutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); vaccination; coordination and insecurity. We undertook a literature review of global and Yemen-specific cholera guidance.
Results: Yemen is water scarce, and repeated airstrikes damaged water systems, risking widespread infection. Since a cholera preparedness and response plan was absent, on detection, the humanitarian cluster system rapidly developed response plans. The initial plans did not prioritise key actions including community-directed WASH to reduce transmission, epidemiological analysis and laboratory monitoring. Coordination was not harmonised across the crisis-focused clusters and epidemic-focused incident management system. The health strategy was crisis focused and was centralised on functional health facilities, underemphasising less accessible areas. As vaccination was not incorporated into preparedness, consensus on its use remained slow. At the second wave peak, key actions including data management, community-directed WASH and oral rehydration and vaccination were scaled-up.
Conclusion Despite endemicity and conflict, Yemen was not prepared for the epidemic. To contain outbreaks, conflict-affected states, humanitarian agencies, and donors must emphasise preparedness planning and community-directed responses.
https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/4/e001709?rss=1 = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/responding-epidemics-large-scale-humanitarian-crises-case-study-cholera-response-yemen
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle
(A K)
Yemen's warring sides clash in Hodeidah, 8 killed
Armed confrontations between Yemen's pro-government forces and the Houthi rebels left eight people killed in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Thursday, a military official told Xinhua.
The local Yemeni military official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that "the area of Kilo16 in Hodeidah's eastern part witnessed violent armed confrontations between the pro-government forces and the Houthi rebels."
The source said that the armed confrontations resulted in the killing of five Houthi rebels and three pro-government army soldiers in addition to wounding several others from both sides.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/19/c_138238349.htm
(* A P)
A Yemeni military source revealed details of the July 15 agreement between al Houthi and Hadi government representatives to enforce the 2018 United Nations-organized Stockholm Agreement. The al Houthi and Hadi government delegations agreed to deploy "liaison officers" to support UN members monitoring compliance with the agreement. The military source stated that this mechanism will enable each side to trust the UN verification process and to ensure that the other party has withdrawn its forces from the al Hudaydah area. This agreement came after a meeting on a UN ship in the Red Sea on July 14-15 to address reported violations of the agreement.[4]
(** B P)
Saving the Stockholm Agreement and Averting a Regional Conflagration in Yemen
The UN-brokered Stockholm Agreement to stop fighting around Yemen’s Red Sea city of Hodeida is faltering as violence on other frontlines and across the Saudi border escalates. The UN and P5 should stabilise the Stockholm Agreement and push conflict parties toward national peace talks.
Executive Summary
Yemen witnessed a rare moment of international coherence and focus in December 2018 when a UN-brokered, U.S.-backed accord prevented a battle for the Red Sea port city of Hodeida and staved off a likely famine. Seven months on, UN-led attempts to demilitarise Hodeida and two nearby ports are at risk of running aground, in turn preventing long hoped-for political negotiations to end the war. Beyond Hodeida, fighting is intensifying on other front lines. Cross-border attacks by the Huthis (also known as Ansar Allah) into Saudi Arabia and Saudi airstrikes inside Yemen are enmeshing Yemen ever more deeply in regional tensions between the U.S. and Iran. If a collapse of the demilitarisation process is to be prevented and Yemen is to be firewalled from regional rivalries, international stakeholders in the crisis should urgently revive diplomatic efforts to achieve a realistic implementation plan for Hodeida so that broader peace talks can begin, and urge Saudi Arabia and the Huthis to negotiate an end to reciprocal cross-border attacks.
A weakened UN diplomatic effort in Yemen is in dire need of an international shot in the arm to remove obstacles to implementing the Stockholm Agreement, of which the subsidiary agreement to demilitarise Hodeida city and ports forms the core. In May, faced with the parties’ inability to work out a mutually acceptable process, the UN endorsed unilateral Huthi redeployments from Hodeida, Ras Issa and Salif ports. Yemen’s internationally recognised government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi reacted angrily, calling the Huthi redeployments a sham and accusing UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths of bias, even briefly cutting off contact with him. The Hadi government has yet to back down from its maximalist interpretation of the accord: that all Huthi personnel are to be replaced by government forces, a claim the Huthis reject and the UN says does not reflect what was agreed in Sweden.
Anti-Huthi forces still see Hodeida as a target and may yet resume hostilities, with devastating consequences. Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, which the UN describes as the world’s biggest, has not deteriorated significantly since December 2018, but neither has it improved. A renewed battle for Hodeida would almost certainly tip the country into widespread famine. Plus, continued efforts to revive the faltering Hodeida agreement are consuming all available diplomatic bandwidth at great cost, preventing a turn to national-level peace talks.
Reviving the Hodeida agreement and preventing an escalatory spiral of cross-border attacks from plunging Yemen further into a regional quagmire are urgent priorities. They will require successfully pushing on two mediation tracks: one between the Huthis and the Yemeni government over Hodeida and the other between the Huthis and Riyadh over escalating fighting between them.
As for the first track: optimally led by the UN and supported by the P5, talks should aim to clarify the minimum steps necessary to stabilise the situation in Hodeida and allow for the onset of broader Yemeni peace talks. Closing the remaining gaps on Hodeida will entail addressing the thorny issue of the composition of local security forces that are to provide security following Huthi redeployment from the city and ports; if a full resolution proves unachievable, then the UN should aim at a minimum for a satisfactory compromise that allows discussions over the city to take place in parallel to more comprehensive peace talks. This in turn will require pressure by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council on both sides and their respective regional backers.
As for the second track: Saudi Arabia and the Huthis should engage in discussions aimed at halting cross-border attacks. The U.S. is best-placed to encourage Saudi Arabia to reestablish meaningful communication with the Huthis in pursuit of such an agreement.
The more time passes without either a workable Hodeida arrangement or a freeze in cross-border attacks, the greater the threat of the Stockholm Agreement’s unravelling and of a wider regional war. The more remote, too, any prospect of a national political settlement and end to the Yemeni conflict. The international community mobilised once before to prevent an attack on Hodeida. With the stakes now even higher – for both Yemen and the region as a whole – such mobilisation is needed again, as urgently as ever.
VII.Conclusion
Time is of the essence. The threat of an attack on Hodeida has receded for now, but every day that passes without progress in implementing the Stockholm Agreement gives that threat new life. And each time a Huthi drone or missile reaches Saudi soil, the risk of a broader regional confrontation grows commensurately. Both outcomes would be tragic, but both can still be averted – by Crisis Group
https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/yemen/203-saving-stockholm-agreement-and-averting-regional-conflagration-yemen = https://lobelog.com/saving-the-stockholm-agreement-and-averting-a-regional-conflagration-in-yemen/
(A K pH)
Saudi aggression and its mercenaries violate cease-fire agreement and bomb Yemeni provinces
(A K pS)
National army thwarts Houthi attack in Hodeidah
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/18/national-army-thwarts-houthi-attack-in-hodeidah/
(A K pS)
Film: A citizen was injured by a stabbing of al-Houthi militias on the town of Hays south of Hodeidah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KqYcD4TotI
(A K pS)
Houthis shell people's homes in al-Tuhita, Hodeidah
The Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia launched on Thursday, a violent artillery bombardment against the residential neighborhoods of al-Tuhita district in the south of Hodeidah.
Local sources said that the indiscriminate heavy shelling of the city resulted in the destruction of some houses and caused a state of fear and panic among the inhabitants, mostly women and children.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10781
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm6BBIB0H04
(A K pS)
Film: A child was shot by al-Houthi sniper in al-Tahta district south of al-Hodeidah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHIq19HSEw0
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Wednesday, July 17th, 2019
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7877
(* A K pS)
Video: Demining Teams Detect Biggest Minefield in Hodeidah
Engineering Units of the Joint Forces said Wednesday they found the biggest minefield laid by Houthi rebels near the Red Sea Mills in the flashpoint port city of Hodeidah.
September 2 news agency said the teams started dismantling the minefield planted over 2 square kilometers, extending from the north-west side of Almsna neighborhood and reaching the road that is in front of Red Sea Mills.
An expert in mine clearance, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media, estimated that the minefield contained more than 2,000 mines, noting that a number of 132 mines had been dismantled and removed during the past few hours.
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/19556
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3DirEppc4U&t=28s
and other reports http://en.adenpress.news/news/10772
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/18/army-forces-finds-houthi-minefield-eastern-hodeidah/
(A K pS)
Military Formations in Yemen: Interview with Kata'ib al-Hamdi
the discussion should also be informed by objective information on neglected topics. For example, what is the nature of the various Yemeni forces fighting the Houthis? Such a question is important because it is too easy to frame everything in Yemen simply in terms of proxy warfare between foreign powers and obscure local dynamics.
Kata'ib al-Hamdi (The Hamdi Battalions) is an example of a Yemeni force fighting the Houthis. It is part of the al-Amaliqa grouping of brigades and has participated in the fighting against the Houthis along Yemen's western coast.
The al-Amaliqa grouping of brigades has received strong backing from the United Arab Emirates, whose forces have participated alongside it in the battles along the western coast.
http://www.aymennjawad.org/2019/07/military-formations-in-yemen-interview-with
(A P K pS)
Houthi militia continues to violate UN-truce in Hodeidah & shells army positions
(A P)
Spokesman: Houthis refuse to hand over Hodeida to 2014-regisrted forces
The Houthis rebels have refused a proposal to hand over Hodeida city and ports to the 2014-registered forces that used to manage Hodeida prior the coming of the Houthis in late 2014, Wadah Al-Dabaish, military spokesman of the Joint Forces in Hodeida was quoted on Tuesday by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat Daily Newspaper.
The Houthis’ refusal came during a meeting on board of a UN vessel, 30 Km off Hodeida city with the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) that was attended also by the government’s representative.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-31006
My comment: Tricky: This is how the Hadi government tries to regain control of Hodeidah. The Houthis had handed over Hodeidah to the personal of 2019. – My proposal: hand it over to the personal of 1969.
(A K pS)
Fishermen reject again presence of Iranian vessel in Yemeni waters
A number of Yemeni fishermen renewed their rejection of the presence of an Iranian vessel in the Yemeni waters considering it a threat to their lives and livelihoods.
The fishermen who staged a rally off the Red Sea shores in Mocha in Yemen’s southwest have appealed to the government, the Arab Coalition, the UN and the whole international community to protect them from the Iranian vessel “Savez” that supplies the Houthi militants with boat bombs and naval mines.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/16/fishermen-reject-again-presence-of-iranian-vessel-in-yemeni-waters/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/10766
My comment: Propaganda factor: High.
(A K pH)
US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Tuesday, July 16th, 2019
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7866
(A K pS)
Film: the destruction left by the bombing of the militias Houthi on one of the villages of Dhihami
Residents of a village in the Durahmi district talk about horrific massacres committed by the militia against them. They shelled the house of a citizen and killed an entire family that was safe in it. Another shell killed 12 other civilians in a nearby area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3a9g0RKqls
(A K pS)
Joint forces subjected to heavy Houthi shelling in Hodeidah
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10763
(A K pS)
Houthi militia shells residential areas in Hodeidah
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/16/houthi-militia-shells-residential-areas-in-hodeidah-2/
(A K pS)
One civilian killed, another injured by Houthis’ shelling in Hodeidah
One civilian was killed and another injured on Tuesday as a result of Houthi militia’s shelling in Hais district southern Hodeidah province.
Local sources said to September Net that the 55-year-old Mahuob Ibrahim Abdullah Maghazi was killed and Nabeel Fhadl Redwan was injured as the Houthi militia shelled their neighborhood in Hais district.
(A K pS)
Army engineering teams destroy 600 landmines planted by militia in Hodeidah
The national army forces on Tuesday, destroyed 600 landmines and improvised explosive devices, planted by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in the province of Hodeidah, west of the country.
The national army engineering teams extracted these mines and improvised explosive devices from public roads, beaches and populated areas in various areas of the city of Hodeidah.
cp2 Allgemein / General
(* A K P)
Interactive Map of Yemen War
(* A K)
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 18, 2019 (MAP, VIDEO)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-18-2019-map-video/
MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON JULY 17, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-july-17-2019-map-update/
(? B K P)
Film: Stop the WAR in Yemen - Interview with Yousra from Sanaa (Yemen)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XTiRvvbfyE
(* A H P)
U.N. calls out Saudi Arabia, UAE for not paying Yemen aid pledges
United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock called out Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for only paying a “modest proportion” of the hundreds of millions of dollars they pledged five months ago to a humanitarian appeal for Yemen.
Both countries each promised $750 million at a U.N. fundraising event in February that was seeking $4 billion, but Saudi Arabia has so far only paid $121.7 million and the United Arab Emirates about $195 million, according to U.N. figures.
“Those who made the largest pledges – Yemen’s neighbors in the coalition – have so far paid only a modest proportion of what they promised,” Lowcock told the U.N. Security Council, adding that as a result the U.N. appeal was only 34 percent funded compared with 60 percent at this time last year.
My comment: What did you expect? The pledges had been made to get a good PR. This succeeded, after “mission accomplished” and PR received, who still wanted to pay?
(B K P)
Film: The UAE’s withdrawal from Yemen
Is the UAE washing its hands of a humanitarian disaster in Yemen?
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190718-the-uaes-withdrawal-from-yemen-2/
(* B K P)
Bin Salman’s Hard Work in Yemen after UAE Exit
Amid the daily reports of retaliatory missile and drone strikes by the Yemeni military and Ansarullah movement’s forces in response to the Saudi-led coalition aggression, now unofficial reports talk about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s proposal to stop the war. The news was first published by Mujtahed, an anonymous Saudi Twitter activist, who said he was supplied with the info by Saudi court’s insiders.
Mujtahed claimed that bin Salman suggested that Ansarullah movement takes control of the north of Yemen and leave the south to the Saudi allies. He also asked the revolutionary movement not to obstruct Saudi oil pipeline stretching from the kingdom to the Arabian Sea through Al Mahrah province south of Yemen.
But the Yemeni resistant movement that controls the capital Sana’a and the northern regions has rejected the offer. It said in addition to full control of the country it demands Riyadh compensation for war devastations and official apology as preconditions for the war end.
Bin Salman's offer for a deal with Ansarullah came days after the UAE's announcement of exit from the war-ravaged country. A fortnight ago, Abu Dhabi said it will pull out of Yemen and focus on political settlement to the five-year crisis. The Saudi proposal follows the Emirati statement.
But this, the analysts note, does not mean that so far the UAE presence blocked any Saudi deal with Yemeni army and popular forces. Rather, it means that the proposal of a ceasefire is an outcome of understanding of the Yemeni battleground conditions and Saudi Arabia now has begun to count the costs of staying in the war.
After the UAE pullout, the Arab military coalition in Yemen will be equal with Saudi Arabia. If so far Saudi Arabia and the UAE were equally subjected to international community pressures for atrocities against the Yemeni civilians, with Abu Dhabi withdrawal Saudi Arabia has to solely shoulder the responsibility. From now on, the world will recognize the Saudi leaders as the sole culprits of bloodshed and destruction in Yemen, opening the door to further political attacks on them. An outlook of Saudi Arabia exclusively coming under fire has motivated Prince Mohammed to seek a deal.
At least in the short run Riyadh is incapable of filling the gap. On the other side, the Saudi concentration on the southern front will mean leaving a vacuum in the northern front. This is the ideal chance for the Yemeni forces to tighten their grip on the north. So, the UAE exit is slated to provide the Yemenis with a resounding chance of advancement.
A collection of these conditions makes continuation of the war for the Saudi Arabian forces difficult.
https://www.islamtimes.org/en/article/805595/bin-salman-s-hard-work-in-yemen-after-uae-exit
My comment: This Saudi offer seems to be unconfirmed. And also the allegations on the consequences of a UAE pullout sound quite speculative. - More on this topic, look at cp1.
(* B K P)
Film: Le conflit au Yémen : un nouveau paysage stratégique régional
François Frison-Roche, chargé de recherche au CNRS, analyse les enjeux géopolitiques du conflit au Yémen et ses conséquences sur la déstabilisation de la région.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ku620wEDQ
(? B K P)
Audio: The ongoing war in Yemen explained
Yemen is often described as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The country was already one of the poorest in the region and years of war have ravaged the country
APC talked to Kamillia el-Eriani, who is currently teaching in sociology and politics at Melbourne University and RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), about the dynamics of this conflict.
http://www.rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/asia-pacific-currents/2019/07/ongoing-war-yemen-explained
My comment: I did not listen. The map is quite wrong, look at http://www.rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/asia-pacific-currents/2019/07/ongoing-war-yemen-explained
(* B H K P)
Film: 'How many Yemenis must be killed before Western arms sales stop?' asks activist
Radhya Al-Mutawakel is the chairperson of the Yemeni NGO Mwatana for Human Rights, which is releasing its annual report on the war in Yemen, based on more than 2,000 interviews with eyewitnesses. She spoke to FRANCE 24 about the report, which reveals new evidence of violations committed in Yemen by the Houthi rebels, the Hadi government, the Saudi- and Emirati-led coalition, and proxy forces loyal to the UAE. Our guest also urged Western countries to stop selling weapons to the coalition.
Western countries "are fuelling the war in Yemen by selling arms to the Saudis and Emiratis", Radhya Al-Mutawakel told FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman.
"How many Yemenis should be killed until France or other countries are convinced that they should stop selling weapons as a message to the Saudis and Emiratis?" she asked
Snippet: https://twitter.com/mperelman/status/1151444204347953152
(* B H K)
Film: Jemen-Krieg: Kinder an vorderster Front
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/091320-000-A/jemen-krieg-kinder-an-vorderster-front/
(? B K P)
Film: UAE withdrawal from Yemen could be decisive turning point in civil war
Yemenis and analysts say the UAE's withdrawal is either a huge step towards peace, or an invitation to rebels to reopen hostilities.
Fearturing: Ali al-Bukhaiti, Former Yemeni politician and Peter Salisbury, analyst, International Crisis Group
My comment: Sounds biased; Ali al-Bukhaiti is a strict anti-Houthi propagandist.
(* B K P)
Why Saudi Arabia and UAE Bicker as Yemen Is Torn to Pieces
The strained relations between the coalition members leave little hope for a political solution, foiling the U.S.-Saudi goal of defeating Iran’s Houthi partners
Saudi Arabia moves to secure Yemen Red Sea ports after UAE drawdown
Senate introduces bill to punish Saudi Arabia over human rights abuses
U.S. wants to lead military coalition to protect waters off Iran, Yemen
Comment: A rather good summary of the situation and complexities of the Yemen war and the Saudi coalition - which now consists of Saudi Arabia and paid mercenaries. Haaretz is one of my favourite newspapers with quality journalism depicting a variety of viewpoints.
https://www.facebook.com/judith.brown.794628/posts/10157738599263641
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
Siehe / Look at cp1
(B H)
Liste der Länder nach Mann zu Frau Einkommensverhältnis
Folgende Liste sortiert Länder nach der Einkommensratio von Männern zu Frauen (Gender Pay Gap). Die angegebenen Daten stammen aus dem Index der geschlechtsspezifischen Entwicklung, der von den Vereinten Nationen als Teil des Index der menschlichen Entwicklung erhoben wird und auf offiziellen Daten oder Kalkulationen beruht.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_L%C3%A4nder_nach_Mann_zu_Frau_Einkommensverh%C3%A4ltnis
(B H)
List of countries by male to female income ratio
The following list sorts countries by their estimated male to female income ratio according to the Gender Development Index of the United Nations. The ratio is determined by comparing the gross national income per woman with the gross national income per man in 2017
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_male_to_female_income_ratio
(B H)
ICRC Yemen: Despite the challenges, the ICRC in #Yemen has been striving to respond to the ever-growing needs of the population. Below snippets of our assistance in 2019 in this short video:
https://twitter.com/ICRC_ye/status/1151862653574422530
(A H)
During our visit to Hodeidah we distributed food to 55 families. There still many families don't have food 4 feed their children. They're waiting for ur humanity. We appeal to all supporters to help us provide urgent 50bskt food 4 poor there (photos)
https://www.gofundme.com/food-and-medicine-for-yemen
https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1151879654464266241
(* B H)
Film: 5 Tage im Jemen: Elma Wong erzählt Amaras Geschichte
In unserer Serie "5 Tage im Jemen" konntest du uns in unser Krankenhaus in Mocha im Jemen begleiten und Anästhesistin Elma Wong kennen lernen. Inzwischen ist sie wieder zu Hause und erzählt uns von ihren besonderen Erfahrungen. Amara ist acht Jahre alt gewesen, als sie beim Spielen auf eine Landmine trat. Die Verletzungen waren so groß, dass sie bei Ankunft im Krankenhaus in Lebensgefahr schwebte
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9MAiwOCM2o
(* B H)
In the Health sector.. Taiz is the most suffering from the continuing war in Yemen
UNICEF said that more than four years of brutal conflict in Yemen have brought basic public services to the "brink of total collapse", and the war has pushed "community health and obstetric care to the front line, with increasing numbers of civilian deaths directly linked to a lack of resources."
In such circumstances, survival is often difficult especially for the most vulnerable sector: mothers and newborns.
In the language of the figures: "19.7 million citizens in Yemen need access to basic health care," including 2 million children under the age of five, 1.1 million pregnant and nursing women in need of malnutrition treatment, and "one mother and six newborns lose every two hours, due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth in Yemen”, according to a recent UNICEF report in June 2019.
"Only 51% of all health facilities are still fully operational, although they are severely under-equipped and understaffed," UNICEF says.
At the forefront, Taiz appears to be the most affected province, with armed confrontations still raging on the outskirts of the city, with a constant siege on its main outlets for the fifth year.
Here, the suffering of the most vulnerable is compounded by the marked collapse of the health system, with few resources and a high need for humanitarian assistance. In its report,"Humanitarian Needs Overview 2019", the United Nations identified the number of people in need at 2.6 million, 70% of them are in dire need.
Extreme health suffering
The Republican Hospital in Taiz is the second government hospital in the province in terms of size, and almost the first in the diversity of health services, and public turnout, this makes it a fitting example of the current reality of the health suffering of the province.
More than four years after the war, Dr. Khalil Mohammed al-Absi, acting director general of the Republican Hospital, puts the problem of the "exodus of official medical staff" at the top of the list of suffering.
Al-Absi says that the displacement of the original staff of the hospital at the beginning of the war, caused them great suffering, forcing them to hire a new staff, which almost 95% of the current staff, the majority of which are non-specialized, or poorly qualified and inexperienced. ".
He adds: The hospital also suffers from a lack of support and difficulty in providing financial incentive to staff on a regular basis on a monthly basis, as well as the instability of support provided by some international organizations for the "maternity emergency" and "cholera" sections for long periods.
He also spoke of "few, old, existing equipment in the hospital", most of which have become worn out, some of which are completely disabled, with no possibilities for regular maintenance, and difficulty in providing the spare parts required to repair them."
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169696
(B H)
Film: Once you’ve seen Tareq’s story, you will see life differently! It will restore your hope if you’re hopless, it’ll give you strength if you were thinking of giving up! Tareq from #Aden fought for his dream, he’s a real hero!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TcYBAKia0I
(B H)
Yemen Aid US: Yemen Aid visits Al-Razi General Hospital in the province of Abyan, Yemen
Al-Razi General Hospital is the main hospital in Abyan and receives patients from all districts which causes severe pressure on staff and its services. Such services are limited and falling apart, while some departments closed due to lack of basic tools.
We’ve listened to medical staff on the various issues and challenges they face and took seriously the importance of implementing projects in the province. (photos)
https://www.facebook.com/1621244868183411/posts/2067333473574546
(B H)
Film (Arabic): Due to the aggression, siege and mercenary violations in Hodeidah, cancer patients are at risk of slow death
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQALImhKxqI
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
(B H)
Film: I visited the biggest internal displaced camp in #Yemen. There are 52 thousands displaced people in this camp in abs area, #Hajjah governorate.
https://twitter.com/AhmadAlgohbary/status/1151886044834516992
(* B H)
This Quarterly Mixed Migration Update (QMMU) covers the East Africa and Yemen region (EAY). The core countries of focus for this region are Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen. Depending on the quarterly trends and migration-related updates, more attention may be given to any of the countries over the rest.
The QMMUs offer a quarterly update on new trends and dynamics related to mixed migration and relevant policy developments in the region. These updates are based on a compilation of a wide range of secondary (data) sources, brought together within a regional framework and applying a mixed migration analytical lens. Similar QMMUs are available for all MMC regions.
Among Key Updates:
High arrivals in Yemen: In April 2019, 18,904 Ethiopians and Somalis were recorded arriving in Yemen (this is in addition to 5,229 Yemenis returning to Yemen from Saudi Arabia). In addition, small numbers of Nigerian migrants started to arrive in Yemen on the Red Sea route in April. By the end of May, the total number arrivals to Yemen for 2019 reached 74,333, in addition to 24,795 Yemeni returns.
Migrant deaths at sea: In April, at least 40 Ethiopians drown off the Yemen coast. The maritime route from East Africa to Yemen remains highly dangerous for refugees and migrants
Ethiopians detained in Yemen: Ethiopians face confinement in detention centres in Yemen
http://www.mixedmigration.org/resource/quarterly-mixed-migration-update-9/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/world/quarterly-mixed-migration-update-east-africa-yemen-quarter-2-2019
(* B H)
THE ROAD FROM YEMEN: PART 4
Mayotte: ‘Asylum in France for less than $1,000’
This blog is written by guest author, Peter Bouckaert, who is the acting director of the Global Observatory on Human Rights at Sea, a Barcelona-based initiative to monitor maritime migration routes and violations of human rights at sea.
Mayotte, a 375-square kilometre island located in the southern Indian Ocean off the coast of Mozambique, may seem like an unlikely location to find Yemeni asylum seekers. But in the past two years, dozens of Yemenis have made a dangerous 300 kilometre sea journey from Madagascar to Mayotte for one simple reason: to seek asylum from the desperate humanitarian crisis escalating back home in Yemen.
The Yemeni men I interviewed in Mayotte explained to me why they were forced to flee their homes, the perilous journeys they took trying to seek refuge in parts of Africa and even Asia, and what life is like for them now on Mayotte.
A path to Europe
Most of the men I spoke to told me that they had never even heard of the French territory until stumbling across it on the internet, or hearing about the destination from fellow Yemenis in places like Khartoum or Cairo, where they had previously fled. Suddenly, a path to Europe appeared that allowed them to avoid the brutality of Libya and the often-fatal crossing of the Mediterranean Sea, where thousands have drowned over the past few years. Websites in Arabic titled “asylum in France for less than $1,000” offer detailed instructions on how to reach Mayotte, overlooking the dangers of the route.
Almost all the Yemeni asylum seekers I spoke to had first tried, and failed, to seek safety inside Yemen, before attempting many other destinations, including Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Morocco. But their visas had expired, or they had been expelled, had been unable to find employment, or had run out of money. The tiny island of Mayotte, a French department located 8,000 kilometers from Paris, seemed like the only option left to reach Europe.
http://www.internal-displacement.org/expert-opinion/the-road-from-yemen-part-4
(B H)
Film: #Dear World, Thousands of Yemeni families have been displaced from their homes due the Saudi war in #Yemen . they live a difficult life in camps . it must stop this unjust war
https://twitter.com/ghalebalsudmy/status/1151622016656707590
(* B H)
International Organization for Migration: IOM Yemen: Rapid Displacement Tracking, 1 to 13 July 2019
The ongoing conflict in Yemen, since March 2015, has led to the displacement of more than 3.6 million people (according to DTM’s 2018 Area Assessment) and datasets can be found here.
DTM’s Rapid Displacement Tracking tool collects and reports on numbers of households forced to flee on a daily basis, allowing for regular reporting of new displacements in terms of numbers, geography and needs. In the first five months of 2019, conflict activities have resulted in new patterns of displacement, particularly in within Al Dhale'e and Al Hudaydah governorates.
http://www.globaldtm.info/yemen-rapid-displacement-tracking-report-1-13-july-2019/ = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/iom-yemen-rapid-displacement-tracking-1-13-july-2019-enar
(* B H)
#Yemen: 75 civilian casualties reported each week and more than 274,000 displaced since the beginning of 2019. UNHCR reiterates its call to all parties to the conflict to do their utmost to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yemen.
https://twitter.com/UNHCRYemen/status/1151060363367989249
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
(A P)
Women stage sit-in in front UN Envoy Office
A group of political detainees’ mothers carried out on Thursday 18 July 2019 a sit-in before the UN Envoy Office in Sana’a in a protest to the Houthis-death sentencing of 30 detainees.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-31050
(A P)
EU criticizes Houthis’ death sentencing of 30 detainees
The European Union (EU) criticized on Thursday 18 July 2019 the death sentencing of 30 political detainees by a Houthis-run court in Sana’a.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-31049
(A P)
They accused him of being from ISIS. Houthis execute boy at security point east of Taiz
Houthi gunmen on Thursday executed a minor boy at a security point east of the southwestern Yemeni city of Taiz.
A local source told Al-Masdar Online that members of the Houthi militia intercepted a transport vehicle at their security point in the Hawban area and insulted the passengers, including women and children, who were coming from The city of Taiz.
According to the source, Houthi militias took the child named Bassem Fouad Hammoud Naji al-Majidi from the car and executed him by firing at him on charges of belonging to ISIS.
The source noted that Bassem Fouad, a minor boy, was still under the age of 18.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169725
and also http://en.adenpress.news/news/10775
https://republicanyemen.net/archives/19589
(A)
Kudos to the school health facilitators for leading this community-based initiative to prevent diseases by cleaning & collecting garbage with the engagement of community & religious leaders in the districts of Azal, Asabeen & Old City in #Sanaa. #ForEveryChild, clean environment (photos)
https://twitter.com/NyantiSara/status/1151835972398657537
(* A P)
The head of the Supreme Political Council for the.al Houthi movement, Mahdi al Mashat, removed six al Houthi-appointed governors from their positions on July 17. Unnamed sources cited the governors’ corruption and abuse of power as the reason for the dismissal. Al Houthi officials arrested 75 unspecified al Houthi leaders throughout the six governorates on July 18.[1]
(* A H P)
UN reaches agreement with Yemen rebels to resume food deliveries
The World Food Program has reached an agreement in principle with Yemen's Huthi rebels to resume food aid to areas they control, the agency's chief said on Thursday.
The new agreement with the Huthis will allow food to be quickly delivered to the rebel-held capital Sanaa, though the two sides haven't formally inked the deal yet, WFP chief David Beasley told the UN Security Council.
"I can say that we have made substantial progress," he said during a meeting to discuss Yemen, in which he joined UN humanitarian officials in underlining the dire humanitarian situation in the country.
(B P)
Return of Conflicts Among Houthi Militias’ Wings in Yemen
Conflict among leaders of the Iranian-backed Houthi militias is still escalating, yet it has become more severe and fierce, according to several field facts.
The conflict among Houthis in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other provinces that fall under their control has begun to take new forms and various aspects, especially between the so-called Sanaa wing and the other governorates on one hand and the Houthi supervisors coming from Saada governorate wing, on the other hand, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
They stressed that most of these conflicts that emerged clearly within Houthi ranks are either over funds collected illegally or over the hegemony, power and authority sought by the leaders and contradict with their objectives and the absence of a national project or a unified vision.
Sources pointed out that the internal Houthi conflicts have begun to appear clearly through physical assassinations and arrests, indicating the weakness and fragility of the internal structure of this coup movement.
My comment: As claimed by a Saudi news site; propaganda factor certainly high.
(* B H P)
Head to Head: Biometrics and Aid
One timely topic, two opinionated views
The use of biometric data in aid delivery has become the focus of fierce debate in the past few weeks, as the World Food Programme paused food deliveries in Yemen’s capital city after Houthi rebels refused to allow the registration of recipients’ details.
The WFP says biometric registration is necessary to stop Houthi-aligned authorities from diverting aid. The Houthis, who are fighting a more than four-year war against a Saudi Arabia-led coalition and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, say the biometrics programme WFP proposed is “counter to national security”, and they want more control over the data.
As the standoff between WFP and the Houthis continues alongside ongoing negotiations, we asked two experts on biometrics — Linda Raftree and Karl Steinacker, both independent consultants with experience in humanitarian settings — to weigh in on the same six questions. As you might expect, they take very different views on the issues at play.
The use of biometrics — be it fingerprints, iris scans, or photos — in humanitarian aid isn’t brand new, nor is it unique to Yemen.
But it is controversial. Privacy advocates are concerned there isn’t yet enough research to prove the efficacy or necessity of biometrics, worrying about keeping the details of vulnerable people safe.
Aid agencies argue the new technology can make sure aid gets where it is supposed to go, and could even make it easier to pick up assistance. After all, you don’t have to keep track of an ID card that entitles you to aid when an iris scan does the job.
Here’s what Raftree and Steinacker had to say.
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2019/07/17/head-head-biometrics-and-aid
(* A P)
Petition: 30 OPPOSITIONELLE ZUM TODE VERURTEILT
Das Sonderstrafgericht in Sanaa verurteilte am 9. Juli 2019 30 Akademiker und Politiker aufgrund konstruierter Anklagen zum Tode. Einer der 30 Männer ist der politisch aktive 45-jährige Professor der Sprachwissenschaften Youssef al-Bawab. Er wurde bereits Ende 2016 willkürlich festgenommen.
BITTE WENDET EUCH GEGEN DIE TODESURTEILE IM JEMEN!
https://www.amnesty.de/mitmachen/urgent-action/30-oppositionelle-zum-tode-verurteilt
(A P)
23:50 Voice of Yemen Testimony of one of the victims of the secret prisons of the Houthi militia (Arabic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWRuzs1XW18&t=2263s
(A P)
Houthis-affiliated gunmen storm villages in Ibb, arrest civilians
A group of gunmen affiliated to the Houthis armed group stormed in villages in Ibb Governorate, in central west Yemen, on Tuesday 16 July 2019, arrested a number of male citizens and took them to an unknown location, local sources told Al-Sahwa Net.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-31007
(B P)
Film: #Houthis have started to use Yemen's biggest #mosque, Al Saleh Mosque, to indoctrinate children and young teens to #sectarianism and #hatred through chanting Houthis' Cry, a slogan that symbolizes anti-Semitism, putting the next generations at a great risk
https://twitter.com/RepYemenEnglish/status/1151590205285158914
(B P)
Yemen: Summer schools in Houthi-run regions are teaching children Jihad. Brainwashing that adds to impacts of 5-yr war which has forced millions of children to leave schools. Man in front of our kids in picture is brother of founder of Houthi militia. He's now education minister.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1151266466601349122
Films by Almasirah TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypBPu3RyiP8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL-QKah5bIE
cp6 Südjemen und Hadi-Regierung / Southern Yemen and Hadi-government
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A P)
Abyan Stages Mass Rally in Support of UAE
Thousands of people took to the streets of Zinjibar city, the capital of Abyan on Thursday, to display their support of the United Arab Emirates and to show their recognition and appreciation for its pivotal role in the Arab Coalition.
The participants marched through the city carrying the UAE and Saudi flags, portraits of Emirati leaders and martyrs and banners supporting the UAE and rejecting all the campaigns launched by the Muslim Brotherhood against it.
The demonstrators expressed their gratitude for the UAE efforts in liberating the southern governorates and normalizing the life in the South.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10780
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1CaeZSLqQQ
My comment: This is by southern separatists.
(* A P)
UAE prevents re-operating Hadramout’s Shahr port
Emirati officers on Thursday prevented Faraj Salmein al-Bahsani, governor of Hadramout province and commander of the so-called the second military region loyal to the exiled Hadi’s government, from re-operating the port of Shahr, which has been suspended for over three years.
According to “Anba Hadhramaut” website, al-Bahsani directed officials in Shahr port to re-operate the port, but the port’s managed, who received a copy of the governor’s decision, contacted with Emirati officers at Rayyan Airport and informed them of the governor’s decision.
The Emiratis directed the port manager not to allow the operation of the port and to reject the governor’s directives, the website added.
https://www.uprising.today/uae-prevents-re-operating-hadramouts-shahr-port/
(A P)
Governor of Shabwah for the Transitional Political Council of the South (STC) Ali Mohsen Ruwais Sulaimani led a meeting to organize local military forces into one force loyal to the STC on July 17. Forces will include Southern Resistance Forces, the Shabwani Elite, and tribal militias. The meeting’s participants stated that no northern soldiers will be allowed to participate in the new unified southern military forces and that no northern agenda will be permitted in Shabwah.[2]
(B P)
Yemen: journalist Yahya al-Sawari must be released immediately
Freelance journalist Yahya al-Sawari was arrested on 3rd July by Yemeni security forces loyal to Saudi Arabia and has been held incommunicado since that day. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) in calling for his immediate release and condemns the silence over his whereabouts.
At the time of his arrest, Yahia Al-Sawari was working as a photographer in the central hospital of Al-Ghaydah, the capital of the Al-Mahra governorate. According to the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, for whom he was reporting, he was attempting to interview protesters injured during a raid led by forces aligned with the Saudi-led coalition.
(B P)
UAE Kills Citizens In Southern Yemen
Lahj and all southern provinces of Yemen have been witnessing a state of insecurity and growing crimes of killings since they became under control of UAE forces.
https://www.yemenextra.net/2019/07/17/uae-kills-citizens-in-southern-yemen/
My comment: Listing up incidents. But listing a traffic accident here really is not convincing.
(A P)
Political leader in Socialist Party loyal to coalition survives assassination attempt in Taiz
Mohammed Sabar, a member of the central committee of Yemen’s pro-coalition Socialist Party, survived an assassination attempt by a member of a security checkpoint belonging to Al-Islah militias in southwest Taiz province, local sources reported.
(A P)
Detainees’ female relatives stage a sit-in before Attorney General’s Office
A group of political detainees’ female relatives have carried out a sit-in before the Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday 17 July 2019 in the temporary capital Aden demanding release of their family members.
The sin-in was organized by the Abductees’ Mothers Association, a local NGO that lobbies support to victims of illegal detention and enforced disappearance taken by local gunmen against civilians.
Women who participated in the sit-in have raised placards of their detained family members who have been confined in private-detention centers since the pro-government forces recaptured Aden from the Houthis rebels in mid- 2015.
They demanded the attorney general and the criminal court judge to take legal action for release of their relatives whose whereabouts have been unknown since their arrest as they are banned from visitation.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-31027
(* A P)
'UAE mercenary behind assassination plots against 30 Yemeni scholars, politicians'
Officials in Yemen’s southern coastal province of Aden have reportedly charged a strongman backed by the United Arab Emirates with orchestrating the assassination of more than two dozen religious scholars and political figures in the region.
The prosecution in Aden has leveled charges of involvement in the murder and planning the assassinations of 30 Yemeni preachers and politicians against vice president of the so-called Southern Transitional Council, Sheikh Hani Ben Brik, Arabic-language Arabi 21 online newspaper reported on Thursday.
The report added that the assassination of Sheikh Samhan Abdulaziz al-Rawi, a preacher and one of the leaders of the so-called Popular Resistance Committees, is one of the cases in which defendants have confessed to have received directives from Ben Brik to kill him.
Both the so-called Southern Transitional Council and Popular Resistance Committees support Yemen's ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, and are being sponsored by the Saudi-led alliance against the Houthi Ansarullah movement.
Unidentified gunmen assassinated the Yemeni religious scholar in the port city of Aden in early 2016.
Confession obtained from the first defendant reveals that the UAE mercenary sent pictures of Sheikh Rawi to the first defendant, identified as Hilmi Jalal, via WhatsApp messaging application as the target to be liquidated. Jalal then had a meeting with Ben Brik at the Saudi-led coalition’s camp in the Brega region of Aden to plan the assassination.
The second defendant, named Samir Maihoub, said they received four pieces of Russian-made machine guns in addition to two cars and one million Yemeni rials each for the targeted killing. The rewards were submitted by Ben Brik through his brother Salah.
and
(* A P)
Records of prosecution investigations reveal new details about the assassination of Sheikh Rawi and confirm ben Brik's involvement
The records of the aden prosecutor's investigations revealed new details in the assassination of Salafist preacher Samhan Rawi and the involvement of "Southern Transitional" leader Hani Ben Brik in the operation.
According to the confessions recorded in the records of the investigations of the accused of carrying out the operation
The deputy chairman of the Transitional Council, Hani bin Brik, tasked the first defendant, Helmi Jalal, to recruit 30 members as an assassination squads to clear a list of 25 mosque imams in Aden, topped by Sheikh Samhan al-Rawi.
In early 2016, unidentified gunmen assassinated Salafist Sheikh Samhan Abdulaziz Rawi in Aden, the start of a series of assassinations involving prominent preachers, activists, politicians and influential figures in Aden.
The defendants' confessions included information that the vice president of the Transitional Council, Hani bin Brik, sent pictures of Sheikh Rawi to the first defendant, Helmy Jalal, through the application of WhatsApp as the target to be liquidated.
The assassination cell of Sheikh Rawi admitted that it received four pieces of Russian type machine gun in addition to a car Corolla and truck and a sum of one million riyals each reward for the killing of Sheikh Rawi provided by the vice president of the Transitional Council Hani ben Brik through his brother Salah.
Confessions indicate that the first accused Helmi Jalal was meeting with the Vice President of the Transitional Council Hani Ben Brik in the coalition camp located in Buraiqa road to plan the assassinations and the gun in which sheikh Rawi was liquidated by was "Tata pistol " personally given by Hani Ben Brik and was later disposed of by selling it by one of the accused.
It is noteworthy that a large number of assassinations witnessed in the city of Aden, during the years following its liberation from the control of the Houthi militias, were recorded and still registered against an unknown person and did not know that there was no movement of police agencies to investigate and collect inferences and search for the accused.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169711
and also https://www.adennews.net/en/yemen-english-79529
and
(A P)
Ben Brik “Implicitly” Acknowledges The Accusations Of His Involvement In The Assassination Of Sheikh Rawi
https://www.adennews.net/en/yemen-english-79532
(A)
Marib sinks into darkness and heat and electricity company blame the detention of diesel tankers near Safar company
Marib plunged into darkness for the second day in a row as temperatures soared to 45 degrees Celsius, adding to the suffering of the city's residents and thousands of displaced people living in camps on its outskirts.
Most of the power plants were out of service because of the diesel running out, said Abdullah Dughaish, deputy director of Marib Electricity Company.
He told Al-Masdar Online that diesel tankers for power plants have been held since Tuesday morning by tribal gunmen in the Al-‘rqeen area of Damashqah.
The tribal block and the detention of diesel tankers for Marib electricity were caused by a technical glitch that brought out a power supply line, particularly from Safar, to the tribes region.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169700
(* B P)
Official Ministers' Monthly Wages Exceed Those of Head of World States
The legitimate government fails its people. In more than 4 years it caused thousands of citizens to fall into the quagmire of economic collapse and services. The government is greatly criticized in a report published in ‘AdenLang.com’ news website.
The government has to explain why its ministers receive high income at a time when the country is going through death threatening hardship. "The legitimate government’s scandals are unfolding," the report said.
The same sources publish official documents, issued by the Central Bank of Yemen which lists salaries paid to senior government officials. According to bank documents, the monthly wage of the Governor of the Central Bank of Yemen reaches 15 million and 160,000 Yemeni riyals equivalent to $34,000. His deputy's monthly wage is 11 million Yemeni rials equivalent to $25,500.
These figures place serious questions about the true annual salaries of ministers, agents and employees of the Presidential Palace.
The high wages which some of the special advisers receive reach to a monthly $10,000 which is paid by the Yemeni government. A wage which enables them to live in luxury abroad
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10769
(B H P)
ADEN .. SHEIKH OTHMAN NEIGHBORHOODS SINK IN SEWAGE
In the continued disregard of the concerned authorities in the city of Aden, the neighborhoods of Sheikh Osman district were flooded with sewage, amid warnings of an environmental disaster in the Directorate.
The sewage has contributed to the spread of mosquitoes carrying the virus, where a number of hospitals in the city of Aden recorded the number of the deaths and injuries of dengue fever and acute water diarrhea caused by the sinking of the city’s sewage and garbage accumulation, in light of the power outages and high temperature.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/aden-sheikh-othman-neighborhoods-sink-in-sewage/
(* A P)
Private jet transports 260 Socotra recruits for training in UAE
UAE forces have transferred dozens of security belt recruits from Yemen's Socotra province to the UAE.
An informed source in Socotra told Al-Masdar online that 260 recruits left the Yemeni island on Tuesday on a private UAE plane to train them in the UAE.
The source revealed that another plane expected to arrive tomorrow will carry a new batch of recruits from the security belt of the Southern Transitional Council calling for the secession of southern Yemen to UAE.
The UAE trained dozens of Socotra islanders in its camps in Aden before returning them to the island to create security chaos, the source said.
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169689
(A P)
Islah party: Yemen-US counterterrorism cooperation should go through official institutions
Head of the Islah Parliamentary Block Abdulrazaq Al-Hajri, met on Tuesday 16 July 2019 Junaid Jay Munir, Deputy Chief of the United States Mission to Yemen
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-31008
(A P)
Yemen government which can't protect a single public institution in capital Aden from UAE-backed militias has asked people in #Mahrah to end anti-Saudi protest or it'll use force to break it up. Mahri people are protesting at presence and actions of Saudi forces in their province
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1151261010235408390
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
(* A H K P)
Yemen: UN Envoy ‘guilty’ of optimistic hope that war is ‘nearing the end’
With Yemen once again at a “crucial moment” the UN Special Envoy trying to facilitate peace there told Security Council members on Thursday that despite the dangers of being over optimistic, he could not help thinking the country could finally be “nearing the end of its war.”
“It was not me, but a very senior and wise official in the region who recently said that this war can end this year”, said Martin Griffiths. “I take that as an instruction”, he added, pointing to recent positive meetings with the leadership of both the pro-Government coalition, and the Houthi rebel movement who had expressed “unanimous desire” to move towards a political solution “and to see it quickly”.
He said progress over implementing December’s Stockholm Agreement which provided a framework in and around the crucial port city of Hudaydah was crucial, and praised the work of General Michael Lollesgaard who leads the UN monitoring mission there, UNMHA, for the “important breakthrough” recently over operational details agreed with the warring parties.
“My hope is that Hudaydah may finally allow us to focus on the political process before the end of this summer. Yemen has no time to waste”, said the Special Envoy. Although the ceasefire continues to broadly hold, he said he was concerned about other frontlines, especially continued Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure across the Saudi border.
Without making specific references, Mr. Griffiths noted the dangers of Yemen being “dragged into a regional war”, following weeks of tension in the key shipping lanes of the Gulf. “Yemeni parties should desist from any actions that take Yemen in that direction. We need to prevent this to reduce regional tensions and save lives. We have to see de-escalation of the violence now.” [in full: below]
‘Agreement within reach’ on full resumption of food aid: Beasley
Agreement over the full resumption of food aid to some Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen is “within reach”, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) told Council members, following his reluctant and agonizing decision to suspend some aid last month.
David Beasley said the suspension - which was due to the persistent diversion by some Houthi leaders of emergency food supplies away from its intended civilian beneficiaries – had begun around the capital, but despite that, the overall number of people being reached had gone up from 10.6 to 11.3 million, “and we are continuing to scale up.”
“I am hopeful that we can use this positive momentum to resolve these outstanding issues in the coming days, if not hours”, he said. “That is what the people of Yemen deserve and demand of us.” Calling for WFP’s lifesaving work to be depoliticized by Yemen's leaders, he said humanitarian law protected the “neutral, impartial and independent” delivery of essential items.
Despite the limited food suspension (supplies have continued for those most in need), Mr. Beasley said that the “real story has been – and should continue to be – the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold in Yemen.”
Council demands for Yemen’s warring parties to respect international humanitarian law, provide unhindered access to civilians and more funding to provide lifesaving services, “have not been heeded” said UN relief chief, Mark Lowcock. [ in full: see below]
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/07/1042771
(* A K P)
THE UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR YEMEN BRIEFS THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PEACE PROCESS
We are facing a crucial moment for the destiny of this war. And we need to think now together of the realities and opportunities which define our chances of making a move on peace.
First, the redeployment of some Coalition forces in parts of Yemen. As senior Coalition officials have themselves confirmed, this act is intended to place “peace first” at the centre of their efforts to restore peace and stability in Yemen. This is a reminder of the view, already expressed, that peace will come on the back of promises made in Stockholm, now becoming promises kept in Yemen.
Secondly, Hodeida is, as I have said, central as the gateway to the political process. It gives me enormous pleasure to congratulate both parties whose meeting under the leadership of my distinguished colleague General Michael Lollesgaard this week on a UN vessel was a notable success. A meeting held in, as Michael referred to it, open waters in the Red Sea.
Progress in Hodeida will allow the parties to work together whether on tripartite monitoring, collection of revenues, or on common assessments of possible ceasefire violations.
My hope, of course, is that progress in Hodeida will finally allow us to focus on the political process and I hope that we will see this before the end of this summer. Yemen, indeed, as we have observed before, has no time to waste.
Thirdly, in Taiz we have noticed limited progress, but progress nonetheless, in opening up Taiz to civilian life and humanitarian access. The first sign of this hope, we have some reference to this in recent meetings, will be the prospect of the opening of one humanitarian crossing. We will be exploring with the Taiz committee established in Sweden, these opportunities in the coming days and how we can benefit all of it
There are of course remaining challenges.
(* A H P)
World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director briefs UN Security Council on situation in Yemen
Mr. President, while we have yet to sign an agreement, I must say that we have made substantial progress in the discussions.
In fact, I want to read this one text and make sure we didn’t get a signed agreement in the last few minutes.
But the bottom line I’ve just received is — because we’ve been negotiating all night long — and as of this moment, we have an agreement in principle but it’s not a signed agreement as of yet. But a lot of progress has made been made in this regard.
And I want to thank Abdul Malik Al-Houthi for his leadership, and I want to thank Martin and Lise, who are on the ground…it’s been tough, there’s been a lot of hard work going on in the last few weeks, in the last 24 hours.
But we’ve got to find a final solution. And so, I believe we’ll get there, I’m hopeful we’ll get there.
And as I’ve said just now — I’ve just been assured by this last-minute text, as they’re meeting as we speak, I was hoping we’d have a signature before I got to this point in my talk but we have not reached that signature. So the door is still open.
Once this is resolved, we are ready to begin implementing this agreement immediately. We will have food back on the streets in Sana’a in just a matter of days.
This is what the people of Yemen deserve and demand of us.
(* A H K P)
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, 18 July 2019
But the obstacles go far beyond WFP. In April and May, humanitarian agencies reported 375 access incidents across the country, some across Government-controlled areas, but mostly in areas controlled by Ansar Allah. During this time, Ansar Allah-affiliated authorities detained more than 180 trucks containing humanitarian cargo and held them for an average of 36 days before they were released.
Ansar Allah authorities also continue to delay a UN technical assessment of the decaying Safer tanker, which as I have told you many times before, threatens to spill up to 1.1 million barrels of oil into the Red Sea.
In Government-controlled areas, Coalition forces continue to impose bureaucratic requirements on humanitarian agencies trying to travel up the west coast from the south. This policy frequently delays assistance for people in these areas.
The Government is also moving to introduce new regulations on commercial fuel imports. Fuel is essential to power generators at hospitals, to pump water and to run sanitation systems. Any mechanism to regulate these imports risks worsening the humanitarian situation.
Let me be clear, Mr. President, although access challenges are pervasive, they are not stopping the world's largest aid operation.
I cannot say the same of the third point in your resolution, which is funding. At this time last year, the humanitarian response plan was 60 per cent funded. Substantial, flexible funding early in the year - mainly from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - allowed the aid operation to scale up across all sectors at a critical time. That unquestionably saved millions of lives.
At the High-Level Pledging Event for this year's humanitarian response plan, which the Secretary-General convened in February, so six months ago, donors pledged $2.6 billion.
Twenty-seven of the 40 donors who pledged have paid more than 75 per cent of their pledges, and 20 of the donors have paid 100 per cent - and in some cases even more.
But those who made the largest pledges - Yemen's neighbours in the Coalition - have so far paid only a modest proportion of what they promised.
And, as a result, the response plan is currently just 34 per cent funded, compared, as I said, to 60 per cent this time last year.
So what are the consequences of this?
Film: http://webtv.un.org/watch/mark-lowcock-ocha-on-the-situation-in-the-middle-east-yemen-security-council-8578th-meeting/6061001516001/ = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3SiXW77AKw
(* A K P)
UN Security Council: Hodeidah Ceasefire Holding but Faster Progress Key to Stopping Yemen from Sliding into Regional War, Deepening Humanitarian Crisis, Speakers Tell Security Council
[summaries of statements by Griffith, Beasley, Lowcock again and statements of representatives]
In the ensuing debate, delegates urged the parties to swiftly implement the Stockholm Agreement in full, thus paving the way for a political process to end a conflict dating back to 2015. They also called for the death sentences in Sana’a to be revoked, condemned Houthi attacks into Saudi Arabia and appealed to Member States to make good on pledges to fund the ongoing humanitarian response.
Several speakers also welcomed the Council’s unanimous decision on 15 July, through resolution 2481 (2019), to extend the mandate of UNMHA until 15 January 2020.
The representative of the United States called for Iran to stop supplying the Houthis with weapons and technology used in attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s representative emphasized the Government’s commitment to implement the Stockholm Agreement in full and its rejection of any attempt to manipulate its interpretation or to justify the practices of the Houthi militia. He said the Iranian regime is supporting the militia, showing a manifest will to perpetrate the war and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis
https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13887.doc.htm = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/hodeidah-ceasefire-holding-faster-progress-key-stopping-yemen-sliding-regional-war
My comment: A lot of bla bla, and propaganda by the US and the Hadi government.
(A P)
Film: Statement Botschafter Christoph Heusgen - UNSEC - Jemen-Krieg / Huthi / Saudi-Arabien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-_-47nE2c
(A P)
Griffiths continues to market the illusion. He asked the Houthis for "humanely" judgments towards the victims and wished the end of the war this year
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169757
My comment: In the headline of the report on Griffith' briefing, a pro-Hadi newsiste still mocks the Un envoy.
(A P)
UAE's humanitarian efforts contributed to normalisation of life in Yemen: UN organisations
Representatives of the United Nations organisations have lauded the UAE's active role in providing humanitarian assistance and development programmes across Yemen, which played a key role in the normalisation of life in the country.
The UN organisations included the World Health Organisation, The UN Refugee Agency, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This came during a meeting on Wednesday between Mohammed Al Junaibi, Director of Humanitarian Affairs at the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, in Yemen, with representatives of UN organisations, to discuss mechanisms of enhancing cooperation and partnership in humanitarian activities along the Red Sea Coast of Yemen.
http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302774875
and more http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302775053
My comment: Shame on the UN. Money buys it all.
(A P)
Griffiths to brief UNSC on Yemen developments
The UN Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths is scheduled to brief this Thursday the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Yemen developments following his meetings with the government, rebels and chief diplomats of the UNSC permanent members and other key countries of the region.
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-31028
https://almasdaronline.com/articles/169714
My comment: Both articles summing up anti-Houthi propaganda related to UN and Stockholm agreement.
(A P)
Head of National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs Reveals UN Proposal Regarding Prisoners Exchange
The head of the National Committee for Prisoners' Affairs, Abdulqader Al-Mortadha said Tuesday that the Office of the UN envoy submitted with the Red Cross a proposal that includes the implementation of a preliminary exchange deal as a first stage. Al-Mortadha said on his Facebook page that the United Nations gave the parties a week to respond to the UN proposal ends Tuesday.
He explained that the National Committee has sent its response to the UN proposal two days ago, noting that the Committee is waiting for the response of the other party
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7863
(A P)
UNO-Sonderbeauftragter verhandelt weiter über Wege zum Frieden
Der UNO-Sonderbeauftragte für den Jemen, Griffiths, führt weitere Gespräche über einen möglichen Frieden in dem Land.
Medienberichten zufolge traf er in der Hauptstadt Sanaa mit Vertretern der jemenitischen Regierung sowie der Huthi-Rebellen zusammen
(A P)
Krieg in Jemen-UN-Beauftragter trifft Huthis
Der UN-Sonderbeauftragte für den Jemen ist zu weiteren Gesprächen mit den Huthi-Rebellen in das Bürgerkriegsland gereist. Martin Griffiths sei in der Hauptstadt Sanaa eingetroffen, hieß es aus Flughafenkreisen.
https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/heute/krieg-in-jemen-un-beauftragter-trifft-huthis-100.html
Mein Kommentar: Was um Gottes Willen sind „Flughafenkreise“? Die Warteschleifen, die ein Flugzeug vor der Landung fliegen muss? Typisch deutsche Medien, furchtbares Deutsch, furchtbare Blindheit, weil es genug andere Quellen gibt:
(A P)
[Sanaa government] FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH UN ENVOY
Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf on Wednesday with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.
The meeting reviewed the recent moves of the UN envoy in several capitals of the countries concerned with the Yemeni file, which aimed at completing the implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, and the efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement and bring stability and peace to Yemen.
The Foreign Minister stressed that the other party should realize that the desired peace is for the Yemeni people and the homeland, noting that addressing the humanitarian situation and avoiding a complete economic collapse should be a priority.
Sharaf warned against the continuation of the other party loyal to the aggression in the policy of collective punishment against citizens by restricting their rights to obtain passports and move abroad.
For his part, the UN envoy confirmed that he would continue exerting efforts to reach a peaceful political solution that restores security and stability to Yemen.
https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/foreign-minister-meets-with-un-envoy/
and also https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7876
and
(A P)
[Sanaa government] President Al-Mashat to Griffith: As long as US-Saudi Aggression Continues, Yemeni Attacks will Continue
President of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al-Mashat, said on Wednesday "that if the aggression continues, Yemenis will have face it since it has been imposed on them. The Yemeni demands has not changed, still the same, stop the aggression and respect the Yemeni sovereignty and its independence. "This came during the meeting with the United Nations envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffith.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7875
and
(A P)
Sayyed Abdulmalik Alhuthi Stresses to UN Envoy that the Other Side Didn’t Abide by the Hudaydah Agreement
Sayyed Abdul Malik Badreddine al-Houthi met with UN Yemen Envoy Martin Griffiths on Tuesday, to whom he stressed the National Delegation’s readiness to just peace and the necessity to stop the aggression, lift the unjust blockade, and reopening the airport since those issues are related to the lives of millions of Yemeni people.
According to the Head of the National Delegation, Mohammad Abdul-Salam, the meeting tackled the necessity to speed up finishing the issue of detainees and recalling the delegation’s previous stances that were proposed by Griffiths during his recent meetings and were accepted by the national delegation but rejected by the other side.
and also https://yemen-rw.org/abdulmalik-al-houthi-meets-with-un-envoy-to-yemen/
and
(A P)
UN Special Envoy arrives in Sana’a
The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has arrived in Sana’a International Airport on Tuesday.
The visit came in the framework of his efforts to save the Stockholm agreement, that was signed by the Yemeni parties to the conflict in December last Year.
Griffiths will discuss during his visit to Sana’a, which will last a day, with the leaders of the Ansarullah movement the implementation of the Stockholm agreements and the first phase of the plan to relocate troops away from the ports and the city of Hodeidah
https://www.uprising.today/un-special-envoy-arrives-in-sanaa-2/
Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB_Ti2-GCDo
(A H P)
Film: Protecting Women's Rights in Yemen (French)
Statement at the UN Human Rights Council July 4, 2019 Delivered by Emmanuelle Gunsbourg Kasavi, UN Watch Geneva Advocacy Director
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyVzATPWaJU
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
(A P)
Saudi Arabia defends letter backing China's Xinjiang policy
Saudi Arabia on Thursday defended signing a letter along with 36 other countries in support of China’s policies in its western region of Xinjiang, where the United Nations says at least 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims have been detained.
(* B P)
A Critical Analysis Of Religious Tourism In Mecca
The holy pilgrimage of Hajj becomes a point of contention between the richer Arabs and the poorer Muslims from African or South-Asian countries. It has been said that the line between a holy monument and a mall, while pertaining to the city of Mecca, has often been blurred due tothe rampant commercialization and the gentrification of the pilgrimage at every step of the way by the Saudi government (Fischer, 2006). The understanding of the difference between a sacred site and a commercial opportunity has dwindled to such an extent that the cost of Hajj hasmultiplied by four times in the last ten years (Masroor, 2012). Pilgrims, expecting a spirituallyuplifting and accepting place of worship, are subjected to relegation by sheer virtue of lack of affordability, to sub-standard accommodation far from the Kaaba. Swapna Banerjee-Guha(2014), based on a series of comparative studies in Mumbai and Mecca, labels the situation asone of “entrepreneurial governance”; one where larger decisions are governed by profitmaximization and not spiritual satisfaction.
The presence of skyscrapers and the building of the much-contested clock tower near the Kaaba by the Saudi government, renders it difficult to observe the moon during Ramadan (Taylor,2013). Five-star hotels built in the near proximity of the Kaaba, produce congestion on the roadsand the incessant honking proves harmful for those lost in reverence (Williams, 2017). The Jabal-Noor mountain in Mecca, known for its significance to the Prophet and his attainment of enlightenment, now only presents a cloudy, aerial view of the shrine, due to the pollution andluxury hotels, in addition to the litter on it (Moghul, 2015).After petroleum, it is pilgrimage that provides Saudi Arabia with the largest revenue.Acknowledging and taking advantage of this, the government, despite protests by archaeologistsand clerics, recently demolished a large part of the historical Grand Mosque, in order to buildanother hotel for the pilgrims, thereby rendering the sky polluted and hazy (Williams, 2017). It isdifficult for women to be accepted as pilgrims by the authorities. Although women are permittedto perform the Hajj in order to fulfill their tenets of Islam, the statistics paint another story – by Anant Venkatesh
https://www.academia.edu/39683363/A_Critical_Analysis_Of_Religious_Tourism_In_Mecca?auto=bookmark
(A P)
Fun, laughter galore as GEA holds comedy shows in Jeddah Season
The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) is organizing several theatrical performances and comedy shows as part of its participation in the Jeddah Season, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/568581
Comment: Meanwhile the @LaughFactory_LB partnered with Saudi authorities this year to send American comics to Jeddah. A perverse deal given that the regime last year abducted Saudi comic Fahad Albutairi— the first Saudi to ever perform at the Laugh Factory.
https://twitter.com/amelscript/status/1151227593066029057
(A P)
Fingerprint to be recorded for issuance of mobile SIM
The Communications and Information Technology Commission has said that the country’s security agencies would enforce the new regulation requiring all telecommunication subscribers to register their fingerprints.
A CITC source, who preferred anonymity, said that fingerprints would not be required for recharging of airtime. This was a new law related only to identification of all subscribers, including visitors, Gulf citizens and Haj and Umrah pilgrims, he was quoted as saying by local media on Monday. http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/870691
(B P)
Schwestern aus Saudi-Arabien fliehen vor ihrer Familie
"Wenn sie uns finden, werden sie uns umbringen", sagt uns Dalal. Gemeint ist ihre Familie. Die 20-Jährige und ihre 22 Jahre alte Schwester Dua sind zwei saudi-arabische Frauen auf der Flucht. Seit über einem Monat sind sie in Istanbul untergetaucht, in ständig wechselnden Unterkünften. Sie gehen nicht auf die Straße - all das damit sie nicht doch noch entdeckt werden.
Ihre Angst ist groß. Schon in Saudi Arabien gehörte Missbrauch zu ihrem Alltag, erzählen uns die Schwestern. Sie seien regelmäßig geschlagen worden (mit Film)
https://www.rtl.de/cms/schwestern-aus-saudi-arabien-fliehen-vor-ihrer-familie-4372558.html
und auch https://twitter.com/DuaDalal/status/1151562713363034112
cp9 USA
Siehe / Look at cp9a
(A P)
Pence calls on Saudi Arabia to release critic of Islam
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday called out ally Saudi Arabia for the suppression of religious liberties and urged it to release Raif Badawi, a blogger imprisoned for insulting Islam.
Addressing a conference on religious freedom at the State Department, Pence highlighted the detention of religious dissidents in Eritrea, Mauritania, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The highlighting by Pence of the treatment of Badawi comes as U.S. lawmakers have accused the Trump administration for failing to act against the kingdom’s leaders for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
My comment: A deflection from Trump’s close connection to Saudi Arabia? – Badawi is no “critic of Islam”: When the Saudis claim someone is a “critic of Islam”, this is bullshit.
(* A K P)
Kongress blockiert Waffengeschäft mit Saudi-Arabien
Zwar dürfte Trump sein Veto gegen die Entscheidung einlegen – dennoch ist diese ein deutliches Signal des Parlaments an den Präsidenten. Auch der von den Republikanern dominierte Senat hatte zuvor dafür gestimmt, die Waffenexporte zu blockieren
Der amerikanische Kongress hat ein milliardenschweres Rüstungsgeschäft mit Saudi-Arabien blockiert und ist damit wiederholt auf Konfrontationskurs zu Präsident Donald Trump gegangen. Nach dem amerikanischen Senat stimmte am Mittwoch das Repräsentantenhaus gegen die geplanten Lieferungen im Umfang von insgesamt 8,1 Milliarden Dollar (7,2 Milliarden Euro) an Saudi-Arabien und weitere Verbündete im Nahen Osten. Trump dürfte aber sein Veto gegen den Kongressbeschluss einlegen. Es wäre das dritte Veto in seiner Amtszeit.
und auch https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2019-07/saudi-arabien-usa-waffenlieferungen-us-kongress
(* A K P)
House blocks arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE in rebuke to Trump
The president is sure to veto the resolutions.
The House voted on Wednesday to block President Donald Trump’s emergency weapon sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, delivering a rebuke to U.S. strategic allies over their involvement in Yemen’s civil war and alleged human rights abuses.
Trump has already threatened to veto all three resolutions, which passed the Democrat-led House with minimal Republican support.
But with Wednesday’s votes, lawmakers in the House and Senate — which approved the bills last month — again registered their disapproval of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Trump administration’s perfunctory response to it.
The votes also exposed Democratic and Republican lawmakers’ ongoing clashes with the president over his efforts to subvert congressional authority on foreign policy and national security issues, in addition to bipartisan anger over U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s bloody civil war.
“A phony emergency — an emergency designed to make yet another end run around Congress, to undermine the separation of powers, to trample on this body’s constitutional duties,” said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“I’m sick and tired of it,” Engel added, calling the emergency declaration “an extraordinary abuse of power.”
Trump will veto the measures when they reach his desk — the third, fourth and fifth vetoes of his presidency. His veto will likely be sustained, as neither chamber would have enough votes to override it. A key Trump ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) led the Senate effort to block the weapon sales.
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/17/house-blocks-arms-sales-saudi-arabia-1418878
and
(* A K P)
U.S. House rejects Saudi weapons sales; Trump to veto
The U.S. House of Representatives backed resolutions on Wednesday to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, sending them to the White House, where President Donald Trump has promised a veto.
Nearly a month after the Senate supported 22 resolutions disapproving of Trump’s plan for billions of dollars in weapons sales despite Congress’ objections, the House passed three of the 22, two on a vote of 238-190 and the third by a 237-190 margin, largely along party lines.
The three resolutions would block the sale of Raytheon Co precision-guided munitions and related equipment to the two countries. The House’s Democratic leaders opted to take up those three before the others because the PGMs could be delivered quickly, aides said. Some lawmakers also suspect that the PGMs have been used against civilians in Yemen’s civil war
Many members of Congress, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans as well as Democrats, have been frustrated by what they see as Trump’s embrace of Saudi Arabia.
The Senate’s backing of the resolutions of disapproval was one of the few times the Republican-led chamber has opposed his foreign policy.
“This is a strong message, I think, that our values must guide our foreign policy,” said Representative Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urging support for the resolutions before the vote.
Several Republicans joined Democrats in condemning that decision and voting for the resolutions. However, they would have to attract far more support in both the Republican-led Senate and House to garner the two-thirds majorities needed to override Trump’s vetoes.
But lawmakers from both parties are not dropping the matter. Several pieces of legislation making their way through Congress include Saudi-related provisions.
https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKCN1UC2UT = https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-house-rejects-saudi-weapons-230824730.html
and more reporting
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/453417-house-to-test-trumps-veto-pen-on-saudi-arms-sales
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf
(* A P)
Trump: Iranische Drohne zerstört – Teheran: Wissen von nichts
Ein weiterer Zwischenfall in der Straße von Hormus hat neue Sorge vor einer militärischen Eskalation zwischen den USA und dem Iran geschürt: Die Mannschaft eines US-Marineschiffs zerstörte nach Angaben von Präsident Donald Trump am Donnerstag in der Meerenge eine iranische Drohne. Viele Details blieben aber zunächst unklar, zumal die iranische Seite den Vorfall nicht bestätigte.
Aus dem Pentagon hieß es, der Vorfall habe sich am Donnerstag gegen 10 Uhr (Ortszeit) ereignet. Das US-Marineschiff USS Boxer habe sich in internationalen Gewässern befunden, als sich die Drohne genähert habe. Es befinde sich nun im Persischen Golf. Das US-Verteidigungsministerium wollte sich nicht dazu äußern, wie die Drohne zerstört worden sei.
(* A P)
IRGC says seizes fuel-smuggling tanker near Hormuz Strait
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has released details of its recent capturing of a foreign tanker smuggling one million liters of Iranian fuel near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
A local IRGC naval command post published the details in a statement, which was carried by Tasnim News Agency on Thursday.
According to the statement, the incident took place to the south of the Iranian Larak Island on Sunday.
IRGC naval forces, which were patrolling the waters on an anti-smuggling mission, acted against the vessel in a “surprise” operation upon ascertaining the nature of its cargo and securing the required legal approval from Iranian authorities.
The ship had loaded the fuel from Iranian dhows and was about to hand it over to other foreign vessels in farther waters. The vessel, which had 12 foreign crewmembers aboard at the time of the seizure, is capable of carrying two million liters of fuel.
The statement hailed the naval forces’ “perceptiveness” in frustrating the smuggling effort, adding that the crime had invoked due legal proceedings.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/18/601232/Iran-IRGC-oil-Persian-Gulf
and
(* A P)
Iran seizes 'fuel-smuggling' tanker in Gulf
Iran says it seized a "foreign tanker" and its 12 crew on Sunday for smuggling fuel in the Gulf.
Iran's state media published footage of Iranian speedboats circling around the Panamanian-flagged Riah tanker.
In a separate development, US President Donald Trump said the US Navy downed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
He said the USS Boxer "took defensive action" after the drone had come within about 1,000 yards (914m) of the vessel.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49029053
and also https://freebeacon.com/national-security/irans-revolutionary-guards-seize-foreign-tanker/
(* B K P)
The War Whisperers, Their Successful Iraq War, And The Targeting Of Iran
As Iran and the United States edge closer to war, while Europe scrambles to reduce tensions, the chorus of U.S. foreign policy and military experts and journalists criticizing the Trump administration’s tactics is also reaching a crescendo. Despite deep political divisions, on this issue there is broad agreement across the spectrum.
First, they remind the American public that the Iran war playbook is strikingly similar to the events that led us into the Iraq war. Sanctions, isolation, false claims of nuclear weaponry and fake ties to al-Qaeda were first order attempts at justifying an unjustifiable war in 2003. These allegations are now directed at Iran.
Second, the centerpiece of the anti-Iran war narrative is agreement that the Iraq war was a failure.
But there are two problems with this narrative. First, what if the Iraq war had led to a stable democratic state?
The Iraq war was meant to be the appetizer. If indeed it had been a ‘cakewalk,’ there is little doubt that Iran was next on the menu, with likely many cheerleaders in the U.S. media and foreign policy establishment.
Secondly and more worryingly is the undisputed notion in the U.S. that the Iraq War was a failure. The Bush administration sold it as a just war in the pursuit of freedom, liberation and justice for the Iraqi people, similar to current efforts regarding Iran. Certainly from a human standpoint and Iraq’s own perspective it was an abject failure. But viewed through the lens of regional geopolitics, the definition of failure and success change. Here’s the scenario to consider.
As appealing as this is to Iranians the world over, in reality though, as with Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, the last thing that the Saudis, Emiratis, and Israelis want is a stable, democratic and wealthy Iran that could one day have the international clout to challenge their domestic and regional abuses. Their preferred outcome therefore is the Iraq war scenario—Iran crushed economically, politically, and militarily, and fragmented socially and geographically.
For Europe such a scenario would be disastrous for many reasons. There is the threat to its oil flows and the threat of a new tsunami of refugees on its borders. Iran also cushions Europe from the flow of heroin and other drugs originating in Afghanistan. If Iran’s security fails, those drugs and related organized crime would flood European markets.
But the U.S. is far enough away to withstand any such blowback. It also has many bones to pick with Iran, the biggest dating back to the pain and humiliation of the 1979 U.S. embassy hostage crisis. So a military attack to settle scores is tempting.
To get their war, the whisperers have to convince President Trump that it would be beneficial to his 2020 reelection bid. They will have to drown out the anti-war voices, by promising regime change but making the case that a weakened and chaotic Iran is actually the desired outcome. But the U.S. should be wary of these whisperers, for while it foots the bill and the world pays for unknowable and uncontainable consequences, the three will once again reap the rewards. Success or failure, like beauty, is clearly in the eye of the beholder – by Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini
https://lobelog.com/he-war-whisperers-their-successful-iraq-war-and-the-targeting-of-iran/
My comment: These wars (whether Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen) never will be a „success“ leading to a stable democratic state. This goal, when ever claimed by the US for any war, just is a pretense for hiding the real goals: power, hegemony, exploitation.
(* A K P)
USA bereiten Truppenverlegung nach Saudi-Arabien vor
Satellitenbilder zeigen Bauarbeiten auf der Prince Sultan Air Base – US-Kongress blockiert Rüstungsgeschäft
Fünfhundert US-Soldaten sollen demnächst nach Saudi-Arabien verlegt werden. CNN berichtet unter Berufung auf zwei Quellen im Pentagon, dass ein kleines Vorauskommando bereits auf der Prince Sultan Air Base, 130 Kilometer südöstlich der Hauptstadt Riad, gelandet ist. Die Soldaten bauten dort zuerst ein Patriot-Luftabwehrsystem auf, das den Stützpunkt vor Raketenbeschuss schützen soll.
Auf Mitte Juni aufgenommen Satellitenbildern ist am Ende einer der beiden Landebahnen rege Bautätigkeit zu erkennen, Pioniere der US-Armee errichten derzeit Unterstände und befestigte Fahrwege.
https://www.derstandard.de/story/2000106426889/usa-bereiten-truppenverlegung-nach-saudi-arabien-vor = https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000106426889/usa-bereiten-truppenverlegung-nach-saudi-arabien-vor
(* A K P)
US preparing to send hundreds of troops to Saudi Arabia amid Iran tensions
The Trump administration is reinforcing its controversial military relationship with Saudi Arabia by preparing to send hundreds of troops to the country amid increasing tensions with Iran.
Five-hundred troops are expected to go to the Prince Sultan Air Base, located in a desert area east of the Saudi capital of Riyadh, according to US two defense officials. A small number of troops and support personnel are already on site with initial preparations being made for a Patriot missile defense battery as well as runway and airfield improvements, the officials said.
The US has wanted to base troops there for some time because security assessments have shown Iranian missiles would have a difficult time targeting the remote area.
The decision comes as US and Saudi relations remain extremely sensitive amid bipartisan congressional anger how the administration has handled the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
But the Trump administration has said it is committed to trying to help protect Saudi Arabia against Iranian aggression.
Commercial high-resolution satellites, captured by Planet Labs and obtained by CNN, show an initial deployment of US troops and support personnel to the air base in mid-June, according to Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Project at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who has studied the new images.
Subsequent imagery captured in late June and early July appear to show preparations being made to the site ahead of the deployment of US troops, Lewis said.
"A small encampment and construction equipment appeared at the end of a runway by June 27, suggesting that improvements are already underway. The encampment to the east of the runway is typical of Air Force engineering squadrons deployed overseas," he told CNN.
The US hopes to be able to fly stealth, fifth-generation F-22 jets and other fighters from the base, according to officials.
My comment: The fact is: There is no „Iranian aggression“ against Saudi Arabia – unless the US finally would stop further fueling tensions.
(* A P)
Explainer: Japan's Abe faces headache from U.S. plan for Mideast maritime coalition
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces a tough diplomatic challenge from an expected U.S. request to send its navy to join a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.
Japanese officials will attend a briefing in Washington on the proposal, a government spokesman said on Thursday, and it could be on the agenda when U.S. national security adviser John Bolton visits Tokyo next week, domestic media said.
A decision to join such a coalition would likely inflame a divide in Japanese public opinion over sending troops abroad. Japan’s military has not fought overseas since World War Two.
Japan is the world’s fourth-biggest oil buyer and 86% of its oil supplies last year passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
My comment: What for Japan should do this? It’s not about maritime security – it’s about US hegemony.
(A P)
Mohammed al-Houthi calls on Trump to play his dirty game of “blackmailing Gulf states” away from Yemen
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council has described the US President Donald Trump as ” a loser in front of Iran and accused him of being “a war criminal, a killer of the Yemeni Children and a supporter of terrorist regimes.”
He called on Trump to play his dirty game of “blackmailing Gulf states” away from Yemen.
Al-Houthi responded to Trump’s remarks in which he renewed his support for the coalition war on what he called “Iran in Yemen” led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
https://www.uprising.today/mohammed-al-houthi-calls-on-trump-to-play-his-dirty-game-of-blackmailing-gulf-states-away-from-yemen/ = https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/al-houthi-calls-trump-to-blackmail-gulf-states-away-from-yemen/
(A P)
Iran’s FM: US must end arms sales to Saddam’s reincarnations
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the US must end its arms sales to despotic regimes in the region instead of complaining about Tehran’s development of its defense capabilities in the face of threats.
“For 8 YEARS, Saddam showered our cities with missiles & bombs provided by East & West. Meanwhile, NO ONE sold Iran any means of defense. We had no choice but building our own,” said the tweet.
“Now they complain. Instead of skirting the issue, US must end arms sales to Saddam's reincarnations,” it added.
(A P)
US anti-Iranian line behind flare-up of tensions in Mideast: Lavrov
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the hostile policy being pursued by the United States against Iran has fueled tensions in the Middle East, warning that such an approach could have “catastrophic consequences” in the region.
“The US is flexing its muscles, it has launched a campaign to discredit Iran, has accused the Islamic Republic of all the sins,” Lavrov said. “It creates a dangerous situation where a spark would be enough to light a fire. The US would be responsible for any possible catastrophic consequences.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/17/601143/Russia-Sergei-Lavrov-US-Iran-tensions
(* B P)
From Iraq to Yemen, drones raise U.S. alarm over Iranian plans
The increased use of drones by Iran and its allies for surveillance and attacks across the Middle East is raising alarms in Washington.
The United States believes that Iran-linked militia in Iraq have recently increased their surveillance of American troops and bases in the country by using off-the-shelf, commercially available drones, U.S. officials say.
The disclosure comes at a time of heightened tensions with Iran and underscores the many ways in which Tehran and the forces it backs are increasingly relying on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in places like Yemen, Syria, the Strait of Hormuz and Iraq.
Beyond surveillance, Iranian drones can drop munitions and even carry out “a kamikaze flight where they load it up with explosives and fly it into something”, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis have significantly increased their UAV attacks in
The increased use of drones by Iran or its regional allies is a strategy aimed at pushing back and defending against pressure from the United States and foes like Saudi Arabia and Israel, current and former security officials and analysts say.
Iran now flies two or three drones over Gulf waters every day, the first U.S. official estimated, making it a core part of Tehran’s effort to monitor the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world’s oil consumption flows.
My comment: Well, and? The Houthis are no Iranien proxies, even if US propaganda now daily claims this, parroting the Saudis. – And: The US themselves have lots of drones flying in this region – why the Iranians not also should do this? And: US troops really have no business in this region ca. 7,000 miles away from US territory, in Iraq and at the Gulf.
(A P)
Britain to Deploy 3rd Warship to Persian Gulf Amid Tensions with Iran
The United Kingdom has announced that it will send a third warship to the Persian Gulf later this year, a move that comes amid intensifying tensions with Tehran over the illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker.
The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Tuesday that HMS Kent, a type 23 frigate, would deploy to the Persian Gulf "in September" as part of an operation to ensure Britain maintains a continuous maritime security presence in the strategic region.
The MoD, however, stressed that the deployment was “long-planned” and not an escalation.
"These long-planned movements do not reflect an escalation in the UK posture in the region and are routine," the MoD said.
According to the ministry, Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose is currently in the region but is due to undergo maintenance and crew change, with Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan being en route to the Persian Gulf to take over.
Duncan is expected to arrive next week.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/17/601121/UK-warship-HMS-Kent-Persian-Gulf
(* B P)
Stand der Kriegsvorbereitung gegen den Iran
Die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines neuen Kriegs am Persischen Golf steigt. Allerdings haben die USA bisher weder einen Verteidigungsminister noch eine “Koalition der Willigen”
In den vergangenen Wochen verschärfte die amerikanische Außenpolitik ihre seit mehr als einem Jahr anhaltende Eskalation gegenüber der Islamischen Republik Iran noch einmal deutlich. Jüngster Höhepunkt ist die Beschlagnahme des iranischen Supertankers Grace 1 auf Antrag der amerikanischen Behörden. Es ist das erste Mal in der jüngeren Geschichte, dass ein Öltanker wegen Sanktionsbestimmungen in internationalen Gewässern festgehalten wird.
Die britischen Behörden, welche die Grace 1 vor Gibraltar haben festsetzen lassen, behaupten, dass Schiff sei Richtung Syrien unterwegs gewesen. Diese bisher unbelegte Konstruktion soll ihnen eine plausible Rechtsgrundlage verschaffen. Innerhalb der EU sind die amerikanischen Sanktionen gegen die Republik Iran nicht rechtskräftig. Gegen Syrien hingegen hält die EU weiterhin ihre 2014 erlassenen Sanktionen in Kraft, um den Wiederaufbau des durch Söldner- und Dschihadistenhorden verwüsteten Landes zu behindern.
Auffällig am Vorgehen der britischen Behörden ist auch, dass die Verwaltung von Gibraltar gerade erst am 3. Juli ein neues Regelwerk verabschiedet hat, um Sanktionen durchzusetzen. Gleich am darauffolgenden Tag enterte eine 30-köpfige Spezialeinheit der britischen Flotte zusammen mit Polizeieinheiten aus Gibraltar das Schiff (Britische Marines entern iranischen Tanker vor Gibraltar).
Mithilfe der frisch erlassenen Sanktionsvorschriften entschied ein Gericht in Gibraltar nun, den Kapitän und den Ersten Offizier festzunehmen und das Schiff bis mindestens 21. Juli festzuhalten. Wohlgemerkt: Unter dem Vorwurf, dass Schiff habe den syrischen Hafen Baniyas im Mittelmeer anlaufen wollen.
https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Stand-der-Kriegsvorbereitung-gegen-den-Iran-4469482.html?seite=all
(* A P)
Iran hits back at US demand on ballistic missiles
Javad Zarif says US must stop selling arms to Gulf allies if it wants to discuss Tehran's ballistic missiles programme.
Iran hit back at US President Donald Trump's call for new nuclear negotiations that encompass its ballistic missiles programme, accusing Washington of bringing the Middle East to the brink of "explosion" by selling arms to allies in the Gulf.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, made the comments in a wide-ranging interviewthat aired on NBC News on Monday.
He said Iran would only sit down with the United States if it lifted punishing economic sanctions it has imposed on Tehran and rejoined the 2015 nuclear deal it abandoned last year.
My comment: LOL. He obviously is right.
(A P)
Iran will not leave UK piracy unanswered: Leader
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has denounced Britain’s illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker, warning that the act of “piracy” will not go unanswered.
The Leader was reacting to the British military’s seizure of oil tanker “Grace 1” off the coast of Gibraltar earlier this month on suspicion of carrying crude to Syria in breach of the European Union’s unilateral bans on the Arab state.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/16/601054/Iran-Leader-Khamenei
(A P)
Donald Trump tells Iran to ‘get out of Yemen’
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday a lot of progress had been made with Iran and that he was not looking for regime change in Tehran, but said the US wanted the Islamic republic to "get out of Yemen."
Trump, who made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, did not give details about the progress, but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the meeting Iran had said it was prepared to negotiate about its missile program.
After threats from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's ultimate authority, to push on with breaches of the nuclear deal, Trump suggested to the Cabinet meeting that Iran wanted to talk with its archenemy.
"A lot of progress has been made. We'll see what happens. But a lot of progress has been made," Trump said.
Trump said the Iran nuclear pact agreed under his predecessor Barack
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1526561/middle-east
My comment: Idiot.
Comment: Trump wants Iran to leave Yemen but backs Saudi-UAE presence here. So, he decides who should stay in or leave other countries? The irony that is USA claims it's our friend. It has a diplomatic mission to Yemen. Actually when it comes to Yemen, USA is a friend of Gulf not Yemenis.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1151195813219115009
and
(A P)
Abdulsalam: Trump’s Claims Do Not Deserve the Trouble of Responding
The head of the National Delegation, Mohamed Abdulsalam, described Trump's claim, that his effort is to push Iran out of Yemen, as a negation of reality and does not deserve the trouble of responding, except that it is a way of extorting Saudis and raising the bill on the 'Milking Cow.'
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7865
(* B P)
Film: “Die USA brechen das Völkerrecht!” – Iran-Experte Prof. Mohssen Massarrat [DFP 40]
Im Iran läuft der Countdown bis zum großen Knall: INF-Vertragsbrüche, übermäßige Urananreicherung und zuletzt sogar eine prekäre Tanker-Kaperung seitens der Briten. Die Europäische Union wiederum schaut zu. Lässt sich ein Krieg überhaupt noch vermeiden? Und was wären die Folgen für Deutschland?
In einem Studio-Interview besprach unsere Moderatorin Margarita Bityutski mit dem Iran-Experten Prof. Dr. Mohssen Massarrat, ob die USA im Mittleren Osten überhaupt eine völkerrechtskonforme Politik verfolgen und was ein Krieg gegen den Iran für Deutschland bedeuten würde.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2NW8SV8lgg
(* B P)
A TROUBLED PARTNERSHIP: THE US AND EUROPE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Trump’s policies towards the Middle East have led to a serious rift between the US and Europe.
The EU and US are at loggerheads over Iran: Trump has withdrawn from the nuclear agreement and imposed tough economic sanctions, raising the risk of a military confrontation and prompting Iran to expand its nuclear programme. Meanwhile, the EU has sought to preserve the nuclear deal and prevent escalation.
Following Iran’s resumption of activities forbidden by the nuclear agreement, there is a chance that transatlantic tensions over Iran could lessen. But equally, Iran could prove to be a source of further discord if conflict erupts and Europeans judge the US to be primarily responsible.
Trump’s unconditional support for Israel in the Middle East peace process has also contributed to the rift. But Europeans have struggled to forge a robust approach of their own in response.
Even when US and EU policies are not directly at odds, Trump’s erratic and unilateral policies have created challenges for the EU.
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
(A K P)
Saudi Ambassador to UK Receives Chairman of BAE Systems
During the meeting they reviewed the importance of the company's continued implementation of its ambitious and programs agreed between the governments of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1948401
My comment: LOL.
(A P)
House of Commons: Yemen
Oral Answers to Questions — International Development – in the House of Commons on 17th July 2019.
[From the answers: ] The hon. Gentleman will know that our checks and balances on the export of arms are among the world’s finest—he must know that. He also knows that we apply the EU consolidated criteria rigorously. He will also, I hope, have noted the Divisional Court’s view that our process was “rigorous, robust, multi-layered” and that those advising Ministers were “keenly alive” to the possible violation of international humanitarian law. He will also know that the UK Government intend to appeal against the judgment.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2019-07-17a.819.1
My comment: LOL. Instead of listening to this, all MPs could stay at home.
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
(A P)
Die Grünen: Humanitäre Katastrophe in Jemen lindern – Rüstungsexporte stoppen
Die grüne Bundestagsfraktion fordert einen dauerhaften Stopp von Rüstungsexporten an alle Kriegsparteien.
Trotz eines anderslautenden Beschlusses im Koalitionsvertrag genehmigt die Bundesregierung immer weiter Exporte an kriegsführende Staaten, wie die Bundesregierung im Juni 2019 erneut bestätigte. Die grüne Bundestagsfraktion fordert einen dauerhaften Stopp von Rüstungsexporten an alle Kriegsparteien.
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
(A P)
In Abu Dhabi beginnt das Koordinierungstreffen für das Programm zum Ausbau der Frauenkapazität im Bereich Militär und Friedenssicherung
http://www.wam.ae/de/details/1395302774836
cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis
(A P)
Saudi, the UAE, and Bahrain boycott football Arab Gulf Cup in Qatar
The trio of countries cited the ongoing blockade as their reason for not attending, as the tournament is left with just five remaining teams.
(B P)
Qatar’s programme latest episode in series of conspiracies against Bahrain: BDF
The official spokesperson for Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) said that the so-called documentary "What is hidden is more immense" aired on Sunday by Qatar’s Al Jazeera channel is the latest episode of its series of conspiracies against the Kingdom of Bahrain within its attempt to undermine the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and stir up strife among its members.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302774566
My remark: As claimed by Bahrain.
cp12b Sudan
(A P)
Sudanese Protesters Rally to Condemn June Crackdown
Thousands of Sudanese took to the streets Thursday to condemn the deadly crackdown by security forces last month, as tensions remain high despite recent progress toward a power-sharing deal with the ruling military council.
The Sudanese Professionals' Association, which has spearheaded months of protests, tweeted that security forces had fired tear gas to disperse some rallies in the capital, Khartoum. There were no reports of serious injuries.
Protesters marched toward the Green Yard, an open area in the capital, waving Sudanese flags and beating drums. They chanted "Revolution!" and "The martyr's blood shall be avenged!"
https://www.voanews.com/africa/sudanese-protesters-rally-condemn-june-crackdown
(B P)
Struggle in Sudan: A revolution, not a ‘crisis’
This article is based on a recent talk by Joel Northam at a PSL forum in New York City.
As a Pan-African communist, I am being very intentional in calling what’s happening in Sudan a revolution rather than a “crisis,” as much of the mainstream, liberal, and even many left media outlets refer to the situation there. The latter indicates a sense of helplessness and hopelessness; a way for people in the west to voyeuristically look upon “defenseless Africans” and say “oh well, it’s Africa,” instead of understanding the situation in that country as an integral part of the global class struggle against capitalism and imperialism and for the right of nations to self-determination.
When the working class, that is, the most progressive class that drives society and makes it function, determines that it wants to reform or remove its government, and this manifests in a mass political upheaval, we, the socialists in the core capitalist nations, have a duty to support their ambitions, not just rhetorically but materially as well.
The Sudanese masses have and will continue to deepen their own political experience. According to the SCP’s orientation, it is not enough to share power with the forces that created this crisis in the first place. Power must be wrenched from them. All power to the Sudanese people!
https://www.liberationnews.org/struggle-in-sudan-a-revolution-not-a-crisis/
(* B P)
Devils on Horseback Leader Holds Fate of Sudan in His Hands
Transitional deal casts spotlight on role of Hamdan’s fighters
Notorious militia is dominant force after Bashir’s overthrow
Known popularly as Hemeti, Mohamed Hamdan dominates the military council that overthrew President Omar al-Bashir in April. He also commands the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused of killing more than 100 protesters in June in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. Swaggering and unaccountable, his fighters have become the most tangible obstacle to Sudan’s escape from three decades of dictatorship.
“All roads forward in Sudan now run into the Hemeti problem,” said Alan Boswell, an analyst with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. “Over time, his power will need to be reined in, yet any action against him at the moment risks civil war.”
Still, negotiations between the council and the opposition group that led the protests may have yielded a breakthrough. A deal signed Wednesday would see civilian and military representatives form an 11-seat sovereign council with executive responsibilities, and elections would be held after three years.
While the global outcry over the Khartoum massacre gave Sudan’s military rulers little choice but to reach a deal, they’ll probably seek to stall its enactment, according to Salah Aldoma, a professor of international relations at Omdurman Islamic University in Khartoum’s twin city. Hemeti’s denials of responsibility for the Khartoum attack have veered from blaming infiltrators in uniform, to vowing to hang any of his fighters who participated.
(A P)
President of Sudanese Military Council receives Saudi Ambassador to Sudan
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947586
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
Siehe / Look at cp9
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
(A P)
Yemen [Hadi government], UNESCO discuss antique cooperation
Minister of Culture Marwan Dammaj discussed Tuesday with Regional Director of UNESCO Ana Polini means of cooperation in field of antique, manuscripts and historical sites in Yemen.
Dammaj reviewed activities of prequalifying museums of Taiz and Hadhramout, pointing to what has been accomplished in the symposium on Hadhramout culture.
Dammaj argued UNESCO to exert more efforts for helping Yemen to protect cultural heritage in Yemen and linking direct channels with antique and museum authorities in Aden.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/16/yemen-unesco-discuss-antique-cooperation/
(B K)
Film: La ciudad de Shibam en Yemen asediada por la guerra
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/la-2-noticias/la2n-patrimonio/5345350/
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
(B E P)
Yemen accord signals first step towards restarting LNG
A UN-brokered deal to bolster the ceasefire around the Yemeni port of Hodeida and the UAE’s military drawdown improve the chances of ending the four-year-old conflict and reviving the energy sector
The day when international oil companies (IOCs) return to Yemen in any numbers—and the Yemen LNG plant at Balhaf resumes production—is probably still distant. But IOCs waiting on the side-lines will be encouraged by recent developments, which suggest a small shift towards the warring parties agreeing to lay down arms.
Balhaf output (6.7m t/yr capacity from two trains) was halted in April 2015, weeks after the start of the conflict. The site is undamaged so production could resume relatively quickly once the supply of gas to the plant is secured and personnel are able to return. Total holds a 39pc share in Yemen LNG.
cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism
Siehe / Look at cp1
(A T)
New #alQaeda video exposes #ISIS cruelty in #Yemen: "Prisons of the Kharijites 3". Horrendous even for ISIS. Recruit wanted to leave to treat to gunshot wound. So ISIS locked him up for months in an iron chest 1m high x 1.5m long. Boiling by day, freezing by night. Seems credible (photos)
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1151935383090946048
(A T)
#ISIS skirmishes with #alQaeda in #Yemen haven't totally petered out. Most ops are by sniper now, but ISIS-Y claims clashes yday in Upper Dhi Kalib with automatic weapons killed 1 #AQAP & injured 1 Btw wording is back to normal: "caliphate soldiers" (vs Monday's "IS fighters")
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1151601447886315522
(A T)
Recent #jihad ops in #Yemen are remarkably paltry. Possible interpretations: -Lying low or regrouping in new location -Deals made with security forces -Focus on organized crime -Comms down -Dead In July to date #ISIS-Y injured 1 AQAP by sniper #AQAP killed 1 Houthi on motorbike
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1151128380361891840
(* B T)
Al Jazeera: Bahrain recruited Al-Qaeda terrorist to assassinate dissidents
Senior members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group were recruited by Bahrain in a secret plot to assassinate heads of opposition groups, prominent dissidents and activists, according to a sensational documentary aired by Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language news channel.
Titled “Playing with fire”, the 52-minute documentary exposed recordings and communications between Bahraini intelligence and Al-Qaeda members to form a secret cell on the authorisation of the King of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa.
The documentary claimed that King Hamad had personally intervened to ensure the plots success by having one of the Al-Qaeda commanders, Mohammed Saleh, released when he was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
Iran was amongst the targets. The documentary found that officers from Bahraini intelligence met with Al-Qaeda linked terrorist groups based in Iran’s south-eastern province of Baluchistan, to co-ordinate operations within the Islamic Republic.
Saleh, head of Al-Qaeda in Bahrain is seen confessing that he met officials in the National Security Agency who asked him to lead a cell to assassinate Shia dissidents in 2003. Saleh said he made calls with leaders in the organisation in Saudi Arabia to provide arms to execute the plan.
and
(A T)
#AQAP, responding to an Al Jazeera documentary, denied any links exist between the Government of Bahrain and al Qaeda.
https://twitter.com/MaherFarrukh/status/1151262345987051520
and
(A T)
#AlQaeda is fed up of being a pawn in Gulf politics: Rare new #AQAP statement denies claims by #Qatar's @AJArabic that #Bahrain is using AQ to kill opponents. Also denies colluding with #UAE, #Saudi or #Iran. Says rival Gulf regimes are competing to impress "their master Trump"
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1151440476207271936
cp15 Propaganda
(B K P)
In the next war, we’ll need the Royal Marines
Other nations are scaling up for an amphibious conflict over trade but Britain is ill-prepared
Now Tanker War 2.0 is approaching. This time, if it gets out of hand, it could suck in outside powers, including Britain, spread to other strategic chokepoints and gum up the world economy.
Iran was the underdog in the 1980s and learnt some of the lessons, investing…(paywalled)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/to-win-a-war-at-sea-well-need-the-royal-marines-cbjt5mrt5
My comment: Sounds like beating the wat drums, Britain should invest even more in military.
(* B K P)
America’s immediate challenge in Persian Gulf is maritime security
Here’s the most intriguing fact about Iran’s apparent seizure Saturday of a small oil tanker about 385 kilometers northwest of here: Thus far, it has brought only a muted response from the United Arab Emirates, in whose waters the vessel had been operating, and from the United States, which is quietly organizing a multinational effort to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf.
If this were a boxing match, you’d say that the United States is trying to let Iran punch itself out. The US hasn’t retaliated for several tanker incidents near the Strait of Hormuz over the past two months, or the shoot down of its surveillance drone, or other provocations. The US military lets Iran keep throwing jabs -- while readying a knockout blow if it’s ever needed.
“It’s an international problem, it’s not a United States problem,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, in an interview early Tuesday as he traveled here. He said that any escorting of tankers through the Strait should be done by countries that depend on oil from the Gulf, with the US providing reconnaissance and other special tools to enhance what he called “maritime domain awareness.”
McKenzie’s low-key comments, which came after the first news reports had surfaced about Saturday’s disappearance of the tiny tanker Riah into the waters off Iran’s heavily fortified Qeshm Island, seemed to illustrate the broader US strategy of avoiding a direct faceoff with Iran, if possible. The US has been bolstering its already vast arsenal in the Gulf but, thus far, hasn’t used it visibly.
“Our ability to bring forces into the theater has acted to deter” the Iranians from broader actions, McKenzie argued. “We’re in a period right now where they’re sort of recalculating and trying to gauge our intent and our commitment.” The US goal, it seems, is well-armed patience -- not responding to provocations, but waiting to see what the Iranians do.
This measured US response may be the most notable, if least discussed, aspect of the confrontation with Iran. American planners reckon that time is on their side; Iran gets weaker with every additional month of economic sanctions. Tehran wants to break out of this straitjacket, but lacking diplomatic channels with the US, it’s choosing to send messages through kinetic force. Yet Iranian leaders know they need to be careful.
The immediate challenge in the Gulf is maritime security -- and curbing Iranian attacks on shipping.
Iran has all but begged for a direct confrontation with America. So far, the US response correctly has been: No! – by David Ignatius
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190717000720 = https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/americas-immediate-challenge-in-the-persian-gulf/2019/07/16/fc99941e-a7f6-11e9-86dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html?tid=sm_tw_ops
My comment: Oupps, Ignatius is back in the propaganda department again.
(A P)
Selecting Dubai as the 'Capital of Arab media' is a tribute to Sheikh Mohammed’s vision: Mohammed Al Gergawi
Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, said that the selection of Dubai as the 'Capital of Arab Media'' is a tribute to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which he articulated when laying the foundation for a media hub in the emirate 20 years ago.
http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302774811
My comment: freedom of press does not seem to be necessary for this.
(A P)
Opinion: Houthi militia, mines terrorize Yemen
While much of the world is aware of the terrible humanitarian crisis that has enveloped the nation and people of Yemen, few have focused on a primary actor in this crisis -- the Iranian-backed Houthis. These extremists, whose flag calls for “Death to America," have inflicted every possible form of pain and suffering on the Yemeni people while largely escaping the world’s attention.
Right now, in areas across Yemen controlled by the Houthis, innocent Yemenis are forced to pay black market prices and bribes or give in to other Houthi demands for just the hope of gaining access to supplies of food, medicine, and other staples that relief organizations strive to provide free of charge – by Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of KSrelief
(A P)
Commander of Security Belt Forces in Aden: Our Troops Exhausted Several Operations Aiming to Disturb Security and Spread Chaos
My comment: This is Southern separatist propaganda: Our militia are protecting you.
And also this here:
(A P)
Security Belt of Aden Saves Lives of Three Electricians in Al-Haswa
https://en.smanews.org/security-belt-of-aden-saves-lives-of-three-electricians-in-al-haswa
(A P)
UAE doing its best for peace in Yemen
It’s the historic and fraternal bonds between the two countries that prompted the UAE to pursue its efforts to restore security and stability in Yemen.
As His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, pointed out, preserving Yemen’s security and stability and supporting its people are part of the established pillars of the UAE policy since the time of the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Yemen is undoubtedly of strategic importance with regard to Arab security.
Sheikh Mohamed has made it absolutely clear 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.
The UAE’s humanitarian and developmental initiatives and its support and rehabilitation of the Yemeni security and police forces have won the hearts of the Yemeni people.
A special note should be taken of the fact that the UAE has topped a list of donor countries contributing to the United Nation’s Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, YHRP 2019.
https://www.gulftoday.ae/opinion/2019/07/16/uae-doing-its-best-for-peace-in-yemen
(A P)
Government Tolerance Exhibition to take place on sidelines of World Tolerance Summit
DUBAI, 17th July, 2019 (WAM) -- An exhibition titled 'Government Tolerance Exhibition' will be held on the sidelines of World Tolerance Summit, WTS, taking place on 13th and 14th November under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
This year’s summit is themed Tolerance in Multiculturalism: Achieving the Social, Economic and Humane Benefits of a Tolerant World.
The exhibition is aimed at highlighting initiatives and innovative projects implemented by government agencies in promoting coexistence and respect for diversity and pluralism at workplaces in line with the values of the Founding Father, the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395302774592
(A P)
Katherine Zimmerman: US cannot follow the #UAE's lead out of #Yemen because it hasn't been there. NYT Editorial Board's call for the US to latch on to a failed UN-led political process as the solution to an "unwinnable disaster" of a war misconstrues what the US is doing and US interests (thread)
US is one of the largest bilateral donors in #Yemen. Much of that assistance is development programming and not emergency or humanitarian, keeping the US out of the bandaid-solution business
US presence in Yemen generally limited to counterterrorism operations, which every congressional effort has sought to sustain.
DOD has done a poor job of explaining US military support, which includes support for the defense of Saudi Arabia and the UAE from #Houthi ballistic missile and UAV attacks, as well as maritime security
https://twitter.com/KatieZimmerman/status/1151108796695162882
My comment: Now she has changed to 100 % propaganda.
(A P)
Film: Iran and Turkey using Qatar to Undermine US Interests and Regional Security - The Foreign Code
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCRwhDg54sg
(A P)
How Qatar is molding Americans’ opinion in favor of extremism
Universities, media outlets, activist groups and think tanks are key instruments of Qatar's insidious foreign influence
Investments in US elite institutions are helping Qatar deflect media attention away from its extremist agenda
Qatar is investing billions of dollars in American universities, cash-hungry lobbyists in Washington, DC, journalists, mainstream activist groups and policy think tanks in an apparent drive to soften criticism of its activities that researchers focused on terrorism say fuels violent extremism.
The researchers argue that these concerns should have led the discussion that President Donald Trump held with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on July 9 at the White House. Though in the past Trump has criticized Qatar over its support for terrorism, this meeting focused only on economic issues.
Journalist and activist Mike Cernovich released a documentary in March titled “Blood Money: How Qatar Bought off the D.C. Media Establishment” to argue the case for greater scrutiny of Qatar’s activities.
Cernovich has come under attack from liberal writers, including some secretly funded by Qatar’s foreign allies.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1525671/middle-east
and documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFimy3QXqSc and on Cernovich: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Cernovich
(A P)
More Saudi coalition „We are benefactors” propaganda
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947535
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10765
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
(* A K pH)
Saudi coalition air raids and shelling day by day
July 15: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1563363811./1361084480708580/
July 14: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1563363811./1361081267375568/
July 13: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/pb.551288185021551.-2207520000.1563363811./1361080587375636/
July 12: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1361079957375699/
July 11: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1361079374042424/
July 10: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1361078264042535/
July 9: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1361077020709326/
July 8: https://www.facebook.com/lcrdye/photos/a.551858951631141/1361075990709429/
(A K pH)
Aerial Aggression Destroys Citizen’s Home in Sa’adah
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7879
(A K pH)
More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:
July 17: https://www.yemenpress.org/yemen/at-least-12-air-raids-hit-several-of-yemeni-provinces/ Marib p., Sanaa p.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7877 Hajjah p.
July 16: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7866 Sanaa p., Marib p.
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
Siehe / Look at cp1b
(A K pS)
MASAM destroys landmines and UXOs in Marib
The Saudi project for demining (MASAM) has destroyed a large number of landmines and UXOs that the Houthi militia had planted in houses and farms in Serwah district of Marib.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/18/masam-destroys-landmines-and-uxos-in-marib/ = http://en.adenpress.news/news/10776
(A K pS)
Houthi militia shells villages in Al-Dhale
the Houthis’ rockets targeted the villages of al-Hanakah and al-Rehab in Morais area, causing heavy losses on houses and properties.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/17/houthi-militia-shells-villages-in-al-dhale/
(A K pS)
Houthi rockets hit near childhood hospital in Marib city
Two rockets fired by the Houthi militia into populated neighborhood hit near a childhood hospital in the city of Marib, on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses told September Net that the Iran-backed Houthi rebel militia launched on Wednesday evening two Katyusha missiles on densely residential neighborhood fell near a hospital crowded with patients downtown Marib city.
They said the hospital was severely damaged so was several buildings and commercial stores nearby the area in which the rockets landed.
The Houthi shelling sent patients children and women who were inside hospital at the shelling moment into panic as the explosions were so huge.
http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/07/17/houthi-rockets-hit-near-childhood-hospital-in-marib-city/
(A K pS)
Film: Southern Resistance thwarts Houthis attacks northern Ad Dali’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyVJosfnyfs
(* A K pH)
4th Operation in Few Hours.. Yemeni Air Force Conducts Fresh Drone Attack on Jizan Airport
Yemeni Air Force, on Wednesday, carried out a fresh drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Jizan airport, the fourth such raid on the kingdom's airports in the past few hours.
The spokesman of the Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Sare'e said in a brief statement that the Air Force carried out this morning a broad operation targeted important military sites at the airport using Qasif-K2 combat drones.
"The drone strikes had accurately hit the targets and led to the disruption of air traffic at the airport," he added.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7870
and by Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi/yemens-houthis-say-they-launched-drone-attack-on-saudis-jizan-airport-idUSKCN1UC0V0
and
(* A K pS)
Saudi Arabia intercepts drone launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels
The Saudi military said on Wednesday that its air defences intercepted a drone launched from over the kingdom's southern border with Yemen by Houthi rebels.
Col. Turki al-Maliki, a military spokesman, was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday as saying the drone was launched by the Houthi rebels from Yemen's governorate of Sanaa toward the Saudi city of Jizan.
(* A K pH)
Yemeni Air Forces Targets Saudi Airports and Military Bases
Air Forces of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees launched several offensives with Qasif 2K drones on important military sites in Jizan Airport and King Khaled military base in Aseer.
The spokesman of the Armed Forces stated that the drones accurately hit targets, resulting in halting all air traffic. He confirmed that drones attack comes as a response to the US Saudi Crimes and continued siege. Air traffic watch centers confirmed the halt of air traffic in Saudi Jizan airport after drone's attack.
Later, the Yemeni Air Force continued its offensives with drones, Qasef 2K, targeting King Khaled Military Base in Aseer. The offensive targeted weapons storage and military sites.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7861
and by Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/yemens-houthis-target-saudi-arabias-jizan-airport-al-masirah-tv-idUSKCN1UB280
and images, interrupted traffic: https://twitter.com/A7medJa7af/status/1151196163707740160
https://twitter.com/B4Zaman/status/1151193841036341248
and
(* A K)
Command of the Joint Forces of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Coalition Forces intercept, down three drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia from Amran Province towards civilian facilities in Jazan and Abha
The spokesman of the coalition forces, "Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen," Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that on Tuesday evening, the coalition forces managed to intercept and down three drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia from Amran Province towards civilian facilities in the cities of Jazan and Abha.
Colonel al-Maliki said that while the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations to Yemen is in Sana'a, attempts by the Houthi terrorist militia continues to target civilian airports in Abha, Jazan and Najran, as well as civilians and civilian facilities, proving its criminality and extremist thought against the Yemeni people and neighboring countries and its use of terrorist method
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947550
My comment: And again, with the unavoidable propaganda.
(A K pH)
July 16: In Sa'ada, a civilian was injured with Saudi border guards' gunshots in Shida district. Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted several areas of Razeh district.
https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=7866
(A K pS)
KSrelief's Masam Project Dismantles 901 mines in Second Week of July
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center's project for clearing mines (Masam) in Yemen demined 901 items during the second week of July 2019
Since the beginning of the project, 75,811 mines planted by Houthi Coup militias in Yemen have been dismantled
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1947521
(A K pS)
Explosive Remnants of War Destroyed in Aden
In collaboration with the Arab Coalition forces in Aden, the engineering teams of the Support Sustainment Brigades destroyed on Tuesday morning, thousands of shells and projectiles in a remote area, west of Aden.
154 tank shells and 6000 Shilka rounds from Houthi war remnants, mostly collected by the engineering teams from Aden Airport were destroyed in a deserted area west of the capita
http://en.adenpress.news/news/10767
(* B K P)
Now We Know How the Houthi Rebels in Yemen Used Modified Air-To-Air Missiles to Attack Planes from the Ground
Simultaneously, the Missile Research and Development Centre and the Missile Force intensified efforts to bolster their air defence capabilities. One of the solutions was to take air-to-air missiles from stocks of the former Yemeni Air Force and attempt deploying them for air-defence purposes.
Yemen acquired a stock of the same missiles back in the 1980s and 1990s, and an even larger number of R-27 (AA-10 Alamo), and R-77 (AA-11 Adder) when buying MiG-29SMs in the 2000s. The challenge was adapting such weapons for deployment from the ground, though without the support of the fire-control systems of the aircraft that are usually carrying them. The latter issue took radar-homing missiles — like R-77 and R-27R — out of the solution: their deployment would require the adaptation of at least one of the N019MP radars and related fire-control systems from MiG-29SMs. Not only was this a complex undertaking, but most of the necessary systems were destroyed early during the war.
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/heres-how-houthis-were-able-to-deploy-r-27-r-60-r-73-r-77-air-to-air-missiles-as-sams-against-saudi-led-coalition-aircraft/ = https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/now-we-know-how-houthi-rebels-yemen-used-modified-air-air-missiles-attack-planes-ground
My comment: Starting with propaganda, then getting better.
cp18 Sonstiges / Other
(-)
Photo: Alahjer waterfall in Yemen's Mahwit province.
https://twitter.com/FuadRajeh/status/1151967269255307285
(* B D)
Invisible but alive: How the art scene is surviving in Yemen
Photography, video art and installations are still being produced despite the ongoing conflict
Yemeni artists rarely make an international impact.
The country’s art scene, like its governments, has in part been hampered by continuously changing borders and political instability. As unrest has descended into war during the past decade, so international cultural organisations like the British Council closed down the spaces it offered for art exhibitions.
Only a scattering of homegrown institutions, like the Basement Cultural Foundation in Sanaa, have managed to hold on.
“There’re so many talents but nobody encourages them,” says Khadija al-Salami, the Yemeni film producer, director and a cultural attache at its embassy in Paris. “They are self-generating. There is nothing that really encouraged them, just an internal force that leads them to do what they do.”
In Yemen, she said, art is regarded as “something that’s just wasting your time. It’s: ‘What’s wrong with this guy?”
But it is wrong to see modern art in Yemen as without any heritage. The scene had its beginnings in Aden's painting clubs of the 1930s and 1940s, says Anahi Alviso-Marino, a Paris-based academic and the leading specialist on the subject.
The constraints and horror of the current war have resulted in a fresh wave of Yemeni artists who tend to be young - typically under 35 – and who are wary of being framed only within the context of the conflict.
They do not work in calligraphy or anything that could conventionally be called Islamic, or Middle Eastern art: instead, they often choose photography, film or new media. Many joined the 2011 protests in Sanaa’s Change Square, but do not want to be only defined as the product of just another war-torn country.
The output of this small but determined group, several of whom live and work overseas, has been celebrated across Europe, including exhibitions in Berlin in 2018 and Beirut earlier this year.
In early July the British Museum in London organised a symposium as part of the Shubbak Festival of Contemporary Arab Culture, highlighting the art of four artists (below) of Yemeni origin - a timely barometer of what is happening to the country's arts.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/yemen-art-scene
(B D)
Film: Yemen|Al-Hasawah Nature Reserve known as a transit station for migratory birds
Al-Hasawah Nature Reserve in Aden Governorate is one of the most important coastal nature reserves. It is a transit station for various types of migratory birds that come from many countries. It has a strategic location near the port of Aden. It contains many trees, palms, ducks and eagles. The nature reserve suffers from several problems, including urban encroachment and government neglect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llyXN2xTKtE
(B D)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Desert Locust situation update 16 July 2019
Yemen is the most concerned and at highest risk because of widespread hopper band infestations that will cause swarms to form later this month, which could give rise to another generation of breeding by the end of August if conditions remain favourable. Some ground control operations (500 ha) are underway but their impact against the overall infestations may be limited because not all areas can be accessed and capacities are limited. In addition, groups of adults are present in Wadi Hadhramaut where breeding may occur. In all, there could be a considerable increase in locust populations in Yemen during the summer that would threaten the region.
http://www.fao.org/ag/locusts/en/info/info/index.html = https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/desert-locust-situation-update-16-july-2019
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Photo: This town in Yemen looks like a piece of fantasy concept art.
https://twitter.com/noahbradley/status/1150442831200366592
(* B E P)
Why Coffee’s Past Is Yemen’s Future
A new generation seeks to reclaim Yemen’s legacy as the birthplace of coffee and restore its reputation as a leading global producer.
“What’s heartbreaking for anyone who has lived in Yemen, [for anyone who has] spent time and worked there, is that this magical, wonderful country has this image in the rest of the world as being a very nasty and inhospitable place,” says Peter Salisbury, Consulting Senior Analyst at International Crisis Group. “The best possible scenario for Yemen is the rest of the world shifting how they think about the country.”
How does a country like Yemen change its public perception—a war-filtered narrative that some say has disproportionately overshadowed its true identity—without distracting from its present, very urgent reality?
Surprisingly, the answer hinges on a coffee bean. The first cup of coffee was poured in Yemen.
Both Port of Mokha and Sabcomeed are resurrecting a Yemen of yesteryear that most don’t realize exists. Once known as the “Happy Land”—Arabia Felix in Latin—the world’s rarest coffee could be considered a starting point, an opening act for a country also capable of producing phenomenal honey, olives, raisins, almonds and myrrh. These are luxury goods reflecting a sacred, precious nectar. These are also items not discovered haphazardly, but sought—a form of gold once they are found.
So the question remains, will coffee be the fulcrum that shifts the country? (photos)
https://lifeandthyme.com/drink/yemen-coffee-sabcomeed-port-of-mokha/
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Audio: Three sisters in Israel pay tribute to their great grandmother from Yemen
We hear new music from the group A-WA. They're three sisters based in Tel-Aviv. On their new album, "Bayti Fi Rasi," they pay tribute to their great-grandmother from Yemen. Tair Haim tell us more.
https://www.pri.org/file/2019-07-18/three-sisters-israel-pay-tribute-their-great-grandmother-yemen
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-556-yemen-war-mosaic-556
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-556 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-556:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
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