Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 565 - Yemen War Mosaic 565

Yemen Press Reader 565: 15. Aug. 2019: UNO: 230.000 Kriegstote im Jemen – Neuer Bericht über saudische Luftangriffe – Saudische Luftangriffe im Juli – Fischer im Jemen –Über 1 Million Landminen

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Eingebetteter Medieninhalt

... Schicksal afrikanischer Einwanderer – Die zukünftige Struktur des Jemen – Britische Geheimverhandlungen über den Jemen – Bürgerkrieg in Aden: Sieg der Separatisten, wachsende Spaltung zwischen Saudis und Emiraten – und mehr

Aug 15, 2019: UN: 230,000 war victims in Yemen – Saudi air raids in July – New report on Saudi air raids – Fishermen in Yemen – More than one million of landmines – The destiny of African migrants – The future structure of Yemen – British secret negotiations about Yemen – Civil war at Aden: Victory of separatists, growing rift in Saudi-UAE coalition – 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 Bürgerkrieg im Südjemen / Civil war in Southern Yemen

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

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms Trade

cp13b 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 K)

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen: Experts estimate that as many as 230,000 women, children and men have died as a result of the conflict from either direct or indirect causes including lack of food and medical services. In the past six months, 25,000 people have died.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/women-and-children-killed-and-wounded-strikes-hajjah-enar

(** B K)

YEMEN DATA PROJECT AIR RAIDS SUMMARY FOR JULY 2019

Civilian Casualties in Coalition Air Raids Reach All-time Low

Civilian casualties in coalition air raids* fell by 87% in July from the previous low in June (23), with three civilian casualties recorded - the lowest number in a single month since the Saudi/UAE-led air war began in March 2015, adding to the 85% reduction from May to June.
January, June and July of this year saw the lowest numbers of civilian casualties recorded per month since the start of the coalition's bombing campaign. Civilian casualties in the first six months of 2019 were 66% lower than the same period in 2018, while air raids in the first half of 2019 were 65% lower than the first half of 2018.
The Yemen Data Project recorded 2 civilian fatalities in 116 coalition air raids in July, down from 15 civilian fatalities in 126 air raids in June. The deadliest month in the air war was September 2015 when at least 756 civilians were killed and at least 566 injured in 920 air raids.
Sa'ada remained the most heavily bombed governorate in the country with 45 air raids in July down from 54 in June. Adisputed attack on Al-Thabet market in Sa'ada on 29 July was not recorded as an air raid. YDP's records will be ammended should further evidence come to light to confirm the reported killing of civilians including children were the result of a coalition air raid.

In July, 15% of bombings hit civilian targets** 58% hit military targets. In 27% of air raids in July the target could not be identified. Of the 85 air raids where the target could be identified, 20% of bombings hit non-military sites and 80% military.

Following a two-month comparative lull in air raids during April and May the coalition resumed its intensity of bombings in Sa'ada in June when air raids trebled to 54 from the previous month's 18. In July, 45 air raids were recorded in the governorate. Sa'ada was the target of 39% of all coalition bombings in July. Two civilian casualties including one fatality were recorded in Sa'ada in July. Kitaf Wa Al-Boqe'e on the northern border was the most heavily targeted district in the governorate with 15 air raids.
Sa'ada has been the most heavily bombed governorate in Yemen since the Saudi/UAE-led air campaign began. Almost a quarter (23%) of all recorded air raids in Yemen since March 2015 targeted Sa'ada.

https://mailchi.mp/a2e9025b4673/august2019-yemen-data-project-update-550131

(** B K)

UK receives report documenting Saudi cover-up of unlawful Yemen airstrikes

Comprehensive independent analysis will add pressure after June ruling that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are unlawful

An international law group has submitted new evidence to the UK government alleging that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has covered up evidence of its unlawful airstrikes on civilian targets.

The allegations will put pressure on the UK government as it prepares its response to a court order directing it to reconsider all existing British government licences to export arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen.

A 288-page report submitted to the international trade secretary, Liz Truss, by the Global Legal Action Network and UK law firm Bindmans contains witness testimony as well as crater and bomb-fragment analysis from scores of strikes carried out by the coalition. It is the most comprehensive independent analysis of the Saudi bombing campaign compiled so far.

The report says the attacks appear to violate international humanitarian law by “targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure”.

The evidence was largely compiled by Mwatana, an independent Yemeni human rights group used by the UN to collect evidence in Yemen. In many cases, its evidence, gathered very soon after Saudi bomb strikes, directly contradicts the post-strike investigations conducted by the Saudi-led coalition.

Mwatana, seen as impartial by the UN, has field researchers operating in 21 out of Yemen’s 22 governorates.

The evidence collated in the report was obtained by Arron Merat, a researcher for the Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle. It is also being submitted to the Commons committee on arms export controls.

“This evidence shows not only that Riyadh is targeting Yemeni civilians but that it is covering them up with whitewash ‘investigations’,” Merat said.

“What’s worse is that the British government says that it bases its decisions on whether or not to approve arms sales to Saudi Arabia on information provided to it by Saudi Arabia.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/15/report-documenting-saudi-cover-up-of-unlawful-airstrikes-in-yemen-submitted-to-uk

Press release: https://www.glanlaw.org/single-post/2019/08/15/New-evidence-submitted-to-UK-government-exposing-extent-of-SaudiUAE-led-coalition-whitewashing-of-Yemen-airstrike-violations

(** B H)

Yemen: How fishing communities are fighting back

Coastal communities in Yemen have suffered greatly in the ongoing bloody conflict. Fishing boats, ports and processing sites have been destroyed or damaged, and many fishermen have lost their lives. For Suleiman, the risks became too great, and he was forced to flee with his wife and seven children.

Now, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is helping to revive the fishing industry in southern Yemen, rebuilding essential facilities so that fishermen like Suleiman can continue to support their families.

Before the war in Yemen began in 2015, the fishing industry employed more than half a million people and was the country’s second biggest export behind oil and gas. Thousands of boats fished the rich waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for tuna, sardines, mackerel, lobster, cuttlefish and more.

The Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes which hit fishing boats and markets, and mines were laid in the sea making the waters treacherous. Many of Suleiman’s friends were killed. To make matters worse, the price of fishing tools and fuel went up dramatically because of the conflict.

“The difficulties we faced in Hodeidah included the high cost of living,” Suleiman explains, “and we felt fear at sea because of the war, the battleships and the mines. I know many fishermen who have been killed at sea and in the fish market. They were without sin and had no connection to politics or the state.”

Even in the relative safety of Ras Emran, there are challenges. The ongoing conflict has forced fishermen to stay away from dangerous areas at sea and made them nervous of venturing too far from the port.

In addition, there are now restrictions on accessing certain fishing zones, imposed by security forces and in some cases local authorities. Ammar explains: “Before we were fishing freely anywhere without restrictions. Now we are limited to a distance of a few miles.”

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is supporting the coastal community in Aden and other areas in the south of Yemen, to revive this important but neglected industry. With financial support from the European Union, we are helping to rebuild essential facilities such as fish landing sites, markets and the fish testing laboratory.

Fishing can be a precarious industry, and rarely provides an income all year round. Another NRC project is helping coastal communities to diversify their livelihoods so that they are not completely dependent on fishing.

https://www.nrc.no/shorthand/stories/yemen---how-fishing-communities-are-fighting-back/index.html

(** B K pS)

Yemeni Interior Ministry Holds Houthis Responsible for 1 Million Land Mines

Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Mossouai revealed that Yemeni Interior Ministry police and security task forces had collected data confirming that Houthi militiamen planted over a million mines across the war-torn country.
“The threat posed by mines is big…There will be no safe living because of the number of mines laid arbitrarily by Houthi militias,” Mossouai said in a statement.
According to the official website of the Saudi demining initiative in Yemen, Masam Project, victims of randomly planted mines, especially those placed near residential complexes, town infrastructure and across farmlands are mostly civilians.
“It is difficult to find stability or development in the future because of the many land and sea sites rigged with mines.”
Moussouai, in a statement, confirmed that “Houthi-made mines, under the supervision of Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah advisors, are far more detrimental than conventional mines.”
He explained that the explosives can detonate by thermal and light-weight pressure triggers.
Houthi mines are heavily present in Yemen’s west coast directorates, such as Al-Jawf and Al-Bayda and Sa'ada governorate.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1857661/yemeni-interior-ministry-holds-houthis-responsible-1-million-landmines

(** B H P)

Human Rights Watch: Ethiopians Abused on Gulf Migration Route

Trafficking, Exploitation, Torture, Abusive Prison Conditions

Ethiopians undertaking the perilous journey by boat across the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden face exploitation and torture in Yemen by a network of trafficking groups, Human Rights Watch said today. They also encounter abusive prison conditions in Saudi Arabia before being summarily forcibly deported back to Addis Ababa. Authorities in Ethiopia, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia have taken few if any measures to curb the violence migrants face, to put in place asylum procedures, or to check abuses perpetrated by their own security forces. A combination of factors, including unemployment and other economic difficulties, drought, and human rights abuses have driven hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians to migrate over the past decade, traveling by boat over the Red Sea and then by land through Yemen to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states are favored destinations because of the availability of employment. Most travel irregularly and do not have legal status once they reach Saudi Arabia.

Eleven of the 12 people interviewed who had been deported had engaged with smuggling and trafficking networks that are regionally linked across Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somaliland, Puntland, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. Traffickers outside of Ethiopia, particularly in Yemen, often used violence or threats to extort ransom money from migrants’ family members or contacts, those interviewed told Human Rights Watch. The 12th person was working in Saudi Arabia legally but was deported after trying to help his sister when she arrived illegally.

Those interviewed described life-threatening journeys as long as 24 hours across the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea to reach Yemen, in most cases in overcrowded boats, with no food or water, and prevented from moving around by armed smugglers.

Interviewees said they were met and captured by traffickers upon arrival in Yemen. Five said the traffickers physically assaulted them to extort payments from family members or contacts in Ethiopia or Somalia. While camps where migrants were held capture were run by Yemenis, Ethiopians often carried out the abuse. In many cases, relatives said they sold assets such as homes or land to obtain the ransom money.

After paying the traffickers or escaping, the migrants eventually made their way north to the Saudi-Yemen border, crossing in rural, mountainous areas. Interviewees said Saudi border guards fired at them, killing and injuring others crossing at the same time, and that they saw dead bodies along the crossing routes. Human Rights Watch has previously documented Saudi border guards shooting and killing migrants crossing the border.

Six interviewees said they were apprehended by Saudi border police, while five successfully crossed the border but were later arrested. They described abusive prison conditions in several facilities in southern Saudi Arabia, including inadequate food, toilet facilities, and medical care; lack of sanitation; overcrowding; and beatings by guards.

Dangerous Boat Journey

Most of the 11 people interviewed who entered Saudi Arabia without documents described life-threatening boat journeys across the Red Sea from Djibouti, Somaliland, or Puntland to Yemen. They described severely overcrowded boats, beatings, and inadequate food or water on journeys that ranged from 4 to 24 hours. These problems were compounded by dangerous weather conditions or encounters with Saudi/Emirati-led coalition naval vessels patrolling the Yemeni coast.

Exploitation and Abuses in Yemen

Once in war-torn Yemen, Ethiopian migrants said they faced kidnappings, beatings, and other abuses by traffickers trying to extort ransom money from them or their family members back home.

Seven of the 11 irregular migrants interviewed said they faced detention and extortion by traffickers in Yemen. This occurred in many cases as soon as they reached shore, as smugglers on boats coordinated with the Yemeni traffickers.

Others avoided capture when they landed, but then faced the difficult 500 kilometer journey on foot with few resources while trying to avoid capture.

Dangers faced by Yemeni migrants traveling north were compounded for those who ran into areas of active fighting between Houthi forces and groups aligned with the Saudi/Emirati-led coalition. Two migrants said that their journey was delayed, one by a week, the other by two months, to avoid conflict areas.

Migrants had no recourse to local authorities and did not report abuses or seek assistance from them. Forces aligned with the Yemeni government and the Houthis have also detained migrants in poor conditions, refused access to protection and asylum procedures, deported migrants en masse in dangerous conditions, and exposed them to abuse.

Crossing the Border; Abusive Detention inside Saudi Arabia

Migrants faced new challenges attempting to cross the Saudi-Yemen border.

Following their capture, the migrants described abusive conditions in Saudi governmental detention centers and prisons, including overcrowding and inadequate food, water, and medical care. Migrants also described beatings by Saudi guards.

Nine migrants who were captured while crossing the border illegally or living in Saudi Arabia without documentation spent up to five months in detention before authorities deported them back to Ethiopia.

Detainees also said medical care was inadequate and that detainees with symptoms of tuberculosis (such as cough, fever, night sweats, or weight loss) were not isolated from other prisoners.

Humanitarian workers and diplomats told Human Rights Watch that since the beginning of Saudi Arabia’s deportation campaign, large numbers of Ethiopian deportees have been transported via special flights by Saudia Airlines to Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/15/ethiopians-abused-gulf-migration-route

(** B P)

The Future Structure of the Yemeni State

Summary

After more than four years of fighting, the war in Yemen continues to drag on. Although the rival parties came to a deal at the end of 2018 in Stockholm, they have failed to fully abide by its terms, due to ambiguity about the future of the Yemeni state. Currently, there are multiple, rival authorities in different regions, and the individuals in power disagree whether there should be one state, two states, or multiple states. They also disagree whether the future state or states should be independent or linked through a federal or confederal system. Profound questions remain unanswered, and before negotiations can move forward, the parties will likely need to address the elephant in the room: the future structure of Yemen as a state.

Introduction

One of the main barriers to negotiating a peaceful end to the war in Yemen via a step-by-step process is that the parties have enormous incentives to hold their ground and continue fighting during negotiations over relatively small matters like port security at Hodeida. This is true because the warring sides want leverage when negotiations turn to more significant matters, such as the political make-up of Yemen’s government and the future structure of the state. Houthi leaders, who control the capital Sanaa under the banner of a religious party called Ansar Allah (“Partisans of God”), are desperate to hold Hodeida because they know if they lose control of the port, then they will be forced to make greater concessions later. Their rivals, including the GCC coalition, want to force the Houthis from Hodeida for the opposite reason. Their goal is to deny the leaders of Ansar Allah a prominent role in defining the future structure and composition of Yemen’s government. Thus, they seek to pressure Ansar Allah in the capital by cutting the main supply route between Hodeida and Sanaa.

Most international negotiations involve consideration of matters both large and small. There is a tendency to address the small matters first because there is greater likelihood of agreement. Negotiators hope to use the agreements on smaller matters to build momentum toward larger, more difficult ones. But if the parties to a conflict are unsure about the direction negotiations will take on the large matters, they are more likely to prolong conflict by continuing to contest the small ones. This is the primary problem in Yemen, where rival factions at Hodeida failed to abide fully by the terms of the Stockholm agreement due to ambiguity about the future state of Yemen. Currently, there are multiple, rival authorities in different regions of the country, and the individuals in power disagree whether there should be one state, two states, or multiple states in a future Yemen. They also disagree whether the future states of Yemen should be independent or linked through a federal or confederal system of government.

For all of the reasons above, it is likely to prove necessary to move negotiations forward by addressing the elephant in the room: the future structure of Yemen as a state.

From Conclusion

The best way to gain bargaining leverage with Ansar Allah is through discussion of Sanaa’s status in Yemen’s future state structure. Ansar Allah does not want to be excluded permanently from access to valuable energy sources in Marib, Shabwa, and Hadramawt provinces, which are now under the control of President Hadi’s “legitimate” government. By rejecting the six-region federal plan through which Sanaa retained importance as the national capital and home of the central government, Houthi leaders created de facto decentralization by splintering political interests around the country. It is not in Ansar Allah’s interests that future negotiations move toward a confederal solution or complete political independence of Aden and the south, as STC leaders seek. Thus, Ansar Allah is more likely to seek reconciliation with the “legitimate” government if these options are placed on the negotiation table – by Stephen W. Day

https://www.mei.edu/publications/future-structure-yemeni-state

https://www.mei.edu/sites/default/files/2019-08/The%20Future%20Structure%20of%20the%20Yemeni%20State.pdf

(** B P)

The UK’s clandestine negotiations in the Red Sea

However, who was going to fill the void left by the UAE?

It appears the U.K. stepped in and turned this situation into a new plan. Under current conditions, it became clear the "claim to return legitimacy" to all of Yemen is not possible. New politics that would allow coalition forces to leave all their burdens to a new structure to be formed in Aden. The U.K. that supported the Yemen War without being much in sight, started new negotiations behind the curtains. This not only recalled regional competitions, it also triggered the U.K.-U.S. hegemonic duels over the region after World War II. Hence, during the secretly ongoing negotiations, suddenly sending troops from South Korea to Aden came up on the agenda. South Korea keeping its longtime symbolic troops in Aden as the U.S.'s gendarme, and suddenly announcing that it will be sending another 300 soldiers is not coincidental. It is a sign that the U.S., which is busy with Iran, wants a piece of the pie.

In brief, the U.S., which has been providing logistical, intelligence and arms support to the Yemen War, is going to take an active role in this new project launched by the U.K., together with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. According to this project, the idea to reestablish political stability in all of Yemen through its capital Sana by defeating the Houthi rebels has been abandoned. The plan is to safeguard international interests through a structure that is likely to be newly established in Aden, which is convenient to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which has high geopolitical importance.

The coalition that failed to achieve any result after four years is going to leave Yemen alone with its destruction, and form an international security umbrella in the Red Sea against Iran. The coalition will also wash its hands clean of war crimes that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

So, can this plan work?

Yes, as long as the British are involved, it appears it can work. Because the British have an instatiable love for Aden.

the U.K. is working in Aden behind the scenes. This is both good and bad. The good aspect is that the Iran-U.S. and regional disputes will be postponed for now through negotiations without turning into close combat. The bad aspect is that despite all these incidents and the violations of human rights, nothing has changed in the region – by Zekeriya Kurşun

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/columns/zekeriyakursun/the-uks-clandestine-negotiations-in-the-red-sea-2047135

cp1a Am wichtigsten: Seuchen / Most important: Epidemics

(* B H)

Cholera: another war rages in Ad-Dhali, claiming the lives of children

The family of Baker Abdo Mohammad Arjalah could only stand helpless as they watched their 13-year-old child in the throes of cholera, fighting for his life.

Baker eventually died as the family, which resides in As-Suwayda village in al-Hasha district of ad-Dhali governorate, failed to transfer him to a nearby health center.

Bakr’s case, however, is not uncommon in ad-Dhali.

Diana Qaid al-Sayyed, a five-year-old girl from the same village died for similar reasons. As her cholera infection progressed, her parents were unable to take her to a treatment center located outside the village due to the war being fought between the internationally recognized government forces and Ansar Allah (Houthis) militia which has engulfed al-Hasha and other districts in ad-Dhali since April 2018.

According to the statistics of the Epidemiological Surveillance Coordination group in al-Hasha, six deaths, all of which were “deaths at home” and more than 660 cases of cholera were reported in April; the month that the Houthi militia resumed military attacks on ad-Dhali governorate.

In addition, between January 1 and July 20, 2019, “a total of 1,667 cases of cholera and 10 deaths were recorded in al-Hasha,” the director of the Epidemiological Surveillance Coordination group in the city, Munir al-Idrissi, told Yemen Felix.

The deaths in al-Hasha comprise about half of the governorate’s total cholera deaths.

In addition to the ongoing war, the high rate of cholera deaths in al-Hasha is also attributed to the deterioration of hygienic conditions and environmental sanitation services, the disruption of water supplies throughout the governorate, and garbage accumulation in the capital of the governorate

https://yemenfelix.org/news/cholera-another-war-rages-in-ad-dhali-claiming-the-lives-of-children/

cp1b Am wichtigsten: Kampf um Hodeidah / Most important: Hodeidah battle

(A K pS)

Houthi snipers shot two children in Hodeida

Local sources told September Net that Salwa Abdulkader and Fatima Hasan Salim were shot and seriously wounded by the rebel Houthi snipers in Hais district south of the province.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/08/14/houthi-snipers-shot-two-children-in-hodeida/

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Wednesday, August 14th, 2019

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8287

(A K pH)

Child Seriously Injured by Aggression Forces in Hodeidah

A child was seriously injured by the forces of the US-Saudi aggression in Attohayta district of Hodeidah, Almasirah Net correspondent reported.

In addition, the aggression forces shelled more than 25 artillery shells in the besieged city of Ad-Durayhimi in the same province

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8284

(A K pS)

Houthis continue to shell legitimate forces in Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13025

(A K pH)

US-Saudi Aggression’s Daily Update for Tuesday, August 13th, 2019

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8275

(A K pS)

The Houthis intesfy their shelling on Hees, Al-Taheeta and Al-Saleh in Hodeidah

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170624

(A K pS)

Houthi Military Escalation Continues in South Hodeidah

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13013

(* A K pH)

Film (Arabic): The suffering of the people of the city of Duraimi in Hodeidah enters its second year in the shadow of disgraceful international silence 13-08-2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUKlJc9cJd4

and

(A K pH)

Supreme Political Council: Continuation of Ad-durayhimi Siege Proves US-Saudi Lack of Good Intentions

Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, the member of the Supreme Political Council, on Tuesday, described the continued siege of the city of Ad-durayhimi in Hodeidah as an affirmation of the insistence of the US-Saudi aggression to move on with their crime and an evidence of the lack of good intentions.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8274

and also https://www.uprising.today/mohammed-al-houthi-un-has-failed-to-deliver-food-to-durayhimi/

cp2 Allgemein / General

(* A K P)

Interactive Map of Yemen War

https://yemen.liveuamap.com/

(* A K)

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON AUGUST 15, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-august-15-2019-map-update/

MILITARY SITUATION IN YEMEN ON AUGUST 14, 2019 (MAP UPDATE)

https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-yemen-on-august-14-2019-map-update/

(A P)

A workshop was held in Amman to address how to better bridge the #humanitarian #peace & #development nexus in #Yemen. Evident of external non-inclusive planning, NO local development agency was involved or private sector! Can peace & development occur without local actors? (images)

https://twitter.com/Wesamqaid/status/1161704899916288000

Is this for real? Talking about #peace #Humanitarian & #Development in #Yemen and giving all local organisations a blind eye.. what you are going to talk about exactly... your experience in Somalia? It's a real wasting of time and efforts and that's what all about.. what a shame!!!

https://twitter.com/faizahsulimani/status/1161708308773965831

My comment: Well, a typical “Western” attitude.

(B K P)

Film by Press TV Iran: Aden infighting embodiment of UK’s divide-and-conquer legacy: Analyst

A Yemeni activist and political commentator says the recent infighting between Emirati- and Saudi-backed militants in the southern port city of Aden is the embodiment of the UK’s “legacy of divide and conquer.”

Hussain al-Bukhaiti made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Wednesday a

Bukhaiti rejected a rift between the rival Aden militants, saying they are jointly pursuing Yemen’s disintegration.

“I cannot call it a rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” he said. “The main goal of the war on Yemen is to split Yemen, is to divide Yemen."

“Saudi Arabia is interested in al-Mahrah region near the Omani border because they believe they can build an oil pipeline from Saudi Arabia that would reach the Gulf of Aden or the Arabian Sea. The United Arab Emirates wants to control all Yemeni islands, especially Socotra Island and Bab el-Mandeb Strait,” he added.

The Sana’a-based activist also stressed that the Aden battle has exposed Saudi Arabia’s main goal in Yemen, which is “to bring back the legitimacy of Hadi to Sana’a.”

The violence, he noted, is actually “a type of the UK legacy which is divide and conquer,” said Bukhaiti. “So, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are just the tools of the United States and the United Kingdom and that’s why they want to separate Yemen, divide Yemen, and destroy the entire country.”

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/08/15/603569/Yemen-Aden-Saudi-Arabia-UAE

(* B K P)

Film by The International Institute for Strategic Studies: Assessing Yemen's stalemate and fragmentation

In this Conflict Briefing, Emile Hokayem and Dhia Muhsin analysed Yemen’s current predicament amid unfavourable regional dynamics. They discussed the military strategy and operational effectiveness of both the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi movement; the effectiveness of the Stockholm Agreement; and the regional context fuelling the conflict.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omc5D8FI27U

(B K P)

Film, Elisabeth Kendall: Focus has been on #Aden, but don't forget ongoing bombing in #Yemen's north. A house in Hajjah was hit Sunday. 12 killed (incl 6 children), 16 injured. UN statement yesterday states 230,000 women/kids/men are dead as a direct or indirect result of the war. I spoke to Al Jazeera

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1161261508573241346

(B P)

Total of journalists abducted in Yemen in past five years reaches 20

Most of these 20 journalists were kidnapped by either government forces or non-government forces and, in most cases, their families lack precise information about where they are being held or what has happened to them.

“Yemeni journalists are almost systematically targeted by armed forces, regardless of where they are located, and must often defend what they have written,” RSF’s Middle East desk said. “By treating journalists in this way, both the Houthis and the Arab coalition’s allied forces violate journalists’ right to protection.”

https://rsf.org/en/news/total-journalists-abducted-yemen-past-five-years-reaches-20

(* B K P)

Wende im Jemenkrieg: Wie die Emirate den Saudis zum Problem werden

Die Emirate waren bisher treue Verbündete von Saudi-Arabiens Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman. Doch ist nun Vergangenheit – mit Folgen für die Region.

Die Wende der VAE verwirrt den Partner Saudi-Arabien und dessen Helfer im Jemen. Die von der Golfmonarchie gestützte offizielle Regierung des Landes warf Zubaidi und den Emiraten gar einen Putschversuch vor. Im Jemen tobt nun ein Bürgerkrieg im Bürgerkrieg.

Doch Mohammed bin Zayed vermied eine ausdrückliche Aufforderung an seinen Partner Zubaidi, sich aus Aden zurückzuziehen. Der Bruch zwischen den VAE und Saudi-Arabien ist unübersehbar. Und er zeigt sich nicht nur im Jemen. Auch in der Auseinandersetzung der sunnitischen Golfstaaten mit dem schiitischen Iran gehen die Emirate eigene Wege.

Unter Mohammed bin Salman steuert Saudi-Arabien einen strikt antiiranischen Kurs und liegt damit auf der Linie der Teheran-Gegner in der amerikanischen Regierung, die nach Ansicht von Kritikern einen Krieg mit dem Mullah-Regime provozieren wollen. Dagegen schickten die Emirate kürzlich erstmals seit sechs Jahren eine Delegation ihrer Küstenwache nach Teheran, um mit der iranischen Führung über bilaterale Sicherheitsfragen zu sprechen.

Hinter dem neuen Kurs der VAE stehen wirtschafts- wie außenpolitische Gründe. Das kleine Land hat sich den Ruf eines attraktiven, sicheren und liberalen Investitionsstandortes im Nahen Osten erarbeitet; 80 Prozent der dortigen Bevölkerung sind Ausländer – sollten sie wegen einer Eskalation mit dem Iran in Panik geraten und massenhaft das Land verlassen, stünde die Wirtschaft vor einer Katastrophe.

Der Truppenabzug aus dem Jemen ist ebenfalls handfesten Interessen geschuldet.

Die Korrekturen sind außerdem ein indirektes Eingeständnis, dass sich die kleinen Emirate mit außenpolitischen Interventionen übernommen haben.

„Mit dem Rückzug der VAE wird es für den Kronprinzen sehr viel schwieriger, zu erklären, warum man im Jemen aktiv ist“, sagt Sebastian Sons von der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik. Das könnte dem Experten zufolge sogar einen positiven Effekt haben. „Vielleicht gibt es ja in Saudi-Arabien nun ein Umdenken und man zeigt sich bereit, über eine politische Lösung des Konflikts nachzudenken.“ – von Christian Böhme und Thomas Seibert

https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/wende-im-jemenkrieg-wie-die-emirate-den-saudis-zum-problem-werden/24899950.html

(* B P)

Gefechte im Jemen: "Deutscher Zickzackkurs ist nicht nachvollziehbar"

Mit dem Rückzug der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate tritt der Jemen-Krieg in eine neue Phase ein. Die Bundesregierung könne in dem Konflikt an Einfluss gewinnen, sagt der Islamwissenschaftler Sebastian Sons. Wenn sie die Waffenlieferungen einstellen würde.

Sons: Aus saudischer Perspektive ist das Verhalten der Emiratis von Nachteil, weil Saudi-Arabien in der Vergangenheit ohnehin schon viele Verbündete verloren hat und die VAE im Jemen ihr wichtigster Partner waren. Im Jemen zeigt sich, dass die VAE ihre eigene Strategie verfolgen. Der große Unterschied zwischen beiden Ländern ist, dass Saudi-Arabien im Jemen Krieg führen muss, weil sie davon ausgehen, dass mit den Huthi-Rebellen eine Gefahr für die eigene Stabilität droht, während die VAE einen Krieg führen, den sie führen wollen. Dementsprechend kann Saudi-Arabien unabhängiger handeln.

Das Verhalten der VAE zeigt, dass Partnerschaften und Allianzen ihre Grenzen haben – trotz enger persönlicher Beziehungen zwischen dem saudischen Kronprinzen Muhammed bin Salman und seinem emiratischen Amtskollegen Muhammed bin Zayid. Die VAE haben ihre eigenen Ziele weitgehend erreicht, die eigene Position im Süden des Jemens wurde ausgebaut. Für Saudi-Arabien sieht es ganz anders aus. Sie kämpfen im Norden weiterhin gegen die Huthis und haben dort relativ wenige Erfolge erzielt.

die Saudis haben einen sehr hohen finanziellen Preis gezahlt, der Krieg ist extrem teuer. Im Gegensatz zu den VAE haben die Saudis auch noch wirtschaftliche Probleme. Dann hat wegen der vielen toten Zivilisten auch noch die internationale Reputation gelitten. In Saudi-Arabien wird dieser Zermürbungskrieg auch ein "saudisches Vietnam" genannt. Deswegen wächst der Druck, eine politische Lösung finden zu müssen.

https://www.n-tv.de/politik/Deutscher-Zickzackkurs-ist-nicht-nachvollziehbar-article21206610.html

(* B P)

Vereinigte Arabische Emirate: Abweichler aus der Anti-Iran-Front?

Die Eroberung Adens durch Separatisten im Süden Jemens bekräftigt den Dissens zwischen Saudi-Arabien und den Emiraten

Der eigentliche "Coup" steckt darin, dass nun ein Dissens zwischen Saudi-Arabien und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten deutlich sichtbar geworden ist. Die Emirate unterstützen den "Übergangsrat des Südens", der zwar auch gegen die Houthis vorgeht, aber doch ganz eigene Pläne verfolgt und wie es aussieht, passen diese Pläne besser zu den Interessen der Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten als die Agenda Saudi-Arabiens im Jemen-Konflikt.

Offenbar wird mit der Unterstützung des "Übergangsrates des Süden", dass die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate einen erweiterten Ansatz zur Lösung der Konflikte im Jemen im Sinn haben. Sie scheren damit aus der bipolaren Front - für die Hadi-Regierung gegen die von Iran unterstützten Houthis - aus.

Gut möglich, dass sie mit ihrer Rückendeckung der Separatisten im Südjemen auf eine bundesstaatliche Lösung aus sind, die deren politischen Forderungen mehr Gewicht verleiht.

Jetzt zeigt sich, dass man mit den Kräften im Süden ihnen sehr wohl rechnen muss, wenn man denn eine Gesamtlösung ins Visier nehmen will. Die Verhältnisse im Jemen sind nun noch komplizierter geworden, darin zumindest besteht Einigkeit. Ein Überblicksartikel von al-Jazeera verweist auf eine Interessenslage der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, die mit den See- und Handelswegen zu tun hat.

Schon seit Längerem gab es im Hintergrund zur Berichterstattung, die große Aufmerksamkeit bekommt, Zeichen dafür, dass die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate befürchteten, dass die harte Front gegen Iran, wie sie die USA, Saudi-Arabien und Israel propagieren, die Handelswege, die mit der Straße von Hormuz und dem Bab al-Mandab verbunden sind, Risiken aussetzen. Für die Emirate sind diese Handelswege von zentraler wirtschaftlicher Bedeutung, weswegen man offensichtlich nach alternativen Ausweichlösungen jenseits des "politischen Diktats" der saudi-arabisch- US-amerikanischen Front suchte.

Anscheinend waren die Emirate auch weniger von der Qualität der Regierung Hadi überzeigt, als dass sie diese durch die Anti-Iran-Front vorgegebene Lösung dauerhaft unterstützen wollten.

https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Vereinigte-Arabische-Emirate-Abweichler-aus-der-Anti-Iran-Front-4496051.html

Die neusten Entwicklungen zeigen zwei Dinge. Erstens, dass die Hadi-Truppe nichts mit einer Regierung gemein hat, nun sitzen sie alle schmollend in Riad und beklagen sich, König Salman habe auch nach vier Tagen noch nicht reagiert. Marionetten, die sich über den Puppenspieler - oder die Marionette des Puppenspielers - beklagen.

Peinlich ist das in erster Linie für den Westen, da die angeführte Legitimation für den völkerrechtswidrigen genozidalen Krieg im Jemen sich nun endgültig in Luft auflöst.

Zweitens ist nun offensichtlich, dass die Emirate sich bewusst geworden sind, dass sie im Falle eines Krieges gegen den Iran im Auge des Sturms sein werden und ihre aufgeblasene Herrlichkeit innerhalb weniger Tagen in Trümmer gelegt werden könnte.

https://www.heise.de/forum/Telepolis/Kommentare/Vereinigte-Arabische-Emirate-Abweichler-aus-der-Anti-Iran-Front/weiches-Knie/posting-35048479/show/

(B P)

Zerwürfnis der Kronprinzen

https://rp-online.de/politik/ausland/zerwuerfnis-der-kronprinzen-im-jemen-krieg_aid-45053017

(* B K P)

Pan-Arab newspaper: Saudi Arabia has to admit that retreat from Yemen is only option

Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper states that Riyadh has to admit failure

Al-Quds al-Arabi, a leading Pan-Arab newspaper, has written that Saudi Arabia’s failure in Syria and Yemen, and its disappointment at failing to lure the US into a war against Iran have forced Riyadh to soften its tone and policies towards Tehran.

“Saudi Arabia has started the policy of a quiet retreat given the Yemenis’ advances and the world’s recognition of Iran as a regional power in the Persian Gulf, after its confrontation against the US and Britain,” the Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi wrote on Tuesday.

“Riyadh has now come to realise that neither Washington nor Tel Aviv is interested in war against Iran,” it added.

The paper underlined that Saudi Arabia has now come to repeat the same choice that it was forced to make after years of proxy war against Syria: “retreat”.

That’s part of the reason why it has decreased its attacks against the Yemenis, the paper continued.

Al-Quds al-Arabia wrote that the Saudi media no longer pursues the policy of free insults and attacks against Iran, and are now acting cautiously, noting that the UAE has also come to the same notion and has started withdrawing its forces from Yemen which.

“This paves the ground for Riyadh’s military pullout from the war-ravaged country,” the newspaper stated.

https://www.uprising.today/pan-arab-newspaper-saudi-arabia-has-to-admit-that-retreat-from-yemen-is-only-option/

(A K P)

He orchestrated the coup in Abu Dhabi and went to Mecca to call for the primacy of the language of dialogue and reason!!

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, called on the so-called "conflicting Yemeni parties", to "give priority to the language of dialogue, reason and the interest of Yemen", days after he staged a military coup in Aden against the authorities of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, which killed and injured hundreds of people , according to a statistics of the United Nations.

Bin Zayed's remarks came after his meeting in Mecca yesterday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the situation in Yemen.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170601

(* B K P)

Trump's Arab allies turn against each other

For the past few years, officials in Washington and their counterparts in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have justified the ongoing war effort in Yemen in simple terms. For the interests of the region, it was vital to push back Yemen’s Houthi rebels and curb the influence of their Iranian backers. No matter the mounting civilian body count and the devastating humanitarian toll of the conflict, the need to bash Tehran in this part of the world remained paramount. In President Trump’s view, the Saudi-led fight here was so urgent a cause that it justified overriding congressional opposition to U.S. arms sales to the two wealthy kingdoms.

But things were never that simple. The war in Yemen takes place over a fractured political landscape marked by long-standing turf wars, tribal enmities and opportunistic factions seeking to expand their fiefdoms. That complexity was on display this past weekend as the Saudi-led coalition targeted its own allies — southern separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates — in a pitched battle over the strategic port city of Aden.

Though the fighting quieted down, there’s a lingering uncertainty over the future of the Saudi-Emirati alliance.

But clear divisions are getting harder to ignore. “This weakens the coalition by exposing undeniable cracks beneath the surface,” Elisabeth Kendall, a Yemen scholar at Oxford University’s Pembroke College, told The Washington Post. “It is becoming increasingly obvious that the UAE and Saudi Arabia do not share the same end goals in Yemen, even though they share the same overarching goal of pushing back the perceived influence of Iran.”

While the Saudis have been doggedly committed to combating the Houthis on their southern border and returning the weak Yemeni government to the capital, Sanaa, the Emiratis are less invested in backing Hadi and have other interests in play

“The Emiratis are trying to place themselves as some sort of hegemon in … the Horn of Africa,” Fatima Alasrar, a Yemen expert and nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute, told Today’s WorldView, pointing to Emirati concerns over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the strategic island of Socotra.

And then there’s the matter of Iran.

The UAE didn’t have a very significant footprint of its own troops on the ground in Yemen, but the militias it supported and trained were on the front lines of the campaigns against the Houthis. “The drawdown is more symbolic in the way that it sends a message of goodwill to Iran and the Houthis,” Alasrar said.

Implicit in that message may be another admission: that the full-frontal campaign against Iran and its regional proxies could be waged more delicately than it has been. “It looks like it was overreach, and they didn’t calculate the consequences,” a Dubai businessman told Sly – by Ishaan Tharoor

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/middleeast/top-stories/trumps-arab-allies-turn-against-each-other/ar-AAFJI1y = https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12259341

(* B K P)

Film: Trump’s Arab allies turn against each other

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW_AYhm0ZwE

(? B K P)

L’incroyable fiasco saoudien au Yémen

L’Arabie saoudite y a montré la nullité de son armée et sa criante faiblesse stratégique», démontre Renaud Girard, grand reporter au Figaro.

C’est un ministre de la Défense de 29 ans, Mohammed Ben Salmane (MBS, aujourd’hui prince héritier), qui embarqua le royaume dans cette expédition. Il la baptisa «Tempête décisive».

Un mois plus tard, cette aventure arabe reçut un autre nom officiel ; elle devint l’opération «Restaurer l’espoir». Elle se poursuit toujours aujourd’hui. Comptant 3 millions de déplacés et 11 millions d’affamés, le peuple yéménite a bien subi une tempête. En quoi fut-elle décisive? Quel espoir a-t-elle restauré? On a beaucoup de mal à répondre. Militairement, les houthistes tiennent toujours la capitale, Sanaa. Ces combattants en sandales n’ont pas faibli face aux frappes des chasseurs-bombardiers des pétromonarchies arabes (paywalled)

http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/monde/l-incroyable-fiasco-saoudien-au-yemen-20190812

and

(B K P)

French newspaper Le Figaro: War in Yemen has turned into total failure for Saudi Arabia

Le Figaro editor blasts Saudi-led war as complete disaster on all levels

The French newspaper Le Figaro said that the military operations by the Saudi-led invaders, named “Decisive Storm” and “Hope Restoration”, have turned into a total failure for the Kingdom at all levels.

According to the editor, the political failure of the invaders is evident by the chaos in the southern city of Aden, after the UAE-backed Security Belt forces took over the Hadi government’s military camps and headquarters in the city.

The failure of war on Yemen remains “the worst ever for the Saudis because it exposed their army’s debilitating and flagrant strategic fragility,” the article concluded

https://www.uprising.today/french-newspaper-le-figaro-war-in-yemen-has-turned-into-total-failure-for-saudi-arabia

(B K P)

War within war: On Saudi's intervention in Yemen

The Saudi-led coalition crumbles, Yemen needs a nationwide ceasefire

The Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen is proof of how things can go wrong with an ill-conceived, poorly strategised and geopolitics-driven military interference that cares little about human lives.

The STC’s rebellion also signals the growing friction in the multi-national coalition Saudi Arabia has stitched together to fight the Houthis.

This should be a moment of reckoning for Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and the main architect of the Yemen intervention. He has lost the war and his coalition is crumbling, while Yemen is left with unimaginable human suffering. It is time for a nationwide ceasefire and talks with all stakeholders under the mediation of a willing UN to find a political settlement to the crisis.

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/war-within-war/article29086826.ece

(* B K P)

The Wisdom Of The UAE’s Retrenchment

The UAE’s shift underscores some respects in which current U.S. policy in the region also could use redirection.

If the Trump administration does not go in the same new direction, the United States will be even more isolated in the Middle East than it was before MbZ’s move.

The lines of conflict in the Middle East have always been far more complicated than the picture the Trump administration has promoted, according to which the only thing that matters is unrelenting opposition to a supposedly Iranian-controlled Shia crescent. The war in Yemen vividly illustrates the complexity.

Southern separatism has defined the lines of conflict in Yemen at least as much as Houthi grievances have, as reflected in the fact that not very many years ago the southerners had their own country.

The UAE’s recent posture, aimed at easing rather than exacerbating tensions with Iran, underscores how much the Trump administration’s posture toward Iran is an obsession rather than a strategy. The Emiratis do not, any more than other denizens of the Gulf, want a war in the area, which could have highly destructive effects on their own economic and security interests. What they have wanted instead is for Iran, as a regional rival, to stay weakened, isolated, and despised. For the U.S. to unquestioningly take sides in such regional rivalries is not in U.S. interests, although it is in the UAE’s interests.

A major mistake of the Trump administration is to assume that Gulf states, just because they are rivals to varying degrees of Iran, should or must be as obsessive about the subject as the administration is.

MbZ’s redirection of policy, which amounts to a realization that the neighborhood must be shared, even with rivals, makes good sense.

It would be good for the United States if the Trump administration made the same sort of adjustments that the UAE is making – by Paul Pillar

https://lobelog.com/the-wisdom-of-the-uaes-retrenchment/= https://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/coalition-unwilling-why-united-arab-emirates-wont-let-america-impact-its

(* B K P)

MbS and MbZ: Could Yemen crisis end the Saudi-UAE partnership?

“MbS” and “MbZ,” as they are called, are two significant characters in the dramas of today’s regional conflicts. Crucially for Washington, their views on issues ranging from the threat of Iran and the possibilities for Middle East Peace overlap considerably (although not totally) with those of the White House.

But things may be changing. The relationship is being tested and many players, as well as observers, are watching closely. The knock-on effects could affect the region from the sands of Libya to the Strait of Hormuz. A common thread is oil.

This week the focus is on Yemen

The abstemious and cautious MbZ has been a crucial supporter of MbS ever since King Salman ascended to the Saudi throne in January 2015 and MbS started his meteoric rise.

At one time, articles described MBZ as MbS’s mentor, or their relationship as a “bromance,” but the Saudi prince increasingly appears to be immune from accepting advice and guidance. Yemen probably still is a sideshow in the drama of the Middle East, but even before the latest events the UAE had started to draw down on its involvement in getting rid of the Houthi regime in Sana. MbZ is judged to be satisfied with a separate South Yemen emerging. Whether this is part of MbS’s vision, or whether he is prepared to accept new realities, is the immediate question.

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/457199-mbs-and-mbz-could-yemen-crisis-end-the-saudi-uae-partnership

(* B K P)

Saudi-UAE 'rift' weakens fight against common Yemen foe

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi put on a display of unity over Yemen, but the capture of Aden by UAE-backed separatists exposes simmering divisions that analysts say weaken their joint campaign against Iran-linked rebels.

With handshakes and smiles, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi held talks with Saudi leaders near Mecca on Monday, backing Riyadh's calls for dialogue between the warring parties.

But beneath the bonhomie lurked divisions that are fuelling the infighting and weakening the campaign to uproot the Huthis, who control vast swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, analysts say.

"Saudi Arabia needs the (UAE-trained) southerner fighting force," Washington-based Yemeni analyst Fatima Abo Alasrar told AFP.

"If the Saudis need to win the fight against Iran-backed Huthis, they will need to encourage ceasefire and reconciliation between the government and the separatists."

Yemen has emerged as Riyadh's proxy battleground with Tehran as the rebels step up drone and missile attacks on Saudi cities.

"A key Saudi frustration with the UAE will be something they cannot resolve ?- for the UAE, Yemen was a war of choice, for Saudi Arabia, it isn't," said Ryan Bohl, of US geopolitical think tank Stratfor.

"That basic strategic difference was always going to create friction."

"It is a huge blow to Saudi Arabia's coalition in Yemen and it will be difficult for Riyadh to replace the UAE," said Olivier Guitta, managing director of GlobalStrat, a geopolitical risk consultancy firm.

https://www.france24.com/en/20190813-saudi-uae-rift-weakens-fight-against-common-yemen-foe = https://news.yahoo.com/saudi-uae-rift-weakens-fight-against-common-yemen-111412414.html

(* B P)

Arab Paper: Bin Salman Quietly Retreating against Iran

A leading Arab newspaper wrote that Saudi Arabia's failure in Syria and Yemen and its disappointment at a US war against Iran have forced Riyadh to soften tone and policies towards Tehran.

"Saudi Arabia has started the policy of a quiet retreat given the Yemenis' advances and the world's recognition of Iran as a regional power in the Persian Gulf after its confrontation against the US and Britain," the Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi wrote on Tuesday.

"Riyadh has now come to realize that neither Washington nor Tel Aviv is interested in war against Iran," it added.

The paper underlined that Saudi Arabia has now come to repeat the same choice that it was forced to make after years of proxy war against Syria and Assad in the case of Iran: "retreat".

That's part of the reason why it has decreased its attacks against the Yemenis, it continued.

Al-Quds al-Arabia wrote that the Saudi media no more pursue the policy of free insult and attack against Iran and are now acting cautiously, noting that the UAE which has also come to develop the same notion has started withdrawing its forces from Yemen which, the paper said, paves the ground for Riyadh's military pullout from the war-ravaged country.

https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980522000629

(* B P)

Yemen compromise pressure grows on Saudi

Potentially wavering support from a key ally and the need for Strait of Hormuz alternatives may force the Kingdom's hand

Saudi Arabia's challenge is that UAE troops have been more involved than any others on the ground in Yemen, while the kingdom's forces have attacked solely from the sky. Without UAE forces on the front lines, there seems no prospect of the Saudi-led Arab coalition achieving victory.

According to Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based pan-Arab online daily Rai al-Youm, elements in the leadership of both Saudi Arabia and the Houthis support the idea of negotiations. But the dominant Houthi military wing "want to continue launching missiles at Saudi targets and carrying out cross-border attacks to exploit the kingdom's weakened position—they will talk when they judge the time is right".

https://www.petroleum-economist.com/articles/politics-economics/middle-east/2019/yemen-compromise-pressure-grows-on-saudi

(* B K P)

2,000 Saudi-Led Coalition Soldiers Defect to Sanaa

Some 2,000 militants backed by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have defected to Sanaa after dozens of the Saudi-led coalition positions collapsed in Yemen and Southern Saudi Arabia in the past two weeks, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced on Tuesday.

Thousands of defectors are in a rush for receiving amnesty from Sanaa, to such an extent that the return of the Saudi-backed militants to the Yemeni capital for joining the Yemeni Army and the Ansarullah Popular Forces has been a common scene in the capital, al-Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper, reported.

The report said that the recent successes achieved by the Yemeni army and Ansarullah popular forces in capturing 37 military sites in the Saudi border region of Najran and al-Jawf have shattered the morale among militants serving the Saudi-Emirati coalition.

https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980522000886

My remark: As claimed by the Houthi side.

cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B H)

Diakonie Sachsen: Spendenaufruf für Bürgerkriegsland Jemen

Die Diakonie Sachsen ruft zu Spenden für die Menschen im Bürgerkriegsland Jemen auf. Von den 30,5 Millionen Einwohnern seien etwa 80 Prozent auf humanitäre Hilfe angewiesen.

Das evangelische Hilfswerk statte Bäckereien im Westen des Landes mit Geräten und Backzutaten aus, um die Produktion von Brot deutlich zu erhöhen, teilte die Diakonie weiter mit. Dadurch können tausende Menschen täglich mit dem Grundnahrungsmittel versorgt werden. Zudem baut die Diakonie Latrinen und repariert Brunnen und Wasserleitungen. So soll verhindert werden, dass sich die Cholera weiter ausbreitet.

Diakonie Spenden

https://www.welt.de/regionales/sachsen/article198579847/Diakonie-Sachsen-Spendenaufruf-fuer-Buergerkriegsland-Jemen.html = https://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/kirche-radebeul-diakonie-sachsen-spendenaufruf-fuer-buergerkriegsland-jemen-dpa.urn-newsml-dpa-com-20090101-190815-99-474987

(B H)

JEMEN: ESSEN VORHANDEN, ABER UNBEZAHLBAR

Aktuell benötigen landesweit über 24 Millionen Menschen humanitäre Hilfe, mehr als die Hälfte von ihnen befindet sich in akuter Not. Die Zahl der Binnenvertriebenen liegt bei 3,34 Millionen. „Ohne humanitäre Hilfe wäre das Land längst kollabiert“, stellt Meyer fest. „Der Konflikt hat die Lebensgrundlage der Menschen zerstört. Die Einschränkungen bei der Einfuhr von Nahrungsmitteln, Treibstoffen und Medikamenten haben zu einem enormen Preisanstieg geführt.“ Der starke Wertverlust der einheimischen Währung Rial tue ein Übriges, dass sich ein Großteil der Bevölkerung eine ausreichende Ernährung nicht mehr leisten kann.

Dabei wären genügend Lebensmittel verfügbar, die Menschen müssten sie nur bezahlen können. In dieser Situation unterstützt MISEREOR mit aktuell 80.000 Euro ein vom katholischen Werk für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit CAFOD aus Großbritannien federführend gefördertes Programm jemenitischer Partnerorganisationen, um einer akuten Hungerkrise entgegenzuwirken. Dabei erhalten besonders bedürftige Personenkreise, wie etwa von Frauen geführte Haushalte und Familien mit älteren und pflegebedürftigen Angehörigen oder mit Waisenkindern Bargeldzahlungen, um damit Nahrung kaufen zu können.

MISEREOR unterstützt mit 50.000 Euro die jemenitische Nichtregierungsorganisation Mwatana, die sich mit einer starken Basisbewegung für die Menschenrechte in ihrem Land einsetzt. Das Geld soll die Organisation in die Lage versetzen, den Stimmen der Opfer von Menschenrechtsverletzungen mehr Gehör zu verschaffen und einen Beitrag dazu zu leisten, dass der weit verbreiteten Straflosigkeit Einhalten geboten wird.

https://blog.misereor.de/2019/08/14/jemen-essen-vorhanden-aber-unbezahlbar/

(* B H)

Mona Relief Yemen

is creating Humanitarian Aid in Yemen

Mona Relief is a 100% Yemeni Organization based in Sanaa, Yemen. We are an internationally recognized by U.N. and other organizations. We carry out projects in accordance with Yemeni relative laws and regulations.
We are recognized by the many different communities across Yemen. All of our work is documented with pictures, videos and stories directly from within Yemen. We are completely independent and none of our work is politicized.
Mona Relief, a 100% Yemeni Organization based in Yemen took the initiative with this Patreon campaign. With as simple as a small monthly amount, you are able to feed a family every month.

https://www.patreon.com/monarelief

(A H)

On the occasion of #Eid_al_Adha, Bonyan Development Foundation distributed meat to [37,000] of the poorest families in the capital #Sanaa and areas of Sana'a and al-Mahweet provinces as part of a feeding Bonyan Development Foundation program.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2431643730221976

My remark: Bonyan = Houthi affiliated.

(* B H)

Climate Shocks Could Reverse Gains in Child Malnutrition

Drought fueled by global warming could exacerbate food insecurity, particularly in developing countries

Droughts linked to climate change are going to hit vulnerable populations the hardest, especially communities in war-torn countries such as Yemen and South Sudan, according to a new study.

The study published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said children in developing countries will be particularly at risk. It found that increased climate shocks could slow or even reverse years of progress in lowering rates of stunting caused by poor childhood nutrition.

The study used observations of more than 580,000 children from 53 countries and compared them to satellite data showing extreme differences in precipitation since 1990. The places found to be most vulnerable to drought included Chad, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.

Cooper said a number of factors could help children become more resilient to droughts. Those include planting nutritionally diverse crops, increasing imports, improving irrigation and conducting good governance. Study co-author and University of Maryland research professor Molly Brown said that planting diverse crops would not only help during a drought but would also provide families with more to eat when things go well.

“There’s a lot of different approaches that could support children in times of drought,” Brown said.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-shocks-could-reverse-gains-in-child-malnutrition/

(B H)

Yemen: Access Constraints as of 07 August 2019

https://reliefweb.int/map/yemen/yemen-access-constraints-07-august-2019

(* B H)

Audio: Hebamme im Jemen - Dorothea Müller

Sie wollen Leben schenken, doch das Wunder einer Geburt birgt für werdende Mütter im Jemen eine tödliche Gefahr. Dorothea Müller war für Ärzte ohne Grenzen in dem arabischen Kriegsland, um den Frauen beizustehen.

https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/audio/wdr5/wdr5-neugier-genuegt-redezeit/audio-hebamme-im-jemen---dorothea-mueller-100.html = https://www.ardaudiothek.de/neugier-genuegt-redezeit/hebamme-im-jemen-dorothea-mueller/65840156 = https://player.fm/series/wdr-5-neugier-gengt-redezeit-1908348/hebamme-im-jemen-dorothea-muller

(* B H)

Voices of Change - UNFPA-UNICEF Global programme to acceleration action to end child marriage

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage is turning commitments into tangible action for children. It promotes the right of girls to delay marriage, addresses the conditions that keep the practice in place, and cares for girls already in union. The Global Programme is implemented in 12 countries with a high prevalence and/or high burden of child marriage: Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia.

During the first phase of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage, girls, boys, family members and communities have been reached by interventions aimed at accelerating action to end child marriage. It gives us great pleasure to share "Voices of Change" - which is a compilation of some stories of the impact of the Global Programme and how people around the world take a stance and commit to fight the harmful practice of child marriage.

https://reliefweb.int/report/world/voices-change-unfpa-unicef-global-programme-acceleration-action-end-child-marriage

cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees

Siehe / Look at cp1

(* B H)

After fleeing war, these Yemeni families shelter in a graveyard

Facing poverty and hunger, internally displaced Yemenis are unable to afford basic commodities, shelter or medical care.

They escaped fighting in the port city of Hodeidah, in the west of war-ravaged Yemen, only to find refuge in a graveyard hundreds of kilometres further south.

Currently based in Aden, these 11 internally displaced families do not have enough money to pay for the most basic commodities, and are instead relying on aid and food distributions.

"We have found no shelter except this graveyard. So we have scattered in empty places between graves as we could not bear our hot shelter," Hassah Ali, one of the people who fled violence in Hodeidah's Al-Jarrahi district, told Al Jazeera.

Ahmed Yahsoubi, who also fled Hodeidah's violence along with relatives, sells empty plastic bottles, which he collects from Aden's streets to provide for his family.

"In most days, we eat from leftover food in garbage," Yahsoubi said.

"I work all day to collect plastic bottles. At best, I end up with one to two dollars. So we ask for blankets, and a regular food aid," he said.

Khalid al-Murshid, who fled fighting in Hodeidah for the capital, found shelter with his family a long-deserted house.

But Murshid said he cannot afford to pay for a medical procedure to save his son's eyesight.

"I fled the war in Hodeidah because the situation there has become unbearable - especially after I lost my work," he told Al Jazeera.

"I also came here to treat my son before he loses his sight. But I ended up with no work and with no hope for a better future". (with film)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/yemenis-living-graveyards-battle-rages-190813100841409.html

Film: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=364512680894278 = https://twitter.com/AJEnglish/status/1161985937510998017

(B H)

UN High Commissioner for Refugees: Yemen: UNHCR Operational Update, 9 August 2019

On 1 August, UNHCR staff distributed Eid clothing and gifts to 450 targeted children in Sa’ada IDP community center, Sa’ada governorate

The fourth cash distribution of 2019 for the northern governorates was completed, targeting 35,182 IDPs, IDP returnees and vulnerable host families across 12 governorates. Beneficiaries received cash for rental subsidies or multipurpose cash for protection purposes.

Distributions are actively ongoing in areas affected by on-going clashes and natural disasters.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-unhcr-operational-update-9-august-2019

cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis

(A P)

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi: We hope Iran will pay the salaries of the employees and we do not want a public deal with it

Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a leader of the Houthi group, said his group wishes Iran to pay the salaries of the employees, and that they do not want to conclude a "public" agreement with Tehran.

"If Iran's official agencies are fully convinced of our support in Yemen, we hope that it will be on the humanitarian side," he said in a series of tweets on his Twitter account.

"On top of this aspect are the monthly salaries of employees in the Republic of Yemen, and the government can allocate the mediator to this side of the United Nations," he said.

The Houthi leader stressed that the delivery of salaries "is the meaningful and necessary work in Yemen."

"We don't want to make a public agreement with Iran like the Emirates, so if the Arabs are called for an Arab-American-British alliance storm against the UAE, the UAE has no justification for its public agreement with Iran."

This week, a Houthi delegation led by the group's spokesman, Mohammad Abdul Salam, is visiting Iran

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170659

(A P)

One of the abductees accused in the case of the killing of "Al-Sammad" dies in the Prison of the Houthis in Sana'a

A human rights source revealed the death of one of the abductees accused in the case of the death of Houthi leader Saleh al-Sammad, in one of the group's prisons in the capital Sanaa.

The lawyer and human rights activist Abdul Rahman Barman said in a tweet that "Ali Abdo Kazaba, 20y, died in a Houthi detention facility in Sanaa,"

Barman said the "Kazaba" is accused by the Houthi group in the case of the killing of the group's leader Saleh al-Sammad, who served as the head of the Supreme Political Council, "as a president of the council the highest authority of the putschists."

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170653

(B K P)

Eid smells only powder for child soldiers

While children normally are the first to celebrate and enjoy the Muslim Eid Al-Adha, this time, the conflict in Yemen made thousands of children unable to feel joy of such occasion particularly child soldiers.

Instead of dressing new suit and going out for games, they spend Eid barricading themselves in different military positions of the Houthi-rebels affiliated forces.

They carry guns and ammunitions instead of Eid sweets and they tend now to only kill or be killed instead of dreaming Eid fun.

Around 40 percent of child soldiers do not know that they are being taken to warfronts when the Houthis pull them out of schools or their homes, according to Abdulsalam, a human rights activist.

“Children will reject going to warfronts If they know that they will be take to fighting, but the Houthis deceive them that they are going only for shorts cultural courses,” said Abdulsalam.

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-32584

My remark: By an anti-Houthi, pro-Islah Party news site.

(A P)

An Iranian cleric close to Khamenei reveals dangerous information

"We consider your state to be an extension of the Line of the Prophet of Islam (peace upon him) and the mandate of the Amir of the Believers (p)," and your Haidari and Alawite positions in support of the oppressed Yemeni people are an extension of the line of Imam Khomeini (Jerusalem) and a cause of blessing and morale."

The head of the Houthi delegation to Tehran, Mohammad Abdul Salam, addressed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as revealed by Iran's Fars news agency, in a meeting that brought the Houthi delegation to Khamenei, and the delegation delivered a message from Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

Did the Houthis announce allegiance to Khamenei as their imam?

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170642

and also https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170631

cp6 Bürgerkrieg im Südjemen / Civil war in Southern Yemen

(* B P)

Conflict in #Aden #Yemen could re-escalate -If Gov uses military to force southerners to withdraw from positions seized -If talks are stalled. Gov now says withdrawal is pre-condition -If STC tries to extend reach in south -If #AQAP/#ISIS exploit instability (perhaps as proxies)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1161919033513578496

(* A P)

Tens of thousands rally in Yemen's Aden to support separatist takeover

Tens of thousands of Yemenis rallied in Aden on Thursday in support of separatist forces who took over the southern port, the temporary seat of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, in a move that exposed rifts in a Sunni Muslim military coalition.

Demonstrators demanded recognition of southerners’ right to self-rule in Aden, where the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is based after being ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.

Many traveled into Aden from other southern provinces on Wednesday, sleeping overnight in the central parade square. One man held up a battered old identity document from former South Yemen and many waved the South Yemen flag.

“We call on the international community and the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to respect the southern people as a key partner in stemming the Persian tide in the region and fighting terrorism to achieve...regional and global stability,” said a statement to mark the rally.

The rally statement, issued by civil society groups and unions, accused Hadi’s government of mismanagement, saying it had become “a guillotine at Yemenis’ necks”.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/tens-of-thousands-rally-in-yemens-aden-to-support-separatist-takeover-idUSKCN1V512N?il=0

and also https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-7360041/Thousands-Yemenis-rally-support-separatists-Aden.html

and

(* A P)

A mass demonstration of supporters of the "Southern Transitional" in support of the imposition of military control over Aden

The city of Aden on Thursday morning witnessed a mass demonstration of supporters of the "Southern Transitional Council" in support of the recent coup by his forces against the authorities of President Abdu Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in the interim capital Aden.

The demonstrators waved the flags of the people's democratic state of Yemen, which was in southern Yemen before the unification, and waved the flags of UAE and Saudi Arabia and pictures of the leaders of the "Southern Transitional Council" and chanted slogans affirming the demand for secession from northern Yemen.

The demonstration issued a statement confirming its support for the military move taken by the transitional forces "as a necessary measure necessary to cleanse Aden of terrorism and extremist elements."

It appealed to the international community and the Arab coalition countries to "hand over the southern administration of the south and their representative to the Southern Transitional Council to manage the affairs of the south."

The statement also welcomed Saudi Arabia's call for dialogue between the Southern Transitional Council and legitimacy.

It is worth mentioning that the event called by the transitional to prove his popularity and popular presence and the mobilization of thousands of supporters of the transitional who arrived in the arena of performances after Wednesday evening coming from the villages of Al-Dhalea and Yafe’a , while the demonstration witnessed the absent of all the leaders of the Transitional Council suddenly except the presence of the director of Aden police Shallal Shaye’a.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170662

and

(* A P)

Al-Zubaidi greets southern masses at Freedom Square

The President of the Southern Transitional Council, Supreme Commander of the Southern Forces, Maj. Gen. Aidroos Qassem Al-Zubaidi, accompanied with Aden's security chief, Maj. Gen. Shalal Ali Shai'a, visited on Wednesday night, the Freedom Square in the capital Aden.
Al-Zubaidi warmly greeted the crowds who came from all over the South to celebrate the victory of Aden over the forces of terrorism and to display their solidarity with the STC leadership in a mass rally on Thursday.
Thousands of crowds flocked into Aden on Wednesday afternoon to join the masses to celebrate the victory of Aden. The crowds' processions came from most of the southern liberated governorates arrived at Sahat al Huria (Freedom Square) in Khormaksar- Aden to participate and be part of the great historic event. (with film)

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13028

(* A P)

The Transitional Political Council for the South (STC), a southern Yemeni secessionist organization, announced that it will hold a massive demonstration in Aden, Yemen’s de facto capital, on August 15. STC leaders in Shabwah, Hadramawt, and Abyan governorates announced that thousands of STC supporters are traveling to Aden to participate in the march. The STC seized effective control of Aden from the internationally recognized government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi on August 10 after days of clashes.[1]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-august-14-2019

My remark: Separatist propaganda, trying to demonstrate and to secure a great support for this rally, almost is exploding now:

(* A P)

Crowds Flock into Aden To Celebrate Victory (photo)

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13026

Breaking News: Hadhramaut Valley Records Massive Numbers of Citizens Inlested in the Mobilization Records to March to Aden to Participate in #The_Million_March_of_Empowerment_and_Persistnce in Aden in Support of the Measures Taken by The Southern Transitional Council and the Southern Armed Forces (photo)

https://en.smanews.org/breaking-news-hadhramaut-valley-records-massive-numbers-of-citizens-inlested-in-the-mobilization-records-to-march-to-aden-to-participate-in-the_million_march_of_empowerment_and_persistnce-in-aden-i

Breaking News: Massive Crowds from Hadhramaut Gather in Maifa’a on its Way to Aden to Participate in #The_Million_March_of_Empowerment_and_Persistnce in Aden in Support of the Measures Taken by The Southern Transitional Council and the Southern Armed Forces (photo)

https://en.smanews.org/breaking-news-massive-crowds-from-hadhramaut-gather-in-maifaa-on-its-way-to-aden-to-participate-in-the_million_march_of_empowerment_and_persistnce-in-aden-in-support-of-the-measures-taken-by-the

Breaking News: Citizens of Abian Enter “Al-Horia” Square in Khour Maxar to Participate in #The_Million_March_of_Empowerment_and_Persistnce in Aden in Support of the Measures Taken by The Southern Transitional Council and the Southern Armed Forces. (photo)

https://en.smanews.org/breaking-news-citizens-of-abian-enter-al-horia-square-in-khour-maxar-to-participate-in-the_million_march_of_empowerment_and_persistnce-in-aden-in-support-of-the-measures-taken-by-the-southern-t

Breaking News: In a Glorious Convoy, Citizens of Shabwa and all Its Directorates Arrive at Aden for the First Time to Participate in the Million March of Empowerment and Persistnce in Aden in Support of the Measures Taken by The Southern Transitional Council and the Southern Armed Forces. (photo)

https://en.smanews.org/breaking-news-in-a-glorious-convoy-citizens-of-shabwa-and-all-its-directorates-arrive-at-aden-for-the-first-time-to-participate-in-the-million-march-of-empowerment-and-persistnce-in-aden-in-support

Breaking News: Massive Crowds of Lahj and Al-Dhala’a Arrive At “Al-Horia” Square in Khour Maxar to Participate in #The_Million_March_of_Empowerment_and_Persistnce in Aden in Support of the Measures Taken by The Southern Transitional Council and the Southern Armed Forces.

https://en.smanews.org/breaking-news-massive-crowds-of-lahj-and-al-dhalaa-arrive-at-al-horia-square-in-khour-maxar-to-participate-in-the_million_march_of_empowerment_and_persistnce-in-aden-in-support-of-the-measure

Citizens of Central Zone of Abian Welcome the Call of Southern NGOs and Syndicates to March to Aden Next Thursday

https://en.smanews.org/citizens-of-central-zone-of-abian-welcome-the-call-of-southern-ngos-and-syndicates-to-march-to-aden-next-thursday

Shabwa Responds to the Calls of Civil Powers to March to Aden

https://en.smanews.org/shabwa-responds-to-the-calls-of-civil-powers-to-march-to-aden

Calles for Million March in Support of the Southern Transitional Council and Southern Armed Forces

https://en.smanews.org/calles-for-million-march-in-support-of-the-southern-transitional-council-and-southern-armed-forces

and separatist propaganda lashes out against Qatari and Saudi media – this means against the official Saudi position as well:
(* A P)

Amid Wide Welcome of the Southern Transitional Council’s Acceptance to Dialogue, Southern Anger Against the Instigation of Al-Arabia and Al-Jazeera

Several southern political figures indicated that instigation of Al-Arabia and Al-Hadath news channels against the southern people and its leadership will accumulate grudges as Al-Arabia is acting as a media tool for Muslim Brotherhood in its coverage of recent events in the south.
Several followers indicated that the coverage of both Al-Arabi and Al-Jazeera for the recent events is no difference. One director indicated that the conflict between the two channels was very deep but they both agreed on covering Aden events from a Muslim Brotherhood perspective. He expressed his astonishment as a TV channel is fighting Muslim Brotherhood all over the world but when it comes to Aden, they defend them.
Others indicated that how could the public believe the intentions and goals of Saudi Arabia concerning the war in Yemen while media tools of Saudi Arabia become misleading through spreading lies.

https://en.smanews.org/amid-wide-welcome-of-the-southern-transitional-councils-acceptance-to-dialogue-southern-anger-against-the-instigation-of-al-arabia-and-al-jazeera

(A P)

STC officials visit injured soldiers in Aden

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13024

My comment: Separatist propaganda labels their militia fighters as “soldiers”.

(A P)

Shatara: The South approaches a new era

Shatara tweeted that "there's no longer a safe haven for terrorists, criminals and outlaws in Aden and in all of the South, adding that the stage of political and security thuggery is over."
A control arms campaign was launched in Aden on Wednesday, led by the Director of Aden security, Major General Shalal Ali Shai'a, in order to consolidate security and stability.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13021

(A P)

Arms Control Campaign Kicks Off in Aden

A control arms campaign was launched in Aden on Wednesday, led by the Director of Aden security, Major General Shalal Ali Shai'a, in order to consolidate security and stability.
Aden police chief Maj. Gen. Shalal Ali Shae led on Wednesday morning one of the major security campaigns which aim to implement law and order in capital Aden.
The campaign focused on disarming and preventing the public from carrying selling and buying weapons.
The security campaign aimed to arrest outlaws and illegal dealers as well as armed persons.

The campaign witnessed a positive response from the people in the city and its surrounding districts.

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13022

My comment: This measure is conducted by the Aden police, which now cooperates with the separatists. The Hadi government had dismissed the police chief (https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170632), but he did not care, as can be seen here.

(A P)

United Arab Emirates responsible for Aden 'coup': Yemen

The Yemeni government on Thursday held the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and southern separatists responsible for staging a "coup" on legitimacy in the interim capital Aden.

In a statement, the Yemeni Foreign Ministry called on the UAE to immediately stop supporting the "rebel groups", in reference to Security Belt forces loyal to the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The ministry asserted that the Saudi-led coalition -- of which the UAE is a member -- intervened in Yemen after President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi requested Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to protect legitimacy.

The request is based on international law and the UN Charter to protect Yemen from the Iran-backed Ho

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/united-arab-emirates-responsible-for-aden-coup-yemen/1557055

(* A P)

STC-aligned security forces conducted a series of raids against unidentified targets in Aden on August 14. STC-aligned forces also reportedly banned Aden residents from carrying weapons in the city. STC-aligned al Hizam Security Forces in Dofes city in Abyan governorate in southern Yemen separately claimed to intercept a weapons shipment from Ma’rib governorate on August 14. Al Hizam forces claimed that the weapons were en route to Aden.[3]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-august-14-2019

(A P)

Newspaper: Plan to move Yemen's central bank from Aden to Sieyun

A conflict information came up on Tuesday about the move of the Central Bank of Yemen from Aden. A senior official said the Yemeni government is considering relocating the central bank's headquarters and operating operations to the southeastern city of Sieyun, after UAE-backed southern separatists took control of the interim capital, Aden.

The official, who asked not to be named, was quoted by the newspaper "Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed" as saying that The Governor of the Central Bank of Yemen Hafiz Ma'ayed submitted an urgent proposal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to move the headquarters of the bank, and confirmed that he could not perform his duties from Aden after the coup carried out by separatist forces.

However, this news was denied, through local media, with assurances that the bank would remain in Aden and would operate normally, and would perform its work and duties normally.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170651

(A P)

President Hadi’s Interior Minister, Ahmed al Maysiri, announced the dismissal of multiple security force commanders in Aden whom he accused of collaborating with the STC on August 14. Al Maysiri dismissed the directors of the Aden and Lahij governorate police forces as well as the commander of the Special Security Forces in Aden, Lahij, Abyan, and Dhaleh governorates. Al Maysiri announced that he would fill the positions with Interior Ministry employees. Al Maysiri also called for investigations into the dismissed security commanders over their alleged involvement in the STC takeover of Aden.[2]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-august-14-2019

and

(A P)

Interior Minister Al-Maysari issues decisions to dismiss Shallal Shaya and security leaders who participated in Aden coup

Interior Minister Ahmed Al- Maysari issued a decree dismiss security leaders who participated in the coup in the interim capital Aden in southern Yemen.

According to the text of the decision issued on Tuesday evening, he removed Shallal Shaya from his post as director of Aden police and referred him to investigation for his direct role in the coup that was carried out against state institutions in Aden by force of arms by giving him orders to a number of Aden police units to participate in the coup.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170632

My comment: They simply will not care for their dismissals. Shallal Shaya does not: He stays in office and conducts measures as ordered by the separatist leadership: http://en.adenpress.news/news/13022

(A P)

#Yemen Airways announces transfer of its flights from #Aden Airport to Seiyun Airport for not being granting permission from the Saudi-UAE coalition.

https://www.facebook.com/LivingInYemenOnTheEdge/posts/2431457443573938

(A P)

UAE-backed forces expel Hadi regime from Red Sea island

Zuqar Island under full separatist control

Earlier in the day, soldiers affiliated to forces led by mercenary commander Tareq Saleh loyal to the UAE seized Zuqar Island, according to well-informed sources.

https://www.uprising.today/uae-backed-forces-expel-hadi-regime-from-red-sea-island/

(B P)

South Yemen: Separatism strong in ex-independent state

Here is some background.

http://jordantimes.com/news/region/south-yemen-separatism-strong-ex-independent-state

(* A P)

Yemeni official says no talks before separatists withdraw in Aden

A top Yemeni official has said southern separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates should withdraw from areas they seized in the southern port city of Aden before the internationally recognised government engages in talks with them.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdullah al-Hadrami on Wednesday called for the Southern Transitional Council (STC) - which seeks the secession of the country's south - to hand over arms to the government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/yemeni-official-talks-separatists-withdraw-aden-190814200646933.html

and also http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/08/14/deputy-fm-stcs-militants-must-withdraw-from-occupied-posts-before-dialogue/

and

(* A P)

Yemen govt rules out talks until separatists withdraw from Aden

Yemen's government on Wednesday ruled out talks with southern separatists until they withdraw from positions they seized last week in second city Aden.

Yemen's Washington embassy, quoting the foreign ministry, on Wednesday welcomed the Saudi initiative to address the "coup" in Aden.

But, it said in a tweet, separatists "must first commit to total withdrawal from areas forcibly seized by STC in past few days before start of any talks."

The STC has voiced willingness to take part in the talks, but has not given any sign that it is ready to withdraw, say security sources close to the movement.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-7357195/Yemen-govt-rules-talks-separatists-withdraw-Aden.html

and also https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170652

(A P)

UN welcomes Saudi led talks to resolve Aden tensions

Preparations for talks between pro-government Yemeni groups are moving forward after recent clashes in the southern port city of Aden.

There was no official confirmation when the meetings would begin, but reports suggest they could start on Thursday.

The UN late on Tuesday said it “welcomed the initiative by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to convene a meeting in Jeddah between the relevant stakeholders to resolve their differences through dialogue".

On Wednesday, STC spokesman Saleh Alnoud told Reuters that the group was looking for an equal seat at the table in peace talks.

It was not involved in the UN-brokered summit in Stockholm last December, with only representatives of the Houthis and Mr Hadi’s administration present.

But UN envoy Martin Griffiths is keen to hold further discussions that engage a broader cross-section of Yemeni society.

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/un-welcomes-saudi-led-talks-to-resolve-aden-tensions-1.898374

My comment: By an UAE news site. Of course, the UAE would prefer such talks – while force in Aden would stay with the separatists.

(A P)

Nobel Peace Prize condemns crimes of President Hadi and the Saudi king against the people of Yemen

The Nobel Peace Prize Tawakkol Karman described Yemeni President Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi as illegitimate and traitor, and the Saudi king, Salman bin Abdulaziz, as a criminal who waged an aggression against that Arab nation.

The Yemeni activist said on her Twitter account that "the traitor Hadi lacks legitimacy and met with the criminal Salman to acquit Saudi Arabia of the crime of fragmentation and destruction of Yemen."

Karman added: "Hadi, traitor, this is all that remains of your legitimacy before the Saudis get rid of you forever."

http://espanol.almayadeen.net/news/politica/1331689/premio-nobel-de-la-paz-condena-cr%c3%admenes-del-presidente-hadi

(* B P)

Yemen: A State Torn, Not Restored

A recent escalation of fighting in the south of Yemen has renewed calls and increased demands from secessionist groups for independence. This comes amidst a critical point of the war, during which developing events have indicated a peaceful resolution could be possible in the coming months. These incidents indicate the significant internal weaknesses of President Hadi and his government, and show the coalition’s overall failure at achieving its publicly stated objective. The empowerment of separatist groups in the south and the Houthis in the north pose important questions as to Yemen’s hypothetical make-up if and when a resolution is reached among the major parties to the conflict. While decisions as to Yemen’s final form would ideally be left up to the Yemeni people themselves, regional and international actors will necessarily have a crucial say on this issue due to their influence and interests. Any possible change to the structure of the Yemeni state will have ramifications that reverberate not only through Yemen’s local levels, but also in the regional and international realms. However, as the interests of major external actors increasingly diverge, Yemen will continue to be a theater of regional instability.

The sensitive issue of independence has been debated for decades, and calls for the secession of south Yemen seem to be growing louder and louder. These calls, however, do not necessarily represent all the people of the south as evidenced by bin Buraik’s failure to motivate adequate popular support to engage in a full-scale revolt. Many southerners oppose the UAE’s influence and that of its southern proxies. While international organizations stress the idea of a self-determination left to Yemenis in the south to work out an agreement with the north, any change to the structure of the state of Yemen will not see the light of day without the support and blessing of regional and international powers. The UAE is actively supporting groups calling for independence, potentially giving it a higher geostrategic potential should south Yemen become an independent nation. Saudi Arabia does not seem to be enthusiastic about the idea of separation in Yemen, but only took to action in support the Hadi government at the last possible moment. Saudi Arabia, the leading country of the coalition, seems strategically lost. The Kingdom is finding itself dealing with a new reality that is being shaped by its coalitional ally: the UAE. T

Furthermore, the perspective of the United States is also very important to the issue of Yemeni independence. So far Washington does not appear to be in support of secession.

President Hadi and his government have proven incompetent and incapable of governing and controlling important parts of Yemen. Given this new reality, the Hadi government does not have a future in Yemen, whether north or south. The recent events in the latter are simply additional proof that Hadi and his government do not have popular Yemeni support. It is only Saudi Arabia that is keeping Riyadh-based Hadi as the president of the ‘internationally recognized government.’ The lack of internal support for Hadi is another challenge that Saudi Arabia has to address sooner or later.

https://gulfif.org/yemen-a-state-torn-not-restored/

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Ruptures in the Yemen Coalition

Clashes between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates may indicate a deeper strategic divide between the two.

What’s different about this round of infighting is the context.

What is certain, however, is that the UAE’s perception of the war in Yemen – and of its winnability – has changed. The UAE is no longer comfortable expending all the resources it’s contributed to the war, especially as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten the country’s maritime trade. This makes the UAE’s interest in controlling Yemen’s southern coast all the more pressing.

The recent infighting in Aden thus takes on greater significance. The UAE appears willing to scale back its presence across much of the country, including in combating the Houthis, even as it doubles down on its control over southern Yemen.

Hence the meeting, purportedly on maritime issues, between Emirati and Iranian officials in July.

It’s possible that the UAE and Iran reached a tacit agreement to leave each other alone in Yemen. Their territorial interests are complementary; Iran-backed Houthis are now concentrated north of Hodeida, with their seat of power in Sanaa, while the UAE is interested in securing possessions in the south. If the UAE is to redirect its forces away from hotly contested arenas like Hodeida to the south, it wouldn’t threaten the Houthis; in fact, there would be fewer Emirati forces available to fight them.

The UAE has other reasons to reconsider its commitment to the war in Yemen. Following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the American public became much more interested in Saudi Arabia’s behavior on the world stage

That leaves Saudi Arabia with Houthi forces at its southern doorstep, threatening its airports with Iranian-supplied missiles, and with less Emirati ground support. Throughout the war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has relied on the UAE’s ground forces, which it supports from the air – a strategy that limits Saudi casualties and, therefore, the Saudi public’s opposition to the war. If the UAE pulls back to the south, Saudi Arabia will be forced to either commit more ground forces to a quagmire of a war or to reach some kind of accommodation with the Houthis. Iran’s goal in supporting the Houthis all along has been to tie Saudi Arabia down; forcing the Saudis into this position would benefit Tehran, too.

The obvious problem with this theory is that the STC is no friend of Iran. Even after taking Aden, its leader even said the STC was committed to Saudi Arabia. Still, it would be easier for the UAE and its allies to make these kinds of commitments from a position of power – namely, consolidated control of the south.

Going its own way in Yemen is a sign that, where its interests diverge with Saudi Arabia, the UAE will be willing to pursue them regardless of what Riyadh wants. The two are still aligned on some issues – not least their shared fear of Iran – but this will represent another point of tension, and possible division, between the Gulf’s two monarchies – by Xander Snyder

https://geopoliticalfutures.com/ruptures-in-the-yemen-coalition/ = http://www.other-news.info/2019/08/ruptures-in-the-yemen-coalition/

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Understanding the Chaos in Yemen: An Interview with Brecht Jonkers

Brecht Jonkers: The Southern Transitional Council (STC) has unfortunately decided to opportunistically ally itself with the United Arab Emirates after they invaded Yemen in March 2015. While South Yemen used to be a progressive state in the region prior to Yemeni unification in 1990, and while the South Yemen movement used to be dominated by the Yemeni Socialist Party for much of the 1990s, in the present time the dominant ideology in the separatist movement seems to be ethnic nationalism and tribalism. This has led to an alliance between some separatists, united in the STC and the Security Belt militias, and the UAE invaders.

The UAE has apparently promised the southerners an independent state under Emirati supervision. This rump state would provide a highly strategic access point for the Emiratis to the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and thus also the Indian Ocean. By having South Yemen as a puppet state, the UAE could also circumvent the Persian Gulf completely, which would mean they would have less reason to fear Iranian activities in the Strait of Hormuz if conflict were to ever break out between Abu Dhabi and Tehran.

However, the Emirati plan for an independent South Yemen is a direct violation of the original plan the Saudi-UAE alliance went to war for in 2015.

While Saudi Arabia has not reacted openly to the Emirati plans, they have their own agents on the ground in Yemen. The al-Islah party, the Yemeni branch of the Muslim Brotherhood that is led by former Saleh henchman Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, is in control of the southern city of Taiz. The Wahhabi militias tied to Islah have been confronting the Security Belt and STC militias for years now, but the conflict has only gotten more intense over the past few weeks.

One of the most important things to know about the region of Saudi Arabia that Ansarullah is active in, is that this used to be part of Yemen. Asir, Najran, and Jizan used to be the northern regions of the Yemeni state for centuries, up until the Saudi conquest of it in 1934.

In Yemen, the loss of such a significant territory to Saudi invaders still evokes feelings of anger and humiliation.

The factions of the South Yemen Movement that are participating in the National Dialogue Conference have openly condemned and rejected the actions of the Security Belt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. These southern activists condemned what they called a campaign “aimed at sowing discord and establishing civil conflicts by inflaming the strife of racism and regionalism” being waged by the Emirati-backed militias.

https://geopoliticsalert.com/chaos-yemen-interview-brecht-jonkers

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Southern Yemeni separatists tell Saudi Arabia: evict Islah or lose the war

Yemen’s southern separatists vowed on Wednesday to keep control over Aden, warning the only way out of the impasse that has fractured a Saudi-led military alliance was for Islamists and northerners to be removed from all positions of power in the south.

“Giving up control of Aden is not on the table at the moment,” Saleh Alnoud, British-based spokesman for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), told Reuters in an interview.

“We are there to remain - but to remain for a positive reason: to maintain stability,” Alnoud said.

He said the only way out of the stand-off was for all elements of the Islamist Islah party - one of the backbones of Hadi’s government - to be ousted from all positions of influence along with any northern politicians.

The STC accuses Islah of being complicit in a deadly Houthi missile strike on southern forces earlier this month, a charge the party rejects. The coalition has promised military action against the separatists if they do not vacate government sites.

“Islah has been at the heart of this,” Alnoud said.

“That would be a very good start if Islah was removed from the whole of the south and allow southerners to govern themselves,” he said. “We consider the government was infiltrated or controlled by the Islah.”

One possible way out, Alnoud said, would be to hand over responsibility for security of barracks to the Security Belt, the military wing of STC, or Aden Police.

Alnoud said the Aden developments were the most significant turning point in Yemen for years and that southerners would no longer accept being sidelined.

At stake, he said, was the future of Yemen.

“The Saudis need to make a decision: do they want to win the war against the Houthis? If they do, then they need to recognize us - STC - to govern and manage the south even in the transition period,” he said.

Ahead of an emergency summit called for by Riyadh, Alnoud said he had a message for Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia’s de factor ruler.

“I would say to MBS: if you really want to win the war, the southerners have been credible partners, have shown they can engage constructively... but in return they need to keep the south clean from these corrupt Islah-affiliated officials.”

Alnoud said the peace process led by the United Nations was far behind and needed to catch up with events.

“Any position of power has to be in the hands of southerners. Southerners need to be given the power to govern themselves and southerners need to be engaged as an equal partner in the peace process,” Alnoud said.

“We can still be part of Yemen, Hadi can still be president but the south is to be ruled and governed by southerners.”

So will the south break away?

“I am not trying to avoid saying we will break away because that is a real possibility now,” Alnoud said, adding one option was for two governments: one in the north and one in the south.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-south/southern-yemeni-separatists-tell-saudi-arabia-evict-islah-or-lose-the-war-idUSKCN1V417X

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Aden and the battle on Eid’s eve

Amid the blessings of Eid, the emotional behavior of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) almost resulted in a tragedy that would have lasted for years to come. The council came close to destroying recent achievements in the country and all but ruined its political project of independence from Sanaa in the future — a goal that cannot be achieved by defiance, fueling enmity and creating chaos.

South Yemen has the right to seek to establish an independent state, but the STC’s actions reinforce the Houthi coup and Iran’s infiltration, perpetuate the civil war, and threaten to open new war fronts in Yemen with the support of Qatar and Turkey. It is a dangerous development that also threatens the security of the regional countries, primarily Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps the STC thought it could take advantage of the Saudi-led coalition’s weakness, embarrass the coalition’s member states, use the anger in Aden following the two horrific attacks as a pretext to seize control, and declare secession and the establishment of the new state, but possibly it failed to take into consideration the more complex and dangerous implications.

In my opinion, South Yemen can achieve independence, but its approach was wrong in language and action. It needs to convince Sanaa after liberation and the return of political life – by Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, former general manager of Al Arabiya news channel and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1540011

My comment: This seems to come close to the official Saudi position.

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Milizen-Machtkampf im Jemen: Wie den Saudis der Krieg entglitt

Im Jemenkrieg gehen die Verbündeten von Saudi-Arabien und den Emiraten nun aufeinander los.

Man kann nicht alles kaufen. Auf dieses Resümee lässt sich verdichten, was dieser Tage in Aden, der Hafenmetropole im Südjemen, geschieht. Und was der Untergang des Jemen als Staat bedeuten könnte: Dass es nicht mehr darum geht, wer das ganze Land beherrscht, sondern darum, dass die streitenden Regionen den Staat in einem Verteilungskampf zerreißen werden - munitioniert und ermutigt von den superreichen Golfmonarchien, die sich einen Krieg und einen Sieg kaufen wollten.

Saudi-Arabiens ebenso unerfahrener wie machtbesessener Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman sah rot - und befahl den Krieg. Die VAE folgten. Doch so wie sich die beiden Staaten stets ausländische Dienstboten, Bauarbeiter und Verbündete gekauft haben, wollten sie sich auch diesen Krieg kaufen. Saudi-Arabien versuchte vergeblich, die pakistanische und die ägyptische Armee anzumieten, schickte kolumbianische Söldner. Die VAE bauten stattdessen unter Führung eines australischen Ex-Generals ein Netz jemenitischer Milizen auf.

Aufgepumpt mit Geld und Waffen entstanden Kampfverbände mit so illustren Namen wie "Sicherheitsgürtel", "Giganten", "Tihama Resistance Front" und einer als "Gruppe Tareq" firmierenden Einheit unter dem Kommando eines Neffen von Ex-Diktator Saleh. Eigentlich sollten diese und weitere Milizen gegen die Huthis kämpfen. Eigentlich unterstehen sie alle Hadis Regierung. Eigentlich wollen Saudi-Arabien und die VAE den Jemen in eine geeinte und friedliche Zukunft führen. Eigentlich.

Doch in Wirklichkeit verfolgt jede dieser Milizen ihre ganz eigenen Ziele, allen voran der "Sicherheitsgürtel" unter politischer Führung der südjemenitischen Sezessionisten, die ihre 1990 verlorene Unabhängigkeit wiederhaben wollen.

Andere Akteure, wie die von Saudi-Arabien unterstützte Islah-Partei, möchten zwar die Einheit bewahren, aber unter ihrer Kontrolle. Präsident Hadi selbst ist eine Marionette Saudi-Arabiens

So brach in Aden nun abermals die Schlacht unter Verbündeten los. Sie begann auf der Beerdigung von Kommandeur Jafi. Seine Sezessionisten glaubten nicht, dass die Huthis ihn umgebracht hatten. Kader der Islah-Partei hätten Hadis Palastgarde unterwandert, die in Aden dessen leer stehenden Dienstsitz bewacht. Hani Ali bin Brik, Vizepräsident der südjemenitischen Führung, rief auf zum Kampf: "Menschen des Südens und des Widerstands! Marschiert zum Palast und stürzt die Regierung des Terrors und der Korruption!" Er sprach da über seine eigene Regierung.

Saudi-Arabien würde den Krieg gegen die Huthis gerne weiterführen, aber kann es nicht allein. Die VAE wiederum wollen nicht mehr. Sie könnten auch mit einem unabhängigen Südjemen leben, dessen sämtliche Häfen sie bereits kontrollieren, und haben ihr Interesse an diesem Krieg verloren – von Christoph Reuter

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/jemen-warum-saudi-arabien-die-kontrolle-ueber-den-krieg-entgleitet-a-1281269.html

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Die Allianz bröckelt: Jemen-Krieg wird für Saudi-Arabien zum Desaster

Die Emirate ziehen ab, zwischen Regierung und Separatisten kommt es zum offenen Bruch: Im Bürgerkrieg im Jemen zeigen sich Risse im von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Bündnis. Riad steht zunehmend allein da in einem Konflikt, der sich offenbar nicht mehr gewinnen lässt.

Wie sehr dieser sich andeutende Bruch Riad verzweifeln ließ, zeigte sich bei den Kämpfen um den Präsidialpalast in Aden, dem derzeitigen Sitz der Regierung Hadi: Nachdem die Separatisten den Palast erobert hatten und die Garde nach Angaben einheimischer Quellen teils sogar übergelaufen war, flogen Jets der saudischen Koalition dort Luftangriffe. Es waren Bombardements auf den eigenen Bündnispartner. Parallel kam über die saudische Nachrichtenagentur SPA der Aufruf zur Waffenruhe.

Der Jemen steht vor einem «Bürgerkrieg im Bürgerkrieg», wie Analysten warnen.

Der Rückhalt für Bin Salmans militärisches Abenteuer bröckelt indes weiter. Mit den Emiraten zieht sich der wichtigste regionale Partner Saudi-Arabiens aus dem Jemen zurück. Ihre geschätzt 5000 Soldaten wollen die VAE Berichten zufolge nach und nach reduzieren. Grund sind unterschiedliche Jemen-Strategien. Die VAE verfolgen in dem Bürgerkriegsland schon seit längerem ihre eigene Agenda. Ihnen geht es vor allem darum, den strategisch wichtigen Hafen Aden und den dortigen Wasserweg zu kontrollieren. Ein eigenständiger Süden, eng an die VAE gebunden, käme da gelegen. Den mächtigen Verbündeten Riad ließen die VAE sitzen, urteilte das Magazin «Foreign Policy».

Bleiben die USA, deren Willen zur Zusammenarbeit mit Saudi-Arabien nach der Tötung des saudischen Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi ebenfalls rapide abnimmt.

Trump beharrt darauf, dass der Jemen-Krieg dazu dient, den Iran zurückzudrängen. Teheran unterstützt die Huthis zwar finanziell und mit Waffen, über den tatsächliche Einfluss sind sich Beobachter aber uneins. Das mag für Bin Salman und Trump, dessen Nahost-Politik einem Schlingerkurs gleicht, aber nicht so wichtig sein. Jemen-Experte Peter Salisbury von der International Crisis Group sagte der «Los Angeles Times»: Weder Saudi-Arabien noch Trump wollten den Krieg im Jemen beenden, ohne einen spürbaren Sieg einzufahren – von Johannes Schmitt-Tegge

https://www.rnz.de/politik/hintergrund_artikel,-die-allianz-broeckelt-jemen-krieg-wird-fuer-saudi-arabien-zum-desaster-_arid,459678.html und leicht gekürzt https://www.pfaelzischer-merkur.de/welt/meinung/jemen-krieg-wird-fuer-saudi-arabien-zu-einem-desaster_aid-45083427

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Neue Kriegsfront im Jemen

Im Süden des Bürgerkriegslandes wachsen die Gelüste nach einem eigenen Staat.

Doch die arabische Intervention wird zusehends zur mörderischen Groteske: Indirekt bekriegen sich jetzt auch die VAE und Saudi-Arabien.

Bisher ist es den Saudis und den VAE stets gelungen, ihre Parteigänger im Südjemen zur Raison zu bringen. Aber das wird zunehmend schwierig. Der Konflikt könnte auf weitere Regionen des Südens überschwappen. Wenn die Koalition militärische Kräfte in den Süden verlagert, profitierten die Huthi-Rebellen im Norden . Die Saudis wären dann weiter von ihrem Kriegsziel entfernt denn je – und die Zivilbevölkerung neuen Leiden ausgesetzt.

https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/international/neue-kriegsfront-im-jemen-ld.1143026

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Riads Jemen-Politik - ein Scherbenhaufen

Verbündete richten Waffen aufeinander. Separatisten in Aden. Riad und Abu Dhabi steuern in verschiedene Richtungen.

Doch diese Militärkoalition wird brüchig. Die Allianz zwischen dem saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE) hat Risse bekommen, zu unterschiedlich sind die Interessen. Riad will den Norden des Jemen unter seine Kontrolle bekommen.

Den VAE geht es darum, ihren Einfluss im Süden, am Golf von Aden, auszubauen. Abu Dhabi unterstützt deshalb die "Separatisten vom südlichen Übergangsrat" mit Gerät und militärischen Beratern.

Mit den neuesten kriegerischen Auseinandersetzungen wird die Lage im Jemen immer komplexer und verschachtelter. Es tobt jetzt ein Bürgerkrieg im Bürgerkrieg - und die Separatisten denken nicht daran, aufzugeben.

Der große Verlierer des komplizierten Spiels ist der Saudi-Prinz Mohammed bin Salman, der zusehen muss, wie sein sorgsam geschmiedetes Bündnis zerbröckelt. Er versucht jetzt, die Allianz mit Gewalt zusammenzuhalten. So hat Riad einen Waffenstillstand zwischen den ehemals Verbündeten - der Armee und den Separatisten - verordnet. Jeder Verstoß werde geahndet. Doch ob dieser Weg ans Ziel führt, ist fraglich. Vorerst haben sich die Separatisten, die ihre militärische Stärke realistisch einschätzen, zu einem solchen Waffenstillstand bereit erklärt. Doch das hat im Jemen wenig Bedeutung.

Die Houthi-Rebellen können sich indes zurücklehnen und dem Zerfallsprozess des Gegners zusehen. Ihre Niederwerfung durch Riad ist zumindest in weite Ferne gerückt.

https://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/politik/welt/2022651-Riads-Jemen-Politik-ein-Scherbenhaufen.html

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BRÜCHE IN DER KRIEGSALLIANZ: Eskalation im Jemen

Mit der Besetzung Adens durch Separatisten treten Differenzen innerhalb der Kriegskoalition ganz offen zutage

die Risse in der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Kriegsallianz gegen den Jemen einmal mehr deutlich zutage getreten.

Der saudische Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman und sein Counterpart aus den VAE, Scheich Mohammed bin Sajid Al Nahjan, trafen sich am Montag zum Krisengipfel in Riad. Den Konflikt in der Militärkoalition, der in den letzten 18 Monaten immer offener ausgetragen wurde, vermochten sie indes nicht zu vertuschen. Aidarus Al-Subaidi, ehemaliger Gouverneur Adens und heute Chef des STC, der eine Teilung des erst 1990 vereinigten Jemen anstrebt, erklärte sich offen für eine Vermittlung Saudi-Arabiens in dem Konflikt sowie bereit zu einem Waffenstillstand in Aden. Von einer Rückkehr zum Status quo ante, also einer Räumung der eroberten Stellungen aber war keine Rede.

https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/360733.eskalation-im-jemen.html

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The bitter cost of fighting in Yemen and the urgent need for a united stand

But while the troubles that began in 2011 were not triggered by the Southern Movement, the legacy of 21 years of broken promises is hard to erase. It is that legacy that we have seen played out in blood on the streets of Aden this week.

Once again, we can only wonder what might have happened if only the transitional process that started in 2011 had been left to run its course.

The cost to Yemen is bitter and costly enough as a result of the war currently being fought, the lives that have been lost and the legacies of the conflict: fields of landmines, devastated infrastructure and broken communities. We can only hope for the future of Yemen to be placed in the hands of its people.

But any just resolution is even further off when there is war within a war — and historical experience demonstrates that, in the words of President Lincoln: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

While the anti-Houthi forces argue and fight over control of this city or that, the Houthis themselves have not been defeated. The squabbling factions are like the owners of a stolen cow arguing about who should drink the milk. Meanwhile, the outside world watches in bewilderment. The sterling efforts of Yemenis to convince the world that they are engaged in a just war against the forces of theocratic tyranny are dealt blow after blow by incidents such as these.

No one disputes the fact that the legitimate government of Yemen does not have a perfect record. Nor is there any dispute that the grievances felt by those parts of South Yemen represented by the Southern Transition Council (STC) are genuine. In some parts of the South, including Aden, there persists a security challenge from groups such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda, as well as from bandits.

Regrettably, in a speech on Sunday the president of the STC appeared to blame terrorist attacks — and even a Houthi attack that killed a senior military officer — on the government. This is not going to solve any of the issues facing Yemen – by Peter Welby

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1539991

My comment: From a Saudi news site, with an anti-Houthi propaganda bias. The best joke: Houthi rule is labeled “theocratic tyranny” here – This is exactly what Saudi Arabia is.

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Separatists' seizure of Aden makes Yemen govt weaker than ever

Yemen's internationally-recognised government is weaker than ever following Aden's seizure by southern separatists, who are likely to opt for negotiations to resolve the crisis rather than declare independence, analysts say.

The government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi held the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) and their UAE backers responsible for the "consequences of the coup" after they captured Aden's presidential palace on Saturday.

"Hadi's government has been greatly weakened by events in Aden. It has now lost control of both its capitals," said Elisabeth Kendall from the University of Oxford's Pembroke College.

Peter Salisbury, a Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, described the Aden takeover as "a real blow to the Hadi government's credibility".

"This latest development highlights the fact that his presidency is more symbolic; a holding vehicle for state legitimacy (rather) than based on the practicalities of governance," Salisbury told AFP.

But Hadi's government gives "legal cover" to the coalition's military intervention, he added.

Analysts believe the separatists, under pressure from Saudi Arabia, will likely opt for negotiations rather than declare southern independence.

"The STC's immediate aim is to be represented in talks for peace and the future shape of Yemen," Kendall told AFP.

"The STC is in a strong position... It undoubtedly holds all the cards in Aden," she added.

But despite the group having the support of militias across the south, Kendall warned not all successionists back the council and some southern Yemenis do not want independence.

"If the STC tries to exert influence outside its immediate Aden sphere, we could see conflict blow up in the south," said Kendall.

Although the separatists are unlikely to easily give up their gains in Aden, Muslimi ruled out any immediate move towards independence.

"If partition happens now, Saudi Arabia will be accused of breaking up Yemen. That would carry a heavy price for the Saudis, but not necessarily for the Emirates," he said.

Negotiations may instead result in a power-sharing deal, with the STC being represented in the cabinet in return for the government's safe return to Aden, according to Salisbury.

"The STC clearly plans on controlling the south of Yemen in its entirety and eventually declaring independence," he said.

"But in the short term they are likely to at least enter into talks with the government."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-7356675/Separatists-seizure-Aden-makes-Yemen-govt-weaker-ever.html

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Yemen’s anti-al Houthi coalition is collapsing, and America’s Gulf partners are partially to blame

The seizure of Yemen's de facto capital, Aden, by a secessionist group sets conditions for an expansion of Yemen’s civil war that will strengthen al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Iranian-backed al Houthi movement.

The seizure of Aden widens divisions between Yemeni forces that are nominally aligned against the al Houthi movement. It could also prevent Yemeni counterterrorism forces from sustaining operations against AQAP.

The STC’s coup was not unexpected. The STC formed, with UAE support, in May 2017, with the ultimate goal of reconstituting an independent state in southern Yemen.

A combination of factors contributed to the timing of the STC’s decision to seize Aden. The UAE, which had used the leverage of its military support and presence to keep Yemeni factions in check, reduced its military footprint in Yemen in early summer 2019.[9] The STC correctly assumed that the UAE shift away from the anti-al Houthi fight in Yemen removed the constraints the UAE had placed on the STC and that the UAE would not intervene against it. The STC has also been at loggerheads with the al Islah party, which has gained influence in the Yemeni government as President Hadi has sought to counterbalance southern interests and anti-al Islah UAE influences. The al Islah party seeks to preserve a unified Yemeni state and implement Islamist governance across the country, in contrast to the STC’s desire for a more secular southern Yemeni state.

Conditions for the outbreak of renewed conflict between the STC and the government and an intra-southern conflict have been set. The Yemeni government and the STC are unlikely to resolve their differences peacefully. The STC still recognizes the Yemeni government but demands the resignation of President Hadi’s entire government and control of Aden—a demand the Hadi government will not accept.[11] The Hadi government is even weaker, however, having lost its foothold in the south and maintaining only nominal representation in parts of northern and central Yemen.

The STC does not represent all southern Yemenis, however. Influential members of the Southern Movement, al hirak al janubiyya, criticized the STC’s actions in Aden.[12] Divisions among southerners may ripple through Yemen’s south as powerbrokers stake their positions. The anti-STC alignment of Southern Movement members, al Islah members, and others who would seek to prevent the STC’s control of southern Yemen may unify into an armed opposition to the STC.

The destabilization of southern Yemen would reverse gains made by the US and its counterterrorism partners against AQAP, which had been al Qaeda’s most virulent affiliate.

Conflict in southern Yemen would splinter the forces fighting the al Houthi movement, giving the al Houthis an opportunity to expand and consolidate their influence in northern and central Yemen

The STC’s seizure of Aden underscores the shortcomings of the US decision to subcontract the protection of its interests in Yemen to Gulf partners. Emirati support for the STC strengthened and emboldened the group even while the UAE publicly maintained its commitment to Yemeni unity and the Hadi government.

The US would have to engage diplomatically quite aggressively and quickly to have any hope of facilitating a negotiated resolution to this conflict. It might have to commit some military resources to the effort to gain leverage. Washington is almost certain to take no such steps, however, and it is by no means clear that it would be successful if it tried – by James Barnett

https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/yemens-anti-al-houthi-coalition-is-collapsing-and-americas-gulf-partners-are-partially-to-blame

and, by the same institution, similar, already some days ago:

(* B P)

In Yemen, divisions within Saudi-led coalition jeopardize American interests in the region

The two states on which the U.S. most relies to contain Iran and al Qaeda in the Middle East are fighting a proxy war with each other

The entire American strategy against Iran and al Qaeda in Yemen, and possibly the Gulf region, is at risk if this conflict between U.S. allies persists. The Trump Administration must make resolving it quickly a top priority.

The move sets the stage for the expansion of armed conflict in the south, which could compromise the anti-al Houthi fight.

Competing approaches by the UAE and Saudi Arabia may exacerbate the crisis in southern Yemen and fuel divisions within the anti-al Houthi bloc. The UAE backs the STC and STC-aligned forces in order to expand its influence to the Red Sea and counter the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Yemeni Islah party.

The U.S. must take a leading role in the region to resolve conflict between America’s allies in order to secure core national security interests in Yemen – By Maher Farrukh

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/threat-update/in-yemen-divisions

My comment: Be serious – there are no real US interests at stake outside the US – only of you concede the right to rule, dominate and exploit worldwide.

(B P)

Yemeni Separatists Take Over Port City of Aden (with AUDIO)

Experts say the taking of Aden may be a sign that the Saudi coalition is cracking and about to break up as clashes in the port city saw Saudi-backed government troops battling against the UAE-trained Security Belt Force.

Abu Dhabi didn’t say whether it will ask the southern separatists to hand over control of Aden to government forces as demanded by Riyadh. The head of Yemen’s separatist movement said he is willing to join Saudi-brokered peace talks but didn’t offer to withdraw from the city.

DeLozier said the fighting between STC forces and fighters loyal to Hadi will likely hamper Saudi efforts to defeat the Houthis.

“The Saudis and Emiratis have gone about the war in Yemen differently with the UAE supporting the STC, while the Saudis have supported the unity of Yemen.

“Now that the STC has the upper hand,” DeLozier continued, “they are not declaring all-out secession but instead requesting to be part of UN-led talks on the future of Yemen. If this remains the case, it will buy a bit more time for Yemeni and regional actors to figure out what to do with the secessionist desires.”

https://themedialine.org/top-stories/yemeni-separatists-take-over-port-city-of-aden-with-audio/

(* B P)

The big question. Was Saudi Arabia complicit in the Aden coup, or did Bin Zayed set it away from Riyadh's eyes?

It is no exaggeration to say that this question and its answer concern many of Yemenis more than the coup itself, because the answer to it will clarify the vision for the future situation not only in Aden but also in Yemen as a whole.

Analysts and followers were divided into two teams, the first sees that the UAE carried it out alone without prior agreement with its ally, and another team confirms that there is coordination and agreement on what happened, and that the difference between the two countries is only a play; a third team waiting the answer to the question based on how much Saudi Arabia is pressuring its ally to reverse the coup or keep the situation as it is and to go with it the legalization of the steps imposed on the ground.

The first team relies on Saudi positions announced in the form of statements or even writings by senior figures expressing the Saudi regime, as well as the high official bilateral meetings that took place during and after the coup, during which the Saudis informed Hadi regime of their absolute rejection of what happened. They promised measures to restore the situation before the coup, and it went so far as to say that they had bombed STC positions.

According to information obtained by Al-Masdar Online, President Hadi's government received messages of reassurance from the Saudi side during the start of the movements of the UAE's transitional forces, and even Saudi contacts with political and military leaders who were still in Aden.

It is important to note here that there are many Saudi writers and activists on social media who have launched a campaign of skepticism towards the UAE and the sincerity of its intentions and its alliance with Saudi Arabia has reached the point of accusing Abu Dhabi of arrogance, especially after the euphoria that Emirati writers showed after the success of the coup.

Many analysts, as well as Arab and international media, went on to weigh this view, talking about the rift between the two allies, and saying that the recent visit of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia was aimed at repairing the damage that marred the relationship after the events in Aden.

What reinforces the hypothesis of shaking the relationship between the two parties is the UAE's sudden steps toward Saudi Arabia's main enemy, Iran, and Abu Dhabi's attempt to improve the relationship with it.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170633

(A P)

Interior Minister Al-Maysari issues decisions to dismiss Shallal Shaya and security leaders who participated in Aden coup

According to the text of the decision issued on Tuesday evening, he removed Shallal Shaya from his post as director of Aden police and referred him to investigation for his direct role in the coup that was carried out against state institutions in Aden by force of arms by giving him orders to a number of Aden police units to participate in the coup.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170632

(* B P)

Military source to Al Jazeera: 400 UAE armored vehicles resolved the battle in Aden and the giants leaders were sent to Hajj to neutralize them

Al-Jazeera said a military source revealed details of the battle in Aden, southern Yemen, which led to the capture of the city by security-belt forces and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC).

The channel's website quoted the source as saying that the coup and control of the city was prepared and planned in advance between the UAE and the rebels, and that the Saudi force requested some coordinates but did nothing, he said.

He added that Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi met with Saudi officials and informed them of the seriousness of the situation at the time, pointing out that the leaders of the Giants brigades and military commanders were sent days before the battle for hajj to neutralize them.

The source explained that Hadi's military forces took control of the battle for three days, prompting the UAE to intervene and support the rebels with 400 armored vehicles, and confirmed that the UAE provided the rebels with all kinds of support, adding that on the third day of the fighting some units collapsed and others withstood and we asked them to withdraw.

According to al-Jazeera, Saudi Arabia promised President Hadi support and intervention to stop the rebels' actions, but did not, pointing out that the Saudi military force beneath the presidential palace in Aden remained a spectator as requested.

He said a Saudi delegation met with Yemeni Interior Minister Ahmed al-Maysari, who demanded a ceasefire without response, and that a Saudi force had transferred the interior and transport ministers to Aden airport.

https://almasdaronline.com/articles/170629

(* B H P)

'Scores' killed in Yemen as UAE-backed fighters seize parts of Aden

Describing the fallout of the latest violence, the ICRC described perilous conditions for civilians and first aiders in the port city during the height of the fighting, as Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Monday to try to defuse friction between the two allies.

According to Mathias Kempf, the ICRC’s head of mission in Aden, its staff were finally able to visit two hospitals in the city.

“The escalation when it happened was very sudden,” Kempf told the Guardian from Aden, adding that staff were unable to move for several days as battles raged in many areas of the city.

Although he said the situation had stabilised since Sunday, he described enormous difficulties for those injured in reaching medical facilities during the peak of the violence.

“Movement was almost impossible with shooting on going in many parts of town – with all calibres of weapons – and ambulances could not move. Because of that, the hospitals did not get an influx until the fighting started to die down.”

Tamuna Sabadze, deputy director of operations for the International Rescue Committee in Aden, said that fighters allied with the Southern Transitional Council now controlled most of the city.

“Their forces control the key parts of Aden – all the military camps and the presidential palace, and they already controlled the airport,” said Sabadze, adding that only a small part of the city was now controlled by Saudi-backed government forces.

She added: “The situation has definitely become more dynamic and unpredictable.

“From a humanitarian perspective that will have implications on everything from the importation of humanitarian supplies to dealing with different ministries to facilitate work.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/aug/14/scores-killed-in-yemen-as-uae-backed-fighters-seize-parts-of-aden

(B P)

Yemen’s southern separatists complicate peace efforts

“Divisions within the South are deepening, and we see the further disintegration of Hadi’s regime and the coalition attempting to restore him to power,” says Sheila Carapico, a professor of political science specialising in the Middle East and Yemen.

“There seems to be chaos in Aden right now, but many are celebrating the collapse of the regime in the city.”

What was once a united and deadly alliance against the Houthis appears to be waning, especially the links between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“There is a rift between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and within the Gulf Cooperation Council (that used to be united on its Yemen policy). It is difficult now to discern who is in the erstwhile Saudi-led coalition,” adds Carapico.

http://en.rfi.fr/middle-east/20190813-yemenis-southern-separatists-complicate-peace-efforts

(B P)

The U.S.-Backed War on Yemen Is Collapsing

The Saudis are now riposting against the allies of their ally. This is not about Iran but about regional power rivalry.

In essence, Yemen is now split in three, with 1) the Southern secessionists, 2) what’s left of the government of Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and 3) Houthi rebels in the West. There are also some areas of intense al-Qaeda and ISIL influence, in the interstices of the struggle.

The roots of southern Yemen regional patriotism go back to the early 19th century

The UAE has drawn down half of its land forces in Yemen (it had 5,000 to 10,000 there) and says it is getting out entirely.

These developments have left Saudi Arabia holding the bag

Donald Trump maintains that the Yemen war is about containing Iran, though that is a vast exaggeration.

Trump vetoed the congressional initiative and insists on keeping the Pentagon busy aiding the Saudi war effort.

That war effort is going nowhere, just like Trump’s politics in general, but a lot of people are getting hurt, just as with Trump’s politics in general.

https://www.juancole.com/2019/08/collapsing-southern-separatists.html = https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-u-s-backed-war-on-yemen-is-collapsing/

(B P)

COALITION-OCCUPIED PART OF YEMEN IS IN CHAOS AMID TENSIONS IN ADEN

Tensions between the Hadi government and the Southern Transitional Council have always been an open secret. However, the years of coalition failures in the conflict against the Ansar Allah movement (more widely known as the Houthis) have deepened differences and increased tensions between the formal allies.

The Saudi-led coalition has shown that it is not capable of capturing the Yemeni capital of Sanaaa and other key areas as the port city of al-Hudaydah and Sanaa, or even securing the Saudi-Yemeni border to prevent Houthi cross-border attacks. Therefore, forces involved in the coalition-led intervention in the country have appeared in the center of an increasingly tense struggle for power within southern Yemen.

https://southfront.org/coalition-occupied-part-of-yemen-is-in-chaos-amid-tensions-in-aden/

(A H P)

UN downsizes its workforce in Aden

The United Nations (UN) said on Tuesday that it has decreased the number of its workers in Aden, south Yemen following seizure of the city by the Emirati-backed pro-separation forces last Saturday.

“We are decreasing our staff numbers in Aden until we can determine that we can safely perform all our tasks once more,”

https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-32573

(A P)

Wide Celebrations in Al-Makla and Other Cities of Hadhramaut for Clearing Aden Off Terrorists

Fireworks lighted the skies of Hadhramaut at Saturday night and streets hosted massive marches with motorbikes in celebration of the great victories of our southern armed forces over terrorist stationed in its military camps who spread chaos all over the city and disturbed law and order in addition to committing assassinations against its military and security personnel. They also spied on the southern resistance for Al-Houthis.

https://en.smanews.org/wide-celebrations-in-al-makla-and-other-cities-of-hadhramaut-for-clearing-aden-off-terrorists

My comment: Hadi government army now labeled as “terrorists” by the separatists.

(A P)

NGOs and Syndicates Call for a Massive Demonstration Next Thursday to Support the Political Leadership and Southern Armed Forces

Southern NGOs, syndicates and public figures in Aden called for the whole southern people to participate in massive demonstration next Thursday at Al-Oroud Square – Khour Maxar, to support the steps taken by the southern armed forces to protect the will, expectations and gains of the southern people along its history of peaceful and armed struggles to defend their lands, soles and religion. The following is a translation of the call:

Our southern people and its political, military, security and civilian leaderships, with all its political diversity, drew a great image of lineup, tolerance and forgiveness. We have prioritized the supreme interest of our nation

to send a message to the whole world about our wide public support to the steps and measures taken by the southern political leadership and southern armed forces to maintain the safety of our lands and protect our citizens from the aggression of our enemies along the past period.

https://en.smanews.org/ngos-and-syndicates-call-for-a-massive-demonstration-next-thursday-to-support-the-political-leadership-and-southern-armed-forces

(A P)

Al-Wali: We Were Forced to Fight and Didn’t Seek War. We Will Achieve Victory as We Have the Right, The People and the Lands. We Are Determined.

Professor Abd Al-Nasser Al-Wali, member of the southern transitional council’s presidency and chairman of Aden local leadership, said that this war broke in Aden during the past few days was forced over the southern but they didn’t seek it.
In a special statement to SMA News, Al-Wali said: “Forces of tyranny and terrorism that oppressed the south during the past 29 years are now mere history as their bloody expansive agenda was exhausted. Our victory came not because we are stronger but because we have the right, the people and the land. We also sacrificed generously”.
Al-Wali asserted that the southern armed forces don’t have expansive agendas and they are not as weak as some think.

https://en.smanews.org/al-wali-we-were-forced-to-fight-and-didnt-seek-war-we-will-achieve-victory-as-we-have-the-right-the-people-and-the-lands-we-are-determined

(* B P)

Aden residents ask who runs south Yemen now?

After UAE-backed forces seize sites in port city, Yemenis celebrate the end of fighting - and wonder whether separatists will declare independence

But along with the happiness over newly restored calm in the port city, there was a lingering question for residents who spoke with Middle East Eye: who runs the south now?

Among several secessionist groups, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), established in 2017, has emerged as the front-runner.

For Yemenis like Sami, a 43-year-old employee with a local food distribution company, it is not clear whether the STC is qualified to rule Aden. But the more important question, he said, is who has the most power to take control.

“The SBF backed by UAE are the strongest so now they must take responsibility and manage Aden and the UAE should support them to secede," he told MEE.

Sami's main concern, however, remains an end to the dangerous clashes in his city where he lives with four members of his family. He fears if the STC doesn't take control, the SBF will simply continue making chaos in his hometown.

“We hope that was the last of the fighting in Aden. Next time, civilians will take their personal arms and will fight the militias of the UAE,” he said.

“We don’t care who will control Aden, but we need to live in peace and it seems that we won’t have peace as long as the UAE supports the SBF in Aden.”

Other Yemenis in Aden were more jubilant: this was the first Eid since 1990 that their city was under the control of separatists.

“Everything is well. We are now just waiting for the STC to announce the independence of the south. This is the best opportunity. We now control all of Aden,” he said.

“If the STC doesn’t take this step, it will lose many of its supporters. We don’t want any more fighting in Aden. We need to take advantage and declare independence.”

However, this doesn't appear to be on the cards for the STC.

An Aden-based member of the STC who is also a political science professor told MEE that announcing secession is not a simple issue – and wasn’t the goal of the recent fighting.

“The battles were not for the sake of independence, but for the sake of control and to impose the STC as part of any peace talks and to maintain the wealth of the south,” he said. “Everything in its time is good. Independence will come at the best time."

When asked whether the STC would declare independence, Saleh Alnoud, spokeperson in the movement's UK office, said the group has been clear that southerners should determine their future "as part of a UN-led political solution".

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/aden-residents-ask-who-runs-south-yemen-now

(B P)

Film: 100% the UAE had defeated Saudi Arabia. the UAE is supporting the separatists because they are going to use the South as a bargaining chip!' -Director of Yemen Now @narrabyee discusses the separatists capturing Aden and a split in the Saudi-led coalition!

https://twitter.com/Underground_RT/status/1161264264453263360

(* A P)

'No one will accept a unified Yemen': Separatists refuse to back down on independence bid as UAE urges dialogue

Leaders in Yemen’s southern separatist movement say they are “ready” for peace talks but will not abandon demands for an independent state, after their forces seized control of Aden city.

However, Ahmed Bin Fareed, the movement’s representative in Europe, told The Independent that while they were keen to participate in peace talks they would not back down on calls that Yemen be divided, dashing hopes of a speedy resolution to the crisis.

“We accept to go to Riyadh for talks, we are still committed to the coalition, we respect President Hadi but we are sure he is controlled by members of the [Islamist] Islah Party,” Mr Fareed said on Tuesday.

“We will not back down from our demand of a state. No one will accept a unified Yemen. South Yemen was an independent state until very recently. We want a return to our country,” he added.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-uae-separatist-movement-independence-south-aden-city-government-clashes-a9056086.html

(A P)

Yemen infighting can only lead to disaster

This week, developments in Aden showed once again how difficult the situation in Yemen is. The fragmentation amongst Yemeni political actors stems largely from Houthi intransigence and refusal to engage seriously in a political process that can get Yemen on to a path of stability.

The renewed Saudi and Emirati call for calm and talks is a pivotal move as it could pressure the factions to uphold the ceasefire. Their position was backed by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres, who urged all parties involved in the conflict to engage in “inclusive dialogue”. If the UN and the Arab coalition’s calls are not heeded, the result could be disastrous for the people of Yemen.

To avoid such a disastrous outcome, the UAE’s peace-first approach has sought to encourage both sides to the negotiating table, while providing support on the ground to help its local allies fight extremists

https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/yemen-infighting-can-only-lead-to-disaster-1.897850

My comment: This is by an UAE news site and will reflect the official UAE position. This is quite funny, as the UAE support for the separatists has caused this crisis. And – what the Hadi government should talk about to the separatists?

(A P)

Yemeni officials lose loot as Aden militias raid their homes

In the chaos that has swirled around the southern Yemeni city of Aden, UAE-backed militias on Sunday and Monday carried out several violations including looting, al-Arabi al-Jadeed newspaper reports.

The militias, affiliated to the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), targeted the homes of government officials, in addition to the leaders of the Southern Resistance militia loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

An official from the Yemeni presidency, speaking anonymously, told the pan-Arab paper the looting and violations were reminiscent of the Houthis’ behaviour when the rebels took control of Sanaa in 2014.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/arabic-press-review-yemeni-officials-lose-loot-aden-militias-raid-their-homes

(* A P)

STC leader thanks UAE for support in taking over Aden

Aidarous al-Zubaidi praises Emirati support for defeating Hadi loyalists

The head of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has on Sunday thanked the support given by the United Arab Emirates to help taking over Yemen’s main southern city of Aden.

Al-Zubaidi vowed, in his speech, to take full control over the areas of Wadi Hadhramaut, Baihan and Mukhairase.

He praised the UAE’s decision to back the Security Belt forces in fighting the Saudi-backed Hadi administration’s military sites in Aden.

Al-Zubaidi expressed his readiness to work with the Saudi-led coalition bt attending the meeting for peace called for by Saudi Arabia, in order to reach an agreement between the coalition’s mercenary factions.

https://www.uprising.today/stc-leader-thanks-uae-for-support-in-taking-over-aden/

(A P)

Film: Yemeni official says UAE won in Aden, blames Saudi for being silent

In a video shared online, the interior minister of Yemen’s internationally recognised government Ahmed al-Maysari acknowledged that the UAE won in Aden but said it won’t be the last battle.
He also blamed Saudi Arabia for being silent as UAE-backed southern separatists seized control of the port city.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=599275433812068

(* A H P)

Gefechte im jemenitischen Aden: "Alle möglichen Geschütze wurden eingesetzt"

Die Hafenstadt Aden im Jemen ist Schauplatz heftiger Gefechte zwischen Milizen, die eigentlich Verbündete sein sollten. Unter den blutigen Scharmützeln leidet die Zivilbevölkerung. Ein Helfer schildert die Lage.

Matthias Kempf: In Aden liegen Büro und Wohnhaus des IKRK zusammen; in der Nähe ist eine Militärbasis. Die Kämpfe haben ein paar hundert Meter entfernt stattgefunden. Wir sind mit unserem Team in den Schutzraum und haben uns darin eingeschlossen. Draußen war es sehr laut; es wurden alle möglichen Geschütze eingesetzt, offenbar auch Panzer. Es war sehr beklemmend.

Bis die Gefechte aufgehört haben, war unser Hauptproblem das Durchkommen der Verletzten zu den Hospitälern. Aden hat ein relativ gutes Niveau ärztlicher Versorgung, aber es gab an vielen Orten in der Stadt gleichzeitig Kämpfe. Das heißt, Krankenwagen kamen nicht durch, auch Privattransporte nicht. Am Samstag, als die Gefechte nach und nach eingestellt wurden, haben wir festgestellt, dass auf einmal viele Verletzte eingeliefert wurden. Es gab viele Schussverletzungen, Verletzungen durch Splitter oder durch Trümmer. Wir haben die Hospitäler mit Medikamenten, Verbandsmaterial unterstützt. Auch mit Leichensäcken.

Die Lage ist nicht gut in Aden, aber viel besser als beispielsweise auf den Dörfern, wo fast wöchentlich etwas passiert, nur hören wir davon kaum etwas. Aden liegt im Gebiet der offiziell anerkannten Regierung - es ist eigentlich ihr Sitz, auch wenn es jetzt fraglich ist, wie es weitergeht. Das heißt, wir sind hier nicht von der Seeblockade gegen die von den Houthis kontrollierten Häfen betroffen und haben natürlich auch unsere eigenen Kanäle, um medizinische Versorgung ins Land zu bekommen.

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/aden-im-jemen-alle-moeglichen-geschuetze-wurden-eingesetzt-a-1281779.html

(A P)

Human Rights Watch: Civilian Casualties Mount in Indiscriminate Fighting in Yemen

Separatist and Government Forces in Aden Showing Scant Concern for Civilians

Clashes between pro-government and separatist forces have wracked the city of Aden in Yemen for the past several days, causing numerous casualties in the fiercest fighting the city has seen since the start of the war. While fighting has paused, it could resume at any time.

The fighting between forces loyal to Yemen’s President Hadi and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) – Emirati-backed forces pushing for southern independence – has taken place in densely populated civilian neighborhoods, with bullets and mortars, injuring and killing civilians sheltering in homes or trying to pass through the streets. The neighborhoods affected include the Crater, Mualla, Dar Saad, and Khormaksar areas of central Aden, as well as areas in Bureika, where the Saudi-led coalition controls a military base.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/12/civilian-casualties-mount-indiscriminate-fighting-yemen

(B H P)

Civilians in Abyan province are complaining about the high prices of Eid stuff and the absence of official supervision

https://twitter.com/BelqeesRights/status/1161805969015414784

cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks

(A P)

UN Secretary-General: We are closely following the developments on the ground in Aden. We are particularly concerned by the impact of the violence on civilians.

https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/note-correspondents/2019-08-13/note-correspondents-yemen

(A K P)

Shyly, UN condemns the latest war crime committed by US-Saudi war criminals in northern Yemen this week (text in image)

https://twitter.com/narrabyee/status/1161153737580339200

cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia

(A P)

Films: #Saudi failure #hajj this year included forcing pilgrims to wade through sewage.

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1161612101917532160

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1161695349666394112

https://twitter.com/AliAlAhmed_en/status/1161642880290738181

(* A P)

Prominent jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul 'offered release in return for denying torture'

The siblings of jailed Saudi Arabian rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul have claimed authorities offered to release her in return for her silence over alleged torture and sexual harassment she suffered in prison.

Brother Walid al-Hathloul said Saudi state security asked Loujain to sign on a document and appear on camera denying she had been tortured to secure her release.

Loujain was arrested last May, along with at least 10 other activists, in a sweeping crackdown on dissenters led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr Hathloul, who lives in Canada, said she accepted to sign a document, but not to appear on camera.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/13/prominent-jailed-saudi-activist-loujain-al-hathloul-offered/

(A P)

Detainee Mohamed Al-Labbad, who is seen in the footage below participating in a peaceful, pro-reform protest, could now face the death penalty after the #Saudi persecution demanded his execution for just that: "protesting"!

https://twitter.com/PrintempsArabeS/status/1161346754291388417

(* B P)

Film: Mohammed bin Salman: The man guiding Saudi Arabia

He's got a bold new vision for Saudi Arabia. But his critics doubt his intentions. CNN takes a look at the thirty-something now effectively in charge In Saudi Arabia.

https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2019/08/12/who-is-mohammed-bin-salman-profile-lon-orig-mkd.cnn

(* B P)

Immer mehr Muslime boykottieren Pilgerfahrt nach Mekka

Zunehmend werden Forderungen nach einem Boykott des Königreichs laut – und sich kommen nicht mehr nur von Seiten der Schiiten. Der Hashtag #boycotthajj ist zu einem Twitter-Trend geworden, unter dem rund 16.000 Tweets versendet wurden. Sunnitische Geistliche auf der ganzen Welt fordern ebenfalls einen Boykott. Die tunesische Union der Imame sagteim Juni, dass ‚das [durch den Hadsch] eingenommene Geld, das an die saudischen Behörden fließt, nicht armen Muslimen auf der ganzen Welt zu Gute hilft. Stattdessen wird es dazu verwendet, um Menschen zu vertreiben und zu töten, wie es derzeit im Jemen der Fall ist.’ Da der Hadsch eine der fünf Säulen des Islam ist, die für alle Muslime verbindlich sind, weist die Forderung nach einem Boykott auf aufrichtige, bittere Besorgnis über des saudische Verhalten hin.

Sollte sich dieser Trend fortsetzen, wäre der Anspruch Saudi-Arabiens gefährdet, die spirituelle Heimat des Islam zu sein

https://www.mena-watch.com/immer-mehr-muslime-boykottieren-pilgerfahrt-nach-mekka/

cp9 USA

(A K P)

Film (in Arabic): The Silent War of Yemen

Exhibition in New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mmaxpa80Slc

(A P)

DSA International Committee Action Alert — Help STOP the War in Yemen!

As we speak, Congress is deciding what amendments will stay in the “veto proof” National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes Pentagon spending. We need to act fast to make sure language to end the Yemen war isn’t stripped from the final version of the bill that goes to the President’s desk. Please call Speaker Nancy Pelosi today at (202) 225-4965 and insist that the House-Senate conference on the National Defense Authorization Act include the Smith-Khanna amendment-26 to end all U.S. participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen and the Malinowski amendment-438 to stop bomb sales to Saudi-UAE. If they ask why, say “Yemen Can’t Wait!”

Getting these amendments into the NDAA is our best shot at helping to bring an end to the worst humanitarian crisis on earth.

https://www.dsausa.org/news/dsa-international-committee-action-alert-help-stop-the-war-in-yemen/

(* B P)

Election 2020: Candidates call for ‘reset’ in US-Saudi relations

Welcome to Al-Monitor’s overview of the 2020 presidential election. Here you’ll find everything you need about the Middle East positions of all the candidates who have qualified for the July 30-31 Democratic primary debates. Click on the candidates below to view their voting history, policy positions and more.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend Mayor Peter Buttigieg both called for a reevaluation of US-Saudi relations in a Council on Foreign Relations questionnaire distributed to Democratic presidential candidates released on July 30. Biden vowed to “order a reassessment of our relationship with Saudi Arabia.” Buttigieg also called for a “reset” in the relationship, arguing that the United States should nonetheless continue intelligence-sharing with Riyadh for counterterrorism operations against al-Qaeda in Yemen.

In the same survey, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., accused Riyadh of trying to “drag the US into a conflict with Iran” – a sentiment echoed by author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson, who went further by suggesting that Iran could be “a potential ally against Sunni extremism.” Meanwhile, former Rep. John Delaney, D-Md., vowed to ban Saudi officials from the White House and end high-level delegations to the kingdom, while Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, came out in favor of ending US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen after missing a House vote to do so earlier this year.

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/us-election-2020

cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Wachsende Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Mounting tensions at the Gulf

(* B P)

Der Kriegs-Knotenpunkt

Attac Hamburg ruft ein Bündnis gegen die Kriegsführung von deutschem Boden aus gegen den Iran ins Leben.

Das Säbelrasseln der USA wird begleitet von der Aussage Trumps, dass er keinen Irankrieg wolle,
er wolle nur erreichen, dass der Iran keine Atombomben baue. Wozu dann die Soldaten und der Flugzeugträger? Der Iran hat nach Auskunft der Internationalen Atomenergie Organisation (IAEO) alle Bedingungen für das Atomabkommen eingehalten. Was will Trump also wirklich? Wir fürchten, dass Trump ernst macht und den Iran mit einem militärischen Krieg — zusätzlich zum wirtschaftlichen Krieg gegen die Bevölkerung — überziehen wird.

Angeblich will keiner einen Krieg am Persischen Golf, aber niemand scheint ihn aufzuhalten. Insbesondere unsere Mainstream-Presse nicht: Journalismusforscher Florian Zollmann von der New Castle Universität in England stellt fest, „dass westliche Stimmen und Erklärungsmuster in den Nachrichten der Leitmedien überrepräsentiert sind“ und dass „es auch ideologische Annahmen in den Medien gibt. So sprechen Leitmedien wie der „Spiegel“ von einem „USA-Iran-Konflikt“.

Das Wort Konflikt deutet auf Zweiseitigkeit hin. Dabei war sich die Staatengemeinschaft im Prinzip einig über die Gültigkeit des 2015 abgeschlossenen Atomabkommens mit dem Iran. Nun hat die Trump-Regierung dieses Abkommen vor etwa einem Jahr einseitig aufgekündigt. Es entspräche also der Faktenlage, die Trump-Regierung als Aggressor zu bezeichnen.

Und nicht zum ersten Mal träten die USA als Aggressor gegen den Iran auf:

https://www.rubikon.news/artikel/der-kriegs-knotenpunkt

(* B P)

Soll der Welthandel militärisch abgesichert werden? Ist eine solche Subventionierung der sogenannten Globalisierung und des Verkehrs wirklich sinnvoll?

In den letzten Wochen ist die Frage, ob der Westen und auch Deutschland am Persischen Golf, insbesondere gegen den Iran, militärisch intervenieren sollten, diskutiert worden. An dieser Diskussion beteiligt waren einige, unter anderem der Grünen-Vorsitzende Habeck wegen seines positiven Votums, dann der ehemalige Wehrbeauftragte und Lobbyist Robbe mit der forschen These, die Mullahs verstünden nur die Sprache militärischer Optionen; auf den NachDenkSeiten hat Jens Berger über die angeblich deutschen Schiffe, die unter anderer Flagge fahren, geschrieben; es gab eine Leserbriefsammlung zum Thema. Die Grundsatzfrage, ob wir als Volk und deutscher Staat überhaupt die Aufgabe haben und ein Interesse daran haben sollten, für die Freiheit der Schifffahrtswege auch militärisch einzutreten, wurde aus meiner Sicht viel zu wenig und schon gar nicht radikal gestellt.

https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=54123

(* A P)

Iran says Britain might release oil tanker soon, Gibraltar says not yet

The British territory of Gibraltar will not yet release an Iranian oil tanker seized by Royal Marines in the Mediterranean despite an Iranian report that it could do so on Tuesday, an official Gibraltar source said.

The deputy head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, Jalil Eslami, said on Tuesday that Britain was thinking of freeing the Grace 1 following an exchange of documents.

“The vessel was seized based on false allegations,” Eslami said in comments reported by state news agency IRNA. “We hope the release will take place soon.”

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, quoting unidentified Gibraltar authorities, said the tanker would be freed by Tuesday evening.

However, a senior source in the government of British overseas territory denied that would happen on Tuesday.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-tanker/iran-says-britain-might-release-grace-1-oil-tanker-soon-irna-idUSKCN1V30J5

(A P)

UK Sends Warship to Gulf as Part of US Naval Mission to Counter Iran

The UK dispatched the warship HMS Kent to the Persian Gulf on Monday as part of the US-led Maritime Security Mission in the area.
The mission will see the Royal Navy working alongside the US Navy to purportedly ensure the security of merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened political tension with Iran.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201908131076536956-uk-sends-warship-to-gulf-as-part-of-us-naval-mission-to-counter-iran/

(B P)

Die Nein-Sager

[Vorsicht: Propaganda!]

Im Persischen Golf steht mehr auf dem Spiel als die Sicherheit der Handelswege. Kann Deutschland in jedem Fall militärischen Beistand verweigern?

Deutschland sagt Nein. Washington hat es Berlin leicht gemacht, einen Marine-Einsatz an der Straße von Hormus abzulehnen. Schließlich fragte ausgerechnet jene Regierung, die an der Eskalation am Golf maßgeblichen Anteil hat, ob die Deutschen helfen, dort fahrende Öltanker vor Angriffen zu schützen. In Berlin war man sich schnell einig: Keine Mission unter US-Befehl. Fall erledigt?

Absolut nicht. Was sich in jener Region zusammenballt, ist hochexplosiv. Und mitnichten können die Deutschen hoffen, in jedem Fall unbeteiligt und unbehelligt danebenstehen zu können.

Was aber stattdessen? Die Deutschen könnten beispielsweise einen konkreten Vorschlag für eine eigenständige europäische Mission unterbreiten, auf jeden Fall zusammen mit den Franzosen, am besten noch mit weiteren EU-Ländern.

Die Amerikaner würden solche Eigenständigkeit wohl kaum begrüßen, aber damit könnte man leben. So ein Vorschlag wäre vor allem ein Signal an Teheran. Das Regime ist an einem Bruch mit Europa nicht interessiert.

Eine derartige Mission würde es den Europäern außerdem erlauben, sich selbst ein unabhängiges Bild von der Lage zu machen. Und sollte es tatsächlich zur Entsendung eines europäischen Kommandos kommen, dann wäre ein Mitspieler am Golf präsent, der definitiv nicht an Eskalation interessiert ist.

https://www.zeit.de/2019/33/irankrise-persischer-golf-marineeinsatz-us-mission

Mein Kommentar: Monotonie der Propaganda in der Mainstreampresse: Sie werden dort keinen Artikel finden, der eine deutsche Beteiligung an einer europäischen „Mission“ im Persischen Golf ablehnen würde. Das ist eine Propagandakampagne, die die mehrheitlich ablehnenden Deutschen dafür weichklopfen soll. Schon der Titel führt zur Wertung hin: Die „Nein-Sager“ sind negativ besetzt. Klar, der Mainstream zieht „Ja-Sager“ immer vor, wenn es um mehr Militärpräsenz geht.

(B P)

Es wird eng in der Straße von Hormus

Die US-Regierung fordert, dass der Iran kein Erdöl mehr exportiert. Dadurch eskaliert die Lage an der wichtigsten Tanker-Route der Welt.

In der Straße von Hormus verdichtet sich gerade die Weltpolitik auf kleinem Raum. Die Meerenge zwischen dem Oman und dem Iran verbindet den Persischen Golf mit dem Indischen Ozean, an der engsten Stelle ist sie nicht einmal 40 Kilometer breit. Und sie ist zum Schauplatz um die Sanktionspolitik gegen den Iran geworden.

Die USA versuchen mit maximalem Druck, ein neues Abkommen mit dem Iran zu erzwingen, in dem sich das Land bereit erklärt, sein Atomprogramm zurückzufahren. Daher haben sie die Sanktionen gegen die iranische Erdölindustrie verschärft.

Die US-Sanktionen treffen den iranischen Erdölsektor schwer. Im April 2018 exportierte das Land 2,7 Millionen Fass Rohöl pro Tag, gegenwärtig sind es nur mehr rund 700.000 Fass pro Tag. "Seit März hat der Iran dadurch vier Milliarden Dollar verloren", sagt Torbjorn Soltvedt von der Risikoberatung Verisk Maplecroft. Daher ist der Iran dringend auf China angewiesen. Das Land unterwirft sich den US-Sanktionen nicht und ist einer der wenigen Großkunden des Iran.

https://www.zeit.de/2019/33/oelexporte-iran-strasse-von-hormus-persischer-golf-sanktionen

(* B P)

Audio (6. Aug.): IMI-Mitteilung: Irankrieg? Mit deutscher Beteiligung?

Schon seit Monaten wächst die Gefahr eines Krieges der USA und ihrer Verbündeter gegen den Iran Nun haben die USA offiziell eine deutsche Beteiligung an einer maritimen Mission in der Straße von Hormus angefragt. Frankreich, Großbritannien und die USA planen bereits konkrete Schritte zur Umsetzung dieses militärischen Eskalationsschrittes. Es braucht wenig Phantasie um sich das weitere Szenario vorzustellen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=884J2iWx4Ng

cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain

Siehe / Look at cp1

(B K P)

RAF VALLEY WORRIES ABOUT SAFETY BUT HAPPILY TRAINS SAUDI MURDERERS!

It is howeveer a poingnant irony that RAF Valley is so concerned about the safety regime of its own training programme but happliy allows that programme to turn out Saudi pilots and personnel from other Gulf States who have gone on to MURDER innocent men women and children in Yemen in their thousands.

https://www.facebook.com/805941286121301/photos/a.806379472744149/2326319874083427/

cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries

(A P)

Irans Außenminister spricht sich für Ende des Jemen-Kriegs aus

Der iranische Außenminister Mohammad Javad Zarif hat die Tötung der unterdrückten und unschuldigen Menschen im Jemen sowie die fünfjährige Blockade gegen dieses Land bedauert und eine schnelle Beendigung des Krieges und der Blockade gefordert.

Bei einem Treffen mit dem Ansarullah-Sprecher Mohammed Abdel-Salam unterstrich Zarif am Sonntag, dass für die Jemen-Krise nur eine politische Lösung in Frage kommen kann. Die IR Iran unterstütze stets innerjemenitische Gespräche und die vollständige Umsetzung der Vereinbarung von Stockholm.

https://de.abna24.com/news//irans-aussenminister-spricht-sich-fuer-ende-des-jemen-kriegs-aus_968733.html

(A P)

Iran Warns of Plot to Partition Yemen

Iran’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at the Saudi-led military coalition for pursuing a plot to split Yemen, reaffirming Tehran’s support for a united Yemen with an inclusive government.

https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2019/08/14/2075747/iran-warns-of-plot-to-partition-yemen

(A P)

Revolutionsführer: Wir müssen mit aller Macht gegen die Verschwörungen der Saudis und Emirate, den Jemen zu teilen, Widerstand leisten

http://parstoday.com/de/news/iran-i48512-revolutionsf%C3%BChrer_wir_m%C3%BCssen_mit_aller_macht_gegen_die_verschw%C3%B6rungen_der_saudis_und_emirate_den_jemen_zu_teilen_widerstand_leisten

(A P)

Teheran sichert Huthis im Jemen auf höchster Ebene seine Unterstützung zu

rans geistliches Oberhaupt Ayatollah Ali Chamenei empfing am Dienstagabend den Sprecher der Huthi-Rebellen, Mohammed Abdel Salam, in seiner Residenz in Teheran. Er erklärte seine "Unterstützung für den Kampf für den Jemen" und warf der von Saudi-Arabien angeführten Militärkoalition gegen die Huthi-Rebellen "Verbrechen" vor. Riad und Abu Dhabi wollten den Jemen spalten

https://www.zeit.de/news/2019-08/14/teheran-sichert-huthis-im-jemen-auf-hoechster-ebene-seine-unterstuetzung-zu

(A P)

Iran reaffirms support for Houthis as rift splits Saudi coalition

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once again threw his full weight behind Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, urging them to further intensify resistance against the Saudi-led "aggression" in their country.

Khamenei made the remarks at a meeting with a senior delegation representing the group

https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/08/iran-support-yemen-houthi-rebels-rift-saudi-coalition-war.html

(A P)

Ayatollah Khamenei: Intra-Yemeni dialogue needed for a united Yemen

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said on Tuesday Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have committed “great crimes” in Yemen.

The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesman for Yemen’s Ansarullah and chief negotiator of the National Salvation Government.

The Leader also said Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are seeking to break up Yemen and this should be strongly resisted.

“They are after dividing up Yemen but there must be a strong resistance against this plot and (it is necessary to) support an integrated, united Yemen with its territorial integrity,” the Leader asserted.

Ayatollah Khamenei added protecting the Yemeni territorial integrity in view of its diverse religious and ethnic diversity entails intra-Yemeni dialogue.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/439229/Ayatollah-Khamenei-Intra-Yemeni-dialogue-needed-for-a-united

and by Western media:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-iran/irans-khamenei-backs-yemens-houthi-movement-calls-for-dialogue-idUSKCN1V31W3

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-7353391/Iran-supreme-leader-urges-support-Yemens-Houthi-rebels.html

and a film by Press TV Iran: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=394625741412612

cp12a Katar-Krise / Qatar crisis

(B P)

Hurriyet newspaper: “the ceremony of opening Turkish military base in Qatar will be in next autumn..The inauguration of ceremony expected to be unveiled by H.H the Amir of Qatar and Turkish President..the number of Turkish soldiers will increase” (film)

https://twitter.com/abdulmoiz1990/status/1161557392045355008

cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade

(A K P)

SAUDI ARABIA DOES NOT PLAN TO LOAD WEAPONS IN SPAIN IN THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR

The Saudi flag will not be present during the next months in Spanish ports. After several months of mobilizations and complaints against the presence of ships of the Bahri shipping company in places such as Bilbao, Santander or - to a lesser extent - Motril, the Spanish maritime terminals have disappeared from the road maps of these ships for the coming months.

According to the documents prepared by the shipping company, between now and January there is no forecast that Bahri's ships will once again be present in Spanish ports. The only European port on those Bahri roadmaps is Genoa, where there will be a dozen stops over the course of these months.

https://www.publico.es/politica/venta-armamento-arabia-saudi-no-preve-cargas-armas-espana-resta-ano.html

cp13b Wirtschaft / Economy

(* B E K P)

Export Trade Losses due to US-Saudi Aggression and Siege Exceeds $36 Billion

Initial estimates of foreign trade losses due to the aggression and siege amounted to 36 billion and 285 million dollars during the past four years. A report issued by the Export Trade Sector at the Ministry of Industry and Trade [Sanaa gov.] stated that "the aggression and siege led to the para-complete cessation of economic, agricultural, service and commercial activity, and the suspension of ports and the movement of import and export of most goods and products, including oil derivatives and basic food commodities."

The report pointed out that the damages to export trade suffered by the Yemeni economy are coming from the interruption of oil and gas exports, a stop of the country's revenues, a decline in remittances in foreign currencies, a stop of international banks operations in Yemen and the depletion of cash reserves at the Central Bank of Yemen.

The damages also included the closure of offices of accredited international organizations in Yemen, the suspension of their development projects and the closure of foreign embassies, missions, consulates and Arab and foreign commercial attaches.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8288

cp14 Terrorismus / Terrorism

(A T)

Bloopers from an ISIS propaganda video shows a recruit's pledge of allegiance get drowned out by birds, then ruined when he forgets his lines

Behind-the-scenes footage shows an ISIS recruit in Yemen fluffing his lines and struggling to be heard over squawking birds while pledging allegiance to the caliphate.

The video was recorded in 2017, before ISIS collapsed. A later take was successful and made it into a real propaganda video.

The video was unearthed by Dr Elisabeth Kendall, a senior research fellow at Oxford University's Pembroke College, during research on the cell.

http://www.businessinsider.fr/us/isis-blooper-recruit-pledge-birds-forgets-lines-2019-8

and

(A T)

Film: This video of ISIS fighters in Yemen trying to record one of their propaganda videos but being thwarted to do so by a very loud bird is the most effective counter-terror strategy ever...

https://twitter.com/KabirTaneja/status/1161599230261116928

(A T)

Embarrassingly, #alQaeda does counter-narratives better than we do: #AQAP #Yemen's new #nashid/anthem “Idiot State” mocks #ISIS. Strong harmonies, catchy rhythm + sing-along refrain: “You’re not an Islamic state, you’re just a splinter & Baghdadi’s gang”. I'm still humming it... (image)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1161676408743190528

(A T)

Film: #ISIS #Yemen thwarted by loudly squawking bird: Heroic bird relentlessly drowns out ISIS-Y's attempt to renew allegiance to the caliph. Leader's feeble memory adds to the woes... These bodged "takes" didn't make it into the official video of this solemn event, released end July

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1161324490661466119

(A T)

#Yemen #jihad group "Ansar Ma'rib al-Muwahhidin" is pro-#AQAP & focused on al-Bayda'. It just broke a 7-week silence to welcome 39 graduates into Mother Aisha Brigade in 4 new groups: Reconnaissance, Engineering, Ambush/Pillage & Sniper. Location not specified (presumably #Syria)

https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1161279095675727872

(A T)

The Islamic State in Yemen released a video on August 11 which it claimed showed an improvised explosive device (IED) attack against an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militant in Yemen. Islamic State media previously released a video on August 7 accusing AQAP of stealing from and conspiring against local tribes in the Qayfa area in al Bayda governorate in central Yemen. AQAP media responded to that video with a video of its own on August 11 that mocked the Islamic State’s media production.[6]

https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-august-13-2019

cp15 Propaganda

(A P)

UAE's Gargash: status of Houthis as Iran proxy now 'black and white'

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs comments come after Iran's supreme leader said he backs the Yemeni rebels

The position of the Yemeni rebel Houthi group as an Iranian proxy is now clear, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday after members of the group met with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The rebels have increased attacks on the Arab Coalition backing the government using Iranian rocket and drones. Saudi Arabia has also accused Iran of masterminding attacks on the kingdom using the rebels.

“Houthi relations with Iran, for long in search for proper designation, is clearer following their leadership’s meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei,” Dr Gargash said in a tweet on Wednesday. “[It is] stated in black & white in their statement of fealty the Houthis are a proxy and that is the correct terminology.”

https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/uae-s-gargash-status-of-houthis-as-iran-proxy-now-black-and-white-1.898119

My comment: Political support and being a “proxy” is quite different.

(A P)

Madness of the ‘Brothers’ and the one trench

Some tendentious TV channels are trying to portray what is happening in Aden as something that is confusing the Arab Alliance under the leadership of Saudi Arabia. However, the matter is clear to everyone. All parts of the Arab Alliance to restore Yemeni legitimacy were represented in the statements of the Alliance.
These media outlets deliberately twist the truth claiming that what has happened in Aden might disturb relations between the Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and other countries of the Alliance. This is an incorrect analysis because it is based on inaccuracies that inevitably lead to wrong results.
The relationship between the Kingdom and the UAE is strong and solid. It is based on cohesive historic foundations. This was further confirmed by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed during a recent meeting with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.

During its political history, Saudi Arabia has never supported the separation of any region in any Arab country. Its main concern has always been to intervene to help the protagonists in such countries to close ranks. Saudi Arabia did not go to Yemen for a picnic or to achieve some personal agenda as the media of some sick countries allege. These outlets are fishing in dirty water through the spread of lies and fabrication. They only harbor evil toward Yemen.

Riyadh went to Yemen to set up an Arab alliance that could help the Yemeni people restore their legitimate government which is recognized by the entire world represented by the United Nations Security Council and the other regional and international organizations.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/574600/Opinion/OP-ED/Madness-of-the-Brothers-and-the-one-trench

(A P)

More Saudi coalition “We are benefactors” propaganda

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13029

http://en.adenpress.news/news/13018

cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A K pS)

Coalition airstrikes target Houthi militia in Sa’ada

The airstrikes targeted on Monday evening sites and gatherings of Houthi rebel militia in the plateau of Massoud near the center of Ketaf district.

http://en.26sepnews.net/2019/08/13/coalition-airstrikes-target-houthi-militia-in-saada-2/

(A K)

MSF: Saudi coalition killed civilians in Yemen

On Tuesday, the international organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemned the Saudi-led coalition’s attacks targeting civilians in Yemen, calling for urgent measures to ensure their protection.

MSF tweeted that 17 wounded civilians were admitted to Abs Rural Hospital in Hajjah governorate (northwest) supported by the organisation, as a result of the airstrike targeting their home, last Sunday.

Among the wounded were six women and five children. The organisation also pointed out that more than ten civilians were killed as a result of the same raid.

MSF strongly condemned these attacks targeting the civilian population,

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190815-msf-saudi-coalition-killed-civilians-in-yemen/

and

(A K pH)

[The The Aug. 11 saudi coalition air raid in Hajjah province; photos, names of victims]

https://www.facebook.com/SaudiArabia.war.crimes.against.Yemen/posts/2085322728430377

(A K pH)

More Saudi coalition air raids recorded on:

Aug. 14: https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8287 Saada p.

cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War

Siehe / Look at cp1

(A K pH)

Yemeni forces, allies shoot down Saudi-led surveillance drone in Jizan

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/08/15/603585/Yemeni-forces-Saudi-Arabia-drone-Jizan

(A K pH)

In Sa'ada, a civilian was injured with Saudi border-guard gunshots in Shida district. Saudi missiles and artillery shells targeted populated villages in Razih district.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8287

(A K pH)

Dozens of Saudi mercenaries killed in Yemeni missile strike

Dozens of Saudi troopers and Saudi-sponsored militiamen have been killed when Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees launched an offensive against their positions in the kingdom’s southern border region of Najran.

An unnamed Yemeni military source told Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that Yemeni soldiers and allied fighters launched a domestically-developed Zelzal-1 (Earthquake-1) missile at Tayyibah al-Esm military camp on Wednesday evening, leaving dozens of Saudi mercenaries killed and injured.

https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/08/14/603546/Dozens-of-Saudi-mercenaries-killed-in-Yemeni-missile-strike

(A K pS)

Yemeni [Hadi gov.] army: 36 Houthi militias killed in 48 hours

The Yemeni army announced that 36 Houthi militia members, including 10 leaders, were killed and another 69 were wounded in the past 48 hours in Nahm, east of the capitaln Sanaa.

According to a pro-opposition Twitter account, which calls itself the Media Center for the Opposition in Sanaa, Yemeni armed forces carried out several airstrikes, which resulted in deaths and injuries among Houthis, including 10 field commanders.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2019/08/14/Yemeni-army-36-Houthi-militias-killed-in-48-hours.html

(A K pS)

KSrelief's Masam Project Dismantles 965 Mines in Second Week of August

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1958387

(* A K pH)

Yemeni Air Force Targets Abha Airport in Asir

The Air Force of the Yemeni Army and Popular Committees, on Tuesday, carried out several offensives with a squadron of domestically-manufactured combat drones, Qasef-2K, on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern province of Asir.

A source in the Air Force told Almasirah Net that the combat drones successfully hit their targets at the airport.

https://english.almasirah.net/details.php?es_id=8267

and

(A K pS)

Coalition Forces' Joint Command: Coalition to Support Legitimacy, in Yemen: Houthi Terrorist Militia Bobby-Trapped Drone Flew from Sana'a, Fell down in Amran, on Civilian Targets

Colonel Turki al-Maliki, the Official Spokesman of the Coalition Forces' Joint Command (Coalition to Support Legitimacy, in Yemen), said that the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia launched this morning a booby-trapped drone from Sanaa Governorate, in an extension of its terrorist operations, but it fell down in Amran Governorate on civilian targets and innocent civilians.
Colonel Al-Maliki explained that the Houthi terrorist militia continues to adopt terrorist operations through its media tools and outlets, thus putting it and its terrorist leaders and planners to carry out such terrorist operations, under the responsibility and legal accountability, in accordance with the international humanitarian law.

https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1958440

My comment: If this really was a “terrorist” operation, then the first terrorist operation in the Saudi Yemeni war was the Saudi air raid at Sanaa in the night from March 25 to 26 in 2015 – followed by ca. 20,000 more afterwards.

cp18 Sonstiges / Other

(B D)

Film: Yemen Uniforms: Use of military uniforms risks civilians

Camouflage print has become a major part of the Yemeni wardrobe, and not just for militants. Yemenis can easily obtain and wear authentic looking combat boots, trousers, jackets, and vests in public. But Sarah Balter explains how, in more ways than one, this poses problems for the general public.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35sAUGBuXw

(* A)

Desert Locust situation update 13 August 2019

In Yemen, breeding continues in the interior near Bayhan and on the southern coast near Lahij where hopper bands and groups of adults have been reported. Several immature swarms were seen flying recently south of Marib and Al Baydha. So far, only very limited survey and control operations could be carried out this month. More breeding is expected to occur in interior and coastal areas where good rains have fallen. This will cause a further increase in locust numbers, including the formation of hopper bands and swarms.

In Saudi Arabia, groups of immature adults were seen in the southern Asir Mountains from the Yemen border and Najran northwards to Al Baha.

https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/desert-locust-situation-update-13-august-2019

(A)

Film: Taiz's Residents Celebrate Eid At Cairo's Historic Citadel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXMTy15zBPM

Vorige / Previous:

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-564-yemen-war-mosaic-564

https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-564a-yemen-war-mosaic-564a

Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-564 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-564:

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/

http://www.yemenwar.info/

und alle Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:

http://yemendataproject.org/data/

Dieser Beitrag gibt die Meinung des Autors wieder, nicht notwendigerweise die der Redaktion des Freitag.
Geschrieben von

Dietrich Klose

Vielfältig interessiert am aktuellen Geschehen, zur Zeit besonders: Ukraine, Russland, Jemen, Rolle der USA, Neoliberalismus, Ausbeutung der 3. Welt

Dietrich Klose

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